On the latest episode of The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast “The Franchise” Shane Douglas commented on several professional wrestling topics. Douglas discussed the possibility of seeing Bam Bam Bigelow into the WWE Hall Of Fame, if he’d induct Bigelow, his thoughts on if Vince McMahon would set his feelings aside and extend him an invite, and more. Here are the highlights:

If he’d induct former Triple Threat stablemate Bam Bam Bigelow into the WWE Hall Of Fame if he were selected:

“Out of the uber respect that I have for Scott (Bam Bam) and certainly his family I’d be honored to induct him into the Hall of Fame. I am certainly capable of putting aside my feelings and it wouldn’t be about the WWE or the Hall of Fame it would be about my friend Scott. That said, I don’t believe that is ever going to happen. I think there is a better chance that the proverbial snowball could survive hell before that could happen but if that call did come I would certainly be honored to induct Scott into the Hall of Fame and my personal feelings about the “Hall” are irrelevant at that point and would have nothing to do with it.

“Bam Bam Bigelow truly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and if that call would come I’d be honored to do it but I don’t think it is going to come. I think there is a much greater likelihood that Vince would look elsewhere but I am honored that the fans would want to consider that I should be the one to induct him.”

How he thinks Bam Bam would feel about the way people are selected for the WWE Hall Of Fame:

“I think on the surface of that question that Scott would be much along the lines that I am. But I also think that Scott and if I can be so bold as to take a stab at this and that is if Scott is sitting someplace and looking down and seeing where it is today that he would be honored and humbled to let his kids see him be inducted into the Hall of Fame and I’d have to honor that.

“Bam Bam because of his sheer size and being a little bit older than me was kind of like my big brother and Chris Candido was like my little brother. The three of us were literally like three brothers and I think he would be honored by the fact to be recognized and to have achieved that level that I don’t think that Scott ever saw himself in that way as a top tier guy. I think that is why we all got along so well. None of us ever counted ourselves as being in the class with those guys above us because those guys were great and were legends and were draws and we were just trying to learn and come up behind them. So I think Scott would be eternally humbled by being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

If he thinks Vince McMahon would set his feelings aside and extend an invite to “The Franchise”:

“I think it is wishful thinking in the fan’s heads that Vince would do that. Vince and I don’t get along very well in case anyone doesn’t know that or hasn’t realized that by now. I am just hopeful that the rumors we are hearing are valid and that Scott is inducted and if for nothing else for his kids (Shane, Colton and Ricci) to see their father be inducted into that Hall of Fame because he adored his kids and as much as I love my boys, he adored his kids. After all these years of not having their father I would love for them to be able to experience what Bam Bam Bigelow brought to the ring and what their father brought to the ring and that is probably the best way I can put it.”

You can listen to the full episode of The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling by clicking this link.

“The Franchise” Shane Douglas has been very critical of former NWA Champion Tim Storm and new promotion owner Billy Corgan on The Triple Threat Podcast. At last weekend’s annual CZW Cage of Death event, Douglas’ House Of Hardcore stablemate, Nick Aldis, captured the NWA World Title. Douglas offered his thoughts on the title change and discussed if he knows how to put together a plan than anybody else in wrestling. Check out the highlights:

Nick Aldis winning the NWA Title from Tim Storm:

“I’ll say it again, the NWA to me died seven years before I threw the belt down. Like my Dad in 1993 and my Mom in 2010 until somebody comes up with a way to resurrect the dead, the dead are dead to me. The NWA died seven years before I threw the belt down.

“You have to question what the motive is? You are making assumptions that Nick is going to go travel the world as the NWA Champion and he may or he may not. They (the NWA) may have invited the fox into the henhouse. It is never happenstance or coincidence. I asked Santa this year and I have crossed my fingers in hopes that Santa brings it because I’ve asked for a big smelter because I have some big chores that need to be done around the Franchise abode here and you never know when a smelter can be useful.”

If he knows how to put together a plan better than anybody else in the wrestling business:

“I don’t know about better than anybody else but considering that I’ve learned from Bill Watts and from Dusty Rhodes and Eddie Gilbert and Paul Heyman and Pat Patterson and Ole Anderson and a little bit of Troy Martin’s smarts in there too but I would say that I am probably as qualified as most and more qualified than many. I’ve always said this throughout my career and you guys know this and that is the guy with a plan always succeeds and I’ve always got a plan and a backup to the backup plan. So is it just a coinkydink that one of my guys (Nick Aldis) became the NWA Champion?”

You can check out The Triple Threat podcast by clicking this link here.

Shane Douglas was the latest guest on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, and it looks like a relatively timely appearance for someone who’s largely out of the business. Not only does he follow up on the WWE Network royalties topic that Kevin “Kevin Thorn” Fertig brought up on a recent episode of that show, but he also touches on the death of friend and ECW colleague Axl Rotten. Here are some of the highlights that they sent in:

ECW’s role in the development of WWE Network and the ECW talent not getting royalties for their likenesses being used:

Their are two ends of this compendium. The one end is the amazement of the technology. When I was a kid it was black and white television with rabbit ears to now with my son he can pull up with his smart phone WWE content or historical content or pay per views or a video game. It is astounding with the technology. It has made all of us present and accounted for to young kids. I can’t even tell you how many 8,9,10 year old kids have come up to me and said you are my favorite wrestler and I’ve seen you on “the network” or on YouTube. All of these social media’s and networks have kept us current and brought us back in a time past where our age would allow and that is the amazing part of it.

The other side of that compendium is you have somebody making an awful lot of money off of footage that we all have worked and tore our bodies to pieces to film and shoot originally. Nobody in 1982 or 1992 or even 2002 could have conceived the incredible technology ever existing and coming into the market everyday and that is only going to speed up. It’s hard for you to sign away your rights and say I just filmed you doing this wrestling match today and now we are going to take this and you sign away so that we can use this whenever we want in the future. Nobody could possibly conceive that, that is like Star Wars or Star Trek back in those days.

I feel strongly that the guy who played Eddie Munster on The Munster’s back in 1965/66 or Leave It To Beaver still get residual checks. I think that clearly we should be getting at least similar feedback and benefits and we are not getting that. So that’s why I have a big difference with Vince McMahon because I think the technology is astounding and as he has always done he has brought wrestling into areas that nobody could have ever conceived of. But again as always in the past, Vince benefits from it and the wrestlers who are literally dying to make that footage [are not].

I am not saying that Vince McMahon did it but do you think that Axl (Rotten) came into the business a drug addict? All the banging and Tapie Death matches forced him to self medicate some of that pain. So if we are going to do that then clearly we should be some beneficiary of it. For me, I have two sons 10 and 14 years old and by my thinking if anybody on the planet is going to benefit from what I broke my body up to do it should be two kids named Connor and Caden ,nobody else. If Vince makes a million dollars selling Shane Douglas merchandise or footage then should get I $999,000 ? Absolutely not, but aren’t I worth a thousand of it? Two thousand? Ten thousand? Some percentage of that should be coming to me and my kids and sadly there is a difference of opinion with Vince on that and to my understanding there is a lawsuit being brought over it very soon so it will be very interesting to see how that lawsuit turns out.

The passing of Axl Rotten & a tribute that Douglas posted online:

Axl was first and foremost a friend and a colleague and one that I respected as a worker in the ring. He was one of the guys that if I saw my name on the card tonight versus Axl Rotten I knew I was in for a hell of a match on my hands and I knew it was going to be a good match. Axl did more than up-hold his end of the bargain in a good wrestling match. So often it is easy for us to digress and we all want to say that the guy deserved what he got and whatever else and there is some validity to that because at the end of the day each of us is responsible for ourselves. I look at it from the perspective of having been through that. Axl Rotten had worked to overcome his demons, he’s been through rehab how many times and if the guy didn’t care he wouldn’t even do that.

I can assure you that when you are addicted to something you are not having fun and having a big old party and it’s great, it is a real heavy burden and monkey on your back. So the fact that Axl at so many times worked to try to over come them tells me that he wanted to get well and the nature of that disease is it never goes away, it tries to sneak up on you and is a cunning foe. He (Axl) entertained a hell of a lot of people for a good, long time and he did that with his body. Like I said in what I wrote and it came straight from the heart; all Axl ever wanted was to be a professional wrestler and entertain people and in that context Axl’s life was a success.

Axl Rotten exemplifying what ECW was all about in Re: “cast-off” wrestlers getting chances to perform for a passionate fanbase:

No question about it. With what we were doing in ECW the first thing you had to overcome was the fear of getting hurt. ECW was extraordinarily physical and you can see that in the tapes and Axl did that above and beyond. The Axls, the New Jacks, the Sandmans, Terry Funk those guys went out and gave ECW its flavor. This (ECW) was clearly something different then Saturday morning “rasslin” or even Saturday evening wrestling. That started with the physicality of it and to do that there was no smoke and mirrors and no trickery to what you were seeing because guys were beating the hell out of each other. Axl certainly personified what ECW was all about and helped give it its flavor.

The Franchise gimmick from ECW:

It has really stuck after all these years. When Eddie Gilbert had called me to come to ECW my first name in ECW was the “Fabulous One” Shane Douglas and it was going back to the Memphis days for Eddie and my theme song was “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz and I think there would have been something to that character and you would have seen some incarnation of the The Franchise character at that time. But the name (The Franchise) was so perfect because the NFL had each team name the franchise player and since Paul knew who he was building the company around Shane Douglas’s character and thats where the franchise character came from and it stuck. Paul only gave me one direction of the franchise character and he said you are the captain of the football team that steals everyones girlfriends then screws them and leaves them at the dance. It was a great character and very timely. As hard as it is to do something new in wrestling, it was something new in wrestling.

In the full podcast, Douglas also covers the death of ECW, throwing down the NWA title, Vince McMahon’s promises,The Clique, Ric Flair, The Dynamic Dudes, his relationship with Johnny Ace, his WCW stint in 2000, The Triple Threat, WWE today, and much more.

– Former WWE Diva Beth Phoenix wil be honored next year, as she is scheduled to receive the Cauliflower Alley Club’s prestigious women’s wrestler award in 2015.

– WWE Divas The Bella Twins turn 31 years old today. Nikki and Brie were born on November 21, 1983. Also celebrating birthdays today are Shane Douglas (51), Afa The Wild Samoan (72) and former WCW star Jerry Flynn (55).

– Below is part four of Jeff Meacham’s “Talk Wrestling” interview with Rob Van Dam, where he talks about the current state of WWE and WWE’s process for developing the next “face of the company.”

E-C-W! E-C-W! E-C-W!

The chants can still be heard today. In fact, WWE still capitalizes on those three letters to this very day.

For example, last Monday night after RAW, WWE premiered “ECW Exposed” on the WWE Network as part of a full “ECW Week” theme for their digital subscription service.

Next Tuesday night, a second edition of “ECW Exposed” is scheduled to air on the WWE Network.

Hell, this weekend, Tommy Dreamer will be presenting the seventh “House Of Hardcore” event, which is considered by many to be a show with the old “ECW feel” to it.

My question is this, why do we see so many ECW reunion shows, but no WCW reunion shows? I’m assuming it has a lot to do with dollars and cents.

For an ECW reunion show to be held, you need at least some of the following guys: Paul Heyman, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Taz, Bully Ray, Devon, Terry Funk, The Sandman, Rob Van Dam, Raven and Shane Douglas. Sure, there are many other names you can go with, but you need at least a few of those guys on the event for it to feel like a legitimate ECW reunion show.

For a WCW reunion show to be held, you need at least some of the following guys: Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Diamond Dallas Page, Lex Luger, Sid Vicious, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner and Rick Steiner. Again, many names are missing, but the fact remains, the price tags of the key guys needed for an ECW reunion show versus the price tags for a WCW reunion show are world’s apart.

WWE has at different points in time had enough of the aforementioned WCW names under contract, and certainly has enough money to secure the stars they didn’t have at a particular point in time, to put together a legitimate WCW reunion show.

Outside of the financial side of putting together a reunion show for the former two biggest rival promotions to WWE, there is the financial side of how much these shows would generate.

When you compare the amount of DVDs sold between “The Rise & Fall Of ECW” and “The Rise & Fall Of WCW,” again you will notice that they are world’s apart.

When ECW went out of business in 2001 they were still a beloved promotion that just didn’t have the financial backing or television exposure to stay afloat. When WCW went out of business in 2001 they barely had a pulse.

The fan-base for ECW was a rabid, cult-like fan-base that loved their home-promotion dearly. The fan-base for WCW by the time the company folded in 2001 was practically nonexistent.

Still, it feels like there is enough WCW nostalgia for a reunion show to work. Anytime rumors circulate that claim WWE is in negotiations with Goldberg, Sting, or any of the other major names wrestling fans associate with WCW, there is a huge buzz. Fans are excited at the prospect of these guys coming into the current fold and squaring off against today’s crop of WWE Superstars.

Currently, there is a lot of interest in a Sting vs. Undertaker match at WrestleMania. There has been buzz in the recent past about a possible showdown between Goldberg and his modern-day carbon-copy Ryback. There’s even been a lot of interest in “The Hulkster” lacing up his red and yellow boots once more.

If WWE were to sign all of these guys, or ever considered the idea at any point in time, why is it out of the realm of possibility that a WCW reunion show would be a success? Personally, I think it would work, however, I think WWE wants the WCW legacy buried and forgotten, and wants the fans of today to only remember history the way Vince McMahon and company choose to portray it.

Ever watched the “Monday Night War” documentary series on the WWE Network? Right there is a perfect example of the WWE-version of history being told.

The fact is, ECW was never a close second to WWE. They definitely provided a template on how to change the wrestling product into something more modern that fans of that generation soaked up in droves. The fact remains, however, that WCW was kicking WWE’s ass for a lengthy period of time.

Prior to that, when WWE was the top dog, WCW was always nipping at their heels. NWA before WCW was at times a close-second to WWE, and for a long period of time was considered to have the better talent roster. Additionally, NWA would beat WWE in television ratings on a somewhat regular basis before fans really paid attention to TV ratings or considered them any legitimate measure of success, as was the case when the ratings became the focal point of the WWE vs. WCW “Monday Night Wars.”

Outside of WrestleMania once a year, WWE puts on pay-per-views that for the most part feel the same. Nothing seems special or different about them anymore, and the entire idea behind a pay-per-view is to put on an event that feels bigger and more unique than a typical weekly wrestling television program.

Unfortunately, current WWE pay-per-views just feel like a slightly better version of a solid edition of WWE RAW and/or WWE SmackDown, when the company should be striving to put on pay-per-views that feel like “must see” or “can’t miss” programming.

Something tells me if WWE were to book a WCW reunion pay-per-view, if they booked the right guys, it would generate a ton of interest and likely draw a solid buyrate. It would garner interest from fans who escaped the wrestling bubble and moved on with their lives back in 2001 when the only alternative to the WWE-style of wrestling went out of business.

Picture it guys — WCW One Night Stand!

I’d fork out $44.95 and spend three hours of a Sunday evening to watch it.

And something tells me many others would as well.

How about you? Would you be interested in buying a “WCW Reunion” pay-per-view event? Let us know by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also connect with me directly on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.

– NXT star Solomon Crowe cut a promo at the NXT live event on Thursday night in Lakeland, Florida and mentioned that he’s “finally coming soon.” Crowe’s television debut is one of the most anticipated among NXT fans, as he’s already developed somewhat of a cult-like following.

– Joey Styles mentioned on social media that Rey Mysterio, Shane Douglas, Chris Jericho, Psicosis and 2 Cold Scorpio are among those who will be featured on the “ECW Exposed” special that is scheduled to air on the WWE Network after this coming Monday night’s edition of RAW.

SESCOOPS.COM reader Steve O’Neill sent along the following:

EXTREME LEGENDS ADDED SANDMAN, SHANE DOUGLAS, SABU, STEVIE RICHARDS, NJPW, LUCHA LIBRE AT FORMER ECW ARENA SATURDAY 3/1 FOR EXTREME RISING

EXTREME RISING PRO WRESTLING returns to the former ECW Arena (now 2300 Arena) for “SPRINGTIME BEATDOWN” Saturday, March 1st 2014 – 7pm Bell time, 6:30pm pre-show. Doors open 5:30pm. The Arena is located at 7 W. Ritner Street (Corners of Swanson & Ritner) Philadelphia, PA 19148.

T-minus 23 days, 9 hours, and change until…

“SPRINGTIME BEATDOWN”

THE SANDMAN returns to EXTREME RISING and home to the ECW Arena to drink some beers, smoke cigarettes, and to cane a few people. Raise your beer and wear your SANDMAN shirt on 3/1 to show your support!

THE FRANCHISE SHANE DOUGLAS has unfinished business of his own to attend to upon his return to the former ECW Arena where he reigned as ECW World Heavyweight Champion longer than anyone else in the history of Extreme Championship Wrestling.

STEVIE RICHARDS* will defend the Extreme Rising World Title, that is as long as he retains it against SABU 2/8 in Pittsburgh, PA at “Black, Gold, & Extreme”.

“International Warfare” SABU* vs. DAMIEN 666

“Hardcore Tag Team Match” BALLS MAHONEY & AXL ROTTEN vs. 2 TUFF TONY & MATT TREMONT

“Global Conquest 3” GREEK GOD PAPADON vs. TAKAAKI WATANABE (NJPW)

“Six Man Tag” BLK OUT vs. DA HIT SQUAD W/PITBULL GARY WOLF

“Wildkat Four Way” “The SituAsian” BUKO DAO vs. PURPLE HAZE vs. “Absoulte” RICKY STARKS vs. BOLT BRADY

More talent and matches to be announced…

Also scheduled to appear “Southern Stomper” LUKE HAWX, RICH “BEAST” ORTIZ, “Lonesome” JAY BRADELY, DEVON STORM, BLUE MEANIE, THOMAS “Inch Worm” RODMAN, AND MORE.

*Card Subject to Change if SABU defeats STEVIE RICHARDS for the Extreme Rising World Title, a rematch on 3/1 at the former ECW Arena will take place.

Order your tickets here, right now for fast, immediate, and FREE Shipping! http://www.extremetixs.com/index.php?cPath=2_12

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT ALL EXTREME RISING TICKET OUTLETS: You can purchase EXTREME RISING 3/1 tickets NOW in person in Northeast Philly at THE BEER BOX 3350 Grant Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19114 Phone:(215) 673-7837, in Bucks County at GEORGE’S COLLECTIBLES 7755 New Falls Rd, Levittown, PA 19055 Phone:(215) 943-2475, or in South Philly at NOISE POLLUTION RECORDS 619 S 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone:(215) 627-7246.

– WWE.com has added a new Superstar Profile page for former ECW Champion Shane Douglas.

– Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler will be hosting VH1’s Super Bowl Blitz show on Super Bowl Sunday.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross announced today that he has officially signed a deal with FOXSports.com to write a regular column for their website.

Fox Sports deal done. I'm now on the team. My Royal Rumble feature will be up today @foxsports.com. @FOXSports

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) January 23, 2014

The Pro Wrestling Syndicate wrestling promotion sent out a press release yesterday stating that Shane Douglas and Extreme Rising have contacted ECW Original New Jack and offered to “double his pay” to pull out of his scheduled appearances for PWS on April 4th and 5th.

New Jack reportedly denied Shane Douglas’ offer, telling him that he’s wrestling exclusively for Pro Wrestling Syndicate now and teased that 2013 would be his final year as an active wrestler.

Extreme Rising and Shane Douglas issued the following in response to the earlier post from Pro Wrestling Syndicate:

“We have been notified of a false statement being reported by your website concerning Shane Douglas and Extreme Rising attempting to pay wrestlers to no show another company’s event and would like to issue our statement direct from Shane Douglas himself.”

“I have NOT spoken to, nor any of the other partners of 5 Guys Wrestling/Extreme Rising, Jerome Young aka New Jack since December 29, 2012 at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory. For the record no one has contacted –or offered anyone anything, working for PWS or any other company, and wish them all success. Extreme Rising has a loaded Wrestlemania weekend with three live events that we are focused and working on as we continue to put our energies into moving Extreme Rising forward.” -SHANE DOUGLAS”

* 2 MAJOR Angles Planned For Monday’s RAW (Related To Vince/Heyman, Punk/Cena)

Shane Douglas’ new Extreme Reunion promotion has been renamed and will now be known as Extreme Rising.

Extreme Rising’s New York City debut will take place on June 29th in Corona, Queens at the Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities Center. Tickets go on sale this Monday.

Matches announced for the NYC show include:

– Matt Hardy vs. Jerry Lynn
– Devon Storm vs. Homicide
– Luke Hawx vs. Stevie Richards
– Pesadilla vs. Bestia 666
– BLK OUT vs. The Dramatics

Plus, appearances by ECW originals The FBI, CW Anderson, The Blue Meanie, Balls Mahoney and Pitbull Gary Wolfe.

Extreme Rising will also run on the following day (6/30) from Philadelphia’s National Guard Armory with Jerry Lynn vs. Homicide among the confirmed matches for that show.

Shortly before Extreme Reunion, Shane Douglas appeared on Inside The Ropes to discuss TNA Wrestling, Sabu’s personal problems, Ric Flair almost joining ECW in 1998 and more. Highlights are as follows:

Wiping the mat with the WWF in the 1990s: “If we’d had a backer like Panda Energy or Ted Turner, I think….no I know we’d have wiped the mat with the WWF. Paul Heyman was that talented a booker and our dressing room was that talented. Vince McMahon ripped everything off from us. He’ll tell you he didn’t but it’s as blatant as the nose on my face.”

Sabu: “I remember in 1993, sitting in the back watching him, I’d never met him. He hit a triple moonsault, I jumped out of my seat as a fan, I’ve always been a huge mark for Sabu. I spent this past weekend with Sabu and he’s been going through a tough time recently with his family and his wife and things. I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories about Sabu that he turns up at shows not able to perform.”

How TNA Wrestling creatively handles their talent: “I look at Dixie’s dressing room and you have Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, they had Petey Williams. I’m a mark for those guys. That said, I’m anything but a mark…. I’m a critic for the way that talent has been used. I hope that in a year from now, I’ll be able to say I’m booking for the Bobby Roodes, AJ Styles and Samoa Joes as opposed to having to sit back and watch them being mis-used by a company that just doesn’t get it.”

Difference between ECW and TNA Wrestling: “Without going into my whole TNA rant, she’s over $150 million in the red, has nothing to show for it. Hasn’t produced one bankable star in 7 years. The original ECW on the other hand launched in 1993, spent $8.27 million dollars, and in 7 years how many bankable stars did ECW, Paul Heyman create? Dixie was onto a decent idea and then instead of going with what could have given her Dad some return on his money, she went with the whole Hulk Hogan/Ric Flair routine. My personal differences aside with those guys, the fact that in 2012, we’re still talking about the guys that headlined wrestling in 1984, is laughable at best, sad at worst.”

His promo work being copied by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Austin (obscenity laced spiels) and CM Punk (worked shoots): “Well to say it’s not true would be ignorant. The fact I’ve carved out a niche in the business and had an almost 30 year career and done well without competing at a WrestleMania is something I’m proud of. To be in a business that’s dominated by one guy and be able to do well without having to walk on that stage is great.”

Why he left his successful run in ECW in 1995 for WWF as Dean Douglas: “The way it was pitched to me isn’t the way it played out. It took 7 or 8 trips up there for me to sign. There was something in the back of my gut that told me it wasn’t the right fit. I no desire to leave ECW but in 95, I was reaching my mid 30’s I’d been the World Champ multiple times…I’d pretty much done everything in ECW, all I could do is repeat. That was one of the reasons I didn’t wanna miss an opportunity to make a living for my family. The last time I went there, I took my ex-wife with me, and I was working as a teacher 5 days making good money and making pretty good money the two nights a week working for ECW, she looked McMahon in the eye and said “What could you possibly offer my husband to make him leave all that and being home in bed with me every night?” and he leaned across the table and he stroked her hand and said “You have my word as a gentleman that I’ll make your husband a very wealthy man” He went on to tell me “its not uncommon for someone in the position we’re putting you in to earn $300,000 a year minimum base salary” I spoke to Piper, Hennig etc and they said Vince told them the same thing and they got rich. I called home one night and my wife said the cheques hadn’t been great and she said they all came to $1400 and I told her to add them up and she said that was them all added up.”

Whether he was comfortable with his feud with Ric Flair being put on television in 2000 in WCW?: “Hell Yeah. If a company is investing a seven figure income to me, which Bischoff did for me for three years, but I’ll go into any situation in the ring. I’m a professional.”

Ric Flair negotiating with ECW in 1998: “Flair had started discussions with ECW when he had his problems with Bischoff, about working with me. His concern to Paul Heyman was, that I would shoot on him. He wanted $150,000 for one match which we couldn’t possibly afford that. So I suggested to Paul, offer back to him, 3 shows, first one in Charlotte. I put him over, 55 minutes. Second, Pittsburgh he puts me over, same time frame. Third time in Philadelphia, I have no doubts that promoted well, we could’ve sold the Spectrum out.”

Quick Fire Thoughts

Triple H: An overachiever. He doesn’t seem to have the skillset to get to the position he’s at. But in saying that he’s a good ring general and I think he’s the one guy in the locker room that could’ve worked in the original ECW.

Bret Hart: He’s one of those guys, he’s the universe’s Ric Flair. When I met Flair, he fell far short of a hero or someone to look up to. When I met Bret, I was shocked at what a down to earth guy he was and just worked his tail to get to where he was.

Dixie Carter: Way out of her league.

Hulk Hogan: He’s the phenomenon that he’s believed to be. I do believe Hogan is as big an icon in our business. He always made sure he left time for the kids at Make a Wish Foundation.

Shortly before Extreme Reunion, Shane Douglas appeared on Inside The Ropes to discuss TNA Wrestling, Sabu’s personal problems, Ric Flair almost joining ECW in 1998 and more (audio available at here). Highlights are as follows:

Wiping the mat with the WWF in the 1990s: “If we’d had a backer like Panda Energy or Ted Turner, I think….no I know we’d have wiped the mat with the WWF. Paul Heyman was that talented a booker and our dressing room was that talented. Vince McMahon ripped everything off from us. He’ll tell you he didn’t but it’s as blatant as the nose on my face.”

Sabu: “I remember in 1993, sitting in the back watching him, I’d never met him. He hit a triple moonsault, I jumped out of my seat as a fan, I’ve always been a huge mark for Sabu. I spent this past weekend with Sabu and he’s been going through a tough time recently with his family and his wife and things. I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories about Sabu that he turns up at shows not able to perform.”

How TNA Wrestling creatively handles their talent: “I look at Dixie’s dressing room and you have Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, they had Petey Williams. I’m a mark for those guys. That said, I’m anything but a mark…. I’m a critic for the way that talent has been used. I hope that in a year from now, I’ll be able to say I’m booking for the Bobby Roodes, AJ Styles and Samoa Joes as opposed to having to sit back and watch them being mis-used by a company that just doesn’t get it.”

Difference between ECW and TNA Wrestling: “Without going into my whole TNA rant, she’s over $150 million in the red, has nothing to show for it. Hasn’t produced one bankable star in 7 years. The original ECW on the other hand launched in 1993, spent $8.27 million dollars, and in 7 years how many bankable stars did ECW, Paul Heyman create? Dixie was onto a decent idea and then instead of going with what could have given her Dad some return on his money, she went with the whole Hulk Hogan/Ric Flair routine. My personal differences aside with those guys, the fact that in 2012, we’re still talking about the guys that headlined wrestling in 1984, is laughable at best, sad at worst.”

His promo work being copied by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Austin (obscenity laced spiels) and CM Punk (worked shoots): “Well to say it’s not true would be ignorant. The fact I’ve carved out a niche in the business and had an almost 30 year career and done well without competing at a WrestleMania is something I’m proud of. To be in a business that’s dominated by one guy and be able to do well without having to walk on that stage is great.”

Why he left his successful run in ECW in 1995 for WWF as Dean Douglas: “The way it was pitched to me isn’t the way it played out. It took 7 or 8 trips up there for me to sign. There was something in the back of my gut that told me it wasn’t the right fit. I no desire to leave ECW but in 95, I was reaching my mid 30’s I’d been the World Champ multiple times…I’d pretty much done everything in ECW, all I could do is repeat. That was one of the reasons I didn’t wanna miss an opportunity to make a living for my family. The last time I went there, I took my ex-wife with me, and I was working as a teacher 5 days making good money and making pretty good money the two nights a week working for ECW, she looked McMahon in the eye and said “What could you possibly offer my husband to make him leave all that and being home in bed with me every night?” and he leaned across the table and he stroked her hand and said “You have my word as a gentleman that I’ll make your husband a very wealthy man” He went on to tell me “its not uncommon for someone in the position we’re putting you in to earn $300,000 a year minimum base salary” I spoke to Piper, Hennig etc and they said Vince told them the same thing and they got rich. I called home one night and my wife said the cheques hadn’t been great and she said they all came to $1400 and I told her to add them up and she said that was them all added up.”

Whether he was comfortable with his feud with Ric Flair being put on television in 2000 in WCW?: “Hell Yeah. If a company is investing a seven figure income to me, which Bischoff did for me for three years, but I’ll go into any situation in the ring. I’m a professional.”

Ric Flair negotiating with ECW in 1998: “Flair had started discussions with ECW when he had his problems with Bischoff, about working with me. His concern to Paul Heyman was, that I would shoot on him. He wanted $150,000 for one match which we couldn’t possibly afford that. So I suggested to Paul, offer back to him, 3 shows, first one in Charlotte. I put him over, 55 minutes. Second, Pittsburgh he puts me over, same time frame. Third time in Philadelphia, I have no doubts that promoted well, we could’ve sold the Spectrum out.”

Quick Fire Thoughts

Triple H: An overachiever. He doesn’t seem to have the skillset to get to the position he’s at. But in saying that he’s a good ring general and I think he’s the one guy in the locker room that could’ve worked in the original ECW.

Bret Hart: He’s one of those guys, he’s the universe’s Ric Flair. When I met Flair, he fell far short of a hero or someone to look up to. When I met Bret, I was shocked at what a down to earth guy he was and just worked his tail to get to where he was.

Dixie Carter: Way out of her league.

Hulk Hogan: He’s the phenomenon that he’s believed to be. I do believe Hogan is as big an icon in our business. He always made sure he left time for the kids at Make a Wish Foundation.

Eric Bischoff has finally responded to Scott Steiner’s numerous messages on Twitter over the past month blasting him and TNA Wrestling.

After “Big Poppa Pump” wrote Thursday afternoon on the social networking website, “At Shoney’s to Go Grand Opening in Buford….awesome food,” the TNA Wrestling executive responded, “50+ year old man pitching greasy fried chicken in Buford and wrestling indys in front of 250 fans…bitter?”

Bischoff feels it’s ironic that Steiner complains about young talent not rising in TNA Wrestling while simultaneously ripping his 28-year-old wrestler son Garrett: “Its hard for some guys to move over and let the younger talent rise. Irony? One of Scotts bitches in his 20’s and 30’s.”

Bischoff then retweeted comments on his timeline with an anti-Steiner stance, many of which accusing him of drug abuse.

“@ScottSteiner @HulkHogan @EBischoff Steiner’s bitter. He’d be there tomorrow if he were called upon. His matches were slow and boring anyway.”

“@ScottSteiner U must have a sad fuckin life if all u do is waffle on about @HulkHogan and @EBischoff all day on this #steroidjunkie.”

“@ScottSteiner You’re tweets make as much sense as your promos did… In other words, you’re a babbling, old, drug abusing fool @EBischoff.”

“@ScottSteiner Get a life you complete tit, Spending all day going on about @EBischoff and @HulkHogan get some respect.”

“@EBischoff Scott Steiner sounds like a disgruntled ex girlfriend!”

“@EBischoff don’t listen to the dabbling jealous wreck that is @scottsteiner, WWE needs to offer him the ex-employees the wellness rehab.”

“@EBischoff it would appear that Scott steiner has his head in his ass, as well as a needle.”

A Twitter user also wrote, “@EBischoff I bet if Hulk sold used toilet paper, it would triple the sales of @ScottSteiner merchandise. Bischoff responded, “Thats being generous. Be kind to Scott. His AARP card is active and it’s an adjustment for him.”

Bischoff also took aim at Shane Douglas, who has accused the TNA Wrestling executive of “killing pro wrestling” in multiple interviews: “It takes a while…but eventually they get it. Shane is a loud mouth never-been, never will be, bitter old man trying to relive.”

Shane Douglas has issued the following video statement regarding last week’s disastrous Extreme Reunion show that took place. Douglas takes full responsibility for the “dark spots” and promised that he will not wrestle for the company again, they will overhaul the talent roster and the production value of the show has been addressed and will be better next time.

ECW Original Shane Douglas spoke with Mister Saint Laurent on MLW Radio, the official podcast of Major League Wrestling. Douglas talked about his Extreme Reunion, thoughts on Vince McMahon as a promoter and more. The full interview can be heard on MLW.com or iTunes.

Douglas talked about TNA President Dixie Carter paying ECW Originals a low amount of money for the TNA Hardcore Justice pay-per-view:

“After Dixie Carter did her show [Hardcore Justice] and paid the guys a ridiculous sum of money, $250 to go out there and do what we do better than most people do, that to me was just so disrespectful. For somebody who has been born and raised in a billion dollar household with a silver spoon in her mouth and up her backside, to ask guys to go out there and do that, for that little bit of money and then when it did better than any pay-per-view event in the last five years, didn’t even offer so much as an extra penny on top of it.”

“I said then and I stand by it, shame on you Dixie Carter that you’d expect anybody to do that in this day and age. At the same time she pays Ric Flair, 62, 63 years old, $35,000 a night. 60 year old Hulk Hogan, $75,000 a night and then somehow figures that these guys that come from ECW just don’t have any value or worth at all. I plan on disproving that.”

— Extreme Reunion released the following video of Shane Douglas touring the former ECW Arena in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Franchise also directs a message to Vince and Dixie.

[vsw id=”HzJDh-UwO68″ source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]

Details on the event are available at www.extremereunion.net.

— Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger has been announced to appear for Pro Wrestling Federation’s “Night Of Legends” show next Saturday in Rogersville, Tennessee. He will be on hand for the event taking pictures with fans and signing autographs. Details are available here.

— Through Dial a Star, former WWE talent Angela Fong (a/k/a Savannah) is charging $15 per minute to accept phone calls from people. Details are available here.

Former WWE, WCW and ECW star Shane Douglas made a surprise appearance in the audience of Monday’s RAW Supershow from Philadelphia.

Douglas appeared during the Kane vs. Big Show match. He was ringside and wore a lucha libre mask and white t-shirt. He took the shirt off to reveal a black & yellow Franchise t-shirt and removed the mask to reveal his identity. He screamed a bunch of stuff and tried to get the audience to notice him. Not many people in the crowd appeared to know/care what was going on,

Not all of the stunt was shown on television. After Big Show speared Kane, a white t-shirt can be seen being thrown in the audience.

Shortly after the outburst, he fled the ringside area and left the arena.

— Four-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas announced Saturday via video message that “extreme wrestling” is coming back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “The Franchise” is rounding up the band of hardcore misfits for Extreme Reunion, which takes place Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory (2700 Southampton Blvd & Roosevelt Blvd) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19154.

An official website has been launched for the event at www.extremereunion.net. PWInsider.com reports that the show is not planned as a one-off event but as part of a larger project.

— Paul Heyman went on Twitter to praise Jim Ross. He wrote, “Greatest announcer ever. And 1 TOUGH mentor. I learned about wrestling and LIFE from JR.”

In a trivia note, Ross indicated Saturday that he almost joined ECW following his dismissal from WWE in 1994. He tweeted Heyman, “but Happy…you never hired Ol JR..could’ve been a contend-a. Do you remember when we discussed me being a ‘surprise?”

Heyman also said he’s high on Chris Jericho. He wrote, “HUGE fan of Chris Jericho, professionally and personally!”

Shane Douglas appeared on Busted Open, which airs every Monday and Wednesday on Sirius 92 and XM 207 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

Douglas on TNA Hardcore Justice: “They invited me, and offered such a ridiculously low sum of money, that I said “shove it up your backside.” When I had wrestled Chris Daniels at the PPV up in Auburn Hills, between the 2 televisions and the PPV itself, I made close to $12,000 dollars for those three appearances. They offered me for the, a meet and greet. They wanted me to open the PPV with a ‘Cut the F’n Music’ promo in the vein of ECW, and then they wanted me to work a match. So, basically two days of work, and they offered me an embarrassing amount of money.

My comeback to Terry Taylor at the time was, “Look, if you pay Hulk Hogan $35 grand a night, and you pay Ric Flair $17,500 a night, and you have no problem paying that, clearly they must not have a problem with it because they had a chance two or three weeks ago to let their contracts expire, and they re-signed both, all three of them, Bischoff included, and I said in the world of ECW, in that world, I’m bigger than Hogan, and I’m bigger than Flair. So, we’ll talk in those ball parks,” and the number they offered me; I wouldn’t work for somebody in the independent scene for.”

Douglas on Dixie Carter: “For somebody who’s grown up in a billionaire’s household obviously with a silver and golden spoon up her backside, and in her mouth. To offer these guys the poultry amount of money, and she offered most of these guys an absurdly low sum of money. Shame on her! A, for the fact that it was the highest grossing PPV they had last year; She offered them nothing additional, and offered them such a low sum of money, it seemed funny to me for the woman who told me, ‘Why would I want to copy ECW after all they’ve failed,’ and suddenly she’s begging the ECW alumni to come back and try to dig them out of their hole.

“I was gonna’ have no part of it. I wanted no part of..I’m very selective in where I allow the ECW legacy to be used, taken advantage of, and I’m not going to let somebody like Dixie Carter who has no respect for our business, and no, more to the point, no respect for the guys that built that company, and that’s evident in the pay that she gave. I have no interest in giving her any props or ups, or any under-handed pitches to allow her to prostitute the ECW legacy for her gain, as the guys don’t make a thing.

“My intent, clearly I wanted to send Dixie the message that I have no interest in allowing her to capitalize on what we had built, and she has no respect for. And I spoke to most of the guys afterwards, either immediately or afterwards at shows down the road. My intent was not to in anyway, undermine their ability for that show to succeed. And I have no interest in trying to make TNA destabilize. To the contrary, I see incredible possibility for TNA.

“Last year when they did, if it’s a misnomer, The Monday Night Wars; My 5-year-old was watching it, and so to keep myself entertained, I just sorta scribbled some notes to myself, and after 5 or 6 weeks, I had 27 pages of hand-written notes. I then wrote up in format form, Television format form that Dixie or anybody in TNA would be familiar with; I had 41 pages of single-spaced segments, and it was 41 pages, and I was gonna’ fax it to her free of, I wasn’t gonna’ ask for a dime. I didn’t want a job; I just wanted her to see what vision somebody else could have for her talent, her company, and the future of that company. I couldn’t even get the woman to call me back.

“(And that’s amazing to me for a person in wrestling that has spent the 10’s and dozens of millions of dollars of her gas money, and her dad’s company’s money; For the poultry return that they’ve gotten on that, they she wouldn’t want to at least take a look..She could read it, and call me up afterwards, and laugh in my face, and say, “I think that’s the biggest pile of garbage I ever read,” but to not even return the call seems to me that their there to show you that Dixie Carter clearly is not the person to be running TNA.”

Douglas on Ric Flair: “Ric was the reason I got into the business. I idolized him, and when I met him, he fell so far short of my expectations. Not as a wrestler, but as a man. Embarrassing the things that I’ve watched him do, pulling out his privates in front of children, in a bar full of children. Running up and down hallways naked. Things that to me, and just as a man, I don’t equivocate with being a man or a champion of a company, and the politics between us, and that I’ve watched him to do hold down all the young talent that came up. Look, no one was going to take Ric Flair’s spot. He’s The Nature Boy, Ric Flair!

“He’s an icon, but he was so worried looking over his shoulder at young guys coming up the ladder, you know, that I think if I tried from his career in later years, and I for one called him on it. For better or for worse, and then..and there’s been a lot of worse to it. I speak my mind, but nobody can come back and say, ‘You’re a liar, or you twisted the truth,” or whatever. These are the things that I witnessed and I watched, and to me, it’s all part and partial. ..You know wrestling didn’t come to this bad bottom point by accident or by one or two accidents. It’s been a quilt of bad decisions, and bad moves, and tough breaks, and whatever else.

“And when I met Ric Flair as a young guy coming up that ladder with stars in my eyes. I mean, I was a young, green..greener than goose crap kid coming up, and when I met him, I was so enthralled. Nature Boy Ric Flair, the greatest wrestler in the history of our business, and then sat back night after night, week after week, month after month , watching him act like a total jerk, and treat people like a total jerk. It didn’t work for me. It was like meeting your hero, and suddenly finding out he’s an idiot or a jerk, and then..for all those things. And I called him on it. I called him on it, and I guess he didn’t like it. Oh well! You know you got 2 choices, shut up or put your fists up, and he chose not to do the latter.”

– Mick Foley has launched his official website at RealMickFoley.com. Foley is expected to return to WWE in the coming months.

– Canadian independent wrestler Anthony Fiasco received a WWE tryout before the show in Ottawa this past week.

– A new horror film is in the works titled, “Zombies vs. Wrestlers” and will feature Shane Douglas in one of the starring roles. Zombies vs. Wrestlers is said to be a “serious horror movie” and not satire. Douglas is also listed as a producer for the film, which is currently seeking additional funding.

– There have reportedly been several departures from WWE in recent weeks, including:

• Joel Satin (Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis)
• Jen Bloodsworth (former NXT head writer and WWE website contributor)
• Mack Hetfield (developmental wrestler at FCW).

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Shane Douglas was interviewed by Brian Fritz of Fanhouse.com this week and discussed Sunday’s TNA Hardcore Justice pay-per-view.

Related News: Shane Douglas Wants Ric Flair This Sunday At Hardcore Justice

Here’s what Douglas told Fanhouse about:

Appearing at Hardcore Justice: “I was offered to be on the show. I would love to be on the show. I put one stipulation forward — that I get Ric Flair. It’s come to my understanding that Ric, rather than talk about his illustrious career or the Four Horsemen or his infamous run-ins with Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan, he decided to talk about me and say some things that my lawyers consider to be bordering on slanderous and libelous. This is no work, this is no joke. I want to get this guy in the ring so I can knock him around a little bit for my own satisfaction and I’m sure the fans would like to see it as well.”

ECW Guys Still Mistreated: “I would hope that ECW fans would see fit to tune out of this show as opposed to tune in whenever they consider that guys like Ric Flair are paid a half-million dollars a year, Sting’s been paid God knows how many millions of dollars over the past five years, Hogan’s been paid 750 this year. But then they’ll throw Axl Rotten or Balls Mahoney or some of these other brothers of mine $500 a night or a $1,000 for the weekend. To me, that’s repugnant.”

The Final Chapter For ECW? “I would love for it to be the final epitaph for ECW. If I felt for one second that TNA was going to do it right then a) the pay they’re offering out to the guys is telling me they’re far from doing it right, and b) the storylines and lack of promotion, true promotion — true, real push for the show … I’ve been around the business for almost three decades now. I know (the difference between) a show being pushed and not being pushed. This show is far from being pushed. I haven’t seen an ad any place outside of TNA’s website. So, I don’t know if Dixie is trying to get Spike (TV) over her back for Paul Heyman or if she’s trying to pull a smoke-and-mirrors with ECW fans.”

Shane Douglas posted the following on his official website, FranchiseFanSite.com, calling out TNA for using his likeness to promote Hardcore Justice when he’s never agreed to appear. Douglas says he’s willing to appear on the show, but only if he gets a shot at Ric Flair, “face to face.”

Douglas and Flair have had bad blood for many years, dating back to the early days of ECW, when Douglas would cut very harsh promos about the Nature Boy, who was in WCW at the time. Flair has taken some cheap shots against Shane Douglas in recent interviews, bringing up the fact that he currently works at the retail store “Target.”

From The Franchise:

After seeing, the ECW promo piece put out by tna, and being deluged by texts & emails from friends AND fans, I felt, very strongly, that I should put out a clarification about that less-than-honest video from tna.

Firstly, MOST organizations would NOT wish to mislead any potential customer(s)! CLEARLY, this video intended to mislead wrestling fans, most certainly ECW fans! That said, I have to question tna’s motive(s) in placing ANY shot of me in their promotional pieces?! tna is overly aware that we have NOT come to terms for any participation by ECW’s centerpiece “Franchise” in “Hardcore Justice”!

So, either they are trying to deceive potential ppv buyers (namely ECW fans), or they must be willing to meet my only demand for the event- Dic Flair on a silver platter! This was the biggest angle, teased to our loyal fanbase, that never came “to a head” in ECW. Unless I’m missing the mark, I feel VERY STRONGLY that this IS a match our fanbase, and tna’s, would tune in to see. Too bad, thus far, tna seems to be following their now-tired trend of ignoring their fans’ desires!!!

I stand prepared to take part in the “final bow” of this great organization. I only demand that our fans get what they deserve- Dic Flair and The Franchise, face to face, for their enjoyment!

To be fair and certain, it would seem Dic would want the same thing, judging from his recent comments about me. SURELY, “the, ahem, man” isn’t afraid of a guy who “works retail”, right DIC?

Balls in your, and tna’s (Dixie?) court! What do you fans think? Or, more importantly, what do you fans want? Surely, the Carter’s want to aim to please… RIGHT?!

Not hiding behind someone’s blouse, are you, Dic?!?!
I’m waiting…