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Submitted by Hustle on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 11:24 PM EST
 Good lookin out for the graphics work, Noc "Everybody claimin they the best and heed the throne.. since *B.I.G.* is gone, if you ask me, they *Dead Wrong*.. my flow is hotter than the flash from the click.. when the hammer slaps the bullet on the ass from the clip.." This week's intro line comes to us from Detroit Rock City's own Royce Da 5'9. Welcome, one and all, the the 26th edition of the column that's got a style so cold, everybody and their mama wanna claim it, but they can't get the hang of it.. Hustle Is Posting Right Now. It's ya boy, Hustle, and yes, I'm the illest.. no one is like me.. nah, that's unlikely. Last week, we got a posting milestone out of the way, so now, it's on to the next milestone. HIPRNv50, here we come. I hope everyone out there is doing well, and preparing yourselves for Halloween, one way or another. Surprisingly enough, I will not be going with a Halloween-themed column here, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it for a little while. When push came to shove, however, I went with what turned out to be the final product for v26, so, without any further adieu.. shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!! Addiction, as many people know first-hand, is an incredibly difficult thing to deal with. Some people are addicted to drugs. Some people are addicted to alcohol. Some people are addicted to attention. Some people are addicted to some people. It seems like there's an addiction for every person walking the face of this planet today. I'm not here to preach about how you shouldn't get yourselves into situations that may lead to you becoming addicted to something. No, I'm the last person who needs to preach about anything, as I've been through enough trials and tribulations in my life to make most people blush. I'm just here, trying to write a column about a particular subject that we can all relate to in one way or another. There's no deep message tied in to this column. This isn't a "for" or "against" piece. Again, it's just a regular column about a particular subject. Unless you've been living on the moon for the last several years, you'll understand that addiction is a brutal beast in the world of professional wrestling. While their schedules aren't as hectic as the days when I was growing up, these guys are still under so much pressure, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Get in the ring, get beat up for a bit, head off to the next city, get in the ring, get beat up for a bit, head off to the next city.. lather, rinse, repeat. Their bodies get battered on a near nightly basis, but it's such a cut-throat business that they almost have to work through any injuries that spring up, out of fear for losing whatever "spot" they have, or whatever connection with the fans they have. That's why their minor injuries almost always turn into more serious injuries, like the broken neck epidemic that took place a few years ago, where it seemed like a new member of the WWF roster was having neck surgery every month. To get through the pain, these guys have been known to do whatever it takes. They'll take pills to help with their constant pain, and they'll wash the pills down with alcohol. They'll take pills so that their bodies can relax long enough for them to get a decent night's sleep, and they'll take pills to help their bodies wake up again the next day. That's not even taking into consideration any recreational (and not-so-recreational) drugs that they may be taking. Did you notice that I failed to mention steroids in the previous paragraph? That wasn't accidental. I'm not one of those people that like to sit here and assume so-and-so is on steroids, while so-and-so isn't. If you want a columnist like that, it won't take much to find one, because they're all over the internet. They swear up and down that they know which wrestlers are GUARANTEED to be on something illegal, and they can apparently tell just by looking at their bodies. Personally, I would think that, with those amazing abilities, they'd be doing more with their lives than writing wrestling columns on the internet, but hey, that's just my opinion. You know, opinion.. the thing that's different than a fact, no matter how hard some may try to push their opinions as facts. Don't believe the hype.  Scott Hall has seen the highs and lows of life in the last decade or so. He was, of course, the first member of the nWo, which ended up being the single biggest storyline in pro wrestling history. Before then, he was a solid member of the WWF midcard for a good four years or so, earning himself four reigns as the Intercontinental Champion (as Razor Ramon, for those not "in-the-know"). Throughout all the money he's made, all the history he's been a part of, and all the titles he's held, though, Scott Hall has had well-publicized problems with alcohol that have nearly derailed his career on multiple occasions. The backstage atmosphere at WCW probably didn't help his cause very much. By that, I mean that guys like Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, and the like were just about free to do as they wish without any consequence. There was so much money being put into the nWo storyline (and so much money being brought in because of it) that those guys were able to get away with things that the "regular" wrestler wouldn't dream of getting away with. The "rock star" mentality became huge with those guys, and the reports of their attitude are famous at this point. There was even a storyline in WCW where Scott would come to the ring, "drunk", holding what may or may not have been alcohol. Some thought this was some sort of punishment for his real-life behavior, but I don't really see how continuing to give him TV time is any sort of punishment. Through all of this, though, Scott was given chance after chance. With as messed up as parts of his personal life were (alcohol problems, marriage problems, etc), he was so good at what he did IN the ring that he couldn't be ignored. This much became obvious when Vince McMahon, having just purchased WCW a year earlier, felt that it was time to bring in the nWo for a ratings boost. Scott, Kevin, and The Hulkster were brought in to recreate their roles as the biggest faction of all-time. Things were looking good for him, but he just couldn't shake those addictions of his. He got into an altercation on a flight after becoming more and more drunk, and he was released from the company soon thereafter. Things were no better for the guy after leaving WWE. He had a nice run in TNA cut short by what many believe to be his demons. For those that don't remember, there was a match with Scott and his buddy, Kevin Nash, teaming with Samoa Joe to take on Kurt Angle's "Alliance". The pay-per-view went on the air, and Hall was nowhere to be found. This led to Samoa Joe coming to the ring and cutting his infamous shoot promo on Hall, causing some legit heat between Joe and Nash. The initial report was that Scott was suffering from food poisoning, which is why he didn't appear for the show, but as usual, rumors ran wild. Some rumors had Scott trying to kill himself, while some simply said he "didn't feel like" showing up. Whatever it was, it only added another sad chapter to the Book Of Hall.  There is, perhaps, no more famous "addiction" story in wrestling history than that of Jake "The Snake" Roberts. His bouts with alcohol addition, as well as cocaine/crack addiction, are extremely well-known. The one thing about Jake that I've admired though all of his negative moments is that he doesn't pass the blame off to other people or to other things. In the interviews I've seen or have read, he's the first to admit that he's fucked up his own life by making the choices that he's made. Making mature decisions like that makes his immature decisions just that much more tragic, however. Unlike Scott Hall, a lot of Jake's problems with addiction have been before the public eye. Whether it's those numerous interviews where he was never afraid to admit to his problems, or whether it was the rambling and incoherent promos that he's cut at various indy shows through the years, the spotlight has always been focused brightly on Jake's issues. I still remember back to watching the "Heroes Of Wrestling" pay-per-view back in 1999, which might be Jake's most infamous moment. Before his match against Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Jake cut one of those rambling and incoherent promos ("You don't want to play cards with me because I cheat, okay? I cheat. You wanna play 21? I've got 22. You want to play Blackjack? I've got two of those, too."), and he then came out for the match visibly drunk. The match was changed to a tag match, pitting Jake and Yokozuna against Neidhart and King Kong Bundy. At the time, it wasn't known why the match was changed, but it was later revealed that Neidhart was upset over Jake's antics, and he refused to go out and wrestle him, so the tag match was made to ease The Anvil's concerns. The match itself was absolutely terrible, with none of the men knowing what the finish was going to be, and needing to find out midway through. Jake's odd behavior wasn't limited to a pre-match interview, though, as he used his snake, Damien, to simulate an erect penis, before stroking Damien, mimicking masturbation in front of a shocked audience. Jake's problems have been so plentiful that (I hate having to say this) I'm almost surprised that he's still alive, whether he would've left us due to an overdose, his heart giving out on him, or from suicide. As a kid, Jake was always one of my favorite wrestlers, so it's especially sad for me to see what has become of his life.  Not every addiction is necessarily a bad one, of course. With their new hype videos, WWE has shed even more light on John Cena's apparent addiction to the company, and to pro wrestling, in general. By now, I'm sure most of you have either seen the video or have heard the story, but the guy had neck surgery, and still felt the need to attend that evening's Smackdown tapings, to visit everyone and to show his commitment to the company. He left the hospital, and he went straight to the tapings.. with a band-aid on his neck, as if his neck surgery was nothing but a mere inconvenience. The most amazing part of this entire thing isn't the band-aid part, nor is it how quickly he left a hospital bed to be with the company. No, the most amazing part of this entire thing is that he attended the SMACKDOWN TAPINGS WHEN HE'S A MEMBER OF THE RAW ROSTER! It would be one thing if Raw was coming to us live from down the road that night. It would still be absolute insanity that he attended the show, but hey, it could be said that he wanted to stay in the loop on his show. However, attending the tapings of a different brand is just.. just.. Godly. I don't know how many of you out there have ever had surgery before, but, whether it as an inpatient or outpatient procedure, you probably didn't feel like doing much of anything when you woke up. I know I didn't, that's for sure. I just wanted to rest, and maybe even have some ice cream to ease the pain. Ice cream eases all pain, people. Trust me. I'm somewhat surprised that John's doctors even allowed him to attend the show, knowing that they'd be held responsible if something were to have happened to him. Either way, I think it's safe to say that I'm happy they did what they did, and I'm definitely happy that John is on his way back to the ring real soon. Hi Haters.  To change directions once more, allow me to bring up the current WWE Champion, Triple H. It can be said (and it HAS been said on a repeated basis by his "haters") that he's addicted to the power he has within the company. There are some out there that feel his relationship with Stephanie McMahon is based more on that power than on love. There are some out there that feel he uses his "family ties" to squash talent on the roster that he feels are some sort of a "threat" to him. There are some out there that feel he's on a personal mission to win more World Title reigns in his career than his mentor, Ric Flair, did. I'm definitely bored of Triple H's character, but I'll never deny that he has a passion for the wrestling business that goes beyond marrying his boss' daughter and coasting through the rest of his career. If you've ever listened to him do commentary (whether it be guest commentary on TV, or special commentary on DVD matches), you'd hear that he knows his moves, and he knows what he's talking about, so it's not like he was some no-talent hack who stumbled into a lucky situation. There's also no denying that he has worked his ass off to continue improving as an in-ring performer through the years, to the point where he's about as big of a psychology master as there is in the business. I don't buy into most of the "rumors" about the guy, to be honest. All of these released wrestlers doing shoot interviews about Triple H screams of "sour grapes" more than anything else, and I don't pay much attention to them. Honestly, I just wanted to bring Triple H up in this column because I seem to have a lot of readers who aren't fans of the guy for some of the reasons I mentioned in this section, and I know they'd mention him if I would've left him out. It's my column.. I can do things like that. Speaking of things I can do because this is my column.. with Cyber Sunday coming up in a few days, and with this column not being as long as my usual work, I figured I'd go ahead with my picks for the show. I won't be going into great detail or anything, just picking winners and giving a quick reason as to why I picked who I picked. Let's go.. United States Title - Shelton Benjamin VS R-Truth, MVP, or Festus If R-Truth isn't voted into this match, my jaw may hit the floor. However, because the match will be streaming on WWE.com before the PPV comes on the air, I don't see a title change taking place. Look for a screwy ending, setting up a rematch somewhere down the line. Winner: R-Truth wins the vote, then wins the match by DQ Divas Halloween Costume Contest Really, who gives a shit? I mean, come on.. is there anyone out there that is really sitting there and wondering which of the Divas is going to win? Seriously? Winner: Virgins watching the PPV and people who don't have access to actual porn Choose Your Match - Jamie Noble & Mickie James VS William Regal & Layla, Cryme Tyme VS The Miz & John Morrison, or Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase VS CM Punk & Kofi Kingston I would think that the popularity of Punk & Kofi, as well as the fact it would be a title match, would sway the vote in that direction. Honestly, Team Priceless needs this victory, and I think they'll get it. Their maybe-stable needs them to be on a roll, and a PPV victory over two men who, not all that long ago, were THE two top guys on the Raw roster (technically), would be just what the doctor ordered. Winners: Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase VS CM Punk & Kofi Kingston wins the vote, Rhodes & DiBiase win the match ECW Title - Matt Hardy VS Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, or Finlay This is another vote that, provided WWE isn't rigging the results, has a pretty obvious winner. Evan Bourne is one of the most over guys in the entire company right now, and this is going to be his "coming out party", so to speak. He won't win the match, but look for him to push Hardy to the limit. This won't be Bourne's last shot at the ECW Title. Not even close. Winner: Evan Bourne wins the vote, Matt Hardy wins the match Falls Count Anywhere, No Holds Barred, or 2-out-of-3 Falls - Rey Mysterio VS Kane Could these choices have been any worse? Yes, I realize they aren't the EXACT same match, but seriously.. Falls Count Anywhere and No Holds Barred both needed to be included here? Either way, this won't be the end of their feud, in my opinion. I'd look for Kane to come out with a victory using some sort of underhanded tactic, and their blowoff will take place at Survivor Series. Oh, and I'd imagine that Falls Count Anywhere is what will win the vote, because fans love those wild & kooky brawls that go all over the arena. Winner: Falls Count Anywhere wins the vote, Kane wins the match Intercontinental Title - Santino Marella VS Roddy Piper, Goldust, or The Honky Tonk Man I'm really not looking forward to this match, to be honest. For one, Santino still isn't a very good wrestler. Two, are those really awe-inspiring choices they've given us? Three, there never is a three. Four, it'll end up being Charlie Haas portraying the winner of the vote, anyway, and that guy bores me to tears. Hopefully, this one ends quickly, but I do think the fans will vote in HTM. Bah, let's move on, before I actually have to start thinking about these guys having a match. Winner: Honky Tonk Man wins the vote, Charlie Haas comes out as the Haasy Tonk Man, Santino wins the match Knockout, "I Quit", or Last Man Standing - The Undertaker VS Big Show Nothing about this feud has interested me so far, and I don't see anything changing that. The Undertaker's character is just so stale to me, and there aren't many directions that his matches and feuds can go in. What scares me is that we could be looking at another edition of Buried Alive at Survivor Series, because there's no way this feud ends here after not having all that much happen yet. I'd like to see a Last Man Standing match here, as those matches are generally entertaining, and it would be a good way of possibly getting this match to "watchable" status. Look for Big Show to win with the help of any of the 72 people Taker's been feuding with recently. Winner: Last Man Standing wins the vote, Big Show wins the match WWE Title - Triple H VS Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, or Hardy & Kozlov in a Triple Threat The fans want Jeff Hardy in this match. The company wants Vladimir Kozlov in this match. You know what that means, folks.. Triple Threat "wins" the vote. In my last column, I predicted that Jeff Hardy would defeat Triple H at WrestleMania 25 to win his very first WWE Championship, so I obviously can't pick Jeff to win here. I don't think he'd win, anyway, as the company appears to have bigger things planned for Kozlov in the short-term. That said, Kozlov still isn't ready for a title reign, in my opinion. That leaves one option, which is Triple H retaining the belt here. I'm thinking that Trips pins Jeff, and then gets attacked by Kozlov after the match, setting up a one-on-one match between the two. Winner: Triple Threat wins the vote, Triple H wins the match World Title - Chris Jericho VS Batista - Special Guest Referee: Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin I don't find myself particularly looking forward to this match, and the Referee won't change that, no matter who it ends up being. Just because he has a new movie to plug, though, I see Steve Austin winning the vote here, storyline continuity be damned. They've made Batista look better than Jericho on Raw for the last few weeks, so conventional wisdom would have Jericho going over in this match. I agree, but it'll be some sort of flukey win to go along with how they're trying to push Jericho as the luckiest man on the planet. That can only go so far, so they either need to change things up soon, or end his reign. You can't have your #1 guy in the company looking weak every.. week. Winner: Steve Austin wins the vote, Chris Jericho wins the match Thank you to the following for helping me create ideas for this column: - Eminem's "I'm Having A Relapse" freestyle (the title of the song, not the song itself, because it's quite subpar) - Going back to something I never thought I'd go back to - Being mad at myself for continuously going back to those things I never thought I'd go back to - Scott Hall's recent incident at the Iron Sheik's roast Thank you to the following for helping me get through this column: - Wale's "The Mixtape About Nothing" mixtape - Charles Hamilton's "It's Charles Hamilton" mixtape - "I Can't Make It Home" by Devin The Dude & L.C. - "All Bets On Ace" by Ace Hood Writer's Note: This is your last chance to send in questions for "Ask Hustle". Once again, it can be any question at all that you'd like answered. It doesn't have to be wrestling-related. With your question(s), leave me whatever name it is you'd like to be credited as. I've already started working on the column, and it'll be out pretty soon (perhaps even next week), so send those questions in. I've got some really good ones already, but there's always room for more. That concludes another edition of Hustle Is Posting Right Now. As usual, I appreciate every single one of you that is still reading. I also want to thank those of you who are taking the time to leave me some feedback, whether it be in my thread over at LoPForums.com, through Private Message at LoPForums.com, through e-mail, on my MySpace page, on my HIPRN MySpace page, on AIM, or on MSN. I figured that I'd been doing the "easier" columns for a few weeks, so I had to take this week's edition in a "different" route again. Damnit, I shouldn't even have to tell most of you this by now, but for those who don't know, it's like this.. one week from now.. same Hustle time, same Hustle page.. I'll be back like cooked crack for the 27th installment of HIPRN. I'm like Muta's mist.. I'm not new to this.. and I got this column-writing thing on lock. Until then, I'm ghost like dead game show hosts (shouts to Ray Combs), nah'mean? From a place that YOU would like to be right now, I bid you farewell. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa. "Life can change ya directions, even when you ain't planned it.. all you can do is handle it.. worst thing you can do is panic.. use it to your advantage.. avoid insanity.. manage to conquer every obstacle.. make impossible possible.. even when winning's illogical, losing's still far from optional.." Hustle HIPRNFeedback@gmail.com 
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