Friday 19 December 2008

R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero 1967-2005 : Not a good day to be a wrestling fan


According to WWE.com and some news reports out of Minneapolis today, the wrestler Eddie Guerrero has died aged 38. Ironically, their current storyline had him winning the world championship this evening.

It’s sad really, but a lot of my childhood wrestling heroes have died young. These include:

Owen Hart (aged 34 - broken neck from a wrestling stunt gone wrong)
The British Bulldog (aged 39 - heart attack)
Mr. Perfect (aged 45 - cocaine overdose)
Brian Pillman (aged 35 - heart condition)
Andre The Giant (aged 47 - heart attack)
Rick Rude (aged 40 - heart failure)
Yokozuna (aged 34 - heart attack)
Chris Candido (aged 33 - blood clot formed after an in-ring injury)
Crash Holly (aged 32 - overdose of painkillers and alcohol)
Hawk of the Legion of Doom (aged 43 - heart failure)

You may have noticed a pattern emerging there. While it may seem disrespectful to speculate so soon after Eddie’s passing, one might be able to make an educated guess at what the problem was.

300-days-a-year schedules, coupled with rampant steroid and recreational drug abuse (addiction to painkillers is common among wrestlers) tend to take their toll on the body. Therefore premature deaths in the wrestling business, unfortunately, are commonplace. However, that doesn’t make Eddie Guerrero’s death any less shocking.

How did Kurt Hennig die?


Death and legacy

Curt Henning:

Date of Birth
28 March 1958, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Date of Death
10 February 2003, Tampa, Florida, USA. (acute cocaine intoxication)

On February 10, 2003, Hennig was found dead in a Florida hotel room, just before a scheduled wrestling match. He was 44 years old. The Tampa Coroner's office and the Tampa Medical Examiner's office declared acute cocaine intoxication the official cause of his death. His father said a lethal combination of steroids and painkillers contributed to his death.

He left behind his parents Larry and Irene, wife Leonice and four children, Joe, Hank , Katie, and Amy.

Hennig's wife Leonice signed a WWE Legends contract on her husband's behalf.

In February 2007, WWE confirmed that it would be producing a two disc DVD set focused on Hennig titled "The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect". Wade Boggs, who famously appeared in a vignette with Hennig, inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2007. His wife, his four kids and his mom and dad accepted the award on his behalf.

How did Eddie Guerrero die?


Date
of Birth

9 October 1967,El
Paso, Texas, USA


Date
of Death

13 November 2005, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. (natural causes related to arteriosclerotic heart disease)

Death


On November 13, 2005, Guerrero was found dead by his nephew Chavo, in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Marriott City Center Hotel. Eddie was 38 years old. Several hours later, WWE.com released the following announcement:

“ WWE is deeply saddened by the news that Eddie Guerrero has passed away. He was found dead this morning in his hotel room in Minneapolis. Eddie is survived by his wife Vickie and daughters Shaul, 14, Sherilyn, 9, and Kaylie Marie, 3. ”

The same day, WWE held a press conference with a speech from his nephew Chavo, who spoke of Guerrero's four years of sobriety that would have come on November 15, 2005. Chavo adamantly defended his uncle, saying he had defeated his "personal demons." WWE Chairman Vince McMahon declined to speculate on the causes of Guerrero's death, and both men said that Guerrero would have "wanted the show to go on."


Cause

An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure, caused by undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and enlargement of the heart as a result of prior anabolic steroid abuse. Although Guerrero had not taken alcohol or illicit drugs for nearly four years, his past excesses contributed to his heart failure. At the time of his death, he had recently used narcotic painkillers.

Guerrero's wife Vickie said that he had been lethargic and unwell in the week preceding his death, but that this had been attributed to the stress of continuously travelling and performing. She added that the doctors had told her that Guerrero's blood vessels had shriveled and weakened owing to undiagnosed heart disease, and that he had simply dropped into a deep sleep.

On the November 30, 2005 edition of WWE Byte This!, Chavo Guerrero said that Guerrero had been working very hard and was at peak physical fitness as a result, doing cardiovascular and weight training exercises every day. There had been no symptoms or cause for concern. Chavo noted that, while many people abuse drugs for over ten years with no ill effects, Guerrero, despite having ceased to abuse drugs four years earlier, had suffered heart complications that were not detected in time to prevent his death.

John Cena New Icon In WWE


I love John Cena, How About U???

John Cena
Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 240 pounds
From: West Newbury, Mass.
Signature Move: The FU; STFU
Career Highlights: WWE Champion; U.S. Champion; World Tag Team Champion, 2008 Royal Rumble Winner
Entrance Video: WATCH

Let’s be honest: hailing from the rolling hills and broad valleys that constitute West Newbury, Mass., will likely never earn you “street cred”--unless, of course, you’re John Cena. Then again, it didn’t happen overnight for him, either. Long before he became the Dr. of Thuganomics, young Cena had to endure the neighborhood rocker kids’ taunts about his baggy pants and rayon Kwamé shirts. His love for freestyling lyrics about rebellion and individualism just didn’t fit within the small rural community. By the time he turned 15, however, those same kids would stop teasing him, for it became apparent that Cena had been developing another passion: hitting the gym.

After applying to more than 60 colleges (and being accepted by 58), Cena attended Massachusetts’ Springfield College, where he excelled as a Division III All-American offensive lineman and team captain for the Pride. But as much as he fondly remembers his college football accomplishments, he’s equally as proud of earning his degree in Exercise Physiology, which he attributes to making him a smarter, more durable performer in the ring today.

Though a huge WWE fan since childhood, rooting for heroes like Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Shawn Michaels, Cena had honestly never even considered a career in WWE. Instead, he flew out to California in 2000, to pursue a profession in bodybuilding (a move he now admits to making simply because his father had told him he wouldn’t make it out there). But while working behind the counter of Gold’s Gym in Venice, a discussion with a wrestler-in-training encouraged Cena to enroll in classes at Ultimate Pro Wrestling. He was instantly hooked, and became motivated to learn everything he could about his newfound craft. He obviously proved a quick study; within a year, World Wrestling Entertainment signed Cena to a developmental contract to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling. By June 2002, he had joined the SmackDown roster, and less than a year later headlined the first of what has since become countless main-event matches.

That said, Cena has never forgotten his roots. In fact, remembering where he came from has helped him evolve into the man he is today: a well-versed hip-hop artist, a successful movie star and a blue-collared Chain Gang Soldier who’s always ready to fight. In his jean shorts and Under Armour Proto Power sneakers, he leads his WWE fan-based army into battle with the mission statement he’s been down with since Day One: hustle, loyalty and respect.

What killed Chris Benoit?


Very must issue how make chris benoit die??? and why???

how did chris benoit die

Apparently, Chris Benoit, over one of the weekends in May, killed his wife sometime Friday night/Saturday morning. Sometime later on Saturday, he killed his son. Then sometime later in the weekend, he hung himself on his weight machine. But, if you ask me, it was either a real triple murder set-up to look like a double-murder suicide committed by Chris Benoit, or set-up by the WWE.

Steroids-stress-violent arguments-deaths

It was a horrible thing to happen, but Benoit is to be blamed, as he chose his career over his family, with steroids risking his life and the safety of his family. Before this happened, steroids were known to heighten testosterone, and that can and has made lesser men snap on the innocent, even their own flesh and blood.

How dare you say that their deaths were a pulbicity stunt by McMahon and the WWE! They didn't want this to happen, nor did they plan for this, and I highly doubt that they used this to amp up their ratings either, as that happened anyway, but not for the better.

Benoit was a good guy, albeit a bit intimidating, but he brought a lot to the ring, and no doubt, a lot of money to Vince's table. It is too bad that too many WWE actors go too far with their training and take short cuts, but the least we can do is not to defame their memory.

Not a publicity Stunt

All I was saying was that maybe Chris Benoit did something Vince McMahon didn't like, so he was fired. Since everyone liked Chris that would probably make McMahon a 'bad guy'. Also for anyone who thinks Benoit was a mean horrible person, he wasn't. I've seen a lot of people saying he did what he did because he hated his family. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!

Wrestling deaths posted on web

THE internet vandal who sparked a mystery by posting information on Wikipedia about the death of the professional wrestler Chris Benoit's wife 14 hours before police learnt of the double murder-suicide claims the act was "an amazing coincidence".

Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, were found dead in their Atlanta home on Monday afternoon.

Police believe the 40-year-old - whose nicknames included the Rabid Wolverine and the Canadian Crippler - strangled his wife and son on either Friday or Saturday and placed bibles next to their bodies before hanging himself.

But in a bizarre twist, reports surfaced yesterday that Benoit's Wikipedia page had been altered by users in the US and Australia to include details about his wife's death up to 14 hours before police found the bodies.

Wikinews yesterday received correspondence from a person using a computer with the same unique internet protocol number from which the first edit to Benoit's page was made.

"I posted the comment we are all talking about and I am here to explain that it was A HUGE COINCIDENCE and nothing more," the anonymous person said.

It was "a 1-in-10,000 chance of happening … I just posted something that was at the time a piece of wrong unsourced information that is typical on Wikipedia, as it is done all the time."

In both the original posting and yesterday's apology, the poster used a computer whose internet protocol, or IP, address was traced to Stamford, Connecticut, where the headquarters for Benoit's employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, are located.

A second anonymous edit an hour after the original posting has since been traced to a computer hooked up to the Australian-based wireless-internet service provider UnWired. The Herald understands that the computer belongs to a Sydney resident.

The first user edited the biography of the wrestler on Monday at 12.01am. Authorities discovered the bodies at the Benoit's Georgia home 2.30 that afternoon.

The first Monday posting said: "Chris Benoit was replaced by Johnny Nitro for the Extreme Championship Wrestling match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife."

The IP address from which the 12.01am addition was made had been identified for vandalising other Wikipedia entries in the past, ABC News reported.

Wikipedia recruits volunteer editors who scrutinise the entries to ensure that facts within posts are properly attributed.

According to a timeline posted on Wikinews, which is the news source of the foundation, within an hour of the 12.01 post the edit had been changed with the comment: "Need a reliable source. Saying that his wife died is a pretty big statement, you need to back it up with something."

Another hour went by. Then a second anonymous edit, using the Australian ISP address, added the attribution: "According to several pro wrestling websites".

Again, the edit was changed after 20 minutes with the comment: "Saying 'several pro wrestling websites' is still not reliable information."

Pro-Contra John Cena in WWE


Why Is Cena Getting Booed?

I think that everybody has to notice, including the WWE, that John Cena is getting booed more and more. It is happening at the recent ppvs as well as the weekly RAWs. I know I was one of the fans at home last night that was disappointed (or booed) that Cena retained the title. One big reason why I believe the fans are booing Cena is they are simply tired of him. When was the last time a face held the title for such a lengthy period of time?

You have to go back to the days of Diesel, Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan for lengthy face title runs. In this day and age, with monthly ppvs and a weekly program, the champs are over exposed and become stale with the fans more quickly. It is bad enough when a heel does it like the recent reigns of JBL and Triple H, but the fans are supposed to boo those guys. The WWE probably thought they were simply getting booed a great deal because JBL and Triple H were such great heels. I do think these two are great heels, however, I think it was more that the fans grew tired of seeing the same guys being champs all the time. When you do this with a face, you are only setting him up to get booed. There is also the idea of it always being more interested in seeing the faces chase a heel a champion. Considering all this, you may ask, what about Batista?

Well, I’m one that would like to see him lose it as well because of what I stated above. However Batista has lost fewer fans than Cena since their title wins simply because of their characters. Cena’s appeal is more to the kids and teenagers growing up on hip hop while Batista has more of a balanced appeal as a face. Fans of all ages can get into his quiet Goldberg-like character spiced with his sarcastic type of humor. With Cena though, the WWE is thinking they are back in the 80s, where most fans are the kids and teenagers. However, when you see the fans in the stands at the arenas, there are definitely more adults than kids out there. Cena’s character has also kind of gone soft so to speak. It kind of happened to the Rock as well awhile back. When Rock was intermittently coming back as a face after being gone for awhile filming his first movie or two the fans were not into him as much. He still made fun of other wrestlers but his act became formulated and not as hard-edged – see feud with Lesnar and the RAW anniversary special. When he tried to be a heel in his feud with Goldberg, he started getting that support back again. He was singing funny songs, ripping on cities and most fans could not help but enjoy his antics. It is that “cool hard edge” that fans enjoy and that is why he actually got as much cheers as Goldberg if not more in their little feud. I believe if Cena got more nasty, even kind of turning tweener or heel he would regain some support or respect so to speak. He was a little more vicious last night when beating up on Masters and I thought I noticed he was looking to the crowd to see what kind of reaction he was getting. Cena’s character has been kind of similar to the Rock in that his funny but mean promos giving him that “cool hard edge” is what turned him from heel to face to begin with. Now, he has become less mean and by doing so less funny and cool to the fans with a more toned-down a formulated character. I believe this formulated character has also led to a formulated unskilled wrestling style.

Since becoming a face, Cena’s wrestling skills haven’t had a chance to grow. He is doing a formulated unskilled wrestling style in the ring and most fans today appreciate good wrestlers more than bad ones – see Benoit, Angle, HBK, and even Triple H. Seeing Cena using more variety of moves (even like that STF last night) will help get him over with the fans as most simply don’t have respect for him as a World Champion. Cena has the repertoire as he has shown in the OVW and his early WWE days, but was probably informed to wrestle a more formulated style because the WWE thinks the fans like faces that do the same repeated spots in the ring. I believe his recent wrestling style is a product of the WWE believing they know what they audience wants and this is the real problem.

The WWE think they know what the fans want by giving us these lengthy face title reigns, a hip hop gimmick appealing to mostly kids, and formulated unskilled wrestling styles. When you combine all of this, I believe you get the real reasons of why Cena is currently getting booed.

John Cena: You Can’t See Him

I've been a wrestling fan for about six or seven years now and I've seen many unbelievable wrestlers in my lifetime. With that said, I wish to speak my mind about a certain wrestler in my first article for Obsessed With Wrestling. If you're a fan of John Cena, I would recommend you hit the back button and read another article. This is simply my opinion and how I truly feel about John Cena. This article is to simply to open people's eyes so you can see him.

When I watched RAW at home in my room and I heard John Cena's music fill the arena, I grabbed the remote and for the first time while watching RAW, I changed the channel. I knew what was coming from John Cena, because I watched SmackDown every now and then. I hoped that he would stay on SmackDown because that was where he was getting all the teenage viewers, but don't come to RAW! He has ruined RAW, just like he ruined the WWE Heavyweight Championship with his poor microphone skills and his few wrestling maneuvers.

People are starting to say that he is starting to get bigger than The Rock. Let me tell you, he needs a lot more work on the microphone in order to surpass The Great One. When he starts to make fun of people, it reminds me of being back in elementary school where we called each other "stupid head." Isn't he supposed to be a rapper? Than how come all the cheap insults and poor rhyming skills that are coming out of his mouth? Someone needs to get him the "Rapping Dictionary" and show him what rhymes he could use on his next album, then maybe it would sell more and it would go bronze. I'd rather have Vanilla Ice come back and join up with G-Unit, than to see Cena walk around with the WWE title.

The F-U? What kind of finishing move is that? He has beaten a lot of people with that move and it is simply a standing fireman's carry! That is even worse than The People's Elbow and the Hogan Leg Drop! When you see Cena get in the ring, you know what to expect from him. Here is a list of his moves; punches, kicks, the spinning out powerbomb, 5-knuckle shuffle, shoulder tackle, and then the F-U. Is he even worth the trouble of watching? He only needed to do half of those moves in order to beat JBL at WM 20. That is sad, because JBL should've beaten him and had the WWE Title, instead of Cena doing three moves and winning it.

I understand why the WWE has pushed him to go so far. They needed a white man to become a rapper, because that is what society has become today. Everyone is not being themselves anymore and John Cena is the greatest example. He wasn't poor or living in the ghetto. He says he came from the stands, but he was sitting in the front row. Shelton Benjamin had it four times as worse than John Cena, but you don't see Shelton getting any pity do you? I know it is all planned out for him to be a rapper and do make an album, but he has taken it too far.