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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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Meet the newest kids on the block - WSX
Published February 26, 2007
Today’s column is brought to you by a reader’s recently e-mailed request.
I receive e-mails from people all the time asking a variety of questions such as “what ever happened to …” or “who will win between …”. It’s fun to see what other people want to know when it comes to the world of wrestling.
So when I read an e-mail Feb. 20 from Anthony Rodriguez asking about the newest group to challenge for your wrestling time, I figured it was time to answer.
Rodriguez wrote, “It would be nice if Brian Argabright mentioned Society X Wrestling on MTV too. I know it’s a small show and its biggest names are China’s ex-boyfriend 6-pac and Vampiro but the matches with the no-name wrestlers are fantastic. They do moves even TNA would never do. Spinning frog splashes off balconies through tables. They must be worth at least a sentence or two.”
Ah, Wrestling Society X. Where to begin?
Born in 2006, and unleashed on an unsuspecting world earlier this year, Wrestling Society X, or WSX as they are known, is a hybrid of professional wrestling and hard rock that airs for 30 minutes on Tuesday nights on MTV.
The musical talent is a mix of rock and rap as bands like Black Label Society and Three 6 Mafia have performed and offered their own unique commentary on the wildness that goes on in the ring.
As for the action in the ring, it’s not bad but it’s still got a long way to go before it will be taken seriously.
The show has its veterans, such as former WCW and WWE superstar 6-Pac (a.k.a. Sean Waltman), former WCW and AAA star Vampiro, who defeated Waltman to become the company’s first champion, and former WWE lackey, and UPW star, Jesus Aguilera.
The first episode actually featured former ECW and WWE star Justin Credible and former ECW star New Jack, but they chose not to stay with the company for the rest of its run.
There are about 33 wrestlers total who call WSX home. Aside from Waltman, Vampiro and Aguilera, most of them are guys you’ve never heard of.
Now that doesn’t mean they’re not athletic or don’t put on a good show. Their mix of aerial maneuvers and mind-blowing spots are crowd pleasing, but sometimes the show as the feel of a best of backyard wrestling DVD with guys trying to outdo each other with a trampoline.
And don’t get me started on the gimmicks. The first match I saw was a battle royal to determine who would battle for the first WSX title. The rules were simple enough – just eliminate your opponent. But then the company went and mucked all that up with exploding boxes filled with fluorescent light bulbs and chain link sections that were “electrified”.
When the performers hit these things, they went off as though their lives were actually in danger. The crowd “oohed” and “aahed” and cheered, and the announcers sold it as if they were watching a stunt gone horribly wrong, but its overall campiness killed the stunts’ intended effect.
Would I watch WSX on a regular basis? No. I can’t get into the whole “rock and wrestling” thing and I know MTV will find a way to mess this whole thing up. Already the season’s fourth episode was delayed because of an angle in which Vampiro takes a fireball to the face. Apparently MTV’s standards and practices department had a problem with that. This from the network that brought you Jackass. Go figure.
Should you watch it? I don’t see why not. It’s got its high points and a really enthusiastic group of wrestlers, and it’s only 30 minutes long. Go ahead and give it a try and tell me what you think. It airs Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on MTV.
For more on Wrestling Society X, check out www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/wsx/series.jhtml or visit its MySpace page at www.myspace.com/wrestlingsocietyx.
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Elsewhere, the next pay-per-view scheduled to air is TNA’s Lockdown which will hit screens March 11. Matches announced for the event thus far are Kurt Angle vs. Scott Steiner, Sting vs. Abyss in a Last Rites match, A.J. Styles vs. Rhino in the first ever Elevation X match, and Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe for the NWA World Title.
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As is the tradition in the world of pro wrestling, some of the best secrets just can’t seem to be kept a secret.
Tonight on Raw Donald Trump is expected to announce that Bobby Lashley will represent him at WrestleMania in a Hair vs. Hair match against Vince McMahon. Last week McMahon chose Umaga to represent him.
The final twist will be the special guest referee. The word right now is that Stone Cold Steve Austin will get the call as it would serve to promote his new film, The Condemned.
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And finally, the long-awaited Four Horsemen DVD will be released April 10. It will feature the history of pro wrestling’s most elite stable of all time and how they helped revolutionize the business as its known today. While a full list of matches has not yet been announced, rumor has it that the original War Games match is scheduled to be on one of the discs. This is one of my favorite matches of all time and reason enough for me to go out and buy this DVD.
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That’s all for now. Enjoy this week’s programming and, as always, STAY TUNED!!
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