Stuck in the Middle with You - The Curse of the HWA
    Submitted by Da J-Train on Saturday, August 30, 2003 at 6:31 PM EST

    Hey everyone and welcome to my column. My name is Da J-Train and I am here to make my main page debut. Well, not exactly, considering the fact that I have won the Columns Forum’s Columnist of the Month competition, but let’s not talk technicalities right now. If you are familiar with my column, that’s great. If not, here’s my introduction to you:

    My name is Da J-Train, and let me get this off my chest right now. My name is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, a homage of sorts to The Wrestler Formerly Known as Albert. The name pretty much originated when I was on a break from work. One of the things I like to do the most is go to the pizza department and give the girls there corny pickup lines. The cornier I get, the more they laugh and we all have a good time. Anyway, one time I said that they should come over sometime and take a ride on Da J-Train (and when I said J-Train, I used RVD's thumb poi! nts and still do to this day), and, well, the name just kind of stuck. So, like, a year or so later, I find out that the WWE is using that type of name for a wrestler. Now, I would not have a problem with that if it was a wrestler I liked... hell, even one that I moderately disliked... but I was pissed to find out that it was Albert. Oh well, what are you gonna do?

    As for my column, I have been writing for a while now, popping in and out of the Columns Forum every now and then. It got to the point where many columnists in the forum considered me one of the elite, which was a huge compliment, and then I just stopped writing. But, I started up again, just not as frequent, and, now I’m here. The reason I have titled my column Stuck in the Middle with You is because it is basically dedicated to the midcard. I have always favored the midcard as opposed to the headliners because I feel that generally, midcarders put on a better performance than most headliners. Midcarders always have areas for improvement and are always looking to impress not only the crowd, the backstage officials as well. They have something to go for. And don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that Main Eventers slack off or anything like that. In fact, the current crop of main eventers has been consistently putting on excellent shows. However, when you are at the top, sometimes, people tend to get comfortable in that role, in which case, they get lazy. All in all, I feel that midcarders put on more Consistent great matches than main eventers. Maybe it’s just me, but hey, it’s my column, not yours.

    So, when it comes to my column, I will focus a lot on the midcard of the WWE, but that’s not all. I am a huge fan of the developmental system and watching these future WWE superstars develop. In fact, I have a DUAL COLUMN along with Columns Forum member Big John Studd, which is dedicated to OVW and what’s going on down there. Check it out sometime; there should be a new one up soon. Also, I will talk about NWA-TNA every now and then. However, I have always prided myself on being different from other columnists; so, here are three things that I will not do

    1. I will NOT do Raw or Smackdown Reviews. Hey, I like the reviews as much as anyone, but it seems every columnist out there has one. What’s one more gonna prove?

    2. I will NOT do Pay Per View Predictions. Again, almost every columnist out there does this, and hey, it works for them, but I feel that there are so many of them that do this, not including the posters in the forums, that eventually, you will find the exact same picks. Besides, I suck at predictions.

    3. I will NOT do biographical columns about a wrestler. Hey, I have lots of respect for anyone to do all the research it takes to do a full fledged biographical column, but at the same time, how hard is it to do research? That’s not to say that I don’t like them. Daveyboy’s History of Kane is an excellent column, along with many others, including Tito’s History of the NWO. Again, it works for me, but it’s just not my thing.

    What is my thing? Well, read on and find out. So, enough of this introduction crap, onto my column, Stuck in the Middle With You.

    The Curse of the HWA

    The issue I am going to talk about is a topic that I have already elaborated on in the columns forum, but I am going to add to it, because the curse has gone full circle now that all of the former WWE Developmental talent from the HWA, has debuted in the WWE. Back when the WWE had its two developmental federations, Ohio Valley Wrestling and The Heartland Wrestling Alliance, I have always considered the OVW to be the premier federation with the true future of the business and HWA was just extra space to send the WCW wrestlers acquired in the purchase. I mean, look at it. Look at the pushes of Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Batista compared to those of Shannon Moore, Johnny Stamboli, and Mark Jindrak, and sure, Jindrak was in OVW for a while, but you know what I mean. I also believe that the WWE felt the same way, which was proven last year when HWA was dropped from the WWE Developmental System. Now, I have seen a common trait amongst wrestlers from the HWA system (besides a certain son of a promoter), which I call The HWA Curse.

    The HWA Curse is not exactly saying that the wrestler in question is lacking talent. It is also not saying that these wrestlers will automatically be unsuccessful in their careers. I am only saying that all but one of the WWE wrestlers who were in HWA have suffered mysterious spells of bad luck, be it health wise, push wise, or tragedies, while OVW wrestlers have comparably more success. Oh, don’t get me wrong. OVW wrestler have had their share of injuries, but when you compare OVW alumni to HWA alumni, even the HWA wrestlers who were IN OVW, there seems to be an all too convenient trend. Sounds like some kind of conspiracy theory set up by some psycho after a president dies right? Well just like every good conspiracy theory, I have evidence to back this up. Let's take a look at every main roster superstar from HWA:


    *The curse the wrestler has suffered is in bold*


    Christopher Nowinski: Ok, I will give him credit... he has done something that only OVW’s Matt Morgan could also do. He was a Tough Enough finalist who did not give up on his dream and earned himself a WWE contract. After his debut, he was on Raw more or less every week, and he got himself in a major feud with a former WCW champion and a former ECW champion. He also got out of the dreaded shadow of Tough Enough by defeating Maven and Al Snow, and by mostly separating himself from the show. Finally, he has also been featured on a pay per view, in which he won the match for his team. However, nobody can deny his health problems. Nowinski has been incredibly injury prone. Since his WWE debut in 2002, he has had major Jaw Surgery, major Nose Surgery, and finally, Post Concussion Syndrome... the same ailment that forced Bret Hart into retirement. Sure, Nowinski has had moderate success in his short tenure, but his constant injuries is a unfortunate downside to his career… or is it just another ailment of a cursed wrestler?

    Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli: Imagine this; you are a former 2 time WCW tag team champion. Not only that, for the first time in your mainstream career, you have been relatively healthy, considering the fact that you are very injury prone. Now, imagine going BACK into developmental training only to be called up onto primarily on Sunday Night Heat, unless a Raw wrestler, like Test or The Big Show,at the time, needed someone to job to them. This is how Johnny Stamboli’s WWE career began. Stamboli is a wrestler with a good physique and excellent agility and strength. He is also a young wrestler who plays up his Italian role so well. In other words, he has loads of untapped potential. However, his WWE career got to the point where he was next in line to join Dlo Brown, Raven, and Justin Credible to be released. However, he was traded to Smackdown and became a member of the FBI. Now, for reasons that escape me *Cough Cough Heyman’s Demotion Cough Cough*, the FBI has went from a major group on the rise, to one of the most ineffective groups in the current federation. This is Johnny Stamboli's HWA Curse... for the first time in his career, he is relatively healthy and performing very well and he is constantly being used as a Sunday Night Heat or Velocity mainstay, or used as a Monday Night Raw or Smackdown jobber. Too bad the WWE doesn't know what they are missing.

    Mark Jindrak: Same as Johnny Stamboli. He is a former WCW tag team champion. He is not only that, he has suffered a true free fall in the calling up process. He went from being the heavily rumored fourth member of Evolution, a position he told friends and family that he would definitely have... to having a less than to be desired Raw debut, where he was hardly hyped or announced, and now he is in a generic tag team with other curse victim, Garrison Cade. His curse is that he has experienced one of the biggest freefalls in recent memory to the point that he is either stuck on Sunday Night Heat or used as a Monday Night Raw jobber.

    Maven: Hopefully you can all catch Maven's curse. Let me first start off by saying that I supremely dislike Maven. I feel that he is a worthless wrestler and the wrong choice for Tough Enough 1 champion. Be that as it may, he was getting lots of praise during his first run with the WWE. He was a hardcore champion, even defending it at Wrestlemania 18. Not only that, he had the fortune of playing the character of Torrie Wilson's boyfriend... a role that anyone on here would give their left nut to be.. don't lie either. You'd think that he would have good luck but out of nowhere SNAP. Suddenly he is out of action for 6 months with a broken leg. Since the leg injury, Maven has yet to completely recover from the 6 month break. He was riding high... even to the point of being PWI’s Rookie of the Year in 2002. However, after the leg break, he was transferred to Raw where he has been beaten unmercifully by Triple H, but that’s not all. He has been riding in the shadow of Tough Enough since the break in an effort to get over with the fans. The tough enough shadow has made his character stale and boring. Whereas Jackie Gayda, Nidia, and Linda Miles have grown out of their roles... Maven continues to be “The Tough Enough Guy”. In short, < ;b>Maven has suffered a freefall to the point where he has to latch himself onto a contest he won in an effort to get over. Do you see what I mean by these HWA stars having streaks of bad luck?

    The 3 Minute Warning: These two have had absolutely nothing but bad luck in their WWE careers. In HWA, they were the premier Tag Team. They were also one of the most hyped and anticipated developmental talents. However, in the WWE, they have suffered major blows to their careers. They were brought in to be such bad asses. They were feared week after week with pure physicality. However, it was all downhill from there. After the accidental injuries of a frail lesbian and WWE official, Pat Patterson, 3MW freefalled to the point that they were nothing but another worthless jobber team. So, take your pick... what is their curse? Is it the fact that They never lived up to their developmental hype? Is it the fact that they Never returned to the domination of the tag division they experienced in HWA... to the point where they never even won a WWE tag team championship. Or could it be that Jamal was fired and now, despite the comedic value of his push, Rosey is considered S.H.I.T.? Take your pick... but the curses are there.

    Shannon Moore: Shannon Moore was becoming very well received when he came to the WWE from the HWA. He seemed very quick in the transition from Velocity to Smackdown, he was getting decent pops, and he was a serious contender for the WWE Cruiserweight title. Suddenly, in the midst of homosexual angles and the tag title tournament, the cruiserweight division was completely depushed. Some felt the effects, others like Jamie Noble and Tajiri, didn't. Shannon Moore went from a contender to a Velocity wrestler, occasionally on Smackdown, but rarely for the title. In other words... DEPUSH. However, that all changed, and Shannon Moore is now featured on almost every Smackdown show and almost every Smackdown Pay Per View. But to what cost and in what role? It’s this simple... Shannon Moore, Shannon Moore is no longer his own wrestler... his simply Matt Hardy’s bitch. He has been thrown into Matt Hardy’s shadow and he isn’t getting out for a long time. Those are his curses. And this is a case that particularly pisses me off. Shannon Moore does not deserve to be anyone’s bitch or lackey. He is a good cruiserweight and would be perfect for the division. At least give him the chance to make it on his own. They had the perfect opportunity to do that at Summerslam with the Hardy/Gowen match. Hardy could be beating on Gowen so bad that Moore interferes on Gowen’s behalf causing Hardy the match. Am I the only one that sees that? That would cause three things. 1. Gowen’s first Pay Per View win. 2. Hardy does the job, but it’s through interference, so his credibility isn’t killed. 3. Moore turns face and begins a cruiserweight feud with Matt Hardy, which would probably kick ass. It just bothers me when the WWE does not capitalize on just plain logical storylines.

    Jamie Noble: Now.. how in the hell can Jamie Noble be a victim of the HWA curse? He was a cruiserweight champion for many months, he defended the title successfully on many occasions, sometimes on pay per view, and he has stormed through the ranks of the federation. Maybe he is an exception. Well, some may think that, but I don't see it that way. When Jamie Noble cuts a promo, who is the attention paid to? Nidia. When Jamie Noble has a problem, who steals the spotlight by playing her redneck whore role? Nidia. Finally, when Jamie Noble is wrestling, of all times, are we focusing more on the match, or is the camera making relatively frequent shots to Nidia and are the commentators talking about the match or are they talking about Nidia more than they should? I think it's all Nidia, interestingly enough, she was an OVW wrestler. Sure, Jamie Noble has been successful, but he has been completely overshadowed by Nidia. How can you be considered a serious champion when your girlfriend/valet is the focus whenever you show up on screen?

    Lance Cade: Much like 3 Minute Warning, Lance Cade could quite possibly be considered the premier HWA singles star. He was an HWA tag team and heavyweight champion, and not only that, he was considered THE protégé of Shawn Michaels. Then, when HWA was dropped, he was sent to OVW, where he enjoyed lots of success there as well. However, he gets to the WWE; he chops off his hair and gets a name change. Not only did he have to change his persona, but he is, again, used as a Heat mainstay or a Raw jobber. Either way, he definitely has not lived up to the expectations of his reputation in the developmental system.

    Now, like I said before, The HWA curse does not discriminate. In fact, people other than developmental talent have felt the bite of it. Main wrestlers who have been sent down to HWA for reasons have felt the curse as well. Raven? GONE! DLo Brown? GONE! Justin Credible? GONE! Steven Richards is forced to be a lackey of a woman. Tommy Dreamer has been forced to eat and drink absolutely revolting stuff... even though he likes it... it kinda brought him down a peg, not to mention he has been buried. Val Venis suffered a freak accident and that caused him to be injured, and almost killed, not he is on Heat. Bill DeMott does not even wrestle anymore... sure he was a trainer for Tough Enough... but you see Al Snow and Ivory in the ring more than ol Bill? Ron Waterman was one of the original OVW Four along with Lesnar, Orton, and Rico... and he was sent to HWA to sharpen his skills, where he was promptly released. Jason Sugarman was signed as another major developmental find, when the WWE turned around and didn’t renew his contract when the HWA was let go.

    The only wrestler thus far that I can think about that has not been a victim of the HWA curse is Rene Dupree. Now, being the son of his father, does anyone think he will suffer that same fate? Me neither.

    There are two wrestlers who have felt the HWA curse worse than any others though. These wrestlers are Charlie Haas and Steve Bradley.

    Charlie Haas was a WWE developmental talent for a very long time, and needs no introduction. He has had lots of success in the WWE, but I will tell you right now, it is not the way he would want it to be. You see, Charlie Haas was trained at first, as a tag team wrestler. Along with his brother, Russ, he formed a much hyped tag team called The Haas Brothers. The Haas brothers were a very quickly up and coming tag team within the business. These wrestlers were working dark matches well before the WCW purchase and it seemed like Russ and Charlie would be called up anytime. Unfortunately, their push was put on permanent hold when the WCW was purchased. Suddenly, wrestlers like Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble, Johnny The Bull, and then prospect Mike Sanders, were the number 1 priority. But still, The Island Boys were still expecting a call up, maybe the Haas brothers would also be that fortunate and add something to the terrible WWE tag division. Sadly, the duo would never make it into the WWE, as Russ Haas would suffer an untimely death before he could make it into the WWE. What could be worse bad luck when you are trained as a tag team wrestler and your partner, and even worse, your own brother dies? It was an extremely tragic death due to heart failure, and he is mourned every day by his brother, who ceremoniously pays tribute to his fallen brother by writing RUSS on his wrist tape every match. There is also a memorial show dedicated to Russ’s Memory. As for Charlie, he had to be retrained as a singles wrestler under the name R.C. Haas. He had success in OVW, and has had unparallel success with Shelton Benjamin. However, he has experienced the kind of loss that I would not wish upon anyone. Charlie has to live with the feeling that he must, without a doubt feel, bittersweet with each amount of tag team success he receives... knowing that it should be with someone else. I applaud his professionalism for continuing with his career and thereby becoming one of the most exciting and well received Smackdown superstars today. It seems that he has bounced back, but you can see the sadness if you know the story.

    Someone who hasn't bounced back though, is Steve Bradley. I have mentioned Steve Bradley many times in my many columns. I really feel sorry for Steve Bradley. Like Haas, he suffered bad luck in his developmental years, but not as bad as Haas's. Steve Bradley was dicked over by the WWE for years. Once upon a time, there were THREE WWE Developmental Territories... OVW, HWA, and Memphis Championship Wrestling. For a time, Steve was the bi ggest HWA prospect. In a time before Lesnars, Cades, Batistas, and Cenas, there were four major WWE Developmental Wrestlers on the verge of a call up. They were HWA’s Haas Brothers and Steve Bradley and MCW’s K-Krush, who was eventually called up as K-Kwik, and released. Again, like Haas, he was working dark matches, and his calling up was put completely on hold by the WCW purchase. The only problem with that is that even BEFORE the WCW purchase, he was being told that he was going to be called up. Imagine being told this and patiently waiting and busting your ass for that one phone call... then watching former WCW wrestlers come in and take your spot, then get called up before you. Even after all of the WCW wrestlers debuted, there was still talk of giving Bradley a spot on the main roster of the WWE. After all, you'd think that they'd owe it to him after telling him for about 3 years that his call up would be coming soon. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to see Bradley in action on Raw or Smackdown. The HWA program was dropped by the WWE, and the WWE shipped the talent they wanted to save to the OVW, like Lance Cade, Charlie Haas, and Mark Jindrak. Do you notice whose name is not on that list? That's right... after years of being told he was next to be called up, that his turn was next, that he was the top prospect.. Steve Bradley was out like a fat chick in dodge ball. In the blink of an eye, over 5 years of wrestling and lies were over. Steve Bradley is no longer a part of the WWE developmental system.

    Are the former HWA wrestlers cursed? Maybe, maybe not... but one can not ignore the fact that they all have suffered a mysterious form of bad luck that, theoretically, could've been vital to their careers. Then again, in some cases, they were vital to some careers. Or am I just going Oliver Stone on all of you with my conspiracy theories?

    Random Stops Along the Way

    This is where I do my little... random tidbits about Wrestling that I have noticed, again, concerning the midcard and stuff like that.

    I liked the fact that The Coach has turned heel. It really reminded me of an NWO heel turn. It was totally unexpected, and then on the next show, he is announced by Eric Bischoff, where he comes down to the ring with a brand new attitude. I don’t know... it just seemed very reminiscent of an NWO turn based on the people involved.

    Smackdown sure seemed to be a not as stacked show as usual this week. However, I love the Smackdown roster, and continually watch in hope that Kanyon will re debut. Soon… I hope...

    Well, I am kind of spent, so I will cut down on the Random Stops for today... so, I will close out my column with…

    The Caboose

    Alright fools, enough of the jibber jabber... What did we learn today?

    1. The Curse of the HWA... real? You could easily back up the argument.

    2. Good move Turning Coach heel.

    3. I miss Kanyon

    4. Head to the Columns Forum for DEVELOPMENTAL MADNESS... the dual column for Big John Studd and Myself. Coming Soon.


    Alright, that’s it for my column for this week. I will be back either this Saturday or next. Thanks to people like Big John, Daveyboy, Dredg, Skorpio, and Snapple for all of their support throughout their forums tenure. What hasn’t been said about these guys that I can add? They are stellar writers and excellent people. Thanks for the great writers in there right now... like Doublehelix, Rick Stallion, Dubzilla, XanMan, and Pt2. I hope to see you up on the main page with me one day, and I urge you all to check out the great columns these and other writers have in the forum. Thanks to Tito and Stanman for moderating the forum, and thanks to Calvin Martin for calling me up. Too bad my team is going to wreck yours in fantasy football though Calvin. Thanks to anyone for their support if I have forgotten. And finally, thank you for reading. ANY Feedback is appreciated.


    Da J-Train
    merlinJAP@hotmail.com (If you email me, put FEEDBACK in the email subject or it will be deleted because of the SoBig virus going around)
    AIM: JPaw101




    *NEW GALLERY* AMAZING Recent Pix of Candice Michelle Soaking Herself for Diggnation! WOW!

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