Results from a strong Bound For Glory pay per view, the death of a retired wrestling star from Florida and the continuing saga of WWE television are at the forefront of our news headlines this week.
Every major title in the promotion changed hands at last Sunday's TNA pay per view in Phoenix before an estimated crowd of about 3,000 fans, or perhaps members of a parallel TNA universe. In any event, getting away from the Impact Zone in Orlando seemed to produce a fresh and lively crowd - always a considerable benefit to the wrestlers, err, superstars. You know who I mean.
RVD followed his Five Star Frog Splash with a pinfall victory over Zema Ion to capture the X-Division championship in a solid opener. Samoa Joe picked up a victory over Magnus with a rear choke, and Tara defeated Miss Tessmacher to win the Knockouts title. James Storm upended former tag partner Bobby Roode in a Street Fight that was rumored a while back to be the planned main event for the show and the culmination of a long title chase for Storm, before the booking changed, as it so often does.
Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez won the tag team championship over the teams of A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle and Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in a three-way when Hernandez covered Daniels for the three-count after an action-filled contest. Aces and 8s defeated Sting and Bully Ray in a no-disqualification bout. Afterward, the rest of the masked crowd joined in a post-match beatdown of Sting and Ray until Hulk Hogan came down to make the save. After flooring several of the masked hoodlums with straight rights, Hogan unmasked one with the help of Sting. It turned out to be Devon.
Jeff Hardy defeated Austin Aries to regain the TNA world heavyweight championship with a swanton from the top rope following a Twist of Fate leading to the pin. Aries proved to be a very good in-ring performer during his title run, like C.M. Punk, a former Ring of Honor champ who has also demonstrated that he can do the job at the very top for a major league promotion. TNA going back to Hardy at the top would seem to indicate they believe he has put his considerable personal problems behind him.
Very sad news broke out of Daytona Beach this past Friday as various sources reported the death of former wrestling star Mike Graham (real name Mike Gossett) at the age of 61 due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Graham was the son of legendary Florida wrestler and promoter Eddie Graham, who also took his own life at the age of 55 on SuperBowl Sunday back in 1985.
Mike Graham broke into pro wrestling in 1972 after a successful amateur career and teamed with his father at the outset before going on to have considerable success as a tag team with Kevin Sullivan, Steve Keirn and Barry Windham in the Championship Wrestling From Florida promotion run by his father.
Graham also found success as a singles wrestler over the years, even moving to the AWA for a brief stint before returning to Florida. Later, Graham worked for WCW and accepted his father's WWE Hall of Fame plaque when Eddie was inducted in 2008 on the eve of WrestleMania. Mike served on the panel for a Legends Roundtable DVD and sold tapes from his father's popular territory to WWE.
The wrestling programs from Florida (hosted by the late Gordon Solie) were originally seen in our area during the 1970s on cable channels from Philly and New York and were extremely popular. Dusty Rhodes first turned good guy in a memorable match when he teamed with the villainous Pak Song against the father and son team of Eddie and Mike Graham until creative booking saw the evening end with Rhodes battling Pak Song and his manager Playboy Gary Hart.
WWE televsion this past week teased a Punk-McMahon rematch before Vince ended up insisting Punk would defend the WWE title against Ryback at next Sunday's Hell In A Cell pay per view. That means John Cena was not medically cleared to do a match after his recent extensive elbow surgery. Sheamus will defend the Smackdown belt against Big Show and it looks like Randy Orton will battle Alberto Del Rio. Kofi Kingston defeated the Miz to become the new Intercontinental champ at Raw and they will likely have a rematch. Antonio Cesaro continues to receive a healthy push and seems to be restoring some credibility to the U.S. championship.
(Shamokin's Bill Gilger "arranges" the interview each week with The Insider)