iamsherm

Here's a question my friend and I were wondering: Was HHH's selling of the test of strength legit (in character, at least) or was that all part of his plan to bait Eugene?

For Jericho's sake, I hope your wrong. For quality television's sake, I hope I'm right. I did not sit through a year of this angle for it to end in a 7 or 8 minute match against Tyson fucking Tomko.

This talk of a "fingerpoke of doom" doesn't make any sense. It is true that this match is for the #1 contender's spot, but above that, Bischoff made the match so that Triple H would destroy Eugene and break his will to the point that he's forced to leave the company. Having Eugene lay down doesn't get the job done. Now granted, we all know Eugene isn't going anywhere regardless of the outcome on Monday, but I don't see that happening at all. Personally, I think it would make much more sense for Kane to interfere midway through and chokeslam Eugene. Therefore, Eugene wins by DQ and HHH does not become #1 contender. Then, the following week, HHH is pissed and confronts Kane for costing him the title shot. As they're about to come to blows, Bischoff comes out and books Kane-HHH (to determine the #1 contender) for Vengeance. HHH goes on to win that match and fight Benoit (who would be victorious over Edge) at Summerslam. As for Jericho, I don't think his feud with Trish is over. I'm sure we'll see that continue at Vengeance (handicap match?) so that it can conclude at Summerslam.

Have you been watching RAW since the upset? The creative team, for the most part, has busted their ass in trying to make Shelton Benjamin a star. Off the top of my head, he's gotten wins over Ric Flair and Triple H (2 or 3 of them), he's stood toe to toe with Randy Orton on the mic, and he was one of the last 4 or 5 guys left in the battle royal. The only time I really felt they dropped the ball was when Benjamin disappeared after Shawn Michaels ran in during his match with HHH a couple weeks ago. As a result of all that, he is over. Mission accomplished.

This is what I fully expect to happen. Once it does... unless they completely ignore his first few weeks on RAW, how they expect to elicit any sort of sympathy for Matt is beyond me.

That site's correct. Cade was born in 1980. He graduated from my high school two years ahead of me, and I was born in 1982. The real name is a different story, though.

Come on guys. Even the WWE knows that a match like Eddie/Bradshaw will not sell. I'm sure they'll spice it up a bit: Eddie vs. Bradshaw WWE Title Special Guest Referee ... Faarooq

Is there anything greater on WWE TV today than La Resistance? Ever since Grenier left, their segments on RAW have consistently been the funniest and more captivating parts of the night for me, and the backstage bits with FiFi last Monday were no exception. Whoever decided to add her to the mix deserves a raise. I could have done without the subsequent, tired Stone Cold beatdown of Rene later in the show, but TV time is TV time I suppose. My point: if this draft lottery spells the end of the entire gimmick, I'm going to be pissed. Discuss.

I will add that I hope they keep all three guys together after the lottery. There's still a lot of story to be written in that, now that Grenier is back, there are now quite a few combinations to be used in chasing after the tag titles. One night Grenier and Dupree can team, and then the next week Grenier sits out while Conway steps in. The announcers can then play up the fact that La Resistance has an advantage because the opposing teams don't know which members of La Resistance they'll face when strategizing for their match. Once they do get the tag titles, then you can have Conway split away from the group due to conflict regarding who holds the belts. He seems more apt to be a singles star to begin with.

Oh, I agree. It's just that what Grenier lacks in the ring, Dupree more than makes up for it with charisma and improving wrestling skills. Once Conway inevitably breaks off from La Resistance (probably beginning with the lottery on Monday), I still think Dupree can carry the team for some pretty entertaining TV.

Point taken. However, I think if the characters stray away from the politics and the war in Iraq, while still maintaining the narcissism and arrogant, condescending interviews, they can still be a useful aspect of the program. Hell, if you actually have them take the offensive for a change, they can be some of the biggest heels in the business. Imagine Rene baiting Stone Cold to the ring on Monday, only for Grenier and Conway to come out and take out Austin from behind. To me, that's more compelling television than what we were treated to in reality. He sure was inoffensive on Monday.

Agreed. First and foremost, I suggest doing away with the titan tron in favor of one or two smaller screens. That big screen is most representative of the "old" era and will impede any sense of a "new" and exciting product that they hope to achieve. Furthermore, they should get rid of the stage and ramp and use the walkway that they usually only bring out whenever somebody has a large vehicle to bring to the ring (i.e. Austin's beer truck/Angle's milk truck). I think the best days of RAW were when the show was held in the smaller, more intimate venues. Obviously, a severe loss of revenue would clearly prevent a return to those arenas, so they need to attempt to re-create that feeling in the larger arenas. I think the walkway would go a long way in doing that.

I'm not very familiar with the Canadian court system, but I think this is a bit of a stretch on Lance's part. Native Americans have been fighting the alcoholic stereotype for years. How else is the guy supposed to take it?

For those that care, I think that "jobber" might have been Nova. I couldn't tell by the face from where I was sitting (then again, I probably wouldn't recognize him anyways), but they announced him as Mike Bucci.

I'm not really expecting a match at Wrestlemania. I'm guessing we'll see Kane come out, grab the mic and call out Undertaker - who will oblige. The two will then trade punches and play to the cameras for a bit, until Taker gets the upper hand and then chokeslams/tombstones Kane.

I'm going to RAW this Monday in Omaha, so I'm hoping this is just a case of bait and switch advertising. Still, from a business standpoint, I think the WWE could afford to bring back The Rock on the final RAW before Wrestlemania. For the few people left that aren't seeing the show, I'm betting he would probably get their buy based on name alone.

I learned in Advanced Public Speaking last semester that this type of extemporaneous delivery is best. The theory is if a speaker memorizes a presentation word for word, you run the risk of disaster - should you be distracted - because it's very hard to get back on track and remember what you needed to say. Obviously, in wrestling, the crowds are a very big distraction with the chants and boos and what not. A wrestler can certainly try and ignore the crowd, but of course, the lack of interaction would soon equate to a silent crowd. In an era where "reality" TV dominates ratings largely based on the fact that the characters don't have a script to work with, one would think this would be common sense.

Ugh, Grenier sucks. Wait until he gets back, send him to OVW (like that ever helped many people) and give him one more chance to prove he isn't worthless. If he's still worthless, fire him already. I wouldn't be surprised if that is WWE's plan. To my knowledge, they have made no mention of Grenier since he left, and have practically acted as if La Resistance has comprised of just Conway and Dupree the entire time. I do like both Conway and Dupree. I agree they do have a long way to go in the ring, but both seem very comfortable working the mic (which is really what matters most to me in the end).

God, I wish there was a payoff to that Austin/Tazz story. As for the topic, I think the Dudleyz desperately need to step out of the tag title picture. I'm not saying split them up again (because the last time was just terrible), but give them a feud with a team that doesn't involve the titles. I know a feud with Cade and Jindrak was teased, but did that ever go anywhere? Put those 4 in a story together and put Cade and Jindrak over. Until Grenier (sp?) gets back, split La Resistance up into singles action. Conway and Dupree's characters just don't mesh well in my eyes. Besides, I think testing the waters with Dupree on his own is a good idea considering his charisma. I say give the ball to Storm and Venis and let them run with it. Both can wrestle pretty well and have the ability to elicit crowd response, and an eventual Lance Storm heel turn practically writes itself.

I always considered myself to be a big supporter of freedom of speech and anti-censorship, but the thought of the F-bomb ever being perfectly acceptable for TV makes me a little uneasy. I suppose that's because of how I was raised in a home where my parents RARELY ever used the word and that's how I always planned to run my household later in life. It's unsettling enough to sit through the current crop of expletive-laced TV shows with the family ... a line needs to be drawn at this point.

Michael does have kids.

I have no idea on the answer to your question, but I thought I would add The Godfather to that list. Is he still employed?

For those that don't want to register at those forums, WWE.com has a streaming version of it under as their "video of the day." It angers me to see all those people that entertained me in one way or another gone in the span of one year.

Let's get this straight once and for all. Did Michael admit to sleeping IN THE BED with the children, or did he say he slept on the floor while the kids slept in the bed? I was under the impression he claimed he slept on the floor. Of course, to some that might not make much of a difference, but I'd at least like to get the facts straight.

It's definitely not impossible to believe that Michael did commit the crime he is accused of. However, is it really that impossible to believe that he didn't? The way I see it, there is plenty of angles to support Michael's defense. First, I don't see the "revenge" card as being that big of a stretch. Of course, this revenge would be sought after by Tom Sneddon - you know, the man that missed out on his opportunity to put Michael away in 1993-1994, who was also the man that was personally attacked by Michael in song. The press conference he and the sherriff conducted after searching Neverland (on the same day his #1's CD/DVD was released, mind you) only serves to further my doubts, as Sneddon treated the whole situation like a joke and came across as a huge asshole (in my opinion). Secondly, I do see money, fame, and outright defamation of character playing a factor. Obviously, since this is a criminal case, the accuser's family will see no compensation awarded by the courts, but is a civil case in the wake of the criminal verdict that hard to imagine? I don't think so. Hell, as the family that accused MICHAEL JACKSON of molestation, I'm hard pressed to believe that they won't be (if they're not already) in contact with various entertainment magazines - both broadcast and print - just dying to hear their story and pay them millions of dollars that could convieniently go towards the little boy's medical bills. There's always the possibility that Michael ceased giving the family money for the medical bills, the uncle's apartment, and just general survival. If you choose to believe that line of thinking, then surely wouldn't it be possible for a family to concoct the story as a method of revenge? Also, you do bring up a good point saying "not everything is about money or fame," but when the accuser's family has a history of shoplifting at local department stores and then accusing the security guards of sexual assault, they tend to lose a little bit of credibility in my mind and I have a hard time giving them the benefit of the doubt. All that said, I still don't know what to think about the whole situation. I really want to believe he's innocent, so it angers me to see him not get a fair shake due to his appearance and neurotic behavior. Don't get me wrong, if Michael Jackson is found guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, then he deserves to be locked away for a long time - no amount of child abuse or neglect will say otherwise. All I ask for is a fair trial.