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I've been looking for coverage as well - I've seen it on the bottom scroller of all the major cable news stations, and Headline News' "Showbiz Tonight" show at 7pm nightly did a piece on him last night, and had a live interview with Vince McMahon (nothing newsworthy came from the interview, just a recap of the situation). CNN.com and SI.com also had stories about it, as did Fox News. I think the tribute tonight is actually a part of the Rita Cosby show on MSNBC.

Yeah, that's a helluva price. Actually less than I paid for the first three volumes, plus tax, at Wal-Mart - that came out to almost $140 . . . .

2. Yes, I believe the WWE logo is in every corner I saw. 3. I haven't watched any of it yet, but it most definitely is.. just not as much as the ones after that. This was the last WM to have the block logo on the turnbuckles, so we don't have to worry about that one. The scratch logo is still many other places though (announce table, WM logo, match graphics, etc.). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I found the oddball thing about WM 14 to be the editing done during Taka Michinoku's match vs. Aguila - they edit out his music for something even more generic than the original, and Finkel does a voiced-over ring entrance. I vaguely remember his music being something kinda generic to begin with, so I found this to be really odd . . . As for the blurring on 14, it's not too bad. They hadn't gone full-force with the scratch logo yet, so luckily it's not hacked all to pieces. 15 is a different story though :-) I've got the original DVD's of 16-21, thankfully, because trying to watch my favorite WM (17) with all of that blurring would drive me insane.

Yeah, that's very true. I think last night's Flair vs. HHH IC title match was probably the most "important" mid-card title match that I can remember in a long, long time, and definitely had more of a big-match feel than an IC title match has had in a long time, especially considering it's usually the curtain-jerker for most Raw PPV's. I really miss the days when guys would feud over the IC/US/TV titles like it was THE most important strap in the world at that particular moment. The IC title hasn't meant much at all since at least the mid-90's, with the possible exception of the Austin/Owen feud in '97 . . .

Yeah, I'm finding it hard to believe that there are people who won't buy the set just because some music has been changed, etc. I purchased the first three volumes and I can personally tell you that having all of these shows in DVD quality is well worth the few instances where things were changed for royalty issues. To me, it's no more annoying that having those ridiculous "Coliseum Video Exclusive" segments that were all over the original VHS releases, they just seemed out of place and contrived sometimes. At least the DVD's are pretty much the unedited PPV with the exception of a few music changes . . .

I can't believe I'm thinking about ordering Taboo Tuesday because of a play-by-play guy. Has WWE's product gotten so stale that simple changes in the announce booth can cause someone to get so excited for change that they'd throw down $35? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, actually. I don't think it will pop a huge increase in buyrate, but I'd say just the addition of Styles to the announce booth for the event will generate a few thousand buyers that may not have purchased the show otherwise.

Yeah, 16-21 I already own on DVD from the original releases, so I didn't even bother with the full boxset. I covet my original X-7 DVD, just for the fact that there's no blurring/editing and the Limp Bizkit music is intact. For some reason, that song just MADE it great.

As an update - I just purchased the first three volumes of the Anthology at Wal-Mart. Our store had each of the individual volumes, but not the entire boxset. They sold for $42.88 each. Pricier than deepdiscountdvd and a couple of other places, but I'm impatient. Haven't gotten to watch any yet as I'm at work, hopefully will know more later . . . .

My only problem with Masters is his mic skills - JBL was exactly right when he said that he sounds like he's got marbles in his mouth. He just sucks on the mic, period. Aside from that, he's not too offensive in the ring and should continue to improve there. I just can't deal with the Masterlock as a finisher long-term, for some reason. I think back to things like the Hercules/Billy Jack Haynes feud when I see him do it, and it just screams mid-card for some odd reason.

This argument could go on FOREVER - bottom line with me is, it was fucked up, whether JR was OK with it or not, it had no place on the show, and it was completely wasted time that could've been used for ANYTHING other than that useless shit. It didn't get anyone over, it wasn't very funny (even when looked at in an objective light), it served no purpose other than to further yet ANOTHER dumb-ass angle involving announcers (as if pushing the wrestling talent is not good enough, it's time for our yearly pissed-off/fired/abused announcer angle), and it IN NO WAY makes me the least bit excited to see next weeks show, or to order a PPV, or anything else of that nature. I get tired of Vince's "surprises" being stupid shit like this or something that we've seen coming from 10 miles away. I just wonder how much of this stupidity we're gonna have to endure before we get another "golden age" where everything is right with wrestling again. I'm not one of these fans that says "I'm never watching WWE again!!" because I know it's not true - it may not be must-see TV for me for a while, but I'll still follow the product and watch on a semi-regular basis. But if I could beg at the feet of Vince and Co. for anything, it would be to give us storylines that push the wrestlers, title matches and angles that mean something, and TV that makes me at least want to tune in next week.

While we're on the subject - has there been any early sightings of the set on sale? I know that many times some retailers will "accidentally" put things out a bit early . . .

Yes, they are being sold in sets of 5 each (1-5, 6-10, 11-15, and 16-20) The entire boxset, from what I understand, will include WM 21 as well. I'm in the same boat. I don't need 16-21, as I already have the original DVD releases, and they'll be edited all to hell in the Anthology. But, I will purchase the first three set just as soon as I see them. I wonder if Wal-Mart is planning on carrying these, or just the whole set, or not at all . . . .

Yeah, this is my thought as well. I'm pretty confident that Ventura's commentary WILL be on the DVD's. It would completely ruin the flow and the enjoyment of the first 6 shows if Ventura is cut out. There are several occasions where Jesse and Gorilla are "arguing" or generally being silly during a match, and these would make no sense with Jesse cut out. I'm betting they've paid him for the commentary this time, and we've got little to worry about. They're banking on this being a big hit, and I can't imagine that they would sell many at all if people found out the commentary was hacked.

I wondered if someone would get my little joke Orlando is about mid-way inland from each shore, but with Florida being not very wide, that's not saying much. My wife and I went to Orlando over the summer, and although it's a great place, I wouldn't want to be there during a hurricane.

From the weather report I saw this morning, it looks as if the storm will be right over Florida during a good portion of the day on Sunday. There has been an update on TNAwrestling.com stating that the events are scheduled to go on as planned, but I feel like it's probably uncertain at best . . . So, TNA is preparing for their "WrestleMania" of sorts, and here comes a big-ass strong hurricane. What will they do? I'm guessing it will just move to the next Sunday, but if that conflicts with something else going on at Universal Studios, then they may have a problem . . . Any thoughts, or has anyone heard any news concerning this?

Exactly. You guys act like she's eaten herself to that point. She's pregnant, dammit, and believe it or not, when you're pregnant, you might just gain a little weight. At least that's what you HOPE happens when you're pregnant. Some of you guys will NEVER be able to handle being married, or having kids, because you can't stand the thought of someone looking like something other than a twig with big breasts. The immaturity level (like calling her a coked-out Tammy Sytch) on this board is sometimes absolutely astounding. I do agree with CanadianChick though - who wears clothes like that when they're pregnant? I kind of expected a more conservative look, but oh well. If I had breasts like that, I'd show them off too. Nothing wrong with being proud of yourself . . .

I've always thought that SmackDown was treated as the inferior brand, and I was under the assumption that was never the intention, but that's how it is. Personally, I would love to see UPN drop SmackDown entirely, and it find its way to USA for a Wed. or Thurs. night airing. I'd actually love to see SmackDown go live, but I know that will probably never happen due to the costs of producing two live shows per week. I was wishy-washy on the whole brand split to begin with but it's honestly grown on me, so I really don't want to see it end, at least without a mega-angle to blow it off. I think SD! viewership would increase slightly with a move to USA. While UPN probably can claim to reach more households overall, I don't think that UPN has been all that accomodating in promoting the show. I think that the proper promotion that USA would give it would ultimately help the cause (they seem to be really "up" on promoting RAW, even on NBC and other Universal outlets). However, I don't know if USA is devoted enough to WWE to let it have 5 hours of programming per week. In the grand scheme of things, that's not much, but I know that some other lesser-viewed programming actually drives in more ad revenue than WWE.

I "think" the release date is Nov. 15th, if I remember correctly.

Or, they got the month wrong. Keep in mind the Bret/Owen SummerSlam cage match was on August 29th . . . . <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I would doubt that because the time listed is 17:20 and the cage match was over 30 minutes. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very true, good point. It's likely the second Action Zone match, though it could be either based on the time and what they cut/leave in for ring entrances, etc.

Well, the listing we're getting from the BBFC site is more than likely something that was turned in by WWE or the UK DVD manufacturer to get a rating/approval for sale in the UK. So, dates weren't really needed for that, just a general breakdown of the DVD in order to judge what it should be rated . . . we'll get the match dates when Silvervision.co.uk finally lists it.

Or, they got the month wrong. Keep in mind the Bret/Owen SummerSlam cage match was on August 29th . . . . though I'd hope, since it was on the Bloodbath cage matches DVD, that it'll be the Action Zone match with the Owen title win/Dusty Finish. That was classic . . .

That means nothing, they've been cutting him out of past WWE and WCW stuff that has been released before as well. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'd almost bet that Jesse's commentary will be there. If you'll notice, the only times that they cut Jesse's commentary are 1) when it's WCW stuff, and 2) when there's only one or maybe two matches on a DVD featuring his commentary. I'm sure the agreement states that he must be paid a flat fee/royalty each time his voice is used, so it's pointless to pay him for one match here and one match there. On stuff where his voice is a prominent feature and would completely detract from the DVD if edited, such as Hulk Still Rules, it's been there intact. I just can't imagine that WWE would release an expensive, humongous DVD set like the WrestleMania Anthology knowing that word would get around if Jesse's commentary is gone, completely diminishing sales and making it a worthless purchase. Plus, his introductions are included as chapters on the DVD's, so that should tell the tale right there . . .

With the WrestleMania Box Set coming out within two weeks of this, I'd say that the WM 13 match may not be on the Bret set. I'm hoping it's just talked about in the main segment, and the "extra" match is the Survivor Series '96 match.

I would say that's exactly the case. I'm pretty sure Bret wants this to be as positive as possible for the fans, and the Montreal incident has honestly been driven into the ground. Plus, the entire Montreal match can be found on the Best of Confidential, Vol. 1 DVD if you can track a copy of that down . . .

Yeah, looks like some quality stuff. Glad to see that some quality matches are on there, especially stuff with Steamboat, DiBiase, the Rockers, and the Bulldogs. Betting that the Harts/Bulldogs match will be the title victory, but I don't know that for sure. Plus the two matches with Davey Boy, one will be SummerSlam '92, and I'm hoping the other is the IYH 5 bloodbath (Bret bled huge in that one, and it's a quality match). I'll be anxious to see an "easier to read" version of the listing that's hopefully got dates, etc. on it. So far, looks excellent!