King Kamala

Happy birthday to Venkman, one of my top three posters.

Vampiro wasn't fucked over so much in '99, it was more that he was a complete non-entity for most of the year. I'll grant you when he did finally get pushed after tearing it up for most of the year on Thunder and Saturday Night, he got put in a lot of stupid shit storylines.

I could see that. Ironically, it's probably by far the least successful of the recent movies ('89 Batman on). People still really don't seem too into animated movies that aren't neccessarily for children. I wonder why that is but I guess it's another thread topic entirely.

You can start a new thread. Brody is just being an ass. And another chapter in TSM's love-hate relationship with Brody is written.

Thanks a lot guys. Tonight I'm going to celebrate in style by going down to Boston to see The Red Sox game and go to the Popeye's Chicken across the street. Clearly I am a man that knows how to party down.

I can see it somehow being tarnished by the gawd awful Guns 'N' Roses cover but it's in no way bad.

Haw. Any Russo apologists want to try to explain the "logics" behind The Powers That Be angle?

Welcome to another edition of the The Smart Mark round table. Before we get started, let me introduce our panel... 909: Current head of the WWE folder Hunter's Torn Quad: Esteemed former head of the WWE folder. MilleniumMan831: Resident WWE 24/7 Online expert oldskool: The newest member of the panel. Graciously stepped in at the last minute. King Kamala Classic: Some guy WWE Women's Title Match: Beth Phoenix © Vs Melina Vs Mickie James Hunter's Torn Quad: It'll be short, not too bad, and I think Mickie pins Melina to prolong the feud with Phoenix. Next millenniumman831: Should be decent, never been a fan of diva matches but these are among the best WWE has at this point. I'm thinking Phoenix regains and may start a feud w/ Michelle McCool soon 909: ok, um, i am also not the biggest fan of Diva matches. Should be about six minutes, Mickie pins Melina. Oldskool: I don't mind diva matches when they aren't insultingly bad, and this one should probably be one of the best this year. Beth pins Melina in about 8 minutes, intertwining Phoenix/Mickie with Phoenix/Melina. King Kamala Classic: Uh I hate to join the +1 crowd but yeah also not a huge fan of divas matches but this one won't be bad. It'll be like most WWE Women's titles matches. Not really given enough time to be particularly good or bad. It'll probably go around six or seven minutes with Beth retaining. John Cena Vs John Bradshaw Layfield Hunter's Torn Quad: Cena wins a very heated match. It'll be decent, but not much more than that unless they got to use shortcuts. Cena by FU in thirteen minutes millenniumman831: Don't have too much to add to this. Seems like a dead-end feud. I guess JBL may cheap out a victory to set up something for One Night Stand. While it should be a fun, violent match, the outcome of it doesn't intrigue me at all. 909: I'm very interested in this one. I'd like this to continue until ONS, but I can't possibly see JBL picking up the victory. I'll say, uh, Cena winning via rollup after fifteen minutes.JBL attacks in the post-match. Oldskool I didn't care when this match was the Smackdown main event for the WWE title at WM 21, so I certainly don't care now. JBL's owed wins over Cena after jobbing then as well as tapping at Backlash, so I think JBL takes it in about 12 minutes, and keeps laying the boots to him after the bell just to prove his point. King Kamala Classic I don't think it'll reach the heights of their I Quit match three years ago at this event but it'll be a fun ***ish brawl. Probably go around 12 minutes with Cena going over. I don't see this feud going on much longer. It just screams placeholder feud until Cena gets to do something better. 909: about the feud being dead-end, it is dead-end in the sense that, well, you know that Cena's going to win the thing and what he's going to do after King Kamala ClassicI think JBL since his return is a lot like DiBiase was back in the late 80s. He's a credible semi-main eventer that seems to get a run with almost every main-eventer but doesn't really get to go over any of them. Of course, JBL is no DiBiase but he's grown on me. Cena goes on to another main-event feud while JBL mixes it up with a mid-carder 909: I'm curious to see what JBL does afterward. Hunter's Torn Quad Cena isn't losing three PPV's in a row Oldskool: I see JBL going on to HHH, and Cena/Orton renewing their "You kicked my daddy's head" feud, just because I can't think of any other main-eventers on Raw. If that's going to happen JBL needs to go over, especially if HHH retains. King Kamala Classic: what the fuck happened to the draft? Wasn't it supposed to happen after Backlash? Oldskool: No other brand has anybody worth bringing to Raw, so they've put the draft off. WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho Vs Shawn Michaels Hunter's Torn Quad It'll be very good, maybe MOTN. It'll be built around Shawn's knee. I expect Shawn to win, because he's facing Jericho, but I would like to see Jericho win when Shawn passes out in a leg based submission hold. Either way, fifteen minutes and **** millenniumman831 : This is FAR and AWAY, the most interesting match/storyline of the night. This could go several different ways. I don't anticipate Deacon Batista to get directly involved but I'm sure he'll staredown Shawn backstage or maybe after the match. The only shot Y2J has here is if they have Batista be enough of a distraction from ringside that Jericho gets a rollup victory but I expect HBK to take it w/ Sweet Chin Music 909: Ok, this is definitely the most interesting part of the show. Should go about twenty minutes. I really expect Batista to interfere, powerbomb Michaels, allowing Jericho to pick up the win in a **** match.Minor nitpick, I don't like how the Intercontinental Title isn't defended on PPV. I'm pretty sure Jericho's going to get phased out of the storyline so he and Jeff Hardy can feud. I'd like those two to get off RAW, but it wouldn't make sense, unless Matt Hardy swapped over to Smackdown. Can't have two midcard belts on one show. Oldskool: I really don't know what they were doing with the rapid-fire turns here.Jericho turns heel by egging on the Dave/HBK match in the first place, and doubting Michaels' injury, only to turn back face by apologizing and admitting HBK really was hurt. Only to have HBK attempt a heel turn of his own by saying he wasn't really injured at all. I think it goes 20 minutes, ****, no decision when Michaels hurts his knee and Jericho continues to attack it, thinking he's faking it. Sets up Dave/Jericho because Batista can't get his revenge on HBK if he's out injured. King Kamala Classic: quick question, this isn't for the IC title, right? Oldskool: It's not mentioned anywhere, so I don't think the title's on the line. King Kamala Classic The only reason I see Jericho winning would be if it were an IC title match because what the hell would HBK do with the IC title at this stage in his career? Hunter's Torn Quad: Belt buckle? Oldskool: lose his smile and hand it to Shane Douglas? or the modern-day Shane Douglas, Matt Striker? King Kamala Classic: But since it's not, I think HBK wins cleanly with The Sweet Chin Music. Batista attacks him after the match. Like everybody's said, this is definitely the most intriguing match of the night. It looks like it'll be the match of the night. It'll probably go around 15 minutes. But yeah I don't see Jericho winning it. Hunter's Torn Quad: But he almost has to if they want to give HHH someone to squash before getting back into a program with Cena. Maybe HHH vs. Jericho at the Night of Champions PPV, in a title vs. title match? 909: I really wouldn't mind Jericho getting squashed by HHH this time around. I'm in the minority, probably. millenniumman831: It sure wouldn't frustrate me as much as it did 5 years ago King Kamala Classic: I don't think I'd be terribly upset to be honest. Oldskool: don't see Jericho beating HHH, but I also don't see what good the IC belt does on HHH. Remember the last time he won it in a title v title match? 909 I don't see what's wrong with it this time. Not like everyone is clamoring for a Jericho World Title reign. They could have a tournament! King Kamala Classic yes! lord knows we could use a tournament Oldskool: Regal, your King, your General Manager, your Intercontinental champion? Hunter's Torn Quad Jeff Hardy millenniumman831 ): *casual fan* Jeff isn't IC Champ? Oldskool He's one strike away from being fired, can you really put the IC title on him so soon after returning? King Kamala Classic that's exactly what I was thinking 909: Sure. It's just the Intercontinental Belt. King Kamala Classic: I don't know. Call me crazy but I think the IC title is more important than people give it credit for. And I don't think Jeff Hardy should get one right away after getting off a 60 day (or however long it was) suspension. Hunter's Torn Quad: The IC title started losing value in the Russo era, and very little has been since to raise it. It doesn't really matter who holds it Oldskool: Bah, got cut off. The only reason Jericho has it is because Hardy was suspended, and IIRC the only reason Hardy won it was because Umaga was suspended. Before that we had the Santino Marella incident. King Kamala Classic: I mean when their drug policy is under the most scrutiny they give a title to a guy who's been into rehab multiple times. But it is WWE. WWE Tag Team titles match: The Miz and John Morrison © Vs ECW World Champion Kane and CM Punk Hunter's Torn Quad: It'll be fine stuff. Punk will sell for his team, Kane will run wild on the comeback, and to further the ridiculous booking of Punk since he won MitB, he'll lose clean to Miz again. Ten minutes and *** millenniumman831: guessing it'll be a solid match. I'm thinking Punk/Kane wins the tag titles. This will set up AAE pitting champs against each other at ONS . ..ECW Title vs MITB 909: Ok, I think Punk and Kane will win the tag titles here, in a not-so-great ten minute match. Um, they'll lose the titles back to Miz and Morrison at ONS. Then face each other at Night of Champions. But, I wouldn't be surprised to see Punk lose again. And next week. Maybe the week after too.When they lose the belts back, it'll be because one champion accidentally hits the other. Oldskool: They're booking the ECW champion in a tag title match, while Deuce/Domino and Yang/Moore aren't on the show. There's no reason for this other than moving the titles off Miz/Morrison. Kane's notorious for winning tag titles in Odd Couple pairings; X-Pac, Rob Van Dam, and The Hurricane come to mind. Plus, it gives them the pairing of "champion and #1 contender having to co-exist", which is the sort of thing they love to do. They could tie in Chavo trying to screw Kane to get himself another title shot, but I doubt it. Kane/Punk win in about 25 minutes. King Kamala Classic I don't agree with CM Punk's post MITB booking but at the same time, I think it's kind of ridiculous to think he and Kane WON'T win this one. Especially since as oldskool says WWE loves odd couple pairings. CM Punk and Kane win in about ten minutes in a fun but kind of forgettable match only to lose them at ONS to set up a ECW title Vs MITB match at Night of Champions. World Heavyweight title match: Edge Vs The Undertaker Hunter's Torn Quad: Snooze. Enough, already. It's just not that interesting a program for three straight PPV's. It's the same tired UT crap with all the voodoo bullshit. No mas. I don't care who wins or loses, just end it already. Edge wins by nefarious means in a 15 minute ***1/2 match millenniumman831: Just a terrible turn to a decent angle. I'm thinking they'll be a controversial finish in which Teddy Long sets some multi-match hijinx at ONS or Night of Champions to crown a new champion. 909: This is the worst main event angle I can remember in quite a while. Worst meaning most boring. I really don't give a fuck. I know that Taker is going to win the feud. I don't care how, I just want it done two months ago.): Taker wins a ***1/4 match after about 17 minutes. End this shit for the love of God. Oldskool: The nice thing about having PPVs every other week is you can have bullshit finishes in title matches. ONS is two weeks after Judgment Day.Edge wins the match via DQ after Taker applies That Deadly Submission Hold. But since titles can't change hands via disqualification (and with Vicki out, as mentioned previously) there's no one to hand him the belt or re-start the match, so the title's held up until ONS. At which point it's revealed that ONS is all extreme rules, making it impossible to DQ Taker for the choke. King Kamala Classic: I like to think I'm generally optimistic regarding the product but for the love of god, END THIS NOW! With each twist and turn, this feud has gotten progressively less interesting and just more convoluted. This shit sucks. The match itself will be pretty good. The optimist in me thinks The Undertaker will clean and blow off the feud, the pessimist in me think there will be a screwy finish and they'll have the blowoff at ONS or Night of Champions. I'll say Undertaker wins cleanly but who does he go on to face next? 909: Chavo. millenniumman831:Big Show Old Skool: Chavo & Edge, handicap for the title to tease La Familia tension. King Kamala Classic as long as it isn't Khali... 909: I think Big Show is the guy.I sure would like to see what Edge does next. There's not a whole lot. ConnMan520 (9:02:17 PM): do you think Big Show would do his 718th turn and be a heel? Or be face Vs face. millenniumman831 :Tweener vs face "Do what I have to do" Big Show Oldskool: tweener vs tweener, Taker doesn't do anything to be a face besides wrestling heels. It's just a match, there won't be any alignments if that's the direction they take it. King Kamala Classic even though their past matches have all kind of sucked, I'd be intrigued to see The Big Show-Taker and I can't explain why Oldskool: The first time since his comeback Big Show faces somebody that can actually work. millenniumman831: Cause Show is being built like Godzilla 909: I just want to see that because it's sorta fresh. Fresh is good at this point in time, because things are so stagnant Hunter's Torn Quad: Anything would be better than yet another match with Edge King Kamala Classic I think that's something we all can agree on Steel Cage match for the WWE title: Triple H © Vs Randy Orton Hunter's Torn Quad: Would have been more interesting had they done some kind of angle on Raw, other than HHH standing tall over, literally, Orton. I know it would have been two weeks in a row with a similar angle, but they really should have had Orton bloody HHH up to end Raw. Something to make people better get into the idea of wanting to see HHH beat the shit out of Orton in the cage And they've done a terrible job of making it seem like this had to be a cage match. The stip seems thrown out there for no reason other than they just wanted to make a cage match. Regal turns out the lights, so it's a cage match now? It'll be the usual good match they have. Twenty minutes of a **** old-school bloodbath with lots of cage shots and the like. Hunter wins, of course. millenniumman831 Much agreement there. Plus, Orton just went under the side of the cage and hit the floor. Is that supposed to = victory for Orton? Is that the only chance we are to believe he can win? I'm sure the match will be a good ol bloodbath like HTQ said but yeah, Orton has no chance, a zero out of 10 chance. 909: I like that it's a cage match, but really, it doesn't make much sense. HHH definitely wins the match after, let's say, 25 minutes. After all, there aren't many matches on this PPV. I see no reason this couldn't be as good as Last Man Standing, which I rated ****1/2. I can't wait for HHH/Regal. Oldskool: Regal hasn't been involved in the PPV yet, at least by our accounts.He got back at Kennedy with the Snitsky match, he got back at Cena with the special guest referee at the last second, but he hasn't done anything with HHH. The 14 on 2 was the closest. Match goes about a half hour, they'll have plenty of time to kill because it's a six-match card. Regal slams the cage door on HHH, Orton then punts him on his way to the door himself to escape and take the belt back. King Kamala Classic I don't know but I'm almost as excited for this match as HBK/Jericho. Despite the fact that it hasn't buildup worthy of a huge, blowoff cage match that it likely will be. I think Triple H wins in about 30 minutes in a very good, old school cage match. Both men will probably do blade jobs. The match will probably go **** maybe ****1/2. It seems like match tailor made for Triple H's style. Triple H goes on to feud with Regal and face him at ONS and maybe Night of Champions before he goes on to face Cena. Where is this show? Omaha? They don't get a lot of entertainment so they should be hot. Oldskool Omaha indeed. 909: It's not like this card is stacked by any stretch, though. King Kamala Classic: not really 909: The crowd could well be dead, after all, not like either of the main events are fresh matchups. millenniumman831: This sounds like it should be a 3-hour Raw or something King Kamala Classic: I think it'll be a good card though, wrestling-wise. Besides the women's match, I think every match has the potential to hit *** or higher. millenniumman831 I meant heat wise, a 3hr Raw. I'm sure the rasslin will be solid 909: The wrestling looks good, but I just can't wait until the two main event programs are done. Then it'll be easier to be enthusiastic about the product. King Kamala Classic: It's hard to gauge how hot the crowd will be since I don't think Omaha has held a PPV since In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies. Hunter's Torn Quad: Theoretically, they should be hot from the beginning. But who can tell Oldskool: They should be hot from the start, but I have a feeling they'll start with the women's triple threat and that'll quiet them right down. millenniumman831: I'm sure the Burchill/Crazy squash before the ppv goes on the air will get the crowd in a frenzy Oldskool: Burchill/Lea v. Crazy, you mean. King Kamala Classic: I can't remember a time when a women's match opened a show. It seems like it always gets the nachos break slot. 909: The women's match will probably fill between edge/taker and the cage match King Kamala Classic I'm going to guess Kane/CM Punk-Miz/Morrison opens Oldskool: I guess I'd go tag titles, women's title, JBL/Cena, Edge/Taker, Jericho/Michaels and HHH/Orton. King Kamala Classic: If I had to make a wild guess, I'd say; 1. Kane/CM Punk-Miz/Morrison 2. women's title 3. Edge/Taker 4. Jericho/Michaels, 5. JBL/Cena 6. Cage Oldskool: There are less matches on this card than there are titles in the company. That's sad. I don't think they'd go with three Raw matches in a row, and I really don't like JBL/Cena fifth considering how shittily that's been built. Edge/Taker third I can't argue, that match has played out well beyond its shelf life. 909: This show looks like the best workrate show they've put on in a while. Looks like it.

Well if you want to be a Let's Talk About... thread, you'll have to wait till Friday since we've enacted an official one Let's Talk About... thread a week rule but you can call it something else if you want to post it sooner. Call it Behind The Angle or something and we can have another weekly thread!

I really liked both actually but you got to admit, they weren't very good movies. If that makes any sense.

Whoops, pressed quote when I meant to press edit.

Seven if you count Batman: Mask of Phantasm which was released theatrically IIRC Or maybe you were counting that and you forgot Batman: The Movie with Adam West!

I don't think he's that broke with all of the standup gigs he does unless he has a drug problem. Actually that's probably it.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Triple H/Regal placeholder feud but that's probably just wishful thinking

She did it for Rodman!

It's odd that Garlic Bread is getting overwhelming support by the people who vote in this thread but is getting drubbed in the voting.

I knew it was that popular due to the fact that my dad bought that album. That's one of maybe a dozen albums he's bought that've been released in the past decade.

Speaking of which, why does Zack Galifnakis only appear in movies that look/are absolutely terrible? At this point, I'm guessing it's solely so he can have fodder for his standup act.

I'll agree with you there, cabbageboy. A lot of people point to Goldberg's streak ending and The Finger Poke of Doom but WCW was still doing fine in the first two or three months of '99. In fact, St. Valentine's Day Massacre's buyrate was only a hair bigger than SuperBrawl's and WCW was drawing record house show attendance with Hogan Vs Flair. Speaking of which, I can imagine that first blood cage match they had at Uncensored turned a lot of people off WCW Back to DDP, I didn't have much of a problem with how he won the title (at least it was something different) but more with the way he was booked afterwards. Almost immediately after he turned heel and IMHO DDP absolutely sucks as a heel. He is the definition of a cliched wrestling heel. And then around that same time- Goldberg took a hiatus to film the Universal Soldier sequel and Hogan took a hiatus. And David Flair started wrestling regularly, we got another Kevin Nash world title run and Sid showed up. Just as WCW seemed to be picking up a little momentum with Spring Stampede, everything seemed to go wrong in a relatively short period of time. That's really the story of WCW. Just as things start to look like they'll work out OK, a bunch of bad shit happens. Summer of '99 WCW is just unbearable to watch. Even the cruiserweight matches at that period weren't particularly memorable. Hell, I can't even remember who had the title. Yet somehow I own Slamboree '99 and Great American Bash '99 on VHS...go figure.

Eh, I honestly just did it because everybody else was doing it.

Feel free to use that as The Let's Talk About...topic next week. The only thing very mildly amusing about that whole angle was how it was abandoned once Bischoff got canned and I think on the first or second Nitro after he came back, they revealed it was him in a very lazy manner. It was like an hour before the Nitro they realized they had forgotten that angle for months and decided to come up with the most half-assed way to end it.

Pretty much my thoughts as well. Though The Deal or No Deal and Japanese Office sketches as well as McCain's appearences make this one of the better ones of the season.

Someone must like it if they keep bringin' it back. Then again SNL has seemed to be lowering their standard lately for what sketches deserve to be recurring.

I think the worst attribute of Russo's booking is not his love for worked shoot angles or his pubescent ideas for mid carders' gimmicks (HUGH G. RECTION!? HAW!) but his complete lack of patience. Since The Powers That Be angle wasn't capturing the wrestling fans imaginations (except cabbageboy's apparently...), he immediately became desparate with those dumbshit nWo and Montreal retreads. As he became more and more desparate in WCW, his ideas got worse and worse.

I kind of liked the first MacGruber then the next two or three I wasn't so hot on but I thought last week's was the best yet.