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I can't believe he's really gone.

It's a phrase I've had to say just a few times over the last twelve years.  The last time it really hit me was after the "Retirement Match" between Hornet and GUNS at FISH FUND XI: End of an Era.  At that point, I didn't know if we'd ever see Hornet in the CSWA again.

And now I have to wonder the same thing about Eli Flair.

The man we all once called the Eliminator has been a tried-and-true CSWA veteran for five years.  From winning the Intracontinental all the way to the World Title, Flair and Ivy have run the gamut...and we've run it with them.

I'm happy for Eli, though.  He left after suffering almost-crippling injuries and two knee replacements, of which he has almost completely recovered.  He's met someone he wants to share his life with...and he did it all while becoming the CSWA World Champion.

That's a long way from the young man who entered the CSWA.  The word I'd use to describe Eli when I first met him in 1995 is 'lost.'  The only thing keeping him going was sheer will, and the only person keeping him on track was Ivy McGinnis.

In some odd way, we watched Eli grow up.  We watched the Eliminator go from feuding with the Rosenthal Family and trying to prove his 'extreme' nature to feuding with Randalls and Hornet.  Eli slowly came into his own, taking more chances and getting out of his comfort zone.  Finally, the "King of Extreme" only had one thing left to prove, that he could stake his claim at the pinnacle of the sport.

If Stephen Spielberg is ever looking for a rags-to-riches story to film...how about this one?  Kid in a rough neighborhood grows up in the inner-city, joins a gang, eventually takes it over, sees friends die, and then saves his life by stepping into a wrestling ring.  After a brief moment of happiness with his wife, she is tragically killed, leaving his sister-in-law as his only family.  Former gang thug makes good, eventually becoming the Champ.

Not a bad story, huh?  I'm just glad we were able to be a part of it.

UPDATED 5/3/00

Updated 5/3/00

I'm Rudy Seitzer, and welcome to CSWA Grapevine, where we track down the rumors running rampant here in the world of wrestling.  As always, I have to start with a standard disclaimer:  we cannot verify any of the rumors reported here.  Some may be true, some may be outright false...but they've all been passed to me by various sources.  So don't come crying to Rudy...got it?

Isn't it nice to see the CSWA geared up again, even if it is going to be mid-Spring before we have Winter's Warriors?

As the TRIBUNE reported earlier this week, Commissioner Merritt has attempted to open negotiations with Hornet on a new contract to re-sign the former four-time World Champion.  There appear to be two hangups, and surprisingly enough, it doesn't seem to be money.  Hornet isn't yet convinced that he wants a full-time contract, and apparently he's also not sold on the idea of reprising the "Greatest American Hero" role.  In speaking with Hornet personally, it seems that he still feels guilty for his heel behavior in 1999, and while he wants to make up for it, he doesn't feel like he should be held up at the "Hero" role model.

The search for background information on Faith Hannum, Deacon's apparent girlfriend, continues to draw blanks.  I've never seen anything like it.  I haven't been able to find a former associate, co-worker, high school classmate, nothing.  It's like she never existed before her stint here in the CSWA.

The most troubling issue affecting the CSWA has to be the latest from Ivy.  If you haven't kept up with the newspapers, be sure to check the TRIBUNE Insider for a special real-life "Ivy League" column.  There's a point where the boundaries of real life and this business meet....and when the lines cross, it gets ugly.  We're thinking of Ivy, and especially of her adopted daughter, Susan.

The latest 'firing' and rehiring of Kendall Codine, AKA Blade, has to be one of the more bizarre things I've seen in the CSWA, and that's saying a lot.  First Merritt snaps and fires Blade for 'insubordination,' then JW Locke apparently convinces Merritt to rehire Blade.  After seeing Locke's modus operandi in the MWC (now EWI), I've got to think that he's got plans for Blade.  And if the Norfolk card was any indication....Blade may have been set on the track against Randy Harders.  There's no love lost between Locke and Harders, at least according to the rumors from those who were close the the MWC/EWI situation.

With the exits of former World Champions Eli Flair, Mark Vizzack and Eddy Love from the promotion, spots on top have certainly opened up.  It appears that various wrestlers are vying to get on top, including Blade and Harders.  Other former 'superstars' like Mike Randalls have certainly set their sights high, and I've received word that other former CSWA employees may be set to make returns shortly, although nothing is official.  Also, the CSWA has seen a major influx of new talent that seems unafraid to jump into the fray.  Names like Evan Aho, Dusty Thompson, Shawn Stevens, Chris Petty, John J. Battles and others may not be household names yet...but they're certainly not complete unknowns to the hardcore wrestling fans.  I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one challenge for a major title by CSWA ANNIVERSARY.

That's it for now, Fans... I'll keep you posted.

 

 

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