Listen up!

Class is in session.

Oh my.

You people certainly like it when I spout off on something. Last week, your grappling guru offered a few ideas on what WWE should do to try to move on after the Chris Benoit tragedy. Let's just say the mail was overwhelming.

Podcast: Episode 40

So what does a good professor do? He holds a little show-and-tell session before the world. So here it goes, the best responses to my "Quick Fixes" column. As usual, thanks for writing this thing for me.

Dear Idiot: You don't know a thing about wrestling so why do you think you can tell WWE what do? Also, why do you always say Bobby Lashley can't wrestle? He's the greatest! -- Kevin

Kevin, Lashley looks great -- and he may have been a great amateur -- but he still can't get it done in an entertaining fashion in a pro ring. Maybe later, but not now. And if you're going to call me names, please be a little more creative. Like this next idiot.

Duke: You actually believe that Bobby Lashley can't WRESTLE?! Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin, Brock Lesnar, and Bobby Lashley (just to name a few) were ALL collegiate freestyle wrestlers! All of which won numerous state and national titles.

Kurt Angle was a two-time GOLD MEDALIST! But yet POSERS like you continue to criticize. The notion that ANY of these guys can't wrestle shows your ignorance. Lashley was a three time NATIONAL CHAMPION! He is the PERFECT wrestler for the monster-push. He is a dethroned champion (Drafted to "RAW" from ECW) who LOST his chance at the World Heavyweight Title and now he's taken his anger out on everybody.

I've never listened to your podcast, so I won't be POSER and pretend I have. It might actually be a good show, just don't put inconsistent information on your podcast and try to pass them off as opinions, because REAL wrestling fans will see right through you, POSER! -- Big Main

I swear to God, "Big Main" (what does that mean?) actually saluted me as "Duke" to open his letter. Duke? Didn't you mean Dude? I love it when knuckleheads write in and screw up the first word. IT'S PRICELESS! By the way, Big Main -- I've never said Angle or Lesnar or Benjamin can't wrestle. Just Lashley. I don't care if he's an amateur champion. Fake TV wrestling is an entirely different ballgame.

Professor: All women"Divas" have every right to wrestle if they want to. I think some people are just jealous because some of them are hot and they are just not hot themselves. Second of all, John Cena is the best champ there ever was and nooooooooooooooooo one can beat him. So I don't know what you are even talking about unless you are one of the few who are just downright jealous because he has a great bod and muscles! -- Tina

Tina, please rest assured that I am not jealous of John Cena. I'd like his money -- but that's about it. For the record, I would probably destroy him in a posedown -- but I don't care about that stuff. For me, it's all about the wrestling journalism.

Professor: I appreciate what you do. You know what you're talking about -- except that Ric Flair cannot wrestle anymore. Flair on a title run? The guy is 58-years-old. He's got to learn to hang it up. He was good at one time, but he's not as good as he once was. The only thing he can do is chops and the figure four leg lock. -- Blake

Not true, Blake. He can talk. Therefore he should be the new manager of the new Four Horsemen -- and retire from the ring with dignity. Fans would eat it up. Guaranteed.

Professor: Like you, I’m a big Ric Flair fan. I would like to see him win the World Championship at a pay-per-view in one of the Mid-Atlantic area arenas and then on "RAW," retire and leave the belt in the ring. Then about a month later, while some other person is talking in the foreground, we see him and Arn Anderson chatting in the background. This goes on for a while and then we see them looking at some wrestlers on both "Smackdown!" and "RAW." From there, we get the new Horsemen. Then they come in and take over -- much like the early WCW days. All of the horsemen appear on both shows, creating chaos. Flair and Arn are the managers and leaders. -- Mike

Love it, Mike. Love it. It's the way it should be.

Professor: As for the Four Horsemen: Let it go. Every time they have tried to put a group together after the originals, they have failed. Two words: Paul Roma. Need I say more? That guy had no business being a Horseman. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko were OK, but at that time Eric Bischoff was trying to destroy Flair so he never let that group develop properly. Please. No more Horsemen. I doubt Flair would want to try it. -- John

John, I agree that mistakes have been made in the past, but if Flair and Arn were in charge -- I bet it could work. Just my opinion.

Prof: I nominate you for "RAW" General Manager (get 'Coach' out of there). The only thing I would do different is wait to build the roster back up before flipping Cena. There's not a lot of monster faces out there right now that can do the job he can. Wait for Shaun Michaels to come back and give them a heel turn angle. Put them on a 5-man team at Survivor Series, and then have Cena walk out on him at the last minute. This would be great. -- Daniel

Professor Wrestling as the "RAW" GM? I could see that. I really could. Vince, what do you say? Give Coach a little vacation, and put someone on the air who actually knows something about wrestling. That would be me. I dare you.

Professor: We as fans are also to blame for the sad state of the WWE. We have become, in my opinion, just like the Romans watching the barbaric gladiator fights. We want to see someone not just lose a match but be decimated. We're not happy until we see massive injuries and blood. Do you think there is any way to take the WWE back to a time when it was still fun and exciting to watch? -- Jennifer

You merely let the talent do their thing and keep the McMahons backstage. Better writing would help, as well. I'd also give Ric Flair something meaningful to do.

Professor: I'd turn TNA's slams against McMahon-land around by putting the ECW Championship on Ric Flair and then allowing him to remind the world that he has held every major title: WCW, WWE, ECW and NWA -- thus fulfilling your idea to "Give Ric Flair Something Meaningful To Do".

Let Khali drop the belt to Rey Mysterio in a David and Goliath match in which the smallest guy in the company defeats the biggest. It would show that Rey's first run was no fluke as well as fit in with your "Go Small" idea.

As for Cena, save the heel turn until after a series against Triple H where he loses and regains the title. This would give an impression that Hunter is "good-as-new" despite the bad knees. "Flip Cena" after he wins back the belt, thus opening the door for other babyfaces.

I disagree with the idea to "Ban Divas From Wrestling" -- they are a nice break that isn't totally hard on the eyes.

As for "Appreciate Cade And Murdoch", how about a tag champ triple threat PPV match, and have Cade pinning one of the ECW tag champs at the same moment Murdoch is pinning one the "Smackdown!" champs, thus handing all the tag team gold to the pair? -- Ric

Ric, I love most of your ideas, especially Rey beating Khali. That would be a nice return for Mysterio. I fear, however, that he might get tangled in this steroid mess swirling around the Benoit tragedy.

Finally, the best letter I've seen in a while, from a true student of the game.

Professor: I'm a proud student of yours, and I've listened to every podcast episode so far. I'll admit that sometimes I disagree with some of the things you have to say, but there are also times I tend to agree. I appreciate the fact that you, Dr. Mike Lano and George Schire are able to discuss the goings-on in wrestling without it devolving into a swear-fest and blind markism. That's a style I try to emulate in my occasional YouTube video rant. I call out WWE and TNA for their misgivings, but I try to do so constructively and give better alternatives of what I'd like to see as a fan.

With all the damage the wrestling world has taken from injuries, faulty booking, and a certain tragic event -- my enthusiasm for wrestling has been severely shaken. I have dropped WWE programming, and my hold on TNA is tenuous at best. At this point, the only things that might save WWE for me are the respective returns of Triple H (whom I have gained respect for due to his more classic style) and Chris Jericho (whom I consider one of the smartest men in wrestling today).

The cruiserweight division has never been treated well, but giving Hornswoggle the CW belt is a disgrace to hard-working smaller guys like Paul London, Chavo Guerrero, Gregory Helms, and the transcendent cruiserweight himself, Rey Mysterio. They give their heart, soul and bodies for that belt -- and for what? So a midget (and one that should have never been around to begin with, because Finlay doesn't need a leprechaun) can win it? They've already been stripped of their signature moves (including the Shooting Star Press, which Paul London has never injured anyone with in his career); must they now lose their dignity as well by having a little person be their champion? I'm all for the cruisers. Hornswoggle is not a cruiser. He's a diversion.

I'd better stop this before I go into an uber-long rant. Suffice it to that that you have a really great show, and I hope you keep plugging away. Peace. -- Jeremy (darksoldier712 on YouTube)

Well said Jeremy -- and thanks for the props on our podcast, which you can download right here. It's EPISODE 40, which features a tribute to the late Karl Gotch. As usual, my co-hosts Dr. Mike Lano and George Schire do a great job. Enjoy it.

Now scram!

Class is dismissed!

(Professor Wrestling is a masked employee of Internet Broadcasting. Got a question, comment, complaint? E-mail him right here. )