Pro Wrestling Takes On Wine In Legal Cage Match
I recently received a press release from the Wine School of Philadelphia, with whom I’ve been discussing taking part in their Sommelier Smackdown event series (basically, in a Smackdown event the Wine School staff take on local wine personalities and wine pros in a contest to match up wines with dinner recipes, and usually much merriment / fun / smack-talk ensues).
So far, we haven’t been able to nail down a mutually available date, and both the Wine School of Phila. and I had been lax in following up to make it happen. Their recent press release helped to clear things up, though – turns out that the reason things have been delayed (and I am not making this up) is that they’ve been issued a cease and desist order on the Sommelier Smackdown event series – from World Wrestling Entertainment!
Vince McMahon Issues Smackdown Against Wine School
Philadelphia, PA. Vince McMahon is taking on his oddest foe to date: a sommelier wine tasting. The World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., has issued a cease and desist against The Wine School of Philadelphia and its popular “Sommelier Smackdown” series of wine classes.
In a letter to the school’s owner, the WWE’s lawyers are threatened legal action if the school does not stop hosting the series of wine tastings. “I feel kind of special,” says Keith Wallace, “I am being picked on by Vince McMahon. I better start working out.”
The Sommelier Smackdown is a series of food and wine pairing events that take place in Philadelphia. The event pits a sommelier against a member of The Wine School team, and the audience gets to vote for the winner.
Mr. Wallace says he will not stop running the classes, at least for now. “They don’t have a leg to stand on. I am not going to bow down to a bully,” he says. “They claim that they own the term “smackdown” but they don’t.”
In response to the WWE threat, Wallace is calling out Mr. McMahon and the wrestler Chris Jerico to a wine-tasting double-team cage match.
Keith Wallace is the Founder and Director of The Wine School of Philadelphia. He is a contributing writer for The Daily Beast, and is currently working on his first book for Running Press.
Oh, sure, use the old “I can’t go head-to-head with you today, I’m in legal action with the WWE” excuse. Cowards!
But seriously, I imagine that you are having the same reaction that I did – as in, WTF?!?!?!
Let’s just get one thing clearer than a Loire Muscadet Sevre et Maine right now: I am NOT getting into a throw-down, folding-chair-throwing cage match with anybody over wine pairings…especially Robert Parker, because that guy is big…
Cheers!
Tags: 1winedude, Philadelphia, Sommelier Smackdown, wine news, Wine School of Philadelphia, World Wrestling Entertainment
October 14th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Gordon's Wine in Waltham, Mass., also hosts a Sommelier Smackdown. Wonder if they got the same cease and desist.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:35 am
[...] News Sources wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI recently received a press release from the Wine School of Philadelphia , with whom I’ve been discussing taking part in their Sommelier Smackdown event series (basically, in a Smackdown event the Wine School staff take on local wine personalities and wine pros in a contest to match up wines with dinner recipes, and usually much merriment / fun / smack-talk ensues). So far, we haven’t been able to nail down a mutually available date, and both the Wine School of Phila. and I had been lax in [...]
October 14th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
"To all you Philadelphia sommelier sweathogs, shut up while I take my robe off, and show all the female sommeliers what REAL wine tastes like." -Ravishing Robert Parker
October 14th, 2009 at 9:39 am
For some reason, I imagine Ravishing Rick Rude as the sommelier of the westling circuit…
October 14th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Who knew the World Wrestling Entertainment folks were so humorless? They obviously need to start drinking more!
October 14th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
he oozes class. if my hair wasn't falling out (the caricature next to my name has become inaccurate), I'd definitely try to grow out the lady-killing curly-fro-mullet.
October 14th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
He was definitely smooth material.
October 14th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Yeah, maybe this is a coo to take over the Wine School? Of course, the Wine School doesn't make any wine, though…
October 14th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Dude! You're gonna sell them down the river!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
I give that fight a 97!
October 14th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Do you smelllllll…if the wine…was cookin' (in a UPS truck)? This comment will make no sense if you don't know the wrestler I'm referencing.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:05 am
[...] Pro Wrestling Takes On Wine In Legal Cage Match 1 Wine Dude – PeopleRank: 2 – October 14, 2009 …Keith Wallace, “I am being picked on by Vince McMahon. I better start working out.” The Sommelier Smackdown is a series of food and wine pairing events that take place in Philadelphia. The event pits a sommelier against a member of The Wine School… Cited people : Robert Parker Chris Jerico + vote [...]
October 15th, 2009 at 11:27 am
HA!!!
October 16th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Why on earth would you associate yourself with the "Wine School" of Philadelphia? Somebody should hit them with a cease and desist order…for being a fake-ass wine school. Their "diploma" and $1.90 gets you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
October 16th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Oh, this is gonna get good.
October 16th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Just to be clear, I'm not associated in any way with the Wine School of Phila. I'm just a guy who got invited to a Smackdown here…
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post “No teme” in your blog with the link to you?
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Uhm, sure, why not.