WWE stole my camera!

Ok, so they did give it back, but I still wasn't happy about it. I had seats practically on the floor for the Tuesday Smackdown tapings (spoilers provided by yours truly can be found on http://www.prowrestling.net/). I pulled out my Canon Rebel xti with my zoom lens to see how close to the action I could get, and sure enough, I could zoom right into the turnbuckle. These were going to be some of my best wrestling pics yet.
Until the security came up to me and told me I had to take my "professional" camera to the check area.
I said, "what?" Again, he told me I had to check my camera. He said it's because it has a detachable lens and is considered "professional."
Grudgingly, I did as I was told as he escorted me to the service desk to check my camera.
I was pissed. I pulled the camera out right after the WWE announcement that photography was ok for personal use, just no video or audio recording.
Thanks to the WWE and their no "professional" camera policy, this was the best picture I could get.
Hey, don't get mr wrong, I love my iPhone, but the camera sucks compared to my Rebel. I just wanted to take some great pictures as I find they make the best souvenirs. I've sat front row at WWE house shows and TNA TV tapings with the exact same camera and never had a problem.
I was happy with the show overall, but very disappointed in this policy.
Fair warning to everyone, if you're going to a WWE show, don't bother bringing a good camera.

Smackdown

Smackdown will be coming to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Tuesday, September 13 and I'm going to be there!
It's Edge appreciation night, so we'll see if he makes it onto the show or not.
With any luck, I'll be giving live updates from the show.
Check back soon!

WWE Money in the Bank predictions

This Sunday, CM Punk will leave the WWE, but not before his championship match with John Cena. Punk has vowed to leave the company with the WWE championship. Vince McMahon has stated that if CM Punk walks out of Chicago with the WWE title, John Cena will be fired.

With a setup like that, most fans are expecting Cena to breeze through Punk, keeping his title, his job, and sending Punk out to pasture. That would be the standard, predictable WWE way. But Punk has changed the game.

Here is my prediction: Cena drops the belt to Punk. As Punk celebrates his victory and mocks the crowd, Alberto Del Rio makes his entrance to cash in the Money in the Bank contract that he wins previously in the night. This would be a nice way to set up Del Rio and Cena for Summerslam, with the angle that Del Rio saved Cena's job, but Cena needs to win the belt in order to have it for his Wrestlemania match with the Rock.

Or better yet, Del Rio challenges for the belt and then loses. He's always saying that it is his destiny to win the title, and he keeps coming up short. This would be another opportunity for him to come up short, and also make him be the first person to lose while cashing in Money in the Bank.

This would set up the winner of the Smackdown Money in the Bank match to come out and challenge Punk to yet a third match in the night, which he will finally lose. This will keep Cena's job, take the title of Punk, and send the crowd home happy. To make it even better, have the winner of the Smackdown match be Daniel Bryan. Have Bryan and Punk put on a wrestling clinic in Punk's last match and put the belt on Bryan.

Yes, I know that last one is a pipe dream that will never happen, but it's nice to use my imagination every now and then.

No Ryder on RAW, riot in Vancouver

I was one of the millions..... and millions of the Zack Ryder fans who were disappointed by the lack of Ryder on RAW. The story on some of the wrestling news sites says that WWE was afraid that Ryder would get a bigger reaction from his home town crowd than some of the wrestlers they're actually trying to push right now.
However, it appears that fans did not riot immediately after RAW on Monday as Zack had called for. No, they stewed for two days, flew to Vancouver, and rioted all over the place under the guise of the Canucks losing out on the Stanley Cup on Wednesday.
Ryder or riot indeed.

Zack Ryder fans go ballistic in Vancouver after WWE didn't put Ryder on RAW in Long Island.

And for the record, I was cheering for Boston during the Stanley Cup Finals.
Tim Thomas is a machine!

Ryder or Riot!

Tonight is Zack Ryder's big night on RAW! Maybe.......

Tonight, RAW is live from Long Island, home of Long Island Ice Z himself. Ryder, who has been a YouTube sensation with his weekly web series Z! True Long Island Story has been promoting this week as "Ryder or Riot," complete with his own Rocky style training montage in episode 17.

Here is my prediction for the future of Ryder's web series: I think he will be moving from YouTube to WWE.com. Why do I think this? A couple episodes ago, Ryder received an e-mail from the Anonymous Superstars General Manager (cause he's not on RAW, get it?) saying that Ryder's show will be moving to a different website.

If you look at the YouTube stats, Ryder's show is consistently getting huge numbers week after week. Even if this show started as a Zack Ryder pet project to entertain the fans because he never receives any TV time, I believe WWE has smartened up to his show and wants to capitalize on it. Bringing it to WWE.com would increase traffic to their site, which they are constantly trying to improve.

Having said that, I believe that move would also damage the show, as Ryder would be on a tighter WWE lease.

Time will tell what happens to Z! True Long Island Story, but my prediction is it will be a WWE.com exclusive by the end of August, if not sooner.

Randy Savage dies in car accident

Randy Savage died today in a car accident in Florida. He was 58.

Savage's brother, Leaping Lanny Poffo, stated that Savage had a heart attack while driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler causing him to crash into a tree. Savage's wife Lynn was in the vehicle at the time, and made it out with only minor injuries according to TMZ.com

I was definitely shocked to hear about his death. The first I heard of it came from a Tweet posted by Hulk Hogan earlier today. Soon after it was confirmed, many wrestlers took to Twitter to express their sadness of the loss.

Just last weekend, at the CWI event in Brantford, Ontario, where I took the first Hulk Hogan immortal back tattoo picture, I saw Savage's brother Lanny Poffo.

Leaping Lanny Poffo, brother of Randy Macho Man Savage, on May 14 at the CWI show in Brantford Ontario

In honesty, I didn't recognize him at first. Lanny Poffo has changed drastically since his days as "The Genius." I actually saw him while I was standing in line to get a hot dog. He was walking up to the merchandise table, and I was in his way. I knew he had to be a wrestler, because he was wearing a t-shirt, trunks, and wrestling boots. The lack of knee pads stood out.

I moved out of his way to let him through, and he sort of smiled on his way by. I'm sure he knew that I had no idea who he was, which is why he was freely walking through the crowd of people.

I didn't know who he was until he came out on team Beefcake for the legends Survivor Series match and they announced him as Leaping Lanny Poffo. I was amazed. Despite his look, Lanny still pulled off a moonsault before injuring his knee and having to leave the match.

Looking back on the moment where I saw him while waiting for my hot dog, I wish I had of said hello. Asked him how he was doing and what's new with his brother the Macho Man. I know it wouldn't make any difference today, but I wish I could have spoke to him at a happier time.

Lanny, I am sorry for your loss. The world has lost one of the best wrestlers of the 80's and 90's.

Macho Man, you will be missed.

Hulk Hogan Immortal Back Tattoo

Apparently my picture of Hulk Hogan's new "Immortal" back tattoo have begun making the rounds around the internet. Well, here's a few more pictures for those who wanted to get a better look.

Hulks new tattoo

Some people have commented on Hogan's wrinkly back. Just a reminder, he's 57 and just had back surgery.

Click on this image to get a better look at Hogan's scars. And Beefcakes see-through pants :(

Hogan addressing the crowd in Brantford.

Hulkamania hits Brantford Ontario - May 14, 2011

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, Hulk Hogan came to the Brantford Civic Centre in Brantford Ontario for the CWI Brawl at the Bush.

The card was full of wrestlings past greats, including the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Virgil, Brutus the Barber Beefcake, the Nasty Boys, Leaping Lanny Pofo, X-Pac, Tatanka, Steve Corino and more. Also, Kevin Nash challenged Scott Steiner for the CWI championship.

Nash lost the match after Steiner blasted him in the face with the championship belt while the ref was knocked out of the ring.

The main event was a "Legends Survivor Series Tag Match," with the Million Dollar team consisting of Virgil, the Nasty Boys, and Big Daddy Hammer vs "Team Beefcake" consisting of Brutus the Barber Beefcake, Bushwacker Luke, Leaping Lanny Pofo and CK Sexx. Members of each team were eliminated one by one until it came down to Sags of the Nasty Boys and Beefcake. At this point, Knobs jumped back in the ring to double team Beefcake, and that's when Hulk Hogan came out to make the big save!
Dibiase tried to stop Hogan before he got to the ring, but Hogan decked him with a fist on his way to the ring. The Hulkster than got in the ring, tore his shirt off, and laid a beat down on the Nasty Boys.
Beefcake won the match with a sleeper hold, and the had a pose down session in the ring with Hogan.

Hogan about to lay the Smackdown on the Nasty Boys

Hogan and Beefcake have a pose down to send the fans home happy.

In his picture, you can seen Hulk's new "Immortal" tattoo, along with his back surgery scars.