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I understand the WWE even hits town now and again in Branson, MO, but the main reason I have been thinking about the great variety of packages offered to Branson recently at Branson Getaway’s Web site is that my wife and I now have my father living with us, and their Great American package, with its visit to the Veterans Memorial Museum included in the package, would be ideal for Dad.

You see, my father served in France and Germany during World War II. He started out as a regular infantryman, and before too long, he was promoted to the transportation pool, driving around the Army officers. He served from 1942 to 1944, and although he thankfully didn’t see much combat, he still served in one of the greatest wars in American history.

This has come to mean more and more to my wife and I, and its one of the many reasons we’re taking care of him in his old age, now that his wife of 55 years passed on last August. Dad is 86 years old, has failing eyesight and while we’d love to think he has several years left, we also know his time is not as long as it might have been a few years ago.

So we’re looking for ways to keep him happy in his final years, and a trip to Branson, with a chance to visit the Veterans’ Memorial Museum, would be just the trick to show him how much we appreciate him. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance this summer.

A former member of the Spirit Squad and one of Ric Flair’s last-ever tag-team partners, Kenny Dykestra, has been released from WWE this past week. Kenny spoke out on his blog:

“I did have fun with WWE but the creative side never used me properly or really gave me an opportunity to get over. It sucks when you know your better than the majority and your only used to make people look good. Will I stay wrestling? I’m not sure. WWE kinda puts a bad taste in your mouth after all the politics and garbage that can go on. I may try to go to TNA but we will see. I have 90 days to think about it and possibly try.”

While WWE security systems will be on the watch-out for Dykestra after comments like that, it will be interesting to see whether he is given a shot at TNA or not.

Former WWE champion Brock Lesnar upset Randy Couture over the weekend to win his first UFC title and becoming the first person to ever win WWE and UFC titles. Although Lesnar currently wants nothing to do with his pro-wrestling background, his unique achievement is nevertheless one for the record books.

Lesnar has been a dominant monster ever since his NCAA wrestling days at the University of Minnesota, and although he tried and failed to make the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive lineman, the ultimate fighting path he’s on now puts him back in more familiar territory.

Never one who needed a diet pill, Lesnar’s hulking physique and aggressive attitude have finally won him the legitimacy he’s longed for.

Although he’s at least “a year away” from his WWE debut, according to his father, Reid Flair may eventually become the newest member of the Second Generation faction that currently includes Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr., and Manu.

While it’s a ways off, if he matures and develops properly, adding Reid Flair to that group could become WWE gold: can anyone say “the second coming of the Four Horsemen?” Having a young Flair join a slightly older faction that includes Rhodes, DiBiase and Manu would certainly be a step toward having son Reid follow in his father’s legendary footsteps.

While it’s far to early to know if Reid can be successful as a professional wrestler, you have to believe that it is the potential of something like this which has WWE talent scouts watching Reid Flair’s development with more than a casual interest, even if it means swapping Mexican recipes with Flair family members.

Hulk Hogan’s latest foray into wrestling looks like a big, fat bust. Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling promotion features a load of D-list celebrities who, it seems, can’t wrestle their way out of a wet paper bag – but they’re learning the trade.

That’s the concept behind the show; part wrestling promotion, part reality show in the vein of WWE’s original Tough Enough competition, the show fizzles out of the game as literally over half of the celebrities cast in it appear not to even have known what professional wrestling was, prior to the first episode.

While it’s clear most of the cast would be better off on a show about tropical cruises, Dennis Rodman and Danny Bonaduce at least look like they might be trying.

Still, with such old-school WWE castoffs as Brian Nobbs of the Nasty Boys, Brutus Beefcake, and Jimmy Hart running the show, it’s unlikely this CMT program is going to gain any traction.

Next!

Although Ric Flair was given one of the classiest send-offs in all of WWE history, the ring veteran isn’t taking retirement well. According to online reports, he’s even negotiating for a return to the wrestling ring.

If it happens, however, it won’t be in WWE, TNA or even in the US. Word is, Flair is negotiating with several promotions based out of Japan for some matches that would inflate his bank account impressively, which just goes to show how important budgeting and planning is, even in retirement.

Flair’s official line currently is that his retirement applies only to the US and European markets. Let’s hope the Living Legend doesn’t embarrass himself in his golden years, the way Muhammad Ali has, on occasion.

While Batista winning the Fatal Four-Way main event on Raw to become the number one contender and set up a Punk vs. Batista main event at Great American Bash was a refreshing change of pace, the single weirdest booking moment came after the match, when Kane, among the losers of the Fatal Four-Way, put on a fairly good act of going apeshit, beating up ringside officials and the announce crew to express his disappointment.

I swear, he’d have hit Mae Young with a pella pan if he’d had the opportunity. It was an odd moment.

Odd because it seems to be the centerpiece toward setting Kane up to be a main eventer once again, which frankly doesn’t do a whole lot for me. Kane’s been main-event pushed for well over a decade now, and to be honest, he hasn’t had much mystique since he stopped wearing the mask. Although a faithful and yeomanlike worker, his star just hasn’t shone very brightly … not for quite a while.

Considering that most of Raw was a beginner’s primer, set up to welcome new viewers to the show, rolling out Kane as a monster main eventer in this way is out-of-place with the show’s new direction and certainly won’t help anyone who may have watched 10 years ago feel like much has changed in WWE since the last time they watched regularly.

You don’t need an HDMI cable to see clearly that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has left the pro wrestling stage of his career in the past. With “The Rock” nickname now dropped completely from his on-screen billing, Johnson seems set on making a clean break from McMahon and company.

To his credit, Johnson is the best actor the WWE has ever produced. Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea was only passable at best, and never knew how to disappear into a role; he was always “The Hulkster.” Steve “Stone Cold Steve Austin” Williams had an easier time fitting into roles, but his in-ring injuries interrupted his momentum at launching a post-wrestling acting career. And current WWE superstar John Cena is promising, but untested in a total of one film to date.

By comparison, Dwayne Johnson fits into this summer’s Get Smart movie starring Steve Carrel like a glove; he’s no longer a wrestler showing he can do a little acting. He’s now an actor who at one time did a little wrestling.

R.I.P., The Rock. Long live Dwayne Johnson.

Some of the most famous pro wrestling bloggers really get some advantages the rest of us do not, like being asked to do sports radio interviews whenever something big or controversial happens in the world of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Though I never gave it a lot of thought until recently, I’ve come to realize that having my own business card might not be such a bad idea.

So I hopped over to LogoYes.com to try out their free logo design and business card creation tool, just to get a rough idea. I didn’t expect much more than that – a rough idea. That’s where I was wrong; with the flexibility of their online tools and just a bit of creativity, I came up with a look I really like, and it only took maybe 10-15 minutes, mostly because I’m fairly fussy and kept adjusting stuff.

With plenty of clip art available and three main styles of clip art to choose from, I was able to come up with a design that not only goes well with the new look I adopted for ProWrestlingViews.com when I was hunting down and customizing the new template last night, but I think if I had the money to order a set, I probably would have, right then and there. The card looks sharp, I think, and would present a pretty impressive professional image.

Of course, I kept my address off the version I’m posting online for … well, privacy reasons, naturally. But if I placed an order, it would be relatively easy to correct that. Now if only I could figure out how to develop a custom blog template around the sharp logo I designed at LogoYes.com, I’d really be in business!