SPOTLIGHTS
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| Name: | Peter Kent |
| Email: | sean2101@aol.com |
| Current Roles: | 411 NINJA |
| Past Roles: | TNA recapper, occasional DVD/Movie reviewer |
| Other credits: | I have been yelled at by pro wrestlers Skinhead Ivan, Sharecropper and even Steve Corino. I was almost killed by a Josh Abercrombie corkscrew plancha and a hip-tossed Goldust. I also asked Ikuto Hidaka "where is the toothpaste" in Japanese. |
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| History: | Interviewed everyone from porn star Kami Andrews, to G4 TV hostess Diane Mizota, to Stone Cold's woman Tess Broussard and a host of pro wrestlers such as: New Jack, Konnan, Trinity, Athena, Lance Steel, Amazing Kong, Low Ki, Mickie Knuckles, Nigel McGuiness and many more. |
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And we're rolling... - 07.06.2006
So I went to the grocery store today. I was in the frozen section and a middle-aged guy comes up to me.. he was probably 40-50, had a dazed look in his eyes and his lower lip kind of drooped. He walks up to me and says "I need bb pp."
bee bee pee pee? What the hell does that mean? He repeated himself and then I said "I have no idea what you're talking about". He wasn't menacing or joking or anything. I think he was slow or handicapped or something.
He repeated himself again. I took a stab in the dark and said: "Do you mean you have to go to the bathroom?". He said yes. I directed him to the front of the store.
I wonder if he would have just gone right in the aisle if I hadn't said anything? |
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And we're rolling... - 04.07.2006
I just watched some of Smackdown (rare for me) And MNM vs. London & Kendrick was AWESOME! Are the "small" guys finally going to get a push? The crowd was way into it.
Here's a report floating around the internet which may partially explain why Randy Orton is suspended. I guess while on tour, Randy made a scene (or three) at a hotel:
The valet parking for the wrestlers was behind the hotel, instead of in the main entrance. WWE explained this to each wrestler. When Randy Orton arrived with his girlfriend he came to the front entrance. Our valet attendant, Nestor, explained that for security reasons he had to use the designated valet area. Orton replied "f**k you, if you think I am going to drive back there!" Orton went to the front desk and asked me for his keys. I told him that all WWE personnel had to report to the green room, a special room designated for WWE staff to check in and get their keys. His answer was "f**k THAT, YOU GIVE ME MY f**kING KEYS NOW!" I calmly and with a line of 10 people behind him, gave him his keys. Then he went to the green room. When he got there they also gave him keys, the ones he was supposed to receive in the first place. He came back to the front desk yelling "Which f**king key is going to work now?" All this because he didn't follow his group's instructions.
I again gave him new keys, but I was already upset. When he went to the room, he forgot to record the name of his girlfriend as a guest, in case she needed to enter the room and didn't have a key. He called the operator and told her he needed to talk to "f**kING ____" (the name of the employee sending this in) from the front desk. The operator complained to management about this. I talked to him and he gave me his girlfriend's name. The Valet Parking attendant also complained to management. I unfortunately was fired, for getting snappy with him, for giving him his keys without asking for ID, even though I recognized him. After this incident I also gave keys to Tommy Dreamer and Super Crazy, and only because I was already rattled.
My ex-supervisor just called me and confirmed that the suspension was because he insulted me, the operator and the valet parking attendant. He said our marketing director Andy Rosenquist talked to WWE and thus the suspension. I ended up on the losing side, because in the security video I was shown flipping Orton off.
There's been many stories of Orton being a legit asshole in real life. Pouring drinks on Diva Search Winners and even shitting in a woman's bag (so sad). What a winner.
The Warrior gave another speech and it sounds like a classic. Here's a recap from an attendee:
I got back the Warrior speech earlier today. As you reported, the Warrior was asked to give a speech in Chicago on his anti-diversity position to DePaul (which is one of the more liberal colleges in the midwest feautring a Top-20 ranking in diverse student body and higher gay population than most other colleges in the midwest). Needless to say, you can expect the student body reception he received... since essentially it was the same speech he gave at UConn (which can be seen on YouTube.com), I'll just give some random bits
-The Warrior stated he had no idea WrestleMania was taking place in Chicago until just recently, but also stated "all of the rumor places" were predicting him to make appearances
-Warrior also stated he would not be able to morally work in the WWE today due to the high sexual content
-At one point an elderly man stood up and and started frantically screaming at him to to stop using the "bigot word" of "queer" and was escorted out. Warrior screamed back in defense of his use of the word.
-After a student made a sarcastic remark on a video clip featuring Warrior bodyslam Andre, Warrior replied "Go masturbate to it on your own time". The Vice President of the University stepped in to sternly demand he be respectful. Although Warrior initially defended that he wasn't saying anything that wasn't already on TV, he quickly backtracked after realizing the seriousness.
Overall it was a terrible speech. He read off of his podium only to occasionally look up, avoided most questions with tangents, answered questions WITH questions when stumped by students, and quickly became dark red in the face from bursting with anger (which ironically, came after his statement "queers can't keep their emotions under control"). Due to his perceived complete lack of respect for the DePaul student body, staff, and values, there is high chatter on campus with petitions against the Warrior and to have the organization that brought him disbanded (Conservative Alliance group).
WWE needs to do this as a gimmick. They own the music and "ultimate", right?
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And we're rolling... - 03.11.2006
I'll get to the reactions to my review in a minute. But I just want to say that I am starting to feel differently about wrestling. The X Division is awesome. I really enjoy it. And I see a lot of fans really take to it and then declare it as superior to WWE stuff.
I loved Jerry Lynn vs. RVD. I loved Michinoku Pro 8 and 10 mans. Innovative, fast, balls-out wrestling. But now, I still like it, but it's not EVERYTHING I want wrestling to be. That Impact main event had some big spots and everything, but I think Vince is right. It's about emotion. I'll take the "poor" workrate of Rock vs. Hogan over almost any other match. I say that the point of any entertainment is to make the viewer feel something. For a long time, big corkscrews and planchas and swift reversal sequences felt exciting. But it does get to a point where they've done all that they can do.
Now we have STIFFNESS and even a few (not nearly enough) 'tower of doom' many-man spots to keep it fresh. But still, it doesn't do as much for me anymore. I like it much more than the plodding boredom of your average WWE match, but it's not enough to make Impact worthwhile to me on its' own.
I think that's part of the reason I'm down on TNA, in addition to the whole Jarrett thing. And Jeff Jarrett IS worse than HHH. And even when HHH beats Cena and bores the fuck out of everyone again, Jeff will STILL be worse. HHH stopped for a while. Jeff has NEVER, and I really don't think he WILL ever stop.
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This is TERRIBLE:
New York publisher and TV producer Judith Regan has signed Osama bin Laden's niece, Wafah Dufour bin Ladin, to a reality TV show contract.
Bin Ladin -- whose side of the family spells their surname differently from the al Qaida leader -- was born in Santa Monica, Calif. Her father is bin Laden's half brother.
Regan, executive producer of A&E's "Growing Up Gotti," told Friday's New York Post the yet-untitled reality show will follow Bin Ladin, a singer/songwriter, as she pursues a career in the entertainment industry.
"It's the story of Wafah trying to make it as a singer and the many cultures she comes from," Regan said. "It's just showing that someone from these different cultures has the same aspirations, fears and insecurities that any 20-something would have."
This producer is also the one behind the Gotti reality show, which I am glad to say was not a huge hit. To me this is as low as exploiting Eddie's death. Regan's description is so fucking phony.. It's a BIN LADEN. She is getting a TV show because her uncle masterminded the slaughter of thousands of innocent people. When's the OJ Simpson reality show?
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I'm probably going to review the Chikara Pro Tag World Grand Prix when I get the DVDs. It has become pretty clear that Canada's International Wrestling Syndicate is pumping out the future of wrestling. Beef Wellington, Kevin Steen, Sexxy Eddie and now 2.0. These guys have everything.
Kaientai Dojo's Yoshiaki Yago has GOT to come back to the US. All the talent from Japan (except New Japan's guys..!) were great. I'd recommend that you pick up either Night one or Night three of the shows and see if you like it. Night one's DDT vs. K DOJO match pretty much tore the house down, and night three had 3 or 4 matches that were very, very good.
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This past week I gave Raw a 3 and TNA a 2, and bah gawd people did not like it! Almost across the board, the rest of the interweb panned Raw. I got a bunch of emails about it. Here's some comments from a few different emails I got:
" And like I said, the viewing party pert deux was gold. The
faces after the video was over were awesome. Shelley who knew what was
coming, Roode eating his towel, Storm out of control of his beer, totally
awesome. And the end of the show was the way an end should be. Leave the
crowd asking themselves: What's next?. "
The reactions were too.. Three Stooges for my tastes. There's goofy and then there's hitting yourself in the face with a pie. Will fans care enough to actually ask themselves "what's next?". Do fans want to see "Steve Borden"? They didn't want to see "Terry Bollea" in the WCW Russo Era.
"Vince and Shane are capable of doin' great
promos (which the whole Oscar thing wasn't) but they just suck being on TV.
Did it make me get more interested in buying WrestleMania? No! I'm even
considering not watching WrestleMania live this year."
I am actually thinking the same thing. I haven't missed a Wrestlemania since 16, but I'm seriously considering skipping it this year. I agree that McMahons on TV suck. But I did get a kick out of Vince using pyro to celebrate his appearance in Muscle and Fitness hahaha.
"Question for you: Do Vince and co. tell the camera
people to avoid showing certain signs that they
wouldn't necessarily want viewers to see (ie anti Cena
signs)?"
Yes! They actually have security take any signs that they don't like - if they see them. Vince is very big on free speech, see. But if you don't hold up a "Taker please retire" sign until the right moment, there's nothing they can do. I remember that one. Taker is about to climb the ring steps and a fan at ringside holds it up right in full view of taker and the camera.
This reader also mentioned all the custom signs ending in "-OOOOO" from raw, I did sort of notice and it was awesome. Fans are getting more creative and it makes for a much better show.
Hopefully I'll remember to tape Impact tonight so I can get the Monday Night Review up by midnight after Raw.
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And we're rolling... - 02.28.2006
I'm sitting here reading reactions to the Cena/HHH mic segment from Raw and my mind boggles. People are shocked that John is getting booed? Have they been watching Raw on a regular basis? Did they think that the Edge feud set Cena as a heel? All the Edge feud did is provide the fans with a Cena opponent that they just wouldn't root for.
"Smart" fans won't cheer Edge because he's not exactly an exciting worker (boring as shit, actually). And there's the whole Hardy thing. And the content of Edge's promos are so basic and bland that there's nothing to hold onto. So instead of cheering Edge or booing Cena, the Cena "haters" just kept their mouths shut while the kids and the women screamed their balls off.
But HHH has been getting half cheers for a long time, now. I think teenage males see HHH as he sees himself - a male power fantasy. They want to be the guy who's awesome at everything and always wins. And look kinda cool doing it, too.
So Cena comes off the Edge feud and now has an opponent that some fans support. Couple that with the fact that there's plenty of fans who just hate Cena as he is right now. HHH is not un-cheerable like Edge. Especially since he hasn't been down our throat in a long while.
People are saying that this Wrestlemania main event is going to have people walking out of the building? They couldn't be more wrong. If the WWE just rolls with things as they are (and they probably won't), then that main event will have one of the hottest crowds since Rock/Hogan. It'll be incredible. And HHH matches are all at a certain level, and both guys excel at brawling. It could be a bloody brawl that people will be talking about for a long time to come.
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Also, People all over are saying that HHH buried John on the mic. Not only did HHH say he was just not a very good wrestler" - to which the crowd roared, but John himself had to agree with it AND put HHH over as well!
I guess I'd have to agree. If John was handed a script that gave him dialogue like "HHH is the greatest of all time, I'm not the best athlete, blahblah" then yes, that is pretty fucked up. John usually has some pretty clever and cutting remarks. So if this was a scripted promo, and it porbably was, then yes, they did John no favors at all.
This feud, for me, is a lot of fun right now. But it's all going to blow when Wrestlemania is done and HHH is stroking himself every week on WWE TV. So let's enjoy it while we can. |
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And we're rolling... - 02.10.2006
Just real quick... WWE wants a working relationship with New Japan. Supposedly. TNA right now has a working relationship, but I don't see why NJ would pick them over the giant money machine that is the WWE.
But the WWE is not exactly known for making the competition look good. And I can't ever imagine Vince booking a fed vs. fed feud. The closest he ever came was the InVasion and that was the most disastrous angle in wrestling history. New Japan would probably get some token mentions, some Velocity guys would be sent to japan, a couple NJ heavies would be given appearances and booked to look like nothing special... Then the WWE can end the agreement and the de-valued New Japan can work with TNA all they want.
Here's what I'd do if I was TNA. LET THEM GO! Go on and get a working agreement with Pro Wrestling NOAH! Misawa, Kobashi, KENTA and Marufuji - that's where it's at, anyway. Joe/Kobashi was the MOTY 2005, and it's right there for TNA's taking.
And then TNA could hook up with CMLL - Mistico, Perro Aguayo jr., Dr. Wagner and Dos Caras jr. = MONEY.
I guess we'll see what happens. The whiff of competition has already made wrestling much more exciting. |
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And we're rolling... - 02.07.2006
Super Bowl weekend has taken it's toll.. sort of. No reviews from me this week. I had Smackdown on TV taping while I was putzing around on the interweb, and once I heard Randy Orton's "Eddie is in hell" comment I lost all interest in reviewing it. I mean, how low are we fans supposed to sink? There's gotta be a point somewhere that we say "Enough".
Some say that the Eddie mentions are just "heel heat" and that "Eddie would have understood". First, it's heel heat, but it's drawing from a real tragedy. It's exploitation. If Stephanie got raped and a heel said "I'm glad Stephanie got raped and I'm gonna do it again later tonight", is that ok? Not in my book.
And as far as "Eddie understanding". That doesn't make it right. There's people who mutilate themselves or degrade themselves. Just because you have permission to do the same to them does not make it OK. You're still responsible for your actions.
And anyway, people are afraid to tell Vince "no". Vince is it. Your career in the WWE is done, and you'll have to uproot your entire life. Or worse, they'll try to kill your career on the way out.
So I decided not to bother with Smackdown this week. I generally don't like that show much anyway.
I taped raw, but after an hour i realized I was taping Spike TV and not USA. So I only saw the second hour of raw. And I liked it...
It seems like the WWE is ever-so-slightly letting the wrestlers cut loose a bit. Carlito, especially. The backcracker, the somersault on the grating in the Chamber, and the spring somersault senton on RVD last night... You wonder if Carlito would be a totally different wrestler in TNA...
I thought for sure that RVD was going to lose last night. But he won, and pretty much redeemed his poor performances by getting a pretty good match out of Carlito.
And then they actually showed a fan poll on who the fans thought would win the title shot tourney.. and Rob had 45%! HHH was the next highest with 20-something %! haha! Wow... But now RVD has to try and get a watchable match out of freaking Chris Masters, of all people. I don't see a chance in hell of Rob getting by AITCH. And if he does, HHH will get it back before Wrestlemania. Rob vs. Cena? Rob vs. Edge? No way.
The HBK/Vince angle is still really lame. I'd like to see them both off of Raw, honestly. Sure HBK has good matches, but he's gotten real stale.
I wish I had seen the opener with Maria. She is crazy over, and I loved the idea of Maria/Cena vs. Edge & Lita. The match was going along OK, but felt like it got cut short, and they really needed to let maria hit one offensive move on Lita at the end there. Like a double team or one of Cena's moves... The five knuckle shuffle would have worked.
TNA... hard to put into words my feelings on that show. It wasn't bad at all. Lots of crazy fun wrestling moves. But I dunno if I'm just numb to it or what. I just don't really care. Every week it's 2 squashes, some tags and a bunch of really bad angles. This "tape recorder" angle is so ridiculous. Nothing is revealed each week. The players involved do not act like they know anything more than we do. There are no clues to suggest what the issue is, and thus no fan speculation. And this "secret" is between Jarrett and Gayda. Who cares about either one of them?
The whole thing reeks. There's no way on the planet earth that the "payoff" to this angle will be worth all the precious airtime it has taken.
Lethal has been squashed again and to me it's at the point where he's better off leaving than continuing to get squashed on national TV. Right now he's heading down Shark Boy's TNA career path, and he's too good for that. Hell, Shark Boy was too good for that!
Homicide looked awesome in the tag match. The Naturals busted out some cool moves in theirs (they're still to NAMBLA-y for me though). Austin Aries dressing up is a start to having a personality, I guess.
It's pretty sad that with all the great veterans out there, nobody is bothering to really help these guys work on their gimmicks. It should be a priority, shouldn't it? I mean, they are already really good wrestlers. All they need is some showmanship and individuality. Or at least some mic time! Christ!
So from what I saw, WWE Raw was easily better than Impact. TNA's wrestling was more exciting, but WWE had some real juicy developments. TNA feels like they just spin their wheels from PPV to PPV. |
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And we're rolling... - 02.01.2006
HAhahaha!
Tanning attendant cries foul
A booth attendant at a Boca tanning salon has told cops that she was groped by someone she identified as World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon, according to two Boca Raton police sources.
In a report expected to be made public this week, an attendant at Tanzabar on North Federal Highway claims McMahon, 60, came in for a routine tanning session late Sunday night. But things got a little weird.
"The alleged victim says Mr. McMahon first showed pictures of himself naked on his cellphone," said one source, who saw the report. "Then she says he made unwelcome advances and finally cornered her in a tanning booth and groped her."
Calls left for Tanzabar owner Amy Murray were not returned. An attendant at the salon said she couldn't comment on the incident.
McMahon, who starred in a wrestling show Monday night, has been a longtime Boca resident. He lives with wife Linda at The Excelsior on South Ocean Boulevard. Apartments there fetch in the $6 million range.
McMahon couldn't be reached. But, at home in Boca, Linda called the allegations "totally bizarre." His daughter, Stephanie, also a star of wrestling specials, confirmed her dad goes to Tanzabar.
"Yeah, he was there the other night," she said. "I'm not aware something happened."
The tanning attendant's name is being withheld until police investigate further and classify the nature of the alleged incident.
!!! I'm sure he'll throw money at her tomorrow to make this go away. Jillian Hall may end up with a tanning booth attendent gimmick very soon...
In other "news", I ordered my Chikara World Tag Grand Prix tickets! 32 teams! One title! And people say tag team wrestling is dead. That weekend is going to RULE!
Nice use of a Melt Banana record cover in your column today.
Good eye! I'm just stealing album covers for my pics now.
Tna finally broke through with the ratings. (1.1)
So it turns out Sting IS a draw! I honestly didn't think he'd help at all. But he is.. Now, my question is once fans see that Sting is gone for two months, will the ratings sink? TNA built anticipation for him once, gave us two appearances and then took him away. Now they are asking fans to sit through it again. My guess is that ratings will sink in the coming weeks as the fans see that Sting really will be gone for a while.
Terrible idea, IMO. But hey, maybe it'll work. I hate it, though.
On my mention of Batroc the Leaper:
One of these days, captian america will fall to the power of Savate.. I have faith
Batroc's moustache is what sets him apart. The guy's gimmick is leaping... doesn't get much better than that!
I even wrote an article to the torch that HBK's opponent should be RVD this year. And for fuck's sake they BETTER have Mysterio vs. Angle for the title instead of Angle vs. Orton. Angle vs. Orton would be ok, but Angle vs. Mysterio would not only be a better match, but it would be a thousand times better moment when Rey won.. GOD Wwe pisses me off...
What's sad is we keep watching. I honestly think that Vince knows we will keep watching no matter what he does. This Eddie thing sickens me, and yet I have no intention of not watching.
I'd love to see HBK vs. RVD. That is a dream match, to me. Someone's got it out for RVD, I think. So what if the fans love him? says the WWE. "We tell you what you like".
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And we're rolling... - 01.30.2006
Significant neck damage has led to Kurt Angle having his hand go numb again.
DEATH WATCH
Finlay’s debut brought in 500,000 extra viewers a rare occurrence for a new guy
What the!?! How odd. "Workrate" = Ratings? Or what?
Carmen Electra’s Naked Women’s Wrestling League (booked by Dory Funk jr) recently taped a TV pilot and PPV. Jimmy Hart and April Hunter were both on air talent
Sadly, April has a Chyna vagina (shudder). What an odd idea for Carmen Electra to have.
Foley has creative control in his new contract
In the WWE right now, THAT is gold. Smart man, that Mick Foley.
HHH says Cena is being boo’d cause Angle doesn’t know how to play heel
This is from DAVE MELTZER, people. He's as close to a credible source as there is in wrestling "journalism". What's his excuse as to why Vena was booed last night?
Aitch will also have to roll out his bag of cheap heat tricks to keep himself heel in his feud with Cena. He can do it, if his subtle spoiling of EDDIE'S SPIRIT~! is any indication. Unfortunately, it'll probably make for lame TV.
Unless Trips wants to be cheered. Both as "proof" that Cena "is not ready", and as an example of him "being so awesome that the fans can't NOT cheer him". Ahh the HHH on-air weekly masturbation, how we didn't miss it. But it's coming, oh yes. |
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And we're rolling... - 01.30.2006
I got a very detailed live EXCLUSIVE rumble report. I really appreciate it when you guys send me these things. It gives a lot of insight into what is really happeneing in the arena.
Cruiserweight Title shmozzfest - Kid Kash© vs. Funaki vs. Jamie Noble vs. Nunzio vs. Paul London vs. Gregory Helms:
Hell I was happy to just see a cruiser match on the card, London was hot during the match with the crowd, Kash just looks like an asshole, and it was Noble not Nunzio that did Strong's gutbuster,
Mickie vs. Ashley:
you were right the crowd wanted to be supportive but with Ashley in there you were just hoping no one got hurt, ending was a WFT as no one knew what happened
JBL vs. The Boogeyman:
the entrance was entertaining, "Lets go BoogeyMan" was just funny as hell to hear, you could tell in the crowd no one cared it was an extremely short match, everyone had fun with it
Royal Rumble 2006:
Everyone was surprised when the Rumble was announced, I litterally turned away from the ring when the Spirit Squad came out, I'm glad to hear you say the first third and last third were good as you are correct, Tatanka looked amazing compared to the last time we saw him, the crowd was truly hot the whole rumble, Rey's win was a true freakout moment for everyone there as there had to have been over a hundred eddie chants over the course of the night. One other thing regarding RVD, he looked way to excited and out of control, got a huge pop, and looked like he calmed down once the ring cleared a bit
WWE Title Match - John Cena vs. Edge:
the spectacle of the entrance was interesting but embarrassing to watch, this watch was just dead, its rediculous that the HHH/Flair segment of the Rumble was more entertaining, and that only lasted like 30 seconds, suprising win, everyone there was shocked, but you know you should have seen it coming with that entrance
World Title Match - Mark Henry w/ Daivari vs. Kurt Angle:
so dead it was unbelievable, I've seen a hotter crowd at an indy show for the openning match of the night than this, they pretty much ruined rey's win with the taker coming out, now who is rey going to face? the deadman needs to die
I think we need to talk about the chants though, as the crowd was chanting it seems the whole night, which did make it fun to be there live:
LETS GO BOOGYMAN: fucking hilarious it will catch on
EC 'DUB and holy shit: should be religated to the ECW PPV's, when idiots are chanting ECW for any high spot it takes away from it
CENA's a POSER: don't know if that came across on tv but there was that chant going on
Suprisingly only one slut and puppies chant: I'm glad to see the fans are growing up from the attitude era crap like that
Seminole Chant: I loved it especially since Tatanka looked like he really worked to get into better shape, dude looked like he lost thirty pounds
Boring: only once really loud the whole night during the main event, but also chanted during women's match
Eddie! : overkill, I've never been one who shows more respect for the dead than when they are alive and the eddie shirts they sell are one step away from the ones you see sold at the mall for local gangs, like all legends, and eddie is one, eddie should and will be remembered but these chants at times come across as a flavor of the month
The Dueling Chant of the Night: you got it spot on, people did get sick of hearing Cena chants thus causing the duel to happen, funny side note though at the entrance of the arena there was one guy standing on a wall with a Cena Sucks sign having his own little dueling chant outside, one against Cena versus three hundred for Cena, it was pretty funny hearing one guy go Cena sucks then getting three hundred people to respond Lets Go Cena
and not for anything but the E has given us some surprises over the last two PPVs and it was fun to see a rumble which seems to be getting overly criticized, in which you truly had no clue as to who would win
a good nod should also be given to the crowd that night, I've been going to shows in South Florida since I was 8 and have witnessed the decline of the wrestling audience in Miami, and it was great to see the place sold out a rockin, the live experience does truly change your viewpoint of an event
keep it up the violent panda reviews are great
Thanks! "Cena's a poser", huh? I wonder how much that sentiment counts toward his negative reaction?
Some emails:
Why should TNA be worried about WWE having mediocre cruiserweight matches on their PPV's?
The cruiserweights NEVER get over 7-8 minutes. They are almost always on Velocity online, hardly ever on Smackdown. The title is seldom defended, and when it is, its usually some stupid CW invitational or something like the rumble and never a significant CW title match like the cruiserweight division of old.
TNA's not perfect, but to even suggest that WWE's CW division could compete with the X division is f'n ludicrous.
IF the WWE let them cut loose, then yeah they could compete. Letting Paul London or Spanky take on SUPER F'N CRAZY in an atmosphere where they're allowed to work like they did in the indies? That would be the shit!
The thing is, the WWE just doesn't let their guys cut loose. And then, they also ruin guys. TAKA Michinoku became a slogged-down shell of his former self when he left the WWE.
So I'm not saying that the cruisers are anywhere near the X Division, but they sure could be if the WWE just said "go do your thing" instead of "go five minutes and work around a headlock".
To me, this PPV proved why WWE is in the toilet right now and their product is garbage. Final Resolution was better than this. Turning Point was 100 times better than this. ROH produces numerous shows that are a million times better than this.
Turning Point was much better, butI'll take the Rumble over Final Res anyday. As bad as some might say the booking of the Rumble show was, it doesn't hold a candle to TNA's night of bullshit finishes that was Final Res.
Here's the tentative Wrestlemania card for this year:
Angle vs. Orton (Perhaps triple threat with Rey since he won the Rumble)
HHH vs. Cena
Edge vs. Foley
HBK vs. Vince
Um...ugh. Tell me, does anyone REALLY want to see Cena vs. HHH? Wouldn't that fail miserably since Cena is a pitiful main event wrestler and a bad face world champion? Cena can't carry his end of the match. His selling is bad and his offense is weak and unconvincing.
As a wrestling match, Cena/HHH isn't going to be Joe vs. AJ. But HHH is able to carry guys to decent matches, and the crowd heat could be INSANE. If the WWE can't get their heads around the crowd reactions, then there's a huge chance we'll get a massive crowd split tht will turn the match into a spectacle.
There is some evidence that the WWE is trying to make HHH hated by dumping on Eddie's magic spirit, like what he said at the press conference, and eliminating Chavo while he was in the throes of Guerrero-sity.
But you're right, the Mania lineup is very underwhelming.
Another person didn't like my X Division comment:
"It's interesting that it looks like they are letting the cruisers work a quicker style. I'd say that TNA should be nervous, but WWE's cruisers are mostly guys who could have lit the world on fire 6 years ago. Now they're just kind of there. It's funny how Vince is about 5 years behind the curve."
Are you kidding. TNA be nervous? Of what? Funaki, nunzio and kid kash? WWE will never compete with TNA when comes to cruiserweight versus x-division talent.
Kid Kash carried the X Division two years ago. Paul London had his best TNA match with Kash. Jamie Noble was an ROH champ, Nunzio is a very respected mat wrestler, Spanky is Spanky, and Super Crazy is GOD. The talent is there. But again, the WWE Style plagues them.
Last night, the WWE allowed them to cut loose a little bit more than usual. They also gave them the show opener - one of the most important slots on the show. It's something to keep an eye on.
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And we're rolling... - 01.28.2006
Get a load of this, my friends... I have a tryout as a commentator for Dangerous Women of Wrestling! Home of alot of the women from those WEW dvds I loved!
And my partner in the booth will be the DOI's own Sean THE MIC! Who knows if I'll get the gig, but at the very least I will have a heck of a column to write!
And you all know that I love women's wrestling, both as a sport and also as sleaze... I am incredibly pumped. I also have to go to the bathroom. |
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And we're rolling... - 01.25.2006
The reason TNA had their unopposed Monday night show canceled the week that the dog show is preempting RAW, is because TNA was told by Spike to sign another marquee talent (ala Sting) and failed to do so.
Wow! But then...
Chris Jericho cited interest in TNA if he could get “Sting money” . It seems unlikely.
ARRGGGHHH. I'm sorry, but Jericho is worth $500,000. He is massively popular and would easily be a guy who could carry the company. But again, I have no faith in TNA being able to book people effectively, so I think Jericho is right to not bother unless they're paying him big money.
They have a chance to present Jericho unleashed. Not saddled with a horrid angle that destroyed his undisputed title reign before he ever had a chance. Not bouncing his head off the glass ceiling time and time again. Many were calling him the MVP of Raw a year or two ago.. and nothing came of it. I don't blame the guy for quitting.
HHH was mad that WWE.com broke kayfabe that he had a child with Stephanie.
OH NO! We're not going to think wrestling is real!?! Though I guess maybe the guy just wants a little privacy. Can't blame him for that. But it's not like this announcement was anything more than a burp on the internet for a day or two.
Meltzer reports that TNA is deep in talks with two wrestlers whom he considers "bigger stars than Sting". He says that neither are at a serious stage but "one who you wouldn't think would be interested at all is showing alot of interest in working more than a few dates". Bret Hart is not involved.
Hmmmm.. wow. Could one of them be Austin? Or is he still obligated to the WWE? Becuase he has a beef with the Jarretts, and thus would fit the "you wouldn't think he'd be interested" mold. But then, so does Goldberg and the Rock.
Bryan Alvarez reports that the WWE is interested in Milano Collection AT:
Funaki is pushing for WWE to sign a Japanese wrestler by the name of Milano Collection A.T. His real name is Akihito Teurino. He's wrestled for Ring Of Honor and Zero-ONE MAX in the past few months. Milano lives with Funaki in San Antonio. Milano was close to being signed in the fall for the departed juniors division even though he is 6'2".
AWESOME. You know what's great about this is that Milano is 6'2"! So WWE won't necessarily give him the ol' Tajiri/Taka/Funaki treatment. Add to that fact that Milano has a good WWE physique, a hilarious "model walking an invisible dog" gimmick and we got potential for.. something, at least.
Angle is working hurt:
"We don’t have a lot of info for obvious reasons, but Kurt Angle may have been injured badly in a match with Mark Henry. Well, he was definitely injured, we just don’t know the severity. The rumor was that it was bad enough that a normal person would likely have to vacate the title. Of course, this is Kurt Angle, so not only will he not allow himself to be checked out, but with his mindset he tries his damndest not to even sell that there is a problem. Enough is known that he was moved into tags later in the tour. It doesn’t help that he was just given the World Title, which he has been wanting forever and has zero desire to lose. The word internally is that he’s pushing himself way too hard, doing a lot of crazy stuff, and it is such that even slowing down his pace significantly (which isn’t happening) probably wouldn’t be enough. When you consider the number of recent injuries and the fact that Edge with a torn pec was made World Champion and Big Dave with a torn lat was allowed to keep working until he ended up tearing his triceps, it seems that the chances of Vince McMahon stepping in and doing something about this latest problem are slim to none. It’s really bad in the case of Angle, because here is a guy that has built a life on disobeying doctor’s orders. Had he listened to a doctor, he wouldn’t be an Olympic gold medalist; he wouldn’t have headlined WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar; he wouldn’t even be WWE Champion today. Worse, he used to have a family to go home to, but now, with the divorce, all he has is the wrestling business, making it that much more of an obsession. It’s a terribly sad story when you consider what seems to be the inevitability."
The death watch is back on! So first, even though the WWE has enforced an extremely soft style, people are still getting injured. Does this not SCREAM at the E to give the guys more time off? Must they be worked like dogs with virtually no time off? How long can Vince continue to drain the life out of human beings in the name of greed? Would it kill them to give the guys a lighter schedule?
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And we're rolling... - 01.24.2006
People are saying that the women's match on Raw - Ahley & Trish vs. Candice & Victoria - was bad. They actually single it out. Now me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, seeing how I wrote this recap live as it happened, I decided to sit down and watch it again to find out if I missed a whole lot of badness somehow.
The bad stuff:
- Trish and Victoria had a big miscommunication on an irish whip. Trish kept the fans from farting on it by busting out a stiff boot which got a big "OHHHH".
- Ashley looked a bit tentative whenever she had to come off the ropes.
- On the spot where Trish lifted Ashley for boots to the face, Victoria was out of position. In order to take the boots, Victoria had to basically walk over there and go "hey, you, hit me".
- Candice did a hopping knee to the throat, and she slipped a bit.
- Victoria, IMO, oversold with screams throughout the whole match.
Now, I enjoy these women's matches with the knowledge that the two new divas have basically no wrestling experience. So I sit there and root for them to execute and get through it. If you hold them to the standards you'd apply to HBK/Shelton, well I can certainly see why you'd not enjoy this match.
But even in that context, this was a stiff-fest AND a spot-fest where Ashley pulled off a couple sweet moves. And Trish gave Victoria a very stiff beating.
The good stuff:
- Ashley hits a springboard double axehandle, perfectly-timed. Consider that a springboard is a pretty tricky move, especially for someone who's been in the business for less than a year.
- Ashley's La Magistral Cradle - I liked this, just because it was executed perfectly. I can see why you could say this slightly too slow.
- Ashley delivers a drop toe hold in an extremely quick fashion. Victoria goes down hard, and I can't tell if she sold well or if she really did hit her nose hard to the mat.
- Trish/Ashley double elbow. Nicely done, very smooth.
- Trish's boot to the gut following the botched irish whip gets a good reaction. The whip - on closer examination - was flubbed because Trish's grip slipped.
- Trish hits a BEAUTIFUL top rope rana, crowd is impressed. Victoria does land right on the top of her head, which is a little scary, but man did it look good.
- Trish hits a great legdrop, looked very real. Good air, great impact.
- Then there's the hoist-Ashley-kick spot. Candice's charge is perfectly timed. Victoria charged at the same time and then stopped and that's where the slight messup occured. Maybe she was expecting Ashley to kick them both at the same time.
- Ashley goes for another springboard, Candice kicks the rope and Ashley's foot perfectly. Ashley does a nasty back bump to the mat that elicits an "OHHHH".
- Victoria haha lands a vagina kick! Crowd groans sympathetically.
- Then there's the awesome heel lucha-style double team, where Candice cartwheels into a wheelbarrow, which Victoria takes. She turns 180 and drops Candice chest-first on Ashley. Awesome spot. Crowd gives an "ohhh" again.
- Candice has Ashley in the corner, doles out a swift knee to the gut. Then a nasty knee to the face! It looked like Ashley wasn't ready for either one, but it still looked good in the context of the match.
- Candice's snapmare is perfectly fine.
- Candice's godaddy dance gets a good reaction. Then she goes for the wonky kneedrop, which drains the crowd heat she had acquired through the dance.
- Victoria goes for her slingshot somersault legdrop. Ashley moves, Victoria comes down hard, crowd reacts.
- Trish gets the tag and hits some awesome forearms. Then she doles out the lick chop, a great little move. It's the flair in which she licks that makes it good.
- Then Trish hits a standing dropkick that looked awesome. Victoria was real close, so Trish pretty much connected while her knees were bent in. Victoria went down hard.
- Trish's handstand rana on Candice had a brief moment where Candice took too long to go over, but to me it was a very minor thing. Candice went over perfectly, a somersault back bump off the top turnbuckle. Nothing to sneeze at.
- Trish brings Victoria WAAYYYYY up for a spinebuster and plants her hard on the mat. Crowd gives another "Ohhh".
- Trish flings Candice to the outside while asshole Lawler talks about hoping for a wardrobe malfunction. Trish hits a THESZ PRESS OFF THE APRON, and man did she come down on Candice hard.
- Ashley goes up top. Her crossbody is so high that she almost strikes Victoria right in the head with her stomach. 1, 2, 3, crowd lets out a cheer.
Then Mickey runs in and for some reason it gets little reaction. Mickey's spin kick gets a big "ohhhh" though.
So after careful examination, I say that this was a damn good match. I think when a move is botched early on in a match, it sours people's disposition and they get down on the whole thing. Especially in the case of the ladies, where you're likely to go "ohhh this is going to suck and there's proof".
But me, I am seriously impressed with Ashley's development and I love the Trish stiffness. Candice is not very coordinated, but she is willing to take some pretty nasty bumps and that makes me appreciate her efforts in the ring.
In conclusion, on further review, this is a good match, and I'd recommend that people watch this again after taking off their "shit colored glasses", so to speak.
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411's own Nick Marsico pointed out that in my review of this week's Smackdown, Rey kissed a poster of Eddie's face, not of himself like I had thought.
So that takes care of my weekly error.
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And we're rolling... - 01.23.2006
First, my Weekend review should be up by the time you read this. It took me forevveeerrrr. Another lucha tourney, it was 13 matches or so on one show.
So.. here comes a TNA spoiler.
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Sting is getting 2 months off. And we're going to get two months of JEFF JARRETT TALKING. About Sting. TWO MONTHS. He's sitting at home... The guy who's supposed to be their big draw (and it looked like it was working!).
You can say that "I don't know wrestling". But this is just common sense. Jeff Jarrett repels viewers. Him on TV talking is bad. People looking to see Sting week after week are going to get very turned off. And they're going to turn it off.
And does it make any sense at all to have Sting "retire" right after he debuts? Amidst hype that he's going to carry the company? They did not announce this as a "one night only" thing. It was not billed as a retirement match.
It's a terrible idea in every way I can think of. You could say it'll be a way to build anticipation for his return. But we just sat through that, and now we're getting burned. Why would we sit through it again?
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In other news, MTV somehow got convinced that they should give a wrestling show a pilot. Signing Credible (who will have to go by "PJ Polaco" or some nonsense) seems like an awful idea. But there's a few things that could make this a big success.
First, if they feature the young lucha-inspired PWG guys busting out crazy moves wearing their masks which can be enjoyed in a "weird japanese humor" way... I think that'd get over with those hip young trend setters/absorbers/consumers that watch MTV.
Second, if they do, in fact, present reality angles... That is money when you have legit psychos like New Jack and Teddy Hart on your roster. Teddy Hart is just a huge draw, in my book. If you can keep him from self-destructing, you've got gold. But in this atmosphere, even the self-destruction will be gold because it'll be right there on TV.
Add in MTV's very modern presentation and appeal to the exact target audience of modern day pro wrestling, and this could be a huge hit.
Probably won't be, but the potential is there. |
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And we're rolling... - 01.19.2006
This has nothing to do with wrestling, but I found a pretty interesting article on "nice guys". I gotta say, I know a lot of "nice guys". The whole relationship game requires so much finesse - I have a hard time knowing when and when not to just say what's on your mind. For example, at work, I got the feeling my boss was slacking off. I was a little angry, so when I saw him I asked him point blank if he was just sitting there in his office slacking while we did all the work. He just kind of bounced it off saying "You don't know me very well". I did this in front of my co-workers.
I thought I was being direct, as my co-workers talk crap about this guy behind his back all the time, and I felt that it was only right to say whatever I had to say to his face. But potentially I put my job in jeapordy, and I need that job.
Who knows. Anyway. emails.. This one is from another reader who pointed out my various errors in my Monday Night Review:
-Michael Shane had to change his name, because the WWE hired the Shane Twins (now the Gymni) and they had Mike and Todd Shane copyrighted, and Michael Shane was to close to that, so the WWE sent out a legal notice. On a side note, I wonder if Christian Cage will persue the same kind of action on WWE Devolpmental wrestler "Chris Cage"
That's actually a good question about Christian. I'd guess that the WWE will just change the guy's name to "Buford Cage" or something like that. Christian owns the rights, right? He also owns "Captain Charisma", from what I understand.
Another reader:
As you probably know, Chikara is holding the Tag World Grand Prix next month. It's quite a big deal this year, as Chikara said that this is going to be the last one ever held, and the winners will be the first Chikara Tag Champs (They had the pictures of the belt on the site a while back, and they look awesome).
I'm a little confused on whether this really is the last tourney. It seems like a very foolish decision. This tourney is easily their most successful set of shows now.
Many teams have been announced so far, including the biggest team so far, Team TNA (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin), so what are your thoughts on the TWGP so far? Any teams that you want in?
So far it looks great. I love Lance-A-Lot and the team of Retail Dragon & Dragon Dragon. You'd have to guess that those teams will face off at some point.
Shelley and Sabin are great, and I think that is a sign that last year's TWGP success means more high profile wrestlers are looking to get in on the action.
As far as teams I want to see in. I am hoping Ebessan comes back, and I'd like to see Milano team with Milanito. I'd love to see the Stampede Bulldogs, or Teddy Hart and Jack Evans get in there. Also, Franco and Turner have to be in it after last year's classic match. And Necro and Pondo HAVE to come back. They created a lot of drama.
(I personally want the Deathmatch Kings of Pondo and Necro Butcher in again, I think if a rematch between them and the RoH trainees will be great, especially considering that the RoH trainees have improved and are actually over now)
I agree
Also, what are your thoughts on Chikara owner and booker and comedy god Mike Quackenbush retiring?
Well, the guy loves wrestling. So, while it sucks that he's done, let's face it - guys come back almost all the time. Shawn Michaels even came back. He might be gone for a year or two, but it seems that wrestling is in his blood.
But this injury also has an upside. I have been worried that in Chikara, the trainees would never get to be in main event programs. Now with Quack forced out of the picture, guys like Shane Storm, Claudio Castagnoli, Icarus and Larry Sweeney have a chance to be marquee players. Also - Mike Quackenbush is a fantastic commentator. He's perfect as the straight man. Him seated in the booth with guys like Sweeney, Kingston and Ultramantis would make for very effective and hilarious commentary.
In other news, I see people are bashing Angle vs. Michaels from Raw. They are saying that HBK killed Angle's finisher. By kicking out of a top rope Angle Slam and etc. I guess it's a valid criticism. But I am always seething when I sense HBK being selfish, and for whatever reason I didn't pick up on that here. I think it is because... Tons of people have kicked out of the Angle Slam. To me, it's like Benoit's diving headbutt. Whenever he uses it, people expect that to be the finish even though it never is.
Back to looking for more work! I need money.
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And we're rolling... - 01.17.2006
Ahh plenty of net newzzz..!
WWE is under the impression that Roderick Strong's contract with TNA is up, due to the amount of dates worked, but TNA says it still has several mos. left.
Well then! What could the WWE possibly want with Strong other than to taint him so TNA can get no value out of him? He can't bust out his awesome moves in the WWE style. He really isn't very charismatic, and he has a pretty dull look.
Temptation will be STRONG.. Interesting times in wrestling are just around the corner!
Speaking of TNA, I'm about to comment on Impact spoilers, so turn away!
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Shannon Moore b A.J. Styles in a street fight: Christopher Daniels was at ringside and when Styles was caught in a half crab, he threw in the towel. The ref refused to recognize it, but as Styles and Daniels argued, Moore used an O'Connor roll for the pin. Women and kids cheered Styles but the guys were all over him, chanting "You screwed Daniels," so the storyline they tried to portray on the PPV didn't get over. They chanted "You got punked" at Styles after the match
Ahhhhh hahaha! The fans have turned again! Are you telling me this is Cena all over again? I'm sure it's not, but I can just imagine AJ's reaction. Supposedly he was angry at the "Joe got screwed" chants when AJ was awarded the TNA MVP award. Somebody should exploit the differing tastes between men and the women and children. It's happening as it is.
Hey, Hiroshi wrestled again! On... Xplosion. Which looks like the best match of the entire taping.
On Xplosion:
Hiroshi Tanahashi b Roderick Strong.
...hhhhhhh. TNA.... didn't put this on Impact. A match I'd actually like to see. They make me so tired.
Juvy gives his side of why he's gone from TNA to a lucha site. He makes it sound so nice and even sugary sweet!
Juvi reveals the real reason he was fired: His visa came up for renewal, and the Mexican officials, due to stricter security concerns because of terrorism, turned Juvi down. They said he could try again in 3 to 6 months, and the WWE said he's free to join them whenever he gets it all cleared up; Juvi says he finished on good terms with the company and could get back his spot when he wanted. He was happy with he accomplished in his time there: creating the Mexicools, being champions.
However, Juvi's realized he likes working in Mexico very much - it's the silver lining. He's weighing his options; he's on good terms with AAA, but maybe he'll go to Arena Mexico. He's also going to try and start businesses out of wrestling, now realizing he won't be wrestling forever.
Juvi assures us that information this is the absolute truth, as he knows it.
Imagine the rampant lying that took place before the internet!
Emails:
Corrections: WWE hired a man called Michael Shane (one of the Shane twins...you know..The "Johnsons"....thanks vinny ru...) who had already trademarked the name first, so thats why TNA couldn't use it. And as far as I can remember it was James Mitchell who was responsible for scalping Raven.
Aha! Well, there you go. I guess I let my blind hatred for Matt Bentley take over. But it's still there! Even though I like the Bentley Bounce.
I've just always held the opinion that with both WWE and TNA, when you cut the wheat from the chaff, TNA ultimately offers more quality wrestling and less cringeworthy and embarrassing angles.
Well I can see why people would think that. For me... I have been burned by TNA since their inception. Over time I just get more and more annoyed as the years roll on. I've stopped watching them for big gaps of time, but come back when the WWE gets really bad. Right now I'm at the point where I enjoy tap dancing on their shitty segments.
I understand that some people are now TNA loyalists, and some are WWE loyalists. That's cool. But me, I am a Chikara Pro loyalist. So I don't have much invested in either program.
What in the hell are you smoking? You think RAW was the best show?? Raw made me feel slightly suicidal at least 3 different times. The ladder match was slow and probably the most boring ladder match I've seen- what with Edge have to lay there forever so 80-year-old Flair can set up a ladder or whatever. There's absolutley zero upside to WWE right now. Maybe everything not everything TNA does is great but it's better than what's going on in Titanland.
Well hey, I guess we just disagree. I personally throughly enjoyed Raw. I can't even remember what happened on TNA and I just reviewed it. I know I'm not alone in this. Check the PWTorch reader reactions. Most fans gave the show a sterling review. I would gladly sit own and watch Edge vs. Flair again. I have no plans on sitting through a TNA squash any time soon.
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And we're rolling... - 01.17.2006
Tradition is apparently important in pro wrestling locker rooms. Wrestlers still adhere to strange, dated customs built in the days of kayfabe. It is my belief that these rules are primarily held to keep the "secret club" atmosphere alive, but mostly serve as an excuse for veteran wrestlers to abuse young wrestlers who still have bright futures ahead of them.
Young wrestlers get punished even when they were never taught these rules. Here's a few that I have learned:
1. Don't move a performers' bags: Indy wrestler Havok learned this the hard way. He was called at the last minute to perform in a WWE dark match. He rushed to the arena and had to change quickly, and in doing so he moved Teddy Long's bags. What happened? Chris Benoit and Bradshaw THREW HIM OUT OF THE LOCKER ROOM. Give me a fucking break.
2. Put your money in your boot: This is actually a good rule to follow. Locker room theft does occur. It happened in Chikara and poor sexy Talia had money taken from he gym bag while wrestling in UXW.
3. When you are appearing in a company for the first time, Introduce yourself to everyone in the locker room: I believe when Sean O'Haire first arrived in the WWE, he did not introduce himself to The Undertaker. Like a big baby, Undertaker got upset, and when O'Haire tried to rectify it, Undertaker told him it was too late.
4. Give a strong handshake - "squeeze like a man": I just learned this one. Apparently, when wrestlers meet at a show, it is expected that both men must give a strong handshake. No, I'm not kidding. At last weekend's PWU show, Johnny Kashmere gave The Sandman a limp handshake and Sandman got mad. He insulted Kashmere, who walked away.
Hopefully this will all fade away. It's initiation bullshit that shouldn't exist in 2006. There are other ways to teach respect for wrestling's history than punishing someone for moving a bag.
Emails:
First) The Mars Volta Rock
Second) Edge's ladder to table spot on Flair was sick
I was wondering if anyone would recognise the Mars Volta cover I used as a pic in this week's Monday Night Review. I got their album De-Loused in the Comatorium, and if you can stand rambling weird rock, you should check it out.
And that table spot... That was not "fake" at all. That was just Edge jumping on Flair. That was insane. I wish they had used Flair's daughter somehow in that. I really hope we get a rematch.
On Pro Wrestling vs. Sportzzz Entertainment:
I think you can do this column (if you already are) without Angle and Cena. You could point out the fans reaction to good (and crappy) wrestling and how storylines can make or break these matches.
Well I'm having a hard time figuring out what I want to say. I do believe that fans were popping for Angle for a couple reasons:
1. Some fans just hated Cena and wanted to turn on him in a big way. And it was awesome.
2. Kurt Angle was a badass pure wrestler. The WWE tried to dress him up as a heel, but those fans roaring for him are into wrestling enough to know that Vince is trying to manipulate boos out of them and they are part of the new generation of fans who appreciate good wrestling.
Ring of Honor is built around an appreciation of the art of wrestling. The pendulum has swung - In 1998, it was all about outrageous chaos and insane gimmicks and angles. It was taken as far as it could go, and it is only natural that fans would turn the other way and find joy in the antithesis of what's being shoved down their throats - Straight good wrestling.
That's my general idea. And since fans have no real, cheap alternative, when they see a guy representing the new ideals, they're going to latch on to him - especially when he's pitted against a guy who is everything they're sick of.
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And we're rolling... - 01.15.2006
I ordered the TNA PPV. Right now we're on a Elix/Young vs. New Age Outlaws match... Yeah so I figured I'd entertain myself by posting in this here blog. I probably just threw $30 in the garbage, but I have nothing better to do today.
More on why Juvy was fired: Juvi would often pitch ideas for himself to writers that didn't involve the Mexicools, both of whom had begged not to be associated with Juvy to avoid scrutiny with all of the disruption he was causing. One of his ideas was to once again don his mask and then take on Rey Mysterio in a mask vs. mask match that of course Juvi would prevail in. He also suggested a talk show he would host (funny because his English is barely understandable) called "The Juice is Loose".
Since being signed, Juvi has always worn sunglasses backstage and talked about himself in the third person. Keller said he acted as if "he were not on the same level of John Cena or Batista, but of The Undertaker or Steve Austin" and he supposedly told people on airplanes that he was "The Rock of Mexico", and now as big as The Rock in the United States.
Keller said that on the Mexicools first day in the company, Vince McMahon singled out the Mexicools in a meeting and said everyone should look as eager as them. He jokingly said that someday he might even make Juvy a World Champion, which of course Juvi supposedly instantly took to heart even though it was probably almost meant to belittle the idea that a cruiserweight could ever win the title.
Haha ohhh poor Juvi. He's so talented. Rey vs. Juvy from ECW is one of my favorite EC DUB matches, period. I'd have loved to see Juvi do "The Juice" gimmick in the WWE. And who can not enjoy the legendary story of him doing a woman doggy style while watching and commentating one of his WCW TV Matches?? While Norman Smiley was in the next bed?!
The list of indy workers TNA is most interested in are according to Wade Keller and Dave Meltzer:
1. Kevin Steen
2. El Generico
3. Jack Evans
4. Teddy Hart
5. Harry Smith
6. Cody Steele
7. Mike Foxx
8. Matt Sydal
El Generico? So over-rated... Teddy HArt, now we're talking. Should be interesting to see if the WWE rides the lightning and signs the Hart family boys... Should be interesting!
Ah Chris Daniels is cutting a zzzzz promo zzzzzzzzzz. He's a "face". "Joe is gonna kill you" chants in the background haha. Stop reacting "wrong"!
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And we're rolling... - 01.13.2006
Matt Hardy isn't happy because Edge is champ and he realized he was foolish for going back to the WWE. And what he's doing is showing up late for work, breaking dress code and essentially being angry backstage non-stop. Trying to get released.
Credit to PWInsider Elite
Haha how about that crap? Poor Matt. But if he hadn't come back, people would have always wondered "what if".
So now how can he get fired? Supposedly the final straw for Juvi was when he went a few minutes longer in a match with Kid Kash on Smackdown than he was supposed. DEAR GOD WHAT A NIGHTMARE! So I guess all Matt needs to do is go long. Or maybe throw a potted plant, or get pregnant. Or maybe make out with HHH. All of these are time-tested and successful methods of escaping the E!
Also, apparently Orlando Jordan will be doing a "bisexual" gimmick. Mayhaps the WWE thinks that OJ would be a boon to TNA or something. His female love interest is said to be Trinity. I wonder if they'll let her bust out her aerial offense? She was just as good as Lita (safer, too) last time I saw.
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And we're rolling... - 01.12.2006
email:
FYI, on the commentary of the first NewsRadio DVD set Joe Rogan claims to have been a pro kick boxer before moving into stand-up comedy. This would probably explain his some of his knowledge of MMA.
Well there ya go. Vince should have tried stealing HIM from UFC.. But then, he doesn't seem like a wrestling fan at all.
I decided to check out Stacy Keibler on Dancing with the stars. I guess I'm wondering how she'll fare in a mainstream entertainment program. And I'll tellya what, she's shoulder to shoulder with (aging) hotties like Tia Carerre(sp?) and Lisa Rynna and by gawd she pretty much steals the spotlight.
Why do people want the brand extension to end? It keeps popping up on message boards. Why? A quarter of the roster would have to be released, and if a guy you don't like holds the belt.. well you're just fucked, as a fan.
Supposedly Dawn Marie wants to go to TNA.. thank god. She's always been a personal favorite. The WWE really blew it with her.. She was great in ECW as a total ditz, so what does the WWE do? Has her play an "evil lesbian stepmother" in what has to be one of the worst angles of all time.
I don't know if I'm going to order the TNA show... If I do, I'll try to dig up some New Japan stuff to get acquainted with Hiroshi Tanahashi.. My brain goes numb whenever I try to watch New Japan, I just find it so boring. I'm pretty sure the last time I saw him he had really tall hair. Could be wrong.
And Chikara Pro's 32 team tag tourney is coming up in February! They're all being held in Pennsylvania, the final show will be at the ECW Arena.. They're slowly announcing teams like they did last year. The big one so far is Team TNA - Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin. Already that's a bigger "name" team for mainstream fans than any team from last year. I get the feeling this show is going to be incredible... I mean, HUGE. The buzz from last year's show will probably attract bigger "name" teams to this year. Milano Collection AT will probably be involved, hopefully Ebessan will be back... This is my Wrestlemania, people.
Indy wrestler April Hunter gave some gruesome details of her life as it was with wrestler Slyk Wagner Brown - Basically he was a total phony asshole who'd beat her every now and then.. And the final sstraw came when he went on a two hour rampage threatening to cut her fave and tits off so she couldn't make any money in wrestling again.
She had broke it off with him but they were still living together at that time. After the cops arrived, they had to TASER HIM to haul him away.
Fucking A, it's guys like that who give the rest of us a bad name. |
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And we're rolling... - 01.11.2006
So ...spoiler for smackdown, turn away!
You were warned. Angle is jumping to Smackdown, apparently. The Cena thing is over, at least for now. This is really disappointing to me. That feud was the most exciting, genuinely emotional thing to happen in the WWE in a loonnnggg time. And they threw it away.
But apparently the Edge surprise brought in big ratings, and tons of people tuned in to see the "live sex segment. So at least on paper, Edge vs. Cena is a promising feud. Unfortunately, we have eyes. We've all seen how Edge plays a heel but can't be a heel. He talks in a dastardly tone... that's his heel act. Without Lita by his side, he'd be in pretty sorry shape, IMO.
Leads me to some funny rumors: Edge and Lita apparently not together in real life any more. Edge is back with his wife! haha so they were both really upset about this "live sex" segment that they had to do. I'd say Matt Hardy must be enjoying this, but he's probably too busy punching himself in the face for re-signing in the first place. I guess one promo can make or break you. We saw it with Rikishi when he admitted he was the driver.. And we saw it again when Matt returned and somehow drained all the emotion of it out of the arena in about 4 minutes.
Selected emails:
I think you should try recapping a TNA PPV for once to see how much better they actually are. I'm not going to lie, the world title scene is pretty lame (not like WWE's is at this point), but pound for pound, TNA is producing the superior product on a regular basis.
Hey now, Check out the reviews to the right. I covered the three TNA ppvs before this last one right here on 411. I would have reviewed the last one as well, but my cable company screwed up.
I try to give TNA chances over and over and over, and while the X Division is really fun, the rest is pretty shaky. I don't really have a preference.. Some weeks I enjoy TNA more. But both companies have serious problems, IMO.
In response to your comment: “AN AD RUNS: February 18th house show main event: WWE title match - HHH vs Cena! Hahahaha! I'm going to assume that the solicitation just needs to be updated. “, I’m thinking that’s what it is. I’m in Raleigh, where we have Raw coming like a week from now. They’re advertising Cena/Angle for the title for the main event. Needless to say, that’s not happening.
Yeah I guess that's how they do it. Man I hope they don't book HHH vs. Cena for Wrestlemania. Too soon! But now if Angle is gone, I dunno who else he could face. Unless they made nice with The Rock - that would be classic.
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