Prior to her appearance in “The Wrestler” Samoan Wrestling Noble Vale Anoai worked on two other projects. They are “Down with the Boogey” by Cowbell Films and “Unearthly Exchange” by Ikuzo Studios and Who Survives Productions. Down with the Boogey will be released shortly. Unearthly Exchange is available now!

Actor/Producer Mike E. Pringle from Philadelphia first met Vale Anoai at a cast dinner for Down with the Boogey. The dinner was set by the movie’s producers so the cast can meet and eat. Before being formally introduced to Vale Anoai, Mike E. Pringle thought she was great. After one day of work with Vale, Mike had to do another project with her. Mike wanted a project of his own at the unified production house of Ikuzo and Who Survives. His partners currently had a movie called “Saber” and a sitcom called “Fighter’s High”. So one day at his “day job” Mike came up with the idea for a sitcom of his own called “Unearthly Exchange”. He immediately knew who the lead actress was going to be Vale Anoai. He asked three other actors to be in it Greg Coale, Jessica Emma and Jacki Vogel. Later came some surprisingly fun auditions for the two kids. With that he found two very outstanding young talents Rebecca Blaich and Ali Dougherty.

Unearthly Exchange was meant to be a pilot for a series. Unfortunately the series didn’t get picked up. Ikuzo and Who Survives refuse to waste their work. They wanted to make sure the people involved have something to show for their efforts. So the project was repacked as a “short film”. It’s currently available on Amazon’s VOD (Video on Demand). The film can be downloaded to own for only $1.00!

People who support independent wrestling promotions like ROH and WXW will understand this request. They support these indie companies because they want something fresh and different. Most of all they want to give the other guy a chance. So please check out Unearthly Exchange on Amazon’s VOD. With that you give another independent promotion a turn at bat.

Amazon Link

Visit Unearthly Exchange at… http://www.myspace.com/unearthly_exchange

Mike E. Pringle
chiefomg@inmikescorner.com

Ric Flair returned to WWE action for the first-time since his “Retirement Match” at WrestleMania. Rather than look completely ridiculous with a match, Flair returned for a Parking Lot Brawl with Randy Orton on WWE RAW. RAW ended with a bloodied and beaten Flair who may have officially or unofficially came out of retirement.

The actions continued a frenzied last few days for the Nature Boy. Flair has been appearing in the WWE since March without a contract. There are conflicting reports that Flair signed a new contract with the WWE last Friday. This was all just another chapter in Ric Flair’s metamorphosis into wrestling’s Randy the Ram.

Flair has continued to work outside gigs of the WWE, specifically ROH television. The reason Ric Flair has been able to do outside gigs like ROH television is because he didn’t have a deal. I have heard on good authority that Ric Flair officially signed a new deal with the WWE on Friday. While nothing has been officially announced, actions over the weekend would indicate a new deal is in place.

One of the reasons it took Flair so long to sign a contract were his other commitments. Flair agreed to appear on Ring of Honor’s television show as their commissioner, and was paid upfront for multiple dates. If he had signed with the WWE earlier, he never would have been able to accept a sweet six-figure deposit for those dates from ROH.

Ric Flair was asked about the WWE’s feelings on his outside endeavor just last week in an AP piece. Flair said, “They don’t look at Ring of Honor as being competition to them.” Apparently Flair didn’t get the memo or was playing a hell of a game on ROH.

ROH had a television taping advertising Flair on Friday night. I had heard earlier that day that Flair would be saying goodbye that night. Flair appeared that night and resigned as commissioner of ROH. Flair said his heart was with the WWE and bid ROH a fond farewell.

The always integral Ric Flair informed ROH management that behind the scenes that the WWE had pulled him off of ROH television. Flair reportedly agreed to fulfill his agreements, but could not appear on television. The big problem here is that ROH paid Flair upfront to appear on television. In my eyes, ROH got played by the Nature Boy.

What was ROH’s reaction? According to various reports, Flair does not have the money to pay them back to get out of the dates. I have corroborated the story myself through outside sources. The WWE could offer to pay the tab, but it will come out of somebody’s check.

Ric told Mike Mooneyham over the weekend, “I just can’t work for two people. It doesn’t make sense,” Flair said after the show. It would be hypocritical if I tried to do both. I just told the truth. You can’t go wrong telling the truth. My loyalty is with WWE, and that’s where I’m at.” – Read the rest of the interview here.

Ric Flair’s story over the last fourteen months ranges from desperate to pathetic to delusional to just downright sad. Flair agreed to wrestle his final match at WrestleMania XXIV against Shawn Michaels. Flair was paid the biggest honor in the history of wrestling the following night with a retirement ceremony for the ages. Ever since then it has been a downward spiral for the Nature Boy.

Flair walked away from a sweet deal doing public relations for the WWE last year. I have heard various reasons as to why, but either way he walked away from a lucrative gig. Flair has done everything but spit in the face of the WWE since walking away. He has more or less made the WWE look like a bunch of fools by doing shoot interviews, other television, and ranting about his desires to wrestle again.

Flair’s personal life has also been a mess since leaving the WWE. Flair already claimed to be in debt to Vince McMahon of an $800,000 loan when he left. He and his wife divorced. His son Reid has been arrested three times and found with heroin. Flair now pays over $20,000/month in alimony. Rumors persist that Ric Flair is all but broke and in major debt.

Ric Flair’s troubles with money have become something of legend in pro wrestling. Flair proudly claims that to be the Nature Boy, you have to live like the Nature Boy. Well if living like the Nature Boy meant living over your head and not paying your taxes, than wooo!

It was a bit of an inside joke a couple of years back when Ric Flair opened up Ric Flair Finance. At first it looked like a rib from one of Flair’s friends. However, it was 100% legit. The website claimed to offer a, “Figure-Four Process” of securing a loan. It should be of no surprise that the business closed a few months later.

The article reports that Flair’s contract only binds him for public relations, similar to his old deal. Flair told Mike Mooneyham that he still plans to wrestle outside of the United States. Non-WWE wrestlers are allowed to take independent dates that aren’t considered competition to the WWE.

“I don’t think anyone could begrudge me for throwing my gear on (overseas),” said Flair in the article.

Um yeah, I think anyone could and would begrudge him. One former top WWE wrestler told me over the weekend that he didn’t like it. He, like others believe that the WWE will never give a wrestler a proper retirement sendoff again out of fear that the wrestler would pull a Ric Flair and make a mockery out of Vince McMahon.

I am also starting to get sick of this whole idea that is okay to wrestle as long as it is outside of the United States. I guess this is what keeps Ric Flair from coming to terms with what a mockery he has turned into. If anything, coming out of retirement for a show in South Africa that nobody will see turns this into a bigger joke than if he was going to wrestle in Atlanta for TNA Wrestling.

I expected Flair to wrestle in the WWE at some point, but I didn’t expect a Parking Lot Brawl with no advanced advertising. At 60 years of age, Flair would be the oldest full-timer on the roster. As much as the guys love Ric Flair, I can’t see how it will do anyone good putting over or even selling for a 60-year old wrestler.

As for the Flair-ROH situation, I think Flair fleeced ROH. I think Flair knew exactly what he was doing when he took ROH’s deposit. I think the reason Flair held out signing a new deal with the WWE for so long was so he could get that upfront cash from ROH and other sucker promoters. ROH has just been beaten by the dirtiest player in the game. Wooo!

The shame of it all is that such arguably the greatest of all-time has lost a tremendous amount of respect among his colleagues and fans. It is sad because I think Flair’s in-ring accomplishments will be overshadowed by the last year and a half. It will take years to remove the tarnishing Flair has done to his own legacy.

Flair was always looked at as the Babe Ruth of pro wrestling. Now he is looking more like Joe Louis or even Randy the Ram.
Order WWE: Nature Boy Ric Flair – The Definitive Collection by clicking here.

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I can’t remember a movie come out with as much fanfare as The Wrestler. Today, the DVD is released of this great movie. This is one DVD that is a must-buy whether you haven’t seen the movie or not. The DVD features this great movie and a tremendous extra that will appeal to wrestling fans far and wide.

I watched the movie as both someone well educated with the wrestling business as well as someone who just wanted to see a good movie. Up until The Wrestler, I can’t ever remember a pro wrestling movie that got it right. Even WCW with full control over their own production, turned Ready to Rumble into a disaster. This one hit the mark on a lot of levels.

The movie is as real to the business as I have ever seen. I was surprised to see how many actual wrestlers were used in the movie. It was like a walk down memory lane seeing a lot of friends and familiar faces pop up on the big screen. I don’t think this has been talked about enough, but everyone involved in the wrestling scenes and locker rooms are real wrestlers.

One of the most compelling characters in the movie was the Necro Butcher. Necro wrestled “Ram” in the hardcore match in the beginning of the movie. The Necro in the movie is the same exact Necro I have worked with many times in the business. It is funny how Hollywood allowed wrestlers to be themselves while the WWE try and turn their wrestlers into actors.

I thought a few things had the probability of being realistic, yet were a stretch to anyone familiar with the business. Back to the Ram’s foray into hardcore wrestling. I can’t remember a veteran the status of the Ram doing something as hardcore as the match in the movie. Terry Funk is an exception, but Funk wasn’t doing it because he was hard on his luck living in a trailer.

As for Mickey Rourke’s character, I thought it was pretty genuine. Rourke has said that he based his look on Lex Luger. Rourke hasn’t outright admitted to using steroids but hasn’t denied it either. The only problem I have with the character is that he was almost too nice. I can’t remember ever meeting someone like the Ram who was nice enough to wrestle with neighborhood kids. I don’t know, but I thought he should have had a little harder edge.

For every Bruno Sammartino who saved his money, there are way more Rams than there are Sammartinos. Most of the wrestlers who were successful in the 1980s never expected the territories to disappear. A lot of these guys woke up one morning with slim options, no money in the bank, a lost family, and fading fame. The big money didn’t come until the late 1990s which was too late for a lot of these guys.

I think the movie probably does more to pay respect to pro wrestlers than pro wrestling itself. It is a creative way of telling an interesting story even though it revolves around something as corny as pro wrestling. I only wish more people understood the pain and sacrifices that a lot of their heroes made, especially when they chant “boring” or “you f*cked up!”

I think there is a lot of potential left on the table from this movie. I could see a sequel (depending upon how you interpret the ending). I think a similar movie featuring a female wrestler could be off of the charts. I also think that there is an opportunity here for a television series based on a similar character. The surface is just being scratched with this great movie.

The DVD features a ton of extras. One of the most exciting extras to wrestling fans is a round-table discussion featuring ex-pro wrestling. Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Roddy Piper, and others host a question and answer session talking about the movie and the business. This is what some would consider to be the ultimate shoot interview. I am grabbing the DVD specifically for this extra.

I’d highly recommend the DVD whether you are a wrestling fan or not. I have heard nothing but great things from people I know that hate wrestling. Mickey Rourke gives one of the all-time performances in this one and deserves every accolade that he has received. Maybe just maybe, this movie will open up some eyes and some kind of union could be established for aging wrestlers.

Now I am really talking fiction with that one.

Order the Wrestler today by clicking here.

Whether WWE WrestleMania XXV lived up to the standards set of past WrestleMania shows is debatable. There were the usual WrestleMania celebrities. There were the usual grand entrances by WWE superstars. But overall, the show itself was a toss up among most fans. However there was no debate as to who had the best match on the show. Once again, Shawn Michaels lived up the moniker of “Mr. WrestleMania.”

Shawn Michaels and Undertaker had what will go down as a 31 minute WrestleMania classic. These two hadn’t missed a beat since their exciting series of matches over ten years ago. The match was just simply great and had 70,000 plus going nuts from entrance to finish. The old dogs showed the current class of wrestlers what stealing the show at WrestleMania is all about.

The match had a pretty quick pace throughout most of the bout. There were some throwback spots in there that old-school fans could appreciate. For one, Shawn Michaels took a WrestleMania XI-like backdrop from Undertaker. Second, the two used a spot right out of their Hell in a Cell match by getting a gimmicked cameraman involved. The spot will probably be most remembered for Undertaker landing right on his head.

That wasn’t the only glitch of the match. After kicking out of a Tombstone, Michaels reversed another attempt into a DDT. The move didn’t seem to be noticed by the live crowd. Thanks to a genius in the production truck, a replay was shown immediately thereafter of the botch. The director who called for that shot should probably be getting his resume ready today.

Both men traded and hit all of their signature spots. Michaels even pulled out some new tricks which was nice to see. In the end, Undertaker caught Michaels in the midst of a Moonsault Block. Undertaker reversed it into another Tombstone. Unlike the previous Tombstone, Michaels never kicked out of the subsequent pin. Undertaker now goes to 17-0 and the WrestleMania streak continues.

My second favorite match of the night was actually the Elimination Match between Chris Jericho vs. Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, and Ricky Steamboat. Well not the match itself, but the moments between Jericho and Steamboat. Snuka and Piper really need to stay away from the ring. I loved these two guys growing up, but it is really painful to watch them in 2009. Ricky Steamboat was another story altogether.

Steamboat had not had a wrestling match in about fifteen years. As one of the greatest of all-time, I really worried that he’d embarrass himself. Steamboat did not embarrass anyone but the guys that had to follow him. Steamboat looked fantastic and held his own with Jericho. I am almost tempted to see a singles match between Steamboat and Jericho at Backlash. Jericho beat Steamboat, but Steamboat looked absolutely fantastic in my opinion.

The second most remembered WrestleMania moment will probably be the return of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Austin drove an ATV to the ring and drank a ton of beers to the crowd’s delight. I can’t imagine another WWE superstar in our lifetime reaching the kind of popularity he has. Triple H and Randy Orton followed this, which was quite a task for the main-event.

The celebrities were in attendance as usual at WrestleMania. Kid Rock performed a near 15 minute set. This brings up a story of my own from a few months back. I remember seeing a sign for Kid Rock performing in A.C. on the highway. I said to my girlfriend, “Who in their right mind is going to see Kid Rock in 2009?” To me, this just goes to show how completely out of touch with music that the WWE is. Paul Heyman has written about this in his column and this was a perfect example of this. Maybe they can book Limp Bizkit for next year at this rate?

Mickey Rourke from The Wrestler was the show-stealing celebrity. Rourke sat ringside with a few MMA fighters. Jericho challenged Rourke to get in the ring. Rourke did, and cold cocked Jericho with a punch. I wouldn’t call this pathetic, but I wouldn’t call it a great moment either. Ric Flair quickly ended this by pulling Rourke off of him. Thank God they didn’t go with the planned match.

The rest of the show was a mixed bag. I thought the Hardy vs. Hardy match was a bit disappointing. The Extreme Rules really hampered these guys from doing what they do best. The match almost looked like a bad independent hardcore match. The storyline about Matt killing Jeff’s dog is just way too ridiculous at this point. It’s time to move on to another chapter. I also thought it was rather insulting of the announcers (I’m sure at Vince’s request) to categorize this as a more heated brother-rivalry than the Harts.

I didn’t particularly care for either of the two main-events. John Cena pinned Big Show to win the WWE world title. Triple H retained the WWE championship pinning Randy Orton. There will probably be some controversy coming out of it since he used a sledgehammer. CM Punk won Money in the Bank for the second year in a row. I could try and explain that one for the next year and probably couldn’t come up with anything. I would expect something with him and either Edge or Randy Orton in the near future.

Pre-order the WrestleMania XXV DVD by clicking here.

Click here to grab a Undertaker 29 x 82 in Stand Up.

See  Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker in their classic Hell in a Cell Match on the WWE: Hell in a Cell DVD by clicking here.

Full Results:
WWE Champion Triple H def. Randy Orton
John Cena def. Edge & Big Show (New World Heavyweight Champion)
CM Punk wins Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Chris Jericho def. WWE Legends
Matt Hardy def. Jeff Hardy (Extreme Rules Match)
Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels
Rey Mysterio def. JBL (New Intercontinental Champion)
“Santina” Marella wins 25-Diva Battle Royal for title of “Miss WrestleMania”
WWE Tag Team Champions def. World Tag Team Champions (New Unified Tag Team Champions)