Ready or not, here we go with another edition of the “20-Minute Promo.” As always, your quintessential columnist, Tommy Rock, is here to deliver wrestling insight to the masses. Take a look at the weekly rundown:

Hot Topic/Getting to Know Puro
Halloween Special New
Wrestling Report Card Archive
“Thought of the Week” by Tommy’s Grandmom
Ask Wregenie
Jenny Jones Vote
Beat the Columnist Results
BattleCage

I know that I had promised to do a “Rant” at least every other week, but I couldn’t come through this week. I’ll just leave it as this isn’t one of my better weeks, so I don’t burden you with my personal life. Besides, we’re supposed to have fun and talk wrestling, right? However, you can expect a new edition of “The Rant” and “How I Would Push…” in the upcoming weeks. This week, I have a special treat for all of my readers. Halloween is my favorite holiday and since this is the last column before that special day, I have a little Halloween treat for each of you. But before we get to that, we have to end this intro, so let’s get to the column.


Hot Topic/Getting to Know Puro - Hayabusa: Incident and Aftermath

The biggest story in wrestling is not the title victory of Chris Jericho or his ongoing saga with The Rock. However, Chris Jericho is affected almost as much by both scenarios. This past Monday, Hayabusa botched on a version of the Lionsault, paralyzing him from the waist down. Conflicting reports indicate either loose ropes or Hayabusa’s misjudgment on distance caused the incident. For a wrestler of his experience and expertise, I find it hard to believe in the latter. Regardless, wrestling has lost one of its best talents. Hayabusa is one of the few Puro stars that is recognizable on both coasts, gaining American acknowledgment in his ECW tag match with Jinsei Shinzaki versus Sabu and Rob Van Dam on PPV. In Japan, he was a solidified star, sharing the ring with some of the greatest to ever step into a ring. He revolutionized high-flying with his vast aerial assault, executed crisply and nearly to perfection. His name became synonymous with the daredevil style of wrestling. Unlike many of the high-flyers we have become accustomed to, he used his aerial assault to tell a bigger story, to entertain the fans by more than just providing shock value.

This incident has more repercussions than just confining a superstar to a wheelchair. This freak in-ring accident could affect wrestling on a large scale. Take for instance our new WCW Champion Jericho. Doesn’t Jericho use the Lionsault as a part of his match? Wasn’t Jericho the victim of loose ring ropes at SummerSlam against Rhyno? Isn’t Jericho often criticized for hasty or often sloppy ring work? To think that this accident will not have an influence on Jericho’s psyche and affect his in-ring ability is to be greatly mistaken. Thoughts of Hayabusa will be on his mind every time he attempts the move, with even greater concentration on the risk of failure.

It is of my belief that many wrestlers and officials will re-think the high-flying tactics that are present in the WWF. Jim Ross has claimed that the WWF his trying to tone down the high-flying in matches, and this event could be the catalyst for such an evolution. But with toned down ring work and a stronger emphasis on matt technician, how will superstars like Rob Van Dam and the Hardy Boyz, who have gained popularity with their high-flying arsenal, be affected? Will their popularity wane with a limited offense? While the incident is a great loss to the sport, the aftermath could have ever-lasting affects.


Halloween Special

Many of you probably could not wait to get to this section; people just love surprises. What is it? Is it a review of past Halloween Havocs? Is it Trish Stratus partially naked in lingerie similar to a witch’s costume? Is it the voice of The Shockmaster wishing everyone a Happy Halloween? Sorry if I got your hopes up, but it is none of the above. Instead, I’ve decided to write a little section on one of the scary scariest, creepiest, and most frightening wrestlers/gimmicks in the annals of wrestling. Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Papa Shango.

Photo taken from ACW Rare Wrestling Pictures