Author: Pastor Ed Boston

Ed’s Perspective: The Upcoming AJ Styles Interview

Once again, I’m writing about something that I’m really excited about. I’ve done many interviews in my online career (both inside and outside of the wrestling industry) but none any bigger than this coming Wednesday when I talk with “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles. 

I’ve interviewed movie stars, musicians, contestants of reality shows, politicians, war heroes, and professional wrestlers, so why am I excited at the AJ Styles interview?

Well the answer is two fold.

First,  AJ Styles is a huge star in the wrestling business. Notice I said IS and not WAS. It’s very tough to get close to those who are still active in the business, especially those with major promotions. The Phenomenal One was just in a TNA Impact main event.

Now I know people might say, yeah but he is gone from TNA now, and my reply would be “so what”. He was just rubbing shoulders with Sting – in the month of January! If you know anything about the wrestling business, you know that AJ Styles would be a superstar in any major promotion in the world!

Secondly, AJ Styles is not afraid to share his Christian faith with others, and we will certainly not shy away from that.

Sure we will cover many topics, TNA, contract issues, Dixie Carter, WWE, and Ring of Honor among others, but I would like to hear, how being on the road as much as he has been, how can he keep true to his Christian faith, doing the right thing, and family values that are so important to him.

Join us live, Wednesday January 22 @ 1pm Eastern on DTRT Wrestling New radio on  Blog Talk Radio.  If you know an AJ Styles fan, do them a favor and share this with them – you (and they) will not be disappointed.

Ed’s Perspective: Are The Divas Done?

This week’s departure of Celeste Bonin, aka Kaitlyn, 1531603_410531045746714_82347701_nfrom the WWE brings up a situation that has been going on for a very long time.  Does the WWE have any real plans for the Divas Division?

In a post here at DTRT Wrestling titled “Kaitlyn Comments On Her “New Life”” one has to read between the lines and wonder why would the Diva, who was in my mind was “Diva of the Year” in 2013, just abruptly decide to leave the business. No advance notice and no rumors leading up to the awesome final match with her close friend AJ that you can watch at this link. 

The reasons that were given in this article “Why Did Celeste Bonin Leave WWE” ring loud and clear to those of us who are fans of women’s wrestling and who also believe the Divas Division is grossly under utilized and lacks direction.

In the article by Sharon Glencross the reason was frustration. The former bodybuilder had grown frustrated with her role (or rather, lack of one) on WWE television:

Kaitlyn is done with WWE as of today (Jan 8). The word we got from people in WWE was that there were a lot of storylines involving her that she was wanting/expecting that never came to fruition, and that essentially she was just over it.

Many of us had high hopes that the reality show, Total Divas, would usher in a new and bigger in ring emphasis on the highly gifted athletes that comprise the Divas division. Sadly, that has not been the case.

To me, the Funkadactyls are perfect examples of how the WWE looks at their Divas. Outstanding in ring performers in their own right, Naomi and Cameron are known more for their cheer leading, their pom poms, and their dancing than they are for their wrestling abilities.

To answer the question in the title to this post, Are The Divas Done, it’s not the Divas who are struggling, but it’s the direction of their division that is the problem. Only those in the higher up positions who decide who and what gets air time on TV can answer if they will ever use the Divas for anything more than eye candy.

With all of the hours of programming that are on each week, and the soon to launch WWE Network adding to the possibilities, the potential for the Divas Division should be huge.

Apparently, Celeste Bonin didn’t see that potential happening any time soon, and quite frankly neither do I.

Right now, the WWE is missing the boat and letting their fans down by not developing and letting the Diva story lines play out.

Finally, the impact of the departure of Kaitlyn is just the latest casualty in this ongoing source of frustration for  those of us who enjoy women’s wrestling, as this video by DTRT Wrestling’s Vanessa shows.  Her BFF, AJ said it best for all of us at the end of their Main Event match.

“I’m going to miss you” AJ whispered so low that it took slowed down video, maximum volume, headsets and lots of time by our own Trevor and Vanessa to finally figure out.

Indeed Celeste, we are going to miss you.

Sign Guy Hospitalized After Mishap

This past Saturday was the annual HPW Anniversary Show. Jerry Wilson has been putting on amazing

Sign Guy with Miss Stevie before the HPW 15th Anniversary Show started
Sign Guy with Miss Stevie before the HPW 15th Anniversary Show started

independent wrestling action for 15 years now. This event was another amazing show with big named superstars like Hacksaw Jim Duggan signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans, The Wild Eyed Southern Boy Tracy Smothers in the main event, and NWA Ladies Champion Kacee Carlisle on the card as well.

The regular roster from HPW did an awesome job as always, and it was great to have a packed house to see the regulars and the guests, including Sign Guy, who comes back to HPW each year for the anniversary show.
Unfortunately, Sign Guy was involved in a mishap at the end of the first match, an over the top rope battle royal. After getting his leg in the top rope, Sign Guy took a head first spill to the concrete floor and was laying motionless  for several minutes. For those who now might be thinking oh there’s a wrestling work story coming – put that out of your mind.
This was as real as real could get and fortunately for Sign Guy, the anniversary show also doubles as the Columbus Fireman’s Cheer Fund Benefit Show, and there were numerous trained paramedics at ringside, so he was in good hand’s within seconds.
Here is an update that Jerry Wilson posted on his Facebook Page yesterday.
“Went to visit Sign Guy today and happy to report he is gonna be ok! Broken bones above eye, no surgery needed, big black eye and as always wanted to know if the spot looked good. Thankful to all his friends, wrestling family and family for all the prayers!”
I can hardly express how scared I was for my friend as I watched him lay there not moving. I know many people think wrestling is “fake” but as I said earlier, this injury was real life, and I was afraid for my friend’s life.
I’ve appeared on Sign Guy’s Radio program, and we’ve had him on DTRT Wrestling’s show as well.
I’m thanking God for the good reports that we are getting, but I’m still lifting Sign Guy up for his continued recovery.
Oh and by the way, Sign Guy was inducted into the HPW Hall of Fame along with the other three members of the High Rollers – it was too bad that he was already at the hospital getting ready to be airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis when Jerry Wilson handed out the Hall of Fame Awards.

UPDATE: Just as I was posting this story I received this from Jerry Wilson:

Jerry Wilson's photo of Sign Guy from his hospital bed.
Jerry Wilson’s photo of Sign Guy from his hospital bed.
Great news from Mrs. Sign guy , he is out of the hospital sore and tired but happy to be home and sending thanks out to everyone for the thoughts and prayers. Will be on FB in a couple days! He is one tough dude!

Farewell But Not Good Bye From Ed Boston

Since 2007 I have owned a blog or a website that had the name Do The Right Thing, or a derivative  of that, in the title. As of this past weekend, that is no longer the case.

I have turned over the entire DTRT brand to my friend and partner, Trevor. Having invested so much time, energy, and money into something, you can bet that I wouldn’t be turning it over to someone who I didn’t trust, or who I didn’t think would take the best of care of something that I really believe is a direct reflection on me.

To put any rumors or controversy to rest, I am not leaving on bad terms or upset. The true reason for moving on, is that I’m really just a fan in all the different aspects of coverage that still exists in the DTRT brand. This wrestling website has the potential to be something big, but in order to do that, there has to be someone other than just a fan in charge. That person is the co-founder of this wrestling site, Trevor.

So, I will just be stepping aside and letting the younger folks ride this wave out and I will continue to just be a fan of professional wrestling at all levels. I will still do an occasional post here at DTRT Wrestling, and I will continue to cover Indy promotions on another site of my own.

To Vanessa and John, you are both outstanding at what you do here, and I continue to expect great things from you in the future. It has totally been my pleasure to work beside you both.

And to Trevor, you have skills beyond what anyone on the outside realizes. You are an amazing talent and some day when this site is right up there next to the “big boys”, I will fondly look back at where you and I, together began this thing from scratch.

Blessings to all and don’t forget to continue to Do The Right Thing,

 

Ed Boston

Founder; DTRT News Group

Co-Founder; DTRT Wrestling

 

PS. I’ve recently received an offer that if it pans out I will share with all of you in the future, and if not, you can always reach me at edboston@me.com.

AJ Styles Has New Contract

From WrestlingInc.com

As noted earlier, PWInsider reported this morning that AJ Styles signed some sort of deal with TNA, however it was not known if it was a short term deal or a long term one. According to F4WOnline.com, Styles signed a three month contract extension with the company. The report also noted that his promo on last night’s episode of Impact Wrestling was his idea, and TNA had no input into the angle. We also noted that WWE is not interested in TNA talent right now. There have been a lot of TNA stars contacting WWE over the past couple of months, and the company has shown no interest, feeling that they have enough homegrown talent. The one former TNA star that they have been speaking with is Matt Morgan.

One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown – Premiering Friday, September 6th

Here is the preview for TNA Wrestling’s “One Night Only” Knockouts pay-per-view. It will become available to rent beginning September 6th on pay-per-view and YouTube.

Updated Points in Bound For Glory Series

Bound For Glory Series August 22

Updated numbers for the Bound For Glory Series after the 2nd week of Hardcore Justice.

Which TNA Big Name Superstar ContractExpires in September?

From our friend Raj at WrestlingInc.com

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com is reporting that AJ Styles’ contract with TNA is set to expire in September. According to the article, TNA hasn’t made much of an effort to get a new deal signed.

The following was posted on Styles’ official Facebook page this morning: “Where do fans want AJ Styles to be? TNA? WWE? ROH? Japan? Lots of options. Tough decisions.”

Who Will Fill The Open Slot For The Main Event Mafia

Tonight’s the night that Aces & 8s takes on the Main Event Mafia, with the person who loses being fired from TNA.

Last week, it looked like Tito Ortiz was the man for the job before he turned on Rampage Jackson. So, the opening is still there.

Will it be someone currently on the roster, or will Sting bring in help from the outside?

Let us know what you think in the comments, and no fair if you’ve read the spoilers on other sites (DTRT Wrestling doesn’t post spoilers).

RAW Segment of the Week: CM Punk Confronts “Fatso”

CM Punk shows off this old school talent by confronting 1 individual fan in the crowd. This happens at nearly every Indy you would go see, but not so easy with several thousand screaming fans. Punk pulls it off flawlessly.