Commissioner Without a Definition

Cathy Engelbert is retiring as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year. Adam Silver announced it Friday. She has had the job since 2019.

Libs of TikTok posted the news as a verdict: she is leaving because the league still will not say what a woman is.

BREAKING: Cathy Engelbert, the Commissioner for the WNBA, announced her retirement at the end of the 2026 season after the WNBA couldn’t determine what a woman is pic.twitter.com/ENfE8eCQVZ

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 4, 2026

Enes Kanter Freedom posted the same afternoon. “MAKE @WNBA FEMALE AGAIN.” He called the retirement a win for women and an admission that the rules have to change. Then he offered himself as the next commissioner, dictionary included, on the ground that the league still cannot define the word in its own name.

MAKE @WNBA FEMALE AGAIN

Commissioner Freedom Has a Nice Ring to It.

While the reported retirement of #WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is a win for women and an admission that the league’s rules must change, her retirement does not solve the systemic issues which must be… pic.twitter.com/QqIQ3bwKsX

— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) September 4, 2026

On Fox’s Ingraham Angle that same news cycle he put it shorter:

“Just get this, America—instead of defining what a woman is, right? The ‘Cocoo Cathy,’ I call her. Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner, decided to step down as commissioner from one of the biggest organizations in America. I mean, I just want America to understand what’s happening here. What we are doing is working. I want to thank all the parents out there. I want to thank all the Americans out there that believe and trust in us. This is just the beginning. We’re going to try to put as much pressure as we can.”

The fight did not start Friday. The current CBA says “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” It does not say what a woman is. No public rule on sex at birth, hormones, or self-identification.

Enes Kanter: Where was the threat?

Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter banned Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena after this past Sunday’s Fever game. The phrase he used was “a potential threat.”

The footage of the moment he is talking about is short.

Watch it here: [VIDEO]

Late third quarter. Natasha Cloud scores, celebrates, then walks toward the baseline. Freedom is sitting there in a shirt that reads “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” He stands. Arms out. One step toward the floor. Security fills the gap. He is walked out holding the shirt up for the building to read.

That is the act. This is how he framed it in a tweet:

“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA! 🇺🇸”

Alter’s account is that Freedom had been chirping, that people in the seats said he started it, and that the night changed when he got up. “The security’s job isn’t to wait to see how far they get.” Fan code says you do not enter the court. On Wednesday he told OutKick that some threats do not get a warning, and he used shooting a gun as the extreme example.

WNBA Avoids Defining “Woman”

Credit: ESPN

A WNBA task force of team presidents and general managers met Wednesday and discussed transgender athlete participation. They produced no new eligibility policy.

The league’s statement afterward was careful and limited:

Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.

That is the full public position for now.

The current collective bargaining agreement says only that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” It supplies no further definition of “woman,” no reference to sex assigned at birth, no hormone thresholds, and no transition requirements. The league has never had a publicly detailed policy on transgender or intersex athletes. No transgender woman (someone male at birth who identifies as female) has ever played in the WNBA. Two nonbinary players who were female at birth have.

The immediate pressure came from two directions. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said in a July ESPN profile that she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” She later called the position “common sense.” Those comments produced small rallies and counter-rallies at Fever games.

Then two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, announced they identify as women and intend to declare for the 2027 WNBA draft. Their moves were widely understood as an attempt to force the league to clarify the vague language in its rules. The league’s statement appears to treat those declarations as the “bad-faith efforts” it denounces.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had already told teams the issue would be discussed and that eligibility rules are collectively bargained. Any real change would require negotiation with the players’ association. The task force is expected to keep talking with stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.

The practical situation remains what it was: the category “women” is left undefined in the governing document of a league built around sex-segregated competition. That gap is what the current controversy keeps exposing. Institutions that rely on sex-based categories while declining to define the category invite exactly this kind of pressure—political, legal, and rhetorical. Whether the WNBA eventually draws a clearer line, and what that line looks like, is still unresolved.

Relevant links

• WNBA task force stops short of new transgender athlete eligibility policy (Fox San Antonio / National News Desk)
• WNBA task force discusses transgender athletes amid furor (ESPN)
• WNBA denounces 'bad-faith' transgender debate and says league has no eligibility issues (Washington Post)
• WNBA’s Inclusion Policy Is Too Vague Amid Trans Athlete Debate (Bloomberg Opinion)
• Sophie Cunningham’s comments on transgender athletes (Sporting News)
• Enes Kanter Freedom formally declares for 2027 WNBA Draft (OutKick / Fox News)
• Royce White declares for 2027 WNBA Draft (OutKick / Fox News)

Chicago Sports Teams and Juneteenth: History or Corporate Messaging?

EDITED Jun. 20, 2026: My apologies I realized I double posted the Chicago Bears tweet about Juneteenth under the Chicago White Sox, so I just edited that accordingly.

Source: CNN

Chicago teams marked Juneteenth today with social media posts and events.

Trump Turns 80: UFC on the White House Lawn

Yesterday, Flag Day doubled as President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, and he marked it in classic fashion: with high-energy action on the South Lawn of the White House. While the Iran peace framework grabbed headlines (as I noted yesterday), the evening delivered something unforgettable — UFC Freedom 250, a full fight card right at the People's House.

The Spectacle Unfolds

President Trump, alongside First Lady Melania and UFC CEO Dana White, hosted seven mixed martial arts bouts under the lights of a massive temporary arena called "The Claw." Over 4,000 fans packed in for what’s being called the first major professional sporting event on the White House grounds. The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the President, and the energy was electric as American fighters went toe-to-toe in the iconic octagon.

UFC Freedom 250 at the White House (Getty Images)

Hulkamania, forever

@WWE IG

 This news actually broke yesterday and it was shocking. And in his case it warrants this blog post here otherwise it would go on the "Beta".

I wrote a tweet that read something like this

There are a lot of people who take issue with some of Hogan's tall tales or even his alleged racism, I still respect him as a wrestling legend. He was one of the first wrestling champions I cheered. He's not a perfect man, no one is.

A lot of people are saying that Hogan - aka as Terry Gene Bollea - was a racist p.o.s. and the recording that came out within the last decade led to his temporary separation from WWE (the organization formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation or WWF) in about 2015-16. Of course he came back long enough to be booed by the wrestling fans in attendance for Monday Nite Raw's debut on Netflick as he attempted to put over Real American Beer - has latest business venture.

That proved to be his last appearance in front of the WWE Universe.

I used the nice term tall tales, but some people do think of him as a liar. Perhaps telling tall tales of how he put others over and also reports of him trying to protect his top position at the expense of others.

I don't think much of his usage of the N-word or even his attempts to sort of explain himself. Perhaps it's more the stories of how he protected his position in the business when he was still an active wrestler. I may take more issue with that than anything else.

No denying, however, that he is the most recognized wrestler ever. Perhaps there would be now WWE without him the 1980s. He belongs on the Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling although we can debate the other four performers.

As I stated he was the first wrestling champion I ever cheered, and then when he turned heel in WCW and joined the nWo I booed him. I still did when he came back to the organization then known as the WWF. While I might have not let go of his heel persona, I was glad to see the nostalgia and he was cheered by the crowds again in one of his last runs in the now WWE. He sort of adjusted very well to the "Ruthless Aggression" era.

And now he leaves us with memories. He had been in declining health in recent months. Hadn't made many public appearances, even was rarely posting on social media - it was even reported any pics of him were older pics. There were reports that he had been in the hospital for a bit and the last report a day before his demise was he had a damaged trachea.

And then he leaves us to have his last match with the Macho Man Randy Savage who died over a decade ago.

R.I.P. Hulk Hogan

O.J. Simpson

 Earlier in the past week, the public found out that former football legend & accused double murderer O.J. Simpson had passed away from cancer. The first time I heard about it, I was watching the PBD Podcast while he was speaking with former ESPN personality Sage Steele.

In posts like this it's customary for me to at R.I.P. however in light of his infamy I'm avoiding that. For me, I'm taking no position on whether or not he committed the murder. In my own head a jury of his peers judged him to be not guilty in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her buddy Ron Goldman.

We could debate - well if it really is a "debate" - whether or not O.J. was guilty of this gruesome murder. IMHO, if he did commit the murder I feel as if his life had unravelled in ways that may signal that perhaps he was part of that. I look at his most recent conviction where he had been sent to prison for robbery in Nevada between 2007 and 2013 when he was released.

On Ben Shapiro they showed clips of him from an interview that never aired on FOX. He discusses in some real detail the murder - I see it was involving his book If I Did It - and his detail seemed too real even if he did call it hypothetical. I see a man who really has difficulty processing what he had done. Another clip showed him joking using a banana like a knife stabbing into the air and mocking the music to the classic film Psycho. Again this just seems like a man unraveling.

Everyone is different for sure, however, killing another human being should take it's toll on anyone. My hope is that if he truly did the crime that at the time of his death he prayed for forgiveness. And however his life unravelled I just hope the first thing that weighed on him was guilt!

When this whole story took place I was still in grade school and making the transition to my high school years. The trial finally concluded during my high school years when my French teacher rolled a TV into the classroom so that we could watch the reading of the verdict. I probably cheered though the case is known for its division along racial lines.

For me in my young head I probably didn't pay much attention to that. It was difficult for me to recognize how someone who was as well-known as O.J. could effectively throw his life away like this. In California, murder either gets you sent to prison for life or they can execute you (California hasn't executed anyone in years, however, they still have the death penalty). 

One of his attorney's on the so-called "dream team" the late Johnnie Cochrane said it best himself years later, Blacks probably cheered because they saw a Black man with money beat the rap. He also stated he'd be sick to his stomach if he learned O.J. had done it. Of course with attorney client privilege I can only wonder if Mr. Cochrane knows the truth himself anyway.

Also I was aware of the racial division of this case. They got the bogey man in former LAPD police detective Mark Fuhrman.  This was at least three years after the L.A. Riots which was the result of a brutal police beating of Rodney King. Perhaps while one segment of the population saw this case for what it was, another seemed to have wanted the "racist" justice system to take a hit by getting O.J. acquitted.

For me, yes I wanted justice to prevail however I wanted O.J. to be innocent. Again I didn't want to believe he'd thrown his life away by doing this. Of course in later years we see how his life had turned out.

In recent years he's shown himself on what he calls "Xworld" formerly Twitter where he rants on things such as sports. He event commented on his health which was one of the last rants he had before his demise was announced on Twitter.

On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.

He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.

-The Simpson Family

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024

I would say another thing he just failed to avoid or attract was the spotlight. For me, knowing how this "debate" was still going on after his acquittal I've always wondered why he never could stay low?

In his case I'm most certainly fine with the idea that he asked for forgiveness when the inevitable happens. Who wants to think about that part of life? However again I hope he feels guilt over what happened, I suppose we'll never really know how that whole event went down.

Hospice??? pic.twitter.com/OXLzs9jWO6

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) February 9, 2024

One sad chapter is over now!  

Wrestlelamia: WWE has just changed forever

 

[VIDEO] As you may know already the longtime WWE Chairman and CEO has announced that he his retiring. Vince McMahon is a bit of a warhorse and as a man who is known for working out - at almost 77 he even wrestled at Wrestlemania earlier this year - I expected that he'd remain an important force for as long as his health would allow.

Then we got these scandals and stories kept coming out. Basically hush money to any former WWE employee or talent and also allegations of sexual harassment. Some people even say did he retire or did they just remove him from his important roles at a company he helped to build.

Sooner or later McMahon would move on even if it's the life cycle that helped that process forward. It's exciting to see what's next for WWE with Vince at the helm of that ship. Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon will be co-CEOs and Triple H is back over talent relations.

Some people take issue with McMahon's ability to create new stars. He has standards that are very high such as he likes big burly men who look like superheroes. And some people criticize his creative abilities. At the same time he brought a former regional wrestling territory to worldwide recognition and who can sneeze at that. If WWE remained a regional territory I doubt that the ig account for Chicago's ABC affiliate would even blast this out on their page.

But then again speculation still remain. Vince likes working, perhaps he'll still be a force for WWE as long as he's still with us. Perhaps once this scandal subsides he might be back in the fold. Who knows, but in a post Vince WWE what will the future hold.

WrestleTalk: Vince McMahon's $12 million payout

 

[VIDEO] I'll let Ollie of WrestleTalk discuss this further, more has come out with regards to McMahon's extramarital affairs and payouts of hush money to various women. I'd say this is going into the territory of this is too much.

Remember last month McMahon had left his roles as chairman and CEO of WWE for his daughter Stephanie McMahon to take over on an interim basis - she was already on a leave of absence.  It was reported that the WWE Board of Directors has launched an investigation into some hush money paid to a former WWE paralegal.

You know it's great to get away from the craziness of the world of politics and the cultural war even if for a moment....

Stephanie McMahon takes over WWE on interim basis

 Just yesterday it was in the news that Vince McMahon the chairman and CEO of WWE was being investigated by his own company for a cash payout to a former employee whom he was having an affair. Recently his daughter and WWE COO - well it was announced fairly recently that she was taking a Leave of Absence from WWE - has assumed the position of chair & CEO until the conclusion of the investigation.

Vince McMahon being investigated by WWE

 I just had to look this up and see that it's a legit story. The story I read that there was a payoff to a former WWE employee - she's not talent, she's in fact a paralegal - who's had an alleged affair with McMahon. Anyway so now the WWE board of directors is looking into it.

So the more I look at this story I began to wonder if someone is trying to push McMahon out of his own company. I just see this as a logical play in this. Of course let me remind you all that WWE is a publicly traded company, however, the McMahon family owns a majority of the voting shares. They will continue to own the company unless someone decides to sell out.

Wait could this be why someone wants the longtime Chairman out of the company so that they can eventually sell out. Since I follow wrestling news frequently there are always reports that someone may buy the company. Perhaps another media company especially since networks like USA Network or FOX for example are willing to pay millions for WWE programming.

Well let's just see how this investigation unfolds.

Does anyone have their own thoughts about this?

The Chicago Sky are the world WNBA champs

 

[VIDEO] Well I liken it to this, Chicago hasn't had a lot of good news since the pandemic and it's easy to latch on to these sporting accomplishments as a positive development. Especially as eyes are on the Windy City with a stand-off between the police union and the ever stubborn and quarrelsome Mayor of Chicago on a vax-mandate.

So the media in Chicago and even on the national news network such as ABC were overselling (yup I just used wrestling jargon) the accomplishment of Chicago's WNBA franchise. Nope the Sky isn't owned by anyone associated with the Chicago Bulls although they are an WNBA franchise subsidized by the NBA.

Either way I can view the WNBA as akin to say professional lacrosse or the Arena Football League. Those leagues exist and pay people who want to play professional sports but have been signed to leagues that aren't on the same level as MLB, NFL, NBA or NHL. The WNBA I think is a niche sport.

In this case, yeah we're taking about a gender based sports league. As you see from the clips in the above video there was a parade for the Sky and certainly they've earned it. They're not getting the same attention as the Cubs did 5 years ago granted they won their first world series in 108 years. Even the vlogger above said for the record dozens came to cheer on the Sky for their parade.

I could ask myself the question what type of theater is this? The debate that comes out of this is are the women players of the WNBA worth as much as their counterparts in the NBA? Perhaps one day they might be, however, in 2021 no they're not. It's not about their gender, there just isn't a lot of interest and they have to find a way to change that.

Besides it took a few years for MLB, NFL, NBA, and the NHL to become big time leagues in their own right. Otherwise perhaps they'd have to compete with professional lacrosse or arena football.

Cancel culture

 

[VIDEO] Tim Pool speaks of a sports reporter who swiftly lost his job after referring to a Black Republican United States Senator by a racial slur. Hey advice to sports guys, especially the ones on ESPN and elsewhere stay out of politics. Especially if you don't aspire to be like a Keith Olberman.

Charles Barkley sides with logic

 

[VIDEO] I'm going to give Charles Barkley credit for his statement. I heard about it on FOX News tonite and true to form he's getting pummeled by sports fans who have made up their mind on this issue. As you will see here with Anthony Brian Logan.

Barkley isn't wrong as tragic as what happened to Breonna Taylor was her shooting death at the hands of police officers who announced their presence although there was a no-knock warrant. Her residence was targeted for a reason, her boyfriend fired a shot and only because he had no idea who was at the door. Sadly she's not with us to answer whether or not she was involved in any wrongdoing, but we're living in that reality now.

Barkley further states that abolishing police is also a bad idea. As I've stated the real white privilege are those who are calling for defunding police and saying Blacks are better of without police.

I heard Shaquille O'Neil got into this also going with logic and also gets pummeled by sports fans who have made up their mind on this issue. Wait, are these random tweets actually sports fans.

Barkley has always been known as a very outspoken public figure.

Blue Collar Logic: Should we give up on sports

 

[VIDEO] Dave Morrison discusses our favorites sports going more SJW in recent months. He even wonders if not adequately handling Colin Kaepernick when he was still in the NFL to blame for the current state of sports during this time of a pandemic and continuing social unrest. And check out the comments I see quite a few of them giving up on sports because of what happened this year and other reasons such as publicly financed stadiums.

Is anyone watching the NBA Playoffs?

From Breitbart: NBA Playoff Ratings Crash by 23%, Lowest Watched in 5 Years

Despite near-daily efforts to show America how woke they are, or, because of it, the NBA’s playoff ratings are still tanking.

“Weekday afternoon games have certainly hurt, but the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs was no ratings bonanza either,” Sports Media Watch reported.

Viewership on ABC is down 23 percent and the numbers are down 20 percent overall compared to last year’s playoffs

“The Lakers’ win ranks as ABC’s least-watched playoff opener in five years (2015 Pelicans-Warriors: 3.49M), with the caveat that this year marked the first time since 2004 that it did not air a game on the opening day of the postseason,” Sports Media Watch added.

The league has tried to blame the coronavirus and its effects; however, SportsBusiness Daily recently noted that ratings for last season were also bad, as the 2018-2019 season lost 12 percent in viewership. That, of course, was pre-pandemic.

Other ratings reckoning also finds the NBA has lost viewers. ShowBuzz, for instance, noted that the league lost 28 percent in the important 18-49 age bracket.

h/t Newsalert

I was following last week's news about LeBron James' rant on twitter about what happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. No he wasn't entirely upset about the rioting, especially if it was mostly caused by people from out of the state of Wisconsin. Nope this was just another police shooting of a Black man.

Sometimes in thinking about some of these stories I just wonder if that's where the thinking stops. A Black man was shot by police, no context, not even any consideration as to whether or not the officer may have been justified. Another Black man was shot by police and the system is killing people of color.

Well either way the NBA playoffs, some MLB & NHL games were canceled although all seasons resumed. And I thought this was sad because sports fans have been waiting for sports to return after postponement thanks to coronavirus. However, we got the ongoing fallout from George Floyd going on and here we are.

I wonder if sports fans have gotten tired of athletes choosing to go "woke". NFL fans were already tired of players kneeling before the national anthem. NBA choose to plaster racial justice messages - well actually Black Lives Matter -  on their basketball courts and allowing players to place social justice messages on their jerseys. And then the blowup by LeBron James and others.

I'm still willing to bet the NBA and even woke athletes in other leagues are going to suffer the consequences of low attendance at games - once fans return to arenas and stadiums - or even TV ratings because of the social justice actions being taken by athletes. It could be coronavirus sure, however, I think it's more than that.

As stated earlier, movies are my escape and so is wrestling - at least WWE for example wasn't very thick with social justice messaging in light of George Floyd (I would expect Vince McMahon wouldn't play that for long if it messed with business). I had to see these "woke" athletes hurt themselves by turning off fans with their attempts at activism.

WrestleMania 36 #FireflyFunHouse secret explained

[VIDEO] WrestleMania 36 will be interesting considering the time during which it was produced. It feature two cinematic wrestling contests, many title changes, and it was too big for one night. See WrestleMania 36 would've taken place in a football stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida with roughly 70,000 in attendance. The problem was a worldwide pandemic artfully referred to by Stephanie McMahon as "current circumstances"

The video above by Wrestlelamia explains the imagery you see in one of the cinematic contests of WrestleMania weekend which is the Firefly Fun House match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt or The Fiend. From the comments I've seen online it was often panned but what I appreciate from the video above is the many explanations for what happened during that match. You might even see Titus O'Neil''s confused expression at the conclusion of that contest as he wasn't sure what he saw.

There seemingly was a lot in there and what should be conveyed in that "match" is that we're looking at Cena battling his past. Whether or not he was a wrestling fan who was watching the old Saturday's Night Main event and by extension the comparison with Hulk Hogan in the portion where they mimic the NWO and Hogan's heel turn in WCW. Then we look at key moments of Cena's career from his debut slapping the legendary Kurt Angle before a match and his eventual character development as the Doctor of Thuganomics. We see how Cena's career had developed.

I this video you see that Cena had heat with superstars. He held other performers back to certainly protect his position as a main event guy in WWE. And I suppose during this whole "match" we saw a point where Cena could've built a new star in Bray Wyatt and chose not to.

We also find out that Cena had a failed "rap career" and that in the beginning he was almost fired from WWE. If he had never became the Doctor of Thuganomics he would've never gotten close to the dance.

Regardless in this "match" The Fiend claimed yet another WWE legend. However, I have to add that one could say Cena was his own opponent. I don't know if you can call this a match, it seemed more like a dream sequence. It probably took place in the mind of Bray Wyatt and somehow Cena was caught up in it.

When Cena came out to his entrance music and then the scene transitioned to Bray's Firefly Fun House. I couldn't tell if any commentators were at the desk in the empty arena at the WWE Performance Center. So I find myself wonder if this "match" was nothing more than a dream sequence.

With this said, the Firefly Fun House match was a memorable moment from this past weekend's WrestleMania. It held my attention as much as the Boneyard Match between AJ Styles and the Undertaker. Both told very unusual stories and I have a hard time believing either match would be seen as it were in a live venue with so many fans. I think we'd get a typical WrestleMania match if this pandemic hadn't hit.

Also bear in mind finally that this WrestleMania was taped in advance, it wasn't live as it usually would be. I'm glad WWE went ahead and produced this PPV with the line from Ms. McMahon that the world needs entertainment more than ever. So many of us who have been sheltering in place may have found something on both nights that entertained them.

COVID-19 could cancel or delay #WrestleMania

[VIDEO] I haven't done many posts about the coronavirus aka COVID-19 aka beerflu aka "Steve Corino" thanks WrestleTalk. Right now its the latest epidemic and I'm not stating this lightly. Here in Chicago our St. Patrick's Day parade downtown has been cancelled and in Illinois there are 19 reported cases in this state so far. Also CPS is affected by this beerflu as there are a few cases amongst CPS personnel.

According to Wrestlelamia this outbreak is affecting the current top two pro-wrestling promotions in the world WWE and AEW. AEW released a statement about the beerflu while there are some concerned that WWE might be forced to cancel the WrestleMania in Tampa Bay over this outbreak.

Just to add some context to this authorities concerned about this outbreak has to make decisions to really try to prevent the spread of this virus. There is some context with the flu epidemic of 100 years ago one public health official allowed a parade to take place while the other didn't and one city experienced more deaths from the flu than the other city. It's good that the organizers of Chicago St. Pat's parade have elected to cancel this parade with not a whole lot of prodding by the city or even the state. It's understood that the state of Illinois could step in if the city of Chicago wouldn't.

I've always wanted to go to WrestleMania though in light of this epidemic I'm glad I was a tad behind the curve on getting tickets. It would be a shame to cancel the "grandest stage of them all", however, those in the WWE universe certainly are in no rush to risk catching this virus. Perhaps by April 6, 2020 the beerflu will be nothing more than a memory.

The failed relaunch of ECW

[VIDEO] I missed this from last year. There was an episode of WWE Untold that explored the relauch of ECW as a brand with both RAW and SmackDown. It's akin to what's going on with NXT in the Wednesday nite wars against the emerging All Elite Wrestling.

ECW I only had three short years with the renegade promotion that was on the heels of both WCW and WWE (or WWF). The wrestling I saw was gritty and definitely didn't have the production values of both WCW or WWF. Somehow I admired that quality as the polished I expect from the other two companies.

What I do agree with as I continue to learn more about the impact of ECW is that they were the disruptors. If creatively WCW and WWF was in a rut, ECW was the guide out of it. And they had the fanbase to prove it as they were part of the episodes I saw on TV for those three short years. It will always be in my head how ECW fanatics would chant the three letters of their favorite promotions or pop huge for their favorite performers.

Another think that caught my attention with ECW is the violence. There was truly a form of anarchy in ECW although matches do end when a referee calls a submission or counts a pinfall. Beyond that the match could go all over the building and weapons could be used or even outside interference. The referees were said to wear costumes similar to the apparel of MMA referees. The action I saw as the WWF attitude era was in full swing was something different from the fare I would be treated to during the Monday nite wars.

Of course as happens, I came to the party late. When I discover ECW the ratings domination between WWF and WCW was beginning to turn. The NWO storyline was beginning to fizzle by 1999 and WWF as ascendant with the Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon storyline. And by 2001 WCW would become a WWF property and also ECW was bankrupt.

Then by 2005 ECW would become a WWE property and while fans yearned for its return it was revived. Of course now that it was part of the establishment it became the one thing wrestling fans in the 1990s rebelled against. And that is the story you see in the video above.

I can see where the revival fell short of the original. I can also see that ECW as a third brand that aired on the former Sci-Fi (no SyFy) allowed some future WWE superstars to gain some exposure and get TV time.

If the ECW revival hadn't gotten the attention of advertisers and networks prompting the involvement of Vince McMahon, fans can only wonder the direction of the ECW revival with the leadership of yet another McMahon, Shane McMahon.  Oh man another thought just hit me.

What if WWE had been able to properly relaunch the aforementioned WCW as another brand? Ah well for both we'll never know!.

R.I.P. Rocky Johnson

[VIDEO] I'm a few days late on this, but it should be noted that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's father - the legendary Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson passed away on Wednesday at 75.

Rocky Johnson who in a long ago match with the late Rowdy Roddy Piper was referred to as "Rock" by the legendary late Gorilla Monsoon was a bit ahead of my time. In that long ago match his footwork caught my attention and Johnsons background included being trained in boxing. That would definitely work if you're throwing "worked" punches so you have to do that theatrically anyway. [VIDEO]

The only way I knew of him was because of The Rock who when he started in the WWF was known as Rocky Maivia which is a merging of his father's name and his Samoan family name. Evidently for his son at one PPV during The Rock's initial run made the save for him using that amazing footwork. Indeed, if you want to see clips of this I recommend you check out Something Else to Wrestle With on the WWE Network. They look at the development of The Rock from his start in the USWA through his time in WWE (WWE=WWF got it).

Rocky Johnson helped to train The Rock for his wrestling career. Rocky Maivia was a third generation performer who's father was not only a legendary performer and soon to be WWE Hall of Famer, his Samoan family were in the business as well. In fact The Rock has several cousins in the business as well that includes The Usos and Roman Reigns. The Rock's contemporary Rikish Fatu was also a cousin.

Any I've talked very little of the father of the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. Like I said he was just a bit ahead of my time. I understand that he was one half of the first Black WWF world tag team champions with Tony Atlas. I also recognize that when he started in the business during the 1960s it was probably a very hard time to break into the business as a Black man. He's paid his dues and certainly paved the way for his very successful son who has even transcended wrestling into the world of movies.

I just had to share this a young Dwayne Johnson in the crowd watching his father perform [VIDEO]