notJames

More often than not, returning wrestlers (no matter what the circumstances of their departure) usually get a hero's welcome. And since WW_ doesn't really have a lot of guys on a par with his notoriety, I don't doubt that a returning Brock Lesnar, especially if it's a kayfabed surprise, would pop the crowd in a big way. I for one would be joining them.

It's just another ploy for HHH to hold two belts, whether they're unified or not. It also gives him the opportunity to leach heat off the current crossover golden boy John Cena. Sack full of headless monkeys > WW_ writers

I have my doubts about a true ECW revival, because week-to-week interest in it would never be sustained, even with Heyman at the helm. First off, it would be given the shittiest timeslot. Second, Vince still wouldn't want his wrestlers to go balls-out and risk injury week by week, which is what ECW was built on. Third, hardcore wrestling is such a niche (and deservedly so) and would never get as popular as it once was, especially under the WW_ auspices. If anything, Vince will assume he knows what made the ECW PPV so successful, water it down, and sprinkle it like fertilizer over RAW and SD! in the hopes of growing something successful. Too bad fertilizer is just a fancy word for shit. As for the brand split, having tired of HHH long ago, and having no hopes of ever liking RAW like I did long ago, I'm actually happy with SD!'s progress, lumps like Heidenreich and this "Smackdown Championship" bullshit notwithstanding. If they really can distinguish themselves through focusing on the wrestling, maybe we'll truly see if the cream can rise to the top. But I'm not holding my breath.

Ordered: SLING BLADE (CE) KING OF THE HILL 3RD SEASON KING OF THE HILL 4TH SEASON SHAUN OF THE DEAD THE USUAL SUSPECTS (SE) SAVED INTERMISSION APOCALYPSE NOW - REDUX Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN XX/XY Total cost: $120.23 Hooray for me.

If they had UW squashing HHH on it for two hours, I'd consider buying it. (No I wouldn't. I echo HTQ's sentiment.)

I think the term is "beard".

I read somewhere that they were going to package Rise and Fall… with One Night Stand as a special double shot. Can anyone confirm this?

Re: the JBL/Meanie altercation From what I've read elsewhere, JBL shoot punches only opened up an injury Meanie got at the Hardcore Homecoming show. The black eye in the posted picture is probably JBL's work, though. What a dick. Too bad WW_ management won't do shit about his juvenile bullshit. And damn, that show was awesome. The atmosphere, the energy, the anti-Edge stuff… almost makes me wish I had the 400 bones for the show. Definitely exceeded the expectations I had for the show. Even my PPV-watching buddies who weren't as familiar with ECW were totally floored by how good everything was. Hopefully they won't try this again any time soon, as it would only dilute how special this show truly was.

I know that's how it worked last year but did they say it was random draw this year? Given the 1st 2 picks (shhh on SD's pick), I thought the GMs were actually getting to draft whoever they wanted this year. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Nope. If you listen to the broadcast, they constantly refer to it as the "luck of the draw". Otherwise, why would Bischoff have been so surprised and shocked about his first "pick"? Plus, it kinda takes all the guesswork out of the picks. The GMs would simply pick the 5 biggest superstars, and fuck all the rest. See, this is why they should get rid of the word "draft", because it implies choice.

Don't get me wrong. I like Michael Cole a lot more lately than when he first started. If you listen to his commentary with Tazz on the Chris Benoit DVD, he seems much looser and a little more knowledgeable. This is probably because he doesn't have someone in his headset prompting lines and telling him what to hype. But you have to admit that on regular broadcasts, some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth warrants the abuse. And according to WW_'s rules, everyone is eligible for the draft, even announcers. BTW, I hate that they call them draft picks when they're really random lottery draws. No one gets to draft anyone; it's the luck of the draw (kayfabed, of course). This is starting to cause confusion with some people.

You couldn't have Vince calling matches because no one would be able to delineate between Vince the commentator and Vince the Chairman of the Board — not even himself. He says he wants to walk away from the "Mr. McMahon" character, but he never seems to do it. Heyman paired with Cole would either cause Cole to really step up his game or totally destroy whatever credibility he has. Heyman and JR would be interesting for a while if they kept bickering at each other, but the headset folks in the back would probably muzzle Heyman if he got too "smart". Austin and Flair would end up talking about themselves instead of hyping the matches. I can see Josh Matthews stepping up at some point. He's enthusiastic, quick thinking, and shock of shocks, he actually knows wrestling. Plus he can take a beating. And they really should have kept Lawler unemployed. He adds nothing to the broadcasts.

I still think Vince inserted the WWE guys once he realized he couldn't sellout $400 seats to ECW fans. Did he actually think that hardcore ECW fans would shell out that much dough for the Hammerstein ballroom?!? He probably panicked and started putting WW_ guys in to attract WW_ fans who can afford the seats. So don't be surprised to see a bunch of Edgeheads and their goofy kids sandwiched between Sign Guy and Faith No More Guy. I just hope it doesn't affect how "extreme" the wrestling is. I want to believe differently. The InVasion taught me better. Prove me wrong, Vince.

Most of AFI's and Time's top 100 films, although I have seen most of the ones mentioned already: Taxi Driver Ed Wood Citizen Kane 12 Angry Men The Wild Bunch A Clockwork Orange The Birds The Exorcist (both versions) Tried watching Casablanca once, but got, um? "distracted" by the person with whom I was watching it. Same goes for Naked Lunch, albeit a different distraction. Lesson learned: never watch a movie you really want to see with someone who gives you a woody. And for the record, I'm not sure just how great a film Naked Lunch is supposed to be, because after five minutes, I was completely lost. And I even read the book.

Thank you, George. You're back on the Christmas list. Stop reading this and go see the movie. Now! Now! Now!

Somehow, I don't think El Diablo Loco would be bitching if he was the one playing himself rather than Kane playing his role.

Random thought: Aside from the obviously contrived and ultimately doomed gimmick for Matt Morgan, if and when they decide to pit him against wrestlers that are closer to his size, how feasible is it that he'll be able to hit the Stutter Step™ on a regular basis? I see another retooling of Mr. Almost-Tough Enough in 4 months. And the EDDY~! heel turn was great. HHH needs to watch the opening interview and see that there is a way to do a promo sitting on a folding chair and actually convey real emotion.

Bestiality sex?!? This shit makes me long for that golden era when wrestlers feuded over shampoo commercials. Ugh.

Since I haven't listened to mainstream radio or watched MTV since the early 90s, I'll have to go with "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. I don't know how any other song can be more rage-inducing than that one.

So, this RAW tourney for 'tista's next challenger will culminate on a RAW instead of a PPV, and really won't mean squat, unless… If the HIAC is non-title, it's because HHH costs 'tista the belt, and 'tista wants Vengeance™. If it's for the title, HHH causes a DQ or no-contest during the title defense and then "demands" a title shot at the next PPV, as only HHHis HHHighness can do.. Ugh. How long can HHH keep milking his sorry ass before he gets the message that some of us really don't want him on top anymore?

The only ones that have ever really stuck with me have been the ones on The Wonder Years, especially when it's Kevin mooning over his moments with Winnie, set to something by Joni Mitchell usually. Get's ya right here… … and here…

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Josh pimped Nunzio's ECW past quite a bit during his tag match. I don't recall anyone ever mentioning Nunzio's ties with ECW, especially since, in WW_ canon, he's just Jamie Noble's cousin. (I could be wrong, of course.) Josh didn't go all out and mention the name "Little Guido" or anything, but I think this might be the first baby step in letting the fans know about One Night Stand. Keep an ear cocked for other former ECW alums to get similar nods in the upcoming weeks and months.

Speaking of which, did anyone else think Batista's entrance was a tad unimpressive? They could have given him some kind of pyro package, considering he's in the main event of the biggest show of the year. And it's not like it would have overshadowed HHHis Royal HHHighness's overblown extravaganza of an entrance, not by a long shot. As for the show itself, it was pretty good, maybe worth $30, but not worth the whole fifty bones. Not enough wrestling, and what there was of it, aside from the usual suspects, was not on par with what the "biggest wrestling event of the year" should be. I will say that this will probably be Shelton Benjamin's official coming out party. Bank on that ladder run to make it into his entrance video, as soon as tonight. And not for nothing, but HBK's 5-minute SuperJesus act before submitting to the Anklelock was a way overdone. He should have watched the ending of Austin/Hart's Submission match to see how to properly play up a submission. And I loved how he tried to get a Benoitesque standing-O for his efforts, but barely got half the crowd to comply. Maybe if he played the injury up as more than just a stubbed toe, it might have worked out better for him. But then again, I'm probably not a real wrestling fan, right?

7. I'm pretty sure no once mentioned this yet, but Johnny Nitro, one of the last TE winners, is slated to come up from the minors with indie wrestler Joey Matthews (no relation to former TE winner and Velocity announcer Josh Matthews, as far as I know) as a tag team called MNM. The other "M" is for their manager Melina.

Back in college, I bought School of Fish's self-titled debut on cassette merely because I thought the name of the band sounded like something I would like. Lo and behold, I did like it, from beginning to end. On a recent trip to Newhope, PA, I found it on CD at a used record store for $3. Snatched it up right away. Man, did that take me back. Unfortunately, I didn't have as much luck with Gaye Bikers On Acid. Boy, did that suck balls...

I like the trivia track too. At first, I was disappointed that there wasn't a commentary track from QT. However, after watching some of his interviews, where he just rambles and rambles and goes off into incoherent tangents in that desparate, nasally voice of his (don't even get me started on his cackle), I thank allah that they left it off. As for the movie iself, it's forever in my top 3. I still have a scar where my friend Andrea dug her nails into my forearm during the adrenaline shot scene. Memories…