notJames

Amidst all this talk about London and the timing of the angle and Hassan's character in general, you know who should be getting the lion's share of sympathy and attention? Daivari. You know, the guy who's actually an Arab-American. "Hassan", no matter what shit he has to put up with for this angle, gets to sleep at night knowing he's just another Italian American who really doesn't have to deal with this. But Daivari lives day to day knowing that he's helping foment nationwide hatred of his people all in the name of "entertainment". God only knows how many threats he gets from ill-mannered jingoistic fans who don't know how to separate reality from fantasy. And how badly do you think he must have felt when the London incident happened, knowing what was in store on Thursday? I'm probably only feeling this because I think he's a much better wrestler and performer than "Hassan", and he deserves way better than this.

I doubt plastering "Matt Hardy Returns" on RAW promos and ww_.com would generate even half the buzz that his surprise return did. Everyone is talking about it. People are going to come out of the woodwork to watch next week's RAW. Telling people ahead of time would make people speculate about how things would go, and would definitely not be exciting as it transpired on Monday night. Sure, you can hope that hyping returns will bring new viewers in, but as it stands, wrestling's viewership won't ever reach the Attitude era's numbers unless they start shaking things up and change the way they go about presenting their product. Bringing Matt back the way they did is a step in the right direction.

I think Hardy's threat was that he'd disrupt RAW as often as possible until he gets what he wants… a shot at Edge. I mean, he was able to thwart arena security enough to get to Edge last night. I don't think he needs Shannon F'N Moore in his quest for vengeance. The story would be better served to have Matt go it alone as a man on a mission against all odds. No underlings necessary. Besides, the Dudleyz already filled their inVasion quota for the year just before the ECW PPV. It would look kinda silly if they did it all over again, especially just to help out Matt Hardy. And M-M-Matt M-M-Morgan got his shit ruined by a bunch of Mexicans a full two feet shorter than him. The crowd would puke in his lunch pail if he came back. Just sayin'…

Because it doesn't fit Hardy's MO. He's a spurned lover first and foremost. I doubt that he'd give a shit about other guys that got fired, for the simple fact that his dismissal came about because one of his confidantes stole his girlfriend. No need to complicate things by trying to pass this off as the beginning of some kayfabe invasion. They couldn't do the wCw inVasion right… what makes you think they would do it right this time, especially with third-tier has-beens and never-weres? (Shannon Moore? Gimme a break.) Just try to enjoy it for what it is.

21 August

WW_ Creative doesn't care about that kind of character continuity when they have the opportunity for a cheap pop by trotting out one of their beloved dinosaurs (Piper). It's not like he did anything of note except for give HBK a mic. Any of their trained monkeys could have done that.

Nice.

Agreed. As I stated a bunch of pages before, have Matt be such a nuisance with his guerrilla attacks that Eric Bischoff "punishes" Edge with a match with Matt at SummerSlam for letting his personal indiscretions jeopardize his show. At some point, JR should give Matt one of his patented work/shoot interviews to spell it out for the unknowing masses. The one danger will be making Matt look like an annoyance rather than someone looking for justifiable vengeance. Don't make him as crazed as Pillman's "Loose Cannon". Matt should be completely focused on his mission. Maybe have him go through Snitsky as a sign that a) he's willing to go through anybody to get to Edge, and b) he's actually capable of kicking ass.

I'm not totally sure but could it be the version bundled with the Rise and Fall of ECW? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That sounds about right. There had been rumours before the ONS PPV that WW_ was going to bundle the two together.

So how long before Hassan attacks Paul London?

I must have been out of the room. When exactly did this segment take place? And more importantly, should I care? Sounds like a failed push even before the guy debuts.

So now can we stop with the "worked shoot OMG 4 realz!!!" shit? It's obvious it's all a work. As for Hardy's involvement with ROH and TNA, one has a working relationship with WW_, and the other is small potatoes. Vince is not afraid to let Hardy show up at TNA's PPV because they're not a threat. No way, no day. It's a great day to be a wrestling fan.

That's because they never had to. (Yes, I miss Molly Holly and Gail Kim.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Where were you in 1995? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> In college losing my virginity. What happened in 1995? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> HBK was attacked outside a bar (legit). He probably sustained a concussion, or at least that's what they played up, because in a RAW match against Owen Hart, HBK got hit with an enzugiri and "blacked out". Everyone pretty much broke character for a while, as if he was really hurt. They even went black for about two minutes to extend the confusion. All in all, it was a work. Very well done. Of course, the Internet was still in its infancy, so the availability of instant information was pretty scarce, which helped the illusion. This blurred the line between what was real and what was fake, and pretty much fooled the majority of fans who had even heard about the original attack. It was this that allowed things like the original nWo invasion in wCw, among other things. Of course, ECW pretty much pioneered a lot of that stuff, but that's neither here nor there.

Nice! I wholeheartedly agree.

If you're building toward Summerslam, have Matt continue the guerrilla tactics. Get Edge riled up. Get Lita ultra scared. Don't have Matt officially come back until Eric gets so sick of the chaos that he brings Matt back as a punishment to Edge for getting him and his show involved in his personal life. At some point, Ross should revive the work/shoot interview that worked so well with Foley and Goldust. This would bring the non-savvy fans up to speed with why everyone was doing the "You screwed Matt" chants. Maybe not give everything away. Just the fact that Matt and Lita were a couple, and Edge stole her away from him. The first match should be Summerslam, but it obviously shouldn't end there. I don't know how you would keep it fresh, but the blowoff should be at WM somehow. Maybe have Edge injure Matt again at Survivor Series (lots of blood), and perhaps Lita will have some sympathy for Matt. Edge resents this sudden change of heart in Lita, and starts treating her like shit until Matt's better. Then at WM, Matt does the Savage/Elizabeth reunion like at WM VII, only have Matt Twist of Fate her in the middle of the ring. Then move him to Smackdown!

Hot dog? we have a weiner. This is the only plausible explanation, given the circumstances. So, all you cynical wrestling fans take note: sometimes Vince listens. And I must say, if all those recent firings was to allow for both Matt and Lesnar's returns, I say good riddance. This is shaping up to be one hell of a summer, not to mention the rest of the year. (If they don't fuck it up.)

You're welcome. And I totally forgot about the Angle Invitational. By far, the best us e of the gimmick. So does the Angry Schoolteacher Matt Stryker get a developmental deal out of this? Or is he already in OVW? I don't usually follow the farm leagues. So what was the final count? 20 minutes of actual ring time? And only one clean finish? Good thing I'm still on a Matt high, otherwise this would be considered a very sub-par RAW.

I can't believe people are debating whether or not this is a work. They kept the cameras on him. That right there says its a work. They let him talk on the mic instead of cutting it off. That right there says its a work. The 3-headed announce crew completely ignored it. That right there says its a work. And you know what? It worked! And thank you, Vince, for saving this for a New Jersey show, where all great wrestling moments (outside of Canada) occur. (Oh wait, what do you mean RAW isn't over? Oh, it's only the dinosaur portion of the show. I'll just keep the TV turned off until they're extinct again.)

I don't even give a fuck about old man Piper and the Has Been Kid. Tonight's RAW officially went off the air in my house with a motherfuckin' BANG! Welcome back, V1. Now let's see how WW_ fucks this up.

Ho- -ly shit! Mark your calendars, boyos. You got your wish. Now let's see if they can pay it off.

They'd work better as goofy faces, because as bad-ass racist heels, I'm not buying it. Their Spanglish promos are more funny than serious, and I have a feeling they'll become Kaientai 2005 to the bWo's Oddities before too long. I say, just have them triple-team hosses (heel or face), and let the fans decide what they think of them. You know they'll just be fed to the Brock anyway.

Just to digress from the topic at hand, I found it absolutely hilarious how M-M-M-Matt Morgan was unceremoniously ousted from WW_ by the Mexicools. One week he was a giant-killing F5 machine, next he's manhandled and thrown out the door by a bunch of green-card landscaping midgets. Awesome. So long, Hoss #OU812. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord sp-sp-sp-split ya.

I for one am pickled tink at the thought of Lesnar's return. Finally, something good is happening. Maybe this is why all the dead weight was cast off. If so, bon voyage, losers, cuz here comes the pain! (Ugh, did I just say that?)

I've watched When Harry Met Sally enough times to have memorized every line, every music cue, and every inflection in Sally's orgasm. Same with Pump Up The Volume, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind Of Wonderful and Pulp Fiction.