August 15, 2008

"World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of ECW Superstar Stevie Richards. WWE wishes him the best in all his future endeavors."

In my seven and a half years with the Original ECW and 2 and a half here at WWE, I have read these announcements at least one hundred times. I think we all become somewhat callous to these announcments because people being fired from their places of employement are common occurances and just an everyday part of doing business.

However, Stevie Richards and I have been friends for over fifteen years and I and followed his painful quest to continue his dream of wrestling for a living through a broken neck and subsequent throat surgeries to repair a severed vocal cord as a result of the initial fusion of the vertebrae in his neck. In fact, earlier this year I interviewed Stevie on television about his painful surgeries and love of wrestling which kept him from retiring despite doctors' reccomendations.

http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/superstars/joeystyles/styles/122807mep

http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/ecw/2008/february1-7/6389974?zone=ecw_joeystyles

As I finish my blog for this week, I know that if ECW Original, Stevie Richards decides his future endeavors will include continuing to wrestle, then it shall be.

Joey Styles

Because I am taking a vacation day tomorrow, I cannot do a live blog this week so I am instead writing this blog.

Mike Adamle, RAW GM!? This has the potential to be more entertaining than Mike Adamle, ECW Announcer. The excitement with which Adamle announced the first ever John Cena vs. Batista match at SummerSlam left even the crickets in our nation's capital silent.

The good news for the WWE Universe is that my friend, Todd Grisham will now be handling ECW play by play duties for ECW. Todd prepared very diligently for his ECW debut and I am sure he will continue to do so as he improves weekly. Todd has waiting years for his turn at the WWE announce table and deserves to carry the ball. Run Todd. Run!

I was thrilled to see Michael Cole finally have his fill of abusive, bullying WWE Superstars and punch Cody Rhodes right in the mush. Michael may have lost the match, but from the sound of our fans in Washington D.C., RAW's new play by play announcer gained the respect of the WWE Universe.

As has been reported everywhere, actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. has joined the WWE Creative Writing Team. I find Freddie to be a humble and passionate WWE fan who am going to enjoy working with. I wish Freddie the best of luck in keeping up with the most talented and hard working people I have ever met, the WWE writers. Imaging trying to write a minimum of five hours of first programming every week with no off season. I couldn't write a WWE television show if my life depended on it. By the way, travelling with this ecclectic bunch may be the highlight of my job. They are laugh out loud funny and a reality show waiting to happen.

Until next week,

"OH MY GOD !"

Joey Styles 

Today, the entire ever-growing, hard-working, out of their minds WWE.com staff is moving from our very, very, very modest (okay, they stink on ice) offices to our brand new state of the art, hi-tech, plasma-filled, digs next door. I see it as an encouraging and motivational vote of confidence from the pesanovante in the corner offices at WWE Headquarters that the entire WWE Digital Media team is being upgraded from Coach to First Class.

JR claimed in his blog this that I did not review his outstanding restaurant after returning from the center state of Oklahoma. Therefore, let me re-post this excerpt from my blog last week:

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).

Okay, JR I also gained five pounds gorging myself on your mouth watering ribs, pulled pork and wings. Are you happy now? :)

Yesterday, we shot several episodes of WWE.com's newest exclusive program, Stylin' and Profilin' with Ric Flair which debuts this week. "Naitch" is always a pleasure to spend time with , let alone to work with. Throw in the fact that I idolized the man for 20 years and you have a 36 year old who is driving his wife crazy because he and his 4 year old mini-me are walking around the house strutting and shouting "Wooooo!". The good news is that after nearly eleven years of marriage, Mrs. Styles still likes to ride Connecticut's Space Mountain. Wooooo! Too much information?

Next week marks the debut of "Oh My Blog!" I will be doing a live blog every Friday at 1PM Eastern and look forward to answering your questions. NO QUESTION IS TABOO! You "shoot" me questions and I will "shoot" you answers.

Until Next Friday,

"Oh My God!"

Joey Styles

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

I was absolutely shocked by some of Monday night's WWE Draftees as well as some that were announced yesterday in WWE.com's supplemental Draft.

For years, RAW has been considered by many to be WWE's flasgship show but with the additions of WWE Champion, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross to SmackDown, I think there may soon be a new alpha brand and ratings will dictate that distinction.

I'm sure executives at MyNetworkTV are salivating while counting down the days to SmackDown's debut on October 3. Of course, viewers of "Meet My Folks" and "Paradise Hotel 2" (all 12 of them) are going to be disappointed.

Night of Champions is this Sunday and I am happy to announce I will sitting next next to none other than John Cena for our WWE Fan Nation live blog from 7:30 to 8:00 PM EST. Fan Nation fans may be very well having their questions answered by a Superstar less than three hours away from bringing the WWE Championship back to RAW.

I love the concept of a WWE pay-per-view that features nothing but WWE Championship Matches. In my humble opinion, it makes the event feel like a special must see for any true WWE fan.

Speaking of must see, my "Oh My God!" moments have returned to WWE.com, featuring some of the most extreme moments from the revolutionary, industry changing movement know as the Original ECW.

One last must see will the Michael Cole's first indroduction of the new voice of RAW in Oklahoma City before we go live on USA Network Monday night. Rest assured, this historic moment will be a WWE.com exclusive video.

Until Sunday night,

"Oh My God!"

Joey Styles