Chris Benoit Tragedy: How Far Has the WWE Come?

This past Saturday morning, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher committed a murder-suicide. Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend at their home then subsequently turned the gun on himself shortly after arriving at his team's practice facility.

Unfortunately for most wrestling fans, this incident brought up the painful memory of the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide from 2007. Benoit, who suffered numerous concussions during his wrestling career, murdered his wife and son in their Atlanta home. The wrestler then proceeded to hang himself on his workout bench.

Immediately after Benoit's death, the WWE entered a state of damage control to help preserve its image from the event. So how far have they come since?

Continue after the jump for my thoughts on how the WWE handled this tragedy.

Survivor Series 2012 Review

The 26th annual Survivor Series took place from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. So what happened?

Was Sheamus able to conquer The Big Show?

Did Team Foley outlast Team Ziggler?

And did CM Punk survive the clutches of both John Cena and Ryback to retain his WWE Championship?

All of these questions, as well as some of my thoughts on the pay-per-view, are answered after the jump.

When Wrestlers Strike Back

As wrestling fans, it's part of our job to heckle. It's hard to imagine the industry if we didn't.

However, sometimes the heckling can get a bit out of hand. Sometimes fans get too rowdy, hit a wrestler's nerve, or are even dumb enough to rush the ring.

So, in honor of those fans and the due justice they had coming to them, here are some of the greatest instances where wrestling fans get straight-up owned.

Hell in a Cell 2012 Review

The WWE brought its cell as well as its hell in Atlanta, Georgia this past Sunday night. So what happened inside the Georgia Dome?

Did the World Heavyweight Champ Sheamus conquer The Big Show?

Was Team Hell No able to work together to get past The Rhodes Scholars?

And did WWE Champion CM Punk escape the hungry clutches of Ryback?

The answers to these questions, along with a few of my thoughts, are all included in this review of the Hell in Cell pay-per-view.

The 10 Count: Q&A with Off The Ropes Show's Mr. Routt

Next up in The 10 Count series is YouTube personality Michael Routt. But for those who watch the Off The Ropes Show, you know him as Mr. Routt.

He and five of his best friends kickstarted an online wrestling review show. Two short years later, Routt and the rest of the show are now one of the most popular in the Internet Wrestling Community.

For my question and answer session with Mr. Routt, click the jump below.

Batista to Return in 2013?

According to SuperLuchas, there have been rumors about Batista making a return to the WWE. The report states that "The Animal" may hit the WWE ring again for the 2013 Royal Rumble.

To be redirected to their website, click this link.

Who's Next?: Finding a New WrestleMania Opponent for The Undertaker

Saying that The Undertaker has done it all at WrestleMania is a huge understatement. He's conquered the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ric Flair and Kane over his storied 20-match win streak.

But how about next year's WrestleMania opponent? Who should be the Deadman's next challenger at WrestleMania 29?

Sure, it may be a little far off as we sit here in mid-October. But when it comes to Taker at WrestleMania, topics cannot get much hotter.

Check out my top five suggestions after the jump for The Deadman's next opponent.

Wrestling is Fake. So Let's Be Real.

Although people often fail to make the connection, the wrestling industry is eerily similar to movie or television business.

Wrestlers are given assigned roles and they do the very best they can to act them out. Just like in movies, there often exists high production, scripts and further guidelines to deliver a satisfying show to its audience.

There are good guys, there are bad guys and there are in-betweeners. No matter what, professional wrestlers are expected to act as they are instructed.

With that being said, a particular incident occurred during a WWE house show over the past weekend. It involved a bad guy (a heel), a child and a disgruntled mother.

For more on this story and my take keeping reading after the jump.

CM Punk Strikes Fan

During the last segment on Monday Night Raw, WWE Champion CM Punk escapes the threat of Mr. McMahon, John Cena and Ryback by hightailing it into crowd.

Although this may have been a very exciting experience for fans that close to Punk, it wasn't that great for a particular fan.

As you can see in the video below, Punk proceeds to backhand and shove a fan standing behind him.

The story is not fully processed at the moment, but we can only assume the WWE Champ felt some sort of threat or resistance from behind.

Here's the clip:

Unfortunately for the fans, a wrestler is allowed to strike back if attacked. The fan will not be pressing charges.

WWE Should Be Commended for Team Hell No, Rest of Tag Team Division

About a year ago today, the tag team division in the WWE was just about non-existent. 

There were very few, if any, established duos, little to no storyline writing and tag title matches on a pay-per-view card became a rarity.

The then-champions Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne seemed to be the only glimmers of hope given their solid chemistry and high-flying ability. But even those two, after the suspension of Bourne, quickly flamed out.

We fast forward to today and there's no doubt that the situation has changed.

As a lifelong fan of the company, I can once again say that I'm excited for what the tag teams have in store.

The WWE should be commended for their reconstruction of the tag team division and I'll tell you why after the jump.

The 10 Count: Q&A with ECW Legend Tommy Dreamer

Fun fact: Tommy Dreamer attended Iona College. I currently attend Iona College. 

Awesome, huh?

Anyway, it's not everyday you get to connect with a such a prominent figure in any industry. Luckily for me, I was able to conduct this edition of The 10 Count with Extreme Championship Wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer.

Plain and simple, the words "Dreamer" and "hardcore" are just about synonymous. When someone says ECW, Tommy Dreamer is easily one of the first names to come to mind.

During his nine-year tenure with the company, Dreamer was a one-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion and four-time World Tag Team Champion. The "Innovator of Violence" then moved onto the WWE in 2001.

There, Dreamer captured the Hardcore Championship on 14 different occasions and even a reprised ECW World Heavyweight Championship during its fresh, but brief, relaunch in the WWE.

He has also worked for TNA Impact Wrestling and the House of Hardcore promotions over the past three years.

As wrestling fans, we all know that Dreamer is a give-it-his-all, all-or-nothing guy. But what about some of his personal preferences.

In my attempt to dig a little deeper into the mind of a Dreamer (see what I did there?), here is my question and answer session with the "Heart and Soul" of ECW.

WWE Main Event to Premiere Wednesday

Courtesy WWE.com

WWE's newest television program, Main Event, is set to kick off this upcoming week.

The advertised match for the show will pit CM Punk against Sheamus in a Champion vs. Champion match.

Main Event will air on Wednesday at 8 PM ET on ION Television.

New WWE '13 Screenshots

Game developer THQ has come out with more screenshots from the upcoming WWE '13 title.

The video game is set to be released on November 2nd in the United States.

Follow through after the jump to check out the newest pictures from the latest installment of the franchise.

WWE Releases Kelly Kelly

WWE has announced the release of former Divas Champion Kelly Kelly. 

The release is said to be mutual between the parties. Kelly Kelly has recently been working on some non-wrestling endeavors including an energy drink ad campaign.

Kelly was employed by the company since 2006.

Feeding Him More: Is Ryback Lined Up for a Huge Push?

Did you see it?

No, really. Did you see it?

Well if you saw what I did on last night’s edition of Monday Night Raw, you witnessed Ryback, yes Ryback, close out the show.

After WWE Champion CM Punk took a cheap shot to Mick Foley backstage, he looked up and appeared extremely bothered by the man who was viciously staring him down—Ryback.

The show and segment ended with Goldberg, I mean Ryback, giving Punk a scary look while breathing rather heavily.

So does this mean the human wrecking ball is in line for a major push?

Check out my opinion on this potentially huge promotion after the jump.

Fan Storms the Ring on Raw

As we take a look through the files of the knucklehead department, we'll squeeze in a new incident after last night's Raw.

During the match between Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Ryback, an overzealous fan jumped the ringside barricade and managed to get into the ring. Not pictured in the video below was another fan, yes another one, a joining his fellow idiot in his quest to the ring.

The two were quickly caught and subsequently removed from the arena.

Here's the video:

John Cena Injury Update

John Cena has undergone surgery to repair his injured elbow. The procedure was performed by Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday, September 18th.

For an in-depth look at the injury and surgery, click this link. 

The initial report from the WWE has Cena out for six to eight weeks.

Cena, however, claimed he would be ready for the Hell in a Cell Pay-per-view on October 26th during his segment on last night's Raw.

It'll be interesting to see if the WWE's top dog will make a speedy recovery in time for the company's next biggest event.

Stay tuned.

In the mean time, take a look at this ugly elbow picture tweeted out by Cena himself.

The 10 Count: Q&A with Off The Ropes Show's Schlegdaddy

You may have seen their videos on YouTube, Twitter or various wrestling sites around the web.

And if you're a member of the Internet Wrestling Community or the YouTube Wrestling Community, there's a rather good chance that you've checked out the Off The Ropes Show.

But in case you don't know what OTRS is, it's a production by wrestling fans for wrestling fans. The sometimes two, sometimes three, sometimes four or sometimes five friends kickstarted a wrestling YouTube channel two years ago. They produce videos spanning anywhere from pay-per-view reviews to "Insert wrestler here" sucks rants.

Their incredibly intriguing opinions, along with their witty sense of humor, have made their show a must-see for many wrestling nerds with computers.

So in an effort to get better acclimated with the minds of the popular YouTube channel, I decided to talk with the show's unofficial leader.

Check out my question and answer session after the jump with Jeff Schlegel, better known to us as The Schlegdaddy.

WWE Night of Champions 2012 Review

Tonight, we were at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts for this year’s edition of the Night of Champions pay-per-view. So how was it?

Did CM Punk defeat John Cena to continue his 300+ day reign as WWE Champion? Could Sheamus overcome the latest shenanigans by Alberto Del Rio and crew? And was the pay-per-view really worth what you ay have paid for it?

For my answers to all of those questions and more, click the jump link below.