Monday, December 24, 2007

Inside The Squared Circle: W.W.E. In Iraq Tonight, Sunny At Ring of Honor Pay-Per-View, I Miss Owen Hart, Son of Former Tag Team Champ Killed


Tonight is being called the most important one of the year for the W.W.E. and that's because it is their fifth annual "Tribute to the Troops." This year, the matches come from Tikrit, Iraq, where they were taped at the beginning of the month. As in previous years, Jim Ross and Jerry"The King"Lawler will do live commentary from Titan Towers, the W.W.E.'s Stamford, Connecticut headquarters.

The matches for tonight are:
Chris Jericho vs. W.W.E. Champ Randy Orton
Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito
Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. Umaga & Mr. Kennedy
Mickie James & Maria vs. Kelly Kelly & Layla
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry
Ron Simmons vs. "Hardcore"Holly

The W.W.E. has done a fantastic job of keeping a lid on the outcome of these bouts. However, Randy Orton did defend the W.W.E. title against Chris Jericho at Armageddon which took place after the Iraq trip. So I expect Jericho to win in some sort of fashion where the belt can't change hands i.e. count-out or disqualification. John Cena (with his arm in a sling in the picture above) also went to Iraq. I'm curious to see if he makes an in-ring appearance.

The show airs tonight at 9 on the USA Network...Hey, it beats the hell out of the Yule log!

Tammy"Sunny"Sytch (pictured above entering the "squared circle") will reportedly be at the Ring of Honor (R.O.H.) pay-per-view taping this Saturday night at the Manhattan Center on W. 34th Street. The W.W.E. has posted a video on their website which includes a look back at Sunny's career and has her saying that all she wants now is to come back and entertain the W.W.E. fans again. Apparently, she is only going to be in the audience for the pay-per-view and has not signed with either W.W.E. or Ring of Honor. Many people thought a W.W.E. contract was imminent, but if that's the case why is she going to be at a R.O.H. event? Scouting? Doubtful. There is no question, though, that after her appearance at the Raw 15th Anniversary Show; Sunny's stock has soared.

I recently watched on W.W.E. 24/7 two matches featuring the late, great Owen Hart. One bout he beat Razor Ramon to win the "King of the Ring" and the other match Owen lost to his older brother Bret in a steel cage. The latter contest was very good, but their match at Wrestlemania X was classic. Owen was just so good and he had "it." Having "it" means that Owen could draw people to naturally like him or despise him, depending on which role he was playing. Being a younger brother myself, I also liked how they played that part up with Owen always being in Bret's shadow. But comparing Owen Hart to his big brother Bret, is not like comparing Brent and Wayne Gretzky. No, Owen had just about all the technical mat skills that Bret had, but throw in his high-flying ability, and you've got one of the best of the last 25 years. That's why he was great when he was alive and I'm one of many that miss the guy!

Which brings me to another sad story in wrestling. This time it involves the son of Bart Gunn a former W.W.F. World Tag Team Champion. Mike Polchlopek III, 19, died Wednesday after being shot accidentally when the 22 caliber rifle being cleaned by his 18-year-old friend, misfired.

Tragic and sad. My heart goes out to the families.

One more thought on Owen, isn't it time he gets inducted into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame?

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