DrVenkman PhD

On August 22 2006, a new screenshot of Armageddon was released, revealing that Motaro will now be a bipedal character, rather than his original four-legged design. No word has yet been given as to how Motaro's new body came to be, but Cinder, an administrator at the Midway forums, has stated that it will almost certainly be explained in his story.

Meltzer swerved me on that line-up as he listed everything in chronological order, so I kept scanning the 1992 area to look for the SuperBrawl II match. I assumed it was not on the DVD... then it shows up at the very end of the list. Well played.

They used to in WWE, but after Madusa dumped her title belt in the bin on a live Nitro, they got paranoid about it happening again and so the belt stays with someone else, usually a road agent, in between events. They can still get lost from time to time, though. Edge said when he won the IC title in 99, he set it on top of the TV in his hotel room and stared at it.

I was watching a 88 house show on 24/7 today and I heard Superstar Graham point out that a wrestler (I believe it was Jim Brunzell) can go outside to take a breather of up to 20 seconds. Was this a mistake on his part, or did WWE not always have the out of ring 10 count? I always assumed the 20 count was in video games due them being made in Japan, not based on something that actually existed in the company.

Odd note: Akio is available on the roster. Did I miss a televisied redebut? I know he wrestled Haas on Heat on WWE.com awhile back. I have a new team name this season as well. I came in 4th in Season 7, I am hoping to crack the top 3 this time (as I did the season prior).

May 22nd is the date the season begins, but you can sign up now. http://www.wwe.com/play/fantasy/ The league has been created: League: TheSmartMarks Password: TSM Can Ortonsault do it again? Or will he be defeated in this seasons grueling FOURTEEN WEEK session? The new prices of the roster are also available (RVD is now $4 Million, Spirit Squad $2.5 each instead of 1.5, a lot of jobbers are down to just $1). This is not really a surprise, but One Night Stand is not being scored.

They apparently blew off the team on Heat in a one on one bout.

I thought the DOA movie came out next week but I guess it got delayed until late October. Bummer.

One of next weeks Observers is supposed to have a review, I can't wait to hear Dave talk about the incenst angle.

I happened to see the English adaptation of the 12th DBZ movie. I have to admit I really enjoyed the joke they gave Hitler ("The Dictator" as the credits call him) where he says "Blond hair? Blue eyes? Super strength? I should be recruting these guys!".

I also like the Japanese couch gag. I used to like the big stage show extravaganza couch gag, but learning through commentary it exists soley to lengthen a show short on material has lessened my opinion of it. There was a really long recent one, but I forget what happened. The one where it goes through the universe is neat. On another note, would it be possible for a mod to merge this, the (non-existent) I&S thread, and the movie thread into a OAO Simpsons thread for all our Simpsons conversations? DVDs, favourite quotes, the movie, why some people still like the show, etc?

Solar Plexus! That's a loaded collection. While on one hand I don't need another disc with Sonic on it, I don't even know how many version of SFII I have spread over different discs thanks to various comps. Looking forward to buying and playing this for a bit, than shelving it with the other comps I own and don't play.

John Cena suuuuuucks ! John Cena suuuuuucks ! This have to catch on, this is more imaginative than the "You suck" to Angle's music. Someone was singing that as I was leaving Survivor Series 05 and it's been in my head since.

Solar Plexus! Was such trickery accomplished through a cheat module?

I wanted a CM Punk match so I was a bit dissapointed, but the idea of making us wait for his matches is pretty smart. They made us wait weeks until he debuted in the ring, and now that he has, we have to wait until match #2. I did not recognize Dupree at all.

)--> QUOTE( @ Aug 6 2006, 04:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Remember when the current WWE champion got squashed by a rookie on the biggest show of the year 5 months ago? I seem to recall Edge beating Foley at WrestleMania.

I saw a commercial last night that had a different cut of the "Help Me <X>!" scene, this time mentioning Oprah, so the multiple take thing sounds accurate. That, or that is a long scene and he names a LOT of people (or 4, anyway). I plan on going tomorrow night whether my unemployed poor friends want to or not.

Diva Search losers already being hired (hopefully shocking no one): Although Rebecca DiPietro and Maryse Ouellet did not win the 2006 $250,000 Diva Search, neither is complaining now. DiPietro was hired by WWE to attend Deep South Wrestling (DSW) in Atlanta. She’s currently preparing to relocate to Georgia to find an apartment and to take part in training. “I’m stoked, that’s what I wanted,” said DiPietro in a phone interview. “I think I’m made to work for WWE. I think I have what it takes to be a Diva, and I’m not surprised [that she was contacted after being voted off].” Maryse Ouellet, the second finalist eliminated in the Diva Search, hasn’t officially been hired, but was invited to observe workouts and the training facility at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) from Aug. 13-17. Although she understands there’s no guarantee that this will lead to full time employment with WWE, she’s grateful to have been given another opportunity to live out her dream. “I can just cry, [is] my feeling right now,” Ouellet said. “I’m very excited. It was very, very good news.” Brooke Adams, who entered the Diva Search but was cut before the eight Diva Search finalists eight were selected, will also be a part of the tryouts at OVW. WWE.com tried to reach her, but she was unavailable for comment.

His own fate twisted By Craig Tello August 4, 2006 After spending three years combating his personal demons, a refocused and rehabilitated Jeff Hardy is prepared to return to the place where he began his career as a teenager. WWE.com has learned that WWE officials have rehired former Superstar Jeff Hardy, more than three years after his release from the company. WWE.com has tried to contact Jeff about his rehiring for two days, but in typical fashion of the free-spirited Hardy, he has yet to return any of our calls. For this unique athlete, it has been a turbulent, arduous road back to WWE. In 2003, just as Hardy began to make his ascent to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment, he came crashing down as a result of a poisonous drug dependency. He was plagued by an addiction to pain killers and methamphetamine (crystal meth), a highly addictive stimulant. After showing up late for several WWE events and demonstrating a deterioration in his in-ring performance, Hardy’s last match in WWE was on March 24, 2003. In May of that year, Hardy failed a drug test and after refusing to go into drug rehabilitation, he was subsequently fired from WWE. In 1993, at the age of 16, Jeff and his brother Matt, 19, started working for WWE, wrestling against contracted WWE Superstars. It wasn't until 1998 that the brothers were given full-time WWE deals. That year, the Hardy Boyz almost instantly became top-tier contenders in the WWE Tag Team division. Both talented risk-takers with dynamic in-ring chemistry, the Hardyz revolutionized sports-entertainment, employing wild aerial maneuvers that did damage to both their opponents and themselves. Capturing both the WWE and WCW Tag Team Championships, the Hardyz made their strongest impact in their epic Tables, Ladders and Chairs Matches with the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian. Shortly after the WWE brand extension in 2002, Matt and Jeff were split apart and Jeff found success as a singles star on RAW. After the split, Hardy began to display his most unorthodox side, adding uniquely colored body paint to his ever-changing hair color. Perhaps the highlight of his singles career was his Ladder Match with Undertaker for the WWE Championship in July 2002. In a match that no one believed Hardy could win, Jeff brought his abilities to a higher level unlike anyone had ever seen in him before. That night, Jeff did not walk out as WWE Champion, but he earned the respect of not only The Phenom, but of all who watched the contest. People started to acknowledge Hardy’s true talent – a talent that was curtailed and snuffed out due to his addiction. Holding a number of championships, Hardy was en route to reaching the summit of his sports-entertainment career until it all came to an abrupt end due to his erratic behavior and drug use. Overcoming addiction is arguably the greatest victory of Hardy’s life. And as a renewed Jeff Hardy prepares to reintroduce himself to WWE fans, one can only expect Hardy to earn his greatest career victories and even larger triumphs when he makes his long-awaited return home.

WON I believe is printed sometime Wednesday (late Tuesday night / early Wednesday morning is the news deadline for things making it in) and I hear some people in California get it on Thursday, others Friday. I get it Thursday (as in 6 days from now).

The rumours for the past.. 3 years, I guess... is that Jeff would be back if he cleaned up.

ECW fans unleashed on the Animal By Ed Williams III August 3, 2006 Friday night on SmackDown, the Animal Batista will be unleashed at the friendly confines of the Continental Airlines Arena where he will try to harness his rage and overcome the crafty Mr. Kennedy. Tuesday night, however, was a different story when Batista went into the Hell’s Kitchen environment of New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Normally an overwhelming fan favorite, Batista was nearly booed out of the building by the boisterous and passionate ECW faithful before, during and after his ECW World Title match against Big Show. New York crowds have always been renowned for having unique opinions and a strong knowledge of the sports-entertainment landscape. But the New York ECW fans are an entirely different animal…no pun intended. Never afraid to express their freedom of speech, their undying love for all that is extreme makes them stand out as one of a kind. But not only was Batista, who was entering enemy territory, booed, but the ECW faithful also decided to relentlessly boo their own World Champion Big Show. The avid ECW fans in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom refused to accept Big Show as one of their own. Big Show has achieved success on both RAW and SmackDown, and the ECW fans seemed to have their minds made up to reject anyone that did not represent the old ECW that they were brought up with. Just one day before his big match with Mr. Kennedy on SmackDown, WWE.com caught up with SmackDown’s Animal to get his thoughts on Tuesday’s near-mutiny at Hammerstein. “I love that the ECW fans are so enthusiastic, but at the same time I think there are always a few morons that hate everything and crap all over everything,” said Batista. “I think some of them just go to chant and boo and make fools of themselves and don’t even appreciate what the guys in the ring are doing.” Batista was also quick to note that ECW used to always be known for extreme matches. Since his match against Big Show was contested under traditional rules, the Animal said he wasn’t surprised at the reaction he got. “I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms, and I was cool with that,” said Batista. “A lot of times the ECW crowd thinks they’re going to intimidate people. Honestly, I’ve seen and done it all. There’s not a whole lot that intimidates me. So, I wasn’t about to take any crap.” Batista is no stranger to getting booed. In fact, until the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 21 two years ago, the Animal was a member of Evolution and drew the ire of WWE fans everywhere he went. “A boo is a boo. It’s all the same to me,” said the Animal. “The only difference is that a boo in ECW might come with something flying at you, which is cool with me.” While the ECW fans proved that they still have an “against the establishment” mentality, Batista and Big Show also went against the grain of what is often seen inside the squared circle once the cameras stopped rolling. Just moments after being knocked outside the ring with the ECW Title, Batista got back in the ring and shook his opponent’s hand. On a normal night, the Animal would be unleashed and there would be hell to pay. “The bottom line is that Big Show is a guy I respect very much. I respect what he’s done and what he’s doing for ECW. He’s stepping up,” said Batista. “He’s proven he’s one of the top guys in sports-entertainment. I just respect him for that. We had our differences in the ring, but I think Big Show has become one of the best in the world. For a man his size to do the things he does – he deserves nothing but respect, and that’s what the handshake was all about.” Following the incident, many speculated that Batista and Big Show’s friendly gesture was done to just further instigate the raucous crowd. But Batista said that wasn’t the case at all. “It was just about mutual respect. If you go back and watch the match, and look at us, the crowd didn’t really affect either one of us. We gave it everything we had. We had a good, competitive match. It didn’t have anything to do with forming an allegiance because the crowd was against us.” It’s pretty clear that Batista happily accepted the fans’ strong opinions of himself, but that wouldn’t stop him from getting another dose of extreme. “I’d go back to [ECW] in a heartbeat,” he said. “I’d go back next week.”