The Steel Cage

This promises to be a big weekend for the country's number three promotion, Ring of Honor. If you've heard all the buzz about ROH's stellar wrestling quality but still haven't sampled the product, you'll have plenty of opportunity this weekend, both on television and in person.

Tonight, ROH's latest pay per view, Respect Is Earned II, premieres on IN DEMAND at 10 p.m. and midnight. There will be other replays throughout the weekend, and Dish will make the show available starting Sunday.

As is usually the case with ROH pay per views, I've heard nothing but good things about the show, which is headlined by Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries taking on Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs for the ROH tag team championship and Nigel McGuinness defending the ROH heavyweight title against Go Shiozaki.

Then on Saturday night, ROH returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom for "Death Before Dishonor VI." The main event features four of ROH's very top talents as McGuinness puts the title up in an elimination match that includes Danielson, Black and Claudio Castignoli. If you've never seen ROH live, this is a great place to start as the Hammerstein offers an incredible, major league feel and, undoubtedly, a red hot crowd. Get more information at ROH's official website.

At the center of both this weekend's pay per view and live card is McGuinness, who has held ROH's top title for nearly ten months, and over that time has had matches against the likes of Danielson, Black and Castignoli that have all been worthy of match of the year consideration. Besides that, McGuinness - who a year ago was a popular and sympathetic babyface, has transformed into one of wrestling's hottest heels.

In this extensive interview, conducted earlier this week, Nigel talks about his transformation, as well as ROH's prospects for a television deal, C.M. Punk's world heavyweight title win, and Nigel's thoughts on joining WWE someday.

AC: Last time we spoke, you were just weeks into your reign as the ROH heavyweight champion. Now you’ve held the title for nearly ten months. What’s the last year been like for you?

NM: It’s picked up. When you talked to me I had a torn biceps, so I didn’t even know if I was going to be champion for another month, let alone for another nine months. But luckily, Ring of Honor was very supportive of me taking the time off for the torn biceps. And then, of course, in December I got a concussion in my first match back with (Austin) Aries. And they luckily gave me the night off for that as well the next night. So they were very understanding. Unfortunately, the fans, at least some of the fans weren’t so understanding and actually were very disrespectful in the way they took me having to take the day off that night. So consequently, I've become somewhat of a “heel” - for the lack of a better phrase - since then. I guess I’ve grown leaps and bounds in terms of being a champion, as well. In a way, having that sort of reaction has spurred me to prove that I am a worthy champion.

This from Business Wire. A lot of people will have some fun with this story, but it's a harmless enough grab for some publicity. At least they're not putting the world title on Prinze, ala Vince Russo. While Prinze's star may have faded a bit in recent years, he certainly has been involved in enough high-level Hollywood productions to be able to contribute something to WWE. I'd rather WWE go the route of hiring a legitimate player in the showbiz industry, like Prinze, than one of the many Hollywood wannabes that have been brought on board over the years. Either way, I can't imagine Prinze is actually going to be sitting at creative meetings or anything like that.

Who knows? Putting his "Scooby Doo" background to use, perhaps Prinze's first idea will be to have Mike Adamle remove his mask to unveil a competent television performer. "I could have continued doing play-by-play on ECW if it wasn't for you meddling kids!"

Freddie Prinze, Jr., a long-time fan of World Wrestling Entertainment®, joins WWE®'s creative team. Prinze, Jr. will now have a behind the scenes role contributing to WWE's weekly television and pay-per-view programs.

"Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s passion, energy and creativity make him an excellent fit for WWE," said Chairman Vince McMahon.

"Bringing on board an experienced Hollywood writer, actor and producer like Freddie Prinze, Jr. will only increase the level of entertainment to millions of viewers and passionate WWE fans every Monday on USA," said Chris McCumber, Executive Vice President Marketing Digital & Brand Strategy, USA Network.

Before Monday Night Raw or monthly pay per views were even a spark in the imagination of Vince McMahon, I’ve been attending WWE events, usually with my friends or family members. But since the birth of weekly television, TitanTrons, and jarring pyrotechnics, it’s become harder and harder for me to find someone to accompany me to a good old fashion house show on the rare occasions that one comes to town.

“You know nothing is going to happen if there are no television cameras there,” is usually the response I hear. They couldn’t be more wrong. As I was reminded this past Sunday when I attended a Smackdown live event at the Westchester County Center, something pretty amazing happens every week at house shows — something almost magical. Fans are transported back in time.

This should be a busy week here in the Steel Cage. Here's a preview of some what I hope to get to this week:

. An exclusive interview with Paul Heyman, in which he discusses the differences of Long Island fans and other wrestling fans, the night Brock Lesnar won the WWE title, the night he lashed out on unruly Nassau Coliseum fans, and more.

. A preview of this weekend's Ring of Honor pay per view, and the major ROH house show taking place this Saturday at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC.

. An exclusive interview with ROH champion Nigel McGuinness.

. A column taking a look at the WWE house show experience, stemming from my trip to White Plains last Sunday for a Smackdown live event.

. The conclusion of my ranking of 20 years of SummerSlam.

. Possibly, a column on the history of Saturday Night's Main Event.

Here's the second, and last (I promise), part of my recent interview ith the Ultimate Warrior. You can read the first part here.

In this part, the Warrior discusses getting into "ring shape" for his return, and rumors of him getting involved with TNA or being part of WrestleMania:

Warrior on training for his return alongside RVD:“That was one part of the deal too that was workable, too - the timing of it. I had three months to get ready. So in my head, I know what my self discipline is. I know what I continue to do. Of course, I’ve taken some long hiatuses in the past. The longest one was from 1992 to 1996. I didn’t get back in the ring and get any training before then. I knew I definitely needed to do that this time.

. I'm willing to give the Mike Adamle storyline a little time to play out, but there's no question that the announcement at the end of Raw that the embattled play-by-play man was taking over GM duties on the brand was a colossal dud. Some might argue that WWE WANTED fans to be upset with the decision, as they clearly chose Adamle because of the controversy he brings with him. But the reaction the announcement received was not the vehement, impassioned "booing" that WWE might have hoped for. Rather it was a mixture of eye-rolling, dead silence, and the kind of boos that communicate disappointment, not heat.

. The bombshell was especially poorly timed to coincide with what should have been a blockbuster announcement of the booking of one of the few first time "dream matches" left in WWE - John Cena vs. Batista. Cena was right when he said that the match could headline WrestleMania - and I expected it would. But I don't have a problem with it being booked for what is traditionally the second biggest show of the year. Unfortunately, with only a few weeks to build it up and with no title at stake, their contest will probably a midcard attraction instead of the showcase match it should be. Again, it was too bad that they decided to make the Adamle announcement at the same time as they announced the match, because fans were sitting on their hands for what should have been an epic moment.

. It was bittersweet seeing William Regal return to Raw. On one hand, I'm glad he's back, and instantly adds another layer of depth to WWE's heel roster. On the other hand, with Adamle getting Regal's old GM job, and Regal doing a relatively short, clean, job in the midcard to C.M. Punk, it's apparent that he will not be returning to the mega-push that he was receiving before he was suspended for 60 days for a wellness policy violation. While it may be frustrating for some fans to see Regal "get the shaft," the reality is that we don't know what WWE officials know about Regal's health and dependability. We can only hope that Regal stays on the straight and narrow and eventually returns to the top of the cards. He's certainly not getting any younger.

. With Adamle becoming GM, Michael Cole being put on the DL, Ross revisiting the Raw announce team, and Todd Grisham making a special appearance, it appears we may be in for yet another shift involving WWE announcers. I'd like to see WWE give the Cole-Raw experiment a little more time to play out. After more than ten years with the company, Cole deserves at least that much. I'm happy to get Adamle away from an announce table, although I'm not sure if the trade off of having him as Raw's GM is worth it. I'm also all for getting Grisham into the mix, as I've long thought he was one of WWE's more capable D-string announcers, and certainly worlds better than Adamle. Of course, Joey Styles is still on the payroll, but bringing him back to ECW would require Vince McMahon to eat some crow.

. SummerSlam is shaping up to be just an OK show, driven not by its world title matches, but two non-title grudge matches: Edge vs. Taker in Hell in a Cell, and Batista vs. Cena. The Smackdown title match between Triple H and Khali had many of us thinking, “There has to be some kind of swerve between now and the PPV, because this can’t possibly be the Smackdown main event.” But, alas, it is. I guess with Edge busy with Taker, there is something of a shortage of challengers for Triple H, but I would have much rather seen Big Show get a shot at the title, or even somebody like MVP or Mr. Kennedy get elevated into the slot. On the Raw side, it looks like we’re in for either a Triple Threat match for the world heavyweight title involving Punk, Kane and JBL or a Fatal Four Way with Chris Jericho added. Either combination should allow Punk to get a much-needed clean win in a big match.

In honor of 20 years of SummerSlam, I started to put together a ranking of sorts of all the events, dating back to the MegaPowers vs. The MegaBucks in 1988. I tried to organize them into a few different categories: Bad, OK, Good and Great.

I discovered something interesting. I ended up putting most of the SummerSlams in the good or fair category. The last five years of the event have been especially good.

Indeed, WWE has a pretty good track record for delivering on what is traditionally the second biggest show of the year. Hopefully that will remain the case with the 21st installment next month - although, if you've heard about Smackdown's WWE title match, that may seem doubtful.

Most of the past SummerSlams have had at least one strong match that remains memorable today, as well as those "moments" that can give a show a historical gravitas.

So this is the first part of my attempt to rank all the SummerSlams ever. I'll be back soon with my top ten.

20. SummerSlam 99: This event took place at the peak of the "Attitude Era" and was highlighted by recently elected Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura refereeing the main event of Triple H vs. Steve Austin vs. Mankind. As odd as it may sound now, back then Triple H was the Internet wrestling community's darling, who many fans felt was being unfairly held back by Austin. In fact, most fans were hoping this match would be a one-on-one between HHH and Austin, but Foley was added, and ended up winning the thing. This whole event showcased Vince Russo at his worst, and had very little substance.

I had the opportunity to briefly sit down with the Ultimate Warrior this past Sunday and talk to him about his recent return match with the European promotion New Wrestling Evolution, as well as his fitness regimen, and his thoughts on returning to WWE or TNA.

Here's is the first half of our short interview, along with some photos from the NWE match last month. You can also see video highlights of our conversation here.

I'll be back tomorrow with the second installment.

Warrior on how his first match in ten years with the NWE came about:

"It was just the timing of things. I've been doing a lot of different things in my life entrepreneurly. I have a family, a couple of young children - a couple of beautiful young girls. I've been living in New Mexico keeping myself busy doing a bunch of other stuff other than wrestling. This company had contacted me a couple of years ago and told me some of their ideas they had about what they wanted to do. Actually they’re a media company and they wanted to do wrestling as part of what they do. They’re a huge print publisher of magazines and stuff and I guess they started printing and publishing their own wrestling magazine and it became very popular.

The producer, Roberto Indiano, actually worked with WWE a few years ago and then he left there and wanted to stay there in Italy. They’ve been doing shows there for the last three or four years. When they contacted me a few years ago, it just didn’t work out. They didn’t have their act together. They basically just presented me their ideas of what they wanted to do. And then they called me a few months ago and said they were ready to reach out and develop television programming. They wanted to get attention and they wanted to see if there was a chance we could work something out for me to make a ring return.

Victory Pro Wrestling debuts in Deer Park this Saturday, July 26, with a special fund raiser for the Deer Park Community Center, where the event is being held.

Doors open 6:30pm with an approximate 7:00pm bell time. Advance tickets are available at the center, at 41 Homer Avenue. For more information, email info@victoryprowrestling.com, call 631-667-6665 or visit VPW's official web site.

For more info on the card, click here to read VPW's press release on the event.

There are some reports circulating throughout the Internet that WWE is changing all its ratings for its television programs to TV-PG from the previous TV-14 to help attract a younger demo.

Indeed, that change appears to be effective immediately, as WWE posted the following on WWEParents.com:

All WWE television programs are rated PG in recognition of the growing appeal of our programs to all ages and as intergenerational family viewing. If parents make the decision to allow their children to watch our programming, we encourage those parents to watch with their children. We urge parents who allow younger children to watch our programming to explain that what our Superstars do on television should not be emulated or attempted in real life.

I, for one, say kudos. While I am far from a prude, I think WWE only stands to gain by toning down some of its content to appeal to a broader fan base. Really, what do we stand to lose? Fifth grade toilet humor? Our umpteenth Diva thong contest? Over the top violence, such as setting a car on fire with a wrestler inside?

The only thing I would potentially miss - and I'm not sure if it would be affected by the change - would be the occasional bloodletting in matches. Some wrestling promotions have relied too heavily on blading over the years, but there's no question that, when done right and reserved for special occasions, some juicing can go a long way toward telling an intensely dramatic story in a match. Just watch the Chris Jericho - Shawn Michaels match from last Sunday from proof.

When I was watching the WWF as a kid, it was a very child-oriented product - complete with a Saturday morning cartoon. Obviously, that was going a bit too far in one direction, but as an expectant father, I certainly want to be able to watch wrestling with my kid and not have to question if I'm being a lousy parent by doing so.

There's a middleground between overly cartoonish kid stuff and smut, and I hope WWE is moving in that direction. Stars like Rey Mysterio, John Cena and the Undertaker are perfect examples of characters that can appeal to all ages.

Another option that I would like to see WWE make better use of is a separate WWE kids show, perhaps airing on a Saturday morning, that recaps the week's programming in a cleaned-up, family-friendly fashion, and also offers features that would appeal to children. With WWE recently creating a separate WWE Magazine for kids, this idea may not be far behind.

In fact, the little-watched "A.M. Raw" was originally intended as just such a program, but it was moved to the ridiculous 2 a.m. Saturday night slot. Even I'm not up that late on most nights.

As for encouraging children not to "try this at home" - Good luck. I would venture to guess that just about every male wrestling fan over the age of 6 with a brother, a bed mattress - or at least a carpeted floor - occasionally plays make-believe Monday Night Raw at home.

I can still remember the day when I upset my big brother for the Rosedale Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship in my parents' basement.

As corny as it may sound, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a pretty big thrill for me to sit down with the Ultimate Warrior last week. As I told him, it was my fascination with pro wrestling that led me to pursue a career in journalism. And, although I was a wrestling fan as far back as the early 1980s, it was the Warrior's "Ultimate Challenge" victory over Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI that converted my interest in wrestling into a passion.

So in some ways, a lot of who I am today, I owe to the Warrior. I told him that, and his response to me was something to the effect of, "Don't hold me responsible for that."

Touché, Mr. Warrior. But seriously, in recent years, the majority of the Warrior's press has been negative, due to his somewhat curious antics. But truth be told, he couldn't have been more gracious to me or the many fans who turned out to see him Sunday.

This is only a small portion of our interview. I hope to have the transcript up of the entire thing in the coming days.

I have to thank Jared Gladtstone at PSI Marketing for setting this up. You can visit his site at psimarketinggroup.com

I reported a story in today's Newsday about the two fans accused of stealing commemorative chairs from Sunday's Great American Bash at the Nassau Coliseum.

Here's a few things I found out about the alleged heist:

. That's a police evidence photo of the commemorative chairs given away to ringside fans at the Bash.

. Police said the defendants, Timothy Vandewater and Keith Powell, had upper level seats to the show, but snuck down to the lower level. From there, they admired the ringside chairs.

. The chairs the two men are accused of stealing actually weren't from the Bash. WWE officials say Vandewater and Powell snuck into a trailer and made off with chairs from another pay per view event.

. WWE officials said one of the men also tried to steal some sort of lighting equipment case.

. The roadie who stopped the two men was an independent contractor and refused medical treatment at a local hospital because he didn't want to risk his job by possibly missing WWE's next tour stop last night at the Mohegan Sun. He said he'd go to a hospital in the next city, police said.

. As of yesterday, the two young men still hadn't been arraigned, meaning they have already spent two nights behind bars over the alleged stunt.

. Police said the roadie was a pretty big guy and showed a lot of restraint in how he handled the two young men.

. After all the trouble that the two defendants and the roadie went through, in the chaos of the chase, the men dropped the items the chairs they were trying to steal, and another fan made off with them, WWE officials and police said.

. A WWE spokesman said the incident would not put a damper on WWE's future plans to return to the Coliseum.

You can read my story here.

From the AP wire:

Wrestler arrested in restaurant in NYC suburb

YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — A gathering for professional wrestlers
at a Westchester County restaurant ended with the arrest of a
wrestler known as “The Sandman” after he was accused of throwing
glasses at employees.
Yonkers police say they were called to La Lanterna restaurant
last Sunday night. When officers arrived they said 45-year-old
James “The Sandman” Fullington was flinging glasses from a tray
at employees.
A police spokeswoman says the 6-foot-4-inch, 280-pound
Fullington also threw several glasses at police, injuring two
officers.
Charges against Fullington include felony second-degree
assault. The Wayne, Pa. resident has been ordered to undergo a
psychiatric evaluation.
There was no phone listing available for either Fullington or
his wife, Lori Fullington.

Here's some video I shot outside the Nassau Coliseum before Sunday's Great American Bash. Fans arrived several hours early and tailgated in the parking lot, even in the sweltering heat. It was a pretty cool atmosphere, and I hope WWE brings pay per view back to Long Island before too long. - Alfonso

Just when you thought LI fans couldn't get any more unpredictable ...

My buddy Ross over at TNA asked me to help get word out on an upcoming Kevin Nash charity dinner auction in Chicago on July 30.

The dinner auction is in conjunction with his appearance at the 29th National Sports Collectors Convention, being held July 30-August 3, 2008, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The dinner will be at Gibson's Bar & Steakhouse (5464 North River Road, located about 5 minutes from O'Hare International Airport), starting at 8 p.m. CT.

The winning bidder can bring three guests to the dinner and will receive Nash photos and trading cards that he will sign, and includes complimentary dinner at one of Chicago's finest steakhouses.

100% of the proceeds from this auction will be donated to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

For more information, contact Mandy Fuerst at Tristar Productions. She can be reached at: 713-488-1108.

I had the chance to chat with Kevin during my recent trip to Orlando over WrestleMania weekend. You can find that video here. Say what you will about Nash, but he is one of the true students of wrestling, and remains a big fan of the sport. A chat with him over dinner would probably include some pretty incredible stories.

(Photo credit: TNAWrestling.com)

The 2008 edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 will hit newstands next month, and as revealed recently on PWI's official web site, coming in at the number one this year is none other than "The Legend Killer" Randy Orton.

I was let in on the discussion to place Orton in the top spot in the 18th annual PWI 500, which ranks and includes bios of the 500 best wrestlers in the industry. Figuring out the rankings, compiling biographical information, and writing 500 entries is an arduous task each year for the small staff at PWI, but the issue is always a fun and informative read.

I won't disclose the rest of the 500 other than to say this: There are just two TNA stars in the top 10, one from ROH, and one international star. TNA and ROH have the same number of wrestlers ranked in the Top 20, and ROH achieved its highest ranking ever in the annual list.

So what of the choice to make Randy Orton number one? Fans should know than the ranking period is roughly between July of 2007 and July of 2008. And while Orton may have missed several weeks at the end of that period with his injury, for 11 months he was WWE's MVP - conistently putting forth great main event matches, delivering money promos, and giving WWE's top babyfaces a great heel to work off of. He absolutely deserved the top spot.

With all the live posts from the Great American Bash that we put up yesterday, some of you may have missed my report from the Uniondale Marriott, where the Ultimate Warrior was signing autographs for fans. You can read it here.

I've admitted here in the blog many times to having been a gigantic Warrior mark as a kid, so it was a pretty big thrill to meet him. I hope to be posting some video up here soon of an interview I conducted with him yesterday.

Jerry Lawler was cracking up Michael Cole at ringside during the Triple H - Edge match. Meanwhile, Tazz and Mike Adamle sat in silence.

Triple H won with a Pedigree. The match was nothing special, but I enjoyed the antics with the women and Edge "accidentally" spearing Vickie. Triple H's so-called main event wrestling style too often = do almost nothing for the first third-to-half of the match.

Chavo glared at Edge as he walked to the back. Then Chavo and the ref carried Vickie out of the ring.

All in all, the Great American Bash was a solid and newsworthy pay per view that featured three title changes and kept the fickle Long Island fans entertained for most of three hours.

I hope you've enjoyed my live blogging here in the Steel Cage. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go fight my way onto the Meadowbrook.

-- Alfonso

I liked the "Summer blockbuster" promo for SummerSlam.

The forklift just took out the crushed car.

We don't talk about Smackdown that often here in the Cage, but I have to say I've really enjoyed the Edge-Vickie Guerrero storyline, and got a big kick out of all the wedding hijinx on Friday. My favorite part was Edge, in his tux, refereeing a match involving his groomsmen in their suits. I didn't need Triple H stealing everyone's thunder with his lame comedy.

Why would any one in WWE choose to get married on television? It never ends well.

Every time I see Edge come through the curtain I half expect for him to be carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase. It should be a permanent part of his ring gear.

Mick Foley is highly animated behind the announce table in his first shot at doing color commentary in his hometown.

Here's the WWE champion, and we're ready for tonight's main event.

-- Alfonso

Wow, does this "parking lot brawl" stink. It included Cena connecting JBL's testicles to a car battery, Cena throwing a heavy oil drum at JBL's face and JBL torching a car with Cena inside. How many times will these two commit attempted murder before the police intervene? I guess if this was taped last night, it's too late to call 911.

The fans are trading "Cena sucks" and "Let's go Cena" chants. I'm trying to start a "We want realism" chant.

Jeff Hardy just popped his head out to wave to some chanting fans. He's not scheduled to wrestle. Might he get involved in the world heavyweight title match later tonight?

Cena and JBL are in the arena now after Cena carried a car containing JBL in on a forklift. The make up people did a good job making them look just like they did last night - compelete with JBL having a sweaty shirt.

JBL wins after throwing Cena off the ramp into a car windshield. Kind of anti-climactic after so many tries at homicide.

-- Alfonso

Batista beat Punk by DQ when Kane ran in and attacked Batista. I really enjoyed the match, my favorite of the night. It told a great David and Goliath story, with Punk dismantling the much larger Batista with his kicks. I would have liked to see Punk get a clean win, but I don't have a big problem with the DQ finish - especially since it helped build Punk as a sympathetic underdog with a lot of heart. Even while getting destroyed by both Kane and Batista after the bell, Punk came off as a star, and kept his title.

But still, these fans don't seem to like him.

The Nassau County Parking Lot Brawl is up next, which means I'll be watching it on TV just like viewers at home. At least I'll have a bigger screen than you.

That means the world heavyweight title match goes on last. Isn't it funny how a Smackdown match has closed out a pay per view two months in a row since Triple H was drafted to the brand?

Observations from my wife while watching a recap of the JBL and Cena murder angle on Raw last week: "He's going to try to run him over. This is horrible."

The WWE camera man next to us just told us this match was taped last night.

-- Alfonso

Three title changes early in the show usually means none of the big titles are changing hands ... when a world title changes hands they usually like to spotlight it, and other title changes might take attention away from it ... just a thought ...

Back to work now ...

-- Seth

I'm surprised McCool won the new Divas title, although I think she's a fine choise to hold the Smackdown women's belt. Natalya is a lot of fun in the ring. I love her paying homage to her uncle Bret with the Sharp Shooter.

Chris Jericho is out to tell us that Michaels has a detached retina and to save our ticket stubs because they will commemorate HBK's final match. What a tool - and a terrific heel.

We just got a great video recap of Punk's climb to the top of WWE.

Punk vs. Batista is up now. I'm surprised this match is going on even before the Cena-JBL brawl.

Punk is getting booed. Huge pop for Batista.

-- Alfonso

Who says UFC isn't on WWE's radar? The referee stoppage to the Jericho - Michaels match was right out of the Octagon. Some fans here don't like the finish, but Jericho's getting booed out the building - so it worked as designed.

Michaels is being helped out of the ring by officials. A terrific, dramatic, bloody match. I can't wait to see the next between these two.

While the ring crew changes the bloody canvas, I thought I'd offer a few observations:

I hate the new Bash logo. It looks like something you'd find on a discount detergent box. I always thought the stars and stripes-inspired Bash logo was classy.

I do like the red white and blue ring ropes. That's always been my favorite color scheme for the ring, going back to the 80's. Whenever I doodle a ring, that's how I color it in. Yes, I still occasionally play with crayons.

Edge is sad. Poor fella.

Here comes Michelle McCool and Natalya for the new Divas title. Speaking of colors, I have to admit to liking the new Divas championship belt - complete with a blue and pink butterfly. It's girly, but at least it's unique.

-- Alfonso

They're airing a video recap of the Chris Jericho- Shawn Michaels feud. Not only has their program been the best in WWE in a long time, it's the best I've probably seen in years. A heck of a storyline rivalry. Jericho's been especially good, and not surprisingly, according to him, he hasn't been scripted by WWE writers.

Here comes Manhasset's own Chris Jericho. I'll be taking a break from the blogging now to catch this match. I expect it to steal the show.

-- Alfonso

The faintest of "E-C-Dub" chants could be heard for a few seconds at the start of the Henry-Tommy Dreamer match. How sad. They've been replaced with louder "You can't wrestle" chants. I'll let you choose who they're directed at.

And here come the "Boring" chants. Why in the world would WWE book this match for the Nassau Coliseum of all places? It's almost masochistic.

I'll give it to Henry - He's one strong dude. He's throwing Dreamer around like a rag doll.

How about that: Collin Delaney just turned on Dreamer, letting Henry get the pin. That was short and relatively painless.

-- Alfonso

This crowd is red hot and super loud, even for the Hardy-Benjamin match, which received little build on television.

The fans are exchanging "Let's Go Hardy!" And "Let's go Shelton!" chants.
Wow, here's a shocker. Shelton upset Hardy and captured the US title. I didn't see that one coming.

A very solid and exciting match with lots of back and forth action. I'm glad to see Benjamin capture a major title as he's long been considered one of WWE's most under rated stars.

Hardy waited a long time to capture the US title - the championship with the most history and lineage in WWE right now. His reign didn't last long, and it didn't do much for his career. But with Hardy drafted to ECW, I guess it was inevitable that he'd lose the belt.

They just aired a video of C.M. Punk cutting a heck of a money promo. The fans here don't seem to be crazy about Punk. I'm expecting some big cheers for Batista.

Here comes Mark Henry. I think I'll go get a soda.

-- Alfonso

I'm in my new seats now, which are much better, but missed the opening video, pyro and some of the fatal four way tag team match. I'm beginning to understand why Nassau Coliseum fans can be so rowdy.

Watching the opening match reminded me of an omission I made in my story in today's sports section mentioning the various Long Islanders on tonight's card. I neglected to mention Edge Heads Zack Hawkins & Curt Ryder, who are both from the Island and trained in Deer Park's NYWC school.

And what do you know? They just won the WWE tag team championship -- in front of a hometown crowd. That's gotta be a huge thrill for Hawkins & Ryder. Somewhere, their trainer Mikey Whipwreck is smiling.

Here comes Matt Hardy for his match vs. Shelton Benjamin.

-- Alfonso

How's this for inept. Five minutes before showtime and I am send to ticket window 2 to swap out my tickets because they set me up behind a camera. Now the show is about to start and I am in a long line waiting to exchange my tickets. Nice going WWE/Coliseum.

-- Alfonso

I'm in my seat at the Nassau Coliseum, just minutes away from the start of the Great American Bash.

The stage is uncharasteristically plain for a WWE show. It's basically the Raw set with a Bash logo sign propped in front of the Tron. Still, the place looks great and should be packed soon.

Mr. Kennedy has just made his way to the ring for a dark match against Umaga.

Umaga won.

-- Alfonso

-- Alfonso

-- I still have this feeling that the Edge/Vickie thing will still turn out to be a swerve. I really see Edge leaving with the title. I just hope it doesn't end in a schmozz to build to SummerSlam.

-- Here's one way to do it if they want to keep the title on Triple H: Maybe there's a backstage segment early in the show where Edge runs into Batista, and Batista talks some smack about costing Edge the title to CM Punk and about Edge's wedding woes. Maybe this causes Edge to run in on Batista's match and cost Batista the match to CM Punk. Then maybe Batista goes to do the same to Edge, and either helps HHH go over or causes a DQ.

-- They'll likely do some kind of thing with Mick Foley. To not involve him on a show from LI is ludicrous. I don't know that they'll involve LI's Tazz as much, since he's billed as being from Red Hook, Brooklyn.

-- Alfonso will do a run-in during the Divas match.

-- OK, back to work.

Seth