Tossing Salt - Worldwide News
December 9, 2011
Doug Maynard
Greetings and salutations, my Peeps. Doug here back again with a brand new edition of "Tossing Salt". I've just gotten a couple of subjects on my mind and feel like writing so that means you get a fresh, new column. Wow! Christmas must be coming early this year. This is actually more of a "Six Minutes" column idea than "TSWWN" column fodder, but when I do several columns under different headings, all it does is confuse people, myself included. So we'll stick with the main title and be happy. And now, enough of my rambling. Let's do this...
Happy Birthday to my good friend and brother of the soul, Chris Boone. Love ya, dude!
WWE Legend's House...
One of the shows already announced for the upcoming WWE Network is a show called "WWE Legend's House", which is a WWE based version of "Real World" meets "Surreal Life" meets "Big Brother". It's also an idea that I've spoken of in my Tossing Salt - Worldwide News columns for well over the past six years as what I thought would be a good way for the WWE to expand into reality TV. And essentially what we'll be seeing is a handful of former wrestlers placed together in a house to live together for a period of time and let the fun and games begin.
So far, no names have been announced for this project although I've heard rumors from a couple of sources that The Iron Sheik will be one of the participants. This makes sense since the former WWE Champion has a reputation for being a bit outspoken and.... how do I say this nicely? Crazy as hell! He's a natural fit for a role like this and I hope he makes the cut. The only thing I can see that might hinder his presence is the fact that he recently had surgery on his ankles and has trouble getting around. And there's an alleged drug habit that might make the WWE a bit squeamish to use him as well. So who knows for sure if he'll be there. I'm sure he's on the short list of possible participants.
What I want to do here is just speculate as to who the rest of the names in the "WWE Legend's House" will be. I would assume, if they're using shows like "The Real World" as a model, they'd be looking for between seven and nine people of both genders, so that's the guidelines I'll use as well. So what I'm going to do is list who, if I was in charge of casting for this show, I would try to recruit for the show to make it as eclectic a mix and as entertaining as possible. Doesn't that sound like fun? Here's who I'd like to see.
The Iron Sheik: He's already been rumored and I understand why. The man is totally unpredictable and a true "loose cannon" in every sense of the word. He doesn't hesitate to say exactly what he thinks at any given moment and not always will it be the same opinion he had just moments before. He likes to have fun and to hell with the consequences. Iron Sheik is one of those persons who are made for reality TV because when he's around, you can't help but watch. I hope that the rumors are true and his health allows him to participate because this man is almost certainly a must-have for this project.
Mae Young: Like the Sheik, she is also pretty much a must-have for this project. Mae is in her late 80's in age, but she's got more energy and spunk than most people fifty years her junior. She's unpredictable and willing to do almost anything. With Mae, you cringe when you see her because there is no way to know in advance what may or may not happen, but you know it's going to something worth seeing. She's an amazing woman with a history behind her that is second to none. She can even call legends like Harley Race and Ric Flair "kid" and keep a straight face while doing so. Just imagine the stories this woman can tell. Medical issues may prevent her from being a part of this project, but if she's available and willing, the WWE would be crazy to not include her.
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine: Another true legend and old timer, WWE Hall of Famer Greg Valentine is one of the true icons of the squared circle. He's wrestled for over forty-years and still shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. A project like this would be a great opportunity for Valentine to show the other side of his personality. Greg is slow and methodical in the ring and he's no-nonsense and kind of boring in his promos, but I've met Valentine in person (even shared a few beers with him) and he's actually quite a personable and funny guy. The man has a great personality and some great stories and could really emerge from something like this as the break-out star of the show. It'd also be fun to see Valentine interact with some of the other wrestling personalities. He'd be a good choice and fun to watch.
Candice Michelle: We can't have all Hall of Famers and legends. There needs to be a mix of younger talents and even former talents who had their moment in the sun and then moved on to other careers or in other directions and Candice Michelle would be a perfect example for this role. She was one of the top Divas for the WWE until she was sidelined by injuries and after that, she was never quite up to par again and eventually left the WWE to continue her career as a "GoDaddy.com" girl. But she still has just enough name recognition to generate some interest. She's a personable character and rather easy on the eyes as well. Bring her in and let's see what Candice can bring to the table. She's not a "big name", but she'd be fun and a good add to the mix.
Lex Luger: Lex has such a reputation as a wild man meets major prick from his wrestling days and now he's found religion, cleaned his life up and is supposedly a totally different person. His story is a fascinating one and seeing Luger attempting to interact with these ghosts from his past would make for some interesting and compelling television. Lex hasn't really been any part of the wrestling scene for quite a while and hasn't been around the business very much. Can he handle it? Can the others handle him? I'd love to be able to watch and find out.
Alicia Fox: There needs to be at least one (preferably two) current WWE Superstar in the mix to prevent this show from looking like WWE meets the Retirement Home. Alicia is sexy and hot and never really gets a chance to show her personality too often on our televisions, so why not write her off TV for a few weeks and let her go move in with the Legends? It would help draw in some of the current WWE fans to watch the show and also give the fans a chance to see and learn more about Alicia and just exactly what makes this Diva tick.
Drew McIntyre: Just like I said about Alicia Fox, the WWE needs to put a couple of current WWE Superstars into the mix to give the newer, younger fans a reason to tune in. Why not Drew McIntyre? He's been in the WWE dog house for a while and this is a great way for him to get back into the WWE's good graces, as well as allow him to show another side of his personality and character that we have yet to see. It's not like the WWE is doing anything with Drew in the storylines or television, so he may as well earn his keep with the company and what better way than hanging out with a bunch of WWE legends?
Lisa "Ivory" Moretti: A former WWE Diva who was part of the "Attitude Era" and still occasionally wrestles around the country, with an outgoing, larger than life personality. And she's HOT!! And if I ever decided to go straight, this is the woman I would want to be with. She is just that amazing a legend and talent. Use her and I'll definitely watch. I want my Ivory!! 'Nuff said!
So there you go. If I was in charge of casting for the first season of "WWE Legend's House", those are the people that I would choose to be the stars of the show and house residents. I'd have other WWE Legend's such as Roddy Piper, Steve Austin, Sgt. Slaughter and John Cena make appearances and do cameos during the run of the show as well and I strongly suspect that the WWE will do just that.
And now, here's my question for all the people who read this column. If you were in charge of casting for the "WWE Legend's House" and could pick eight superstars (four men - four women) to be the cast of this upcoming television travesty, who would you pick to round out the cast and make for a must see show? Send me your choices at Doug28352@yahoo.com and tell me. Inquiring minds want to know.
And as for the other topic I wanted to discuss, never mind. I've changed my mind. I'm going to end this right here and now. So thank you for reading. Questions and comments can be sent to the e-mail addy above. And be on the look out for a new column, with myself and a couple of friends, called "Wrestling Fact or Fiction", which will be making it's official debut early next week. It's going to be a lot of fun so keep your eyes open and watch for it.
I'm Doug and I'm out of here for now. "Dat is all 'de people need to know!".
Ubuntu!
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