Tossing Salt - Worldwide News: April 17, 2011

Tossing Salt - Worldwide News
April 17, 2011
Doug Maynard

Just to clarify- the "Royal Rumble" is a WWE pay per view event and not an upcoming sex tape of William and Kate's Honeymoon, although I have no doubts that the latter would be just as pay per view worthy. I'd watch it.

Greetings and salutations and all of that stuff. How the heck are you? I'm Doug and you know what time it is? Time to break out the champagne and celebrate because it's the return of professional wrestling's most eclectic column, "Tossing Salt - Worldwide News!".

But don't call it a comeback. I just do what I can, when I can, and that's all I've got to say about that. Or as the great Baron Von Raschke would say, "dat is all de' people need to know!"

I may not be as regular as I'd like to be (and hopefully, as you readers would like me to be), but I'm still here, still alive and kicking, and so long as there is breath in this body, this column will keep popping up from time to time.

So, with that being said, let's see what's on the agenda? TNA has a big pay per view coming up this weekend, so I'll have to do some predictions for that. WWE's Tough Enough is taking the airways by storm and is one of, if not the best reality shows currently on TV. So I'll talk about that too. But let's start off with Edge.

Adam Copeland, known to the world at large as WWE Superstar and 11-time World Champion Edge, announced this past Monday that due to medical problems relating to his neck and spine, he was being forced to retire from active wrestling. Wow! To say that it was a shocker is an understatement.

And in truth, it's still hard to believe or digest. For the past thirteen years, one of the major focal points of the WWE has been Edge, be it his tag team work with Christian (arguably one of the five best wrestling tag teams of all time), his feud with Kurt Angle (that resulted in Kurt getting his head shaved), the partnership with Lita and his development into the "Ultimate Opportunist" and "Rated R Superstar", the "marriage" to Vickie Guerrero, and even with his most recent run as the face of Smackdown and the World Heavyweight Champion. When the WWE was looking for someone to push the envelope or make an angle work, Edge has been the go-to guy for so long.

And now it's over. Just like that...

I feel kind of guilty in that, leading up to Wrestlemania and the match with Alberto Del Rio, I made some comments about how Edge was getting kind of stale in the main event picture and seemed to be lacking a bit in recent months. Now, we know why.

Losing feeling in the arms and the potential for paralysis or even possible death is nothing to sneeze at, and in hindsight, it's amazing that Edge was even able to perform up to the standards that he did, including the match at Wrestlemania.

But he sucked it up and gave it everything and kept the fans happy. He lived his dream and exceeded all expectations, to become one of the biggest and most decorated names in not only the WWE, but in wrestling, period. And he's still a young man with so much left to offer not only the WWE, but the world in general.

I expect that we'll see Edge back with the company in a few months, maybe as a producer, possibly as an on-air authority figure, and possibly even as a member of the WWE Creative team. Who knows what role he'll be playing in the months and years to come, but I'm sure that he will be doing something, and remain a large part of the WWE family.

But enough speculation about the future. For now, I just want to say to Adam Copeland... thank you. For all of the great in-ring action, the great promos, the excitement and drama and even for the live sex celebration. You gave us everything you had for so long, including your health it seems, and words can never suffice to say just how truly grateful that I, as a fan, truly am.

You will be missed in WWE, but the future lies waiting for you with it's arms outstretched. Go forth and live for yourself now and enjoy the pleasures and life that lies ahead. Thank you, Edge...

It's a sad and tragic situation, but there are a few positives coming as a result anyhow. Losing Edge has left a big gaping hole at the top of the WWE roster for some strong baby-faces, so maybe now, Edge's favorite partner in crime and long time best friend, Christian, will get his chance to shine at the top of the card for a while.

Christian is a fantastic wrestler and, just like his "brother", can do comedy, serious wrestling, work any style of matches and captivate the live audiences like few others. His only problem was that Vince McMahon allegedly does not see him as a "big star", despite all the titles, all the great matches, and two runs as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion in TNA. (Maybe that TNA run is what's hurting him?)

But now, he's being given the opportunity at Extreme Rules to step up and take that ball and not only run with it, but he's just inches away from the end zone. Can he score that touchdown and do like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho did before him and make it into that sacred area of main event for life club?

I think so. I hope so. Because few deserve it more. I hate to see Edge gone, but if it means that Christian will now get the chance and opportunity to step up to that next level and cement his role as a top WWE superstar, well that helps a little bit. And the Peeps from all across the world will rejoice.

I was going to talk next about the new reality series by WWE called Tough Enough, but since I wrote that first part of the column last night, I had the chance to leave the confines of the Salt Palace and venture out to see a first-rate, totally reeking of awesomeness Indy show here in Laurinburg, NC, brought forth by the talents and major skills of the superstars of ACW (American Championship Wrestling.) Do I have time and space enough here to talk about both without running too long and burning out the readers? Hard decision. But I think I can do it.

Let's do Tough Enough first. So far, so good. Having Steve Austin as the face of TE and the judge has really given this show a lot of energy and strength. And the choice of trainers, Trish Stratus, Bill DeMott and especially Booker T, hasn't hurt either. I was scared that without the Al Snow to guide and lead things, it would be kind of lame. But so far, so good. I'm not sure of the elimination choices thus far. The first girl was a no-brainer. She was clueless. Good riddance.

But to eliminate Matt Cross, who is one of the best perfomers out there on the Indy scene today, just blew my mind. I guess this falls under the same categories as Christian being viewed as mid-card and Brian Danielson (aka Daniel Bryan) being jobbed out in every match during his NXT career. Maybe Cross didnt' kiss the right ass while there. Who knows? But seeing him eliminated, especially so quickly, was definitely a shocker. Good TV though. It makes us realize that no one is safe. I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead to see what happens next.

And now, let's talk ACW. The show was fantastic. It ran a little longer than the usual event (over three hours), but the sold-out crowd of well over two hundred plus people were loud, full of energy and made the night fly by. And they were rewarded with several great matches by some of the very best, yet most underrated and overlooked guys in wrestling today.

I'd match such ACW stars as Chris Steele, Ethan Storm, B.D. Productions, Alex Adonis, Ty Tyson, Andrew Graves, and especially Dylan Kage up against anyone in professional wrestling (or sports entertainment) today and more often than not, when it comes to putting on a great show and exciting the crowd, the ACW guys would not only equal the so called "superstars" of our sport, but would blow them away.

They may not have the flash and glamour of the WWE or TNA, but they have the skills, the attitudes, and the passion that makes up for it. The big boys are great, but companies like ACW and the men who are on this roster have the heart that keeps the business alive. They really are that damn good!

So let's talk about the card. I'll give you a quick listing of the match results and if you want a detailed recapping of the show, you can just visit my site at http://www.tsfiction.blogspot.com. It's right there waiting for you to come see and enjoy.
American Championship Wrestling (ACW)

National Guard Armory
Laurinburg, NC
April 16, 2011

Old School beat Lucious Lonnie
B.D. Productions w/ Justice Jackson defeated Dave Renegade & Jimmy Parker
ACW United States Champion Alex Adonis defeated "Screaming Eagle" Andrew Graves w/ Watchee & Johnny Eagle to retain his title.
Watchee & Johnny Eagle w/ Andrew Graves defeated Chief Red Thunder & Peanut
Jack Hammer defeated "The Chisel" Ethan Storm in a "First Blood Match"
The Lumbee Warrior defeated ACW Light Heavyweight Champion Chris Steele w/ Alexander Vanderbuilt to capture the title.
ACW World Tag Team Champions Dylan Kage & Ty Tyson defeated Brute Force II to retain their tag team titles.

And finally, let's move on to TNA, who's presenting their big pay per view, TNA Lockdown, this weekend (tonight actually). And of course, a pay per view means predictions, so let's jump right to it.

I'll keep this short and sweet since I'm nearly out of time and have an early morning breakfast date to keep (and yes, he is cute...lol). So without further delay...

TNA Lockdown Predictions...

Three-Way Dance for the TNA World Championship
Sting (c) versus RVD versus Ken Anderson

Sting has promised a great match to make up for the Jeff Hardy fiasco last month. RVD is just sort of drifting here. And Ken Anderson is truly turning into an asshole. Sting retains the title with a pin on RVD.

Lethal Lockdown
Immortal (Ric Flair, Bully Ray, Matt Hardy & Abyss) versus Fortune (Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, James Storm & Robert Roode)

It's TNA's version of The War Games, complete with TNA's version of the Horsemen, led by Ric Flair. The War Games were made for the Horsemen, but look back at the matches - the Horsemen rarely won. And it will continue in this watered down version as Immortal dominates, but Fortune walks away with the victory and the win.

Two Out Of Three Falls (Fall One - Pinfall, Fall 2 - Submission, Fall Three - Escape The Cage)
Kurt Angle versus Jeff Jarrett (with Karen Angle)

Why do they need all of these stipulations? Jarrett wins the first fall. Angle wins fall number two. And in the end, Jeff Jarrett walks away the winner, because he is the chosen one and has all the stroke around there, so choke on that, slappy!

TNA Knockouts Championship Match (Title versus Hair)
Madison Rayne (c) versus Mickie James

Tara gets tired of being treated like a servant and turns on Rayne, thus Mickie wins the title and keeps her hair.

Hernandez versus Matt Morgan

The brutal slobberknocker of the night. Could go either way becasue both guys are so big. Morgan wins so Bischoff and Hogan can have something to fuss about on Thursday night.

Pope Dinero versus Samoa Joe

I had forgotten about this feud. Actually, I had forgotten that both men were still on the TNA roster. Dinero wins because Joe kills bitches dead, but Eric and Hulk are jealous and scared of Joe and won't let him get any wins or momentum.

X-Division Xscape Match
Jeremy Buck vs Max Buck vs Robbie E. vs Chris Sabin vs Brian Kendrick vs Suicide vs Jay Lethal vs Amazing Red

Spotfest central as eight guys give their all and try to kill themselves for the amusement of the jaded fans who won't even remember this match ten minutes after it ends. Lots of talent here, but I'll give the nod to Robbie E. He's got that Jersey thing going on and we all know how hot (and old) that is right now.

Fatal Fourway Tag Match
Ink, Inc. versus Crimson & Scott Steiner versus Orlando Jordan & Eric Young versus Brutus Magnum & Doug Williams

Well, we know Orlando and Eric won't win. They're comedy. Ink, Inc are having dissension, so that rules them out as well. I just don't get into Scotty Steiner and Crimson all that much, so by process of elimination, it's a big night for Magnum and Williams as The British Invasion takes home the win and makes that trip to the pay window.

Devon versus Anarquia

Devon versus who? Have no idea who this other guy is, so gotta go for Brother Devon. Testify!!

And that's it. My predictions for TNA Lockdown, as well as that's it for the column today too. Gotta get going and get ready to head out. Time is not on my side this morning. Comments and questions can be sent to Doug28352@yahoo.com. Come visit me at Facebook at www.facebook.com/saltpalace.

A big thank you to everyone for reading this. I may not write as often as I used to, but the passion and fire in my heart for the "King of Sports" is still alive and kicking and it's a great thrill and honor for me to be able to occasionally get on this computer and write for the entertainment of others who share that love and passion for our great sport. All I can say is, thanks!

And dat' is all de' people need to know. I'm Doug and I'm out of here. And I will return. Ubuntu!