Alex Shelley (right) has been a member of the TNA roster for over three years and enjoyed some measure of success throughout that run. However, nothing compares to what he is currently experiencing as one half of the Motor City Machine Guns (MCMG).
Teaming with his good friend, Chris Sabin, has propelled Shelley and MCMG into one of the hottest acts in TNA. Case in point: The Guns‘ t-shirt was the highest-selling shirt at the Bound For Glory PPV weekend last month.
The rise of MCMG is very reminiscent of LAX’s popularity boom last year. And while LAX seems to have cooled off for the time being, Shelley & Sabin continue to produce some of the best matches for TNA Wrestling.
Last night’s Genesis PPV bout against Team 3D was arguably the match of the night and while the Detroit natives have a long ways to go before anyone compares them to the great tag-teams of yesteryear there is no question they are currently the most popular duo within the TNA tag-team division.
I spoke to Shelley following his victory over Team 3D last night about the origins of MCMG, his career in TNA and what’s in store for the brightest young team in wrestling.
I’m still all worked up over last night’s festivities in the world of boxing and MMA so allow me to open the mental flood gates.
Let’s begin with the sweet the science. The Park was actually live and inside Madison Square Garden to witness a great night of boxing. Surprisingly, I had only seen one live boxing fight before in my life – Gatti vs. Hutchinson in 2000 – and while that bout certainly had its fair share of fireworks (and blood) last night’s experience was on a whole different level.
Firstly, the crowd was off the charts. Walk to the bathroom or concession stand and you would instantly find yourself in the midst of an impromptu mini-Puerto Rican Day Parade. Gotta love how passionate those PR fans are when it comes to local talent.
I never thought I would see the day when sweet ol’ “Sugar” Shane Mosley would get booed like he did last night but the pro wrestling fan in me loved the clear-cut heel vs. babyface battle last night’s bout represented.
Speaking of Mosley…wow. That’s really all I can say. I walked away from that fight way more impressed with the “aging” superstar than the rising star Cotto. Truth be told, I actually scored the fight a draw and while I am aware a fight can look a lot different from the nose bleeds than on TV I really thought Mosley had as much of a right to win that bout as Cotto did. We all expected Mosley to be quick but few (including myself) expected to see Cotto back pedal from an oncoming Mosley assault as many times as he did.
That said, I had no problem with Cotto winning. He proved his worth and should definitely be next in line for Mayweather. That fight easily makes the most sense. The loud-mouth (and older) Mayweather against the quiet brahma bull. The phenom looking to shut the self-centered champ for good. Beautiful. Thrown in the extra storyline line of Cotto looking to finish the job fellow Puerto Rican, Oscar De La Hoya, couldn’t finish and you have an instant 2008 Fight of the year on your hands.
Here’s hoping SI.com’s Chris Mannix isn’t right when he says Cotto vs. De La Hoya may be up next. I fail to see what can be proven from that match-up. Plus, didn’t De La Hoya once say he had no interest in ever fighting another Puerto Rican?
One more note about last night: The undercards, as expected, were great. Margarito and Ortiz came out guns blazing. For a minute I thought I was watching a UFC card with all those first round KOs. The other rumeur du jour appears to be Margarito vs. Cotto but, at this point, that fight would clearly be a step down for Cotto. Margarito is a tremendous boxer but there’s a hell of a lot more money to be made in a bout against Mayweather or De La Hoya.
Once Cotto’s hand was raised, I rushed home from MSG to watch Elite XC: Renegade and all things considered, I came away thoroughly pleased. Sure, most of the fights ended early but I enjoyed each one of them including the much-anticipated debut of Kimbo Slice.
Despite the fact that his first official MMA fight lasted only 19 seconds the spectacle of seeing this larger-than-life fellow step into the cage was something to remember. I never thought I would see Bo Cantrell, who looks quite intimidating in his own-right, appear as scared as he did before the fight. Rumor has it Cantrell was throwing up in his locker room before the bout and, really, who can blame him? Kimbo looked downright vicious in the cage and it appears as though Tank Abbott may be next on his hit list. Good luck, Tank.
The only negative coming out of the fight was that I couldn’t help but feel a little cheated by Cantrell’s performance. The cage looked like it was the last place he wanted to be and after two so-so punches he tapped out due to strikes. Weak. Sure, he took the fight on very short notice but he showed no intention of ever putting up a fight. Watching his performance brought back memories of Brock Lesnar’s MMA debut in June in which Lesnar’s opponent, Min-Soo Kim (also a late replacement), submitted due to strikes 69 seconds into the first round.
Elsehwere, friend of Jarry Park, KJ Noons, shocked the MMA world by defeating Nick Diaz to become the first-ever 160-pound EXC Lightweight champ in a controversial ref stoppage due to a couple of large gashes on Diaz. This decision was particularly disappointing because the first round was exceptional (I had Noons winning the round 10-9). Who would have ever thought we would see the inexperienced KJ Noons dominate Nick Diaz in all facets of the fight? Needless to say, I think a Noons vs. Diaz rematch should be signed right away.
Jake Shields and Antonio Silva continued to enjoy success in Elite XC with Shields really making a statement. Mike Pyle can complain all he wants about EXC not promoting him enough but the fact of the matter is he turned down a shot at the Welterweight title and had a chance to beat a top-10 Welterweight on his way out of the promotion and did nothing to prove he deserves a big money contract from any other rival organization. On the other hand, Shields, as he said in our interview last week, continues to prove he is one of the top Welterweights in the world and certainly one of the best on the ground. Question is: Who does he fight next?
And how about Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Has anyone at 265 lbs ever looked that agile before? I would love to see him drop to heavyweight because I think he can be a true force to be reckoned with in that division and face better-skilled opponents.
Ok, I’m done. What a great night of fighting. Keep visiting jarrypark.com all week as we’ll be reviewing this weekend’s action and hope to speak with some of the big winners from the ring and cage.
***Update: In case you missed it, below is footage of Kimbo’s debut. Did Cantrell take a dive? See for yourself…
Our sweet scientist, Larz from No Mas Online, will join us to discuss the Cotto-Mosley fight and what lies ahead for both fighters.
We’ll be covering the UFC 78 press conference (not to mention attending the show next Saturday) and will have a full report on all matters discussed.
Speaking of UFC 78, bloodyelbow.com‘s Luke Thomas, will stop by to preview the UFC’s first foray into the Northeast since UFC 55 in October 2005.
One of TNA Wrestling’s true rising stars, Alex Shelley, will make an appearance to discuss the Motor City Machine Guns, the TNA: Genesis PPV and his rise up the TNA ladder.
Unless you are a Ring of Honor wrestling fan you probably haven’t heard of Claudio Castagnoli but that will change when we talk to the Swiss-born star on life as an Indy wrestler and what to expect from one of the brightest young stars in the business come 2008.
Saturday night is definitely Hockey Fight Night in Canada America (sorry, old habits die hard).
Earlier this week, we previewed the Elite XC: Renegade show with Sam Caplan but now its time to discuss tomorrow night’s showdown between Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley. So, we tracked down the sweet scientist himself, Larz from No Mas Online, to help dissect all the action.
Madison Square Garden is the venue, HBO PPV is the network and below is the official card:
MAIN EVENT-WBA WORLD WELTERWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS
Miguel Cotto (30-0-0, 146 1/4 lbs) vs. Shane Mosley (44-4-0, 147 1/4 lbs)
VACANT WBO INTERCONTINENTAL WELTERWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS Antonio Margarito (34-5-0, 134 lbs) vs. Golden Johnson (25-8-3, 147 1/2 lbs)*
*reweigh
RING MAGAZINE & WBC INTERIM WORLD LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS Joel Casamayor (34-3-1, 134 lbs) vs. Jose A. Santa Cruz (25-2-0, 134 3/4 lbs)
JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS – 10 ROUNDS Victor Ortiz (19-1-1, 141 lbs) vs. Carlos Maussa (19-4-0, 141 lbs)
FEATHERWEIGHTS – 8/10 ROUNDS Billy Dib (16-0-0, 128 lbs) vs. Rogers Mtagwa (24-11-2, 127 1/2 lbs)
JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS – 6 ROUNDS Jesus Rojas (9-0-0, 122 lbs) vs. Carlos Diaz (9-10-4, 122 lbs)
JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS – 4 ROUNDS Michael Faragon (Pro Debut, 136 3/4 lbs) vs. Javier Garcia (2-1-0, 136 3/4 lbs)
JarryPark.com is proud to announce a new partnership with The Platinum Agency in Las Vegas. Each week, we’ll talk to another one of their featured models and get their perspective(!) on the world of combat sports.
Trust me, these girls aren’t just eye candy. They know the difference between jabs and jewelry, got it?
In turn, we’ll be providing them with…Actually, I’m not sure what we’ll be providing them with right now. I guess if they want advice on which fighters to bet on in Vegas we could help out?
“I see it as an easy fight for Shane and I predict an early KO,” Mayweather said.
Surprisingly, Hatton, Mayweather’s opponent on December 8th (HBO PPV) seconds Pretty Boy Floyd’s prediction:
“I think Shane Mosley will because he will Cotto problem with his speed and movement. Last time out, Cotto looked strong but didn’t carry the same finesse at Welterweight as in previous fights. He looked a little crude against Judah. Cotto will need more finesse against Mosley.”
Is it me or when this fight was first announced everyone picked Cotto but suddenly, for whatever reason, the tide is starting to turn in the favor of the Sugar Shane? Perhaps the boxing world should hold off on the Cotto coronation for a couple more days.
The last time wrestling fans saw Shawn Stasiak he was banging into walls and talking to himself as the lone citizen of “Planet Stasiak.” Talk about the gimmick from hell. Stasiak, the son of wrestling legend, Stan “the man” Stasiak, always struck me as a wrestler who, for whatever reason, didn’t realize his enormous potential in the ring.
A former collegiate wrestling standout, Stasiak broke into the WWF in the Spring of 1999 and from the start was saddled with one horrible gimmick after another.
While Stasiak would eventually enjoy some measure of success in the now-defunct WCW, WWE’s purchase of the promotion would quickly halt his rise up the wrestling ladder. Sadly, his second run in WWE was less memorable than his first.
With this in mind, I fully expected to come across as a bitter man when interviewing Stasiak. Quite the contrary, really. Stasiak, now a licensed certified chiropractor living in Dallas, appears to be the rare kind of pro wrestler who does not look back on his time in the ring with any kind of resentment.
He is the subject of a new documentary entitled Shawn Stasiak: Determined – a film which, in many ways, has nothing to do with pro wrestling. And that’s a good thing. Truth be told, a lot of wrestlers can learn a ton from this documentary.
I had the opportunity to talk with Stasiak about his wrestling career, his new life outside the ring and whether he has any desire to step back onto the national wrestling scene.
Last night, “the War Machine,” as he likes to be called, was eliminated from the show by Tommy Speer in a blood bath. It seemed as though victory was his for the taking when he landed a solid right hand and locked in a rear-naked choke but it was not meant to be as Speer overcame the submission attempt and dominated the rest of the first round as well as the entire second.
Following the loss, Serra paid him a compliment by saying he viewed the loss as a win (sure, it doesn’t make much sense but you know what he means). Serra and Koppenhaver seemed to have had a rocky relationship since day one but his performance in a losing effort must have pleased the Welterweight champ.
I spoke to “the War Machine” about his loss to Speer, being a late replacement on the show and his future in the UFC.
Stop the presses. Another boxing “legend” of the past wants to enter the world of Mixed-Martial-Arts.
According to Josh Gross of Sherdog.com, Riddick Bowe, the former WBC Heavyweight champion, is looking to try his hand at MMA. Bowe spoke with Gross last night at the Circus Nightclub in Hollywood, CA, to announce his “tentative” MMA debut on December 12th. Bowe told Gross:
“I’ve been running, doing things as I was doing them in boxing…I guess now all I have to do is get down with the ground work.”
So what’s the reason behind the Bowe’s new-found interest in Mixed-Martial-Arts?
“…I ain’t got nothing else to do.”
Beautiful…just what we need. Another Ray Mercer on our hands. But now that I mention it maybe there’s money in a fight between Bowe and Mercer’s first (and presumably last) MMA opponent – Kimbo Slice.
The 40-year-old-Bowe was last seen in a boxing ring in April 2005 where he defeated Billy Zumbrun in a disgraceful fight. But maybe a showdown with Kimbo can rejuvenate a once promising career. Somewhere Gary Shaw ponders…
Two big fights left on the 2007 boxing calendar: Mosley vs. Cotto and Mayweather vs. Hatton. Not a bad ending to what is shaping up to be a record-breaking year in the world of boxing. (Who said this sport was dead, anyways?)
A quick look at 2008 shows some potentially exciting fights on the horizon, as well. Pavlik vs. Taylor II seems to be a foregone conclusion. Would love to see it again. How about Calzaghe vs. Hopkins? Sure, Hopkins is a little grizzled but it certainly would be intriguing. And if B-Hop turns down Calzaghe here’s hoping my fellow Montrealer, Lucian Bute, gets the shot. Youppi!
But let’s just say Mosley sneaks by Cotto and Mayweather (as expected) defeats Hatton could we potentially see Mosley vs. Mayweather sometime next year? Mosley hopes so:
“I want to have it (a fight against Mayweather) because I want to show people I’m the best fighter right now in the Welterweight division…So, I’ll start off with Cotto and then we’ll end up with Mayweather if he wins.”
First and foremost, it would behoove Mosley to concentrate solely on Cotto but a fight in which he defends the honor of his fallen friend/promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, would be tremendous.
Alex Shelley (right) has been a member of the TNA roster for over three years and enjoyed some measure of success throughout that run. However, nothing compares to what he is currently experiencing as one half of the Motor City Machine Guns (MCMG).
I’m still all worked up over last night’s festivities in the world of boxing and MMA so allow me to open the mental flood gates.
Despite the fact that his first official MMA fight lasted only 19 seconds the spectacle of seeing this larger-than-life fellow step into the cage was something to remember. I never thought I would see Bo Cantrell, who looks quite intimidating in his own-right, appear as scared as he did before the fight. Rumor has it Cantrell was throwing up in his locker room before the bout and, really, who can blame him? Kimbo looked downright vicious in the cage and it appears as though Tank Abbott may be next on his hit list. Good luck, Tank.
Jake Shields and Antonio Silva continued to enjoy success in Elite XC with Shields really making a statement. Mike Pyle can complain all he wants about EXC not promoting him enough but the fact of the matter is he turned down a shot at the Welterweight title and had a chance to beat a top-10 Welterweight on his way out of the promotion and did nothing to prove he deserves a big money contract from any other rival organization. On the other hand, Shields, as he said in 
A look at the week to come at Jarry Park.
Saturday night is definitely 
The last time wrestling fans saw 
Stop the presses. Another boxing “legend” of the past wants to enter the world of Mixed-Martial-Arts.
Two big fights left on the 2007 boxing calendar: 
