Michael Bucci

On this episode of "Developmentally Speaking" Bull James is back with two guests who offer a completely different view on the developmental system. Bull is joined by Kevin Thorn and Mike Bucci aka Nova and why do these two offer a such a unique look? Well Kevin was around when it all started back in OVW, Nova was in it and was in the office over the developmental system. Don't miss this episode as you get to learn about the early days of the system and what it was like hiring and firing wrestlers. Things certainly have changed over the years from the places they train to the wrestlers themselves. So sit back and enjoy Developmentally Speaking with Kevin Thorn and Mike Bucci.

Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling President Dixie Carter and “The Extreme Original” Tommy Dreamer announced that “Hard Justice,” TNA’s pay-per-view event will transform to “HardCORE Justice,” a one-night-only celebration of extreme, hardcore wrestling featuring a one last stand. This is it for an event like this, and it’s the perfect send off we never thought we’d receive. It’s funny, because there had never been a wrestling company that the fans would chant for by name since our time… until TNA began.” – Tommy Dreamer

Royal Rumble (2006) was the nineteenth annual Royal Rumble PPV. It was presented by Sony Computer Entertainment's The Con and took place on January 29, 2006 in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida The biggest Superstars of WWE RAW and WWE SmackDown! clash at Royal Rumble to determine who will go to WrestleMania 22 as the heavyweight contender. Also, WWE Title: Edge vs. John Cena, World Heavyweight Title: Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry, WWE Cruiserweight Title (6-way Match): Kid Kash vs. Funaki vs. Gregory Helms vs. Jamie Noble vs. Nunzio vs. Paul London, Mickie James vs. Ashley, & The Boogeyman vs. John 'Bradshaw' Layfield

No Mercy (2005) was the eighth annual No Mercy professional wrestling PPV and was presented by Sony's PlayStation 2. It took place on October 9, 2005 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand. The main event was a standard wrestling match, in which World Heavyweight Champion Batista defended against challenger Eddie Guerrero. One of the featured preliminary matches was a Casket match between The Ortons (Randy and "Cowboy" Bob) and The Undertaker. Another primary preliminary match was a standard match between John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and Rey Mysterio.

The Great American Bash (2005) was a professional wrestling PPV that took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The event featured wrestlers and other talent that performed on the SmackDown! program. The main event was Batista defending the World Heavyweight Championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). One of the featured matches on the undercard was Rey Mysterio versus Eddie Guerrero while the other was Orlando Jordan versus Chris Benoit for the WWE United States Championship. The event grossed over $375,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 8,000, and received about 233,000 pay-per-view buys, the same amount as the following year's event. The event was also available free of charge for Armed Forces members and their families.

Backlash (2005) was the seventh annual Backlash PPV. It took place on May 1, 2005 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire and was presented by Namco's Tekken 5. The event starred talent from the Raw brand. In the main event, Batista defended the World Title in a singles match against Triple H. From the five scheduled bouts on the undercard, two received more promotion than the others. The first was a tag team match, in which Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan challenged Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. The other was a Last Man Standing match between Chris Benoit and Edge.

Royal Rumble (2005) was the eighteenth annual Royal Rumble PPV. It was presented by PlayStation and took place on January 30, 2005 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands. The main event was the annual 30-man Royal Rumble match, which featured wrestlers from both brands. The primary match on the Raw brand was Triple H versus Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship. The primary match on the SmackDown! brand was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship between reigning champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Kurt Angle, and The Big Show.

World Wrestling All-stars Heavyweight Champion, Nathan Jones faces "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner, with Sid Vicious looking over the action at ringside, as "special ringside enforcer"!

Two second generation superstars square off in the middle of the ring, in Las Vegas, Nevada! The WWA's first pay per view live from America. WWA Champion, Jeff Jarrett, faces off against Brian Lawler!

January 13, 2001 from The Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas

January 12, 2001 from The Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Guilty as Charged (2001) took place on January 7, 2001 from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. This was the final nationally and globally broadcast event held by the original and independent ECW before it filed for bankruptcy two months later. The main event was the first and only Tables, Ladders, Chairs and Canes match in ECW history for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, in which Steve Corino defended the title against The Sandman and Justin Credible. Rhino issued an open challenge which was answered by Rob Van Dam, but Van Dam was attacked by Jerry Lynn, leading to an immediate contest between the duo, and much more.

Behind Closed Doors series returns with Tommy Dreamer & Danny Doring! This time Dreamer and Doring provide in-depth commentary giving backstage scoops and insight to ECW's final days and the superstars on the card. Unedited, uncensored, never before seen ECW Holiday Hell 2000 was the absolute final ECW event in the ECW Arena on December 23, 2000 in South Philadelphia, PA in front of a sellout crowd two days before Christmas. What an amazing show this was and is an excellent gem to have for any ECW fan. This DVD also includes an optional second soundtrack to watch the show without the commentary to feel like you are sitting in the ECW Arena yourself!

December 15, 2000 from The Madhouse of The Extreme in Queens, New York

ECW Massacre on 34th Street was a professional wrestling pay-per-view from Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and was the second to last pay-per-view from ECW before the promotion ceased. It took place on December 3, 2000, from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Steve Corino defends the ECW Championship against Jerry Lynn and Justin Credible in a Three-Way Dance. Tajiri & Mikey Whipwreck collide with the team of Super Crazy & Kid Kash. Rhino defends the ECW Television Championship against Spike Dudley. The FBI defend the ECW Tag Team Championship against Danny Doring & Roadkill. Tommy Dreamer and more.

November 11, 2000 from The Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York

November 10, 2000 from The Sportsplex in Schenectady, New York

November to Remember 2000 took place on November 5, 2000 from the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois. Justin Credible defends the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Steve Corino. The FBI take on Tajiri & Mikey Whipwreck with the ECW Tag Team Championship on the line. Rhino defends the ECW Television Championship against New Jack. Plus, Balls Mahoney, Spike Dudley, and more.

September 9, 2000 from The Hershey Center in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

August 25, 2000 from The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York

Justin Credible takes on Tommy Dreamer in the main event in a Stairway to Hell Match. Rhino defends the ECW Television Championship against The Sandman. Tajiri, Little Guido, Super Crazy, and Psicosis collide in an Extreme 4-Way Match. Jerry Lynn battles Steve Corino and more.

June 3, 2000 from The Bayfront Auditorium in Pensacola, Florida

From the ECW Extreme Fancam series of live events, ECW WrestlePalooza 2000 eminated from St Charles, Missouri, USA, and featured the following matches; HC Loc vsSimon Diamond (with Mitch, Prodigy, Prodigette, and The Musketeer). Chilly Willy vsJohnny Swinger (with Judge Jeff Jones). Nova and Chris Chetti vsThe New Dangerous Alliance (C.W. Anderson and Bill Wiles) (with Lou E. Dangerously and Elektra). Super Crazy vsKid Kash. Danny Doring and Roadkill vsThe Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido and Big Sal). The Impact Players (Justin Credible and Lance Storm) (with Dawn Marie) vsRaven and Mikey Whipwreck (with Francine) for the ECW World Tag Team Championships. Rhino vs Scotty Anton

April 13, 2000 from The Murat Center in Indianapolis, Indiana

Living Dangerously 2000 took place on March 12, 2000 from the O'Neill Center in Danbury, Connecticut. In a Texas Bullrope match, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes takes on "The King of Old School" Steve Corino. In the ECW World Television Title Tournament semi finals, Rhino battles The Sandman and Super Crazy goes one on one with Little Guido, with the winners fighting in the finals later in the night. The Impact Players, Raven and Mike Awesome, and Tommy Dreamer and Masato Tanaka Tanaka battle in a 3 Way Dance for the Tag Team Championship. Plus the unbelievable finish to the New Jack and Vic Grimes match, and much more!

January 27, 2000 from The St. Petersburg Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida

Guilty as Charged 2000 took place on January 9, 2000 from the Boutwell Memorial Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama. In the main event, Mike Awesome defended his ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Spike Dudley. In the undercard, The Impact Players (Justin Credible and Lance Storm) battled Tommy Dreamer and Raven for the ECW World Tag Team Championship. Rob Van Dam battled Sabu and much more.

December 17, 1999 from The Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee

Rhino joins forces with The Impact Players to face Raven, Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman in the main event. Rob Van Dam defends the ECW Television championship against Taz. Mike Awesome defends the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Masato Tanaka. Sabu faces Chris Candido. Jerry Lynn collides with Tajiri. Plus, New Jack and much more!

October 23, 1999 from The ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

October 15, 1999 from The Municipal Veterans Memorial in Fall River, Massachusetts

Taz puts the ECW World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Tajiri. In the main event, rivals Rob Van Dam & Jerry Lynn join forces to take on The Impact Players Justin Credible & Lance Storm. Plus, Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley face The Dudley Boyz for the ECW Tag Team Championship and more.

May 29, 1999 from The Municipal Veterans Memorial in Fall River, Massachusetts

Buh Buh Ray Dudley takes on Taz with the ECW World Championship on the line. Rob Van Dam defends the ECW Television Championship against Jerry Lynn. Justin Credible has a huge challenge in front of him when he faces a mystery opponent. Tommy Dreamer faces Lance Storm. Super Crazy battles TAKA Michinoku. Little Guido collides with Yoshihiro Tajiri and more!

Date: 1999, April 03 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Commentator: Joey Styles Jerry Lynn vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri Nova vs. Rod Price Mosco de la Merced vs. Super Crazy Papi Chulo vs. TAKA Michinoku ECW World Television Championship Match Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Too Cold Scorpio ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match Chris Candido vs. Taz (c) Justin Credible vs. Shane Douglas Gangsta's Paradise Cage Match New Jack, Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten vs. D-Von Dudley, Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Mustapha Saed

February 6, 1999 from The Academy Rec Center in Concord, North Carolina

January 30, 1999 from The Municipal Veterans Memorial in Fall River, Massachusetts

Sabu, Rob Van Dam & Taz join forces to take on the Triple Threat in the main event. Tommy Dreamer teams with a mystery partner to take on Justin Credible & Jack Victory. The Dudley Boyz defend the ECW World Tag Team Championship against Balls Mahoney & Masato Tanaka. Lance Storm faces Jerry Lynn and much more!

September 17, 1998 from The Madhouse of Extreme in Queens, New York

Date: 1998, May 16 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 1,600 Commentator: Joey Styles Two out of Three Falls Match Jerry Lynn vs. Justin Credible Chris Chetti vs. Jamie Dundee Mike Lozanski vs. Mikey Whipwreck Danny Doring vs. Kronus Al Snow vs. Bam Bam Bigelow Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten vs. The Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido and Tracy Smothers) Sabu and Chris Candido vs. Rob Van Dam and Lance Storm Stairway to Hell Match The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, Big Dick Dudley and D-Von Dudley) vs. The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Spike Dudley

ECW It Ain't Seinfeld from The Madhouse of Extreme in Queens, New York on May 14, 1998.

"The Franchise" Shane Douglas defends the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Al Snow. Long time rivals face off for the ECW Television Championship when Sabu collides with Rob Van Dam. Tommy Dreamer & Sandman join forces to take on The Dudley Boyz. Bam Bam Bigelow battles New Jack. Plus, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, and more!

Wrestlepalooza 1997 was the second Wrestlepalooza event from Extreme Championship Wrestling. It took place on June 6, 1997 at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

ECW presents Barely Legal. Terry Funk, Sandman, and Big Stevie Cool compete in a Three-Way Dance with the winner facing Raven for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Taz and Sabu face off in the Grudge Match of The Century. The Dudley Boyz face The Eliminators for the ECW World Tag Team Championship. Lance Storm goes one-on-one with Rob Van Dam and more!

Cyberslam 97 took place on February 22, 1997 from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA with an attendance of 1,400. The opening match was a rematch from the previous night, in which The Eliminators defend the World Tag Team Championship against Sabu and Rob Van Dam in a Tables and Ladders match. Tracy Smothers makes his ECW debut against Taz. Raven and Brian Lee competed against the team of Tommy Dreamer and Terry Funk. The match stipulated that Funk would earn a title shot at Raven's World Heavyweight Championship at Barely Legal should he beat Raven. Shane Douglas and Francine call out The Pitbulls. In the main event, Sabu competes against Chris Candido, and much more.

ECW World Champion Raven defends his title against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. Sandman takes on D-Von Dudley. Terry Funk battles "Wildfire" Tommy Rich. Rob Van Dam & Sabu challenge The Eliminators for the ECW World Tag Team Titles. Big Stevie Cool faces Ricky Morton. Lance Storm goes one-on-one with Balls Mahoney and so much more!

Holiday Hell 1996 is a TV event from Extreme Championship Wrestling which took place on December 7, 1996 at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

November 23, 1996 from The Wonderland Greyhound Park in Webster, Massachusetts

Date: 1996, November 16 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 1,250 Big Stevie Cool vs. David Tyler Morton Jericho Axl Rotten vs. Hack Meyers Buh Buh Ray Dudley vs. D-Von Dudley The Eliminators (Saturn and Kronus) vs. Sabu and Rob Van Dam Chris Candido vs. Mikey Whipwreck Three Way, Elimination Match for the ECW World Tag Team Championship The Eliminators (Kronus and Saturn) vs. The Gangstas (Mustapha Saed and New Jack) (c) vs. Rob Van Dam and Sabu Loser Leaves Town Match Devon Storm vs. Too Cold Scorpio Loser Leaves Town Match JT Smith vs. Too Cold Scorpio Loser Leaves Town Match Hack Meyers vs. Too Cold Scorpio Loser Leaves Town Match Louie Spicolli vs. Too Cold Scorpio ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match Raven vs. The Sandman (c) Triple Threat (Shane Douglas and Brian Lee) vs. Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer

High Incident 1996 is an event put on by Extreme Championship Wrestling which took place at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 26, 1996.

Ultimate Jeopardy 1996 took place on October 5, 1996 in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The main event was an "Ultimate Jeopardy" tag team match pitting Brian Lee and Stevie Richards against the Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. The stipulations of the match meant that each of competitors would suffer a penalty if they were to be pinned. If Lee was pinned, his head would be shaved. If Richards was pinned, Raven would lose his ECW World Heavyweight Championship. If Dreamer was pinned, his valet Beulah McGillicutty would be forced to leave ECW. If the Sandman was pinned, he would be caned. Plus Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, The Eliminators vs. The Gangstas for the ECW World Tag Team Championship, Buh Buh Ray Dudley vs. D-Von Dudley and much more.

Raven & "The Franchise" Shane Douglas battle Sandman & Pitbull #2 in a Tag Team Dog Collar Match. Tommy Dreamer takes on Taz. The Eliminators challenge The Gangstas for the ECW Tag Team Championship in a Steel Cage Weapons Match. The Dudleys face Axl Rotten & D-Von Dudley. Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy goes one-on-one with "Bulldozer" Brian Lee in a Badstreet Match!

This show had a stacked lineup and the opening segment showed why and how the brand was so successful and that is they knew their audience and played each guy to his strengths. JT Smith cuts an Italian promo, BWO comes out like KISS, Sandman canes the hell out of all of them, Raven comes out with the Fullington family and suckers Sandman into a beating. As far as ring work, between all 7 of those guys, not a lot to crow about, but the crowd was rocking and rolling through each new moment as it come about. Usually I would cringe at any of these elements, but I found myself enjoying the "extreme" soap opera play out. Okay, the matches now:

Date: 1996, June 22 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 1,250 Mikey Whipwreck vs. Shane Douglas The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Big Dick Dudley) vs. The Full Blooded Italians (JT Smith and Little Guido) Paul Varelans vs. Taz ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match Raven (c) vs. Terry Gordy ECW World Tag Team Championship Match The Eliminators (Saturn and Kronus) (c) vs. The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustapha Saed) Axl Rotten and Hack Myers vs. The Samoan Gangsta Party (Samu and Matty Smalls) ECW World Television Championship Match Chris Jericho vs. Pitbull #2 (c) Weapons Match Brian Lee vs. Tommy Dreamer Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu

With Kimona Wanalaya in town, Shane Douglas takes to the ring to challenge Raven for the ECW World Heavyweight Title in the main event. Respect is earned when Rob Van Dam goes one-on-one with Sabu. The Dudley Boyz take on The Pitbulls in a Tag Team Match. Plus, Taz and Devon Storm meet in singles action, Brian Lee battles Tommy Dreamer, and more!