jester

Pssst....Lawler. You're the heel commentator. You're supposed to approve of Snitski.

Yes! And he should do it without waiting for provocation. Before JR even has a question, he throws him down, doses him with gas and JR's barbecue sauce, and lights him up.

Yeah! Snitsky beats up on JR, and it's not his fault!

Snitsky sounds like he got a slight pop there at the mention of his name. It's your fault Lita.

JR just spoiled a GIGANTIC SWERVE~!

The crowd seemed to be pretty in to HBK to me. Not Austin insane levels of heat, but they definitely didn't seem anti-HBK. And this is me, who ain't an HBK fan.

You know how you get a face massively over? Have him remember that Evolution has three members. And if you don't see all three of them, the other two are waiting to ambush you during a promo, or when you're just about to pin HHH for the belt. So that face actually does something about it. Locks the others in a room. Takes them out before a big math. Something.

Hiya Chris, how about a little burial for old time's sake?

We like it, but how many of us will pay for it is another question. HHH taking a shot at the Rock.

Banned from the building. Didn't take long to get to our first cliche. So will be punished by facing Kane?

"Let me clarify something..." Flair then goes on to explain the difference between "affect" and "effect" and their proper use in a sentence.

I think Snitsky should be referred to as "Stone Cold Gene Snitsky." I don't know why. Just 'cause.

I am guessing that this gimmick lasts two weeks before complaints shut it down. Vince or somebody cuts a promo vaguely blasting their critics for being uptight and they can do what they want, then the gimmick is quietly shelved.

On a related note, Scott Keith's new book is apparently out. I will only buy the Foley book if there is a Penis Suplex story in it.

You're right, I forgot this is WWE were talking about. They book their shows hours before the go on. But thankfully, they've got the important things down to a science. Like the employee dress code. Get the feeling that if Vince had been on the Titanic, he'd have made sure the deck chairs were stored away properly?

This whole incident actually reminds me of the whole Bradshaw Goose stepping incident. Like Rudo says, it demonstrates that the company has an apalling lack of tact and awareness. They are an entertainment company. They need to be careful about what might offend their audience. That means opening a fucking book or newspaper and determining what's happening in the area so that they don't accidentally appear to mock something the community might take very seriously. For example, if there was a horrific sex crime the week before in the city you're touring, you don't have Lita cry about being raped. Is it a pain in the ass? Yep. Are they going to catch everything? No. But you know, most people wouldn't need to do much research to determine that Germans might be a little sensitive about reminders of the Nazis, or that people once watched a wrestler plunge to his death in this building. As for death, if you listen to the wrestlers carefully, it is very rare that they threaten to kill each other. Seriously, when was the last time a wrestler said "I'm gonna kill you" even if he meant "I'm gonna kick your ass?" For crying out loud, JR won't say "violent" or "hospital." It's "physically intense" and "medical facility."

and the mother will be played by.... Judy Bagwell!! We need that wrestling icon back in the ring. She should have leaded the Invasion. OMFG Judy Bagwell is reforming TEH FLOCK!

Translation: having completely blown Hurricane's potential as a face and somehow missing the great interaction he had with Rock when he was a heel, Hurricane will now be jobbing to Orton as a heel, rather than as face.

Personally, I am astounded by the number of people who think HHH would do a good job running the business. There is no evidence he knows how to make someone into a star. He's had opportunities, and blown them all. That Jericho reign may have made Jericho look like a chump, but it also damaged HHH. He beat a loser to get a belt. Big deal. HHH is supposed to make a star out of Orton, but that's looking dubious. He learned that to get someone over, you basically shove them up the ass of the audience and book at least a third of the show around everything they do, at the expensive of everything else. He was trained by the clique, all of whom have been absolutely disastrous when they get near the booking. Yes, he knows politics. Probably he's the best ever at this. But it will protect him. It will not protect the company.

And then he gets nailed in the groin with a football. It works on so many levels!

However, the focus of the show never stopped being HHH, bringing into question how meaningful those jobs were. Don't forget that HHH is determined to put Randy Orton over. Probably just like he did those other guys. Yep, he's gonna make a real star out of Orton. Any day now. You watch.

Carmela joins Evolution.

I see Lita watched the Diva search video package. That's probably how they anaesthetised her.

"Some" leeway?! Austin can't wrestle anymore, so they let him zoom around on an ATV and terrorize the entire roster, with nobody able to stand up to him. I'll be it's really fun for Austin, and frankly if I were in his shoes I would happily exploit Vince and the rest of WWE for every last nickel I could, health of the company be damned. But it does nothing for the new or current generation. Actually, scratch that, it HURTS the current employees of WWE. Foley made Orton marginally bigger than he was before, because HHH had already slapped him around. And was Foley the ONLY person capable of elevating Orton? If not, that means the entire company has no-one to elevate new blood. In which case, they're in more trouble than previously suspected. As for WM, that was Hogan's lone bright spot in what, the past five, six years? Oh, and because he hung around, they put the title on him and ratings dropped. Sending the message that the senior citizens were in charge again. In the long run, probably not worth it. Their time is OVER. And yet WWE is now resorting to getting video footage of old guys in order to boost the ratings. This doesn't strike you as the slightest bit backwards?

Yes, all of these guys accomplished great things for WWE. In the past. WWE has enough trouble building new stars as it is. When Hogan and Austin are around, WWE focuses too much on them. And neither is the type to say "Maybe you shouldn't put so much emphasis on me" or "maybe I should put over somebody, seeing as how I can't wrestle a full schedule." Let them stay in the past.