Thursday, July 3, 2008, 11:13 PM EST [
General]

First of all, I wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July weekend. I stress safe because every July 5th for as long as I can remember, I turn on news radio in the morning and hear several reports about idiots who injure themselves or others with illegal fireworks. If you never read anything else I write, read this: please just go to your local park and watch the professional fireworks show with your family and friends. Bring a video camera if you like to relive the show at home. Just don't buy M80s from the trunk of an automobile. You are only proving Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection.
Back to WWE news, WWE.com had a phenomenal June with over 17 million unique visitors flooding our site (which is one of the most trafficked on the entire world wide web) and devouring all of our new weekly programs, photo galleries and lifestyle features about the WWE Superstars and Divas.
McMahon's Million Dollar Mania can be credited to attracting some new
visitors to WWE.com, but the tireless and creative staff gets the full credit for
creating enough entertaining content for each visitor to view an
average of about thirty pages each!
WWE.com will continue to add new
and exciting content constantly beginning with Summer Skin tomorrow.
From July 4th through Labor Day, WWE.com will feature hundreds of
photos and videos of the bikini-clad WWE Divas shot primarily in sunny
Southern California.
Also this week, look for the debut of Cryme Tyme's
"Word Up". JTG and Shad have warned the Miz and John Morrison that "The
Dirt Sheet" will soon be the second most watched weekly program on
WWE.com. I have put all of our WWE.com stars on notice that my Original
ECW "Oh My God!" Moments will be viewing all of them from the extreme
rear view mirror as I have already received a wave of hardcore e-mails clammoring for
more classic E-C-Dub!
June also marked the month that I finally had the pleasure of visiting and sampling JR's Family BarBQ. While I have always been a rib man, the smoked wings have made me swear off of fried wings forever. I'll be getting a smoker for my birthday, and wings will be my new favorite source of protein, second only to venison (which is also delicious smoked).
Every week, as I meet WWE fans all over America and they all ask the same question, "Do you miss calling WWE matches?" Not only do I much prefer my new duties with WWE.com to my former duties at the WWE announce table, but in retrospect I wish this position had been available in June 2005. The end of my announcing career should have coincided with that of the Original ECW at One Night Stand 2005. Professionally speaking, I will always see myself as the voice of ECW and I think everyone I work with and WWE fans around the world do as well and that makes me feel a sense of accomplishment on behalf of everyone who enjoyed part or all of the Original ECW.
Congratulations to the New World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk. I felt a personal connection with Steve Austin and Mick Foley when the won the WWE Championship because I had seen them break out in ECW before chasing the brass ring in WWE.
However, having followed CM Punk's career through the indies and internationally before calling his WWE ECW debut in New York City, I had goosebumps Monday night watching Punk achieve his lifelong dream and almost felt like I had won the title with him.
I spent the rest of Monday evening hanging out with the new World Heavyweight Champion, clad in his trademark baggy jeans, dirty Cubs cap and worn T-shirt, knowing that this young man will not be affected in any way by his newly earned success. Punk will always be Punk. He's not just a character you see on television. Punk is genuinely that grounded person all day, every day which is why I believe our fans, specifically our younger fans flock to him. Hopefully, his message of drug free hard work will resonate with those youngsters as well. In fact, drug-free hard work is a message that will hopefully resonate with all Americans on Independence Day...and every day.
Oh My God
Joey Styles