Horror Movies That Shouldn’t Be Missed
October and Halloween may be the time when folks want to watch chilling, horror motion pictures but really these motion pictures are entertaining to view all year long. Check out a few of these scary picks, you can download anytime of the day or night, any time of the year.
Some motion pictures are so good the first time around that they get remade over and over. Check out “House on Haunted Hill” first from the year 1959 and then again 40 years afterward in 1999. A millionaire offers five guests the occasion to be paid $10,000 in 1959 and a cool $1,000,000 in 1999, (how is that for an example of inflation?). They must stay in a eerie house with a homicidal past for the entire night.
Vincent Price was the millionaire in the initial 1959 version. He played along with Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig and Elisha Cook. The names, occupations and characteristics of the characters changed by 1999 but the most important storyline stayed the same. In 1999, the millionaire was Geoffrey Rush, with Famke Jannsen playing his wife. Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher, Chris Kattan, Ali Larter and Bridgette Wilson rounded out the visitors.
No horror film assortment would be comprehensive without Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The first Dracula movie from 1931 starred Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. The most recent version from 1992 starred Gary Oldman as Dracula and also included Wynona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves.
Dracula is the most recognized vampire of all times and many movie versions have been released. While there are some differences they all typically follow the same story as the first with Dracula inflicting panic on the inhabitants of Transylvania. The primary novel was written by an Irishman named Bram Stoker back in 1897.
Another movie to check out is “The Prince of Darkness” from 1987. a vacant church in Los Angeles holds a long-lost and forgotten canister that is packed with absolute evil. The devil himself could be unleashed and it could destroy civilization, as we know it. The Pastor of the church and some students must prevent the devastation.
“The Prince of Darkness” stars Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong and Lisa Blount. Alice Cooper, the rock star, makes an appearance as a street schizo. John Carpenter directed the motion picture.
Check out these and other frightening films tonight. You can download in just a matter of moments and enjoy as soon as tonight.
Remember when you are trying to find how to download movies free on the internet, count on film sites that are established.
More Bad Celebrity Themed Pinball Machines
This time we wont rank the bad celebrity pinball machines, well look at several different genres of bad celebrity tie ins:
THE BOX OFFICE BOMB THEMED MACHINE:
In 1991 Williams Pinball released a machine based on Terminator 2 and it was good. It had a gun trigger to launch the ball and a ton of Arnolds catch phrases like Ill be back keyed to various game objectives. The film was a huge hit, and everything worked well together. Now the bad news: because of the success of this machine the production companies thought Hmm. What well do is release the pinball machine simultaneously with the film. That way we can use the machine to market the film and popularize the characters and catch phrases. Thatll also help our merchandising sales.
Unfortunately, this thinking led to a number of pinball machines based on films that were absolute bombs. Some examples of this genre are machines based on The Last Action Hero, Judge Dredd and Hook. There wasnt a cooler cartoon than The Flintstones. So how do you screw up a Flintstones pinball machine? Just base the theme not on the classic Hanna Barbara cartoon, but on the horrible film starring John Goodman and Rosie ODonnell.
My all time favorite of the “bomb” themed machine has to be “Waterworld”. Waterworld was released in 1995 starring Kevin Costner and quickly became the definitive big budget, no box office film replacing Michael Ciminos Heavens Gate and the Dustin Hoffman/Warren Beatty comedy Ishtar.
Playing a bomb themed pinball machine is downright surreal. The most pitiful thing is when the machine booms out a catch phrase from the film that no one is familiar with. Fortunately, this trend died out with the demise of most of the pinball manufacturing companies. The remaining pinball maker, Stern Pinball, has learned from this mistake filled era and only does machines based around cool themes like The Sopranos and The World Poker Tour
THE DUBIOUSLY TIMED THEME:
This genre includes themes that would have been pretty cool, except for the fact they were released well after the subjects peak of popularity. Gilligans Island would have been great back in the mid-1960s or even in the late 70s when a new generation discovered the show in syndication. In 1991 it was just creepy since nearly half of the cast members depicted on the backglass were dead. Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry would have been a perfect fit for a pinball theme, except that its 1995 release came 8 years after the debut of the last film in the series (The Dead Pool). Popeye Saves the Earth was released 15 years after the release of the Robert Altman film.
Undoubtedly the strangest machine of this genre is 1994s Mario Andretti. The backglass didn’t display a picture of a young Andretti at the height of his racing career, but rather an image of grizzled old Mario Andretti. The smart move would have been to use his name, throw a bunch of race cars on the backglass and playfield and call it a day. Instead having the sixty-something race car driver on the backglass is vaguely akin to having your grandfather looking over your shoulder while you play.
ROOT,ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM:
A comment on the original celebrity theme article mentioned this genre and it is a good one. Its important to understand that the pinball industry has been based in Chicago for most of its history. Presumably for that reason there have been some machines featuring the local sports teams and stars. Chicago Cubs Triple Play isnt too bad due to the Cubbies national popularity. The Big Hurt Frank Thomas was a solid major league ballplayer, but not really worthy of a pinball machine themed around him. The most egregious example of this was 1978s Bobby Orrs Power Play, released not long after the trade that sent Orr from Boston to Chicago. Nationally, no one outside of Boston and Chicago cared. My hunch is that it was made to scam some free season tickets out of the Blackhawks management.
THE BAD CONVERSION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET:
This requires a little bit of an explanation: for reasons that Ive never been quite clear on it was common practice to rebrand a perfectly good game for the International market. Sometimes it was released by the US company, other times it was licensed to a foreign operation. Youd think that there would be some creative control over the rebranded themes. Youd be wrong.
While I have a good grasp on the US pinball demographic I have no idea who plays pinball internationally. Based on some of the re-themed machines its probably better I dont know. Mata Hari was a classic machine of the early 1980s. The German release was rethemed as the more foreboding Lady Death. This one at least makes sense as they had some Nazi imagery that Germans are understandably sensitive about (despite being historically inaccurate, since the real Mata Hari was executed during WW I). Less understandable is the retheming of a military themed game called Special Force in the US to the downright bizarre Special Forces Girls, featuring comely women in low cut, cleavage baring fatigues.
Ross Everett is heavy metal editor for The Savage Science, a website covering both MMA news and popular entertainment culture. He’s an avid MMA and boxing enthusiast as well, and reportsUFC news for several mainstream sports broadcasts and websites. He’s studied martial arts since childhood and holds a black belt in judo.
Learn About Some Great Film Summaries
Downloading right to your computer provides you several benefits. For one, you never have to visit the video store and you never have to wait for somebody else to give back the film that you want and there are no worries about returning the motion picture on time to avert late charges. Downloading films can be better than going to the video store if you do some inquiries in the beginning and make sure that you are using a decent site.
Strange Interlude – A Eugene O’Neill play that shows the confused web of the differentiation between our thoughts and our words. Norma Shearer is cast as a woman who lost the love of her life when he was shot down in WWI. The movie tells of romances and marriages between Nina and three men, only one of whom she loves. It is about growing old without settling their complications. This is a preoccupying film, with Shearer at her shining best. The company includes Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, Might Robson, Maureen O’Sullivan, Robert Youthful, Ralph Morgan, Henry B. Walthall, and Alexander Kirkland. (110 minutes, 1932)
MGM’s The Big Parade of Comedy – Fifty of the best megastars of all time appear in this collection, however too concisely. Cast includes Laurel and Hardy, Keaton, Gable, Robert BencWey, Jean Harlow, and Malion Davies, (90 minutes, 1964)
The General Died at Dawn – Fine drama of Oriental intrigue, with mercenary Cooper falling in love with foreign agent Carroll when fighting ominous warlord Tamiroff. Cast Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, Akim Tamiroff, Dudley Digges, Porter Chamber, and William Frawley. (97 minutes, 1936)
Encino Man – When Stoney and Dave are digging a hole in Dave’s backyard for a swimming pool., they come across, a primitive man, frozen in a block of ice. When the ice thaws, the primitive man, they name Link, comes to life. Can Link be taught to live in the contemporary world?
Macabre – Weird goings on in smaIl town where a doctor’s youthful daughter inexplicably disappears and a unspecified telephone caller declares that the kid has been buried alive. Cast includes William Prince, Jim Backus, Christine White, and Jacqueline Scott. (73 minutes, 1958)
Trading Hearts – Trading Hearts is a romantic comedy in which a intelligent young daughter (Lewis) tries to exploit her mom (D’ Angelo), a show-biz failure, into marriage with a busted-down baseball player (Raul Julia). Cast includes Raul Julia, Beverly D’ Angelo, Jenny Lewis, and Parris Buckner. (88 minutes, 1988)
Danny Boy – Ambitious though arrogant, inexorably uninteresting melodrama of sax player Rea, who trades his sax for a gun after observing a triple killing. This was Jordan’s directorial introduction, which he additionally did the screenplay. He and leading guy Rea later reteamed for The Weeping Game. (92 minutes, 1982)
Belles on Their Toes – Here, Myrna Loy is cast as a widowed architect who will campaign to bring up her aging brood. 20th Century Fox back lot seen at its best in recollecting early 1900s America. Clifton Webb makes a concise appearance at the climax. Cast includes Myrna Loy, Jeanne Crain, Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, Edward Arnold, Hoagy Carmichael, Barbara Bates, Robert Arthur, Verna Felton, and Martin Milner. (89 minutes, 1952)
Stay tuned for more recommendations and information on plenty of excellent movies that you can download instantly! Enjoy!
The fees cover the expenses of royalties owing to the copyright owners so that the sites are in conformity with the law. Copyright laws are vital for all of us. The charges also cover the maintenance and overhead of the service along with a profit margin. However, you will find that the charges are equal to and even less than the conventional video store.
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The History Of Reno’s Mapes Hotel
On a cold, gray morning in late January 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The controlled demolition came despite years of effort by a number of groups within the community and nationally to preserve the building with lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots lobbying efforts.
While the logic and necessity of demolishing the Mapes is very questionable, one thing that is certain is that the hotel was an important part of Northern Nevada history. The opening of the Mapes in 1947 ushered in a new era in casino gambling, and changed the economy and way of life in Nevada forever. The Mapes was actually the first property in the country to combine a hotel, casino and live entertainment under the same roof. It also became the hotel of choice for celebrities staying in Northern Nevada. Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed at The Mapes during the filming of ‘The Misfits’. Joseph McCarthy, America’s famed anti-Communist crusader, admitted to a reporter over cocktails in the Mapes Lounge that he really didn’t have a list of Communists in the US despite his frequent and vitriolic insistence to the contrary.
During the ‘Rat Pack’ era of the 50’s and 60’s it became along with the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The 11th floor, window walled Sky Room Lounge hosted performances by a roster of entertainment legends including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Milton Berle and Mae West. Downtown Reno struggled during the 1960’s and 70’s but the Mapes continued to prosper. The hotel finally closed in 1982, due to financial problems experienced by the Mapes Family brought about by their other Northern Nevada casino holdings.
Reno has yet to experience the sort of growth that has been seen in Southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands–perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state–is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate.
This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The city argued that the land on which the Mapes stood was necessary for their redevelopment efforts–a somewhat absurd position given the realities of downtown Reno and the lack of any real development on the property since the demolition. Despite receiving a number of viable concepts for the Mapes Building, the City Redevelopment Authority rejected all of them and the Mapes was destined for demolition.
The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which continued to maintain that demolition was the only viable option despite copious evidence to the contrary.
After the demolition of The Mapes Hotel, the lot remained vacant for almost a year until a temporary ice skating rink was constructed in the winter of 2001. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, brings into question the insistence by the City Redevelopment Agency that none of the proposals to preserve the building were viable. Clearly, they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was ‘haunted’ and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark of a more civilized era.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports betting and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared as a guest on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a ferret.
Jacksonville Beats St. Louis In Overtime
Despite dominating the winless St. Louis Ram on the stat sheet, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed overtime to eke out a 23-20 home field victory over arguably the worst team in the NFL. Based on their statistical superiority, the Jags should have made mincemeat out of the hapless Rams-they had 33 first downs to 13 for St. Louis, held a 492-262 overall yardage edge and had possession of the ball for 42:12 compared to 24:48 for the Rams. Jacksonville evened their record at 3-3 while the Rams dropped to 0-6.
Those who bet on NFL football would argue, however, that while Jacksonville may have ‘won the battle’ the Rams won the financial ‘war’ as St. Louis easily covered as +9′ road underdogs. It was only the Rams second NFL pointspread cover of the season (2-4 ATS) while Jacksonville evened their record against the money at 3-3. The 43 points put on the board just managed to go OVER the posted total of 42.
The catalyst behind the Jags offense was running back Marcus Jones-Drew who churned out 133 yards and three touchdowns. He’d gone public the week before saying that the Jags needed to run more and he explained the motives behind the comments after the game:
“I just wanted to show people my frustration of losing/ I feel we are on the verge of being great, but we just have to feel the same way about frustration. I lashed out a little bit. I think I went overboard, but the coaches understood after I talked to them and told them what it was about.”
Jags’ QB David Garrard said that the win was a confidence boost:
“This offense can battle even when the situation looks kind of bleak. To have that composure, that poise … that was huge for us. That was a good test for us to be able to move forward.”
There was immediate second guessing of Rams’ coach Steve Spagnuolo’s decision to go for the tie with the team had the ball on the nine yard line with seven seconds remaining. Some suggested that a team with a 0-6 mark should have gone for the win at this point. Spagnuolo responded all but saying that this team wasn’t playing to win but ‘playing not to lose’:
“It was too close. We never wanted something bad to happen and we just couldn’t take the chance. I think it was the right thing to do.”
The Rams won’t have an easy task earning their first victory next weekend as they host the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams are a +13 home underdog with the total set at 45′. Jacksonville will now have a bye week before returning to action on the road against the Tennessee Titans on November 1st.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports betting and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, cricket and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a ferret.
Raiders Stun Eagles For Second Win Of NFL Season
The Oakland Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and then prevailed in the kicking duel that followed en route to a 13-9 upset of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Much maligned quarterback Jamarcus Russell played his best game of the season despite two interceptions, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. Oakland now stands at 2-4 while Philadelphia slid to 3-2.
NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Raiders as a whopping +14 home underdog were never in any trouble as Oakland took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it. Oakland evened their mark against the NFL pointspread at 3-3, while the Eagles dropped to 3-2 against the number. The 22 points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 40′.
After the contest, Raiders’ coach Tom Cable said for the first time all season his team focused their intensity in the right direction:
“We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play. That’s all you can say. There’s no magic words or anything like that.”
Last week’s 44-7 loss to the New York Giants may have served a wakeup call to the Raiders. In particular, they were offended by comments made by Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce that the game ‘felt like playing a scrimmage’. Raiders’ wide receiver Louis Murphy didn’t dispute the comments but instead took them to heart:
“That gave me extra fuel. You have to look yourself in the mirror and man up. His comments were true. We played flat. We didn’t play with any emotion. This game was totally different. We took those comments to heart.”
The Raiders’ defense received the bulk of the credit for the victory as they pressured Donovan McNabb all day, sacking him six times. The Eagles became the first team in three years to not score an offensive touchdown against the Raiders. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott each had a pair of sacks, and Scott had the following observation:
“I’m sure they watched the Giants game and thought we were sorry. But all week coach Cable talked about persevering and forget the past and move forward so we can get to where we want to go.”
After the game, McNabb had little to say:
“I’m embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We’re a much better football team.”
The Raiders will try to put together an actual winning streak as they host the New York Jets next Sunday. Oakland is a +7 home underdog with the total set at 35. They’ll play their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers on the road the following Sunday before a bye week. Philadelphia will play the Redskins at Washington next Monday night. The Eagles are a -6′ road favorite with the total set at 38′.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a lynx.
Steelers Continue Dominance Of Browns
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing the Cleveland Browns for longer than any other team in the National Football League, dating back to 1950. And while it hasn’t been quite that long since the Cleveland Browns won a game against the Steelers it may be starting to feel like it. On Sunday, Pittsburgh won for the twelfth straight time dating back to 2003 as they topped Cleveland by a final score of 27-13. The defending Superbowl champions improved to 4-2 while the Browns fell to 1-5.
The good news for NFL betting enthusiasts who took the +13′ with the Browns as a road underdog is that they managed to cover the pointspread by the slimmest of possible margins. Betting against the defending Superbowl champion is a long standing handicapping concept, and this season at least its worked like a charm-the Steelers have only covered one of their first six games. Cleveland, meanwhile, evened their NFL pointspread record at 3-3 on the season. The Browns have covered three straight after dropping their first three both straight up and against the spread. The 40 combined points went OVER the posted total of 37′. Pittsburgh has now gone OVER in four straight after starting the season with two UNDERs while the Browns evened their NFL totals mark at 3-3.
Pittsburgh dominated the game in virtually every statistical category. They amassed 28 first downs to 12 for Cleveland, held a 543 to 197 total yardage advantage and a 36:46 to 23:14 time of possession advantage. Both teams turned the ball over four times, and the Steelers led only 17-14 in the third quarter. Most of the post game talk from both sides was about a controversial spot in the first half where the Steelers were given a first down on a short yardage play when it appeared that they didn’t make the required yardage.
After the contest, Derek Anderson spoke of the frustration of continually coming up short against the Steelers. The Browns have only one once in ten games since Pittsburgh moved into their new home at Heinz Field:
“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here. We put tons of hours in and … it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating.”
Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller said the team is happy to be where they are at this point despite not playing up to their standards:
“I think we haven’t played our best ball yet and that’s pretty comforting. We’ve gotten a few wins here without playing our best.”
The Steelers will host Brett Favre and the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. The Steelers are a -4 home favorite with the total set at 45. After a bye week, the Steelers will hit the road to play another undefeated team as they take on the Denver Broncos on Monday, November 9. Cleveland will host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, with the Browns a +7 home underdog and the total set at 42′. They’ll head to ‘The Windy City’ to face the Chicago Bears the following Sunday and then have a bye week.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, mixed martial arts and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a lynx.
An Introduction To CFL Canadian Football For The NFL Fan
In the United States, summertime is when teams get prepared to play football. NFL teams start training camp, and college teams start practice. North of the border in Canada, however, summertime is when their professional football season begins in the form of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The CFL is almost as old as the NFL, coming into existence in 1930. The league’s Grey Cup championship trophy is even older, having been awarded to the best Canadian professional football team since 1909. There have been a number of NFL stars who got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Randall Cunningham and Jeff Garcia.
The CFL is very high level professional football, but there are some significant differences between it and the NFL game:
The most obvious difference is the football itself–the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL’s 10 yards.
CFL teams are allowed to have 12 players on the field at a time, one more than is standard in American football. The extra offensive player is a wide receiver, and on defense they’re allowed an extra defensive back. CFL teams allow a team only three downs to move ten yards as opposed to four in the US game–references to a team going “two and out” are common on CFL broadcasts.
There are also differences in the scoring of the game. The first time I saw a CFL score tied 1-1 at the end of the first quarter I thought I was hallucinating. A major rule difference between the CFL and NFL is the fact that teams can score a single point, which those clever Canadians call a single. Basically, a team is awarded a single point for a missed field goal or a punt that lands in the end zone.
The rule differences also extend into the front office, where teams are required to have a certain quota of their roster be Canadian born. In an effort to prevent the CFL from becoming an NFL farm system, and to protect the unique identity of Canadian football 19 of the 40 players on the roster must be natives.
Perhaps the greatest misunderstanding is that the average NFL fan looks at the rules of the Canadian game with more players, a wider field, and fewer downs and concludes that the game is a wide open shootout similar to Arena Football. Thats not really the case”youll see some offensive battles but most games end up with final score totals in the mid to high 40s. In Arena Football, youll frequently see teams with potent offenses enforcing their will over and over again against teams with porous defenses. You dont see that too often in the CFL. The rules may be different, but as is the case in American pro football you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.
The requirement of native born players making up 50% of a CFL roster also results in a much more even distribution of talent across the league. Certainly there are good teams and bad teams, but the end result is greater parity than is found in the NFL.
Among the ‘non-Canadians’ on the team, its also important to note that the CFL doesn’t get the highest level US college players. Most with NFL ability are in the NFL, or on a NFL team’s practice or developmental squad. There’s definitely some American players that are uniquely suited to the CFL game, but the general level of talent is similar to that seen in the Arena Football League.
The bottom line is that despite the rule differences and personal quotas the CFL game is still football and can be enjoyed the same way. Once you understand the unique attributes of the Canadian game youll start to enjoy it almost as much as the NFL.
In the pre-Internet era, it was often difficult for US fans to find information on the CFL. They don’t get coverage on ESPN, but they receive extensive attention in the Canadian press. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and the official CFL website also has many resources including previews and statistics.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a ferret.
Bobby Lashley Returns To Pro Wrestling
Less than a month after his demolition of Japanese pop culture icon Bob Sapp, former WWE superstar turned MMA fighter Bobby Lashley has opted to return to the scripted world of professional wrestling. Lashley made his debut for #2 US wrestling promotion TNA on their Victory Road PPV in late July. Lashley had already made several on-camera appearances for the promotion, but the signing will mark his return to in-ring action. Lashleys last in-ring pro wrestling appearance came in Mexico on a show for Lucha Libre promotion AAA.
Hes not planning to give up his MMA career. In interviews prior to the TNA signing Lashley left open the possibility of a return to pro wrestling for its significant financial upside, while remaining committed to his shoot fighting efforts. Lashley trains in Florida with the prestigious American Top Team, and ran his record to 4-0 with his victory over Sapp in late June. A press release issued by TNA this morning further validated his suggestions that he planned to do both sports. Lashey himself is quoted as saying:
I want to do both because I can. TNA is giving me the opportunity to compete in both sports which I have a passion for. I will bring MMA fans to wrestling and wrestling fans to MMA
TNA President Dixie Carter noted:
This is a great opportunity for Bobby to do something that has never been done before. He is the perfect ambassador for both sports. We are excited to have him join TNA, he is a true star that brings so much to the table as a member of our roster.
Despite TNAs claims that Lashley is the first active MMA fighter to compete full time in pro wrestling, that’s not the case. Its very common in Japan, where fighters frequently compete in shoot fights like MMA while simultaneously appearing in worked (eg: pre-determined) pro wrestling contests. Lashley isnt even the first to pull the feat in the US, though hes definitely the highest profile fighter/wrester to turn the trick since MMAs overwhelming boom in popularity. Dan The Beast Severn at one point simultaneously held the UFC heavyweight title and the NWA heavyweight title in pro wrestling.
Lashley abruptly left the WWE in early 2008 under some degree of controversy. He indicated at the time that his departure was not of his own volition but due to circumstances beyond his control. Making this assertion more curious was the fact that Lashley had been used in high profile storylines by the WWE and was very popular among fans. Unlike most wrestlers leaving the promotion Lashley wasnt subject to a standard non-compete agreement. There has been speculation that he may have left in response to a racial incident, though neither Lashley nor the WWE has ever confirmed the reason for his departure.
At the time he was released from the WWE, Lashley began training for MMA building on an extensive background of amateur wrestling from both college and the military. The UFC took a pass on Lashley due to the perception that they couldnt market him successfully so soon after Brock Lesnars debut.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared as a guest on TV and radio talking about boxing, mixed martial arts and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a lynx.
MMA Pioneer Kimo Leopoldo Alive After False Media Reports Of Death
Pioneering UFC fighter Kimo Leopoldo is very much alive after numerous mainstream media reports to the contrary. The New York Daily News was first to report the story that Kimo had died of a heart attack, and it quickly spread to other mainstream media outlets. MMA insiders were somewhat skeptical, a there were few details as to the circumstances surrounding his passing, or any real independent confirmation.
A few hours later, the story began to unravel. First, Kimo’s agent indicated that he had spoken to him at 11 PM Monday night and that he was alive and well. He did add that he hadnt spoken to him since, but that he had not received word from anyone close to Kimo of a problem nor had he been contacted by any authorities. Shortly after 2:00 PM Tuesday, Kimos attorney reported that the fighter had been located and was alive and well. Theres still a question of how the report that he was dead made it out in the first place, but the New York Daily News isnt providing much of an explanation–theyve simply deleted the report without comment and will presumably pretend it never happened. There’s some suggestion that the rumor started in an online MMA forum, and Kimo has suggested that he’ll pursue legal action against the perpetrator.
The false death rumors are the latest twist to the utterly bizarre life of Kimo Leopoldo. A native of Munich, Germany, Kimo–he claimed later in his life that he had legally changed his name to simply ‘Kimo’–was the UFCs first over the top personality back when the promotions events were still in the single digits. He was also one of the sports first freestyle fighters in an era when most competitors were specialists in one martial arts discipline.
Kimo compiled a solid record in the sports early years. By the end of 1997, he had compiled a 6-2-1 record with his only losses coming to Gracie and another UFC Hall of Famer, Ken Shamrock. He also earned a draw against a third UFC Hall of Famer, wrestling specialist Dan Severn. His career would tread water from that point, however, as a result of increasingly better fighters entering the sport and the collateral damage of Kimos own often questionable lifestyle choices. His last fight was in 2006, a loss to veteran Wes Sims.
Kimo became known as much for his flamboyant personality as for his toughness as a competitor. He was a devout Christian, and sported many religious tattoos”most famously a large Jesus inscription across his stomach.
Kimo has battled drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life, and in recent years has reportedly became addicted to meth. Hes also tested positive for steroids at a couple of points during his career. In one of his more recent run ins with the law, he was found to be in possession of marijuana and subsequently arrested.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports betting and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, cricket and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a lynx.