Balls Mahoney, the legend of ECW and Jersey Shore native, will wrestle Friday night in Carteret and Saturday night in Brick against Gene Snitsky in a "Loser Goes Through a Door" match. The Brick show will be at the Brick Elks Lodge at 2491 Hooper Avenue, just off Route 70.

Other NWS superstars will be in action, including former ECW brwaler The Equalizer, who will team up with The Patriot to battle Ryan Blackheart and Hasheem "Chemical" Ali. The guest referee for that match is expected to be former WWE champion The Iron Sheik.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for kids. Tickets are available at the following local outlets:
Tony's Pizza, 2115 Route 88 East in Brick
Baseball Cards of Brick, 2715 Hooper Avenue
The New Cedarwood Deli, 744 Mantoloking Road, Brick
Brick Convenience Store #2, 438 Mantoloking Road, Brick
Herbertsville Coin Laundry and Dry Cleaning, 1820 Lanes Mill Road, Brick
7-11 Convenience Store, 1101 Washington Street, Toms River
Charlie's Pizza, 860 Fisher Boulevard, Toms River (Shop Rite Plaza)
Johnny G's Italian Restaurant, 1812 Hooper Avenue, Toms River

Tickets can also be ordered at 732-888-1704.

The appearances of MVP and The Miz and their challenges to Randy Orton and John Cena gave hope that maybe a second-tier star may move up to main event status before next year's Wrestlemania. Yes, I love seeing Triple H, Orton, Cena, Batista, Edge, and now Jeff Hardy headlining the Pay-Per-Views, but A) these guys can't end up being 20-time World Champions and B) are bound to get injured or make a movie.

As was bombarded upon us last night, the draft can shake things and give some guys the opportunities they weren't getting before. CM Punk is one example-- once he moved to Raw, he became the World Heavyweight Champion. Who could get a big raise this year?

With a name like MVP, I've been waiting for him to make his way up to elite status. I mean, why allow this guy to have a Mr. Perfect-esque name and not allow him to be great? He is the US Champ (and the longest-reigning one in Smackdown history), and I think, as seen last night on Raw, he can and should go up against bigger fish.

On Smackdown, I like John Morrison's potential. If you remember, he won Tough Enough 3, back when it was on MTV, and he is the only winner from the three original Tough Enough shows still in the company. (Tough Enough 2 Winner Jackie did come back to compete in the Miss Wrestlemania Battle Royal.) He has already held the ECW and Intercontinental Championships, and I see him hoisting more gold without his former partner The Miz. (Sorry, Miz, I think you better find another tag team partner if you want another belt...Cena wasn't hurt or scared, he just didn't think you were worth it...)

As a result of the Supplemental Draft, Natalya and DH Smith were drafted to ECW, where Tyson Kidd is already a Superstar. The three are members of the Hart Family (Kidd adopted), and were already the Next Generation Hart Foundation in FCW (with Teddy Hart). I am very excited about this because they could be Legacy's future opponents (maybe by Wrestlemania 26)...

Other draft results were:

SD's Brie Bella to Raw
SD's Hurricane Helms to ECW
Raw's Charlie Haas to SD
SD's The Brian Kendrick to Raw (I can't wait for him to get his @$$ kicked again)
Raw's Dolph Ziggler to Smackdown
Raw's JTG to Smackdown (don't worry, Shad is coming, too)
SD's Festus to Raw
SD's Carlito to Raw (Primo coming, too)
ECW's John Morrison to SD
ECW's Hornswoggle to Raw (what? this may help Finlay, but...)
Raw's Layla to SD
ECW's Ricky Ortiz to SD
SD's Chavo Guerrero to Raw
SD's Zach Ryder to ECW
Raw's Candice to SD
SD's Nikki Bella to Raw
SD's Ezekiel Jackson to ECW (Good-I see him being the next Batista...)
Raw's Mike Knox to SD
SD's Primo to Raw (this could be good for Rhodes and DiBiase)
ECW's Alicia Fox to SD
Raw's Shad to SD
SD's Mr. Kennedy to Raw

TNA claims a former WWE Champion is crossing over to their company, and the announcement will be made at Lockdown this Sunday. Right now, I'm placing bets on RVD (he did once say he'd consider TNA), but we'll see.

Now, if they are refering to any championship, one hint was dropped earlier today... Taz (former Hardcore and Tag Champ) closed his Facebook blog writing, "I plan to make an impact real soon in this, the ultimate in businesses and keep it's honor....lol....sorry for crossing the line with my sophomoric humor!"

However, he also wrote he wanted to watch his son play baseball with his new free time since his contract expired at the end of March. He also said his body cannot take being in the ring, so if he did join TNA, he'd be in a announcer/manager/maybe even backstage role. I'm betting TNA is not revealing Taz at Lockdown.

Don't worry-- my Lockdown preview is coming tomorrow!

The WWE has added a fourth show again to it's weekly broadcasts. WWE Superstars on WGN Thursday nights (the premiere was last night) was described, possibly by JR- sorry, I didn't take notes- as an All-Star Game. I describe it as Heat with A-list talent, at least that's what the first show had.

The first match was Undertaker v. Matt Hardy, which Taker won after Hardy was counted out and disqualified for abandoning the match after about 20 minutes of wrestling. Don't worry, Jeff did come out and fight Matt back into the ring so Taker could execute a chokeslam and end things the way he likes to.

Next, we had Christian v. Finlay to determine the number 1 contender for the ECW belt. Needless to say, Christian won.

Finally, the main event was Shane McMahon getting to beat up Cody Rhodes. Shane was disqualified after introducing a folding chair into the match. And, because Shane is not interesting as a wrestler without this move, Shane brought in a trash can and went Coast to Coast, looking like he may have injured himself in the move more than usual.

All the matches were taped at their respective shows, not at one event.

How much longer before it turns into Heat or Velocity, with B-listers and up-and-comers? It depends on how popular the show is and how much faith the WWE has in it, I suppose. ECW is turning down the Heat/Velocity street, especially since they seem to have forgotten what ECW stands for. However, they seem to be trying with the addition of Christian and deciding that ECW stars can participate in Raw and Smackdown.

And since I mentioned it, I think people who are pissed that WWE has gone PG are being ridiculous. I got into wrestling watching it Saturday mornings with my dad. Why should we take that opportunity away from the kids growing up today? That could mean less fans in the future and even less talent in the future since many of the talent my age will say the same thing got them interested in wrestling. It's actually quite smart of Vince, or whoever's idea it was, for the future of the company.

That being said, ECW shouldn't have gone soft. Now, I really didn't like when ECW was still ECW and seeing 5-year-olds from the Smackdown audience getting beer sprayed all over them. I think ECW, even though it may not be cost effective, should have a different audience, different rating, so it can be all the crazy stuff it's supposed to be.

Anyway, the last time WWE had four shows was 2005.

Heat, featuring talent from the Raw brand, premiered in 1998 and jumped from USA to MTV to Spike before leaving television in 2005. It continued to air on WWE.com until 2008. Velocity, featuring talent from the Smackdown brand, premiered in 2002 on Spike, and also left television for WWE.com in 2005. It stopped airing online in 2006, with the decision to tape ECW before Smackdown.

(Note: AM Raw is not included because it is a clip show. I'm talking about first-air live action.)

With the WWE Draft, the winner for each match for the three-hour show determines which brand gets a random draft pick. Raw came out the winner with the most draft picks at six, including gaining the WWE Champ, the Divas Champ and the US Champ. SmackDown won five picks including the Womens Champ, the Money in the Bank winner and the Intercontinental Champ. ECW only won one draft pick. The results are below, in order (the draft move was effective immediately):

1. Raw's Rey Mysterio pins ECW's Evan Bourne- Raw gets US Champ MVP.

2. Raw's Kane pins SD's The Brian Kendrick- Raw gets Big Show.

3. SD's Michelle McCool pins Raw's Mickie James (Six Diva Tag, but other Divas - Maryse & Natalya and Melina & Kelly Kelly - never got in the match)- SD gets Women's Champ Melina.

4. Raw's John Cena pins ECW's Jack Swagger for two draft picks- Raw gets Matt Hardy and WWE Champ Triple H.

5. SD's The Great Khali pins Raw's Santino Marella- SD gets Money in the Bank winner CM Punk, Khali gets kiss from Santina on Friday (added stipulation).

6. Raw's Kofi Kingston pins ECW's The Miz- Raw gets The Miz (Miz turns on Morrison after they hug goodbye).

7. SD's Edge wins (by eliminating Big Show) 15-Man Tri-Brand Battle Royal for two draft picks- SD gets Kane and Chris Jericho.

8. ECW's Christian pins SD's Shelton Benjamin- ECW gets Vladimir Kozlov.

9. Raw's Matt Hardy wins by DQ against SD's CM Punk when Jeff Hardy interferes- Raw gets Divas Champ Maryse.

10. SD's Chris Jericho pins ECW's Tommy Dreamer- SD gets Intercontinental Champ Rey Mysterio.

There will be a Supplemental Draft held online Wednesday.


Other:
- There was one other little match this evening which did not involve draft picks, but a continuation in the McMahon/Orton saga. Triple H, Shane McMahon and Batista faced Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase in a handicap match to determine a match for next week. Whomever pinned Rhodes or DiBiase would get a singles match with Randy Orton next week. However, if Rhodes and DiBiase won, whomever they pinned would have to face all three Legacy members next week. So, what happened? Let's just say we'll see a WrestleMania rematch next week...

- ESPN's E:60 will feature the WWE on its season premiere Tuesday night at 7.

So, I'm still on my Wrestlemania hangover, expecting Raw not to be too much since the draft is next week, and not only do we get Vince v. Orton as our main event, but after Vince is basically beaten and Shane and Triple H have come out only to be almost overpowered by Legacy, Batista returns to come to the aid of his buddy Triple H!

Batista was taken out of action in December after one of Randy Orton's punts to his head. During his time off, doctors determined Batista needed surgery on a nagging hamstring injury he suffered at Summer Slam.

Batista was expected to be out 6-8 months, so it was quite a surprise to see him back this early.

As a result of his return, Batista (instead of Mr. McMahon) will join Triple H and Shane McMahon in a Six-Man Tag Match at Backlash against Legacy. Per Raw GM Vicki Guerrerro's decision, this will be a WWE Championship Match for Triple H and Randy Orton.

Other Notes:
- Yes, that's right, Vicki is now the Raw General Manager. She apparently had to decide between the two brands by the commencement of Wrestlemania, and she chose Raw. Hopefully this will bring dignity back to Edge and Big Show.

- In case you missed it at Wrestlemania, JBL quit after losing to Rey Mysterio in, oh, 30 seconds (my estimate). Rumors circulated through the Internet he was retiring at Wrestlemania and would be returning to the commentator role...

- I love how Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler can't agree on whether to fall for Santino's gimmick or not. The King knows, as we all do, that Santina is Santino, while Cole seems to naively believe Santina is real.

- If you were as upset as I was that we weren't properly introduced to the Divas at Wrestlemania, considering several (Molly Holly, Victoria, Torrie Wilson, Miss Jackie Gayda, Sunny) were Divas we haven't seen for a while, at least the WWE posted two photos of each Diva backstage before the match, so we could, you know, see them, since many women we only knew were there because their name was mentioned as they were eliminated and we never got a close-up.

- Next week's Raw is the three-hour draft special, so don't forget to tune in or set your tape for the 8 p.m. start.

Big Show must have had some deal that said if he humiliated himself in a Sumo match and a boxing match in two of the last three Wrestlemanias he could participate in and kissed Vicki Guerrerro, he would get to be in one of the world title matches this year.

Even though it sickens me, I get the Vicki/Edge relationship because it's mocking the real relationship of Stephanie/Triple H and the special treatment people claim Triple H gets because of his relationship. But Big Show? Come on, last year we saw his pretty and muscular wife in the promos for the Mayweather match. And even though they have tried to compare him to Andre the Giant (he even debuted as his son), he just doesn't command the respect from me that Andre did.

So, yeah, he's an immovable force and his size gives him the advantage in this Triple Threat match, blah, blah, blah, but he also had to kiss Vicki and giggle like a girl to get in this match.

I say the one who didn't have to kiss Vicki to get in this match (John Cena) will win the World Heavyweight Championship, leaving Vicki in turmoil over what to do next with her two "lovers."

And, now, it's time to play The Game... Interestingly, Triple H is the only player in this WWE Championship match who is not second or third or fourth generation in the business. Personally, I'd rather have Vince (former WWF Champ and ECW Champ) and Shane (former European and Hardcore Champ), oh, and possibly Stephanie (former Women's Champ who looks like she's in great shape) in my corner than Money Jr. (who did hold the Tag Team Championship twice).

A lot of times the McMahons will take the fall to help pump the credibility of their opponent, but also a lot of times the McMahons are adversaries in these matches.

Randy Orton beat Triple H (and John Cena) last year for WWE Championship, and, in fact, Triple H has not been victorious at a Wrestlemania since Wrestlemania 19 in 2003. This was also his last Wrestlemania as a bachelor...

WrestleMania was created by Vince McMahon and changed the professional wrestling industry. I think with this being the 25th Wrestlemania, it should be the McMahons' night to celebrate, not just behind the curtain, but in the ring as well for once. I predict the night will end with confetti pouring down on Vince, Shane and Triple H as he holds the belt and his wife.

As I write this, the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania is exactly two days away. The first Wrestlemania was filled with plenty of special guests like Mr. T (in the main event, no less), Muhammad Ali (as the ref in the main event) and Cyndi Lauper (in the corner of the woman who would win the Women's Championship that night).

At that Wrestlemania, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat defeated Matt Borne, a wrestler who would in about seven years be known as Doink the Clown. And, in the aforementioned main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (with Superfly Jimmy Snuka in their corner) defeated Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (with Cowboy Bob Orton in their corner).

At this Wrestlemania, Steamboat (age 56), Snuka (65) and Piper (54) will face Chris Jericho (38), who despises the Legends who can't stay away from the world of wrestling. It will be a tree-on-one elimination match, in which the Legends can tag in and out, but in order for Jericho to win, he must pin all three individually. I want the Legends to win, but I do have my concerns they won't. Depending on how much steam these guys have left in them, this could be an interesting match, since Jericho has pulled a lot of his style from these men. And, we can't forget the dirtiest player in the game, Ric Flair, will surely be instrumental in the Legends' corner.

(By the way, I find it interesting the WWE in the graphic for this match has current photos of all the participants except Steamboat, for whom they have a circa 1985 photo)

Piper could be the one to pin Jericho since he is the only one of the three who lost at the first Wrestlemania. Then again, Steamboat may be the one to finish him off since he is the one going into the Hall of Fame this year. And, oh yeah, did I mention Jericho once dressed up as Doink the Clown? (see, it all comes full circle...)

In the other match involving tags, we have the WWE Tag Team Champions battling the World Tag Team Champions in a Lumberjack match to create a Unified Tag Team Championship. Did you get all that? Because with all the lumberjacks outside the ring, as well as the Bella Twins, this could be a chaotic match. I think the Colon brothers (the current WWE Tag Champs) should win simply because they are the only blood siblings in the WWE not at odds with each other. (Sorry, no Doink references I could think of for this one...)