Corey_Lazarus

Once Mantel comes in full-time, Russo is pretty much being phased out. Mantel's price is probably cheaper, and his results are better than Russo's. Plus, Mantel goes by an old-school philosophy of MAKING SENSE, whereas Russo tries to stick to shock factor still. Overall, I'd say TNA benefitted from Russo more than a lot of us would probably like to think. The announcement of Russo's involvement DID increase the fanbase, as did the SEX vs. TNA storyline (even if the ending was awful and non-existant, the ride was pretty good, and created some captivating television).

chaosrage, most people hate the WM12 Iron Man because the psychology was completely discarded in favor of just hitting big spots, and neither man sold a whole lot. Now, if the stipulation was "one fall, 60-minute time limit" instead of "Iron Man" rules (since the final score was 1-0 HBK, correct?), I doubt as many people would hate the match as much. Personally, I haven't seen it, because I didn't start ordering WrestleMania until 14 (a little after I became a hardcore fan instead of just a casual viewer when nothing else was on), and there's no tapes of WM12 in any local stores. I'll probably get the HBK DVD for X-Mas (it has the Iron Man, doesn't it?), so then I'll be able to accurately comment on everything.

Russo is a fine writer when he has both a filter and somebody with an old-school notion of what a wrestling should be about. Then we get the nice blend of CrashTV and old-school wrestling we got during August and September that makes us all happy. But when it's obvious he's going willy-nilly, like during the TNA shows at the beginning of the year (when SEX was everywhere) and that slump after 4/28, the shows suffer, because he really doesn't know what to do about EVERYTHING. Russo can be useful in getting the midcard-and-lower talent over by giving them programs, and has a knack for getting just about any worker over (he got MARK HENRY over, for fuck's sake), but the man needs a filter and somebody that knows WRESTLING.

Well, syxx...want some counterpoint? 4/28: Most of Raven's angles, as many wrestlers will rightfully admit, are of Raven's own doing. I'm sure Russo gave pointers, but I'm also almost entirely convinced Raven did most of the work (given Raven's track record for good angles involving him, all of which he's had the primary hand in). Styles, NWA World champion: Yes, fuck Russo for giving Styles the belt...and then overshadowing the champion by saying that HE, VINCE FUCKING RUSSO, TOOK THE TITLE FROM JEFF JARRETT. Russo booked himself to make it look like Styles was nothing without him, which did no service to anybody involved (Jarrett lost to a manager, Styles needs Russo to win, and the fans hate Russo because he is interjecting himself into storylines). XXX/AMW: I'll give him this much. But the feud was mostly based around ring work, and it doesn't take a genius booker to say "hey, these guys are putting on some pretty good matches that the fans are eating up, let's have them feud."

See, you said METAL, so I assumed you meant METAL, not HARD ROCK. As for mainstream "nu-metal" singers, Corey Taylor and David Dramain are very good (even if Taylor's bands are incredibly awful), and Serj Tankian has this voice that is just fitting (bad singer, but his voice is cool).

I stopped caring February 2002. I expected him to be pretty crap from ring rust for a month or so, but when it became apparent that he was getting the Undisputed title, while being extremely rusty, pissed me off. I didn't start EXTREMELY disliking him as a wrestler until he dropped the Undisputed title to the Undertaker (Backlash 2002, I believe). That's when I stopped caring at all for HHH. Recently, though, I've started liking the HHH character again. The wrestler? Tolerable. He HAS been showing signs of his former 1999/2000/2001 self again, but he's still not even 1/4 as good as he used to be. Most of all, though, I'm pissed that I have so much HHH memorabilia ("The Game" edition of WWF Magazine, a HHH throwblanket, "Game Over?!" t-shirt, a HHH tee from around his quad tear that is so crappy looking, and a few HHH figures).

Damn you, Choken! (all of these songs are actually on my WinAmp playlist) 1. Shadows Fall - "Of One Blood" 2. Killswitch Engage - "The Element Of One" 3. Misfits - "Where Eagles Dare" 4. Sex Pistols - "Pretty Vacant" 5. Metallica - "For Whom The Bell Tolls" 6. Iron Maiden - "The Wicker Man" 7. Pro-Pain - "Make War Not Love" 8. Slayer - "Disciple" 9. Monolith - "The Four Horsemen (Metallica Cover)" 10. Shadows Fall - "The Art Of Balance" 11. Amen - "Here's The Poison" 12. Nevermore - "Beyond Within" 12. Beyond The Embrace - "Against The Elements" 13. Venom - "Black Metal" 14. Misfits - "Descending Angel" 15. Slayer - "Angel Of Death" 16. Fear Factory - "Scapegoat" 17. Black Label Society - "We Live No More" 18. Shadows Fall - "A Fire In Babylon"

Such as? I'd say Ripper (ex-Judas Priest, Iced Earth) and Matt Barlow (ex-Iced Earth) own Ronnie's annoying ball-less voice in every which way. And let's not forget that Burton C. Belle has quite a great SINGING voice, too.

Ugh...why does TNA insist on making me not care about Christopher Daniels? First a horrible program with Jeff Jarrett, and now a match with "The Future Of Vanilla" Frankie Kazarian? God DAMN...

2002. I'd tell myself that I'd start smoking, that Timmay and Jeff and Grampy died, that I'd lose my virginity at the beginning of Senior year (so I wouldn't obsess over it), and I'd make sure I NEVER CUT MY FUCKING HAIR. I'd also make sure I knew not to even bother trying to go out with Katelin again, because it will never work, and that Crystal might just be the most ecstasy-inducing person I'd ever meet. ...oh, and I'd say 2003 would be better for WWE, but worse for TNA, and that metal would make a comeback.

You sure? I coulda sworn I heard some double-bass in "The Wicker Man"...

I'm with 1inch in his Jarrett hate. But my thinking for Jarrett to win the title off AJ isn't as biased as his is. I'll point some facts out... -Jarrett won the feud against Scott Hall in the early months of TNA. -Jarrett won the feud against SEX by himself (when it was REALLY supposed to be SEX vs. TNA). -Jarrett defeated Ron "The Truth" Killings for the NWA World title. -Jarrett defeated AJ Styles, right when Styles was red-hot in his start of the main-event push, to retain the NWA World title. -Jarrett defeats Raven, after nearly 8 people interfered and did moves that would kill even Hogan back in the day, cleanly 1-2-3 to keep the NWA World title (I understand Raven losing was necessary to keep the belt in TNA, but Raven didn't need/deserve to be made to look that bad). -Jarrett lost the NWA World title in a Triple Threat match, a style of match notorious for saying "even if the champion is pinned, he had two people to deal with instead of one." -Jarrett practically squashed Legend and the rest of Russo's new stable. -Jarrett won the War Games match cleanly and by himself. -Jarrett defeated Christopher Daniels in the blowoff to their semi-main event feud after one of Daniels' followers interfered CLEANLY. -Jarrett has made AJ Styles look like his bitch in every encounter of the two so far. -AJ Styles has been booked as a champion that needs Vince Russo, and with AJ ridding himself of Russo recently, he has "no way" to keep the title (in kayfabe terms). So all of this leads to Jarrett becoming the first 2-time, 2-time NWA World champion in TNA's history. I'll be surprised if AJ walks out with a win, a clean win especially (then I'd cream myself), but I'm not counting on it one bit. Jeff Jarrett makes me wish TNA had a cable deal, so then I could just change the channel when he comes on.

Dammit! He should've rolled a 20 and collected "Garden Protection #4."

**cranks the Whitesnake in Metal Ed's honor**

Go, Mantell, go!

...I'll be sure to tell her you said that...? And Agent would LOVE this... Heather (girl in sig) is an Acid Bath fan.

1. Fight Tyson (the moment the bell rings, fall down for the count) 2. Watch a porn WITH them 3. Have the power to carbonate fluids. To fuck with people, I'd SO carbonate their piss when they just get to the urinals. 4. Play footsie with Osama so I can kick him in his small junk (IT'S TRUE! SOUTH PARK SAID SO!) 5. Nipples and eyes. 6. Fat chick. Remember, I LOVEZ DA CHUB! 7. Jizzmopper. 8. Corporate America 9. Shamrock with Tequila (maybe he'll blow less spots) 10. I already have a huge penis... 11. Hospital dumpster. 12. Head from someone with herpes (since you never said whether it be oral or genital, or just the chicken pox or mono). Would you rather get head from your grandmother or streak into Harlem wearing only a KKK hood?

I've actually gotten a few of my friends into Shadows Fall because of my love for them, as well as their OzzFest set. My friends Emily and Charles got into Massachusetts's Best Band (fuck Aerosmith) via me and OzzFest. Looks like {bleep}Fest did some good, eh?

Sorry, but nothing, NOTHING Paige has ever done with the guitar can be considered the best of anything. The man has no soul when he plays, and he's actually incredibly sloppy (considering the style of rock Zeppelin is wasn't meant to be sloppy, that's bad). No love for "Angel Of Death" and its dueling solo's? Fuckers. All of them. Fuckers.

Counting TNA, The Gathering. If only because I'm a Raven mark, CM Punk is the shit, and Julio is pretty good with a great look (the mallgoth look just FITS him, you know?). Not counting TNA...uhh...Special K, if only because it's the only indy stable whose work I've seen (no money = no indy tapes).

See, I would've voted Brown/Daniels, but that didn't have the Samoan Death Drop.

Nah, "River Of Deceit" is too mellow. Besides, it was a common song used for video packages involving Tommy Dreamer in ECW. WWE RAW Rob Van Dam - "Walk" (Pantera) HHH - "Orgasmatron" (Motörhead) Steve Austin - "Demise Of Sanity" (Black Label Society) Christian - "Here I Go Again" (Whitesnake) Chris Jericho - "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" (Quiet Riot) OR "To Kill A Stranger" (Fozzy) Kane - "I Don't Wanna Be Me" (Type O Negative) SMACKDOWN Kurt Angle - "I Need A Hero" (forget who) Undertaker - "We Live No More" (Black Label Society) TWGTT - "Push" (Helloween) John Cena - "1/2 & 1/2" (Gang Starr) Los Guerreros - "Smooth" (Santana f/ Rob Thomas) Funaki - "Turning Japanese" (The Vapors) Brock Lesnar - "Terminator" (dunno the composer) TNA Raven - "Crushing Belial" (Shadows Fall) Vampiro - "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (Misfits) The New Church - "Skeletons Of Society" (Slayer) Jerry Lynn - "Of Hate We Breed" (Susperia) Jeff Jarrett - "9 Teen 90 Nine" (Limp Bizkit) Shark Boy - "Jaws" (John Williams) AJ Styles - "Now Or Never" (Dope) D'Lo Brown - "Jungle Love" (Morris Day & The Time) Sonny Siaki/Ekmo Fatu - "Blood Milk & Sky" (White Zombie)

Yes, yes they did.

Monty Python is fucking overrated as all hell. It honestly is. The jokes fall flat on me, and I can find DENNIS MILLER funny. Some of them are funny, but most of the show is hit-or-miss. As for this list, it's more like "best comedy from the late 1970's/early 1980's." Because I think Orgazmo blows almost all of these out of the water in terms of hilarity.

Monty Python is fucking overrated as all hell. It honestly is. The jokes fall flat on me, and I can find DENNIS MILLER funny. Some of them are funny, but most of the show is hit-or-miss. As for this list, it's more like "best comedy from the late 1970's/early 1980's." Because I think Orgazmo blows almost all of these out of the water in terms of hilarity.