Five-Star Conversation 12.01.09: CornetteMania's Running Wild In ROH, Sheamus and Kingston's Raw Pushes, More

Posted by Geoff Eubanks on 12.01.2009

Jim Cornette is about to take over RoH. Is this a good thing? Plus we discuss the Raw pushes of Sheamus and Kofi Kingston...and there's a Homewrecker siting!

Hello, and welcome to the post-Thanksgiving edition of Five-Star Conversation! First of all, I thought we'd open with a musical number this week. This is for all of you whose parents were too cheap to take you to Chuck E. Cheese's growing up, and got stuck eating at Showbiz. Dry ass square pizza and The Rock-A-Fire Explosion. Still, they appear to have gotten a little hipper over the years:



Seriously, some of those animatronics synced up really well!

And for those of you who got to travel in public, here's someone with whom to commiserate:



I had just about the best Thanksgiving weekend EVAH! My folks cruised down from Bakersfield, collected me in West Hollywood and we spent the day at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure! We'd not all been there together since I was a teenager, so it was really great to be able to experience it all again, especially considering the way things have changed and the fact that they've never been to DCA. The concierge at my building here at work offers discounted tickets for everything from the cinema around the corner to Disneyland, so, with single-day park-hopper tickets at just $69, it's like paying $35 a park, so it's a great bargain! They grabbed a hotel room that night and we had Thanksgiving dinner at my place, too, so it was a really awesome, nice, long holiday…and then I still had my weekend!

BTW, I just received my first order from JR's Family Bar-B-Q this afternoon! I got the Triple-Threat package that features JR's signature barbecue sauce, a bottle of the hot barbecue sauce as well as a bottle of chipotle ketchup! I'll probably be making a Barbecue Chicken Pizza tonight during Raw, trying out my new recipe: Grilled cilantro-lime-marinated chicken, chopped bacon bits, chopped red onion, chopped red & yellow bell peppers, chopped cilantro and pineapple on a thin, whole-wheat crust and, of course, Good Ol' JR's Barbecue sauce. I'll let you know how it turns out. This is the first time I'll be trying out this particular recipe, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

JIM CORNETTE HAS PLANS FOR RING OF HONOR
As you can perhaps tell, there really isn't a whole lot to discuss this week. I discussed Raw last week, I was visiting Mickey and friends on Thursday, I was out doing cocktails on Friday night, so I managed to miss SmackDown! and TNA has nixed the Saturday replays. Survivor Series is in the can and it's too early to start looking ahead to The Royal Rumble.

This tells me I really need to start being pro-active about making sure I don't miss Ring of Honor on HD-Net. I don't have a swank HDTV flat screen in the living room (although the rents were hinting that there could be one under the Christmas tree this year…), but I'm sure the shows are accessible on YouTube.com, so there's really little excuse not to be checking it out. I'm especially interested now that Jim Cornette is back on board and, apparently, being allowed to offer his vast wrestling knowledge to help flesh out the product.



What I can foresee Cornette doing in RoH is exactly that which Hogan is claiming he plans to do with TNA, that being, really work with these kids who are such exceptional talents and in the peak of their physical prime and instill some of that old school psychology in their performances, both in the ring, and on the mic. It seems to me that, with today's wrestling youth movement taking heed of the last couple of generations' mistakes, specifically taking a bit of a safer approach toward extra-curricular excesses, that's a step in the right direction. If Cornette can really get in and work with those who really want to grow as all-around performers, to teach them how to do the most by doing the least so they can still make an impact on the fans, both in attendance as well as at home, without having to kill themselves and one another every night to earn a rabid reaction, that can only bode well for the future of the business.

Now, notice, I didn't necessarily say that it would be a good thing for RoH, specifically. I think it could be, definitely, in the short-term, until TNA and/or WWE start cherry-picking the talent each franchise thinks would be a boon to its franchise. We've seen the success WWE has had (and vice-versa) with CM Punk and TNA has done well with Samoa Joe (although they could and should have done much better, but their shitty writing screwed that pooch for them). If RoH, thanks to Cornette, starts to pick up its' game and produce seasoned, evolved performers who are well-schooled physically as well as cerebrally with a solid grasp of old-school psychology, who can get a mic in their hand and make their own brand of singularly-character-driven promos, RoH could very well become a ripe, fertile field for some corporate harvesting.

Or will it? There's a chance that Vince will pass on a good amount of the current roster (in some cases, he actually already has, although not to the fault of the talent, as they were never given an opportunity to do much of anything other than flaunt a stupid ring name and eat chokeslams from Kane). By and large, no pun intended, RoH is home to a fair amount of performers in the 5'7" – 5'10" height range. That's not to discriminate, I fall into that category myself, and that's not to suggest that performers in that window simply aren't good wrestlers, because some of my very favorite performers fall into that height category. The fact is, though, Vince prefers his superstars to be larger than life and, exquisite talent or not, it takes a Rey Mysterio or Chris Jericho or Eddie Guerrero to break through the famed glass ceiling from down that far. That, too, isn't to suggest that RoH couldn't help to create such a modern-day phenomenon, but I think we all have to be in accord that the odds are against it, at least to reach to the heights of a WWE world championship.

However, there's still the possibility that McMahonagement might consider waving a wad of cash under a devoted RoH worker who really has what it takes to make it any other environment than WWE, know how to work safely, stay healthy, stick around to make some guaranteed money hoping he might get called up to the main event, when that was never the reason for hiring him in the first place. WWE has a long history of keeping solid mechanics in the midcard, just popular/over enough to be a threat to the (often negotiably lesser-talented) performer McMahonagement has designs on pushing to the top; Tito Santana was the poster boy for this role back in The ‘80s and, as long as Evan Bourne keeps tokin up and earning his Green Fine every time the piss cup gets passed, expect to see him carry on that proud tradition, too. And don't forget where it was WWE picked him up…

How TNA might see a talent touched by Cornette's hand remains to be seen, considering they didn't necessarily appreciate that which he brought to their business while they had him under their employ, although nothing makes one appreciate what one once had and let go until it starts to flourish without you. The thing is, what can be called The TNA Brain-Trust Collective is completely up in the air until the sign gets hung below the TNA logo, in red and yellow paint, "Under New Management", thus, it's difficult if not impossible to suggest with any clear aptitude exactly where TNA is headed. For as much vitriol as I spewed a few weeks ago in TNA's regard in having picked up two of my most hated all-time wrestling personalities in Hogan and Bischoff and as at an all-time low as my specific interest in the company is right now, I admit to keeping an eye on Chris Lansdell's iMPACT! reports so I'm not completely in the dark.

Notwithstanding, though, should this new partnership between RoH and Cornette (two entities who are familiar with one another, by the way!) be fruitful and we see some stellar results, it has to stand to reason that they'll see talent being plucked to perform elsewhere - - it's just the curse of a solid independent franchise. Look at ECW. How many times was Paul Heyman faced with seeing one, two, even four name performers leave for greener pastures at a time, thus forcing him to pick up his game, revamp his stories and groom the younger portion of his roster to be elevated? I'm of the mindset that, as much acrimony as exists between them, have a whole hell of a lot more in common with respect to their wrestling wisdom than to which they'd ever admit; however, and I don't want to be waving any big neo-retro flags or anything, but it seems to me that what is old could be becoming new again, with WWE as the mainstay, Bischoff and Hogan running a brash #2 franchise down in the south that boasts dedicated financial backing and a little upstart franchise with one of the most brilliant minds in the industry working with the talent.

Just a thought.

Well, there was a lot of hot air. Here's some more for your enjoyment:



And, just so the ladies don't feel left out:



And if you don't know Sue, you don't know sex:



Just…laugh.

COMMENTPALOOZA!
A word on Seamus... or Shaemus or however the WWE insists on spelling it. I've watched wrestling for a long time, and I think everyone is freaking out too quickly about this. It's a WWE Title match on a non-big four PPV. Sure, we could see Kofi in the match and not win, due to Orton's "viper like ways". But where would that leave Orton on the TLC card? We could see Ted DiBiase JR go in, but it's too early for the Legacy break up and losing cleanly to Cena right before a potential big angle with Orton/Rhodes could damage the guy... Plus he has DVD's to sell. DX has JeriShow to deal with. Plus, after a face triple threat, Cena needs to play the conquering hero again until the Rumble (HBK victory? Crossing my fingers)

So we're left with two heels on the Raw roster who could challenge Cena. Seamus and Cody Rhodes. Seamus has been on TV each week, being built up (even if its due to Noble, Lawler and jobbers). Rhodes... has kind of been in the background since the DX feud. Seamus has momentum, so he is the best contender on Raw right now. IMHO of course :0)
Posted By: Beki

A few notes on Sheamus. First when he was finished his post mortem attack on Finley, in the crowd, a fan standing near him held up a sign that said, Sheamus is whiter than my sign. Which was awesome.

Next, since Sheamus was called up to the main roster, he's had 11 TV matches (including two battle royals) and one PPV match. I'm not saying that he's doomed to fail, but this might not be the best way to guarantee him long-term success.

Sheamus isn't a bad worker, (he's not the most graceful worker either) but he isn't ready for this spot. Don't get me wrong, he's closer to Brock than he is to Kozlov, but I believe this will end up being a brew of ADD booking and a fast-forwarded version of the Umaga push.
Posted By: Ronan Ire

The only reason Shemus is there instead of possibly HBK is cos HHH likes him. He favors him. And we all know how far favors can take u.
Posted By: Heel

For the record, I think the official spelling of The Celtic Warrior's name is Sheamus. I remember it because of the old Shea Stadium.

BTW, I just noticed this, and maybe it's a case of DUH on me, but I just realized today that Jim Duggan has been removed from the Rawster on WWE.com. Neither here nor there, just something interesting.

Anyway, by process of elimination where the heels on Raw are concerned, The Big Show is busy with D-Generation-X, The Miz is The USC and should be defending his belt before he goes sniffing for another one, Randy Orton has his hands full with Kofi Kingston, so those guys are all busy. After the "feud" with his brother Primo when their tag team split up, which saw both men performing for the crickets in attendance nationwide, we've since not seen hide nor fro-ed out hair of Carlito. The Midget Killer, Chavo Guerrero, The Neo-Eugene Santino Marella and Chris Masters and His Masterful Boobies have all been turned into one-note gags to put over this week's guest host, so none of them would have worked. I can assume we're going to see Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase continue to side with mentor Orton as MVP and Mark Henry have Kingston's back to continue the roll we've seen The Braid Brigade enjoy (smart move all around, especially since it could be this program that leads to dissention and the eventual betrayal of DiBiase on Orton), so that leaves either Jack Swagger or Sheamus to get the nod to face Cena.

I agree, Beki, as much as I like Swagger, I think Sheamus was the right choice. The displeasure I, personally, expressed last week in this regard was the fact that the push felt entirely too rushed, like, ridiculously so. And that is no fault of Sheamus', it's McMahonagement's, and for a couple of reasons. One, they're taking a big chance on a talent in who they believe, although I'd roll dice on Sheamus, too, because he seems to have all of the physical tools to succeed. However, he's still as green as his trunks at this level of competition and he's being asked to go from 0-60 as quickly as Steve Cook would squeeze a fake titty.

Did you see the expression on his face in that last segment on Raw last week? Here's John Cena laying down the quality of impassioned promo that helped to get him to the top of the business, and then chimes in Jesse Ventura, proving that one of the very best sports commentators in the history still has it, despite having been away from the business for well over a decade. And then there's Sheamus, with that momentary glimmer of intimidation flicker in his eyes, looking for a moment like that fifth grade kid who's kicked the butts of every single one of his peers and has been walking around like Barney Badass, until the seventh grade brother of one of his victims gets in his face at the bus stop. It was that look that said, "Fuck, am I in over my head."

Now don't get me wrong, Sheamus picked it up and did the best he knew how, and I still think they stand to have a fine match that will keep Cena looking strong from having vanquished such a tough kid with a mean streak, and Sheamus stands only to gain invaluable experience from being in the main event with such a consummate professional as Cena, but at that particular point, it was clear Sheamus was decidedly not ready for the stage he'd so suddenly been thrust upon.

In my humble opinion, I think would stand to reason to have ended last week's show with Sheamus basking in glory after having dumped Kingston, even with Cena walking out on the ramp to scout his new Number One Contender, Sheamus pointing and yelling at Cena and fading to black, then holding the contract signing this week, such that Sheamus could have a little more training and coaching in the verbal department. He looked legitimately surprised, as if he wasn't expecting Cena to deliver that passionate a speech and it made Sheamus look silly.

Too, and this squarely falls on McMahonagement, they're asking a relative rookie to go from Noble-squashing to challenging Cena on PPV in just a few short weeks, as pointed out by Ronan. That, too, is a lot to ask and it pleases me to know that Sheamus has the favor of some of the most profound lips in Vince's ear, as suggested Heel, because in some cases, this could feel like a youngster being given just enough rope with which to hang himself.

As for Sheamus, I like him. He actually has a unique look and personality that sets him apart from all of other arrogant pretty boy heels that the WWE has. But I definitely would have picked him dead last over everyone else in that battle royal to take on Cena. It is definitely too soon here, and unless this is only a placeholder feud until the Royal Rumble, this is gonna backfire on Sheamus. There already seems to be a revolt against him because of it. I think a Cena/Mark Henry one-off match would have been better.
Posted By: JLAJRC

Hey, JLAJRC, where ya been, buddy? I've missed ya! I agree with you as much as I disagree. See, maybe I'm just flashing back, but it seems to me that SuperStars could be used to kick-start guys like Sheamus the way the show used to do back in the day. Sheamus made his name squashing the weak and looking like a monster, so why not trot out Sheamus there, allow him a few minutes of TV time a week to Noble-ize a local kid, give him an interview segment on the stage with Josh Mathews or one of the Divas, string together the best of it all and run one of those amazing video packages for which WWE is known and then debut him on Raw, where he doesn't have time for anyone or anything but is simply focused on winning gold?

See, it is here where a manager would be SO helpful and SO useful. Not to suggest that Sheamus is an awful talker, not at all, but that was the role Ventura was having to play last week, because Vince in all his genius wisdom doesn't think they're necessary in today's environment. Imagine if Finlay had met Sheamus in the ring when he first was brought up to WWE-TV and they ran a similar retirement angle with Finlay as they did with Jamie Noble, only to see Finlay, a few weeks after announcing his retirement, sneak out to ringside during a Sheamus squash, one where the victim du jour was actually starting to mount some offense, popping the crowd, everyone figuring Finlay to help the kid make a name for himself and end Sheamus' reign of terror, only for Finlay to derail the kid's ride by waffling him with the shillelagh as the ref was admonishing Sheamus? Finlay announces he's become Sheamus' trainer, because he realized after Sheamus defeated him that it's time to let the new generation fight in the forefront. He still loves to fight, but now he's going to teach Sheamus how to fight smart, because you don't learn to love to fight for 30 years by brawn and aggression alone and The Fighting Irish stick together. Again, just a thought.

As far as Sheamus goes, I don't mind him being #1 contender. Back in the day, & I know you hate Hogan, we had the monster of the month beating the hell out of jobbers (Omar Atlas, SD Jones, & what other face jobbers were there??) ... then the monster of the month would come out on the Brother Love Show & either challenge or beat up Hogan... leading to the next Hogan feud. Now, while this was predictable in its outcome these monsters were then sent back to mid-card land where they were now seen as credible threats to the IC or Tag belts. I think that's a great way to go... made memorable stars like Big Boss Man, One Man Gang, & others more believable that they did have the Main Event shot at one point. Miz had that feud w Cena & I think he makes a more credible mid-card champ because of it. It worked with Umaga & Khali as well, elevated... brought to mid-card with a better way to fit them into storylines. I'll take that route over 3 months of squashes any day...I actually dug Umaga & Khali & Miz as characters after that point, CM Punk as well (his 1st $ITB win kinda = the Kofi, Sheamus, Big Boss Man push, he was there but his character didn't evolve until after) it's a better way to go, Snitsky & others beat jobbers up for years & that went nowhere...
Posted By: theHomewrecker!

Holy cow, it's a Homewrecker sighting!!! Get Martha back down here to queef some more confetti!

The jobbers you were thinking of, BTW, were Salvatore Bellomo and "Iron" Mark Sharpe. Maybe Pez Whatley.

You're spot-on in your description of how Hogan knocked ‘em up and put ‘em down to the midcard (for instance, The Big Bossman, as you said, plus The Earthquake, who went on to feud with The Warrior and Jake Roberts, then teamed up with Typhoon to form The Natural Disasters in the tag ranks). We've seen the modern equivalent to this booking occur in The Great Khali's case and I have a feeling we might have seen Umaga suffer a similar fate, as well (which was one of the reasons I speculated he so willingly walked away from WWE, because he wasn't ready to go that route, and if that's the case, I applaud him because I share that sentiment).

The thing is, where you see that exposure as a good thing, it strikes me as being insulting to be elevated as a top threat, only to be systematically weakened in the grand scheme until I'm little better, if not completely viewed as a comedy act. This is another side of the same coin I mention above in the RoH article about Vince having some very real and specific machinations with respect to whom he hires and why. I just wonder if the talent is always informed about how they are viewed by corporate and how they, then, are intended to be used, despite what they may have been told initially…

The Miz falls into a different category, I think, much along the lines of MVP initially, when he was given a trial by fire (literally) by facing the likes of The Brothers Of Destruction as a rookie. It toughened him up in the eyes of the fans and allowed him a certain credibility, such that, when he suddenly was going hold-for-hold with the likes of Chris Benoit, eventually defeating him for The UST, fans actually bought it, whether they actually liked it at the time.
The Miz looked like a fool, in the end, because he wrote he proved himself to be a brash, obnoxious prick whose mouth wrote checks his butt couldn't cash…at least in Cena's regard. But this is an example of what happens when the brass has faith in a young performer (especially at a time when the brass finally admits to itself that it is in drastic need of fresh talent). The Miz could have been summarily folded up and placed on the shelf after that, but McMahonagement realized what The Miz was saying was connecting with the audience in a way that not a lot of performers had managed to connect since The Attitude Era and they stuck with him (the fact that he's proven that he's working his ass off to improve in the ring says a lot in his favor, too).

Will either rise all the way up the card? Will The Miz, Sheamus or MVP ever hold a world title above their heads? Only time will tell.

I don't think Orton has suffered at all. Kofi has held his own in the program, and I think Orton is still young enough to know that the favor will come back to him. If he makes Kofi a star, then he has someone legit to work with in the future in a possible world title program. The idea that helping the younger talent will soil your position with the fans is ludicrous. It's bad writing that makes you lose favor with the fans, and so far this Orton/Kingston thing has been done very, very well in my opinion. Orton is big enough that him working with Kofi will elevate him, but not to big to worry about his spot just yet. Maybe Vince and Co have found the proper formula, as you notice that Cena, CM Punk, and Orton are all working to bring elevate newer talent right now. Get these young guys who are appreciative of the spot they have been given, and I know it is cheesy, but they know that they have to pay it forward so to speak.
Posted By: Todd Vote

I don't think Orton has suffered at all. But I do wonder if Kofi is really benefitting long-term from it? Or is Orton such a great heel that seeing anybody kick his rear is awesome? Like you said, Kofi's rise seemed to come out of nowhere. Let's be honest, a month ago, if you had to pick one of the up-and-comers to feud with Orton, would Kofi REALLY be your first choice? Or even your Top 5?

My big fear is what happens after his feud with Orton? Will he still be in the main event or upper-mid card scene? Or will he go the way of Test/Virgil/Hercules, guys who were briefly super popular because of a feud they were in, but once it was over they all became low-carders/jobbers at best.
Posted By: JLAJRC

Here's the long and the short of it as I see it. I'm with you guys, Orton is not suffering at all, in fact, it's making him look a little more human, which is the best thing that could happen to him right now. And that's the flip side of the coin, really, and likely why we don't see the likes of Triple H and The Undertaker stepping up and putting over guys like The Miz and Kofi Kingston, because they've ridden so high on the proverbial hog for so long the statement made by a convincing roll over performers who have been placed on that tier in today's environment would be not risky for the established star, but for the one given the rub.

The Miz going over Triple H at this point the way we see Kingston being afforded over Orton would put a wealth of pressure to perform on The Miz, or anyone at his level in the business and a case of too much too soon, or a sense of overwhelm could be in the cards. I think this is a lesson learned by McMahonagement from Brock Lesnar and even a veteran like Eddie Guerrero, who had deep roots in this business, but still cracked under the pressure of finding himself as his brand's standard-bearer, actually asking for the belt to be lifted off of him.

No, to have built Orton as well as he's been built thus far (barring a couple snares along the way), this is the perfect time to use him to elevate a talent who, apparently, is quite ready in Kingston, because Kingston looks great in manning up against a six-time champion and Orton doesn't appear outclassed, just stymied. It should be interesting to see how this winds up and who "goes over" and if they can keep both men looking strong in the face of a solid decision (again, I look to keep The Braid Brigade together and to use this program as a means to finally turn DiBiase on Orton and Rhodes, if that answers your question, JLAJRC).

As for Kingston, I can see Swagger being thrown at him. It doesn't seem as if WWE has any real plans for him, but he's a big performer with a solid background and talent enough to work a good losing effort. Swagger is more technically established and quite a bit bigger than Kingston, so I could see them having a little thing going on for a bit…?

And, no, I didn't see this coming at all. Kingston wasn't even on my radar, because I figured he'd be one of those little pet midcarders Vince keeps around because he pops the crowd and moves merchandise, I never dreamed that he'd be allowed such an experience as this, but then, Kingston never really connected with me, either. He came off as one-dimensional with a bag of tricks that made Michael Cole squeal with glee (a HUGE reason, I think, as to why I never took Kingston seriously), Raw's version of R-Truth with a MUCH better entrance theme, but, apparently, Kingston managed to convince someone to give him a shot and he's making the most of it. I have a lot more time for him as a result of this program and a lot more respect for Orton, as well.

Kofi Kingston I dig, but I think his run with the US Title could have had fleshed out his character a little bit better. Hell, his run w CM Punk as tag-champs was forgettable at best & he rarely spoke or cut a promo, Jamaican accent or not... to come from nowhere & be a threat is kinda odd but at least there's someone on the horizon to be part of the heavy-weight scene. Hopefully they don't rush it, Jeff Hardy seemed to be teasing a title run for years before it actually happened & new stars were born from that (the refreshed evil CM Punk & short-lived evil Matt Hardy (who is so much better as a heel))... hopefully they follow through right w Kofi...
Posted By: theHomewrecker!

I, for one, BTW, actually really enjoyed Kingston's Jamaican accent, but I'm appreciating the stripping away of the pretense a lot more.

It was always my conviction that the tag run with Punk was a way to reset Punk after his "gimme" trial run as a world champion when he ended up with Jeff Hardy's $itB briefcase and that it was also an avenue by which to give Kingston a rub, by partnering up with Punk, who, then, had earned the fan's respect, even though he was booked to look as if he needed help or extraneous circumstances to maintain the belt.

Jeff Hardy's story is different, too, from Kingston's, as Jeff always seemed to get into his fat sack of whatever around the same time he'd get on a roll, thereby withering McMahonagement's faith in him as a top name representing WWE. As far as I know, Kingston keeps his nose clean, so to speak, so the sky could be the limit. We'll have to see.

Am I the only one who's surprised by how all-in WWE is going with their match-type PPV names? No testing the waters whatsoever; "Hell in a Cell", "Elimination Chamber", "TLC" (TLC? seriously? they know that most normal people - i.e. non-fans - still think that means "Tender Loving Care", right?)... *sigh* "TLC"... say, you think the PPV will have Jon and/or Kate Plus (or minus) Eight as guest hosts?!

Bragging Rights and Breaking Point actually interested me, though, because they're creative *concepts*, not just a bunch of similar matches. And Bragging Rights was aptly named, too, because that is literally all that the winners gained... That's an incentive, right..? What's that, WWE Creative? "Sure, whatever"...?

What I'm getting at, I suppose, is this: what's the appeal of making all the matches on a PPV card MORE similar? I thought "sports entertainment" was implicitly a VARIETY show. McMahon loves to throw that desperate "something for everyone" plea out whenever he gets the chance. Wouldn't promoting an all-dog-collar-match event be counter-intuitive in that respect..?

What's that? You think I'm just talking shit, without having a better idea? Wrong! I'd much rather see them make "Night of Champions" a quarterly PPV. Yes, four Nights of Champions per year. Why? Because TITLE MATCHES AREN'T GIMMICKS (unless you're TNA), and therefore will not become STALE gimmicks. It would be like "Clash of the Champions", except it will have a different name so that Vinnie-Mac can take credit for it. Four nights per year, every title would be on the line, and it's not like they'd be the SAME title matches over and ov- nevermind... but it would STILL sell.
Posted By: KanyonKreist

I agree, Kanyon, that there's a difference between a conceptual PPV and a gimmicked one. I, too, liked the notions of Night of Champions, Bragging Rights (even if the whole "Our Brand is Better than Your Brand" crap wore heavily on me after awhile, especially since the two most obnoxious announcers, henceforth to be known as ColesLawler, were allowed to gang up on the lone and dignified Todd Grisham) and Breaking Point, but it seems as if WWE is in the process of redefining its PPVs in an attempt to make them more interesting, apparently failing to make sense of the fact that, if they wrote interesting stories around compelling characters with diverse styles around titles that carried a sense of value, that problem might right itself. There's not much to do but ride this out or bail off the ship.

Maryse coming out of the Gooker costume and her subsequent reaction when she looked at the titantron and saw how ridiculous she looked was priceless, I swear if this girl can get a little better in the ring she will own the women's division for years to come.
Posted By: Guest#4732

Short and simply, you're bang-on. It's amazing that this chick went from stumbling over her pigeon English as a pre-taped hosebag into the single most interesting female character in the company. Her grasp of psychology is second-to-none and if she can stay healthy and continue to embrace the in-ring portion of her job, I agree, and I won't mind a bit. Maryse is awesome!

The "Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah" line comes from The Road Warrior, so I doubt Jericho even saw it in the context of radical Islam.

Of course not. But I bet Mel did.



Ventura is a buffoon who believes in 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. That's really gonna help Linda's campaign. Don't start saying she distanced herself from her husband. Look how a cretinous husband cost Gerry Ferraro among others.
Posted By: Iron Knee

Well, Iron Knee, over the weekend, a group of teenagers asked Linda McMahon what she thinks Jesse Ventura's influence could mean for her Congressional bid:



That Linda. Ya gotta give it to her, she's one driven, singularly-minded woman.

Geoff, hope you feel better. There was something about Ventura and his rant on Cena. Something about it just came off as Jesse being a bitter old man, or do you think it might have been done to mock the IWC? I constantly read all over the net that Cena doesn't deserve the title. He just has it due to his look. They also scream that this wrestler or that wrestler should be getting the push. Maybe there is no connection, but who knows? As far as RAW "coming out" goes, 10 years ago, we had "RAW is WAR!". Might they have to change it to "RAW is GAY!"? What would be its theme?
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth

Why, "It's Raining Men", of course. Performed by Saliva. Hmm. Think about that…

First off, Schmoove, a few months ago, we all got to talking about our favorite English comedies and I can't believe I neglected to pay homage to one of my favorites, a series that helped to shape a lot of my warped humor back in the early ‘80s:



This goes back a bit to what we were just saying about Orton, where he is currently positioned on the card and in the company and why it makes sense for him to be putting over Kingston, and why performers like Tri and Taker are suffering from a popularity backlash on the web. Cena, it seems, could be the last in a line of performers pushed as a Superman. Is Vince so blind that he's not seeing that fans don't want or believe in a Superman at this point in our history? Or is it just the fact that Vince is realizing that, as we said, once someone climbs to such a rarified air, it becomes all the more difficult to put a new talent over that Superman?

No, I don't think Ventura was bitter. If he can say all that stuff he said about Vince to his face, then come out and lay down the same bald truth in his own regard, especially when he's pimping a TV show where he's claiming to be a champion of the truth, it strikes me that Ventura has embraced a quality of pragmatism with respect to his unfortunate role as "Vince's Magnum". Ventura was simply playing a role, that being, to match Cena's passion in that segment, because Sheamus hasn't reached a level in his evolution to be able to do so himself. Just my opinion.



That's all for this week, thanks for reading!
RIP Lexie Pillman
RESPECK!