Kayfabe Monday: June 28th Edition

A follower/reader of mine asked me to post more of my pictures of wrestlers, that is why this post is photo heavy of Nikki Roxx. So why am I writing about Nikki Roxx? Because, yet again, TNA Wrestling has made another stupid move of releasing her due to the excuse of "we have nothing for you". Also they told her right before her match with TNA Knockout champion Madison Rayne at Slammiversary VIII on June 13, 2010; so I can imagine her mindset wasn't the best but she still worked through the match. She has taken the high road and thanked Dixie Carter and TNA Wrestling for the opportunity. Plus she remains positive which is a blessing in this day and age of negativity and cynicism.

Now it is time for some info on Nikki Roxx to prove that TNA Wrestling made another mistake.

Nicole Raczynski born April 19, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Roxxi. She currently works for Shimmer Women Athletes and various other independent promotions under the ring name Nikki Roxx.

Growing up, Raczynski attended professional wrestling events at the Boston Garden with her parents. She trained as a wrestler under Killer Kowalski at the urging of April Hunter who was already training there. As noted in an interview by Tommy Fierro from the Who's Slamming Who wrestling podcasts, Raczynski was allowed to train at the school for free, according to her, because of Kowalski's "soft spot for the women that were trying to get into the business" (other women, such as Chyna, are known to have paid, possibly because one of Kowalski's own students urged her to train). She debuted in March 2002 under the ring name Nikki Roxx and later formed a tag team with Hunter called The Killer Babes. Raczynski wrestled in numerous North American independent promotions such as Shimmer Women Athletes, Squared Circle Wrestling, Women's Extreme Wrestling (WEW), Professional Girl Wrestling Association, New England Championship Wrestling, Defiant Pro Wrestling, MXW Pro Wrestling, World Women's Wrestling, Chaotic Wrestling and Ring of Honor (ROH). She has also wrestled in Mexico for promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Lucha Libre Femenil and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA).

On November 6, 2005, Raczynski made her Shimmer Women Athletes debut under the name Nikki Roxx at the promotions first ever tapings. On Volume 1 she teamed up with Cindy Rogers in a losing effort against Krissy Vaine and Amber O'Neal and on Volume 2, taped that same night, she defeated Lexie Fyfe. She returned to the promotion on February 12, 2006, for the tapings of Volumes 3 and 4, during which she lost to Rain and defeated Amber O'Neal in singles matches. On May 21 at the tapings of Volume 5, she had a breakout performance in a losing effort against Amazing Kong. After a series of victories over Lorelei Lee, Lacey, Malia Hosaka and Tiana Ringer on the following four Volumes, Roxx had worked her way from opening matches to main eventing her first Shimmer event, Volume 10, which was taped on April 7, 2007. At the event Roxx was defeated by Sara Del Rey.[1] In June Roxx took part in the tournament to determinate the first ever Shimmer Champion. She defeated Rain to advance to the second round, where she was defeated by Lacey.[1] On Volume 12 she won a four corner survival match against Ariel, Portia Perez and Eden Black. In the main event of Volume 13 she teamed up with Sara Del Rey in a tag team match, where they defeated the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew of Lacey and Rain. On July 1, 2007, at the tapings of Volume 14 Roxx had a rematch with Amazing Kong, but was once again defeated. This would mark Roxx's final Shimmer appearance in over a year, as after the event she signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and was forced to leave the promotion.

On July 5, 2008, at the tapings of Volume 19 Roxx made her return and defeated Nicole Matthews in a singles match. Later that same night on Volume 20, she was defeated by Ariel. At the October 19 tapings of Volumes 21 and 22 Roxx defeated Danyah and lost to Jetta. The next four Volumes were taped in May 2009, during which she defeated Cat Power and Melanie Cruise in singles matches and formed the tag team Pretty Bitchin' with Ariel and lost to The International Home Wrecking Crew (Rain and Jetta) and defeated The Experience (Lexi Fyfe and Malia Hosaka) in tag team matches. On November 8 at the tapings of Volume 27 Roxx competed in her biggest match in Shimmer Women Athletes, unsuccessfully challenging MsChif for the Shimmer Championship. On Volume 28, taped that same night, Roxx bounced back by defeating Wesna Busic. On April 10, 2010, at the tapings of Volume 29, Roxx and Ariel defeated the team of Melanie Cruise and Annie Social to earn a match for the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.[5] On Volume 30, taped that same day, Roxx was defeated by Ayumi Kurihara in a singles match. The following day, on Volume 31, Roxx and Ariel received their shot at the Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by the defending champions, the Canadian Ninjas (Nicole Matthews and Portia Perez).

According to an interview, thanks to a push made for her by Abyss (who she met on a 2CW show in Syracuse, New York), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling contacted her and signed Raczynski to a contract in the summer of 2007.

Raczynski debuted in TNA on July 15, 2007 at the Victory Road pay-per-view. Identified as "The Voodoo Queen" Roxxi Laveaux, she was introduced as the valet of the Voodoo Kin Mafia. Following a match between the Voodoo Kin Mafia and Basham and Damaja, Roxxi brawled with Christy Hemme, the valet of Basham and Damaja. On the September 27, 2007 episode of Impact!, Roxxi defeated Hemme, Gail Kim, Jackie Moore and Ms. Brooks in a Bound for Glory preview match to claim the 10th and final spot in the TNA Women's Championship Gauntlet. Roxxi made it to the final two, although Kim ultimately won to become the first TNA Women's Knockout Champion. On the following pay-per-view, Genesis, Roxxi competed in a four-way match between herself, Kim, ODB, and Angel Williams for the TNA Women's Championship. Roxxi had the advantage when she spit Asian mist into ODB's face, but Kim her took down long enough to pin ODB and retain her title.

Roxxi competed in a tag team match at Turning Point, teaming up with ODB to take on Angelina Love (Angel Williams) and Velvet Sky. However, Roxxi and ODB lost the match, with Roxxi being pinned after the double-team Russian legsweep from Sky and a big boot from Love. On the January 3, 2008 edition of Impact!, Roxxi participated in a Gauntlet match that would help determine the 2008 rankings of the TNA Knockouts division. She made it to the final two, facing off against ODB, but was pinned. She was fired from the Voodoo Kin Mafia by Kip James on the January 31, 2008 edition of Impact!, because she accidentally threw white powder in the eyes of Kip and cost him the match against Hernandez.

On the March 6 edition of Impact! Roxxi was shown in a backstage promo with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky who insisted on giving her a makeover the next week, so they could make her into one of the "beautiful people". On the following episode of Impact!, Roxxi became a babyface when she resisted their attempts to change her, and in response the duo attacked her and called her a freak, sparking a feud between them. She defeated Love on the April 10, 2008 edition of Impact! by debuting her new finisher, the Voodoo Drop. She then went on to win the first-ever Queen of the Cage match at Lockdown, ultimately pinning Love after a Voodoo Drop, and as a result of winning, she was granted a Knockouts Title match. The title match occurred on the following Impact!, where she was pinned by then-champion Awesome Kong.

On May 11, 2008 at Sacrifice, Roxxi competed in a TNA Knockout Makeover Battle Royal, a two part match where the first part was contested under normal battle royal rules. The last two women in the ring would then compete in a ladder match where the winner would become the new #1 contender while the loser would have to have her head shaved bald. Roxxi survived the battle royal part of the match, but was defeated in the ladder match by Gail Kim after Angelina Love and Velvet Sky interfered in the match (Kim had won an immunity match in a previous episode of Impact!, which meant that had Roxxi won the ladder match, Love would have been the one to have her head shaved). Roxxi was shaved bald on the spot with the other Knockouts watching. She received a standing ovation from the face Knockouts and fans after the shaving. On the following Impact!, the "Laveaux" portion of her name was dropped and she was now being billed as simply Roxxi. At Slammiversary, she teamed with ODB and Kim to defeat The Beautiful People and Moose in a Six Woman Tag Team match.

From August Roxxi began to phase into a new gimmick: that of a Hardcore Knockout as emphasized by a series of TNA Rough Cut segments. She later participated in several hardcore matches, often getting bloodied during them. She also developed a punk like attitude during interviews, often swearing excessively. On September 25, 2008, she disguised herself as Raisha Saeed, the manager of Awesome Kong, when Kong was facing Mercedes Steele. After the match, Roxxi removed her disguise and attacked Kong with a steel chair. Because of this stunt, she was granted a three-way dance match between herself, Taylor Wilde, and Awesome Kong at Bound for Glory IV for the Knockouts Championship, which Wilde won. Roxxi and Wilde attacked Kong and Saeed on the October 30 episode of Impact!, continuing their feud. At Turning Point, Roxxi and Wilde teamed up and defeated Kong and Saeed. Roxxi and Wilde teamed up again, this time with ODB, and defeated the Beautiful People and Sharmell at Final Resolution. Roxxi and Wilde eventually moved into a regular tag team and feud with the Beautiful People, even hiring a Sarah Palin impersonator to embarrass them. Her last match was at Destination X where she teamed with Wilde and the Governor to defeat the Beautiful People and Madison Rayne. On April 30, 2009, Roxxi was released from her TNA contract while serving a 60-day suspension following a backstage altercation with Rhaka Khan.

On August 29, 2009, Jeremy Borash announced that Raczynski would be returning to the company at the August 31 and September 1 Impact! tapings for an apparent one-shot deal. On the September 10 edition of Impact! she returned to team with Madison Rayne in the tournament for the Knockout Tag Team Championship. They were, however, eliminated in the first round by Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. On the September 17 edition of Impact! she was one of the lumberjacks for the match between Alissa Flash and Cody Deaner.

Once again as Nikki Roxx, she became the fourth woman to hold the Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) Championship defeating then champion Tammy Lynn Sytch and Alexa Thatcher in a three-way match. This match took place on March 21, 2008 in Bergenfield, New Jersey. Roxx pinned Thatcher to capture the title as Sytch was distracted by Becky Bayless. On May 31, in Rahway, New Jersey, Roxx lost the title to Angel Orsini in a Jersey All Pro Wrestling event. As Roxxi, she became the first Eastern Pro Wrestling Women's Champion at an event in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 1, 2008. She is also a regular competitor for Squared Circle Wrestling (2CW) based out of Upstate New York. On September 28, 2009, Roxx appeared on Ring of Honor's weekly HDNet program, losing in a match to Sara Del Rey.

Raczynski returned to TNA as Roxxi on the December 17 edition of Impact!, defeating TNA Women's Knockout Champion ODB in a non-title match. Afterwards, Roxxi was assaulted by ODB, with her signature flask, before being saved by Tara. On December 21 at the tapings of Impact! Raczynski broke her ankle in two places in a match against Hamada. She was expected to miss 6 weeks due to injury. She was once again let go from the company on March 4, 2010.

On May 17, 2010, at the tapings of the May 20 edition of Impact!, Raczynski, once again using the ring name Roxxi, made another return to TNA, defeating Women's Knockout Champion Madison Rayne in a non-title match, earning herself a shot at the title at Slammiversary VIII in the process. Two weeks later, Roxxi got a victory over the debuting Rosie Lottalove, rolling her up after she refused to take advantage of an interference from Madison Rayne.[23] At Slammiversary VIII Roxxi agreed to put her TNA career on the line against Rayne and her Women's Knockout Championship. Rayne retained her title, ending her TNA career in the process.

I believe in Kayfabe,
JoiseyDani

Things I Love Thursday--June 24th Edition

Why hello there my lovely followers and readers! This is what is making my heart squee and jump!

--My package from Pixies and Bears ! I can not tell you the awesomeness of this package. Loads of Hello Kitty stuff to stickers to a notebook to a tote bag to a plushie...I can go on and on. It was totally thoughtful.

--DAVID FOUND BRET MICHAELS DIET SNAPPLE TROP-A-ROCKA ICE TEA! It is best to put on ice. I am using the bottle for pennies.

--The original version of Teen Witch with Robin Lively on ABC Family! I think it is a disgrace that this movie might be remade.

--My new jangly heart bracelet from Torrid! Here it is, just click the link: Silver Heart Charm Stretch Bracelet

--Getting my new high top sneakers from Skechers. With my foot, I needed a sneaker that held in my ankle and foot especially during the summer months as I will be walking a lot!

--Ordering a Filofax! I needed a new planner for the next school year and I want to break my large purse addiction. All of this was inspired by Gala Darling.

--Getting my Filofax and filling it up with lots of goodies!

--Having fresh vegetables on hand to snack on.

--Washington DC in a week! This time it is just David and I which means...well...I will leave that to your imagination.

--4 MORE DAYS OF WORK TIL SUMMER VACATION!!!!

--That my second grade students ask me about World Cup and if they could watch the game.

What is making your heart jump this week?

Kayfabe Monday: June 21st Edition

Please disregard the quality of the picture. I do not have a scanner and I took a picture of a picture that I had of Trent Acid.

Originally, I was going to write a blog about Nikki Roxx and how TNA is making a huge mistake with letting her go, but then I got some news last Friday that sent a crushing blow to my stomach and heart.

Trent Acid, real name Michael Verdi, was found dead by his mother at 9am on Friday June 18th.

Trent has had his share of problems and demons. He was in the midst of getting clean and becoming the breakout star that he was in 2002-2003. He was only 29 years old. A talent that was taken from us way too soon. Instead of dwelling on his demons, let this Kayfabe Monday blog remind you or in fact inform you of his wrestling career.

Michael Verdi (November 12, 1980 – June 18, 2010) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Trent Acid. Verdi had worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backseat Boyz with Johnny Kashmere, in several independent promotions in America, including Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, and Combat Zone Wrestling. However, Acid had also worked a singles career with several promotions, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Acid debuted in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in 1999 and competed mostly in singles matches. At the first Cage of Death, he teamed with White Lotus to face the Kashmerinoes (Johnny Kashmere and Robbie Mireno). Acid wrestled many matches against Kashmere before teaming up with him to form The Backseat Boyz. The Backseat Boyz won the CZW Tag Team Championship. While part of this team, Acid still wrestled in the singles division and won the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship three times, competing against the likes of Ruckus and Justice Pain for the title. He also became the second Best of the Best winner by defeating Jody Fleisch in the final match at Best of the Best 2. In September 2003, Acid won the vacant CZW Iron Man Championship by defeating Nick Gage and Jimmy Rave in a three way match.

Around this time, Acid along with Johnny Kashmere joined the Hi-V stable and feuded with Zandig and his ultraviolent team. This feud came to an end at Cage of Death V in the Cage of Death match. However, before competing in the Cage of Death match, Acid first had to defend his Iron Man Championship against Jimmy Rave. The match went to a time limit draw with each man scoring one fall, but the match was ordered to restart and Rave won the title. Acid went on to the Cage of Death but was eliminated and his team eventually lost. The Hi-V broke up after this and The Backseat Boyz soon left CZW. Acid returned to CZW later in 2004 and feuded with Teddy Hart and Messiah. He left again shortly after.

On June 14, 2008, Acid made his return to CZW when he faced World Champion Nick Gage in a non-title match. At 'An Eye for an Eye' on April 11, 2009, Acid made his full time return to CZW. It was the main event of the evening as Sami Callihan and Jon Moxley took on Brain Damage and Drake Younger.

Acid joined Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2002, when he and Johnny Kashmere defeated Homicide and Steve Corino in an interpromotional match between ROH and CZW at the first Glory By Honor. The Backseat Boyz would go on to work for ROH permanently. They continued wrestling together and competed in many scramble matches against the likes of The SAT, The Carnage Crew and Special K. However, Acid is perhaps best known from ROH for his feud with Homicide. After this feud, The Backseat Boyz won the ROH Tag Team Championship by defeating Special K in the final round of a gauntlet match for the vacant title. This made The Backseat Boyz the first team to win both the CZW and ROH Tag Team Championships. Acid and Kashmere lost the title to Special K at the next show. Later, Kashmere left ROH and Acid would continue as a singles wrestler. At ROH's Reborn: Completion, Acid fought with Jimmy Rave but he lost after Rave hit the Rave Clash on him. At Testing The Limit, he challenged Samoa Joe for the ROH World Championship, but did not win. He was also part of the Scramble Cage Melee main event in the scramble cage. Acid had his last ROH match at Final Battle 2004 against Jimmy Jacobs. After losing this match, he quit ROH.

Acid joined Pro Wrestling Unplugged at its inception in 2004, eventually feuding with Homicide, 2 Cold Scorpio, and Devon Moore over the PWU World Heavyweight Title. In 2005, Trent feuded with his old friend and new rival, Hellter Skelter. The feud lasted a few months, starting with Hellter claiming that Trent turned his back on their friendship and made him the evil person he is today. After months of feuding, Acid defeated Skelter in a "Philadelphia Street Fight" match on August 20, 2005. The feud continued in 2007, with Hellter wanting a rematch, and recording disturbing promos on PWU Surge TV, calling out Acid and claiming he would "carve [Acid's] flesh". Finally on November 23, 2007, Acid accepted the rematch and lost to Skelter, who had outside help from Sunny.

Acid made his return to PWU, following knee surgery, on March 16, 2008, at the event Haunted, wrestling Television Champion ZBarr to a time-limit draw. Since the departure of Tod Gordon, and subsequent handoff of sole ownership to tag-team partner Johnny Kashmere, Acid has been named co-owner of the company.

Acid debuted in Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) in 2007 under the gimmick of an arrogant priest.[3] Acid, the self-proclaimed "Savior of JCW", cut a promo against the Juggalo fanbase, the company, and Insane Clown Posse (real-life owners of JCW) in the first episode of SlamTV!.[3] He continued to badmouth the company in the following weeks while having confrontations with several heroes. On the fourth episode, Acid won a 10 Man Battle Royal to become the number one contender for Corporal Robinson's JCW Heavyweight Championship. In their first match, Acid temporarily blinded Robinson with holy water, causing the referee to end the match. Two weeks later at West Side Wars, Acid pinned Robinson after using Robinson's championship belt as a weapon, becoming the new JCW Heavyweight Champion. Corporal Robinson received his rematch at East Side Wars in a Steel Cage match and regained the championship. At Bloodymania, Acid and The Young Alter Boys lost a Six Man Tag Team match against the team of Insane Clown Posse and Sabu.

Acid returned to JCW at Bloodymania III, where he teamed with the Alter Boys (Tim, Tom, Terry, and Todd). The group lost to the Juggalo World Order (Corporal Robinson, Scott Hall, Shaggy 2 Dope, Violent J, and Sid Vicious) in the main event.

Acid also worked for the new promotion Pro Wrestling Syndicate where he has had matches with Alex Shelley, Human Tornado, Danny Doring, Justin Credible and Sabu. In May 2009, Acid defeated Devon Moore for The PWS Heavyweight Championship.

Thanks to Steve Gerweck, PWI Almanac, and Solie's Title Histories for this information. If you are in the Philadelphia area, Johnny Kashmere is organizing a memorial event titled Acid Fest on July 10, 2010 in the ECW Arena. A $10 dollar donation is suggested to help the family of Trent Acid with funeral costs.

I believe in Kayfabe,
JoiseyDani

Things I Love Thursday--June 17th Edition

Yay yay yay end of school is nearing...but what is making my heart burst with sparkles and fuzzies this week?

--The Toasted Marshmallow milkshake at Stand in NYC. So so so good....Michael Symon from Food Network was right on when he mentioned this on The Best Thing I Ever Ate Sugar Rush episode.

--The Chaps Special sandwich from Chaps Pit Beef in Baltimore, Maryland. The sandwich was huge! This place was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on Food Network so I had to try it! Gave me major heartburn though...

--The new Greyhound buses with outlets, free wifi, and more leg room. Made my trip back to NYC much more enjoyable.

--My new favorite snack: Apples with feta cheese and walnuts. Nummy!

--My friends Mets inspired clothing line The 7 Line His t-shirts are very soft and comfortable, plus I hate wearing the same Mets t-shirts as everyone else when I go to games.

--Buying silver Peacock feather charm earrings and thinking of what to wear with them. Here is the link: Peaccock feather charm earrings

--Getting my Genuine Health products from the Vitamin Shoppe THE NEXT DAY after I ordered them!

--My custom mustachasaurus from Roxy at GrrFeisty LOOK LOOK LOOK!

What made your heart jump this week?

Kayfabe Monday--June 14th Edition

Happy Flag Day Everyone!

Now onto the Kayfabe.

The X division right now is the talk backstage. Everyone is trying to figure how to make it more appealing. The wrestlers in ring ability is fine. Problem is when a X Division match take place the ratings drop. Bischoff, and Russo have seen this happen in WCW and WWE with the cruiserweights. Now TNA's dealing with the same problem with the X Division. Shane Helms, once his 90 day no compete clause is complete, will be a big part of the division.

Bischoff wants to use lucha stars, and guys with a lot of charisma to spark more interest. Lethal, Kendrick, and Kaz are all in line for a big push within the company. The early idea for Helms is use to pair with Hardy, Neal, and Moore, which is obvious due to the North Carolina connection. Another idea is to build him up as a heel when he debuts. I do not think that will work too well. The answer will take place at the next set of tapings. Kurt Angle is said to be a huge supporter of Amazing Red. Kurt thinks Red could be the next Rey Mysterio. Red's match with Kurt got rave reviews and may get rewarded for it.

That is who I want to talk about with this week's Kayfabe Monday--Amazing Red. But as always, here is some background history of Amazing Red.

Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, (The) Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He currently wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former two-time X Division Champion, while also working on the American independent circuit.

Red, who was already known for his work in the United States independent circuit, joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at its 2002 inception, quickly establishing himself in its X Division. During his first run in TNA Red held both the TNA X Division Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Jerry Lynn, simultaneously. While working for TNA he also wrestled for Ring of Honor as a member of the three man tag team The S.A.T. with cousins, Jose and Joel Maximo. Eventually he began to team with "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles, becoming known together as Amazing Phenomenon. The team would go on to win the ROH Tag Team Championship from Christopher Daniels and Donovan Morgan.

Through late 2003 Amazing Red, wrestled as Misterio Red as well as Airwalk Spriggan while on a tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling. During the tour he suffered a near career-ending knee injury, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and having to undergo surgery which kept him on the sideline for an entire year.

Red returned to TNA to wrestle in March 2004, staying there for the majority of the year. When he left TNA he went back to the independents, only returning on occasion to TNA throughout 2005 and 2006. He also wrestled CM Punk in a dark match at a WWE SmackDown taping on May 12, 2005.

On October 15, 2005, Red was forced to cancel his Uniting Champions booking in Tulsa, OK at the last minute, and his replacement, a local by the name of X-Cal was dubbed as the "Amazing Blue". Red's last appearance was at a New York Wrestling Connection event at the beginning of 2006, where he lost his match to Javi-Air and re-injured his knee.

It was made official on the Pro Wrestling Unplugged Website that he would be making his return to their "Haunted" event although he requested off since it was announced that his wife was expecting their child on March 14, 2008.

Red left the wrestling business and took on a full-time job to heal his knee after several surgeries. After being on the sidelines with his injury, Red made his long awaited return on December 13, 2008 at Jersey All Pro Wrestling's Best of the Light Heavyweights, the match was won by Archadia as he defeated Amazing Red, Flip Kendrick, Louis Lyndon.

In April 2009, it was announced via the TNA website that the Amazing Red would return to the company in the Team 3D Tag Team Invitational Tournament. On the April 30 edition of Impact! he teamed with then-X Division Champion Suicide to defeat the Motor City Machine Guns of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.

Suicide and Amazing Red were eliminated from the tournament on the May 14 episode of Impact! by the new stable, The British Invasion after interference from the Motor City Machine Guns.

On the May 28 edition of Impact!, he challenged Suicide for the X Division Championship but was unsuccessful in winning the title for a second time. Red competed in a Steel Asylum match at the Hard Justice Pay-Per-View on August 16, in another losing effort. On the October 1 edition of Impact! Red became the number one contender to Samoa Joe's X Division title by defeating Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi in a ladder match. On the following Impact! Red won the X Division Championship for the second time by pinning Samoa Joe following interference by Bobby Lashley. On the October 15 edition of Impact! Don West debuted as Red's new manager. At Bound for Glory Red retained his X Division Title in an Ultimate X match against Homicide, Daniels, Suicide, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. The following week on Impact! Red lost to Homicide in a non-title match. The return match between the two was booked for Turning Point, where Red was able to retain his title. Since then Don West has quietly broken off his affiliation with Red, while he has been defending his title on TNA's weekly Webmatches against the likes of Chris Sabin and Homicide. At Genesis Red retained his title in a match against the returning Brian Kendrick. On the January 28 edition of Impact! the British Invasion attacked Red after his six man tag team match. As Rob Terry was going to cash in his "Feast or Fired" briefcase, which gave him the right to challenge for the X Division Championship anytime, anywhere, his stable mate Doug Williams managed to convince him to hand it over to him and defeated Red to win the Championship. On the April 12 edition of Impact! Red took the place of the injured Hernandez and teamed up with Matt Morgan to successfully defend the TNA World Tag Team Championship against the Motor City Machine Guns. After the match Morgan attacked Red for getting the pinfall in the match.

Thank you again Online World of Wrestling for this history.

So what is my point? It is proven time and time again that the younger guys will bend over backward, literally and figuratively, for their fans and for television. Personally, I am not a fan of highspots and moonsaults but I am in the minority. I rather my submission wrestling and mat wrestling ala Doug Williams, Bryan Danielson (I refuse to call him Daniel Bryan), and William Regal. But if TNA really wants ratings, I suggest they focus more on the younger guys instead of established stars like Rob Van Dam, Sting, Jeff Hardy, and so forth. Jay Lethal, Amazing Red, AJ Styles, Kazarian, are the FUTURE. I think some investing needs to happen.

As always, I believe in Kayfabe,
JoiseyDani

Fun Fact Friday #15--June 11th Edition

This time for the F3, I give you...MY ENGAGEMENT STORY.

Back in October of 2008 David told me that his friend Joe from Buffalo, NY needed some female advice. I sent him a text and told him that David said that he needed my advice on something. Joe told me that his friend was getting hitched and asked me if I was getting hitched, what kind of a ring I would want. Now I will admit, this got me sort of thinking of that this might be a cover for David, so I said what my ideal ring would be--a diamond of course, but to show the bond between two people. A white gold or a silver band. Maybe the two birthstones around the diamond to signify the bond between the couple. An engraving of the initials of both people on the inside of the band. I also wanted something simple and unique to me. Then Joe asked me if what kind of proposal I would like. I said that I would like it to be an re-enactment of the first date followed by a nice walk along a pier or a beach. He said what if it is snowing or raining. I said a nice restaurant with a fireplace then. After I told him all of this, I did ask if the "friend" line was a cover up for David. He told me no, that his friend Austin was planning on asking his girlfriend to marry him. I asked him when and he said on her birthday which was December 5th. At that point, I said okay and wished his friend good luck.

After that point, I will admit I started to get depressed about the whole engagement thing. Everyone I knew was getting engaged, or were already married and the entire love sick thing. I constantly questioned when my time was going to be. But then I said to myself that if it happens, it happens and to just let it go. Which I did.

Then my friend Emily started to show me rings from the movie The Crow and asked for my opinion. She also started to tell me about all of these gems she found and was going to make them into a ring to signify her family or something or other. At that point I told her that buying rings for me off of the Internet is hard for me because of my size. She then asked me what size I was and I told her. Again, did not think anything of it, just let it go.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve 2008. There is one thing that makes me totally panic and that is when plans are not made in stone. I can not stand it! I need to know where and when and what to wear and the whole thing. Granted, I like surprises but not when it comes to date planning. David told me on Sunday, after freezing in Giants Stadium, to not to make plans on Wednesday and to dress up. Thats another thing I hate--dressing up. I do wear makeup and do the whole mani/pedi/waxing thing but I am comfortable in my jeans and sweaters and sneakers. He then told me to meet up with him at the Manhattan side of the Staten Island ferry about 5-5:30pm. I got there and I waited. He arrived, in a suit. Now David in a suit is an amazement...but he still wore his sneakers. We talked for a little bit and then he asked me to close my eyes. He handed over to me a bouquet of Stargazer Lilies. My favorite! There are 14 of them. So surprised. We then got onto the 1 train and got off at Christopher Street.

He finally told me the place we were going to. Now I do remember telling him that I did want to try this place, and we did. The restaurant is called "One If By Land, Two if By Sea". Our coats were checked and we sat down at this nice table. Then we got the menu. It either had foie gras in it or pomegranate. I like pomegranate so I made sure to order the dishes with that. Then he constantly had to get up from the table. He claimed to check the game score and to see if there was anything else on the menu besides to what they gave us. So we ate our meal, which wasn't that big. I even made a joke about going to McDonald's later to which he said he was thinking the same thing. He then got up from the table again, to go to the bathroom, but this time took his bag. He never takes his bag. When he returned, he said he had to go check on the bill and that he would be right back. He came back to the table and said for me to close my eyes. At this point, he was wearing the David Wright New York Mets jersey I got him as our first anniversary present. When I opened my eyes, there were two glasses of champagne in front of me. He said that the champagne was complimentary since we were special customers. I said cool but my glass was a little bit too fizzy. I looked at it and took a sip, and it tasted sorta funny. I then looked at the bottom of the glass and asked him what was inside of the glass. He said for me to try and get it. I couldn't so he got a spoon and fished out.....THE RING. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. He took the ring from me, wiped it off, got down onto one knee and said, and I quote verbatim "These past years have been one of the greatest years in my life. Through the good times and the bad times, you make me so very happy and there is no one else I rather be with. Will you give me the honor of being my fiancee'?" He placed the ring on my finger, I looked at him, got choked out, and said "Oh my god...of course...yes!" We kissed and then when he took my hand to go over to the piano, I knocked my glass of champagne over. That is just me. I am a klutz. I even trip up stairs. Anyway, the pianist played a very pretty song by Daniel Bedingfeld. After we enjoyed the song, he got our coats and we left, enjoyed the rest of the night with a carriage ride in Central Park and walking along 5th Avenue. All in all, my time has come and I am so glad it is with my Phenomenal.

Things I Love Thursday--June 10th Edition

What is making Dani squee of happiness and glee this week?

--That I removed over 4 gigabytes of videos from my computer! I do have a 120GB hard drive that is split in half and I do not want to go into the other drive yet. I like the first part to have at least 10GB left. I know--it is a sickness.

--David on the hunt for Bret Michaels' Diet Snapple Trop-A-Rocka Ice Tea. I love Bret Michaels and David knows it so he is willing to go on the hunt for it.

--That my secret boyfriend, Zachary Quinto, will be in a Off-Broadway play in September! Many stalkings will ensue...

--BALTIMORE IN ONE DAY! David found a PIRATE BOAT CRUISE. That is going to be the most fun ever!

--Getting adhesive jewels to make my plain boring black sneakers happy. Will use a glue gun/craft glue to make sure they stay.

--Finding a large enough Transformers gift bag for all of David's birthday gifts, which we have yet to celebrate.

--Hot tea on a cold rainy day, hummus with carrots and tomatoes, and a apple.

--Looking up cities in Italy for possible baby or pet names. Do not worry I am not pregnant, I am just having fun. Right now, I like Palermo, Catania, Verona, Reggio Emilia (or just Emilia), Ravenna, Sassari, Syracuse, Alessandria, Siena, and Aversa.

--My dogs Hudson and Sweetums who are always around when I need a quick hug or a kiss and some excitement.

--Getting lots of packages of goodies: I got The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer, The Writers Toolbox, presents for my mom and dad, t-shirts from The 7 Line, and magazines. YAY!

--This video!

What is making you squee with happiness and glee this week?

Kayfabe Monday: June 7th Edition

I love when people misinterpret stories on the internet.

On the TNA Wrestling Fan blog, it is posted that the reason TNA did the storyline with taking Mick Foley off TV was because he was running out of dates on his contract.

Foley recently pitched an idea to TNA officials that he'd return this summer with a new stable. It's been speculated in the past that Foley would team up with a group of ECW Originals.

Um, lets get your story straight here.

Mick Foley has been in the midst of writing a new book called "Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal". Here is the description from Amazon.com: The undisputed king of the literary ring is back with another handwritten, hardcore home run. Forget the ghost writer and the computer keyboard - this mesmerizing memoir is straight from the pen and notebook paper of the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley, chronicling the heart-pounding build-up to "Lockdown", one of the most important matches of his long and storied career. Foley's every limit is tested, as he battles back the formidable tag-team of Father Time and Mother Nature - overcoming a host of injuries and serious self-doubts to get back in the ring with one of his all-time favorite foes. With his trademark blend of wit and wisdom, wildness and warmth, Foley dishes previously untold stories from his remarkable life, including his transition from WWE to TNA, his ill-fated stint as a television commentator, his tumultuous relationship with Vince McMahon, his thoughts on performance enhancing substances in sports, the troubling list of wrestlers dying way too young, and his soul saving work in Sierra Leone.

Raw, dynamic, and unabashedly honest, COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN charts Foley's wrestling rebirth, and rise to heights that his fans thought he would never see again.

Also let me let you know that 100% of the advance for this book has been donated to Child Fund International and RAINN. So it is clear that Mick is not writing another book for money--he is writing it out of his own heart and wants to tell a story. Are dates running out of contract? Quite possibly. But this is the true reason why Mick has not been around on TNA as of late. Thank you.

On another note, I am happy that WWE Smackdown is at least trying to keep the aura of kayfabe alive. Smart mark wrestling fans know that the Undertaker is now injured with a fractured orbital bone, broken nose, and a concussion when he wrestled Rey Mysterio during a house show over Memorial Day Weekend. But in the world of wrestling, Kane "found him in a vegetative state." Love it.

I believe in kayfabe,
JoiseyDani

Fun Fact Friday #14--June 4th Edition

As you probably have noticed, another survey for the F3!

15 Things You Love

1. My Mother
2. My Dad
3. My Brother Nick
4. My fiance' David
5. My computer
6. My friends
7. My cell phone
8. Drawing
9. Reading
10. Teaching
11. Wrestling
12. Anything Alice in Wonderland related
13. Animals
14. Standing up for what I believe in
15. Myself


14 Things You Hate

1. Insomnia
2. Having sexual dreams about people that you should not have sexual dreams about
3. Brussel Sprouts
4. Cruelty to Animals
5. People who hide behind their keyboard
6. Bad Grammar
7. Teachers who don't appreciate the hard work I do
8. WWE
9. The old Viacom logo
10. Country Music
11. Paranoia
12. High School
13. Being in debt
14. My cousin dying so young.


13 Movies You Can Watch Over and Over Again

1. The Evil Dead Trilogy
2. Twilight/New Moon
3. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
4. 10 Things I Hate About You
5. Untamed Heart
6. Clerks
7. Dogma
8. Friends Til The End (starring Shannen Doherty...it was a Lifetime Movie)
9. Garden State
10. Any of the Harry Potter Movies
11. Pretty in Pink
12. Nightmare on Elm Street
13. The Breakfast Club


12 Awesome Bands/Artists (I don’t think I listen to 12 bands either)

1. A.F.I.
2. Anthrax
3. Queensryche
4. Lady Gaga
5. Motley Crue
6. The Sleeping
7. Kristin Mainhart
8. Fozzy
9. Pantera
10. The Donnas
11. Lacuna Coil
12. Depeche Mode


11 People that Mean a Lot to You

1. My entire family
2. David
3. My friends
4. Some of the teachers I work with
5. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Ward
6. My favorite professor in college, Dr. Thurston
7. Bruce Campbell, for getting me published in Fangoria Magazine
8. My cousin Tommy, without him I would have never realized my potential. I miss you.
9. My students, who surprise me everyday.
10. Fat Frank, for giving me my first shot at photography
11. And of course, myself.


10 Names You Like

1. Daffney
2. Gabrielle
3. Tru
4. Sebastian
5. Christian
6. Wynter
7. Jersey
8. Hudson
9. Unique
10. Lorelei


9 TV Shows You Can't Miss

1. Gilmore Girls
2. Heroes
3. TNA Impact!
4. Celebrity Apprentice
5. MTV's True Life
6. 90210
7. The Vampire Diaries
8. Supernatural
9. Sex and the City


8 Things You Could Eat for the Rest of Your Life

1. Edamame
2. Crispy Soul Chicken from VP2
3. Scones
4. Nachos
5. Empanadas
6. Rice Krispie treats
7. Anything chocolate related
8. String Cheese

7 Celebrities You Wouldn't Mind Kissing

1. Johnny Depp
2. Orlando Bloom
3. Cam Gigandet from Twilight
4. Christopher Daniels
5. Sting
6. Bronson Arroyo (pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds)
7. Bruce Campbell


6 Faults/Bad Habits/Weaknesses

1. I chew and bite my nails too much
2. I swear too much.
3. I don't talk about how I am really feeling.
4. I eat my emotions
5. I let papers and other things clutter my room.
6. Cute guys are my weakness.


5 Places You Want to Visit

1. Chicago, Illnois
2. Monteral, Ontario, Canada
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Minnesota
5. London, England


4 Books Worth Reading

1. Anything written by Chuck Palahniuk
2. Anything written by Bret Easton Ellis
3. Anything written by Joyce Carol Oates
4. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell


3 Favorite Colors

1. Purple
2. Black
3. Red


2 Good Quotes

1. "Patriotism is the conviction that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it."--George Bernard Shaw

2. "Patience is a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue."--Ambrose Bierce

1 Hero

The students who will fight adversity and poverty and prove to the world that they are not a statistic and will make something of their life.

Things I Love Thursday: June 3rd Edition

As my school year of work winds down, here is my list of things that I am in love with this week:

--That is the greatest month ever JUNE!

--One more week to Baltimore! Can not wait...wish I could go inside Charm City Cakes but alas it was not meant to be.

--Visiting the New Yankee Stadium. Granted I am not a Yankees fan, but it was a cool experience. The stairs though killed my foot!

--Feeling like 5 years old that my mom is going away on vacation without me. My best friend is leaving me for the weekend...I will be fine. She needs this trip after all of the hard work she does throughout the year.

--That I can stand the heat! There was a time where I would complain about how hot it is. Now, I pin my hair up, grab a towel and wipe down my face and arms, and drink lots of water.

--Cold fruit when I come home from a long day at work. Same thing for vegetables.

--Participating in the NYC Zombie Crawl. It felt like I walked a mile and my foot was majorly pookie afterward, but I did it! Here is a picture of my make up job for last Sunday:


What are you in love with this week?