Aero

Well, to be fair, he did probably beat Batista several times between September and January, one match being the one that earned him a title shot at the Royal Rumble. I'm also one of the people who doesn't want to see a Batista-Orton PPV main event, especially at Summerslam. I'd like to see him drafted to Smackdown to keep him away from guys like Batista, HHH, & Edge on Raw, because we've already seen enough of those matches. On SD, he'll be able to go against new guys like Cena (one match WWE definitely wants to do, sooner or later), Eddie, and Rey among others. With his injury, he likely wouldn't be able to debut on SD until a few weeks after the draft probably, but when he does go to SD, he can be pissed that he's not on Raw to get revenge on Batista, and he can act like he's better than everyone else. Yeah, it does sound like Booker T last year after being drafted, but I'd say it's much better than keeping him on Raw. And if WWE REALLY wanted to, they could hold off on the "huge" interpromotional match between Batista & Orton until WM 22!

Star Wars, for me, and I'm not even much of a Star Wars fan. But, seeing the awesome trailer and all the hype actually has me excited. A close second place goes to Batman, and then Fantastic Four.

If you've played through Vice City and then get GTA 3, you might miss the little things such as being able to punch cars, being able to shoot out tires, and diving out of moving cars (I might be wrong about this one). It's still well worth the purchase, though. Since I played VC first, I like it more than 3, but overall, I think San Andreas is the best for its wide variety of just about everything.

As far as pimped title belts go, I think the one Cena debuted on Thursday is fine, better than the U.S. Title, at least.

I'd say just because Austin was doing his psychopath gimmick as leader of the Alliance. I think it really started when he was 'bullying' the Alliance jobbers like Tazz, Raven, Hugh Morrus, etc. WWF probably didn't expect it to catch on like that, though.

My list, excluding WCW, ECW (if any at all), and TNA since I barely watched any of it... - HHH vs. Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble 2000) - Edge & Christian vs. Dudleys vs. Hardys (WM XVI) - HHH vs. The Rock (Judgment Day 2000) - TLC I (Summerslam 2000) - Benoit vs. Jericho (Royal Rumble 2001) - TLC II (WM X7) - The Rock vs. Austin (WM X7) - Austin vs. Benoit (RAW & Smackdown, May 2001) - Austin vs. Angle (Summerslam 2001) - Angle & Benoit vs. Edge & Mysterio (No Mercy 2002) - Brock vs. Undertaker (No Mercy 2002) - Angle vs. Benoit (Royal Rumble 2003) - TWGTT vs. Mysterio & Kidman (Vengeance 2003) - Brock vs. Benoit (Smackdown, December 2003) - Royal Rumble Match 2004 - Brock vs. Eddie (No Way Out 2004) - HHH vs. Benoit vs. HBK (WM XX) - Orton vs. Foley (Backlash 2004) - Angle vs. HBK (WM 21) I'm probably missing some big ones, a lot of them TV matches that I can't think of now, but that's the list I came up with in about 5 minutes, although some people might not agree on some.

I did actually mean the one kendo stick, but I just accidentally typed it that way. Now that you mention it, though, Blackman's escrima sticks were awesome, as well.

Kendo sticks, especially when Steve Blackman uses them.

To Smackdown: 1. Chris Jericho 2. Randy Orton 3. The Hurricane 4. Shawn Michaels 5. Christian To Raw: 1. Big Show 2. Charlie Haas 3. Doesn't matter 4. Doesn't matter 5. Doesn't matter Just about everyone on the board agrees that Jericho should be shipped to Smackdown and do SOMETHING meaningful such as a decent main event run. Even though he has been near the main event level on and off on Raw since the summer, he's always been an afterthought. I was thinking about HHH on SD, as well, but it'd be better if he were separated from Jericho. Plus, I like JBL as SD's version of HHH (on camera, at least). With HHH staying on Raw, get both Orton and HBK away from him because both of those feuds are played out. Plus, with HBK traded to SD, he can continue his feud with Angle like WWE apparently wants to. Hurricane can re-enter the Cruiserweight division. Christian's placement on Raw doesn't bother me much outside of never winning, but a move to SD could be a boost up the card if he were to feud with Cena or something. Just keep Booker T away from him, because their matches in 2003 sucked. Big Show seemingly has nothing else to do on SD having already feuded with the two big heels, JBL & Angle, so a move to Raw might be good. His trade isn't totally necessary like, say, Jericho's though. Many people also want to move Haas to Raw to have a series with Benjamin over the IC title, and I agree. He's done absolutely nothing meaningful on SD except being in a make-shift teams with Rico and Holly since last year. Wasn't the point of breaking up TWGTT to have the two shine in singles action? Obviously, Benjamin has succeeded, and hopefully a series against Benjamin will help him, too. Rey could probably benefit by going to Raw, too. Whether or not they want to trade him depends on his future, like will he ever win a World Title. Rey Mysterio as WWE Champion (a title Eddie Guerrero held) sounds more logical than Rey Mysterio as World HEAVYWEIGHT Champion. Also, if he goes to Raw, he'll officially be out of the Cruiserweight Title picture, which has been overdone. I think he can make a credible IC or US Champion, so it really doesn't matter to me in that sense. WWE might not want to take him or Eddie off of SD due to drawing the hispanic audience or whatever. Overall, I'd probably leave him on SD, but a Raw move wouldn't hurt. One of SD's biggest problems is that it seems like they can't afford to lose anyone big. So, if the draft lottery takes place, I'd expect some meaningless trades coming Raw's way, such as a diva or some mid-carders like Suzuki and Holly.

Firstly, I loved the entrance set, especially the "Now Showing..." sign and the red carpet. Secondly, I was surprised to read about a bad crowd, because I thought they were active almost all night, especially in the first half. Most notably, I think they were silent for JBL-Cena, but for a match like that, what did you expect? Eddie vs. Rey I wasn't expecting Havoc '97, so I was very satisfied with what we got. I've seen some better matches, but this was fine for me. I was into every second of the way. Ladder Match Mostly a spot-fest, but a GREAT one at that. Again, I was loving every second of it. The only downside for me was Edge winning, but I guess he's better than Kane. Still, I would've liked to see anyone else win. That aside, Benjamin just about made this match with his dive, exploder, and stairway to heaven. And I loved Benoit's selling, all throughout. Just amazing, and a great match from everyone. Even though I didn't like Edge winning, the ending was sick. I generally hate Eugene, but his explanation of WM III's midget match was funny. I was even marking out for Hogan cleaning house. This was a perfect segment to follow the Ladder match. Undertaker vs. Orton Better than what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting a bad match like most people. Having his dad come in with the cast was a nice touch, and the chokeslam into the RKO was a great spot. I didn't see it coming, and I actually thought it was over. Trish vs. Christy Not the trainwreck I was expecting, but it wasn't good either. All I'll say is, thank god Trish won. HBK vs. Angle Firstly, I hate HBK's new tights. I was waiting for him to take off these "chaps", but it never happened. I hope he sticks to the originals from now on. I was totally expecting an HBK win here, especially since Taker had already won on the SD side. This is definitely MOTN and probably MOTY so far. Loved the table spot, Angle Slam into the post, Angle Slam off the top, and HBK's clutch superkick. When Angle got the Ankle Lock for the last minute or so, I was just sitting there screaming for him to tap, being the Angle fan that I am. I loved it. This match alone made the PPV worth it for me. Piper's Pit Austin & Piper's early exchanges were funny, but I guess interim-WWF President Piper never met the Ringmaster / Steve Austin around WM XII time? Piper said he's never met Austin before. It was obvious that both Carlito and Piper were going to get Stunners, so no big surprise there. Having two interview segments follow the Ladder Match and HBK-Angle was good booking. Sumo Match It seemed like forever before it finally began. I'm guessing it was pre-determined, so I can't see the logic in having Show lose. This was the worst part of the night, IMO. JBL vs. Cena JBL's entrance had to be one of my favorite entrances of all time. The police was a nice touch, and the JBL $100 bills was awesome. If I was there, I would've loved to take some home as a memento. The match, however, was definitely the biggest disappointment of the night. I'm sure everyone has mentioned how stupid the logic is of pushing JBL as a huge heel champion for 9 months only to lose in a 10 minute match from an FU that came out of nowhere. It definitely caught the crowd by surprise, and the FU is seemingly the only thing the crowd was into. This truely was a Honky Tonk Man reign for JBL. He has the longest reign in years, is put over Eddie, Angle, Show, Taker, and Booker T only to lose cleanly in 10 minutes in unspectacular fashion. If it were up to me, here's the basic format of the match: They do the basic match they had here for about 6-8 minutes. The referee is accidentally slightly hit aside as JBL escapes to the outside. Cena checks on the ref and walks toward the ropes, where JBL nails him with the title belt, busting Cena open. JBL opens the cut some more and gets some nearfalls. Cena makes his comeback, and there's an actual ref bump this time. JBL tries to use the chain, but Cena intercepts it and uses it for a near fall. THEN, JBL can go for his clothesline from hell, and THEN Cena can FU him for the win. This match was seriously lacking drama. A good, bloody brawl would've been good for these two, I think, because just a standard match between them wasn't exactly too thrilling. Cena's celebration was fun to watch, though. HHH vs. Batista I thought it was decent at best. After HHH's awesome entrance, Batista's entrance with ordinary theme music seemed a little lame. I wasn't watching this as much as I should of, so I did miss parts in the middle. Wrestlemania recap video Just about all of them since X7 have been good, despite having some bad songs. Whatever the song was for this year, it didn't flow well with the video at all. The video sucked, but I won't hold it against them. Overall, I loved the show, despite being highly disappointed in JBL-Cena. HHH-Batista was about what I was expecting. I wasn't expecting anything from Trish-Christy or the Sumo match, and everything else, particuarly HBK-Angle exceeded my expectations. IMO, it was better than any WM since XIV with the exception of X7 and MAYBE XX. I'll have to completely watch it, again to determine if it's better than XX.

I've been watching past WMs for the past few weeks. So far, I've been through III, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, 13, XIV, XV, X7, X8, and XIX. I'll likely finish watching XVI later today. I have no desire for IV or XI.

If you're using AOL to view the forums and use search, that might be the problem. Anytime I tried to search when using AOL, it would never work. When I use Internet Explorer, though, it does work.

- Batista Vs HHH Pick: Batista Sure, he is owning HHH every week on the mic and in fights, but a loss would ruin his character and likely just frustrate fans. He MUST win. - JBL Vs Cena Pick: Cena This is a complete toss-up for me. Storyline-wise, Cena has been through alot of shit lately, so I would expect him to get something good. Although, JBL's guarantee has me expecting him to retain via a DQ or something.. not that's there's anything wrong with JBL retaining to me. - Benoit Vs HHH Vs HBK Pick: Benoit I actually did predict that HHH would tap to the Crossface, too. - Eddie Vs Angle Pick: Eddie He had just won the belt, and a win over Angle would solidify him as a credible champ, which would be a little tarnished in the upcoming months while feuding with JBL. - Brock Vs Angle Pick: Brock Everyone in the know on the internet knew about Angle's condition and him needing surgery ASAP, so this was an easy one. - Booker Vs HHH Pick: Booker T In hindsight, I can't believe I picked him, just because he has made no progress since this (unless you count the JBL feud). With all the racist comments from HHH, you had to figure Book would prevail... or not. - HHH Vs Jericho Pick: HHH This was obvious due to Jericho's poor treatment in the feud. - Rock Vs Austin Pick: Austin No real reason I can think of except for the fact that it was in Texas. I was barely on the internet at this point, but I do think I remember reading about a possible heel turn with Vince. - Foley Vs Show Vs Rock Vs HHH Pick: Foley In hindsight, I would've definitely picked Rock, but I'm actually happy HHH went over if only to solidify him as the No. 1 heel... but the Vince turn still makes no sense. Anyway, as for Foley, I thought Linda was giving out too much info about the post-WM title situation: the tournament to end at Backlash. Plus, during the show, the advertisement for Backlash specifically featured HHH, Big Show, Rock, and Jericho, I believe, leading me to believe these four would be in the tournament at Backlash.

I'm a fan of battle royals, so I'm all for it, especially if it means getting some of my favorites like Carlito, London, and Booker T on the show. I'd give Carlito the win to rub it in Long's face and give him back some momentum for his return.

I just watched the match earlier today, and after reading your mini-review, I have to agree with basically everything you said. The biggest flaw, I think, is the lack of pinfall attempts. I may be wrong, but there is less than five in the first half. The crowd is literally ready to get excited for ANYTHING in the first half. Just one instance, Bret tosses him over the top, but HBK skins the cat in and runs at him (with the crowd starting to pop), only for HBK to take him down into a headlock, quieting the crowd. The match definitely would've benefited from being a normal match.

I'm looking forward to it alot. As someone mentioned above, many of the matches actually are unpredictable, something that's often missing from most PPVs. The only matches I don't want to see are the Sumo match and Women's match. Now, if they just add in a Cruiserweight Title match, I'll be completely set.

I think he can main event. Whether or not he'll ever get a World Title is questionable, but then again, who ever thought guys like Bradshaw (who was a mid-carder and below for years) and Eddie Guerrero (a former WCW Cruiserweight Champion) would actually become World Champ one day? I don't think Christian's size is stopping him since Eddie, who's about the same size more or less, has been a solid main eventer for over a year. He could probably benefit by going to Smackdown post-WM if he doesn't win the Ladder match. I wouldn't mind seeing a Cena-Christian feud, despite having to endure likely annoying CLB raps and what not.

Assuming that Cena wins the WWE Title at WM or afterwards, I think Carlito will most definitely have a title shot at a PPV like Judgment Day or something, kind of like Cena challenging Brock after WM XIX. Sure, even though Cena won the U.S. Title back from him post-Survivor Series, I don't think we got a proper blowoff to their feud.

I like the match alot, but the beginning is tedious to watch at points. The last 20 minutes or so are just great. If I could change it, though, I would definitely have made the match just a normal single match that goes about 30 minutes. The only other Iron Man matches I've seen are HHH-Rock and Angle-Brock. I like HHH-Rock MUCH more, but I haven't seen Angle-Brock since it was on TV with commericals, so I can't really count that.

HHH vs. Batista Batista's character will basically be killed if he doesn't win here. I wouldn't totally count out a loss, though, or some sort of cheap DQ/Countout. Although, the crowd would be majorly pissed. Prediction: Batista JBL vs. John Cena I don't mind who wins this. Cena would be something fresh, but I've been liking JBL as champ the last few months. I get the feeling that it's unlikely that both World Titles will change hands, and Batista needs a win more than Cena. If that's the case, JBL retains. But, storyline-wise, Cena's been through alot of shit, losing the US Title, not being able to touch JBL, so I think he has a win coming to him. Prediction: Cena HBK vs. Kurt Angle I want Kurt to win just because I like him more than HBK, but Angle's been way too cocky going into this to win. I'm looking forward to this match the most. Prediction: HBK Undertaker vs. Randy Orton I'm leaning toward Taker mostly, but an Orton win wouldn't totally shock me. I'm assuming that in the two interpromotional matches that it will be one Raw win and one SD win. With HBK winning the match above, Taker gets the SD win here. Prediction: Taker Money in the Bank Ladder Match This match is actually unpredictable to me. I could see anyone win. Here's how I rank everyone's chances: (1) Christian (2) Benoit (3) Kane (4) Edge (5) Shelton (6) Jericho. The only problem I see with a face win is that a face can't mess with the champion (likely face Batista) like a heel can. If Edge or Christian wins, they can play mind games with the champion and dangle his title shot over the champ's head every week. Obviously, the big match will likely be at a PPV. The whole "1 year expiration" of the title shot is the intriguing part, so WWE will have wasted it if they have the match some time between WM and Backlash. That part can allow for a huge build to a title match at either Bad Blood or even Summerslam (which is where I'd finally have the match). I picked Christian, so if he does win, he had better be given a monster push after WM. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this, a lot, as well. Prediction: Christian Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Eddie NEEDS the win. If given enough time, this could easily be MOTN. I get the feeling that they'll do an ending similar to Piper & Bret at WM VIII, with Eddie playing Piper with the ring bell and Rey playing Bret. Just because they're doing a similar scene doesn't mean Rey has to win though. After Eddie decides not to cheat, have Rey get some near falls and just have Eddie overcome him to win. Prediction: Eddie Big Show vs. Akebono I don't care, at all. They can't job Big Show to someone not even on the roster. So... Prediction: Big Show Trish vs. Christy Could be horrible. I just hope they don't put the title on Christy. This is a toss-up to me, but I'll say Trish just because after the way she's been built, I don't think WWE is stupid enough to give Christy the win. However, they need some new challengers (Laree, maybe?) after WM, because this division has been DEAD for some time, now. Prediction: Trish I think that's everything. Despite what alot of people are saying, I can't wait for WM, this year. I predict a good show.

1) What is your favorite WM, top to bottom, of all time? X7 2) What is your least favorite WM of all time? XI 3) What is your favorite WM match? Austin vs. Bret (13) 4) What is your least favorite WM match? Taker vs. Boss Man (XV) (excluding most of the pointless matches included in the early WM's) 5) Name some honorable mentions for favorite match: Austin vs. Rock (X7), Bret vs. Owen (X), HBK vs. Razor (X) 6) What is your favorite WM venue? MSG 7) What is your least favorite WM venue? Hartford, CT, for no real reason 8) Going in, which WM card do you think looked the best on paper? XIX 9) Going in, which WM card do you think looked worst on paper? 13 10) What do you think is the most underrated WM of all time? VII 11) What do you think is the most overrated WM of all time? VIII 12) What is your favorite WM moment? Benoit making HHH tap at XX, with post-match celebration 13) What is your least favorite WM moment? Changed: Hogan winning the title at IX 14) Who would you pick as the top three Wrestlemania performers of all time?Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels 15) How many of the previous 20 Wrestlemanias have you seen? All 16) What was the most surprising WM moment to you? Roddy Piper returning at XIX 17) Who was your favorite "special guest" at a WM? Pete Rose 18) Which WM have you seen the most times? XIV 19) Which WM commentary team was your favorite? Monsoon & Heenan 20) Above all, what do you want to see at WM this year? Good matches all around to make for an amazing show

A nice read to pass a few minutes. Just one nitpick: You forgot Bradshaw's loss at WM 13 as part of the New Blackjacks.

Honestly, I can't think of a single time I was ever a fan, but I don't remember really hating him, either. When I was little between 1991-1992, I always liked Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, and Undertaker among others. Although, back in that day, I was only 4-5 years old, so it was hard to follow the storylines and TV schedules.

Had Crush been pinned in the ring, Savage wouldn't have been able to win. It would have counted as though Crush had returned to the ring. That's what I got out of it, at least. I thought of that, but when the name of the match is "Falls Count Anywhere", it kind of contradicts the rules. But, that's probably it, regardless.

I'm in the middle of watching WM X right now, and I just finished Savage-Crush, Falls Count Anywhere. What was the deal with the rules? Yes, they're simple enough to understand, getting back to the ring in 60 seconds if pinned outside. But, what would've happened if the pin took place inside the ring? Savage hits a flying elbow. Vince tells him to cover him on commentary, but Savage pushes him outside and covers him there, instead. Vince then remarks that it's a smart move or something. Why? I would assume that a pin in the ring would result in an automatic win.