Umaga by Nat Parker Hi everyone I'm writing my first column about the "Samoan wrecking machine"...UMAGA. On April 3rd 2006 Umaga debuted on RAW coming to the ring and "destroying" the Nature Boy Ric Flair. At first I thought "Yeah whatever" and just thought he will be a low carder and never make it "BIG TIME". As the weeks pasted Umaga caught my attention, destroying opponents and making it on the Backlash card. There is a rumor going around that Umaga is going to get a big push after Summerslam and facing Batista for the World Title. Imagine if Umaga was to win the title. It could happen. If Umaga wins the title we would see very interesting matches booked on Smackdown PPV cards. If this was to happen maybe WWE would have some interesting TV.

WWE Hall of Fame by Carl Blassie As this is my first article, I think an introduction is in order. I am Carl Blassie and I am 71 years old. I'm not sure if this is a record for the oldest writer in the OWW, but I have been "obsessedwithwrestling" ever since I was a young five year old, when my Dad took me to watch wrestling in my local town. I have worshipped wrestling ever since then (I have even tried to become a wrestler at one point and failed miserably). Anywho, enough about me. I am writing in concern of the WWE Hall of Fame. I felt that this years inductees were worse than ever, and the WWE are missing some key players in WWE history. Now, I am not saying that the WWE have got it all wrong; I mean people such as Vince Mcmahon, Gorrila Monsoon, Buddy Rogers and Antonino Rocca are characters that unquestionably deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. However, I feel superstars such as Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Paul Ordnoff and Tony Atlas are a long way off of deserving to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Now I have put together who in my opinion are people who deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Bruno Sammartino - He kept the title for so long, he just deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame for that alone. Ted Dibiase - This guy in my opinion was the greatest heel of all time, and he had mic skills above and beyond the lot. Terry Funk - Surely now WWE is bringing back ECW they should have ECW superstars in the WWE hall of Fame. If they do this man is on top of everybody's list. He didn't do bad in the WWE either. Randy Savage - This guy had perhaps the biggest and best charisma ever seen in the WWE ring. Yokuzuna - Opened doors for new Japanese talent. King Kong Bundy - Great wrestler; one of the best I've ever seen. Road Warriors- Are they the best tag team off all time? Not far off if you ask me. Jake Roberts - Wasted potential, still one off the great wrestlers.

KHALI OVER TAKER; SAY IT AINT SO!!! by zach urquhart I have to admit, I did not watch the match. BUT, having said that, I think I may be glad I didn't watch the match. I have seen this Saddam Sid (no offense to Middle Easterns, but seriously, it's Sid with a different ethnicity) too much already. I believe his manhandling of Rey, though it seems silly to me, why have your "heaveyweight champion" legitimately beat by several men leading up to a big title defense? WWE should have had Rey win all those lead-ins to show his fortitude, not display his inadequacy as a HC. Not this story though...Khali beating up Rey is believable; Khali fighting for his life and winning the match with Taker might have been, especially if it had been a win by someone's interference. But, according to what I have read, Khali ripped Taker a new one!?!?! This man walks around the ring like there is a mid-size animal crawling up his anus. He is barely understandable as a speaker, and has no credibility coming into this match. He has beat up some smaller guys, big whup! I think the WWE made a mistake in having him cakewalk over Taker like this, even though it is likely to set up something later. It seems the only logical step is for him to win at least the US, if not the Heavyweight Champ Belt, and i sure as anything don't want to see the resurrection of Sid as champ again. It was bad enough the first time, when we could understand (somewhat) the words of the mulleted champ, but Khali?!?!

Hell In A Cell vs. Elimination Chamber by Cody Rochel Hell in a Cell, a hellacious structure that has boasted some of the most memorable matches in WWE history. Elimination Chamber, a six-man elimination match inside an unforgiving steel cage. Both of these demonic structures have punished the human body in bloody ways. They both can shatter a person's soul, but which is the dominant dungeon of hell? Hell in a Cell debuted at Badd Blood in 1997. It was The Undertaker against Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship. It was also the debut of Kane. During the match, HBK and The Phenom shred their heads and pushed their bodies to the limit. HBK even fell through a table from the side of the cell. Kane eventually showed up and gave a Tombstone Piledriver to his brother The Undertaker allowing Shawn Michaels to nab the victory with a weak pin. There have been other memorable Hell in a Cell matches. The one that stands out the most is The Undertaker against Mankind at King of the Ring in 1998. There were bone - crushing moments in that match that made everyone stand on his or her feet. There was also that six - man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon in 2000. Triple H, The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Rikishi, and the WWE Champ Kurt Angle beat the hell out of each other and in the end Angle snagged a pinfall and retained his title.

Elimination Chamber debuted at Survivor Series in 2002. It involved Kane, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, and the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. All the superstars put each other through hell by shedding blood and shattering glass. In the end, Shawn Michaels eliminated the last guy, Triple H, with Sweet Chin Music to capture the victory and the World Heavyweight Championship. That means HBK won the first Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber. Only a few more Elimination Chambers have taken place since then. I look forward to seeing more of them in the near future. Both structures have punished even the best of wrestlers in ways they could never imagine. Both structures will continue to punish wrestlers in the future. Which structure reigns as the top cage of carnage? I personally prefer the Hell in a Cell match, but that's just my opinion. Which one truly reigns as the devil's playground

Can You Dig That, Sucka? by Brandon Vedder In the last days of WCW back in 2001, Booker T was clearly the top dog of the organization; as he walked out of the final WCW Nitro as both World Heavyweight champion and United States champion. As he made the move to the WWE, he was the flagship of the WCW invasion, jumping right into a feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and later that year was placed in high-profile matches with Kurt Angle and the Rock. From there, Booker T has had his ups and downs through the years, but was never quite built as a main event player. One thing is sure, no matter how the Book man is Booked, the man has great charisma and talent, and the man is respected, and very much over with the fans.

Finally, here we are in 2006, and I believe Booker's time has arrived! He is set to take on Lashley in the King of the Ring finals. This should be an intriguing match-up, in which no doubt the Veteran will carry the rookie Lashley through the match. The success of this match could speak volumes to WWE officials about where to take Booker from there. Regardless, there is already a main event feud waiting for Book just as soon as Batista makes his return. This feud is fuelled by a legit behind-the-scenes scuffle between the two and is already peaking the interest of us fans. The anticipation is building, and if you throw the world title into the mix, this feud could single-handedly bring SmackDown out of the rut it has been in. Only time will tell what is in the cards for Booker and his equally entertaining wife Sharmell. I think I can speak for a lot of viewers when I say Booker T. along with Sharmell is one of the main reasons to tune into SmackDown each week. Whatever opportunity is given to the couple, I am sure they can run with it and exceed expectations. Booker's fans can only hope that someday soon we will see him as the six time, six time, six time, six time, six time, six time.... World Heavyweight Champion! Now can you dig that, sucka?!

The Best Fatal Four-Way Match (In My Mind) by Justin Winston In all the time that I have been watching pro wrestling no match captured my eye like the Fatal Four-Way International X-Division match that took place on Sunday March 12, 2006 at TNA Destination X between Chris Sabin (representing U.S.A), Petey Williams (representing Canada), Puma (representing Japan) and Sonjay Dutt (representing India). From top to bottom the match was fast paced and had a lot of high flying manoeuvres. I saw some things that you would only see on TNA. The reason why I love this match so much was because not only was it the first time I saw Puma but it was the first time I saw a four-way match outshine the ULTIMATE X.

The match started out with Puma and Sonjay Dutt (which in my mind is a great match that TNA should consider having on a pay-per-view in the future) then 5 minutes into the match Petey Willams made a blind tag in the match so he and Sonjay Dutt wrestled for a while until it was Puma and Chris Sabin then after about another five minutes all four superstars was in the ring for a little. The highlight of the match was when Chris Sabin whipped Puma into the ropes and Puma clinched on the ropes just like he was Spider-Man, then that's when Chris Sabin went to go do a suicide dive but Puma flipped out and Sabin hit Williams instead. The reason I enjoyed this match so much was because it sort of reminded me of WCW cruiserweights when they first started out. Another thing I should note on the match was that Team Canada's A-1 was at ringside and not once did he interfere and for once I was surprised. During the match the fans stood up and all in harmony all you heard throughout the Impact Zone was "THIS IS AWESOME" AND "THANK YOU TNA". After 20 minutes of the match, Chris Sabin won after hitting Puma with his finishing move "The Cradle Shock." For once wrestling has been restored and I would love to say ''THANK YOU TNA THAT MATCH WAS AWESOME".

SmackDOWN! for the Count? - by Cody Rochel Over the previous months, many unfortunate occurrences have occurred in the WWE. Of course, the most devastating blow was the death of Eddie Guerrero in November. After that, injuries started beating down the WWE superstars. I first noticed that Booker T stopped fighting and was in crutches for a few weeks due to an injury in his leg. Apparently, he suffered a knee injury at a live Smackdown! event in December. The second one I heard of was Batista's serious injury in January; an injury that was not shown because it was at a live Smackdown! event. That injury required surgery and put him out for quite some time. Hopefully, he'll be making his way back into the ring soon.

Weeks after that, Ken Kennedy suffered a severe injury. He is still out of action up to this day but occasionally shows up on Smackdown! to talk (which he is good at). I then saw Ashley get injured in a Diva's Battle Royal on RAW in February. It involved a broken leg and put her out of commission for a few weeks. Back on the Smackdown! side, Gregory Helms took a nasty hit to the nose and that eventually required some surgery. I can't exactly remember when that injury was, but I do know it took place somewhere around March. Hardcore Holly had surgery in his elbow for an injury. If that wasn't bad enough, it got infected. That'll put him out maybe for the rest of his career. JBL couldn't fight for a few weeks due to surgery in his hand. Randy Orton, the youngest World Heavyweight Champion ever, was put out of commission. Not for an injury, but for "improper conduct." He was suspended for sixty days. Back on Raw, Trish Stratus flew out of the ring in a match against Mickie James and Trish dislocated her right shoulder. Another day, another diva injury I guess. Possibly the worst blow yet, Kurt Angle suffered a broken rib. Without Batista, Randy Orton, or Kurt Angle, the future for Smackdown! looks bleak.

RAW Needs The Bisch Back! - by Dominic M. I have watched wrestling for many years. I started out watching WCW and loved it! However in 2000-2001 it went under. This I felt was a horrible thing and I still miss WCW today. There were many great superstars in WCW, but one man kept me watching week after week, after week. That man was Mr. Eric Bischoff. I know he is one of the most hated men in wrestling, but why? I never under stood why fans all over the world hated this man. Because he nearly ended WWE? Well Vince McMahon ended WCW, does everyone hate him? No, they don't! Vince McMahon gets too much respect. Eric was only doing the best he could to get his promotion on top, and win "the Monday night wars". He came pretty damn close too, topping the charts and kicking WWE's butt in the ratings for many weeks. When Eric was named the general manager of RAW, on July 22, 2002, I was so happy. Yet I knew that Vince McMahon saw the genius in Eric. Eric has a sense of leadership and brings an image to the ring like none other. Why would McMahon hire the man that he hated with a passion? I think the main reason was so that he could humiliate Eric on live TV, time after time, and that made me sick. I also think Eric was hired, because he is one of the greatest talents that pro wrestling has ever had. He gave so many new and exciting things to RAW. RAW Roulette was an awesome event. It was unpredictable, and very original. The elimination chamber- similar to the two ring steel cage battles from WCW, but still had a great reaction from the audience. What do we see on RAW now? Vince McMahon making out with Candice Michelle, Shawn Michaels put in a pathetic story line, a bunch of male cheer leaders (mean street posse wanna-be's) and John Cena doing the same thing week after week. RAW is crumbling without Eric Bischoff and nobody seems to see this. I certainly hope that WWE sees the damn light and brings back the Bisch!! They could make a great story line of Vince McMahon feuding with John Cena, and then having a conspiracy that brings back Eric; screwing Cena of his title (WE NEED A FRESH, NEW CHAMPION DESPRATLEY!!) Well, the reason of the post was to send a message...BRING BACK ERIC BISCHOFF!!

WCW One Night Stand - by James Pierce The wrestling world is in a big buzz with the return of ECW One Night Stand and ECW being a full brand again. But a promotion that hasn't gotten noticed since the invasion angle in 2001 is World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The promotion started off in the late 80's has part of the NWA and has brought many elements in wrestling history until its death in March of 2001. WCW created the New World Order as well as turning Hulk Hogan heel. Many former WWF superstars, such as Bret Hart, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, went to WCW for more money and easier working schedules. WCW also had Sting, who was a big hit along with Ric Flair ever since there NWA days. The Great American Bash July PPV was created by WCW in 1986 and is now a WWE PPV.

The point in all of this is that WCW had a lot of great moments in wrestling history and should be remembered like ECW is being remembered now. A WCW One Night Stand PPV, or something more then just one DVD, would do. Please feel free to send your comments on my first column about the return of WCW as well as sharing your favorite WCW moments. I hope you enjoyed reading my column.

Should We "Suck It" Again? - by Matt Kaufman We saw it at WrestleMania 22 as well as on RAW the past few weeks - signs of a DX return. It began with the crotch-chops by both Shawn Michaels and Triple H at WrestleMania, and continued when Michaels told Vince McMahon to "Suck It" on RAW and then gave him another crotch-chop two weeks later. In addition, Triple H gave John Cena a crotch-chop on the WrestleMania Revenge Tour while in the UK, and has increased the perversity of his comments (such as "The Premature Superstar"). So while nothing is ever certain in the WWE, I'll discuss why a DX reunion isn't the best idea. Don't get me wrong - I loved watching DX's antics on a weekly basis (no matter what members the group consisted of) and the stable definitely helped launch Triple H to super-stardom. But the bottom line is: DX has been done already.

My favorite DX moment is the classic WCW invasion, where the faction drove a tank up to the arena where WCW was airing Nitro. Moments like this are classic, yet transcendental - they can't be relived, no matter how hard we try. Moreover, the WWE has tried reaching to the past for storylines, and they don't seem to work out. The most glaring example is the nWo, which was a disaster in the WWE. Even if part of the reason for the nWo's failure was Scott Hall's drinking problem and Kevin Nash's injuries, the WWE should have seen that the nWo ran its course in WCW well before the company was sold to Vince. WWE has also proven that reaching back into its own history for storylines isn't the greatest idea. During the RAW Homecoming episode in October, WWE basically rehashed the Austin-McMahon storyline of the Attitude Era; Austin beat up McMahon because he felt like it, and then McMahon took his wrath out on Austin's best friend, Jim Ross. Again, I enjoyed watching Austin giving a Stunner to Vince, but it just didn't have the same feel as it did eight years ago. With over one-hundred TV episodes to produce each year, it's natural that similar themes will be used in the storylines (Vince making life a living hell for HBK on a weekly basis...sound familiar?), but going to the exact same characters in the same storylines? If DX does reemerge, I don't see great things in its future. Michaels is seemingly happy with his new, Christianity-driven direction in life, so the same perverse antics of his DX days cannot be expected. And how long can Triple H be expected to stay part of a group, especially when he's in the title hunt (most of his time with Evolution was while he held the strap)? I'd like to see a one or two night reunion, but anything beyond that wouldn't have the energy and passion of the DX glory days.

A Column on the Miz - by Jayson Love I have watched pro wrestling my whole life. Wrestling has had a role in my life for as long as I can remember. I would go to independent matches and save up to go and watch my hero Hulk Hogan (who was everyone's hero at the time). There is just a magic of the sport that just makes others seem so mundane. We would see people fly with out wings, giants clash, immortals go head to head, men being thrown twenty feet through a table get up and ask for more. No - scratch that - DEMAND more. It is legends like these that made all of us fall in love with this sport. Now that dream has been spit on, or should I say it's reality has been checked. In recent weeks WWE SmackDown! has brought back The Miz, Mike Mizanin. I don't know if anyone else watched Tough Enough, but during the last season, The Miz Said he should win because he has been more focused than the other contestants. While the other contestants have been focused on other things like body building, martial arts and cage fighting he has been "all about" wrestling for a year. A YEAR!?! It took Taz thirteen years before the WWE. The other things Mizanin said are quite pointless as well. As for poking fun at body building I would like to know Hulk Hogan's, Billy Graham's and Chris Master's response to that. As for martial arts I would like to hear from R.V.D., Steve Blackman and so many others; for cage fighting I wish he would say that to any guy in UFC. Mizanin is making a name for himself by insulting former wrestlers.

This makes me furious! Not only do I know to respect my elders but these guys paved the way for brats like us, so show some respect. I just hope WWE realizes its mistake but considering its record, WWE will see this as a good idea and The Miz might be the future. If he, it is my opinion that pro wrestling itself will just become a distant dream.

Classic Matches: Then and Now by Patrick C. Robertson Ricky Steamboat Vs Ric Flair: NWA Chi-Town Rumble, 1989 As a die-hard Professional Wrestling fan, I'm often asked what my favorite matches are. Although my answer may vary from week to week, I always mention the classic match-up between Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and The "Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at 1989's "Chi-Town Rumble" Pay-Per-View. At that time, these two phenomenal athletes were the TOP competitors in the Ted Turner-funded NWA, paving the way for many superstars to come. Perhaps no other match in NWA history has influenced more superstars than this classic confrontation. Ric Flair had already been in many classic match-ups with a variety of superstars including Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, The Road Warriors, and The Great Muta.

Ric Flair not only influenced the competitors of that day, but inspired many young superstars making a name for themselves today. Flair's remarkable comeback from a life altering plane crash that left him with a broken back is just as inspiring as his 30-plus year career. Triple H has said many times that "if there were no Ric Flair, there would be no Triple H." By 1989, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat had been successful in both the NWA and the World Wrestling Federation, where his Intercontinental Title Match with Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 3 single handedly stole the show. Many top-athletes today cite Ricky Steamboat as a top influence for their own unique styles, including Chris Jericho, who says that Steamboat was one of his biggest influences for breaking into the wrestling business. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat had wrestled each other many times before the Chi-Town Rumble Pay-Per-View; the only thing is, many of those matches were at house shows, and were not recorded or broadcast on television. Ric Flair says that he and Steamboat had many matches that were as good or even better than the 20-plus minute match at Chi-Town Rumble. The match itself went on for almost 30 minutes; the pace, mostly quick, hardly ever seemed to slow down, showcasing the superior conditioning of both athletes. Steamboat used several of his famed high flying and martial arts-like maneuvers as his main offensive weapons, as opposed to Ric Flair, who had continued to hone and showcase his masterful skills as a technical mat-wrestler; The contrast in styles only contributed to the spectacular match. If you have not seen this wonderful and entertaining match, or if you're a fan of old school, catch-as-catch-can, technical wrestling, I suggest you pick up The Greatest Wrestling Stars Of The 80's DVD from WWE Home Video, which contains not only this, but other great matches. You won't regret it.

History of the Von Erichs Part I by Danny Marchese When you hear the word 'dynasty" as it pertains to wrestling, a select few names come to mind: Guerrero, Hart, and Orton the names most often paraded on WWE television today as being the greatest dynasties in wrestling history. I feel however there is one family who eclipses them all in terms of accomplishments and overall talent- the Von Erichs.

Jack Adkisson was born on August 16th, 1929 in Jewett, Texas. He played collegiate football for Southern Methodist University, and even played professionally for the Dallas Texans. Adkisson tried out for the Canadian Football League and met Stu Hart, who trained him to wrestle and put him in his Klondike Wrestling promotion. Upon entering the NWA in 1958, he adopted the name Fritz Von Erich (Erich was his mother's maiden name)- a monster heel Nazi sympathizer. He portrayed the character to perfection, wearing and Iron Cross and doing the Nazi goose step upon entry to the ring. His career took off immediately - he captured the NWA United States Heavyweight title in 1958, a championship he would hold three times. He became a top draw heel because of his great size (6'4, 260 pounds). One year later, his oldest son, Jack Adkisson Jr., died from accidental electrocution. Fritz stopped traveling to the east coast and stayed in Sam Muchnick's territory of St. Louis. His former partner, Waldo, was then allowed to use the Von Erich name in the WWWF. Fritz Von Erich was always one of the top names mentioned for a potential NWA World Heavyweight Champion but was met with strong opposition from current champion Lou Thesz, who greatly disapproved of "gimmick" wrestlers. The board of directors sided with Thesz as they really didn't want a wrestler with such an obviously fake name to be known as the champion. Part II will discuss Von Erich's career as NWA president and the careers of his sons in professional wrestling.

New British Uprising? - by Richard Oppong This is my first column on OWW and I'm from London England. I wanted to talk about the new British uprising in wrestling today. I believe British wrestling started to disintegrate after the fall of WCW and ECW after the WWF had bought the companies, but I think British wrestling is going back on track. In the 70's and 80's we had a lot of wrestlers in those days like Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy and Dynamite Kid just to name a few, but as we got to the 90's and the turn of century the scene slowly disappeared. But you have to give it to WCW, which did help such athletes as Davey Boy Smith and Fit Finlay (although he is Irish you would still include him as a British wrestler) preserve English wrestling, and WWF for the British Bulldogs but none of them ever got the main title shot. I don't believe British wrestlers can't make it big time, we probably have the best skills on the planet and we made exciting moves and played by the proper rules. We are pure wrestlers and nobody can take that away from us even though the wrestling business now is plagued with obvious storylines and rehearsed matches.

I know that the British have potential; just look at Jonny Storm and Jody Fleish. They are two of the best high flyers in the world. I believe they show that in every match they wrestle. If they were in X Division they would eliminate all competition, but that's not for me to decide. English wrestlers just don't get noticed nowadays. Luckily enough in 2006 we have got enough wrestlers to keep up the good work for Britain but are not getting the chance to get into the big promotions or major title shots. We have to rate William Regal (former IC, Euro and Tag champ) and pirate like Paul Birchill from FWA who have stepped up to the big league but it does not look like British wrestling will be the same again.