AS I SEE IT 9/20: Computers, premature obits, and Teddy Hart hijinks...

by: Bob Magee Well, I've had a fun last few days online.

Since Hotmail is holding my original column hostage, owing to the fact that I haven't been able to access my account since last Friday at 6:30 am (I usually do news updates before heading to work of my own stuff as well as for Mike Informer, who can't post directly owing to his having a Web TV account)....here's this week's column, version 2.

First, Smarthosting, the web host of PWBTS.com this site's flagship site, decides to go down three times last Sunday... which, of course, was the day of Unforgiven....and a problem that cost PWBTS a major number of page views.

After much furious discussion by yours truly with Smarthosting staff in a very loud tone of voice, Smarthosting finally got things up and running just before the PPV..and PWBTS was able to give results just after the end of the PPV as usual.

Then, days later...on Friday morning at 6:30 am (see above), I go to Hotmail to pick up my usual updates from promoters and assorted others...and couldn't get into my Hotmail account. The same problem continued all day at work.

This, along with being totally down online as well as off of our company's electronic network for 3 1/2 hours Friday...because, as we found out after much searching, that someone had disconnected a cable to our server at work, leaving me essentially lobotomized as far as work goes.

So Friday was a REALLY fun day, as you can imagine.

The Hotmail problem is continuing to this moment, as I'm writing this second version of this week's column and will send it out via Yahoo, as well as posting it at the usual locations. So if you've sent me something over the last 72 hours or so, please re-send it to bobmagee1@yahoo.com.

Then...my Comcrap...er...Comcast online account crapped out Friday evening...and has been on and off to this moment through Sunday afternoon as I'm writing this column.

At this very moment, it's on...but for Lord only knows how long. During the times it's been down, PWBTS has been kept up and running via PCs at 2 different libraries, an Internet cafe, and 2 local Kinko's as a result.

Moving along from there...to something slightly funnier, especially if you know the parties in question and their relationship to one another...

As the owner of one of the pages he posts his columns on; I'd like to reassure those that read the premature obituary of PWBTS columnist Bob Barnett on 1wrestling.com back this past Saturday (as well as perhaps disappointing some former wrestling promoters and those still within wrestling who may have even hoped the news was true)...that PWBTS's own Bob Barnett is very much alive.

The unintentionally funny, yet sad, typo came as the result of the posting on the 1wrestling.com website of the passing of legendary wrestling promoter and figure Jim Barnett, who died on September 17th:

Bob Barnett, who was at one time one of the most influential promoters in the wrestling business, passed away yesterday. Barnett, age 80, was heavily involved in the early success of Georgia Championship Wrestling which spurred the growth of TBS.

In more recent years Barnett served as a consultant to both WCW and WWE.


The item was posted on 1wrestling.com at 3:30 pm, and remained uncorrected for at least 6 hours, with the word getting around at the Jersey All-Pro Wrestling show and giving a bit of amusement to all from what is the sad passing of a somewhat infamous legend within wrestling.

I'll just say that if you know of the relationship between Bob Ryder and Bob Barnett...well...that Bob Ryder would have Bob Barnett on his mind isn't exactly a surprise. One can safely say that the two are not exactly known as friends.

As for Bob Barnett and Jim Barnett...well, other than the fact that both gentleman have the same last name and are involved in wrestling...we'll say there aren't a lot of similarities.

Nonetheless, Bob Barnett has had a bit of amusement with the premature reporting of his demise...as you can see at the link found here, along with a screen capture of the typo on question, which has since been deleted and corrected.

Considering the ways that their paths crossed in the past, I have to wonder what CHOKEHOLD author Jim Wilson and former NWA Champion Tommy Rich are thinking about the passing of Jim Barnett.

Going in a totally different direction...

Teddy Hart pulled another one last night at Jersey All Pro Wrestling...after an inexplicable finish where, in a no DQ match, Homicide and Teddy Hart went to a no contest (yep, what was, for all intents and purposes a DQ in a no DQ match...wonder why THAT happened?), that good old "professional" wrestler Teddy Hart decided to have some (in the words of Marti Funk) "ladies supportive of the business" toweling him off in plain view of fans.

After the show, Hart decided to pull ANOTHER one where he complained to police that someone had stolen his wrestling boots. I have to wonder if any of the JAPW crew decided to have a little fun, and if God's gift to no one but himself took things a bit too seriously.

Now that I think of it...seems to me I've heard a story about him not being able to find his wrestling boots before. The problem is, that time it was before a show...and well, it was suggested that Teddy might have been in a state where he might not have been able to even find the door, let alone his boots. Later that evening in Elizabeth, NJ, Hart gave Ring of Honor fans the infamous no-sell job after a beat down, multiple moonsaults and vomiting in the ring after a "concussion". This was the event where Hart was thrown out of the locker room with his bags and all.

Hart's public exhibitions Saturday night took place after his most recent exhibition...again at a JAPW show where Hart decided to do post-match autographs for fans as a main event match was going on in the ring, which guaranteed no one was watching the match...a match where JAPW had set up a major double turn that had been built to for months.

Somehow I have a feeling that Owen, Stu, and Martha Hart are all getting sick to their stomachs each time one of these exhibitions take place.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand how someone with any of the Hart family genes or Hart Dungeon training can act like such a spoiled little ass as Hart does.

CM Punk is working the next Jersey All Pro Wrestling show on October 30th. Want to bet Teddy Hart will be nowhere to be found?

Until next time...

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If you have comments/questions, or if you'd like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)