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Submitted by Degenerate on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 9:25 PM EST 
 Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo.... YO! Yooooo... Wow, that didn't sound right coming from a Puerto Rican, did it? Bad execution of catchphrases aside, this is your host Degenerate. ready to (hopefully) rock your world with a brand-new column. It's been a hell of a week for me, working almost 60 hours, then going to a rock show and getting drunk (any New Yorkers out there, E-Mail me to let me know some hot spots to hang out during the weekend) and not getting too much sleep to work almost 60 hours again this week. But I sure don't care. It's been a blast. Still, unlike others who might make you think that you should be thanking them because they're writing for you, I'll actually thank you for reading this. You could be doing absolutely anything else right now instead of just sitting in front of your computer and reading this, so I really thank you for taking the time to read not only what I write here, but for the other writers in this site as well. I'm sure they're appreciative as well, even if they don't say it directly like I do. I'm such a sap. Although all you ego-maniacs out there won't mind me thank you all day, I still have a job to do, so let's get to this writing thing. * At least the WWE got the brilliant idea of bringing back the King Of The Ring tournament for next week. I have no idea why that tournament has been used "off-again, on-again", when it's usually a brilliant thing to do. Not only that, it has helped launch or boost many careers: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Booker T, Mabel, Billy Gunn... Wait, scrap those last two. Still, it's usually a good thing, resulting in interesting matchups and often surprising results. Who knows if next week is the start of someone's boost to the top? I'm looking forward to it. I just hope there's an old-school coronation ceremony. And keep Big Daddy V away from everything. * I actually caught most of this weekend's Pay-Per-View, TNA Lockdown. Although I'm not one for too much gimmick matches on one night, especially when the gimmick match is virtually the same (cage match), I mostly enjoyed the show. It's about fucking time that Samoa Joe was allowed to hold the TNA World Heavyweight Championship! It's been a long time in the making, for sure. I thought he should've been crowned champ at least nine months ago. Also, that match was greatly enhanced by the fact that the action was as stiff as possible! I actually cringed a couple of times Joe suplexed Kurt Angle, or hit him with a strong kick. The rest of the card was good, although I want to proclaim myself the manager of the "A.J. Styles For Champ 2008" campaign! * Sometimes, it takes a major tragedy for some good to come out. That's the way I view the WWE opening up a "Concussion Management" program. Although it came out of the necessity of a tragic moment, at least the WWE seems to be taking steps to prevent further damage to not only their talent, but those close to the talent. Of course, we don't know if concussions were the leading cause of Chris Benoit's bat-shit crazy moment, but according to former WWE superstar Chris Nowitzki, that has to be the major cause. If you haven't been following his research, I'd say he makes a good case for it. If it can prevent a murder or something down the road, it'll be worth it. Now get delusional Kurt Angle there, pronto! * Wow, talk about forgiveness... Bret Hart has actuially gone on record saying that he wouldn't mind working with the WWE again, and that "all they need to do is ask." Of course, I don't think it's that simple. It'll probably need to be something near-perfect for him, and he would probably demand that Shawn Michaels be 100 miles away from the arena. But this sort of thing is actually nice to hear for me. I honestly thought Bret was going to hold a grudge against Vince McMahon and the WWE forever, thus growing into a bitter old man. But he seems to want to totally bury the hatchet and appear one last time on television. Maybe he was envious of Ric Flair getting his chance to retire with dignity on WWE programming, but if he says this, the WWE should seriously jump at this opportunity, even if it's out of respect for the man. And when I say "out of respect", I mean "milk his appearance for all it's worth". * Wow, if I didn't kow better, I'd say Paul Heyman is very much bitter at the WWE, by giving comments that he can out-book anyone. But in all honesty, I don't think he's bitter at all, and that he's probably already at peace with the fact that he isn't in wrestling anymore. If he wanted to be in wrestling, he'd be in TNA by now. Then again, he probably despises Vince Russo's guts, which is why he's not there at all. I also agree with his sentiments that he can out-book anyone. Heyman seems to be more in tune with the fans as to what would work, probably too much to a fault. Still, his comments are probably unnecessary. The WWE is apparently quite happy to not have him, while he's quite happy not to be in the WWE. It's a win-win situation, I guess. * One last quickie thought: Who in the hell came up with the brilliant idea of "Hardys In Space"? I'm guessing it's one of Jeff's "puff-puff-give" buddies who was always in space with him. In times of war, ever since the 19th Century, distinguished Army generals with outstanding and recognized performances were given the title General Of The Army. This was the highest rank given to any single person in military service, and used throughout Post-Civil War America and in the World War II era, and of course, only a few were even considered for such a title. It wasn't something that was tossed around lightly, like column writing spots in wrestling sites or something. Although the United States hasn't bestowed this title upon no one in the past 50-plus years, it doesn't mean that there's no one that should be appointed this rank. No, I'm not talking about any of the commanding officers over there in Iraq or anything, or any of the ass-kissers in President Bush's Cabinet. I'm talking about something most of us know even more. I'm talking in professional wrestling. Yes, pro wrestling organizations should appoint someone as "General Of The Army", those who make Generals out of others, simply just leading by example. But who can be given such a highly-ranked title, for all their dedication and hard work in making others around them step up? We can bring out all the usual suspects: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair. Nope, it's not any one of them. They're great in their own right, but they can't boast the fact that they have made Generals out of others. That can only done by one single person in this entire universe:  You're damn right. It's Marc Mero. For those of you who haven't clicked on the 'Back' button in your browser, hear me out first. Yes, it's true that Marc Mero, while a decent wrestler, is probably labeled as "over-rated" by many. He also hasn't won any favors with his pro wrestling fans or peers thanks to his outspoken comments about steroids in wrestling while he was a part of it, prompting funny name-calling like "silly bastard" and "washed-up has-been". But if you look closer, you'll see a man who has more than earned his right to speak his mind about the wrestling business. He's done more for the business than we can ever imagine. Why do I make such ludicrous claims? Well, I didn't start it. Someone else did, and that was one Triple H. On his latest DVD, Triple H says the following: "People ask me this a lot, who I learned the most from in wrestling, and I'll begrudgingly a lot of time say Marc Mero. Working with Marc Mero forced me to be a Ring General." AHA! So the wonder that we currently know as Triple H, King Of Kings, 11-time World Champion, Cerebral Assassin, and all that other stuff he calls himself nowadays, didn't appear out of magic. He didn't become one of the biggest superstars in history by coincidence, nor the fact that he married probably the second most-powerful person in the entire company. He didn't start having memorable matches and having DVDs of himself out of thin air. It appeared because of Marc Mero. When Triple H said that, a light when off in my head. Of course, what one person says isn't enough to make it true. So I went digging for facts. And boy, did I find facts. When most wrestling fans hear "Marc Mero", the first thought that immediately comes to mind is "Sable." I don't blame them at all. Sable was probably the hottest Diva ever in the WWE. She was one of the first Divas who transcended from her valet role into Women's Champion. She was the first WWE Diva to pose for Playboy, and even that happened twice. And more importantly, she sparked tons of dirty, dirty thoughts in the minds of horny teenage boys, mine included. But where was Sable before she was associated with Marc Mero? She was a lifeless valet for one Hunter Hearst Helmsley, one that fans liked to look at when she was around, but immediately forgotten even before she went behind the curtain to the back. Once Sable was associated with Mero, everything changed. She got the confidence to go out and not be that lifeless valet she was before. She would speak her mind. She would show her wares to the world. She would whoop some serious butt. She sued McMahon for $110 million, yet had the balls to come back and work for him. Did I mention she would show her wares to the world? I don't think that's a mere coincidence. It usually takes something, a spark, to turn on that fire that shines as bright as ever. And that spark was a marvelous spark by Mero. His Generalship not only helps his male peers, it also helps the women too. I dug a bit deeper into Mero's past, and found more surprising results. Back in 1992 and 1993, Mero, while playing his amazing "Johnny B. Badd" gimmick in WCW, tagged up with a young, upstart, pudgy wrestler who no one gave a damn about. That wrestler? Does the name Mick Foley ring a bell? Yes, that Mick Foley. While playing the part of a young, pre-Hardcore Cactus Jack, Mero and Foley tagged up for a couple of matches, then had a Pay-Per-View match against each other. Not many people will remember that moment, but they will remember everything else Foley did after that point: Go to Japan and become the Hardcore Legend, go to the WWE and become a multiple-time World Champion, best-selling author and one of the most beloved people in professional wrestling nowadays. Again, not a coincidence. Another notable "Mero Disciple" was just the biggest name in sports-entertainment history. While WCW United States Champion, a young "Stunning" Steve Austin battled Mero for the title multiple times. That experience in WCW certainly helped, as he developed his in-ring skills and out-of-the-ring character. But that didn't help as much as their much-talked about match in the opening bout of the 1996 King Of The Ring. Mero and Austin stood in the ring once again, this time with the stakes higher than they had ever been. Again, what happened after Austin was in the ring with Mero? He went on to win the King Of The Ring that night, spouted his world-known catchphrase, and went on to be the most recognized star of professional wrestling of all time. One other interesting tidbit: Mero participated in only two Royal Rumble matches in his WWE career, in 1997 and 1998 - both won by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Who do you consider Stone Cold's counterpart at the time, as far as popularity went, when the WWE was at its peak? Yep, The Rock. And guess what? The Rock also benefitted immensely from Marc Mero's experience. The Rock debuted as a clean-cut babyface Rocky Maivia in the 1996 Survivor Series. His teammates in the match? Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Barry Windham and... Marc Mero. Just imagine the pressure of not only having your debut in a big Pay-Per-View, but also to share the ring with the General himself? Wow, I don't know how The Rock got through that match. These are just a few notable exceptions. If you look into Mero's rich wrestling history, you'll find many others who, while not having the exact same results, obviously showed increased Generalship after their encounter with him. Brian Pillman (when he was wrestling under a mask as "Yellow Dog"), William Regal and Diamond Dallas Page are a few notables who have went on to achieve great success after their meetings inside the ring. The next time you hear Marc Mero on the news, bitching and moaning about the current state of professional wrestling, don't ignore him. Don't tell him to shut the fuck up. Don't think of him as the nadir of professional wrestling. Just listen to him. It'll be one of the few times in your life that you'll be able to listen to a General speak... a General Of The Army. Marc Mero for the WWE Hall Of Fame 2009. This whole idea started with the Triple H: King Of Kings DVD I purchased a couple of weeks ago. As always, I go out of my way to purchase and collect these special WWE DVDs. They're normally good to have, and in twenty years, when my kids will be laughing at me for having DVDs, it'll be interesting to watch these matches again. This DVD took the same route as the previously released Stone Cold Steve Austin DVD, in which Triple H gives insight into his career at a certain point in time, then show a match from that era. I obviously prefer documentary-style type of videos as the main portion, with matches as an additional extra, but this was good enough to make me not bitch about it. The match selection is pretty good (thankfully skipping 2003 and its Scott Steiner and Kevin Nash matches) nd entertaining enough to even make the most devout Triple H hater sit down and watch a while. I'd recommend it unless you really, truly despise Triple H as a human being. For some reason, people seem to think that fantasy and reality are one. So, before I bail on you, I want to give some recommendations for additional reading from the Columns Forum. I haven't been giving too much love to those guys there, but they know I care for them, even if they bash me to hell. Give these columns a read if you have the minutes to spare. An Offer You Can’t Refuse 1 - Inanimate Objects By: The Godfather Tables, ladders and chairs. These aren't only for you to say "Oh My!". They're also a major part of professional wrestling today. Forum n00b (sorry, had to write it like that) The Godfather gives us his take on the importance of these inanimate objects. Just Business #13 - Wrestling in the S*** By: ManWithThePlan The WWE considers itself a global company. Hell, it even has "World" as part of its name. So why aren't there many other wrestlers from other parts of the world? The Man With The Plan...erm, ManWithThePlan, writes about the world we live in, and why can't the WWE bring in other peeps from other countries. So, that's about it for now. I'll make sure to be back as soon as possible, if work doesn't kill me first. In the meantime, keep my spirits alive by E-Mailing your thoughts on this column to dennmart@gmail.com. Or go on and join the forums over at LOPForums.com to leave some words for me there. As always, I appreciate them. Thanks for stopping by! Degenerate *NEW GALLERY* Very HOT and Revealing Gail Kim Photos! WOW!!!
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