Let's Watch ECW #54

I'm taking a trip back in time to the early days of ECW. I'm starting with the first episode of Hardcore TV after "The Night The Line Was Crossed", which occurred on February 5, 1994. This is before "Extreme", back when ECW was still Eastern Championship Wrestling. Consider this your viewing guide to the ECW archives on the WWE Network.

ECW #54

Enjoy the spoils of Paul E.'s successful litigation against World Championship Wrestling!

Let's Watch ECW #52

I'm taking a trip back in time to the early days of ECW. I'm starting with the first episode of Hardcore TV after "The Night The Line Was Crossed", which occurred on February 5, 1994. This is before "Extreme", back when ECW was still Eastern Championship Wrestling. Consider this your viewing guide to the ECW archives on the WWE Network.

ECW #52

The hype machine is fully activated for an upcoming event at the ECW Arena.

Cena vs. Orton - A Celebration

The WWE fashions itself as a universe inhabited by awe-inspiring superstars. These stars sometimes align to create wondrous and memorable celestial events. But, like the cosmic occurences observed in the infinite rhealms of outer space, some moments are known to repeat themselves.

Take for instance, the superstars known as John Cena and Randy Orton.

A Guide To Carrying Multiple Titles Without Looking Like An Idiot

*Originally published July 2014. Updated August 2015.

Professional wrestling used to be all about the titles, but that has changed over the years. Today, they can often be a burden. They can become governors that slow the speed of a rising star. Worse yet, they can become permanent rest stops on that road.

But the burden of carrying a championship title is never more apparent these days than when one watches professional wrestlers forced to carry more than one at a time. It's not always pretty. It's often awkward. Sometimes, it's downright ugly.

Let's Watch ECW #50

I'm taking a trip back in time to the early days of ECW. I'm starting with the first episode of Hardcore TV after "The Night The Line Was Crossed", which occurred on February 5, 1994. This is before "Extreme", back when ECW was still Eastern Championship Wrestling. Consider this your viewing guide to the ECW archives on the WWE Network.

ECW #50

This is a must-see episode.

Let's Watch ECW #47

I'm taking a trip back in time to the early days of ECW. I'm starting with the first episode of Hardcore TV after "The Night The Line Was Crossed", which occurred on February 5, 1994. This is before "Extreme", back when ECW was still Eastern Championship Wrestling. Consider this your viewing guide to the ECW archives on the WWE Network.

ECW #47

It's Paul E. leading 911 into a handicap match which he wins quickly with a choke slam. More guys get involved. More choke slams. This guy appears to know one move, but he's a Paul (Heyman) Guy, and the ECW fans love him.

Let's Watch ECW #45

I'm taking a trip back in time to the early days of ECW. I'm starting with the first episode of Hardcore TV after "The Night The Line Was Crossed", which occurred on February 5, 1994. This is before "Extreme", back when ECW was still Eastern Championship Wrestling. Consider this your viewing guide to the ECW archives on the WWE Network.

ECW #45

We get a recap of the feud between Shane Douglas and Terry Funk. The hype is directed toward a match between the two at the ECW Arena.

Let's Watch ECW #43

I'm taking a trip back in time to the early days of ECW. I'm starting with the first episode of Hardcore TV after "The Night The Line Was Crossed", which occurred on February 5, 1994. This is before "Extreme", back when ECW was still Eastern Championship Wrestling. Consider this your viewing guide to the ECW archives on the WWE Network.

ECW #43

This is such a great introduction to ECW. "The Night The Line Was Crossed" has become almost mythical, and it's no accident. Building the reputation of that event begins in the very first seconds of this episode. A black screen with white letters reads "Saturday Night. February 5, 1994". The next title card reads "The Night The Line Was Crossed." It fades up to the aftermath of the ECW Heavyweight Championship match between Terry Funk, Shane Douglas and Sabu. The match ended in a time limit draw. Joey Styles remarks on the normally hostile Philadelphia crowd giving all three men a standing ovation. Styles states that wrestling has returned to the United States of America.

Wow.

Cesaro Powering His Way To Top Of WWE « CBS Pittsburgh

Cesaro Powering His Way To Top Of WWE « CBS Pittsburgh

This is a very belated post, but I wanted to share the interview I did with Cesaro just before the Money In The Bank pay per view. He was very cool to everyone around our station, and he even took the time for a picture with my rightly terrified 4 year old. He said he had been up since 4:30 a.m. doing the media rounds for WWE ahead of a Smackdown taping later that night here in Pittsburgh, but he also said he didn't mind it at all. What a pro.

Seth Rollins Destroys The Shield, Twitter

Source: WWE.com

Welcome to the dark side @WWERollins,we got cookies!
— Christian (@SuperMastodon) June 3, 2014

After putting us to sleep with nearly 6 hours of forgettable programming, WWE snapped out of its post-WrestleMania funk last night with a stunning ending to Raw. Seth Rollins turned on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, and joined Evolution. The Shield fangirls (and boys) did not handle this very well. Here's a sampling of the firestorm of inappropriateness on Twitter.

Bruno On Ultimate Warrior’s Death: ‘A Tremendous Shock’ « CBS Pittsburgh

Bruno On Ultimate Warrior’s Death: ‘A Tremendous Shock’ « CBS Pittsburgh

Believe it or not, I do have a real job. Sometimes, it even allows me to explore my love for professional wrestling. Here's a link to a 20-minute phone interview I was able to do with Bruno Sammaratino. We discussed Ultimate Warrior, the new statue in his likeness and what it's like to watch WrestleMania with Harley Race.

When Paul Heyman Retweeted Me...

My Twitter account (@MainstreamMat) has about 250 more followers today than it did 48 hours ago. The reason is Paul Heyman.

Any thoughts, HustleTweeters? RT: @MainstreamMat Ranking @HeymanHustle's best promos isn't easy. How'd I do? http://t.co/zMuiUgEIoK …
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) April 17, 2014

Our favorite manager and master of the microphone shared my little blog post via his own Twitter account, and generated more feedback than I ever could have predicted. Thanks Paul. Now, let's take a look at what you had to say about my ranking of the Paul Heyman's Best Promos.

The Best Of Paul Heyman

At this point in professional wrestling history, there is little argument that the undisputed master of the microphone is Paul Heyman.

On the night after WrestleMania XXX, Paul was at it again. A question was asked. Was it one of the best promos of his career? Since no one seemed sure, I did a little research. I expected to compile a list of Paul Heyman's 10 best promos, but he could not be contained. Enjoy this trip down memory lane.