I was part of a tryout in Ottawa, Canada for aspiring sports-entertainers. WWE had close to 15,000 applications and 25 people were chosen. The chosen 25 basically had a tryout in front of WWE scouts, as well as King Booker, Brian Kendrick and me. I really enjoy seeing the passion and determination in some of their faces. The ones that want it will do whatever it takes to get to WWE.

The hopefuls had to cut promos, then do squats, run stairs, then wrestle. This process of separating the men from the boys is grueling, but most of the guys in WWE did the same thing. Since the end of wrestling territories, most guys have to master their craft working on the independent circuit. You do it because you love the business and want to make it. The pay is usually bad and the hours in the car are long. Every wrestler does this to pay his dues (except for Test who's third match was against the Rock; Test is one lucky, non-dues-paying jobber to be where he is at today). There is a lot of untapped talent out on the independent scene. Congrats to the 25 that made it. This is just another accomplishment on your journey.

I do not have much to talk about this week. So I am going to blatantly steal a concept from former ECW wrestler and my good friend, Lance Storm. Lance stole this concept from Oprah, so it is more like borrowing then stealing. When Lance was on the road in ECW or WWE, he would always have a book by his side. He would finish a book in two days. I have some brain damage and cannot read for long periods of time so it takes me a while to read a book. I do not know what books he reads, so go to his website and take a look. I, on the other hand, read wrestling books.

I recently picked up a copy of "King of the Ring: the Harley Race Story." I feel it is necessary for any ECW/WWE fan or competitor to read about the pioneers of our business. Some WWE fans may just remember Harley Race as a WWE Hall of Famer or the guy Randy Orton spit in the face of. I remember him as a wrestler that I hated and I wanted to see him lose his NWA title to anyone. I loved when Ric Flair beat him in the cage at Starrcade. His battles with Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Tommy Rich and Mr. Wrestling 2 always had me at the edge of my seat.

Harley later moved on to WWE and was dubbed the King. His book talks about many inside things that happen in this business - which I found both truthful and surprising. I never heard some of the stories; you know, Harley has something in common with DX - he told Vince McMahon to suck it. If you want to know the full story, you got to get the book. Ric Flair said that Harley Race was the toughest guy he ever wrestled, and that is quite a statement. So if you are a fan of this business, I recommend this book. If you are not a fan, then why are you reading this website anyway, jobber?

ECW is on the road again this week. You can check out where we will be on the ECW live events page. It will be surreal when we go to Pine Bluff, Ark. on Sept. 24. This was the place of the last "original" ECW show. I never thought we would be back, but I guarantee we will tear it up when we go back. Especially because some new Extremists will be making their debuts this weekend.

Take care. Keep fighting the fight.