Written by Stevie J
What's up to all the readers in the AngryMarks.com nation! Thank you for your continued support of the website and for checking out all our updates this week. Don't forget we've got two big WrestleMania preview shows for you - one from the Kayfabe 4 Dummies crew with a guest appearance by Mike Sawyer, and one by the Tough Talk crew with a special guest appearance by The Cancer! That's what we love at AngryMarks.com - peace love and unity from all of our podcasters working together. We all unite together for one common cause - to tell you how much TNA sucks!!
'Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko certainly had his fair share of opinions about what TNA could do to improve their product while we were at the Smokey Bones eatery here in Orlando. He came over after his meal and introduced himself to the group of fans gathered at the bar (all members of the F4W website) and shared stories with us for 30 minutes. Since he was shooting the shit and not being interviewed this isn't a recap as such but I will share one funny remark: "When Dixie Carter sees me coming, she turns around and walks the other way!" I guess it doesn't matter whether you're a friend or an enemy in TNA - they just don't want to hear any criticism. Larry did put over the talent on their roster tremendously and said like all the rest of us he just wants them to use what they have and spend less time on whacky skits.
I wish I could tell you what hotel we were staying at so you could share this experience, but I'm afraid it would turn into a mob scene if I did - a fellow wrestling fan named Dustin and I came out of the pool and as we were walking to the lobby to exchange e-mail addresses who should walk in the door but REV. THEORY. We immediately complimented them on "Light it Up" (or as I put it "MUCH BETTER than that DAY-OHHH song, it really gets your adrenaline pumping") and asked if we could each get a photo. Needless to say I threw on a towel first because I'm a pale skinned white be-hotch with no definition or abs whatsoever, so you would not have to be blinded by my dorkitude. I've got to say they are very cool, very approachable, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing them play live tomorrow afternoon - they promised to do two sets at a venue right by the Citrus Bowl for all the fans.Speaking of throwing on a towel to cover up the male body, Orlando is experiencing a "Nipplegate" of sorts when it comes to the promotional posters and billboards for WrestleMania 24. The city of Orlando doesn't say they specifcally asked for the nipples of male wrestlers to be airbrushed out, but apparently due to some "decency law" WWE was required to anyway. The problem is that the code was not applied uniformly, so on some buses you'll see the photos one way, and on billboards another way altogether. As this article put it, the photos have now become a game of "count the missing nipples" wherever you see one. You'd think if they were going to get that upset it would have had something to do with BunnyMania!
Last but not least I had to share some thoughts on ROH Night One last night. I've never been to an ROH show that I didn't enjoy, and clearly the card at the Downtown Orlando Rec Center (within a stone's throw of where the WWE Hall of Fame is taking place) was no exception. That being said there were a few things that dismayed me a great deal. ROH was not allowing anybody to take their own drinks inside (alcoholic or otherwise) even though the venue ran out of ALL BEVERAGES before the intermission was even over. It was hotter than a motherfucker in there, with no air conditioning, and nothing to drink. That made the second half of the show pretty fucking miserable, especially since the best match of the night (Briscoes v. Dragon Gate) already happened beforehand and the show just felt drained of all energy at that point. I know at least one person who went across the street to a bar just to get a drink and a bite to eat, deciding that was more important than seeing the first match after intermission - I kind of wish I had done the same thing. Hopefully night two will be much better organized by the concessions people, or ROH will at least provide some courtesy water so we're not all sweating 'til we're bone dry. People literally FLED the venue the moment the 6-man tag finale was over. Good show or not it's those kind of memories that leave an indelible impression and for first time ROH attendees in Florida that's not a good one of the company to have.