Five-Star Conversation 08.11.09: Celebrity Guest-General Managers

Posted by Geoff Eubanks on 08.11.2009

Does the inclusion of celebrities on Raw help or hurt the product?

DID YOU KNOW?: I have the same computer as Gene Simmons. Of course, neither of us know the first thing about using the damn thing.

Have you booked it to 7-11 for your new WWE Slurpee cup yet?





The crummy thing about discussing Raw here in 5SC is that, for the column to post in a timely fashion, I have to submit about the same time the current week's Raw is airing on the East Coast, so I'm discussing quite old news. However, there were some things about last week's installment that really need to be discussed.

First of all, something that strikes me as odd and completely incongruous is the fact that we have an actor best known for his work on a television show that's rated TV-MA promoting an R-rated movie on a PG-rated program. Isn't that a bit tantamount to Captain Morgan's advertizing during The Teen Choice Awards? Granted, I realize that, although Raw is geared toward children and tweens, those kids are going to have parents and older siblings, etc., who will be interested in seeing a film like "The Goods" (or Seth Green's "Robot Chicken", which, too is a TV-MA-rated television program), making the star of such vehicles a central character of the evening seems odd to me. I mean, by all rights, the alleged target audience shouldn't even know who Piven is (That goes for Dr. Ken, as well, as his filmography over the last couple years is exclusively Rated-R, "Role Models", "Knocked Up", "Step Brothers", "Pineapple Express")!

(Likewise, I've had this thought for awhile now, perhaps one of the reasons John Cena's films perform so poorly at the box office is because the bulk of his fan base who would be inclined to see one of his movies simply because he's the star are too young to see it without their parents' taking them…?)

I think we all had high hopes for Raw on 08.03.09, considering celebrity guest General Manager Jeremy Piven's status as an Emmy Award-winning actor who has successfully made the jump from hit television to marketable, mainstream films, but last week was a fucking BOMB.

First of all, the inclusion of Dr. Ken was about as huge a mistake as could have been made. The guy genuinely is talented and, by all accounts, is a completely humble professional, but he drove each segment in which he was involved into the ground. I mean, we're talking tectonic plates. Maybe there was something I just wasn't getting about his "image", but he shows up in Wilma Flintstone's bathrobe sucking on a pacifier (I mean, holy 1993 rave scene…did he have a surgical mask full of Vick's Vapo-rub, too?) interrupting The Miz doing his best impersonation of the drive-thru employee in "Dude, Where's My Car?". An DEN?! An DEN?! An DEN?! Maybe Chris Jericho could hook up Dr. Ken with The Groundlings here in LA, cuz the guy obviously would benefit from an improv class or two.

Piven himself wasn't as memorably cringe-worthy (his outfit aside…really, did he make that vest from a discarded ‘60s couch…maybe a saddle…?), and I'm not even going to complain that he "went kayfabe" and turned heel in the main event, because apparently it was consistent with his "Entourage" character. What pisses me off is the manner in which these walking product placements are being allowed to make WWE talent look like chumps. This is why Seth Green has been my favorite guest thus far (aside from the fact that I've been a big fan of his since I first saw him in "Airborne" back in 1993); Green walked that line between having authority over and dealing with the performers quite well. But Piven and especially Dr. Ken bowing up in the main event had me going Really…?.

Furthermore, unless Piven has a fighting background or, at least, knows he can throw down something awesome, I can't see him being as ready to stand toe-to-toe with even The Miz in anywhere but a scripted environment, or, say, in an extreme case where self-respect or a woman was on the line. Who in their right friggin mind (aside from Shaq) would call The Big Show "fat boy" to his face? And this whole "Christina" thing in Jericho's regard? "Charro"? "Horngobbler"? Clearly, the only thing McMahonagement is concerned about getting over in these segments is whatever project the celebrity talent is there to shill. Yes, I know, obviously, Chavo/Hornswoggle is a comedy act, so really, little harm done, but I'm not stoked on how our top heel talent is being treated. Again, I get that this is the modern-day equivalent of Brutus Beefcake encouraging fans to refer to Sherri Martel as "Scary Sherri", but that should be coming from fellow talent, not from some 5'9" movie star.

Now, Shaq is a different story, because of his size. I'll admit up front, and not to piss anyone off or anything, but I fucking hate basketball. It just bores me to tears. On top of that, there are just some teams you hate because their fans are so unbelievably obnoxious, especially when their teams is winning: The Yankees, The Packers, The Astros, The Oilers, The Cowboys, The Raiders and The Lakers. Jesus, living here in LA during a winning Lakers' season, it becomes incredibly tempting to three-point some of their fans into the LA River. Now before you start flaming me, just because you're a fan of one of the teams I mentioned, it doesn't mean you take your fandom to obnoxious levels, so chill. And, yes, I understand Shaq doesn't play here in LA any longer, but he did for long enough such that the association is there.

Anyway, all that to say, I was braced for an obnoxious night when Shaq guest-hosted and Chris Jericho got in his face…well, glared at his nipple, is probably a more accurate description, it made sense for Shaq to behave the way he did, because, aside from having absolute authority over Jericho, I can't see anyone with the quality of size differential Shaq has on Jericho ever being intimidated in that type of environment (whether Shaq could actually take Jericho is another matter ).

However, once The Big Show (who I'm really liking in his new Jericho-esque role) hit the ring, I don't get that Shaq didn't flinch at all. I know he watches WWE. He was at the Unforgiven 2002 here at The Staples Center, as was I (his seats were a little better than mine…LOL). Show went toe-to-toe against Japan's Yokozuna at WrestleMania 21 in the same building. Show has legitimate boxing experience. Remember when Show overturned an entire car? And Shaq was in Show's world. He doesn't show any intimidation at all? But then, WWE has a history of allowing "legitimate" athletes into its world to go over its own talent, which has always pissed me off to no end. Lawrence Taylor defeats Bam Bam Bigelow one-on-one? In a pig's fucking eye he does. The same goes for Shaq/Show (although if Floyd Mayweather is allowed to punch out Show, then who knows?).

Word on the rumor mill this week is that The USA Network is pushing for Raw to go for another three-hour broadcast, the main event of which is Show/Shaq one-on-one. Is it wise to hotshot that match on free TV? I mean, it's not quite Hogan/Goldberg, but that would still have to be a significant PPV draw, wouldn't you think? Larry had the brilliant idea a couple weeks ago that, with Shawn Michaels returning for SummerSlam (or SummerFest, if you like ) and considering the continued heat existing between Shaq & Show, a main event tag team match for SummerSlam involving JeriShow and HBK/Shaq would pop that buy rate nicely. Considering the fact that Shaq would be coming "home" to The Staples Center would make for a very unique live atmosphere, as well.

As a matter of fact, the UTTTs could be on the line, and HBK/Show could actually win them (Sweet Chin Music to Jericho as Shaq clotheslines Show over the top, NOT with Shaq getting the victory!), forcing Shaq to forfeit his half of the Title, due to the beginning of basketball season. That would leave HBK free to get the fluorescent green band back together with Triple H, as a D-Generation-X reunion is seemingly imminent anyway. This way, PRICELESS can still be feuding with DX, but with The UTTTs on the line, and if McMahonagement really decides to shit on the pot in terms of getting over Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, the youngsters could defeat DX for the belts.

However, McMahonagement sadly seems content to simply tell us how much like Randy Orton PRICELESS have become to lend legitimacy to their standing, instead of allowing them any quality of significant achievement. Really, we finally see a handicap match where the almighty face doesn't beat the odds, although, thereby implying that it takes two Orton clones to go over one HHH, and before the kids are halfway up the ramp, Tri is already on the stick in the ring cracking wise, defying any legitimacy that win afforded them? I fear greatly that PRICELESS may as well start hitting the stage with a cheer and a trampoline, because something is starting to stink like SPIRIT SQUAD.

But back to Shaq, and I can't believe I've not read anything else pointing this out, did anyone else realize that we witnessed the first God's honest flip of the bird to the Brand Split by allowing SmackDown!'s CRYME TYME to jump to Raw to face JeriShow? Look, I can understand wanting to elevate CRYME TYME and to allow them the UTTTs (upon which I'd bet the farm, barn and all, is going to go down at SummerSlam). It's a great thing that we're seeing young talent being elevated and given titles. I've discussed here in the past on multiple occasions that I've been impressed with CRYME TYME's ringwork since having returned to WWE. They connect with the fans, have a wealth of charisma and really have a chance of heading up the ranks, even as singles competitors once the team runs its course (although I think Hernandez & Homicide over in TNA stand a much better chance of singles success than do the members of CRYME TYME). But why was it necessary to hotshot this match on Raw?

Follow me here. If Shaq can work out breaking The Split by negotiating with SD! GM Teddy Long to bring over CRYME TYME to Raw, why could he not have instead negotiated with Peanut to have The UTTCs defend their belts against CRYME TYME that Friday on SD!, their own brand, as The UTTCs are allowed to brand jump at will? That way, Shaq really makes an impact by setting up a main event to which fans can look forward all week, we do a little cross-pollinating, thereby giving a rub to SD! and we haven't offended The Brand Split. Hell, we could have seeded the heat by depicting JeriShow's car having been stripped for parts during the show, assuming it was Shad Gaspard & JTG who were responsible, and Shaq could even have recorded a video message to be played prior to the match on Friday. But, no, instead, we're dipping our toe back into "Fuck the Brand Split" pond. Granted, for a noble purpose, but it was so unnecessary.

Finally, it seems to me that the celebrity GMs are a glitzy mask hiding the same old booking. After Cena's impassioned rant about Piven having the opportunity to make history last week, we still were stuck with a fucking Lumberjack match, a Handicap match and another Chavo/Hornswoggle installment, which is doing nothing for anyone, except relieving Chavo of whatever dignity he has left. Meanwhile, did last week sway you one way or another to see "The Goods"? I was already convinced to check it out from the ads that had ran the previous week (of course, I don't go to the theatres, as I'm on the five-at-a-time plan with Netflix and there is literally nothing I can't wait three or four months to see once it comes out on DVD and I can watch it at home at my own convenience). Conversely, would you be encouraged to buy SummerSlam if Shaq were appearing in some capacity, either in the scenario I suggested above, or some other way?

So are the celebrity GMs working? Are we seeing positive results, or is WWE ultimately suffering so Vince can try to rub elbows with mainstream talent? Granted, Piven and Ken have been talking about their appearance on Raw in a number of mainstream media outlets, so there's a fair amount of publicity I'm assuming McMahonagement wants, especially in the weeks leading up to the second largest PPV of the year in SummerSlam. However, it seems to me that WWE is getting a little too chummy with breaking its own rules and allowing too many of its own employees to get put in their place by non-talent to warrant the effort. I'm looking forward to the feedback on these thoughts!

Other Raw thoughts
- Jack Swagger's charging Vaderbomb is AWESOME. I like what I've seen thus far between Swagger and Evan Bourne, but I'm concerned that this program can play out to a satisfying end without either party, who both need to establish themselves as solid players on the flagship brand, suffering. Fingers are crossed!

- It seems to me that fans want to chant for MVP, but aren't being given much of an opportunity. I'm not as concerned as many over MVP's alleged "de-push"; rather, it seems to me that McMahonagement has been forced to rethink its plan in MVP's regard. Originally, I think we were to see MVP defend his UST against Matt Hardy, until Hardy tore his abs and was benched. With Jeff Hardy opting to take some time away from the company, it seems, based upon the outcome of last Friday's main event, that perhaps Matt, now on SD! as a result of Trump's talent exchange, was bumped to The Silver & Black to take his brother's place and return to his face status…? This left MVP at a loose end and it makes me think this feud between Bourne and Swagger is simply a conduit by which we replace Bourne with MVP, which makes a little more sense, although brings us back to "d'oh!", because MVP, like Swagger and Bourne, needs to establish himself as a capable player on Raw, as well. I guess we'll see what happens…again, fingers are crossed.

- The Diva tag team was ultimately disappointing to me. When I saw four women who can actually wrestle come to the ring (Mickie James & Gail Kim versus Beth Phoenix, apparently stepping in for the injured Maryse, & Jigglin Hall), I was settling in for a really solid match. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be clicking that night, and it really only started to rev up once Kim tagged in for the go-home. Better luck next time, I guess.

- Wow, the crowd went on a Robitussin nod for Carlito versus Primo. Usually, to get that kind of apathy out of an audience, Ricky Ortiz would need to be involved in the segment. BTW, I'm sure he's a great guy and all, but if you didn't see Ortiz being wished the best in his future endeavors, you need to be selling pencils on the corner out of the hand that doesn't hold your cane. And before anyone pipes up and starts in about how he was improving, or maybe he could have succeeded with a little more seasoning in developmental, he's been in WWE's farm league since 2006. If he hasn't got it by now, he's not gonna.

- Good Lord, Mark Henry has a camel toe. In those enormous red tights and subbing for Hornswoggle against Chavo, I wanted to call him "YouAreHereswoggle". Still, it's amazing to see how quickly Henry's gone from hated heel no one took seriously to a beloved face the fans wholeheartedly embrace, even if he's walking in Khali's footsteps.

- Three biggest nip slips in WWF/E history: 1) Jacqueline at FULLY LOADED; 2) Lita on Raw during Edge's live sex celebration; 3) Big Show last week as he choked his foe over the rope.

- Chris Jericho to Jerry Lawler, "Show and I have a combined 40 titles between us! How many championships have you won, Lawler? I mean, that you didn't book yourself into!"

- You knew The Miz was fucked when the friggin lumberjacks get an entrance and he didn't.

- Did Tri carve those lines into his forehead…?!

-This isn't really wrestling related, but you know that new-ish KFC commercial where the two guys in the lunch room gang up on the guy who's eating his Subway value meal over how much they got at KFC as compared to their co-worker? I swear to GOD, the one who says, "You're a la carte, we're a la SMART" and he puts that emphasis on the "T", as soon as that self-righteous bitch got that "T" out, I want to see an open handed bitch slap send that smarmy little fuck to the ground.

COMMENTPALOOZA!
You do realize that even acknowledging that comment is going to send no less than 30 people hunting for it, right?
Posted By: Todd Vote

I assume you are referring to last week's Braden Walker comment. That shit has no business on a fine wrestling website.
Posted By: WHAMMY!

It was a response to my Goldberg rant that was, in sum, totally anti-Semitic, and, henceforth, completely unwarranted and disgusting. Ironic, too, as I was having cocktails with one of my Jewish friends that night. There are many, many reasons to legitimately despise Goldberg without touching his heritage, which is about the only thing in his regard I respect. It just shocked and repulsed me to see such a comment, period, much less in my column. Speaking of big, bald and cuddly…

Even though I'm not a big Goldberg fan, I must admit that I'd mark out if he ever showed up. There's just something EPIC about his theme music that tells me somebody is about to be NEXT! You're right about him being a diva. He's like the anti-Cena.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth

I read your Column on 411wrestling.com. it was a Good Read. first off. I am a big fan of Bill Goldberg. i have followed his Career in Pro Wrestling since he made his Debut in WCW in 1997 all the way untill he left Wrestling in WWE in 2004. the things you said about Goldberg is Strictly your opinion. and i have no prblem with that. However i do disagree with the things you said. 1 of the things i disagree with you on is hwen you said Goldberg has no Respect for the Business. how do u know Goldberg didnt Respect the Business? did Bill say that himself? or are you Assuming he didnt Respect the business? numbwe 2 thing i disagree with you on. you said that when Goldberg came to WWE that because WWE didnt treat him right you think in your opinion that he was a Cry baby about it. i dont see how he was. whats wrong with Goldberg wanting to have what worked for him in WCW also be in WWE? so Goldberg is suppose to come to WWE and just be made to look like another Wrestler like everyone else? thats not what Goldberg was about. he had the Unbeatable Gimmick for a reason because it got him over Huge in WCW. it helped to skyrocked his Popularity. I am not saying that Goldberg had to go through the entire Roster in WWE but WWE could have made him much more Dominant and more like he was in WCW. i dont quite understand how you say u dont have a problem with Brock Lesnar but do with Goldberg. heres a guy in Brock Lesnar that pretty much when he came to WWE got a Goldberg like push. WWE was Building Brock up to be as his nickname stated The next Big thing. and what does Brock do? he quits on WWE because he wanted to try out for the NFL. and according to rumors he couldnt handle the Rough Schedule anymore in WWE. Goldberg However Fullfiled his Contract Obligations and didnt Quit on WWE like brock Did. and as far as Steve Austin goes. i dont think it was a mistake at all for WCW to let Austin go. sure ill admit. Austin became 1 of the biggest Draws in WWE History. but the Austin 316 Era i dont tihnk would have Worked in WCW like in did in WCW. WCW before the company startined going down hill Focused more on Pro Wrestling. Vince Macmahon had to go to what People call the Attitude Era in WWE at the time because he was Desperate as WCW at the Time was Whipping him in Ratings. so Vince decided the Attitude Era would do the trick and it did. sure WWE had their biggest star in Austin but WCW had their biggest Star in Goldberg. simply put. WCW didnt need Austin like the WWE did. i also have no problem with people stating their opinion about Goldberg they can say he isnt any good in the ring he only had a few moves Etc Etc. People can trash talk him all they want as it is Strictly their Opinions. but nothing can change the fact of all the Great things Goldberg has done for People. i have heard Stories about kids who were sick even some of them dying and there 1 wish was to meet Goldberg. and Bill granted them that Wish by being there for them. Goldberg has donated alot to Charitys as well. i couldnt name all the great things Bill has done for people because its so much but thats just to name a few. so despite what people say about Goldberg and its only their opinions Nothing can change the fact of the Great things Goldberg has done ofr other people. but like i said everyone has their own opinion. i hope you Email me back and give me your thoughs on what i said. i would like to hear from you. Hey man. I am not bashing you i just wanted to give my feelings on what i thought. hope to hear back from you. if not then i guess that means you have nothing for my Comments?
E-mailed By: Jason

Schmoove, I saw your comment about how awesome Raw was last week. You're on notice, pal.

I appreciate your feedback, Jason, and I absolutely appreciate the passion with which you defend your hero and, just as you extended my right to believe what I please about Goldberg, I extend the same right to you; we're big fans of respectfully agreeing to disagree here at 5SC.

However, to address your concerns, points 1 & 2 are connected. Goldberg disrespects the business by disrespecting those in it. Goldberg is a card-carrying Diva who expects to be paid top dollar for the privilege of rolling roughshod over the entire roster of whatever franchise with which he is affiliated. He doesn't want to work heel (thereby implying he needs to be cheered and loved and respected, whether he's earned it or not). He expects to work seriously with only other top talent and can't be bothered with anything or anyone less, regardless of who was there first and who put him over. He expects to write his own ticket and not be told to do anything he doesn't completely endorse himself. That is disrespect.

As for why it's wrong for Goldberg to expect to be rebooked in WWE as he was in WCW, let me put it in perspective for you. It doesn't matter how successful you were when you worked at UPS, if you leave that company and go to work for FedEx, you can't just expect to be able to work in the same manner there as at your previous job, because it's a different company with a different set of rules and a different boss. The overall mission statement may be the same, but you can't waltz in the door and decide that because you look better in brown than light blue, that you can wear your old UPS uniform to your job at FedEx. Now imagine trying to pull that on a megalomaniac like Vince McMahon. As JR would say, that dog don't hunt.

And maybe Vince was willing to push Goldberg as a top star, but the fact is, Vince has his own employees and his own pecking order established in his own company, and, as with any employer, be it WWE or Taco Bell, that is the right of the employer. For Goldberg to breeze in with the attitude of, Thank GOD, I'm finally here! You can't WAIT to push me over Triple H! If you don't see that, get back to selling those pencils on the street corner. By the way, that, too, falls under the heading of disrespect.

For the record, to the best of my knowledge, both Goldberg and Lesnar finished out their contracts; Lesnar got into legal trouble with WWE when he violated his non-compete clause when he performed with New Japan prior to the expiration of his no-compete clause. As I said originally, people can diss Lesnar if they feel so inclined over his up and leaving WWE after having been pushed to the top, but his talent and the fact that he was such a quick study can be denied no more than can his mistake to have allowed his wallet charm into a career he discovered too late for which he was ill-suited (although I think we can blame a flaw in WWE's farm league to an extent, insofar as the manner in which talent is groomed for the ring though not for the rigorous travel schedule).

As far as Austin making it in WCW the same way he did in The WWF, no, I agree with you, that wouldn't have happened, but that's because Bischoff didn't have the grapefruits or the sense to allow Austin such an opportunity. And for The Attitude Era, make no mistake, Vince ripped off "WWF Attitude" from Paul Heyman's ECW. He took Heyman's innovation and applied it to his own slick and glossy production and made himself a billionaire.

If Goldberg is a humanitarian and is giving back, good on him, I'm pleased at that. But it doesn't change the fact that he's self-righteous and disrespectful. And he's not the first to use children as a front to make himself look dandy to the public:



geoff my friend, i live in the shadow of manchester and i go to uni there - it's morrissey's town we just all live in it!

also, good to see you're taken with our comedy over here in old blighty. i've my fingers crossed for some red dwarf references next time.

that very first comment you featured just sounds like wwe 24/7 or classics on demand or whatever the heck they're calling it now, but in dvd form.

oh, with regard to censorship of the scratch logo, we don't get it over our re-issues here in britain, hope you're jealous.

no i don't think every high point in steamboats career has been put on other star's dvds, the fact that the savage dvd got released has me hoping there won't be much concern over matches repeated, just as long as people get a good profile of steamboats career.

oh and this is something that sprung to mind recently; how about a definitive nwo dvd? i know the stable crops up as subject matter on a few other dvds (confidential, monday night wars, death of wcw) but it just tends to be "started out hot, big draw, had too many guys, ran for too long, etc etc". how about a proper profile of all the nwo's different incarnations and the key angles involved and what the thinking was creatively for the 1st disc, then a selection of matches (bash at the beach 96 and so forth) over the other 2 discs.

or perhaps just in general have "the greatest stables in wresting" or something.
Posted By: DaJ

I've seen The Mozzer twice in person here in LA. The first time was at a space called 360 (so named because it was the penthouse suite of a highrise on Sunset that a full 360-degree view of Los Angeles) that hosted a Manhattan-like club on Tuesdays called Beige. One side was a bar with a DJ and room for dancing, while the other side was a restaurant that closed at ten and became cocktail seating afterward. I was there with a group of friends waiting for our ecstasy to come on and there was Morrissey actually scamming the guy I was seeing at the time and me! That absolutely flipped me out! Here was one of my top teen idols giving me the eye!

The second time was actually only a couple weeks later. I was working at Pottery Barn at the time and had just come on my shift. I was at cash wrap ringing up this lady when I glance over and who was standing there but Morrissey! I tried to rush the old bat through so I could call him over to me so I could help him, but, alas, no such luck. Turns out he had a clock on hold.

I won't begrudge anyone a new nWo DVD, but I'll have no part of it. It just smacks of another idea Bischoff ripped off and got to busy getting blow jobs in the back room of strip clubs to write an ending for.

And, yes, I am suitably jealous!

Do they have a Rick Rude dvd? That would be awesome. They should also do a Vader set, a Raw by year set would be cool, but I would rather have a Nitro set like that, I guess they could lump 2000 with the 3 months of 2001.
Posted By: JWestmoreland

My opinion regarding this era of WCW is probably pretty self-evident by this point, so I'll decline to comment, saying nothing more than I'd love to see a comprehensive CruiserWeight DVD set and leave it at that.

I agree, I'd LOVE to see a Vader set as I don't think WWF-based fans ever really got to see the monster at his best. He used to trip me out when Harley Race would bring him to the ring with that crazy Tatooine tavern-like head dress on!

As for Rude, I'm not sure we'll see one of those anytime too soon, either, as I don't know how pissed off Vince still may be at him for having humiliated him back when Raw was taped two at a time and Rude, who was working in The WWF on a handshake agreement at the time (Holy TNA!), had brokered a deal with WCW and managed to be the only man in wrestling history to appear on both Raw and Nitro on the same night. I'd love to see a set on Rude, though…still another talent who never got his full due.

you're not the first to think of the 'feuds' dvd collection 'concept'.
Posted By: Guest#8851

I hope I didn't give the impression that I thought I was. I'd just never seen anyone else bring it up.

Having read the biography of Gorgeous George, I'd like to see some old school DVDs. Vince has the cash to clean up the video and you could even do package sets such as The Nature Boys or The Blackjacks (JBL and Barry excluded).
Posted By: Iron Knee

Gorgeous George? Really? Please enlighten the studio audience! I'm sure that was a fascinating read, as it must have given some insight into what the business was like way back in the day.

There's so many possible DVD's to make that aren't mentioned:

DDP
Scott Hall/Razor Ramon
Syxx/X-Pac
Bret Hart
Lex Luger
Dean Malenko
Arn Anderson
Ron Simmons/Faarooq
Steve Austin
Ricky Steamboat
Rick Rude
Vader
Davey Boy Smith/The British Bulldog
Sycho Sid/Sid Vicious
Big Boss Man
Ted DiBiase
Owen Hart
The Rock
JBL
The Big Show/Giant
Chavo Guerrero
Goldust/Dustin Rhodes
William/Steven Regal
Shawn Michaels
Triple H
Christian
John Cena
Matt Hardy
Undertaker
Rey Mysterio

There is so much material out there to easily fill up a 3Disc Set for all of these guys.
Posted By: Ryan Haseldine

Considering we've already got three-disc sets of Bret, Austin, The Rock, HBK, Cena, Taker and Mysterio, as well as a two-disc set for HHH, as well as the two-disc set of THE HARDYS ,I doubt we'll see another soon, although the door is absolutely open for more (and I would love to see more on each of them!)

Personally, I'd like to see sets on Hall (including his porn star-looking AWA days), Waltman (including his GWF tenure as The Lightning Kid), Malenko, Anderson, Simmons (who were all mentioned last week), DiBiase (the fact that we don't have this already is audacious), OWEN, Regal and CHRISTIAN, although, again, I'll begrudge no one their right to have such a set if so desired…yes, even Luger and DDP.

"but I've done coke on one of the remote sets"

Really?
Posted By: Really Willy

I have, indeed. Best coke I've ever had, punctuated by the fact that I kept doing it and ended up about as coherent and enjoyable to be around as Dr. Ken. I swore it off afterward.

I agree with you on Sting. I have been a wrestling fan for two decades, but never got Sting's appeal. I liked him better with blond hair, and often wondered when rip-off Crow look would get old? Apparently people still dig it.

Honestly, he is good with good people, but not great as he cannot carry someone mediocre to a good match.

Plus, only rednecks like Sting.
Posted By: Guest#2215

Well now, let's not be disrespectful to the Little Stingers. I was thinking about this over the week and I certainly didn't mean to imply that I think Sting sucks or that his fans are fools for digging him. Obviously I am in the minority in Sting's regard, because he is a bona fide legend. The fact is in my regard, though, is that he simply failed to connect with me. That's just me. And I hope I've made very clear that, my opinion where his performance is concerned or not, I have a hell of a lot of respect for the man behind the face paint.

If you want to talk about British comedy, you need to talk about Victor Meldrew riding a lawnmower whilst high, or Del Boy's bar fall.
Posted By: Quimby





Wow! I was unfamiliar with both of these programs, but what brilliant fun! Thanks for the referral (I couldn't! However, there is one man for whom I will always hold a special place in my heart:



And, DaJ, I've not forgotten about you! Red Dwarf is smeggin brilliant!



That's all for this week! Thanks for reading; RESPECK!