The Tino Standard

Woohoo, just scored comps for tonight's show! Live report coming late tonight or early tomorrow.

One, just because you put a title on a guy like Michaels doesn't mean you're building your entire company around him. There's nothing wrong with having a transitional champion until somebody who really deserves having a company built around them emerges. Second, the whole "this is our star of the future, let's put the title on him and build our company around him, touting him as being The Man for the next generation" thing doesn't work. Cena is bombing. Orton bombed. Lesnar was moderately successful, but he bolted. You shouldn't be putting titles on people to get them over. You put titles on people who already ARE over. You don't get guys over by making them champion. If anything, you put them in a deeper hole because people shit on those wrestlers, knowing full well they don't deserve a belt. Nobody catches on with fans because they are champion. They become champion because they've already caught on with fans.

It amazes me that with all the replica title belts they sell for $200-$300 (and even higher than that), they STILL aren't selling one of Cena's WWE title belt. They had a version of his custom US belt out right away. He's had this one since like April. EDIT: Well, shit, just as soon as I write that, I go to their Shopzone site and, sure enough, they're selling it now. $349. Yikes.

Coming off an awesome Thanksgiving night episode, we're down to the Final Four on Donald. Let's break down the remaining candidates using the same system that I had a couple weeks ago (chances of winning: 1 is lowest, 5 is highest): ALLA Trump seemed to show a lot of faith in her last night. Her team lost and she was given a free pass. Why didn't she have to answer for the budget, which clearly had too much set aside for carriages and not enough for manpower? Last night aside, she has shown lots of promise, and I think Trump wants her around. Verdict: 3 FELISHA Has done a little bit in the last couple weeks to distinguish herself, but not enough. Previews for next week seem to indicate that the candidate getting fired is "just too weak" (Trump's words), and that seems to fit her to a tee. She didn't fight enough last night to get more street walkers when the budget was set, and it bit their team in the ass. She's had a nice run, but she's not championship material. Verdict: 1 RANDAL The XM task seemed to be his wake-up call after getting a little comfortable. Randal had the thumb pointed at him for that one, but I thought he should've been held a little more accountable for the Star Wars loss too. He was the only self-professed Star Wars fan in the group, so why not take a more prominent role in the project? Nothing he did in either one of those tasks was enough to get fired, so he still deserves to be the favorite, but there's a little luster off his crown right now. Verdict: 4 REBECCA Still my darkhorse of choice. If her and Randal win next week, I think she can give a better performance in the interviews than Alla. Her work in the boardroom has been very strong. Even when Trump blatantly disagreed with one of her decisions (remember the Toral fiasco), he still respected her enough to let her run with it. Not many candidates get that kind of leeway. Then again, should Rebecca and Randal lose next week, I don't think she's got enough to overcome Randal in a one-on-one boardroom setting. She NEEDS to win this coming week so she can build a bit more of a body of work in the interviews and final task. Verdict: 3.5 Predictions: Rebecca and Randal scratch out a close victory in next week's task, leaving the blondes to duke it out for survival. Alla seems to have much more of a killer instinct than Felisha, so that should keep her around. Assuming they do the interviews with the final three candidates, Randal is well-spoken, as evidenced by his performance on the Stand Out class, so he should do well there. And as I mentioned above, I like Rebecca more than Alla in interviews. Alla has enough killer instinct to take out Felisha, but the interviews are a different competition, one in which I like Rebecca. Final task is still Randal's to lose. His star has faded a bit since mid-season, but he's still the best of a strong group.

True, I guarantee you that, while it might not get as ridiculous as this, there will still be profits to be had.

Jesus. That's it. I'm bleeding my savings account dry and buying as many PS3 as I can get my hands on. This is guaranteed profit if ever I've seen it.

And THIS is the hand that started it all! ... Uh-oh, got your nose, little guy! Stewie: AHHHHHH!

Did I miss something? Why is everybody talking about a Benoit-Booker T US title match on the PPV? WWE.com only lists 5 matches, and Benoit-Booker isn't one of them. Those two have a title match scheduled for Smackdown this week, tho.

I don't understand why stores have these long lines of people when they have fewer than 20 XBox 360s. What the fuck are these people waiting in line for? Do they think somebody with one reserved is going to come up the register and say, "On second thought, I think I'll pass."? I mean, I could see a few hopefuls hanging around, praying that there are some no-shows with the reserves, but these massive lines are just asinine.

Regarding the schmozz finish of the Orton-Cena match last Monday, I think it was done A) Because they didn't want to job Orton a week before he wins the world title and they also didn't want to job Cena, as he IS champion; and B) Because deep down, I think they still look at this as the money match of the future. Had Orton not bombed so badly last fall, he would've had Batista's spot in the road to WM and something similar to where Batista is now. I think they still hold out hope that Orton can make that ascension to being the standard bearer for one of their brands, although the symmetry of his and Cena's rises is gone. Now having said all that, those are stupid reasons to not have a clean finish on a TRIBUTE show, but that's the biz for ya sometimes.

The whole "Eddie woud've won the title" thing rings hollow with me. A week ago, it was said the plan was to put the belt on Orton in the three-way match. In the week following Eddie's passing, all the sudden now the story changes that HE would've won the title? I dunno. Somehow, I'm sure Eddie woud've gotten another shot with the world title, whether it come through this fiasco or another situation, but I'm sorry, this just reeks of 'revisionist history'.

A couple points here: 1. If you end the brand split, there's no reason you couldn't still have two touring groups. If you send 25 wrestlers (a mix of main eventers, midcarders, tag teams, etc) to one city to work a show and 25 others to another city, it would be the same thing. Just because you don't slam people over the head with two "brands" doesn't mean you can't have two touring groups. Back in the day, WWE used to run secondary tours all the time, long before there was a "brand split." 2. You could theoretically end the brand split without officially ending it. That's kinda what's happening now. Wrestlers are identified by their affiliation to one show ("brand") or another, but in many cases, they still keep appearing on both shows, working programs with guys on the opposite brand. As long as you keep at least 1 or 2 programs going between wrestlers from opposing brands, you're getting the illusion of the brand split ending without actually ending it. If the brand split eventually happens, this is how it will go down.

Remember in Billy Madison when the principal was revealed to be a former pro wrestler? I can so see that happening to Rick Steiner. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I doubt Rick Steiner would even hide the fact. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hide it? Shit, I could picture him showing up to board meetings wearing a suit and his wrestling headgear.

Right up there with Austin ordering two Natural Lights at the bar. Seriously, who the hell goes into a bar and orders Natty? All those skits at the bar with those two were pretty funny. Good times.

Didn't know where to post this, but figured this was as good a thread as any. Cool piece of Eddie trivia: When he landed the frogsplash to beat Brock Lesnar and win the WWE title at NWO '04, Eddie became the first guy to win the WWE title with a top-rope move since Randy Savage beat Ted DiBiase back at Wrestlemania IV in 1988. That's a lot of ground to cover and one hell of a streak to break.

There was a tag match a couple years ago, I think it was during the Los Guerreros run, and the whole "Cheat to win!" thing was at its absolute peak. Face in peril Chavo (might have been someone else if it was a six-man) is getting his ass handed to him and can't get a tag to Eddie. Finally, the crowd starts chanting "CHEAT! CHEAT! CHEAT! CHEAT!" And after it really builds, Eddie gives the crowd a look like "Well, shit, if you say so...", then he runs in and turns the tide of the match. Leading to a win. Sorry the details are so hazy, but the facial expression he had after the totally spontaneous "CHEAT!" chant broke out was just awesome.

Well, let's break it down for the final six, chances of winning 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest): ADAM Lame duck candidate after his loss as project manager on the "sex in the work place" workshop. Trump humiliated him, but for whatever reason kept him around. There's no way somebody gets bashed that badly and then gets hired. Verdict: 1 ALLA Showed promise with the Star Wars display, basically carrying the team, albeit in a losing effort. Hasn't really come close to getting fired yet, so it'll be interesting to see her defend herself in a board room should that situation arise. Verdict: 3.5 CLAY Considering Trump's affinity for mass firings lately, I don't know how Clay has survived so long. He's absolutely despised by his team, even when he leads them to victory. His "I'm in this strictly for me now" speech at the end on Thursday night pretty much sealed his fate as being the de facto heel the rest of the way. You need a character like this, which how Markus lasted so long. Still, barring some miraculous turnaround, Clay is a setup man and won't likely be alive in the final two. Verdict: 2 FELISHA Completely forgettable character. I didn't even know she was still around until I checked the Apprentice web site. Nine weeks in now and what has she brought to the table? Nothing. That'll get you through the early weeks while other contestants implode, but it won't win you the job. Verdict: 1.5 RANDAL Two times as a PM and two strong victories. Really, he should've been a PM on the Star Wars task too, because he was the only one who knew anything about the film. He's been the most sought-after character, and he really hasn't shown any character flaws. Randal would need a catastrophe to blow this. Verdict: 5 REBECCA Hasn't been very prominent since breaking her ankle, but on the few occasions where she's spoken up in the board room, she's had some pretty strong performances. I think she's under the radar right now, but unlike Felisha, she's doing just enough to not fall completely out of relevance. Good darkhorse pick if Randal has a train wreck. Verdict: 4

From the AP: "The Bluth clan of Fox's ratings-challenged "Arrested Development" is also headed for the exit after Fox cut the third-season order on the Emmy-winning comedy to 13 episodes. ... As for the demise of "Arrested," it comes just as the acclaimed comedy came back this week after a hiatus to make room for Fox's baseball coverage. The two back-to-back episodes averaged a paltry 4 million viewers Monday, sending Fox to fifth place in the 8 p.m. hour and putting a dent on the ratings of its lead-out, the rookie drama "Prison Break." There is a possibility that the show will be shopped around, but its high cost is expected to be prohibitive for a cable network. Fox said Thursday that it will pull "Arrested Development" and "Kitchen Confidential" off the schedule for the remaining three Mondays of the November sweep, replacing them with a rerun of the previous episode of "Prison Break" leading into an original episode of the serialized drama. "Arrested" and "Kitchen" are set to return to their time slots with original episodes December 5, following the fall finale of "Prison Break" on November 28." So, for you AD fans, safe to say the show is pretty much toast, but they'll start playing out the string of remaining new episodes starting in a month.

Somehow, given their mentality about having to come up with a story (no matter how convoluted) to explain everything when just explaining the truth would be SO much easier, I can't see them taking the belt off Batista and announcing he's injured. And that's a shame. I mean, is anybody really going to think he's a wuss because he has a TORN MUSCLE IN HIS BACK? That's not like rolling your ankle or jamming your thumb. Being honest with people and just explaining why he's being stripped of the title would: A) Keep Batista strong and give him a built-in angle when he returns (chase for the title); B) Put some MAJOR heat on the Survivor Series match (Smackdown: "You took out our champion... Payback's a bitch"; C) Freshen up the title scene without jobbing the champion; D) Lead to a potentially blockbuster title angle as outlined by other posters here; and E) Build some credibility with fans because they'll KNOW the real reason Batista's out of action anyway. Having said that, expect them to do something stupid like have Palmer Cannon come out with a half-baked excuse why Batista has been stripped of the title and JBL is your new World Heavyweight Champion.

Than Kurt and the old lady can meet back stage and share a laugh. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hell yeah for the stunt granny. As for the announce team tonight, I liked what I heard of Joey Styles, but if he's going to be with them for the long haul (doesn't seem like it with the way they kept referring to him as a fill-in/substitute), Coach needs to go. I actually liked it when Coach was added to the JR/Lawler team. He worked well in that three-man dynamic, playing a devil's advocate to JR and Lawler. Tonight, the three had no flow working at all and just kept tripping over each other.

Ah, the wonders of creative editing. Without hearing the scores, you'd have thought the Stand Out presentation KILLED the Sex at Work presentation. Final scores? Stand Out: 7.07 Sex at Work: 6.98 And after last night's performance leading the winning team, Randall is firmly entrenching himself as the odds-on favorite. Forget demographics ("He'll win because they've never had a minority win on this show yet"). Randall is the real deal. He's going to have to have a meltdown to lose. (PS- I don't read spoilers, so if he gets canned in one of these upcoming episodes for which we have spoilers in here, then feel free to tee off on me)

They missed the boat on Cena. If you recall, during the 2004 lottery, Cena was super-over to the point that the Raw crowd was chanting for him to be the last draft pick for Raw. If I were Vince McMahon, I'd have called an audible on the spot and gone with it. Sound ridiculous? It's not like they're not already booking on the fly anyway. Instead, they waited a year and did a switch of the champions that nobody was really clamoring for. It would probably serve all parties best to have Cena drop the belt to Angle at Survivor Series. 1. Cena is not over with the fanbase at-large right now, while Angle is. 2. Cena can still sell merchandise as long as he's floating around the top of the card, especially if it's a heel with the title and not another babyface. 3. Cena can rebuild his credibility once he has the burden of being champion taken off him. Right now, he's got a bullseye on him as he gets forced down people's throats. Turning Cena heel might end up getting him more over as a face in the long haul, but I don't think they're willing to do that because of merch sales. Thing is, they really don't need to. I think a lot of the booing would go away if he just didn't have the belt. You're held to a different standard when you're the champion.

That's my favorite promo of all time. "He said TORONTO! Yaaaaaaay! That's where WE live! WE live in Toronto! Yaaaaaay!....... Aw, shut up, you sheep."

Reading his comments, I just got the impression he's tired of banging his head on a wall (i.e. - Busting his ass, doing everything he's supposed to do, but not getting anything in return for it), so he's decided to walk away. I get the impression he'd go work elsewhere, like TNA, otherwise he'd have said "I've given everything I could to this industry". The way he worded it, it sounds more like he's just frustrated with WWE in specific. Still, it looks like he chose his words carefully enough that they might think about bringing him back at some point. Whether it's next year or years down the road, he'll be back at some point. WWE is like the mafia... Once you get in, you're never completely out.

Just tried to go to the arena cam page. After having it crash a couple times, it loaded properly on the third. For about two seconds, I saw the arena and looked like the stage was about half-way complete. Then the view of the arena was replaced by a message saying the camera "has been blacked out for this event."