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Why can't they leave shows on their original successful nights? Another reason not to watch Smackdown, I guess.

The Agent's edition of Byte This! Hosts this week are Josh Matthews and his best friend Tommy Dreamer! Guests today will be Fit Finlay, Arn Anderson (top five!) and Dean Malenko. Tommy informs us that he had to change his shirt due to the colour of the blue screen; otherwise you’d just see a big fat floating head. Tommy’s thoughts on the role of an agent? They help prepare the wrestlers and keep the match organised. Without agents, it would be tough to get the show going, they are invaluable. He adds that the prisoners need wardens, something ECW lacked. Segment One: Droz Joined by Droz, who admits that he only got 4 ½ of his picks right. Tommy is shocked that betting on wrestling is allowed nowadays – although he thinks he would have been rich had he known as he would have betted against himself last year! Droz enjoyed Judgement Day but was shocked by Eddie’s bloodletting. But they were all great matches and he was really impressed. Good luck to Droz, as next week he is having surgery. Segment Two: Fit Finlay Joined by Fit Finlay! He believes that an agent passes on knowledge to the younger wrestlers. They used to learn from the more experienced wrestlers, but now there aren’t so many around, so it’s up to the agent to do it. Finlay would never say never to an in-ring return. He gets the itchy feeling every time he watches a match go down. He’d love to wrestle Tommy Dreamer. He wrestled his first match in 1974 at the age of 14. He was thrown in the deep end when a guy didn’t turn up for Finlay’s father, who was a promoter. After wrestling in Ireland he travelled across Europe, wrestling seven days a week. He was asked to join WCW when he was working in Austria. He tried it out and returned to the road after his short stint, but was wooed by the money a year later, and joined the company full time. He was shocked by the schedule, as he was only working 11 days a month and couldn’t stand not doing anything for the rest of the time. Finlay was taken out of action from a bump through a nasty table, which almost took out his leg. On who brought out the best in him, Finlay mentions Liger (!), and a number of European wrestlers including Sinclair, Jones and the original Black Tiger. He also remembers his run ins with William Regal in WCW. However he remembers one of his favourite matches as a handicap with him against Chris Benoit and Owen Heart, in Bremen. He also mentions that there were a number of guys who he wishes he had never wrestled. Surprise guest Johnny Ace joins us live in the studio! He has come to see what his agents are up to. The first of the Dynamic Dudes comments is made. On how he treats the women of WWE, he says he treats them like the guys and teaches them to suck it up. He’s not a big fan of complainers. Dreamer believes the women’s division is at the top of its game right now. On which diva has excelled the most, Finlay believes they all have done a great job – especially Trish, Victoria, Jazz, Gail Kim and Molly Holly. He tries to keep them in competition with each other, to stimulate progress. Johnny Ace wants to know if when WWE visits Ireland next time Finlay will do an Irish dance. Only if he’s had enough Guinness is the answer. After he read rumours on a gaming website, Phoner Peter asks if Sting is coming to WWE. Johnny Ace hasn’t heard anything about this, but says if Sting wants to get in contact they will definitely talk. He believes the role of an agent is to facilitate the talent and their matches – timing, psychology – and generally help the wrestlers to improve. This is why WWE has agents with specialised backgrounds, to cover all areas. Segment Three: Arn Anderson! Joined by Arn Anderson! He’s watching his kids at the moment, due to a family illness. He’s realising how difficult his wife’s job actually is… Arn believes that he is lucky that although his wrestling was suddenly taken away from him – he is still able to be close to the business in a job that he loves. As an agent, it is his job to set up the shows, and work with events co-ordinators, dj’s, and both younger and older talent. 4 Horsemen vs. The Dynamic Dudes? No contest. However, the question of the Horsemen vs. Evolution is a different story. Arn sees Evolution as one of the nuclei of RAW and sees a commitment to excellence in them that he saw in the 4 Horsemen. He compares Randy Orton to Barry Windham, and Batista to Lex Luger. He feels the original Horsemen were something special though. On whether he preferred Bobby Eaton or Tully Blanchard as a tag team partner – Arn compares them to apples and oranges. He believes Eaton was as good as it gets, he and Dennis with Cornette were the best tag team ever. He points out though that although he didn’t always see eye to eye with Tully, they knew what each other was doing in the ring, and worked really well together. On the now skit, a Phoner asks if Arn felt there was any hostility. He had no idea about it before it happened. It pissed him off because he felt it was a personal attack. However, afterwards he addressed it with Nash and says the conversation came out ‘to his satisfaction’. Arn believes that if it pissed enough people off that they’re still talking about it today, then it worked but there are parameters – and it crossed the line of bad taste. Arn holds no ill will towards them now though. Tom of Indiana says he thinks that Arn Anderson is the best interview ever, even better than Flair. Would he ever see himself utilising those skills in a managerial type role? If the situation arose he would love to assume an on-air role, as long as he was able to remain an agent. Tommy remembers when in North Carolina Arn Anderson came out to spine buster Triple H and the place erupted. Arn’s relationship with Tully? Their paths go different ways nowadays as Tully is out of the business so they don’t talk so much. However there is no ill will and Arn saw him just a while back at an NWA convention. He doesn’t spend so much time with Ric Flair either, although they only live 5 minutes away from each other. They don’t spend a whole lot of time socialising as they both have families. He remembers a particular match which he had against Demolition, and the rub the Brainbusters got off having Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan come to the ring to help them out. Phoner Nick wants to know if he thought the inclusion of Mongo in the 4 Horsemen was a bad idea. Although he respects Mongo as an athlete and as a person, he didn’t think he was a gifted wrestler. Arn didn’t think it was a good idea for WCW to keep dusting off the Four Horsemen concept everytime it was needed. He was happy to have Mongo aboard, which is a lot more than he can say for some other additions to the stable. As for the Arquette title reign, Arn said it made him sick. He sees the world title as a religious situation, and it made him want to “puke”. The management didn’t care though, as they thought it may make the cover of USA Today, Arn thought they should have been concentrating instead on performing quality matches. On his career-ending injury, Arn says that he broke his neck three times in this career. His right arm died the first time, which lasted for 3 months. 2nd time he worked through it, which led to the 3rd. He was going to wrestle Lex Luger in Vegas around 1997. The day before he was walking to Gold’s Gym and he picked up bells, and one dropped out of his hand. His left hand had died, and although he wrestled the match the next day, it eventually got to the point where he couldn’t even lace his boots. He had the area scanned, and found out that he had a lot of problems in his vertebrae. He had surgery performed and had bone taken all the way out but the doctors were unable to put the bone back in. He now has lots of rotation but no protection. And as he doesn’t know the parameters of what he can take, he did some soul searching and decided to retire. Arn leaves with the thought that no-one can ask for more than to leave the business in a better state than you found it in. Jeremy from Kentucky asks Johnny Ace for his impressions on Tough Enough winner Matt and OVW trainee Skyfire. Ace thinks Matt has an unusual talent and will be a great asset to the cruiserweight division after his concussion problems have subsided. He says Skyfire is good, but needs some work. Segment Four: Dean Malenko Joined by Dean Malenko! The life of an agent isn’t much different for him as he was training guys in the past. He doesn’t really miss being a wrestler, as he gets to see a part of him up in all of the matches that he helps to prepare. Dean didn’t really enjoy being interviewed for the Eddie Guerrero documentary, as he had to relive some experiences he would have rather forgotten. Dean didn’t really consider himself as one of the real Four Horsemen, he was added on. Phoner Chris, who sounds really nervous, asks Dean whether he was annoyed about the nWo dominance in WCW? Dean says he would be lying if he said that there were no politics involved. He didn't complain about it, however, as WCW was still paying him. A return to the ring? He would never say never, and if he did return he would love to wrestle Kurt Angle, who he sees a lot of similarities with. The best match he ever worked was one against his brother in Sepora. Phoner Shawn asks if he still has a crush on Lita. Dean said it was turned off after he saw her in the shower. He enjoyed that angle, as the fans got to see a different side of him. He hopes Lita enjoyed it as well, and if she didn’t – she should lie. Matt asks if Dean is still running his wrestling school in Tampa. Unfortunately not, as he wouldn’t be able to devote much time to it, and if it couldn’t be done properly, then it wouldn’t be done at all. Maybe someday it might reopen though. Dean thinks that both Eddie and Chris Benoit both deserve their titles more than anyone else, and is proud of them. Being an agent you either get the praise or the ramifications, depending on whether the match goes well or not. He considers Perry Saturn his friend although he hasn’t seen him recently. They went through a lot together, especially leaving WCW, but Perry is a ‘different breed of guy’. Dean leaves. Next week is special guest RVD! And in two weeks Byte This has The Rock and the Hurricane! Credit: 411

~BUMP~ It turns out that one of the reasons WWE changed the hometowns of Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho from Canadian cities to U.S. cities is because the two were scheduled to have feuds with Hirohito and WWE was going to bill it as a patriotic U.S. vs. Japan angle. Hirohito was to be played by Kenzo Suzuki. WWE was going to bill Hirohito as the grandson of the late World War II emperor of Japan. WWE pulled the gimmick due to fears that it would hurt their reputation in Japan where they hope to continue to make good money off of WWE shows. WWE was planning to bring Hirohito in right away as a main eventer and have a feud between he and Chris Benoit throughout the summer, followed by a Hirohito/Jericho feud. Credit: Torch Newsletter So they replaced him with Kane. A stale gimmick character.

John Cena?

Another Shawn interview...

Heart problems for the TNA head..... Jerry Jarrett was rushed to the hospital before the TNA PPV yesterday due to an elevated heart rate. Jarrett had noticed the increased heart rate at around 3:30PM. No word yet on his status now. Credit: WrestlingObserver.com/411

They were going to do that at WM19? The same WM Austin was having heart attacks the night before and planned on simi retiring at?

Just let it be. If they do a video tribute then people will say it wasn't good enough and/or they're just kissing up to Bret Hart to get him to return. If they put out a DVD, and the money goes to charity, people will still say it was a tacky way to get publicity. If anything, wait until the 10th anniversary or put a nice tribute to Owen Hart on the possible Bret DVD.

Okay, Dave has been saying how everyone blames Bradshaw's push backstage. Now people are blaming Eddie? You think Dave even hears this shit from people or just does his arm chair analysis? Fuckin' conspiracy theories.

The angry, bitter Heat guys speak.

What, who, which kids? The kids on the Internet that can make a conspiracy theory out of Triple H saying he hates chocolate milk? These same kids?

It should be somebody that could tag up with Orton. HHH is obviously playing Flair, Batista should be the enforcer, they need a solid young guy to team up with Orton and get Flair to manage them. Why? Orton is doing fine as a singles wrestler now.

AlwaysPissedOff is a fuckin' douchebag.

How many of you actually vote?

Clean Rob pretty much answered for most of us. Besides, it's good to have Flair in the corner of these guys. I've been wanting male managers to return for a long time now and to be a male manager you have to understand the business, know how things work in the ring, cut promo's, have charisma, among other little things. Who could possibly be better then Flair in that role?

Simon Interview By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN, The New York Times Simon Cowell, the imperious judge of Fox's call-in talent show "American Idol," was raised just north of London, in a manor house called Abbots Mead. His father was on the board of the record company EMI; after graduating from high school, Mr. Cowell worked in the company's mailroom. He went on to create novelty musical acts of professional wrestlers, the Power Rangers and celebrities like David Hasselhoff. Mr. Cowell made pop stars, in other words, out of athletes, toys and actors. But these days Mr. Cowell is known less for eccentric hit making than for high-hatting the contestants on "American Idol," which is now in its third season. (Last Tuesday the show drew 22.8 million viewers.) Sharing a panel with the music executive Randy Jackson and the performer Paula Abdul, he opines, often bluntly, about the live performances, presumably influencing the vote, which viewers register by phone when the live show ends. Wrapping up a contentious season, during which the show was dogged by questions about fairness and procedure, two finalists will be named tonight. Who will be cut? Jasmine Trias, the Hawaiian underdog; Diana DeGarmo, the baby-faced power-singer; or Fantasia Barrino, the irrepressible former gospel singer? In the midst of the suspense Mr. Cowell talked about racism, $300,000 cars and the madness of Fantasia. Here are excerpts from the conversation. VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN Who's going to win "American Idol"? SIMON COWELL Diana DeGarmo. HEFFERNAN Oh, good Lord. COWELL I thought she was a stage-school brat when I first met her. But she's quite a nice girl. And she's our little Seabiscuit. HEFFERNAN Why did La Toya London, who's such a good singer, get kicked off last week? COWELL She was very cold. She could have been a robot for all the emotion or personality she put over. And she said something very stupid. She had a little bit of criticism, and she said: "I'm not the slightest bit worried. We're all winners now. We're all going to have successful careers." When she said it, I said, "She's out." Because America decides whether they're going to have successful careers. To say that was verging on arrogance. HEFFERNAN You like to punish these people for hubris. COWELL I don't like to punish them. But look, lots of them will get record deals. But will they make any money or have a career? I'm dubious. I do try to encourage this winning mentality. And I've got to tell you, Clay Aiken is — whatever he says in interviews he is, or was — dreading someone as good as him coming through the ranks. And rightly so. Because he's a winner. It's like me seeing another talent show coming on, and pretending that I'm happy that another friend of mine has done it successfully. I'd be suicidal. HEFFERNAN Do you agree with Elton John that the dismissal of the black singers, who have great, powerful voices, is evidence of racism in the voting? COWELL That was a throwaway remark. The reality is that those people simply aren't getting enough votes. We have a lot of passive viewers on "American Idol" who enjoy watching, and enjoy the controversy afterward, but don't pick up the phone. HEFFERNAN Unlike the other judges, you don't talk much about pitch when you comment on a performance. Why not? COWELL I don't think I'm a music expert. I haven't got a clue whether I've got good or bad pitch, and I couldn't care less. I don't like that kind of criticism. This competition is not about who's singing in tune. HEFFERNAN What do you like about a good pop performance then? COWELL It's like drinking a Häagen-Dazs strawberry milkshake. Just delicious. Why do I like strawberry and not banana? I don't know. I just do. HEFFERNAN Are you sentimental? COWELL I don't know if I'm sentimental. But there are occasions when a song is sung and you sit back and you let it wash all over you. That's normally like a Tony Bennett song, a good Frank Sinatra song or a good Righteous Brothers song. HEFFERNAN What about an "American Idol" song? COWELL Could I sit there and listen to these kids sing in a concert? I couldn't stay there for two minutes. I couldn't think of anything worse. HEFFERNAN Even a Clay Aiken concert? COWELL Are you kidding? I wouldn't last a minute. HEFFERNAN Several of the "American Idol" performers have gospel in their pasts, and in interviews they make frequent references to God. What do you make of the religious element to the show? COWELL Well, you know the answer to the question, don't you? Obviously a lot of people are using it to gain votes. Come on. You know that, and I know that. I also don't like the constant dedications to children. Give me a break. Like Fantasia, who has an edge on her. I think she's used her kid twice now in the show. And you just think: "Enough. You're now behaving like a politician rather than a pop star." It all becomes a bit gruesome. HEFFERNAN Maybe Fantasia's cynicism adds to her serpentine appeal. COWELL I'll try to think of it that way. With Fantasia there is an element of unpredictability about her, in how she performs, in what she says when she answers you back. There's a hint of madness there, which is good. HEFFERNAN Are you a jealous person? COWELL I'm competitive. I'm not jealous. I have a lot of friends who are billionaires. I don't envy their wealth. But if I'm releasing a record the same week as one of my competitors who may be a friend, I'm going to do anything in my power to make sure that I'm more successful than he is. Look, I was slightly cynical of the American mentality before I came over here, but now I preach it. Here, no one's going to tear you down if you buy yourself a $300,000 car. They're likely to say: "Well, you probably worked hard for it. Good luck to you." HEFFERNAN Randy Jackson. What do you think his shambling commentary adds to the show? COWELL You know, Randy is incredibly important on the panel because he has, to use an American expression, great energy. And it's very easy to be cynical and down and depressed when you're on this show, and I've never ever seen Randy down. HEFFERNAN Are you getting bored with "American Idol"? COWELL No. All the things people are complaining about now: the wrong person being kicked out, that person shouldn't be in. I love all that. I think it's interesting. HEFFERNAN With all the show's alumni making such bland music, do you ever feel like you're creating monsters? COWELL I'm not sure if we're creating monsters. "Idol" wasn't a television company saying, "Let's put on a talent show." It was a record company saying, "Right, we need a vehicle to find new talent." At that time we believed that there was a lack of good solo artists out there. I've always said that with a bit of luck and a bit of skill or whatever this show could last for another 20 years. HEFFERNAN Why has "American Idol" done so well? COWELL It's only on once a year. It's something to look forward to. It's a very easy show to watch, and I think Fox has been very clever, in that they didn't do what ABC did with "Millionaire," and kill it quickly because they overran it. They kind of looked after it and protected it. HEFFERNAN Do you think the show's culturally important? COWELL: No, I don't. People might be able to get a reality check: it's not quite as easy to be famous as you think it is. But I don't think it's culturally important, and it shouldn't be. May 19, 2004

Gotta love the way WWE thinks. The blood took away from the match? The match wasn't great and is very forgettable. At least people will remember something about this match.

Couldn't they just send Kane, Hurricane and Rosey over to Smackdown?

They obviously don't take the CW title seriously so they should make Chavo Jr the Ric Flair of that title. Have him job and win it back until he can claim himself the greatest CW champion of all time, 10 time + champion, etc. Be nice if he could job, win, and have good matches with actual CW guys, though. But that's just silly thinking on my part. Speaking of cruisers, how 'bout that Mordecai?

Friends That 70's Show 90210 Dawson's Creek Fresh Prince The O.C. Cheers Real World/Road Rules Challenges Beavis & Butthead VH1 Behind the Music (does this count?)

Where else do you post these, Bob? You put a lot of work into this.

What, Eddie would have been left dead on a Raw PPV or something? And why fuck WWE? Eddie did the blade job himself. Regardless if it was Bradshaw or Angle he was in the ring with, Eddie did the blade job himself.

But who has worst teeth? Europeans or American rednecks?

But who has worst teeth? Europeans or American rednecks?