DrVenkman PhD

According to an Observer from last year, Sabu signed a Legends contract for WWE... I don't know what that exactly entails in terms of being able to sign a full time contract for someone like TNA, but we'll see what happens. Also, the latest Observer (the second one of the week) says CM Punk got more heat on him in Chicago, somehow relating to his dating Maria.

That probably would sell well.

The Rise and Fall of the USWA

Mohammed! Darth Chef is also there, which is neat.

I threw in a happy birthday shout out in a thread wishing someone else a Happy Birthday. Much thanks for the nomination last month, NYU.

Well, as WCW Magazine once predicted, WCW 2000 was the future of wrestling.

Welcome to the first installment of what is currently a 20 part series (and is oddly enough my 20th blog entry), "Wrestling Events I've Attended". This chapter looks back at the first - and in retrospect, possibly crappiest - wrestling event I attended. It was a cold November Wednesday (November 28th, to be exact) way back in 1991. The event? The 5th annual Survivor Series, a "Thanksgiving eve tradition". The location? Joe Louis Arena - The Fightin' Joe - in Detroit, Michigan. As a 10 year old who had only been watching wrestling for a few months, the idea of going to a mega event where I would see the wrestlers I loved and hated battling each other in big matches instead of the Nobodies (the term we used for jobbers, since we did not know such a term already existed for them) on Saturday afternoon was quite exciting. Could Hulk Hogan beat Undertaker with just one leg drop? Would Berzerker losing in an elimination tag match effect his undefeated record (I do not know why I thought he was undefeated)? How badly was Roddy Piper going to beat Ric Flair? Well, of course, Flair won and was the sole survivor, I didn't care what happened to Berzerker, and Hogan lost his title thanks to the dastardly Flair. While my younger cousin and friend said they found some of the results, sepcifically everyone being disqualified in the opener, to be total b.s., we did have a good time and enjoyed the show. The only real downer was that we thought Macho Man would take Sid's place in the main event, but they just made it a six man tag and saved Roberts vs. Savage for the Tuesday in Texas PPV. That was almost 15 years ago and time sure has been unkind to this show. As a kid, I loved the opening match. As an older, arguably wiser fan, I still love the opening match. It's really the only match worth watching on the show. Slaughter/Duggan/and whoever vs 4 jobber heels was nothing, Hogan/Taker, while exciting live, is terrible. Rockers/Bushwackers vs Nasty Boys/Beverly Brothers is ok and the main event of Bossman/LOD vs IRS/Disasters is weak. During the actual show, we were not in our seats for the Rockers match. We returned just as Marty Jannetty made a mistake that caused Michaels to be pinned. Even then, at 10 years old and not being a fan for all that long, I knew The Rockers were breaking up. I don't remember HOW I knew that, maybe the Fed was just heavily telegraphing it on commentary lately (plus the WWF Magazine cover story after the Survivor Series). My specific memory of the show is being amazed at being at an event live and in person and thinking that Ric Flair's belt was really shiney (somehow from my seat in the upperdeck, I didn't notice it was just a tag title) and a lot of people in my section laughing at some move Big Bossman did - but I don't remember what, just that it involved the turnbuckles. So, did the event suck? You bet. Did I love every minute of it when I was there live? You better believe it. Despite the fact I don't recall a whole lot about my expeirnece there, it is still, for the most part, an experience I will never forget.

I sadly haven't said "a thousand times no" recently, but "fancy plans (and pants to match)" comes up in conversation often. God bless the nerds I associate with.

Steve Blackman: Legend of the Lethal Weapon. From his World Wrestling Federation debut in 1997 to his disappearance in 2001, follow the legacy of one of the WWE's greatest Hardcore Champion - the Lethal Weapon Steve Blackman. Trace his roots as an inexperienced rookie fighting for the pride of America at the infamous Montreal Survivor Series 97, his partnership with Kurt Angle, the unforgetable aliance with Al Snow, and his glory days as the king of the hardcore division. Included on this DVD: * The Man they call Vader, Goldust, Mark Mero, and Steve Blackman (Team USA) vs. Davey Smith, Jim Niedhart, Phil Lafon, and Doug Furnas (Team Canada) - Survivor Series, November 9, 1997. *Steve Blackman vs. Owen Hart - Rock Bottom, December 13, 1998. * Steve Blackman vs. Ken Shamrock - Iron Circle Match - Fully Loaded, July 25, 1999. *Steve Blackman and Kurt Angle vs. The Headbangers - SmackDown!, December 2, 1999. *Steve Blackman and Kurt Angle vs. The Hardy Boyz - Raw is War, December 6, 1999. *Steve Blackman vs. Kurt Angle - Armageddon, December 12, 1999 *Steve Blackman and Al Snow vs The New Age Outlaws - Raw is War, January 31, 2000. *Steve Blackman vs Shane McMahon - Hardcore title match - SummerSlam, August 27, 2000. Plus much more, including Steve Blackman trying out his comedy routine at a retirement home plus many other hilarious antics with Al Snow. Pre-order today - estimated ship date is never.

Tremendous news considering the grap between the 1+2 and 3. I knew it would be released, I just didn't think it would be 4 months later. It's been far too long since I've seen the antics of Evil Dave.

This entry is kinda (largely) stolen from something I saw my good pal MisawaGQ write, but I'm not necessarily following the same format. It is worth noting it was that simple "here are a list of things I like and dislike right now" entry was what made me think it was time to start updating this thing again. What I'm playing: Kingdom Hearts II. I'm glad the only reviews I heard about were people spouting off on the forums about being bored by cutscenes and IGN giving it a review below 8, because when I picked the game up on a whim while shopping in the states, I expected to be let down. Well, so far I'm loving the game and I haven't even been to the Tron or Steamboat Micky levels. I then found out pretty much everyone who wasn't IGN loved the game (10/9/9.5 from EGM, 39/40 from Fatsimu, and so on). I think a lot of might be mark out value, like seeing Scrooge McDuck wandering around the same town as Yuffie and Sid (FFVIII). The battle against the Hyrdra on the Hercules world is also pretty awesome - the creature is just so big and awesome looking with the "reaction command" you use to fight it being fun. Tip of the hat to Square Enix on this one (as it stands, anyway). Here's hoping for a Duckburg level in KHIII... and hey, since it's Square Enix now, maybe throw in some Dragon Warrior/Quest references, even if it's just a slime (arguably the most recognizable icon of the DW/Q series... in fact, to be honest, that would probably be the only thing I would recognize). I'd also like to mention the blue bar cage and WMIX arena in SmackDown vs Raw 2006 rule. What I'm not playing: My Xbox. Good system, and I like the games I have (I really want to finish KOTOR) but for whatever reason the beheamoth just sits with my GameCube, not hooked up to the TV with money being wasted on a XBL subscription I never use. I'm thinking I might solve two problems at once and hook it up through an old VCR on the TV near the computer, thus making changing the wire connected to the modem a less annoying task (or I could just get a router, but that's unlikely). What I'm watching: My Name is Earl, The Office, Fox Sunday nights, Showcase Sunday nights (Ali G and Curb Your Enthusiasm), Conan O'Brien, and The Colbert Report. I had seen a bit of the Colber Report at the end of 2005 but didn't put much stock into it, but a co-worker brought it up and I've been a loyal viewer ever since. The odd thing there is the guy that brought it up doesn't seem to watch it often, he just saw two episodes and thought they were really good. I LOVE "Better Know a District". The offshoot "Better Know a Founding Father" where he interviewed Ben Franklin was pretty damn awesome too. As I mentioned in my last entry, the recent "War on Easter" graphic with shots being fired at the tomb, with Jesus peeking out and firing off a few more rounds, is great. The best "District" segment had to be the one with Chakah Fatah - just too many quoteable things to mention (Colbert's argument with Chakah about the white house is my favourite part, though). As for The Office, that just happened to be "the show that was on after Earl while I'm trying to read the Observer" back when I worked days, but as I decided that I loved the show, I determined I like it more than Earl most weeks. I had a chance to watch Season 1 this week when I took it from the above mentioned co-workers portable HD (he wanted me to transfer two seasons of mst3k I downloaded - something I started watching thanks to him also) and the "Basketball" episode is tremendous. What I'm not watching: Reality TV, American Idol, 24, Sopranos, House, Prison Break, Arrested Development. I tried watching the much lauded AD once, but I was put off by the fact that seemingly 90% of the dialogue in the 2 minutes I watched was being narrated to me. Perhaps someday in rerun land I'll give it a chance. The rest of the shows (outside of Idol - no way, ever) are just cases of drama not appealing to me on TV (I'm more of a "TV exists to make me laugh" unless it's anime but even then I like funny stuff like Strawberry Eggs). I'm sure they are fine shows - people tell me enough times that they are - but I just never got around to devoting time to watching them. I might try 24 on DVD though to catch myself up and see what I've been missing. What I'm reading: EGM and WON. I really enjoy reading Meltzer's opinion on things. It's one of those things were even if I see something incredibly stupid on TV, it makes me happy because I know I'll be reading Meltz make some funny, witty remark about it. Before becoming a subscriber, I had this odd fear that reading it would make me "too inside" and I would start to dislike watching stuff on TV or I would know too much, but if anything it gives me a better understanding of what's going on and helps me look forward to things a lot more. If I can make a criticism (other than the fact many people I talk to feel his star ratings can be off base) it's that he needs a proofreader. I know he has a strict deadline, but it's just odd seeing things like "HHH was dressed like Konnan" (I don't recall HHH coming to ring dressed like a street thug with a bandana) and "OVW star Colt Cabana was a druid" (obviously should be ROH... unless he was making an offhand remark about the E signing Colt, who seems to be working a lot of job spots lately. Interesting). What I'm not reading: A lot. Never got into the whole book scene. My loss, I guess. Feel free to comment.

Well, it is a lot of slashing and hacking, but the new reaction control (pressing triangle at a specfic time) is pretty neat. The worst part about the first one, as best I recall, was flying the damn Gummi ship, and that has been improved greatly (the flying areas are much better, and once you clear the area, you can fly around freely without needing to repeat it anytime you want to go somewhere).

Happy birthday to NYUntouchable, my sponsor in the Best Poster Tournament.

In my switch to diet sodas, I've found that I actually find Diet 7-Up tastes better than 7-Up. I just wish it was more accessible (most restaruants seem to serve a cola and a diet version of it, then all the non-diet alternatives). While I prefer Coke over Pepsi, I can't stand Diet Coke while Diet Pepsi I like. Also, the king of Diet pop is, as mentioned, Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. That is some good stuff.

The boss fight at the Coliseum was awesome.

Re-printing any portion of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter without express consent from Dave Meltzer is a violation of copyright, hitman2003.

I got my WON on Monday for a change this week - it noted that whatever Orton did that ended up being the last straw would get most wrestlers released.

"Out of the four "Star" franchises - Wars, Trek, Gate, and Search - yours is my 3rd all time favourite" "Thanks, I get that a lot"

Yeah, just call this "Fox Sunday Night". I enjoyed everything tonight (except I refused to watch Free Ride for taking up AD's space). I think maybe I'm just a mark for references as the only things I remember really laughing at on Family Guy were Stewie singing Mr. Belevedere, The Noid ("Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me"... loved it), and the TMNT theme being played for 4 seconds. On The Simpsons, Homer "calling" the "repair man" (Mac Tonight) was fairly amusing.

So despite some concerns raised about the beginning of the game being boring and stuff like that, I bought this while out yesterday and so far I've been loving it... maybe I'm just a mark for references, I don't know. I popped big for Scrooge McDuck, too bad he didn't talk though.

So after not doing anything for 6 months, I decided I wanted to update my blog again... but I can't. Part of that was I forgot how, but there also seems to be these "assistant" tools that weren't there before, and almost none of them work. I tried my default script (Firefox) and I tried IE and both had the same problem. I have the Canadian skin on and basically, all the manus have a "v" next to them except "Blog Settings". The ones with the "v" don't do anything when clicked. The settings menu works, although I had to look at it a few times to see there were other options I could pick (on Firefox, the sub-directories are all squished into the original pop-up). I wondered if it was a problem with the skin, but I can't find an option to change it... then, as I wondered this, the skin just automatically turned into the default skin (which was kind of weird) but nothing worked there either. Now it's back to the Canadian skin (which I don't even want anymore) and I still can't do anything. Note: If this was something that should have gone into "Report here first" or "Report problems here" threads, sorry, I was just trying to mention this quickly before leaving for work and didn't really look around.

So, I decided the other day I wanted to start blogging again... and then I couldn't. I had that stupid Canadian skin on, which was only there to say "Hey everyone I'm Canadian", and clicking the entry menu didn't do anything. Well, today I looked at the settings (again) to see if there was something I was missing. I saw an option under "Look" to always show entry options. When I selected it, the blog turned over to the default skin (which works out well) and suddenly clicking "Entries" actually did something! I wish I knew how to permenantly change the blog skin so I didn't have to worry about it flipping back to the Canadian one, but in due time. Now I am free to share with everyone just how funny I find "The War on Easter" graphic that they use on The Colbert Report... but later.

Thanks GQ! I'll be sure to entertain you with a real blog entry tomorrow... maybe. Possibly.

Now that I watched the episode, I was confused if their target was free speech, the stupid outrage over the Mohammed cartoon, Family Guy, or the whole Tome Cruise episode debacle. They just nicely combined it all. I love Family Guy, but damn if that parody was not spot on.

While I don't know you in real life, I do know things (via IRC) about you that others probably don't (one example being your name) but I get the point you're expressing. Have at it, S_D. Let the good times roll.