Heartwarming Story

My sister-in-law relayed this story to me last night, and it was SO good, I just had to repeat it:

Her mother is ill right now, and because the two of them used to work out together to Richard Simmons videos, my sis-in-law decided to e-mail Richard Simmons himself, remembering how he used to go to people's houses to cheer them up in infomercials, etc. It's worth noting that when she sent him the message via the Richard Simmons website, she did NOT expect anything like that to happen.

The next day, she received a phone call at work... from Richard Simmons!!! They talked for a few minutes and he soon had the mother's phone number and promised to call her and cheer her up. Only problem was the phone was off the hook (the mother was trying to get some rest). So Richard called my sister-in-law for a second time, said he was still going to try to reach her even though he was having trouble getting through.

Eventually, he did get through and passed on some very heartfelt well wishes to the mother. He asked if there was anything he could do or send along. He even vowed to follow up with her in the near future.

WOW!!! Say what you will about the guy (although his appearances on Letterman are always hilarious), but he's a legitimate celebrity -- and one of the few people in the world that most people would instantly recognize just by seeing his picture. He certainly didn't HAVE to do anything like that.

I am very impressed. What a nice, cool guy.

Wow, someone's been busy....

I just went to check my Hotmail inbox. I had 101 new messages, which is doubly-bizarre because I had just checked the inbox maybe an hour earlier. Surely there couldn't be THAT MUCH spam?

Well, I have the polls on my Website set up so that I'll get an e-mailed message whenever my polls receive a certain amount of votes. Well, of the 101 new messages, 100 of them were representing those poll reminders.

I check the site and notice that someone has voted for Jerry The King Lawyer a whopping 1,000 times!!! It actually reduced the other votes (legit ones) to zero percent! Not that I really care at all -- the whole thing is a joke anyways, right? -- but I find it amazing that someone would repeatedly click on a site, for Lawler no less.

Wow!

Lost My Mojo

So at some point over the past few weeks, my favorite talk radio station (MOJO Radio, AM 640) has undergone a radical change.

It used to be (at least for a couple of years since the first format change) a cutting-edge station that almost always had something on that entertained me. Was it sexist, juvenile and over-the-top? Absolutely. But (as they often advertised), they were different from all the other boring-ass talk radio stations out there because they targeted a specific audience, not some gender-neutral hybrid.

Anyways... now they're a sappy, run-of-the-mill talk radio station that looks at police unions, current events and mayoral issues rather than cars, women and sports. I do realize that format changes are usually prompted by a slowdown in advertising, so I know that they didn't just switch over for the fun of it. But could they have not at least done something a little less wimpy?

At least they kept Jeff Marek on board. That guy's the best thing to happen to the station.

Latest ITR - The Hall of Fame Edition

Earlier this year, WWE inducted Superstar Billy Graham into its Hall of Fame. But apparently, that's not the only business WWE and Graham conducted! As the "Letters From a Nut" series continues, the wily Canadian Bulldog attempted to secure the Superstar as a celebrity endorser for a new line of health foods. But it wasn't Graham or his representatives who responded: it was WWE's legal team! All of a sudden, we see why WWE's creative direction has been lacking: they're too busy negotiating deals for "Bad News Brownies" and "Legend Killer Randy Oreos"! Get the full details (and the rest of Bulldog's EXCLUSIVE goodness) in the latest edition of Inside the Ropes.

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Real Life Hostage Situation!!!

I just had to share this one...

So this morning (after working well past midnight on a story and in a grumpy mood to boot), I get off the subway in downtown Toronto and notice a commotion. I don't think much of it; neither does an editor of mine who passes me on the station steps.

We get into the office and the place is going nuts (this is a newsroom to begin with, so a flurry of activity is the norm rather than the exception). From our building, you can see across the street that some guy is holding a woman HOSTAGE and the cops are having a standoff!!!

Now unfortunately (for me), I couldn't join my colleagues for a window view for most of this, because just about the biggest story on my beat was breaking at this point, and I had to get to work. I did, however, break free every few minutes to get a ringside seat. We are about 40 stories off the ground, so we couldn't hear what was going on, but the local TV stations had us covered. I sit back down at my desk and hear a SCREAM.

The guy who was holding the hostage has been shot. Everyone drops what they were doing and goes to the window. Blood is literally covering the street. It was the most gruesome thing I've ever seen. As the story goes, the hostage-taker shot a woman (apparently his wife) in a food court two buildings over from mine. The woman he held hostage (a different one) was apparently fine. The guy was shot dead.

I'm sure this type of thing happens frequently in larger cities, but it just freaked me out.....

New DVD Review

Before They Were Famous

Best Penguin-Bashing Related Game EVER!!!

EVER!!!

Latest ITR

He's made a career out of being allegedly sexy. He's been seen in various stages of undress in magazines of dubious natures. And he's being interviewed this week by OOur Very OOwn Canadian Bulldog. I swear, this is NOT false advertising. You can read the entire interview, plus get lots of other exciting and exclusive content from the Bulldog, including: the continuing sagas of three of your favorite "Letters From a Nut," a glimpse at what the future holds for Kane and Lita, and the truth behind a diva firing. Get all this and the proverbial So Much More in the very latest edition of Inside the Ropes.

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New DVD

I can't tell how you long I've been waiting for this one to hit the shelves. Seriously. One of favorite shows growing up.

My grandmother fondly recalls -- even to this day -- the memory of me rushing through a Florida toy store one time after I found a "Na No Na No" T-Shirt. Good times...

SummerSlam Thoughts

Or... Toronto=Bizarro Crowd

Last night's PPV was definitely worth seeing live. Had a great time, although I'm still trying to figure out the always-unpredictable Toronto crowd:

We had decent seats, maybe 10 rows up from the floor, directly across from where JR and The King were announcing. During the SmackDown matches, they both looked bored beyond belief. At one point, I looked over and saw Lawler with his EYES CLOSED! Geez, way to support the product! I don't know if that's the norm, but it bothered me for some reason.

RVD Vs. Dupree was a fun opener, and really helped to get the crowd going. And hey, Rob finally wins one on PPV (well, on the pre-show).

London/Mysterio/Kidman Vs. The Dudleyz was about as good an opener as you can ask for. Probably one of the best six-man matches I've seen in a while, to be honest.

Kane Vs. Hardy was exactly what I expected it to be, and I'm kind of glad they kept it short.

The crowd was DEAD for Cena-Booker, which kind of surprised me considering how over Cena usually is here (still, a Cecil Fielder jersey? For the second time?). The match was pretty awful, so that could have been part of it. Surprised me a bit how slow it was.

I was shocked by the reaction for Edge. As I'd mentioned in my predictions on OO, I figured they'd have to have him cut a heel promo to turn him against his hometown crowd. Not so. When he came to the ring, he got a decent pop, one of the best of the night. Then about five minutes into the match, we turned on him for no reason. Can't quite figure that one out. Match was nothing special, and it hardly furthered the Edge-Jericho feud. Not as well as it could have, anyways.

I wasn't as overwhelmed with Angle-Guerrero this time around. Not that it was anything bad at all -- it just wasn't as good live as some people have made it out to be. The finish seemed to come out of nowhere; perhaps the commentary would have been helpful here to explain that. Still, I'm certainly not complaining.

HHH-Eugene surpassed my expectations. Because I'm not sure what was picked up on the PPV and what wasn't: Eugene was booed BIG TIME. Which was odd because he got a nice pop for his entrance. Triple H was also cheered for the most part, as was Flair (though that's probably not unusual). Match finish was predictable, to be sure, but it was the right move, in my mind.

As has been reported -- someone started the wave during the SmackDown title match. I've NEVER seen that before for wrestling, and certainly not in Toronto. Were they THAT bored with the match... uh, yeah, I guess they were. Funny to see, but Taker and JBL must have been thinking -- what the hell is going on here?

One hilarious moment: you've probably heard by now about the kid who jumped on the limo. He was running back and forth on the 'trap door' or whatever it was that Taker chokeslammed JBL through. Can you imagine what would have happened had he fallen through that before the spot?

And the reaction to Orton was bizarre as well. We booed him for the starting of the match almost until the finish, then he started getting cheered for no apparent reason. Then the Toronto faithful went nuts when he won the belt. I just don't understand it....

The match itself was very good. Benoit worked his magic, to be sure, and I think Orton held up his end of the bargain nicely. The finish was innovative, and I honestly can't believe there wasn't any Evolution interference. I also can't believe they're (seemingly) turning him face. Personally, I think a heel Orton vs. face HHH at Mania makes a whole lot more sense, but what do I know?

Overall, it was one of the better PPV's I've been to, but that crowd reaction had me scratching my head.

The Sign!!!

Thanks again to loyal OO reader Gimmick Man for bringing this sign with him to the Joe Louis Arena. As legend has it, they took the sign away from him during the main event. Why; I'm not sure. Perhaps McMahon is finally getting jealous of my success. And thanks to OO reader Big Fat Goalie for uploading these files for me.

Click here:

Eddie and Angle thank each other the compliment!!!

... and again!!!

Nunzio, Chavo and Stamboli mull over whom should compliment whom...

Latest ITR -- The Anniversary Edition

It was one year ago this week that Webmaster Rick Scherer took a flyer on a brand-new columnist. The Canadian Bulldog has become, in the past 52 weeks, a trusted source for the most reliable information and analysis in the entire wrestling world. And today, he celebrates his anniversary in style! From his unique insights on the WWE's weekend pay-per-view event to a special phone interview with Hulk Hogan to trying to get the Road Warriors booked for a Very Special Indie Super Show, Bulldog's pulling out all the stops. The funniest part? One of those three things is 100% REAL. You've gotta check the new Inside The Ropes.

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In the market for a slightly used....

Fine, let the guy sell it. Just PLEASE don't let him post any photos on E-Bay....

Out of Town

Just wanted to let anyone who cares know.... I'm going to be out of town for at least a few days this week, probably Tuesday till Friday, and almost definitely without much access to the Web. So if I don't respond to your e-mails, letters, death threats, etc. in a timely fashion, that's why.

About freaking time!

I have learned that Online Onslaught's Gimmick Man will be bringing the first-ever 'Thanks For The Compliment!!!' sign to the August 10th SmackDown taping in London, Ontario. Yes! Good man! I look forward to seeing the show now...

If anyone has any way of getting me a vidcap (if it makes it on the air), I would be forever indebted to them, or at least for several weeks. On a semi-related note, the Judgment Day DVD, which features signs by my bud Stu Stone at ringside, is finally out. He's the one with the "CRZ Fears Stu", "Dud", "Mordecai=Ratings" and "SWA" signs, among others.

Could this be the starting of Bulldog signs at TV Tapings? BANK ON IT!!!

Collateral

I was going to save this for my semi-regular Bimonthly Media Review, but screw it.

Just saw Collateral last night with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, and I was very impressed. Cruise, whom I'm normally kind of indifferent to, was excellent as a badass hitman, and Jamie Foxx (whom I hadn't seen previously in anything that didn't resemble an In Living Color sketch) was even better as the good-hearted cab driver.

Tremendous story as well. The closest thing I can compare it to is the premise for Speed -- you want the movie to go on much longer just to see how things will play out. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that the newspaper reviews for this one actually do it justice.

The ending was a tad unsatisfying, but it didn't take away from the overall momentum this one had. I'd highly recommend it...

Latest ITR

Eugene Stardust

You know what Eugene needs? New entrance music! And not just ANY new entrance music... he needs a new theme collaborated upon by some of the sharpest minds in all of pop and wrestling! The Canadian Bulldog has joined forces with the creative geniuses behind such smash hits as "Space Oddity" and "Theme from Ghostbusters" to craft just such a hit song! Get the full story (and the complete lyric sheet), along with the rest of Bulldog's return to reporting red hot, EXCLUSIVE insider news (about Brock's new job, WWE's upcoming PPV, and a whole lot more) in a brand new edition of the award-winning Inside The Ropes.

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Useless Link of the Day

Bush and Kerry meet South Park

(Warning: if you're watching this at work, you may want to don some headphones first...)

New DVD Idea...

So I've been thinking about WWE's incredible video library and what kind of videos I'd personally like to buy, and how about an idea like this:

WWE Greatest Grudges: The Most Famous Wrestling Rivalries

(So basically, I'm trying to get a collection of the defining rivalries for the biggest wrestlers of the past 20 years or so. You wouldn't even need a TON of matches on this, just a short documentary for each rivalry, some decent clips that explain why it was important, and then one match per feud.)


Disc One

Hulk Hogan Vs. Randy Savage
-Clips from SummerSlam 88, Survivor Series 88, The Main Event 1989, The MegaPowers exploding.
-Interviews from around WrestleMania V.
- Match: Hulk Hogan Vs. Randy Savage from either WMV, or steel cage bout (saw on Coliseum Home Video, I think).

Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels
-History of how they evolved from tag team wrestlers to singles stars.
-Interviews from Monday Night Raw circa 1996, 1997.
-WWE Confidential feature on the Montreal screwjob & aftermath.
-Match: Ladder match from 1992, or Survivor Series 1992 but NOT 1997 (they already have that on at least one DVD set). Bonus match could be singles match from WWF superstars of wrestling when both were still tag wrestlers (ended in a schmoz).

Ric Flair Vs. Sting
-Similar package to Flair's DVD on why the matches were important.
-Clips from 1989-90 when the two were teammates, then rivals.
-Match: Sting Vs. Flair, Great American Bash 1990, or perhaps one the other 45,000,000 matches they had.

The Undertaker Vs. Mankind
-History of how feud began on Raw.
-Clips of some of their PPV encounters, including Survivor Series, Hell In A Cell, Boiler Room Brawl, etc.
-Current interviews from both of them.
-Match: Undertaker Vs. Mankind, Buried Alive match (only because I don't think its on any other DVD's and it was supposed to be their final match at the time.)

Dusty Rhodes Vs. Tully Blanchard
- I'm not an expert on this particular feud, but I do remember one particularly good cage match (it was on one of the PWI comp tapes, maybe Starrcade). But there must be TONS of interview/backstage footage for this one.

Sgt. Slaughter Vs. Iron Sheik
-If I'm not mistaken, the feud started during a TV taping when the two crossed paths in the aisleway. Or maybe that was Nikolai Volkoff. I don't remember. Anyways...
-Clips could show the feud and even how they later teamed in the early '90's (during Sheik's Col. Mustafa days).
-Match: Sgt. Slaughter Vs. Iron Sheik, bootcamp match from MSG (1983 or 1984).


Disc Two

Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. Vince McMahon
-Background could almost mirror the story on Best of Raw Vol. 1 & 2, where they start with McMahon slowly getting frustrated by Austin until it becomes a full-blown feud.
-Any number of interviews, skits, etc. could be used for this one. Although the "McMahon trains for his first TV match" with Patterson, Brisco and Shane would be much apprciated.
- Match: Steve Austin Vs. Vince McMahon, cage, St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Sabu Vs. Taz
- Again, I haven't seen a lot of the background, but presumably there was a lot of buildup on ECW TV to get this whole thing hyped.
- Match: Sabu Vs. Taz, Barely Legal.

Rock n Roll Express Vs. Midnight Express
- Yet again... I didn't get NWA television around this time, although I think one of the Starrcade matches they had (it must have been Starrcade) was just awesome.

Rowdy Roddy Piper Vs. Adorable Adrian Adonis
-Background of how the feud started.
-The memorable Flower Shop Vs. Piper's Pit battle from 1986.
-Clips of the Saturday Night's Main Event match (I think the match was Hogan/Orndorff) where Piper swung a crutch at Adonis' arm and it looked like he broke it in half.
-Match: Roddy Piper Vs. Adrian Adonis at WrestleMania III.

WCW Vs. nWo
-The documentary could kind of be like a mini-version of nWo Back in Black.
-Interviews from Big Show, Flair, Bischoff, and anyone from that era.
-Classic moments from the feud including Scott Hall's arrival on Nitro, the Hogan turn, the split between nWo Hollywood and Wolfpac, all the Fake Sting swerves, etc. And hopefully, the nWo Horsemen skit, just because I've never seen it before.
-Match: Sting Vs. Hulk Hogan, not because it was a great match or anything, but because it was the ultimate WCW vs. nWo battle.

The Rock Vs. Triple H
-It would be easy enough to show how these basically rose through the business at career parallels. Show them in factions (DX, The Nation), as mid-card heels, etc. , etc.
-Interviews from both guys.
-The DX parody of The Nation would be perfect right about here.
- Match: The Rock Vs. Triple H, 2/3 Falls, Fully Loaded. Or the Iron Man match from Judgement Day. Bonus match could be from Thursday Raw Thursday when Rocky Maivia won the I-C title from Hunter-Hearst Helmsley.

If you're going to play only one armpit-related video game this summer...

...make it this one.



(Stolen, once again, from Dave Barry's blog)

A Night To Remember

So I just got back from my brother's "surprise wedding".

WHAT?

Well, to make a long story short, my brother and his fiancee were set to have their engagement party tonight. Then, for various reasons, they had to move up the wedding. Only they didn't tell most of the people there that was what was happening (I'm a little drunk right now, by the way, so I may go back and edit this later if it doesn't sound coherent later).

Anyways, so they had the guests there and about 30 minutes into out, my father announced that there was going to be a special presentation, and could everyone line up to the sides of the outdoor patio. Then, the bridal party came out and started the ceremony. By the time I got out there, it was hard to see whether everyone was surprised or not (I'm assuming they were).

Anyways, the wedding went off very nicely. Lots of fun and good times. Congrats to the bride and groom.