DrVenkman PhD

Test Test This Is A Test!

Going to a WWE event in a big arena is exciting - the loud crowd, well known "superstars" from TV, the pyro, the production, the recognizable entrance themes. Being live at a TV taping for a show that isn't very good can often be fun all the same, just because you were there. That said, the small setting of an indy crowd can be great, and perhaps even better at times. I already described my excellent experience at a Ring of Honor show in December 2005, but my first indy show experience was with local promotion Border City Wrestling. Now, technically this should be a 22 part series - there were two BCW shows I attended in 2004 at a nightclub that didn't seat many people, had a low roof so no one ever went off the turnbuckles, and overall were not very memorable. They were fine shows, I just don't recall much about them except a picture frame to the head spot gone wrong. A wrestler had stepped on the picture and broke the glass on the picture that was to be used in the spot, and when the spot happened, glass went flying. I got hit with a small piece in the leg, causing me to bleed. Post show I talked to the guys and we all had a good laugh about it. The other thing about those shows I remember is Zach Gowen wrestling and discovering Petey Williams girlfriend was a high school classmate of mine (not at the time, years prior). The first big BCW show I attended was in January 2005, headlined by Mick Foley. Well, the main event was actually Chris Sabin vs Alex Shelley for the BCW TV title (a title named as such because it dates back to the mid 90s and early 00s when BCW had TV on the local cable channel) with Foley as the referee, but the advertising was for Foley, and rightly so. Earlier in the day, a Foley autograph luncheon was held at a local sports bar, so I got an autograph there and again at the BCW show in the "Meet and Greet" line, which was kind of odd since I forgot to bring the DVD I wanted him to sign, but fun all the same. Jimmy Hart was also on hand and boy does he love interacting and talking with wrestling fans. A friend of mine was working as staff at the event (he was a student at Scott D'amore's Can-Am wrestling school) and told me Jimmy was probably one of the nicest people he met. All I did was tell Jimmy I thought Ted DiBiase's theme was one of the best in history, and not only did he thank me, but he went on to explain to me his theory on making wrestling entrance themes and how important he felt that the wrestler have lines in the song. He just loved talking to people. Foley also seemed nice, but I think the guy in front of me may have annoyed him by acting like a total mark and saying "IT doesn't matter what my name is!" and yelling like the Rock and such. The show itself was ok / good. Re-watching it recently on DVD, you see not every match is that great, and a lot of what made the matches fun to watch was being there live. Jimmy Jacobs and local guy Phil Atlas vs Danny Daniels and N8 Mattson is good (those teams usually had good matches in BCW). There is a local guy named El Reverso who could be a really good small guy in the future, and I enjoyed his antics at the show. Abyss vs A-1 seemed great live but is "eh" to re-watch on DVD. It was funny that some little kid yelled "Go Foley!" at Abyss, apparently confused. I also got to see Trytan at this show before his brief sting in TNA... meh. He didn't do much though, it was mostly Petey Williams and Bobby Roode vs Chris Harris (James Storm did not make the trip). Harris cut a good heel promo on Canada prior to the match, 9 months before he actually became a heel. Before the main event, Foley cut a pretty good promo and was humorous when he spoke. He mentioned watching Raw on Monday (drew some boos.. even from me - it just seems appropriate to boo WWE at indy shows. I joined the very loud boos at the ROH show when they mentioned giving away tickets to Mania as well) and asked if people in Canada would really cheer Christian and boo HBK, hoping he would not be boo'd. The crowd started HBK and Foley chants at this point. Now I know there were probably some people in attendance from Michigan, but it's just werid hearing a HBK chant in Canada. Shelley vs. Sabin was an excellent match, and a highlight had to be a fan heckling Alex while he had a wrestling hold on Sabin, causing Shelley to yell "this is wrestling, dumbass!". Post show I went backstage and just sat around, waiting for my friend to finish his assigned duties of cleaning up the place before we took a cab home. I didn't want to bug anyone so I just sat there and listened to them all talk. Most of them were discussing where to go after the show (I think they decided on a Chinese place). Someone also commented to "Patrick" (Shelley) that the tights he was putting away were ones that he wore in TNA. He proceeded to say he doesn't wrestle there anymore and they stopped using him, and he wanted his release / asked for his release and received it. Of course he's there now with a push, but things were different in early 2005. Overall an excellent time with a large indy crowd. I do not know what attendance was, but word was over 1000, at least. There was a show that the Observer reported as having 1,900 fans at (which some people have said 1,600, and other BCW fans, including one who felt the need to exagerate attendance in a letter to Dave Scherer's PWI website based on someone complaining in a QnA that the NWA title changed hands in front of "100 people", who said over 2000) but that's for another time (despite the fact a blurb about the show is already on this blog).

People were raving about the "Lego Star Wars" game from last year, but I've never played it. I've heard good things about the SW Battlefront series as well (though I can't recall if that's just an Xbox game or multiplatform). While not "Colony Wars", the gummi ship levels in Kingdom Hearts II are pretty cool, much better than the first. I recommend that game.

I watched it on youtube on Sunday, it seemed fine. The second part (the press secretary try out) aired on the show last night.

Believe it or not, despite his crazy schedule, The Rock still keeps up to date on all the shows in WWE. He says he’s thrilled Rey Mysterio is World Heavyweight Champion. “I’m so proud of Rey. He’s a great ambassador for the business and the SmackDown brand. I’ve never seen an athlete able to adjust his style to fit whoever he’s working with in the ring.” WWE.com asked The Rock if fans will see him on RAW or SmackDown in the near future. He answered as only The Rock can, “Just as sure as I whoop ass and have a million dollar smile! Don’t think I’m ever going away for good. I’ll show up when you least expect it!” And when that happens, rest assured, it will be nothing short of a BREAKTHROUGH!

I think I'll make one of them based on my days of being a jerk in late 2005. Oh well.

Why did they retcon the English translation of "Aerith" to "Aries" in the KH games, but go back to "Aerith" for this movie? Different localization teams?

WrestleMania XII - Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels March 31, 1996 | Approx. run time: 16 mins. In one of the most anticipated matches in WrestleMania history, Bret Hart defended his WWE Championship in a 60 Minute Iron Man Match against the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. The Showstopper made a dramatic entrance into the arena, setting the stage for what would become a WrestleMania classic. 60 Minutes wasn’t enough for these two Superstars as the match went into overtime. Was Shawn Michaels able to realize his boyhood dream? Or did Bret Hart prove he was once again the Excellence of Execution? Survivor Series 2002 - Elimination Chamber Match November 17, 2002 | Approx. run time: 54 mins. Survivor Series ‘02 was the site of the first ever Six-Man WWE Elimination Chamber Match. The WWE Championship was on the line as Triple H, HBK, Rob Van Dam, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Booker T. sacrificed their bodies at Madison Square Garden. The crowd was firmly behind HBK as he looked to regain the WWE Championship for the first time since coming back from a brutal back injury. What would happen when 6 WWE Superstars battled for the gold inside of 2 tons of steel? Judgment Day 2002 - Edge vs. Kurt Angle November 17, 2002 | Approx. run time: 24 mins. Kurt Angle vs. Edge was one of the most heated rivalries of 2002. The two battled for months on SmackDown, leading to an emotional Hair vs. Hair Match at Judgment Day. Weeks earlier on SmackDown, Angle blindsided Edge and cut off a piece of Edge’s trademark blond mane. Was Edge able to get revenge at Judgment Day? WrestleMania 21 - Randy Orton vs. Undertaker April 3, 2005 | Approx. run time: 21 mins. Coming into WrestleMania 21, Randy Orton had staked a reputation in WWE as a legend killer. The list of legends he had defeated was long and accomplished, but it was still missing one name: Undertaker. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Undertaker tried to intimidate the cocky young Superstar, but Orton insisted he wasn’t scared. Was Orton able to kill another legend, and in the process end Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak? Or, did the Undertaker make Randy Orton Rest in Peace? Judgment Day 2003 - Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri vs. Team Angle May 18, 2003 | Approx. run time: 17 mins. Before Shelton Benjamin was the Intercontinental Champion, he was a Tag Team Champion with his partner Charlie Haas as part of Team Angle. Benjamin has also made a name for himself as a Ladder Match specialist. At Judgment Day, Shelton & Haas defended their Tag Team Championship against Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri. Could Team Angle capitalize on their superior athletic ability to win the Ladder Match? Or, did Eddie & Tajiri ‘Lie, Cheat, and Steal’ their way to the Championship? Judgment Day 2004 - RVD & Rey Mysterio vs. The Dudleys May 16, 2004 | Approx. run time: 19 mins. The Dudley Boyz were one of the most accomplished, and destructive teams in WWE history. At Judgment Day ’04, the Dudleys took on two of the WWE’s most popular superstars in Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio. As single wrestlers, RVD & Mysterio are among the most exciting Superstars in WWE. Were Rey & RVD able to put it together as a team and defeat the more experienced Dudley Boyz? WCW Slamboree 1993 - The Hollywood Blondes vs. Los Dos Hombres May 23, 1993 | Approx. run time: 16 mins. At Slamboree, the Hollywood Blondes defended their WCW Tag Team Championship against the mysterious Dos Hombres. The teams fought on several occasions over the same Tag Team Championship, so by the time Slamboree came around, the rivalry was so intense that it could only be settled in a Steel Cage. Watch as a young Steve Austin & Brian Pillman try to defend their Championship in this classic WCW match. WCW Slamboree 1996 - Ric Flair & Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson & Eddie Guerrero May 23, 1993 | Approx. run time: 8 mins. The Lethal Lottery was one of the more creative ideas on WCW Pay Per View in the 90’s. The unpredictable tag team event produced some once in a lifetime matches that were only seen at Battlebowl. At Slamboree ’96, longtime friends and partners in the Four Horsemen were forced to square off as Ric Flair and Arn Anderson were drafted to opposing teams. This match also featured WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero and former WWE Champion Randy Savage. Would the Nature Boy and the Enforcer play by the rules at Slamboree? WCW Slamboree 1998 - 15 Man Cruiserweight Battle Royal May 17, 1998 | Approx. run time: 21 mins. WCW was partially responsible for putting the Cruiserweights on the map. One example of the depth and skill of the Cruiserweight division was in this 15 Man Battle Royal at Slamboree ’98. Among the competitors in the match were Chavo Guerrero, Juventud, Psicosis, and Kidman. The winner would earn an immediate shot at Chris Jericho’s Cruiserweight Championship. To spice things up, Jericho himself introduced the participants. Witness the surprise finish to this exciting match WCW Slamboree 1998 - Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage May 17, 1998 | Approx. run time: 22 mins. Randy Savage was out for revenge at Slamboree. A month earlier, Bret Hart had turned on Savage and the fans, helping Hollywood Hogan defeat Savage for the World Heavyweight Championship. The special guest referee for this contest was Rowdy Roddy Piper. This match was not without controversy. Was Savage able to get his revenge on the Hitman? AWA SuperClash II - Sherri Martel vs. Madusa May 2, 1987 | Approx. run time: 16 mins. WWE Hall of Famer Sherri Martel was on top of the women’s wrestling scene in 1987 as she defended her AWA Women’s Championship at AWA SuperClash 2. Her opponent on this night was a young Madusa, who herself went on to have a successful WWE career. Was the up and coming women’s star able to upset the legendary Sherri Martel? Or did experience reign supreme once again? AWA SuperClash II - Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel May 2, 1987 | Approx. run time: 36 mins. Before Curt Hennig became Mr. Perfect in WWE, he was a big star in the Midwest wrestling for the AWA. At Superclash 2, he challenged one of the great champions of all time, Nick Bockwinkel, for the AWA Heavyweight Championship. Was Hennig perfect on this night? Or did Bockwinkel fend off the young challenger? ECW WrestlePalooza 1998 - Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu May 3, 1998 | Approx. run time: 33 mins. Rob Van Dam and Sabu fought on several occasions over the years in ECW. At Wrestlepalooza ’98, they produced another classic, fighting over RVD’s Television Championship. Coming into the match, RVD was already the longest reigning Champion in ECW history. Was RVD able to prolong his reign? Or was Sabu able to add to his legacy by winning the TV Championship? WCW Monday Nitro - Mike Enos vs. Steve Doll May 27, 1996 | Approx. run time: 5 mins. Mike Enos and Steve Doll were in the midst of another hard fought battle on Monday Nitro when an Outsider came through the crowd and interrupted the match. When Scott Hall stepped into the ring on Nitro, the wrestling world was turned upside down. Witness what happened as the first seeds of what would become the nWo were planted. WCW Monday Nitro - Finlay vs. Booker T May 4, 1998 | Approx. run time: 5 mins. Before Booker T. was a 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, WCW Champion, he was a WCW TV Champion. In this match from Nitro, Booker T. defends his Television Championship against Irish tough man Fit Finlay. Was Booker able to fight off the Irish bully and keep his Championship? Monday Night RAW - Eugene vs. Rob Conway May 10, 2004 | Approx. run time: 7 mins. Eric Bischoff’s nephew Eugene had already been causing trouble on RAW for weeks by the time his first match came about. Eugene, led by his manager William Regal took on Rob Conway in his first competition in WWE. Backstage, Eric Bischoff told William Regal to make sure Eugene didn’t win. Could Eugene overcome distraction from his own manager and defeat the more experienced Conway in his RAW debut? Tuesday Night Titans - Funk Family Barbecue May 14, 1986 | Approx. run time: 5 mins. In this clip taken from the depths of the WWE archives, the Funk family had a good old fashioned barbeque. Among the many guests at this party was the legendary Lord Alfred Hayes, and Jimmy Hart. See what happens when a Texas barbeque gets out hand, and Lord Alfred Hayes falls in to the wrong hands. Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera May 19, 1980 | Approx. run time: 29 mins. Madison Square Garden has been the site of some of the most memorable matches in WWE history. In 1980, the Garden hosted one of the more unique matches of all time as WWE Champion Bob Backlund squared off against Intercontinental Champion Ken Patera. Even more interesting than the match being Champion vs. Champion was the fact that it was settled in a Texas Death Match. Could Bob Backlund survive the brutal death match and leave the Garden as WWE Champion? WrestleMania VII - The Rockers vs. Haku & The Barbarian March 24, 1991 | Approx. run time: 12 mins. The Rockers were one of the most popular tag teams in WWE history. At WrestleMania VII, Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty took on Haku & Barbarian in a meeting of two teams with completely different styles. Haku & Barbarian, while not the smartest team in the world, had one distinct advantage: they had WWE Hall of Fame manager, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan in their corner. Would the Rockers be able to use their speed and quickness to overcome their powerful opponents? Or, would the Weasel have the last laugh in this tag team battle? Monday Night RAW - Rob Van Dam & Kane vs. Legion of Doom May 12, 2003 | Approx. run time: 4 mins. Besides being a force as a singles superstar, Kane has been an extremely accomplished tag team wrestler. Rob Van Dam, along with Kane formed one of the ultimate pairings of speed and power as they dominated the RAW landscape as Tag Team Champions. On a May ’03 episode of RAW, Kane & RVD were forced to defend the Championship against one of the greatest tag teams of all time. Could the Legion of Doom cap off a dramatic return to WWE by winning another Tag Team Championship?

Tips of the Hat: - This place. It's very important that people are able to know what crap I'm listening to (very rarely is it even an actual song that would be played n the radio or what have you). I don't know why, I just like the idea: I noticed some mp3s don't seem to register, something about the "check file being tagged". I'll look into it. I guess I like checking track statistics when I see them posted on my profile, although some of them end up weird ("Bad Boy" by "Razor Ramon"... and oddly, people listening to that track only make up 80-some% of the people listening to tracks by "Razor Ramon"). - As usual, Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report. Overall, this week was not as good as last, but this week's Better Know a District was top notch. Comparing the NFL Draft to slavery was, while quite absurd (as his his character's nature), very funny. - NBC. I don't watch a lot of first run TV (especially since I work afternoons), but I happened to have this past Tuesday off and watched a show called "Scrubs" at a friends house. It was pretty funny. I also enjoyed this weeks new offerings of Earl and Office. That Dwight... always cracking me up. - JBL. God, I would love to own an American flag jacket like that... and I'm Canadian. In general, I've been enjoying SmackDown! lately, much more than this time last year. I've even stopped reading spoilers. - MisawaGQ, tigeraid, Monty Burns - thanks for the comments! Also, a tip of the hat to anyone who actually reads this (even if you're quiet about it). Wag of the Finger: - Montreal Canadiens. It's starting to look like 1996 all over again, and I really don't like that. Was I expecting them to win the cup? Realistically not. I did want them to leave the 1st round, though. I still think it can be done, but a 2-0 lead is a more comfortable buffer zone. 2-2... well that's just an even playing field, and I don't like that. Cam Ward proved to be a tough puzzle to solve on Wednesday, and it looks like Brin'damour is making things difficult for Montreal as well. Hopefully things turn around. - The new ECW. I'm holding off judgment for now, and the idea of regional house shows with the ECW name is neat, the idea of being taped in front of the SmackDown audience and going on WWE.com is not a promising start. Things get trickier when you consider that, assuming the "ECW" folks are allowed to do things their way, you're running the risk of totally outshining SmackDown (to the live audience) before the show even begins taping. I also don't see how RVD (or Benoit, perhaps) can go from prime time wrestler to a full time internet show only guy. And would these guys have a title? If RVD were to beat Cena/HHH/Edge/Rey/JBL/Whoever at One Night Stand, is he robbing that brand of a championship so the internet show has one? Will they job RVD out at ONS? Will Vince eventually work out a time slot with the USA Network? All you need to know: I don't hate the idea, but this is a pre-emptive "Wag" because there are too many question marks on the logistics of how this will work. I'll save proper judgment until after it actually starts. - The Nintendo Wii. Not the greatest replacement name for the Revolution codename. I'm really only giving this a "Wag" because I don't think, at the moment, it's a very strong name. I have stated elsewhere, though, that I (and others) also hated the Xbox 360 name when it was first announced, but you don't really hear anything about that anymore. All you need to know: If I don't get used to calling it Wii be November, I'll just call it "the Nintendo" anyway. Next entry will likely discuss meeting Mick Foley before, during, and (kinda) after a BCW show in January 2005 (part 3 of a 20 part series on shows I have attended).

Colbert was the final speaker at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner, which was broadcast on C-SPAN. Staying in his "conservative talk show host" character, he directed a torrent of ironic humor at Bush, with whom he shared the dais. Examples of his roasts included: "I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things, like aircraft carriers, rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong mesasge that no matter what happens to America she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world!" and, after denying that the administration was rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, "this administration is not sinking, this administration is soaring! If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!" He also took shots at John McCain, wiretapping, the Iraq War and the press in general. He ended with a montage of reporter Helen Thomas asking repeatedly why the U.S. had invaded Iraq. Both the President and First Lady were visibly irritated at the performance and the crowd appeared to be shocked

Hooray for people saying they are a fan of Stephen Colbert. Your assessment of the overplaying is fair, but if he's being annoying, that is probably the desired emotion he wishes to get from you. I also agree that Dirty Work is an underrated movie. Shaolin Soccer is also quite awesome.

Well GQ, I got the ball rolling on my blog coming back to life by ripping you off, so it's fair. Curiously, while browsing around the blogs at work, I noticed that your blog had changed to have a new entry "Blatantly Ripping off DrVenkman". Clicking on it without signing in either brought me to the ECW entry or prompted me to sign in. When I signed in, it was gone! Oh well, I'm sure it will be back.

"Kurt Angle did work the Smackdown house show in Germany yesterday and is scheduled for today. He didn't appear to be in good shape, and as injured as he's been in the past, once the bell rings, you never see that. The "X" called after Mark Henry splashed him from what we gather was a work, and not that Henry injured him but simply the accumulation of everything." - Meltz That's from MONDAY. Why are people acting like Angle being injured or taking time off is new?

I have no idea what jokes are going on. A JST is what now?

Apparently Joey and Grisham are shooting left and right on Heat this week. I'll have to check it out. "By the way, would you call some wrestling moves? I know they don't let you on Raw, you're too busy telling stories." -- Grisham This is what I was told is said at one point.

JBL vs Cena in a street fight was good. RVD is better than Cena. Therefore, this would be good, right?

Angle has been reported as injured for awhile now, but I think the part about it happening at a house show on the tour causing him to need time off is true. The part about him being injured on SmackDown! was a work to get him off TV for a bit. Edit: I went back to check Meltz's Monday update to re-read the situation, and this is what it says: "Kurt Angle did work the Smackdown house show in Germany yesterday and is scheduled for today. He didn't appear to be in good shape, and as injured as he's been in the past, once the bell rings, you never see that. The "X" called after Mark Henry splashed him from what we gather was a work, and not that Henry injured him but simply the accumulation of everything." Also, JBL vs Rey is official for JD! The match they had at No Mercy was not bad at all. I wouldn't even be upset if JBL won! That's not a knock on Rey or anything, but I've really been into JBL these days. Speaking of Judgment Day, anyone know a good place in NYC to watch a PPV?

I was at the Raw in July 2001 in Atlanta when they did the WCW/ECW merger thing. There were tons of ECW chants in the Philips Arena lobby. Funny thing is, this group of little kids tried starting a WWE chant. It was really sad and put it all into perspective, I thought. One of the weirder things I noticed re-watching ONS the other day was these little kids chanting "Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!" before Sandman's entrance. They looked like they would have been 2-5 when ECW closed. This has nothing to do with anything, but I felt like sharing the observation.

With Part I of this 20 part series focusing on the first wrestling event I attended, I thought I would skip right to the most recent event for this installment: One day into a trip I took to New York City, I remembered reading that a wreslting show was going to be held around the time I would be there. Using the internet kiosk at the Times Square Visitor Center, I confirmed that there was a show taking place on the upcoming Saturday. On December 3, 2005, I attended my first Ring of Honor show - Steel Cage Warfare. The venue was a place known as "Basketball City". It seemed like an odd place to go to watch a wrestling event, although from the outside (and even inside, when all the normal lights were on) it had this weird "Mini Trump Plaza" look to it, looking a bit like being at WrestleMania IV or V. I believe they were supposed to let people in for 6:30pm to watch some pre-show matches by guys from Pro Wrestling Iron. I arrived to the building at 5pm, very anxious to get a ticket as I was not familiar with how well ROH pre-sales go. While waiting in the "Lobby" area with several other people, wrestlers kept entering through the door with their bags. Samoa Joe was fairy cool, giving everyone a "hey everybody enjoy the show!" greeting was he walked through. For the most part, it was not like the typical crowd that I waited around with for a show to start. These were people reading copies of the Observer and discussing why they didn't like WWE at the moment. The glaring exception to this was a couple that looked like they came straight from the trailer park, with the guy wearing an Ultimate Warrior t-shirt and his lady companion asking any individual that walked by if they were a wrestler (except when Austin Aries or even Samoa Joe walked by, she said nothing, then asked people around who she heard talking to them if they were wrestlers). Finally, a bit later then scheduled, they began to let people up the only stairwell to the ring area, and after a few minutes I found that not only could I get a ticket, but I could get a 2nd row ticket (I think they just added more chairs for peopel willing to pay more money than the advertised ticket cost). I was very happy at this point. Before the show even began, I found myself being a mark for being part of a NYC wrestling crowd. I saw Vlad the Superfan and Green Lantern Fan! I couldn't believe it! During intermission and before the show I ended up talking with people I was sitting around - a good bunch of people. One of them was telling me how he enjoyed seeing Joe/Kobashi but the venue was a dump, and that he gave up on WWE when Jericho left. The crowd seemed pretty hot for everything, although there was this smartass near me (who admittedly was amusing at times) that kept yelling "take it home" and some smarkish lingo during the opening match. There was another guy who would yell "Green Lantern Sucks!" during a lull, I guess if he noticed GLF was doing something for attention. The crowd reaction during the Joe/Lethal match was great, and although it was split at the beginning, people really got on Lethal after his heel turn mid-match. The main event in the cage between Generation Next and the Embassy was pretty good. Jack Evans' dives were amazing, and a lot of people around me were crying foul at his somewhat quick elimination after his big spots. I didn't care, really... he did his spots and got eliminated, which seemed perfect for Evans. I've enjoyed Alex Shelley's work since seeing him at a BCW show, so I was happy to see him in the main event, putting on a good match. I've really came around to liking Abyss in 2005, too. Overall, a fantastic night that made me happy to be a wrestling fan. While I've enjoyed being a part of all the big budget WWE TV tapings and PPVs I've attended, and seeing the "big name" superstars wrestle at house shows in large arenas, going to indy shows throughout 2005 was a great experience, but there will be more on my independant experience when I talk about Border City Wrestling shows in future installments.

I'm always pyshced to buy compilation discs, play them for a bit, then ignore them. So yeah, I am excited for this game.

People weren't exactly crazy about the Xbox 360 moniker, either (as best I can recall... maybe it was just me). As long as it plays good games, they could call it Wazoo 64 for all I care (though an awesome name would be nice...).

Nothing to do with Season 2 or last night's episode, but something I snapped when watching season 1. I like the prop text that they wrote in.

I thought Xbox 360 was an awful name when it was announced (partially because I didn't like the "let's play catch up with Sony in our numbering scheme" ploy, but mostly I thought it was stupid). However, as launch time grew nearer, it just became a common thing to say and eventually I came to like the name. Will the same thing happen with "We"? Unlikely for the majority, but strangers things have happened.

I liked the interplay of Angela telling Dwight she's not taking ANY medication right now. Good stuff all around, Earl was good too.

Well Nintendo is pushing "Wii" as a simple word without a language barrier, and that sounds neat so run with it. Most people will probably just call it "the Nintendo" anyway, and when you consider the fact they are pushing the fact you can download Nintendo (as in NES) games for the system, you have to wonder if that's some sort of master plan they have in the back of their minds. "Give the system a name people in America won't like so they refer to it as "The Nintendo" like it's the 80s". Probably not...