Myxamatosis

The match wasnt graet or amazing. It was a 7 minute opener on RAW during a hype show for a crappy PPV. It makes Benoit look like shit and when Batista does NOTHING on Sunday, his win will be forgotten. But Benoit looking like a jobber wont. I don't get the logic here. Let me see: Batista winning the match will be forgotten, but Benoit losing won't? Sounds like Smark Double Standard rearing its ugly head once again. And by the way, the match, as short as it was, was well-paced and told a good story. Benoit's wrestling nearly won out over Batista's power. If it wasn't for the exposed turnbuckle shot, Benoit had a damn good chance of "slaying the dragon," so to speak. It was the kind of match a fan could look at and say: "Well, this match could've gone either way."

If Batista is going to Wrestlemania against HHH, then they had to pull the trigger on him now. Going over someone HHH couldn't beat in 2004 sends a message to the fans that Batista is a better wrestler than HHH, thus making the upcoming match-up compelling. Besides, Benoit's getting beat "clean" in a great match doesn't make him seem less important. Losing to man in the midst of an amazing match like that one gets both wrestlers over.

Wrestling wise, one of the best of RAW's in months.

I think so. The WWE's angles have never been portrayed or seen as proactive to me. They've always been reactive (US goes to war in Desert Storm - Slaughter is Iraqi turncoat). Whenever a politicially or socially charged angle or storyline came to develop (IE: Nation of Domination, Bret vs USA), I always watched it and thought: "This is so lame and irrelevant. They're talking about things that have existed and been thrown around the public water cooler for decades." But with Hussan's angle, I feel as though the WWE is giving voice to something that hasn't been given much media overexposure. The hardships Arab Americans have faced post 9-11 is a very relevant issue in our society. I'm not much of a news buff, but I haven't seen any in-depth features or stories speaking about these hardships. This is one of the only angles the WWE has ever had that is proactive. There is so much potential with this angle, it frightens me. Just watching tonight, with Hussan citing Cornell news reports, it's the ultimate "Heel completely believes he's right and no one is going to stop him" situation. While watching, I also thought of something Raven once said. He talked about some of the best wrestlers were the ones that could always "talk" you into the arena. The ability to cut intense, compelling promos that either garner the fans attention ot admiration is ten times more valuable than technical or high-flying wrestling ability. I see that in Hussan. I love it. I just hope WWE doesn't have King squash him.

Building Nothing. Laying Bricks.

Well, excluding Prince, Usher is the highest ranking artist on that list with a high profile album release this year. The majority of those above him are well established musicians with built in fan-bases. Good for Usher! And yeah, John Mayer owns all of you.

Can I have my name changed to Myxamatosis? Jailbait is sooooo 2002. Thanks!

Add Taker to that list as well. But there's one huge difference between him and the rest: Despite the fact that he is the most over "character" during the past 15 years, he clings and holds onto his spot like his life depends upon. Wins and losses mean everything to him, yet his characters number one attribute is "he can't be stopped." He's bulletproof all right, despite the fact that he never puts himself in the line of fire.

I agree with you 'mind. You cannot judge Raven on his WWE run because he was cut-off from a creative standpoint. But you look at his brief WCW and impressive ECW run and you can see that it was more than just a cult following. His mic work was probably the best in the business from 95 - 99, and that ultimately decides who is over and who is not. He is a Jake Roberts for our era really. Addressing the question, Chris Jericho is probably the most over face the company has had in the past five years. First off, he was getting face pops as a heel. His popularity couldn't be contained. He is consistently cheered at a high level. His moveset is believeable for his size. His promos are excellent. He really blends serious emotion and comedy well. The only problem lies in the creative teams treatment of his character. But time after time, job after horrible job, his character's overness remains untouchable. They couldn't bury Jericho right now if they tried their hardest. If booked properly, Jericho would be discussed among the Hogan's, Austin's and Flair's.

I completely agree with you. There's a few points I want to make about these two posts: 1) I've seen views on both sides of this issue - Escapism vs. Realism in wrestling. The question itself is a bit ridiculous. When these issues are handled ignorantly in the ring, similar angles are blackballed by fans as stupid or dumb. (What else are we led to believe when WWE has carted out The Sultan, Iron Sheik, Slaughter, General Adnan and Cor. Mustafa?) But with business down and the boom period gone, I think it would be a great opportunity, not to shock the audience, but to re-educate them. Once again, it goes back to my most important point and the one in which this topic should be debated upon: This is the only angle, in probably ten years, that addresses an issue in a proactive manner. Look at the best of Raw last week. The first thing they showcased was the Shelton/Vince/Trish parody of MNF. It was horribly unfunny and was lame because everyone had been talked to death concerning Owens and Desperate Housewives. They talk about "Woredrobe Malfunction" and act as though they are the Saturday Night Live of pro wrestling. They're not. But if they tread on unchartered waters like they could be now, it's an issue that can bring pro wrestling out of the intellectual and social rut that it has been for over thirty years. WWE sits and waits for something to happen and then steals it or mocks it in order to grab people's attention. They're social leeches. But for once, they could be the ones making waves......

Now, to say that WWE is a forward thinking and creatively-intellgent company is sometimes seen as a far fetched, but I think they realize Hussan works better in the long run (if he has one) not as a terrorist sympathizer, but something fans would more likely encounter in society. It would seem too bush league to have him out there glorifying the actions of 9/11. Too be edgy is one thing and WWE has often been seen as trash entertainment. But this angle has much more potential than that.

A Review By Travis Coleman “Napoleon Dynamite” is one of the best films of the year. And yet it has no semblance of a plot. Director and writer Jared Hess’ film is a “Seinfield” for the big screen. It’s a movie about nothing. It’s an aimless series of events. But even with the lack of organized direction, the film works wonderfully as a random succession of dealings featuring high school student Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). The campy and retro imagery comes from present-day Preston, Idaho. The style, slang and mannerisms all look to be straight out of the late '70s or early '80s. But they add a tacky texture to the film that makes it even funnier. The dialogue between Napoleon and his exchange-student friend, Pedro (Efren Ramirez), is side-splitting. Napoleon and Pedro’s monotone one-liners work astoundingly well and don’t get repetitive in the least. No film in recent memory has featured such a plethora of rapid-fire one-liners. The film has been a major success for independent films this past summer, making over $30 million at the box office. Taking a deeper look into the film garners even more obscure and unusual gems. —The film credits are the longest in movie history; as all 181 student extras’ names are listed in the closing credits. —The name “Napoleon Dynamite” was used by Elvis Costello as an alias for his 1986 album, “Blood and Chocolate.” Executive producer Jeremy Coon said it was a coincidence that the film and album share the name and that he was unaware of Costello’s usage of it until the film was in production. —Also, every food dish used in the opening credits is a one eaten by a character later in the movie. Anyone who checks this film out should be forewarned about two things: This film is liable to bust your gut, and stick around after the credits for a surprise: a wedding scene between Napoleon's brother Kip and his Internet sweetheart, LaFawnduh. This film is both bizarrely unique and has "cult classic" written all over it. It’s kind of like a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” for our generation. Travis Coleman, Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, attends the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He is a graduate of the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute.

WHAT..........THE.........FUCK?!?

The Shins' "Oh Inverted World" is amazing. Beach Boys + Beatles = The Shins.

This thread is going to get to point where EVERY working musician is called average. "Average" ain't so bad, ya know? It's a few steps above mediocrity!

So tacky and crass....yet so hilarious.

Three years is approaching me as well. And not one notable post to show for it.

Okay, now you're just namedropping. Bollocks man, Bollocks. By the way, I'll go with U2. Watch them play live and watch Bono's charisma carry three of the dullest, lifeless musicians ever.

Ice Cube is pure cheese. This has direct-to-video quality written all over it.

John Mayer Has A TV Show on VH1. Pure brilliance. Nuff said.

It's interesting to hear the opinions that smarks have of marks. This character is a smarks dream: a heel wrestler with the capabilities and personality to get his points across. But marks just don't buy the character. We get it, but they don't. Interesting.

Positvely Kanyon was the greatest character in the history of WCW. Bar none. My favorite Positvely Kanyon moment was his Kanyon Cutter on a ring crew member on Thunder. Simply amazing.

Taken from his website, which just opened: "My name is Daniel Puder. I' m pure madness baby, with 18 inch pythons, weighing a massive 240 lbs. and a stalking 6 foot 2 inches. I am the fleeting image of Lex Lugar. Who else can subscribe to my 35 inch legs? The one word to describe me is intensity. I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, and I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook thirty-minute brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, and I am subject of numerous documentaries. When I am bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don t perspire. I am a private citizen yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby-Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On the weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four-course meals using only Mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prize-winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed an emergency open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have yet to win in Tough Enough." Fuckin' hilarious if you ask me.

Jailbait's favorite Puder-isms! Puder for President!

"Rosemary. Heaven restores you in life."