Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

1998-2007

As many of you may know by now, the Fertittas have bought PRIDE from DSE and is now running it as a seperate company. They now own the name, the library and the fighter contracts. In a way, they have finally won.

When I had heard the news, to be honest, I didn't want to happen. As a pro-wrestling fan, I and others have been bitter and cynical with these two in one deals and the results there in. As I was reading report after report, I kept hearing RD Reynolds in the back of my head.

Pride was not suppose to die.

I almost was going to call this article "Oct '95 part deux" in honor of the date Nobuhiko Takada's pro wrestling organization, UWFi, merged with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Fast forward twelve years later, and now you have, let's face it, Takada's PRIDE merging with UFC.

But I'm not. PRIDE, in a technical sense, is dead. It wasn't killed by egotistical fighters, bookers who had no clue how to make a fight or managers who throw money at problems rather then give up and coming fighters a chance at the big boys. What killed it was the very old Japanese belief that everybody knows everybody does wrong but it's turns evil if you get caught. Everybody knew the fight scene was in part, run by the Yakuza. Pride got punished when it was proven to be true.

So I should be happy, right? PRIDE is under new management and now everything will be hunky dory and we will finally see who's better who's best.

Not neccisarily.

From the Review Journal...

"This is a sport and we're going to follow the unified rules that were established in New Jersey and then in Nevada," White said. "It's a sport -- mixed martial arts -- and the sport should have the same rules everywhere. As far as I'm concerned, if an organization doesn't follow these rules, it's not MMA. It's something else, but that's not MMA."

Ok, just to make things clear. I'm am not for either rule set. There are many negatives for both. While Pride rules wouldn't be accepted on a social level, Unified rules will not be accepted on a technical level. With that being said, I think it was a really bad descion to totally eradicate the Pride ruleset. I can undrstand getting rid of stomps and soccer kicks. While Japan can accept that part of strategy, Americans aren't wired that way yet. We still have this thing where we have to reject our violent nature for some reason. Knees to a downed opponent is certainly debatable and does deserve debate. I think...when they abolished Pride rules, they got rid of the most important thing of any worth. The Yellow Card System.

For those who dion't follow PRIDE. The yellow card system is a penalty system that was used to stop intentional stalling. If you don't finish the fight or at least try to finish the fight, you were given a yellow card and you lose 10% of your purse. You're allowed two yellow cards and if you continue to stall or get worse by messing to the ref, you got a red card which took away 20-25% of the purse away. This was the whole meat of the whole ruleset. The Fertittas has something good in their hands that they could at least test out in Japan with the Unified rules and they blew it away. It's gone. Kaput! Fin! They wasted a great opportunity.

Also, the "Unified rules = MMA" comment Dana made really made him look like a fool. The Japanesse people are more knowledgeable about the fight game then people in the US. The statement Dana made is pretty much a dare to the japanesse people to leave. As soon as you get the first wrestler that lays and prays in PRIDE, I will garentee a huge chunk of the fanbase will leave. They know fighters when they see them and if you're going to feed them someone very boring be it striking and/or ground and they lay and pray the win, they will be off like a russian bra.

I'm sorry Mr. White, I can not and will not accept that unified rules are a way to go. It has a bias that benifits more simplistic styles and somewhat shun the advanced styles. It favors people who do not put much effort in their training over those who do. Thanks to the Unified rules, you have now made the ground poison.

I will be still watching, but the same intrest I had with PRIDE will not be the same when the Fertittas take control. I and other fans will look for greener pastures and follw new products that try to defy your rule.

And as the line goes from the song I reference in the title.

"I've finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road."

Open Thread

The Westown. One of Bay City's more illustrious bars.

Just when you got the sucker beat, Art Dore raises his ugly head again.

Anyways, I'm trying to see who's out there reading me. Give a shout out! Say "hi" or mention something you want to talk about. I'm all ears!

US Sports Media: MacMahon's Best Friend.

*WARNING! Harsh Language! Viewer discretion is advised!*

Zach Arnold of Fight Opinion has been covering the media barrage over the SI.com article. Most of has been your run of the mill negative connotations about pro wrestling.

"They're not athletes."
"They're all on the sauce."

"Pro-wrestling isn't a sport"

"Thug this. Brain dead moron that."

"This is for yokels and mild retards."

"Should we care that pro wrestlers are on steroids?"

I think I can answer that question perfectly.

Yes, you fucking assholes. You really should.

If this was the Big three sports you cover constantly to the fucking hilt (and speaking of mild retards...), you be all over this like stink to shit. Yet if who wins and loses is faked or predetermined, who gives a shit, right.

It is because of the US Sports Media that there is an air of indifference about pro-wrestling that allows the worse elements of pro-wrestling to permeate.

It is because of the US Sports Media that the industry of pro-wrestling in N. America has become an unwieldy and unchecked monopoly as of late.

It is because of the US Sports Media that allows Vince MacMahon to pull any shit he wants to.

I think it was Bob Costas who called him on his bullshit. Only Bob Costas. Where are the rest of you? I know! You're making cheap fucking jokes about how pro-wrestlers are idiots.

Lyle Alzado dies, you honor him.

Eddie Guerrero dies, you make him a fucking joke.

How many more human lives are going to be lost until it's no longer a laughing matter?

What really worries me is that this so called "sports media" has the same reservations on MMA as well. Do we need the same shit being said about a Randy Couture or a Fedor?

If you're serious about defeating steroid abuse, start taking the matter seriously and start attacking Vince MacMahon with the truth. If you don't, you're nothing more then the chief enabler of a paranoid sycophant throwback and deserve to be discredited at every turn.

The choice is yours.

Guys With Roids.

Sports Illustrated recently put out an article about several big name WWE wrestlers found on the ledger of an illegal steroid distribution system that has been investigated since late February. Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Shane Helms have been prescribed everything from HGH to Testosterone from this company. Check out the article. it's a good read.

Now, a few moments ago, WWE put out a statement regarding the article:

All of the allegations set forth in a recent SI.com article mentioning WWE predate the initiation of WWE’s current Talent Wellness Program. This WWE program prohibits the use of performance enhancing drugs, as well as other prescription drugs which can be abused, if taken for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician. For purposes of WWE's policy, prescriptions obtained over the Internet and/or from suppliers of prescription drugs from the Internet are not considered to have been given for a legitimate medical purpose.

So what they're saying is "That happened before the Wellness Plan. We're not liable for anyone juicing." And, in a way, I agree with them.

But they're liable for the environment that makes one juice.

Sure, these guys can leave whenever they want. If they do though, they'll not be paid the kind of money the WWE puts out. And sure, they can stay within the company, but they won't be making money that the headliners are making. They won't get a cut in merchandising, if they get merchandising that is. The reason for it is that in this business nowadays, wrestlers are conditioned to believe that you won't get everything and the girl if you're not built like Fort Knox and have the sex drive of a passive aggressive rapist. The person who perpetuated this nonsense was Vincent K. MacMahon, owner of the WWE. In fact, it's how he became number one. It's why he's still number one.

If you want further proof, look at Chris Masters. Dude was pushed like a chiseled god. That's the reason he was on TV. That was it. Other then looking ripped, the guy wrestled like a bag of hammers. Then Eddie dies. The WWE institutes the "wellness policy" to y'know...kill the media heat. One of the first victims of the "wellness policy" is Masters. Even though he cycles out badly, he gets back to his normal shape and size and is starting to do well in the farm leagues. They want to bring him back, but guess what? Vince wonders why he got so small and doesn't put him back in his main event position. Guess what's next?

Matter of fact, why did they even mention the "wellness policy". We all know it doesn't exist. And when it does, it's mostly to punish or suspend people who are mid to lower card or those who are heading to be headlining material, but aren't there yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they used the "wellness plan" to punish people they hate. If the "wellness plan" did exist, we wouldn't be seeing guys the size of Masters, Bautista or even Triple H in the main event position. I there was any kind of "plan" involved, we'd see more going into wrestling then promoting bodybuilding. And if there was a "plan", a lot of people wouldn't be laid up with muscle tears.

Then again, I'm using common sense on an industry that's ruled by a despot in lala land who can't even surround himself with competent help.

The Oyabun Is Recruiting Pro Wrestling Fans.

Hey all. While I like and write about MMA, I've always been open to other combat sports as well. With time and content restrictions, I just can't get to cover everything on this site. This really bums me out. So, I'm opening the doors to recruit at least one or two people who want to write about pro wrestling. Now, I'm not looking for match results and cut and paste news pieces. I'm looking for what you, the fan have to say about the matches and the news. What's your take on it.

If you are interested, please feel free to contact me at royal.blake@gmail.com If you have any work of your own, go ahead and show a few pieces. We'll get talking.

Thanks for reading.

Akira Maeda vs. Minoru Suzuki

Because Zach Arnold already took Maeda vs. Haystacks.

3! 2! 1! FUJIWARA-GUMI!!

Scientificwrestling.com is putting out the first edition of Pro-Wrestling Fujiwara-Gumi out on DVD. Fujiwara-Gumi was the precursor to the PANCRASE MMA promotion and is highly regarded as most true to oldschool pro wrestling.

Groundwork and Submission Holds with Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Takedowns and Submissions Starting from Standing with Minoru Suzuki
Pankration, Takedowns, and Submissions from Kicking Defense with Masakatsu Funaki

It's all here.

Is It Enough?

WaPo did an article on MMA and the UFC a couple days back. A bit of it really caught my eye.

Mixed martial arts still faces the stigma of being lumped with the old toughman contests and the old UFC events, which were less structured and regulated than they are today. And there is a fear that, as mixed martial arts spreads via hundreds of local shows around the country, an accident during a fight could have a devastating effect on the industry.
Ratner has been going around the country, meeting with state officials in various jurisdictions to get mixed martial arts licensed and regulated.
"Pennsylvania just came on board," Ratner said. "They still have to adopt regulations, but they have approved the sport to regulate. We are having bills introduced in Michigan and Illinois in the next week to 10 days...."

He's going to introduce a bill into the legislature in the next two weeks. While this is a step in the right direction and I thank Ratner for stepping in, I really have to ask...is that enough? Just introducing a bill and see if it sticks? And once it does pass, what are we going to do between the time of legalizing and regulation? I know there are real itchy fingers who will look for any and all loopholes to make a profit off it when ever possible. Yes Mr. Dore. I am looking in your direction.

Another thing that worries me is if we do get this regulated, how smart would the MSAC be in handling such events. As I have shown, the same people who have shut down Dore's illegal activity and have started proceedings to stop MMA in Michigan had a picture of Tito Ortiz on their homepage. That either tells me that MSAC fully welcomes MMA or that someone really doesn't know how to build a page for athletic commissions. How are we supposed to trust these guys to be sure they won't pull an Ebersol situation? I really don't like going up north to have to talk down to a lot of boxing officials just because they suspended a fighter indefinitely based on the evidence that the Anaconda choke looks "hokey".

Here's what I like to see. Ratner sends the bill. If it doesn't pass, fine. If it does, I want to see a moratorium on all Amateur MMA events until a regulating party can be formed and educated on the basics of running and licensing MMA events. Anyone who tries to run a show will loose licence privileges and will have to pay a thousand dollar fine. This will make sure nothing happens until such a time the commission is ready.

That's just me though.

UFC 68 Results

Jamie Varner d Jason Gilliam Sub R1
Gleison Tibau d Jason Dent UJD
Jon Fitch d Luigi Fiorevanti Sub R2
Matt Hamill d Rex Holman TKO (Strikes) R1
Jason Lambert d Renato Sobral KO R2
Matt Hughes d Chris Lytle UJD
Rich Franklin d Jason MacDonald TKO (Towel) R2
Martin Kampman d Drew MacFredries Sub R1
Heavyweight Championship: Randy Couture d Tim Sylvia UJD

Notes

Holman was just a can for Hamill, but it doesn't do anything for Hamill. Laying and hitting can get old quick.

Renato is just having a bad day. No one saw that punch coming in. This should be at least a bit disappointing, but it shouldn't hold Babalu back that much.

I'm sorry folks. Lytle/Hughes is godawful boring. Lytle's never been an exciting fighter. Pairing him with Hughes didn't do Hughes any favors other then show him he's got to brush up on stuff.

Franklin/MacDonald was expected. The outcome probably wasn't, but how it turned out was. Not going to hurt either man though.

How to describe Couture/Sylvia? What's a good analogy? It was like...It was like watching Randy beat on a big fish hanging on a hook and when the fish fell down, Randy would wrestle it. Where the hell was Tim's ground defense? Don't they teach ground defense at MFS?

(sorry this took long. I'm feeling under the weather.)