Headlocks and Headlines

  By Benny Fairchild Despite not having Brock Lesnar and/or The Rock on the card, Summer Slam is shaping up to be a great event. With rumors circulating earlier this summer that The Rock was going take on Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar was going to take on Bobby Lashley, some may look at this card as a disappointment, but what I see is an event featuring seven title matches with a Wrestlemania caliber eighth match that's not even for a title. Sure it would have been nice to see The Rock in action, and I know how many people feel about Brock Lesnar, but enough about what we don't have. Let's focus on what we do have. The show kicks off at 7 p.m. Eastern-time with a one hour kick-off show that I'm guessing will likely feature Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal or the United States Championship match. I'm guessing Reigns and Cena will close out the night. With AEW's recent signing of CM Punk, I look for Vince and the folks at the WWE to put on one hell of a show Saturda

By Benny Fairchild MASSENA - Kelly Kelly, Carlito, Deonna Purrazzo, Aiden English, Chris Masters, Eugene, and more were all expected to be coming to the Massena Arena on Aug. 1 for a wrestling show put on by New Breed Entertainment fittingly titled, "Genesis: The Beginning." The show was intended to serve as a fresh start for the promoter behind the failed Potsdam Comic-Con, which advertised, for that event, a guest list that included both X-Pax and Scott Hall (neither of whom attended the event), among others.  That same promoter was also behind the now defunct Atlantic Championship Wrestling, which attempted to host several events in Massena, including a series of events titled "Lunch with a Legend," where tickets were sold for events featuring Kelly Kelly, Shane Douglas, Tommy Rich, and others. To his credit a meet and greet with Lanny Poffo, also known as The Genius did take place in April of 2019.  Poffo, who is the brother of Macho Man Randy Savage brought his

 With the WWE returning to performing in front of live audiences for the first time since Wrestlemania, expect Money in the Bank to be one hell of a show. Friday's Smackdown was one of the most high-energy shows the WWE has hosted in recent memory. I'm sure Money in the Bank is going to be more of the same with a few surprises in store. Rumors of pending returns from The Rock, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and Becky Lynch means anything could, and likely will happen.  The first match of the evening will feature The Usos vs. The Mysterios in a Wrestlemania-worthy tagteam match that makes the kick-off show a must see event, rather than an hour of talk that usually features a match that few people, if any, really care about. Given that the event is being treated as a grand return, I expect a title change to take place. Plus, an Usos win really furthers the storyline between Roman, The Usos, and at some point, The Rock. You can plan on a great march with plenty of near finish

Joey Chestnut made headlines this week when he won his 14th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, downing a new world record 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, a feat that, unfortunately, Ali and I missed as we were on our way home from a family trip. George Shea and Joey Chestnut I'm not sure if others who enjoy watching the contest on TV agree, but I actually find the introductions of the competitors the most entertaining part of the event. George Shea, one of the two brothers who oversee Major League Eating is truly a master on the mic. Taking an eater's accomplishments, a vocabulary that would make most MENSA members jealous, and an imagination that makes Dr. Seuss look like whoever it was that wrote those "Dick and Jane" books, Shea is able to craft entertaining intros that blend fact and fiction into 5-10 seconds of linguistic perfection for each competitor. Lists containing some of Shea's best work can be found online. My personal favorite was in 2016 the year af

By Benny Fairchild Welcome to my blog, Headlocks and Headlines. As a former newspaper reporter who began writing seriously while in high school, writing a book has been a dream of mine, but for now, a blog will have to do. The name Headlocks and Headlines is pretty self-explanatory. Here I'll write about current events, as well as professional wrestling, both at the national and local level. Not my grandma, but you get the idea. My love for professional wrestling goes back to my childhood when I would often walk down the street to visit my great grandmother who loved professional wrestling, and believed it was real. It didn't matter if it was WCCW, WCW, NWA or the WWF, if it was on TV, she was watching.  She watched wrestling on TV the same way a passionate sports fan watches the games of his or her favorite team. I have no doubt that had the internet existed, her antics would have gone viral. While I can't specifically remember the match, I can remember sitting in a chair