I’ve been experimenting with Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Spanish Chickpea & Chorizo Soup. It’s a reasonably fiddly recipe with a lot of ingredients, and Jamie uses too much olive oil for my taste (in EVERYTHING he does), so there’ve been lots of different combinations and alternatives to try. Tonight I perfected it, all whilst my sister was here to witness and then consume my triumph (and if I do say so myself, it is bloody good soup).

Needless to say, some of my previous attempts have come out tasting strange, and others have even been ignored by the dog. This is the process you go with most creative adventures; and I don’t have Jamie’s flair for throwing together the decidedly odd combinations that have made him a household name.

Vince Russo doesn’t have that flair either; not that he appears to show even the slightest desire to stop pretending that he does. What annoys me the most about Russo’s creative strategy is that having chucked together something that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of most viewers – and which almost everyone howls as being absolute pants - he goes on to attempt something else that he no doubt thinks, in his own mind, is subversive and provocative but which in reality is just nauseating.

Before I continue on my Russo-rant, let’s get one thing straight. I am, of course, fully aware that Russo is not the sole TNA puppet-master, that his ideas and booking have to be approved by the higher-ups and that he’s not solely responsible for the bilge that is TNA of late. I remarked privately to NZPWI Contributor Troy Rawhiti-Forbes that I could not understand Dixie and Jeff’s thinking on this; TNA has been in a nosedive over the past year (coincidentally, Russo’s tenure), and all the things that have turned fans away from the product are Russo hallmarks. Troy responded that of course TNA had not hired Russo so he could ruin their company – they, of course, think that he’s going to do some good. This seems as likely as anything else I can think of for allowing his craptastic ideas to make their way into the public arena… and as Troy also pointed out, the only one who has ever been able to get a leash on Russo was Vince McMahon, and even that didn’t last long.

When Russo first came on board with TNA I received the news with dismay. I had been very much enjoying the product and felt that it was finally achieving a real direction, not to mention that it was loaded with genuine talent, both old and new. But Russo’s reputation as the very definition of wrestlecrap was so well-known I refused to believe that seemingly intelligent people like Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett would allow Russo into a position of power in their small but growing company unless he really HAD changed.

As he’s been saying for the last ten years.

With the appearance of the first Jackass-style bookings that were undoubtedly From The Mind of Vince, I realised that this previous hope was completely false, and that the only changes Russo had made was to get even worse. As the year has progressed, I’ve kept up with the product even though the very fact that it is now a chore makes my soul cry. I’ve interviewed TNA stars who of course toe the party line when asked about Russo, but even Gail Kim had to admit that his over-gimmicking matches all the live long day was perhaps a bit over the top. I’ve continued to watch as this “changed man” continues to drive TNA into the ground with all the ridiculous hallmarks that have made him one of the most hated figures in the industry… all the while with a pious attitude, declaring himself a new man. If you’re so new, I want to scream, then why the FUCK are you trotting out the same bollocks that helped end WCW???

Deep breath.

Matches gimmicked to hell, titles changing hands faster than Schumacher changes gear, the burial of genuine athletic talent (in this case, the X-Division) whilst simultaneously making a mockery of it, and finally, putting every single title in the company on to ONE person… I’m sorry, but none of this insanity was happening before Russo turned up, Wand of Death in hand.

So what is it that keeps him in TNA? Hell, I was hoping that it would be a case of “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us,” in terms of his well-publicised feud with Jim Cornette (and that Cornette would get to lay in the boot as Russo was tossed), but even that hope has now been dashed. Ratings are dropping, the product is becoming a joke, yet still TNA continues to allow Russo’s infamous hallmarks to drag them down.

When something doesn’t work, you try and fix it. I figured out that chicken stock is infinitely better than beef stock for my soup after just one spoonful, and didn’t subject my taste buds to it again. I like soup. I want it to taste great.

So why is Russo continuing to flavour TNA with foul-tasting – and previously lampooned - ingredients? As Troy said, they surely haven’t hired him to ruin them. Yet he is. As many could have told Dixie… so why is he still there? I’d love to hear your thoughts on TNA and what Russo is being allowed to get away with it. If you’ve got a theory, let’s hear it! Email me at and don’t be shy!

I was most gratified to hear from several of you that I am, in fact, not the only person who feels that they’re alone in a world that’s seemingly filled with wrestling fans. Derrick Cannon sympathized, but his experiences have only served to make him an even more dedicated fan.

I know the feeling. It seems that so much enthusiasm is shown on TV, live events, and ppvs. It's a shame that after the show, you get a feeling of: are these people true fans, are they followers of the crowd, and if asked will they tell the truth of if they’re a fan or not? I've always been a fan of wrestling and have never hidden this fact, ever in my life. I was discussing wrestling with one of my best friends, and the response was why am I wasting my time on something as meaningless as WWF? They had not even heard that WWF was now WWE, they thought TNA meant something else, so I couldn't even bring that up. It was insulting, but instead of burying myself and giving up on this great industry, it just made me more determined to show this person that wrestling can evolve. Look at Mick Foley for instance. He is a number one best selling author and as far as I know he did not have a ghost writer. Kurt Angle is an Olympic gold medalist. So many wrestlers so many different walks of life. Surely there must be a gimmick for anyone. On a personal note I did the exact same thing to my best friend that you did to your sister. The end result was that he became addicted, and both of us have never looked back. Making fans and believers can be very difficult, especially with age considerations. If you get them to watch the right match, angle, video package, wrestler etc, the end results can be beautiful.

Good on you Derrick, and I wish I had your motivation. Most often what I encounter, when pointing out the likes of Foley and Angle in terms of their non-pro-wrestling successes, is a blank stare which rapidly turns into an expression of disbelief. And I often give up, because to begin to explain often means embarking on a long-winded explanation that is only going to leave me exhausted.

My Online World of Wrestling (OWW) boss, Brad Dykens, also had thoughts on the subject:

Wow that's the first column by anybody in a long time that I could relate 100% with.  I have been going through this feeling of guilty shame for years with my family and friends.  Reunions are the WORST for the dreaded "what do you do?" or "what are you up to?" interrogations.  The only person I know in real life that really likes wrestling is my uncle and even he is just a mark who would be clueless if I didn't fill him in on the latest backdoor news and tragic obituaries.  This past week I have reunited with a plethora of old friends and for the first time in years and due to recent major developments with my website Online World of Wrestling, I was comfortable telling some of my closer friends what has been going on.  Still, there were several friends who I know but we don't know each other well enough so I simply reply "I create websites" when asked about my recent activities.

It's true, wrestling fans seem like hermits, because they are never around when the wrestling industry needs to be defended.  When this happens to you, I suggest you look around the room and find the 1 or 2 people NOT speaking up and I put forth the theory that THEY are your wrestling fans.

Good point, but I’ve yet to find the courage that would allow me to march up to the hermit in the room and demand that they out themselves as a fan, but I can definitely relate in terms of those dreaded family gatherings!

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks in terms of the New Zealand scene. NZPWI Invitational promoter Dion McCracken finally revealed all eight of the tournament participants, and yesterday announced the brackets for the quarter finals. It’s Friend vs. Friend and Champion vs. Champion in these electric matchups, which you can check out here. One of the most interesting developments was the decision of NZWPW’s “Silencer” Jean Miracle that, for “personal reasons” he will not be competing in this year’s tournament, despite receiving an automatic inclusion after he won the First Invite Eliminator at last year’s event. Was it just a coincidence that he pulled out on the same day that his former “Naki Phulla” partner, Dal Knox, was announced as an entrant? Dion says he won’t be drawn on speculation concerning this point, but I can’t help wondering myself.

However, every cloud as a silver lining and I have to say I was thrilled when Dion announced that “Lyte Playa” Roger Ventura was to step up. I’ve always had a soft spot for Ventura; his match against Lil’ T in Wellington at Capital Punishment was my first ever taste of live New Zealand wrestling.

IPW Australia – formerly MIW – held its first event under the new name on August 11. IPWA Unleashed saw IPW New Zealand wrestler, “The One” Vinny Dunn, take out the IPW South Pacific Championship, defeating the hometown hero, Jackeroo. NZPWI Invitational entrant “The Measure” Dallas Mead defeated six men to become the first ever IPW Australia Heavyweight Champion.

Back on New Zealand shores, NZWPW held its first Masterton show, Meltdown, on August 17. Company Gold retained the NZWPW Tag Team Championship, whilst “Silencer” Jean Miracle took out the “Right To Challenge” qualifier.

Right here on NZPWI has been all go of late, with three fantastic columns from the very talented people with whom I’m fortunate to work. Simon Sweetman unearthed yet another gem from that most dedicated of all wrestling reporters, Kevin The Kayfabe Wrestling Journalist. Simon was good enough to include some of the funniest excerpts in his Scheduled For One Fall column, which I highly recommend checking out if you feel like a giggle.

Speaking of laughs, I sure had some big ones over Matt Sparnon’s latest piece, The Worst Backyard Fed Ever! Detailing the very beginnings of his career – even his earliest opponent, El Furrybutt Teddio – Matt takes a very humorous trip down memory lane in The Sweet Spot and is well worth checking out.

Troy Rawhiti-Forbes even manages to inject some of his own unique humour into his latest column, Happily Ever After? I personally think that one of his analogies could not be more apt – that Chris Benoit really has become WWE’s He Who Must Not Be Named, or You Know Who. Harry Potter fans will get it - because it’s absolutely true. As always, Troy puts forth his opinions with exceptional literary elegance, an R-F hallmark that make each and every one of his columns worth reading.

Finally, this week on NZPWI we have another special edition of Gimme Five. We gave Simon the week off (being the one who must come up with five interesting questions each week), and called on you, the reader, to challenge the team with musings of your own. We had a wonderful response and in fact could not choose only five questions, so the others are ready to be used for the next Reader’s Questions edition. Make sure you check out the ones that are included in this edition, they gave the team something to ruminate on.

As I bring this editorial to a close, I’ll reiterate that if you have any thoughts about this editorial, or about wrestling in general, be it at home or abroad, please email me. I absolutely love to get your emails, and to include them for publication and discussion, so don’t be backwards about coming forwards people – email and tell me what’s on your mind.

And with that, dear readers, I bid you adieu. I am, as always, very appreciative that you’ve taken the time to read my musings, and hope to see you back for the next one.