Scariest of All-Time: Kamala

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Day 11 of the Scariest of All-Time blogs and it's the Ugandan Giant, Kamala. I cannot tell you how much I loved this guy. He is one of my all-time favorite gimmicks. I remember as a kid seeing the vignettes for Kamala on World Class Championship Wrestling. I have no idea how long it took me to realize that this man was not really a beast from Africa.

I think that's the beauty of the gimmick and the talent that James Harris had. He made me and many others believe that he was some sort of monster from the jungle. Kamala was a fierce competitor wrestling everyone from Andre the Giant (even bodyslamming him) to Hulk Hogan to the Von Erichs. He was never a world champion but he got in there and helped make each of his opponents look even stronger.

 It wasn't until much later in his life that he actually spoke and that never happened on TV. I was fortunate enough to do a podcast with him years ago when he was promoting the sale of his book, Kamala Speaks.

Sadly, Kamala died earlier this year. He will be sorely missed but his legacy will live on. RIP Mr. Harris and thanks for all the great memories. 

VIDEO: Go Figure Friday: Kamala's Moon

Click to watch

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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The Hasbro Kamala figure has been talked about a lot in the collecting circles. How valuable is the fig? I take a closer look in this week's Go Figure Friday.

Watch the video and don't forget to subscribe!

My favorite Kerry Von Erich moments

Kerry Von Erich after winning the NWA Title

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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February 18, 2018, marks the 25 year anniversary of the death of Kerry Von Erich. Regular readers here know Kerry is one of my all-time favorites and growing up I ranked him higher than Hulk Hogan himself. Instead of focusing on his death though, I wanted to use this day to remember a few of my favorite Kerry Von Erich matches.

1. Without a doubt his winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship is not only my favorite Kerry Von Erich match but one of my all-time favorite matches. It features two of favorite wrestlers. Kerry fulfilled his promise to honor the life of his brother David that day. In front of a then-record crowd, Kerry battled the "Nature Boy" for just over 11 minutes before catching Flair with a backslide and winning the gold. 

I was 11 years old then and through the roof with excitement. Kerry's reign only lasted 18 days and I was deeply disappointed by the loss, but I viewed it as a huge accomplishment for Von Erich. He went on to appear on the covers of many wrestling magazines in the weeks that followed holding that ten pounds of gold. I collected those mags and hung posters featuring the "Modern Day Warrior" on the wall of my bedroom and even my locker at school. Less than a year later, I was fortunate enough to see a rematch between the two in St. Louis. Flair got himself disqualified. 

Texas Tornado vs. Mr. Perfect
Courtesy: WWE

2. Kerry stormed into the WWF in the summer of 1990 as the Texas Tornado. It was my senior year in high school and when he was placed in the Intercontinental Championship match against Mr. Perfect at that year's SummerSlam, I was stoked. After five minutes of action, Kerry pinned Perfect and was crowned the IC champ. 

Again, his title reign didn't last nearly as long as I had hoped it would. But he got the rub of hanging with The Ultimate Warrior on several occasions. I think had Kerry been in a different place in his personal life back then, his WWF tenure and championship run could have had more meaning than it did ultimately. 

Kerry Von Erich vs. Kamala

3. As I mentioned earlier, Kerry was to me what Hulk Hogan was to millions of fans. Before the Hulkster bodyslammed Andre the Giant, King Kong Bundy or  One Man Gang for that matter, Kerry was performing these feats of strength. I remember vividly Von Erich battling Kamala on slamming him. I believe the announcer, Bill Mercer, said it was the first time the Ugandan Giant had been body slammed. I have no idea if that's true, but to me, it was a feat of superhuman strength. As the years passed, Kerry slammed other big men, including Gang. 

There are plenty of other fond memories I have of Kerry Von Erich. His feuds with the Freebirds, Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez are also among some of my favorites. There are too many instances in those battles to pick favorites. And I still think he should have won the battle with Jerry Lawler in the AWA Championship matches. What are some of your favorite moments of the "Modern Day Warrior"?  

REJECTED: The podcast guests that could have been

Ric Flair has an invitation here
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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For nearly two years I've been doing a wrestling podcast on iTunes and the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network. It's given me an opportunity to interview a variety of wrestling legends, current Superstars and indy talents around the world.

Here are just a few of the greats I've had the chance to interview: WWE Hall of Famers like Mick Foley, Bushwhacker Luke, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and "Cowboy" Bob Orton. The legends including Honky Tonk Man, Jeff Jarrett, Kamala, Terri Runnels and "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. Current Superstars like Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have all be on too. Indy favorites Heath Hatton, Farmer Billy Hills and "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony are friends of the show as well. It's an impressive lineup if I do say so myself. 

But for all the luck I've had securing guests (and I can thank a variety of friends in the business for hooking me up), there have been plenty of rejections. I typically email or tweet potential guests and ask if they're up for doing a show. Here's a few that either declined or never responded. I hold out hope that these men and women will one day be a part of 
My 1-2-3 Cents The Podcast.

Roddy Piper (prior to his death obviously) - No response

Victoria - Not doing interviews at this time.

Elvira (she was a WrestleMania celebrity I wanted for the Halloween show) - Booked through the rest of the year.

Mr. Pectacular - When busy schedule slows down.

Eric Bischoff - No response

Dutch Mantell (aka Zeb Colter) - No response

Vader - No response
Bruce Prichard - No response 

Ric Flair - I aimed really high with this one. Holding out hope he'll join me one day. Woo!

Boo Blog: Skandor Akbar

Devestation Inc.

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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When I first started watching wrestling in the early 80s, World Class Championship Wrestling was my favorite. The Von Erichs, the Freebirds and Devastation Incorporated were among the cast of characters that stood out to me and made the promotion so great.

Akbar in action

Devastation Incorporated was headed by a ruthless figure named Skandor Akbar. Little did I know at the time "The General" had been an accomplished wrestler in a prior life and had transitioned into a managerial role. He wore Mideastern garb and chomped on cigars as he led a bevy of beasts into battle against some of WCCW's best and brightest baby faces.

Akbar's army included monsters like Kamala, The Missing Link and One Man Gang. Memories of those days include the Link and Kerry Von Erich going toe to toe with the Link headbutting Kerry so many times commentator Bill Mercer was convinced Kerry's nose was broken. Akbar stood by encouraging the brutality.

Akbar & Bubba

He managed One Man Gang in UWF after jumping ship from World Class. Gang won the championship there after Terry Gordy forfeited the belt. But it wasn't long before Akbar switched his allegiance and helped Big Bubba Rogers (later the Big Bossman) win the championship. 

Recognize the guy in the mask?

Akbar bounced between UWF and WCCW/USWA through the years. He was without a doubt one of the best managers in those promotions. Unfortunately, he never made his was to WWF like many of the men who were in his charge, including The Punisher who we know today as The Undertaker.

WWE vs. former Superstars

Jimmy Snuka gets smashed

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Dozens of former WWE Superstars are taking the company to court. Some of the big names involved in a class action lawsuit include "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Road Warrior Animal, King Kong Bundy, Chavo Guerrero, Jr. & Sr., Sabu and both members of Demolition. Here's the full list of the 51 plaintiffs.

The suit alleges that the wrestlers incurred "long term neurological injuries" in the course of working for the company, while it "routinely failed to care" for them " in any medically competent or meaningful manner" and even "fraudulently misrepresented and concealed" the nature and extent of those injuries.

"Instead of upholding its duty to its employees, WWE placed corporate gain over its wrestlers' health, safety, and financial security, choosing to leave the Plaintiffs severely injured and with no recourse to treat their damaged minds and bodies."

Right now concussions and the long term impact is being studied and discussed at length. The NFL and NHL have faced similar lawsuits due to injuries players have suffered. WWE, the NFL and the NHL have change their policies to help protect Superstars and players. The death of Eddie Guerrero and the murder-suicide carried out by Chris Benoit brought about change in WWE.

Sabu

I'm not judging anyone who is a part of the suit. My biggest complaint is guys who never wrestled under the WWE banner are also trying to cash in on this situation. To my recollection Rod Price never wrestled in WWE. Guys like Sabu, Axl Rotten and Tracy Smothers suffered the brunt of their injuries years before stepping in a WWE ring. Chavo Guerrero, Sr. only had a handful of matches as did Black Bart and Bobbi Billiard.

Slick & Kamala are also suing

My point is many if not most of the names on the list were injured and "forced" to wrestle in companies other than WWE. But because Vince McMahon and his team are the last ones standing, they're the ones with the cash and are expected to be responsible. I have no doubt in some cases men and women have been asked to or have felt obligated to get in the ring despite being injured. Maybe for that they deserve some sort of compensation. 

Demolition vs. The Powers of Pain (both teams are suing)

I'll be curious to see what happens to Orndorff and Animal's status in the WWE Hall of Fame. Snuka has already been "removed" due to his court case involving the death of his girlfriend in 1982. By the way the "Superfly" was deemed incompetent to stand trial in that case, which makes me wonder who added him to this class action suit. But it's also unlikely now the likes of Kamala, Demolition and Bundy will ever be inducted. I know there are bigger issues at hand than that, but I digress.

Bottom line: the situation sucks. I'm sure some involved in this case don't want to attack or hurt WWE, but feel they have no other choice in the matter. I'm no legal expert, but I would imagine there could be a settlement in the works. I'd be shocked if this makes it all the way to court. But I'd be even more surprised if WWE is held liable for the injures suffered decades ago.

There's no business like monkey business

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Don't worry, this isn't another post asking for your help in naming the My 1-2-3 Cents monkey. I've received lots of great suggestions, but the best piece of advice came from someone who's opinion I respect immensely. He told me make the name something personal for me, but conveys the message I want to deliver. So I'm doing some soul searching as we speak.

I wanted to use today's post (Blog Streak Day 43) to do some self promotion. If you haven't already, please check out my podcast. It's on the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network and iTunes. Every Monday there's a new My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. Catch up on the latest wrestling news and opinions right here. There's also plenty of great guests to hear too.

Here's a few of my guests from the indy scene, current WWE roster and legends.

Heath Hatton

"Golden Boy" Greg Anthony

Pokerface

Princess Kimber Lee

Farmer Billy Hills

Daniel Eads

Kofi Kingston

Sheamus

Xavier Woods

Jeff Jarrett

Kamala

Honky Tonk Man

Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Mick Foley

Not only does Jittery Monkey feature the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast, but the site's co-found Greg Mehochko has a show called Nerds United. He talks all about comic books, movies and TV shows. Greg has also started blogging about these topics too. Check out his shows, as he has guests in the industry too.

The end goal is to build a network of "nerd" related topics that listeners will enjoy tuning in to each week. Thanks for the support. Please share this and let me know what you think of the show. I'm only 14 episodes away from triple digits and am planning on another big guest (Terri Runnels was the one year anniversary guest).

SummerSlam A to Z: Wembley Stadium

80,355 fans at Wembley Stadium
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Check out other SummerSlam A to Z blogs

Of course WWE or WWF have the word "World" in them so it should come as no surprise that this global company took the show on the road back in 1992.  That was the first time SummerSlam or any WWF pay-per-view had originated overseas.  If my memory is correct, I think it may still be.  At the very least SummerSlam '92 is the only of the Big Four to do so.

Legion of Doom & Rocco
Courtesy: WWE

Wembley Stadium in London played host to the event.  The stadium was huge as you can see in the pictures.  More than 80,000 fans were on hand as the Legion of Doom rode motorcycles to the ring for Hawk and Animal's last match together (at least for a while).  Remember Rocco the Dummy and Paul Ellering were on bikes too?  They beat Money Inc. that night.  Undertaker made his in-ring SummerSlam debut despite being with the company nearly two years at that point when he beat Kamala.

Flair & Perfect interfering
Courtesy: WWE

The WWF championship match was not the main event of the night.  It was a rematch from the previous year's Wrestlemania as Randy Savage defended the belt against the Ultimate Warrior.  By this point, both were good guys. Warrior wore a singlet that looked like something Mr. Goodbody would have been proud.  The match didn't compare to their Wrestlemania VII classic which is my favorite Mania match of all time.  Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect interfered in the match, and Warrior ended up winning via count out.  Savage dropped the belt a few weeks later back to Flair.

Family united
Courtesy: WWE

The main event of the night featured hometown hero The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith against his brother-in-law Bret Hart for the Intercontinental championship. Again, this was a good guy vs. good guy matchup.  I believe it's the first and only time the IC title match was the closer on the show or any major WWE pay-per-view (not counting the title vs. title match between Hulk Hogan and Warrior at Mania VI).  The company did a great job putting this story together and Hart and Smith did an even better job in the ring.  The celebration afterward with Diana Hart-Smith was very memorable too.  I wish Bulldog could have held the title longer, but I know the company had other plans.  

Are You Listening?

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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For 29 weeks now I've been doing a wrestling podcast on the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network.  The show is also on iTunes, Stitcher and Poddirectory.  Each week I've had a new show drop (one week there were two shows) and people still seem surprised when I tell them I have a show.  That tells me that social media isn't as social as I thought, because like this blog I share my podcasts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest and Reddit.

I'm slowly gaining listeners, but honestly the process is taking longer than I anticipated.  For example, I have a great interview up right now with WWE Hall of Famer and wrestling legend Mick Foley.  As of this post, less than 60 people have heard that show.  Maybe I shouldn't be admitting this, but I thought Episode 27: Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy would quickly outpace my most listened podcast featuring an interview with current WWE Superstar Sheamus.  That show by the way is just over 100 listens and is my most listened.  Indy star "Gentleman" Jervis Cottonbelly is a close second.

I'm writing about my podcast not to complain, but to hopefully drum up some interest.  I have several interviews available.  Besides Sheamus, Foley and Cottonbelly; I've done podcasts with Kamala, Jeff Jarrett and "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton.  Nigel McGuinness and other indy stars like Heath Hatton, Pokerface and "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony have all been on too.

I try to have an interview every week.  When I can't get a wrestler on the show, Chad and I provide some analysis.  We've talked about WWE Network shows, eulogized "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and handed out our annual Centy Awards.  

If you haven't listened and are a fan of wrestling, give it a try.  If you have listened and don't like it, let me know what I can do differently.  I'll be honest, this is a hobby that I'm hoping to take to the next level.  I would love to do more blogging, vlogging and podcasting.  Thanks for the support as always.

How Kamala Could Have Made Me The Million Dollar Man

Yes, I like Kamala

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
My 1-2-3 Cents the Podcast

Of course, the title for this blog is a bit (a lot) of an exaggeration, but I thought it was punny so I went with it.  I recently came across this article, The 15 Rarest Wrestling Action Figures Worth a Small Fortune.  It caught my eye because when I was growing up, I had many of the LJN WWF figures.  But because I was a kid, I tore into them and had my own super cards.  Only in my federation could SD Jones body slam Andre the Giant.  But I digress.  

A few of my figures

When I was in college KB Toys was holding a clearance sale on the Hasbro line of WWF figures.  I snatched up several and never opened them.  I did the same thing when I came across a few at a flea market.  I put the figures in a plastic tote and left them in a closet.  A few years ago I met Ted DiBiase and he autographed my Million Dollar Man figure.

The rare Kamala
whatculture.com

Anyway, back to the reason for this post.  As I scrolled through the 15 rarest figures according to the website, I reached the rarest figure.  You can imagine my shock when staring at me was Kamala in the yellow package.  I glanced at the value: $3,000 to $10,000.  "Cha-ching!" was the first thing I thought and was already spending the money on tickets for Wrestlemania 32.

I ran to my closet, riffled through The Million Dollar Man, Doink the Clown, Giant Gonzales, and Texas Tornado to find Kamala at the bottom of the heap.  I looked him over and yes it was indeed in the same yellow package as the one I had seen online.  Then I took a closer look.  

Stars and moons...

It's all about that belly paint.  The yellow crescent moon is where you'll find the green. Apparently, when Hasbro produced the figure in 1993, they made Kamala's moon a star.  But there were a few that were done with the proper moon.  My Kamala has a star moon and is probably worth about what I paid for it more than 20 years ago.

There's plenty of speculation as to why the company made the moon look different, including avoiding gimmick infringement because James Harris owns the Kamala gimmick.  Tweaking the moon to a star protected Hasbro I suppose.  According to the article, there are only two dozen of these rare figures out there.  Sadly, I am not the owner of one, but it's cool.  I'll keep my Kamala the way he is, mint on the card and ready to rumble.

Buy WWE action figures here

Soothing the Savage Beasts

Steele, Bushwhackers, & Kamala

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

In recent years we've seen monsters like Kane, Big Show, and The Great Khali toned down and turned into lovable or at least likable baby faces.  It's not a new trend by any means (even though Kane has returned to his demonic ways), and to illustrate the point, I'm going to talk about a few of my favorite examples of soothing the savage beasts of wrestling in the 1980's.

George "The Animal" Steele
Photo courtesy: WWE

George "The Animal" Steele lived up to his name through his career.  When I started watching wrestling in 1983, George was still wrestling as a bad guy.  He tore his opponents apart as his manager at the time, Mr. Fuji watched with that sly smile on his face.  During the summer of 1984, he and Fuji teamed up to take on Hulk Hogan and announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund.  This match is my first real memory of Steele wrestling.  He would flail his arms around and groan like a madman in ring.  It was a site to behold and worked well at psyching out his opponents and leaving fans to wonder just how crazy the guy was.  I know prior to all that he had had some intense matches with then WWF Champion Bruno Sammartino as well.

Right after the first Wrestlemania and on what I believe was the first Saturday Night's Main Event, The Animal was abandoned by his tag team partners The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff along with manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie.  The trio left George to get beaten in a six man tag team match against Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.  The abandonment lead George to the wildly popular baby face manager Captain Lou Albano.  Over time, The Captain did his best to tame the Animal.  He underwent shock treatment, but alas, once an animal always an animal.  After Albano retired, George went it alone, but toted around a stuffed version of himself, called Mine.  I always wanted one of those plush toys, but never got one.

"George's manager! Win! Lizabeth!"
Photo courtesy: WWE

He feuded with "Macho Man" Randy Savage over the hand of the lovely Miss Elizabeth, as well as the Intercontinental championship.  The Animal came up short against Savage at Wrestlemania II for the belt.  Later, the two had a match on SNME, in which the winner "got" Liz.  As a preteen fan, and a mark for George, I thought for sure that night he'd win and a new era for the Beauty and the Beast would be underway.  It didn't happen though. But his turn, along with his love for turnbuckles, his green tongue, and his hairy torso landed him on ice cream bars, tshirts, and action figures (I still have my George LJN figure).  He also joined forces with the likes of Junkyard Dog and Steamboat.

The bloody and battered Sheepherders

Before The Bushwhackers became the beloved and dimwitted duo of the WWF, they were the brutally dangerous Sheepherders in the Midsouth and other wrestling territories.  As the Sheepherders, I can remember some of their bloody and brutal matches against the Fantastics.  Luke Williams and Butch Miller would go back and forth with Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton.  Before I'd started watching them on TV though, the Sheepherders (also known as the Kiwis) had spilled a lot of blood around the world.  

The Bushwhackers
Photo courtesy: WWE

I was shocked in 1989, when they surfaced on WWF television as a couple of arm waving cousins.  Their look hadn't really changed, but their attitude certainly did.  The fans took to them like a fish takes to water.  And speaking of fish, the Bushwhackers loved eating sardines.  Luke and Butch never achieved WWF gold, but their run was successful none-the-less as they secured a place in the hearts of wrestling fans around the world.  The popular duo also appeared on the TV show Family Matters.

Kamala battles Hulk Hogan
Photo courtesy: WWE

The one transition from savage beast to gentle giant that I don't think worked so well was Kamala.  As the Ugandan Headhunter, Kamala struck fear in the hearts of his opponents and wrestling fans.  He was a huge attraction in companies like World Class Championship Wrestling, WWF, and WCW.  He was a crazed lunatic in that ring, often ignoring his handlers Friday or Kim Chee.  He threw caution into the wind as he would splash his already beaten opponent.  Kamala would gnaw on his foe's forehead, appearing to the cannibal fans worried he might be.  And I loved every minute of it.

Slick & Kamala go bowling
Photo courtesy: WWE

By late 1992 or early 1993, the WWF decided to pair the Ugandan with the newly saved Slick.  The Doctor of Style had become a reverend and began preaching to Kamala.  He tried in vain to integrate the beast into society.  One of the memorable vignettes came when the two went bowling.  I didn't like the conversion and was thankful they never gave Kamala a speaking role, as I really enjoyed his brutal, headhunter gimmick.  

All three of these examples bring back fond memories for me.  They're just a few of the savage beasts who became soothed along the way.  They're all legendary and have earned their spots in wrestling history.  Thank you gentlemen.

Does ROH Need to Evolve?

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

First off, the double meaning of the title of this blog wasn’t intended. I was trying to think of a title to express ROH being stale and needing to change. Evolve was perfect word and just happens to be the name of the current wrestling company promoted by ex-ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky.

Kamala at ROH in 2009
Photo from My 1-2-3 Cents

Second, in full disclosure, I have not bought an ROH DVD in over six years. The last show I attended before the Chikara/ROH Chicago double-header in April was in Houston the weekend of Wrestlemania 25. I have ordered a few of their Ippvs, though the technical issues of Boarder Wars caused me to never wanting to waste my time on another ROH Ippv. Honestly, Ring of Honor has never really appealed to me on the same level as other wrestling companies. I can’t deny they’ve had several outstanding matches, but I see them more as a company you watch for matches not for shows. With that said, I’m probably not the person who should be writing this blog. However with Kevin wrapped up with his “BOO” series and me being more in tune with the independent scene, I qualify for this blog out of default.

Delirious

On October 8, 2012, news came out stating Hunter “Delirious” Johnston was taking full control over ROH creative while Jim Cornette will be moved help out more on the production side. The big question is will the change in creative regime matter? Hunter Johnston has been working with Cornette on the booking end for the past couple of years, so I don’t know if there will be a noticeable change in booking philosophy. Although several ex-ROH wrestlers have publicly complained about Cornette’s booking style in recent months. Maybe Cornette was preventing Johnston from achieving his full potential as booker. We shall see.

I think one of the biggest issues facing ROH is the battle over what they were when they started in 2002 versus what they are trying to be in 2012. In ROH’s early years they catered primarily to the Internet Wrestling Community. As I mentioned earlier, ROH shows weren’t so much storyline driven (though they did have some good angles) but were more like Indy dream cards. At the time the Independent scene was filled with guys who have now made their names in WWE and TNA. Guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Austin Aries to name a few. It would be pretty hard to take a roster with those names and not have good shows. I’ve often thought Gabe Saplosky was overrated as a booker given the talent available, the international talent that was brought in for big shows and how ROH failed to grow outside their core base. I don’t mean to infer Gabe wasn’t successful, just that his value was overstated.

Over the past four years, ROH branched out with a weekly television show. First it was a show on HDNet that, while having national coverage, was a niche channel few fans had access to watch. When ROH was sold to Sinclair Broadcasting fans thought it would bring more eyes to the company. Unfortunately Sinclair Broadcasting only has penetration in about 30% of the country. Also now that they’re part of a corporation there are more people in charge. Think of WCW on a smaller budget. With the addition of 52 weeks of television programming plus the house show DVDs and the now almost monthly Ippvs, there appears to be more of an emphasis on story telling instead of simply putting two outstanding wrestlers in the ring and letting them do their thing.

El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
Photo from ROH

In addition to the new business mentality taking its toll on ROH, the truth is the Independent scene doesn’t have talent depth it did ten years ago. Not discounting the talent that toils on a weekly basis trying to be the next breakout star, just pointing out the fact the Indy scene doesn’t have the same “must see” talents that were there a decade ago. ROH hasn’t really established a new face of the company in the last few years. I’m speaking from a personal bias here but the Davey Richards/Eddie Edwards/Roderick Strong trio are three guys I wouldn’t care if I never saw again. Their strong style-no selling mentality is the epitome of what I hate about independent wrestling. Kevin Steen is an entertaining person. I don’t know if his “destroy ROH” mentality has had the effect it was intended to have since Steen comes off like a cool heel in the same vein as Steve Austin or the nWo. Outside those names, the only wrestler I can think of that may have break out star potential is Michael Elgin. It’ll be interesting to see what ROH does with Elgin in the coming months since he’s scheduled to face Kevin Steen for the ROH title on Saturday. Based on his performance in the Chikara King of Trios tournament last month, Mike Bennett could also be a rising star if the fans can get past his association with girlfriend Maria Kanellis.

Jim Cornette
Photo from ROH

Much in the same way I complain about wrestling fans not wanting to admit the Attitude Era is over and move on, ROH needs to understand it’s no longer 2005 and they aren’t the only major independent company out there. With the rise of Chikara, PWG, AIW, the Anarchy wrestling companies and even AAW, CZW (and AAPW which is different than most other companies) there are several outlets for wrestling fans to get their fix. ROH needs to evolve with the time or face extinction.

I don’t feel like I really addressed any single factor I wanted to hit on in this blog. If you read this and have no idea what I was trying to say, I apologize. Go read one of Kevin’s “BOO” blogs. Come back later in the week when I discuss Bound for Glory and how the “dead man’s hand” of Aces and Eights may be D.O.A. by the time Sunday rolls around.

As always, be sure to follow my123cents on Facebook and Twitter.