DrVenkman PhD

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.”

Though I strongly suggest no one ever respond to threads started by glennsoe, Lita has been cleared to wrestle for quite some time and has only had a few (very bad) matches with people like Maria, so her deciding not to wrestle and (I'm assuming) stick with being Edge's manager is not surprising. If she leaves the company all together, oh well. We've known about Trish for some time.

Ahmed Johnson in WarZone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxfJ3HaHMfk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwOkIJilnL0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sui6GZF8ABM Batista and Show after the ECW show.

And exactly who is to blame for being a drunk driver, hmmmm? That's right - YOU.

I have no idea what this scanner thing you're talking about is and sadly could see myself falling for this same trap the woman did. In fact, in 2001, on a trip to D.C., we tried using some sort of "self check out" line at some store called "Lexx" (or something similar, I do not recall). I didn't see the point because nothing scanned and someone had to come over to take our money.

Backstage walking is good for Fantasy Points. I also remember for a brief period of time either last fall or spring, they replaced "walking backstage" with "doing a long entrance / cut to commercial / back with the match". I only recall this happening with Masters but I'm sure it happened with others a few times too.

My 90s friends and I always equated the Big Match / Cage Lowering music to Bret Hart's music.

That's a good point. My boss even told me this wasn't really work related, just more of a "I know you want to get along with your co-workers but you might not be as well as you think". If it's not going to get me fired, then I should just forget about it and not care.

Ban iggymcfly for being a drunk driver.

One of the nice things about having your main blog hosted on a forum based on wrestling discussion is that people I don't know that well - let's say co-workers, for example - will probably never see it. I am one of those closet wrestling fans - the kind that only looks at the DVDs in a store when no other customers are around, and leaves the store quickly after making a purcahse, as if I had just purchased the most disgusting pornography commercially available. Basically, I'm not the wrestling fan that advertises his fandom to people I don't know are fans themselves, and as far as I know, none of my co-workers are wrestling fans (if they are, they hide it as well as I do). I used to have co-worker fans, but they are gone now. I guess the very longwinded point I'm trying to make is, under the guise of DrVenkman, I can write an angry blog entry about the people I work with without them ever reading this, essentially venting steam in a wide open forum with little chance of it getting back to them. Before I rant about the day I had yesterday, I should set the stage with the appropriate backstory: At work, I'm a shift supervisor. This is not a position I wanted, but last fall the former supervisor was leaving for the miliatary and the position needed to be filled. It's a crappy position with almost no pay increase and extra work, but people kept telling me to take it. I took it and for the past several months have been known - or I thought I was - as the supervisor who barely cares and will hardly, if ever, discipline people for minor policy infractions. Someone has to screw up big time for me to act. For a month, another shift supervisor at another work site and I had to switch (there is a previous blog entry noting I will be away for a month - that was why) as he basically has the same laid back attitude I do, and apparently it was thought changing out environments for a month would help us (more him than me) out. Another key point is I don't drive. Yesterday I go into work to start my Tuesday-Saturday week and as usual I start my day by talking to my boss. We're pretty much talking about nothing and she then drops this bomb that if I haven't checked my company e-mail yet, to expect to find an e-mail she wrote detailing how I may be losing my rapport with my co-workers since I've allegedly been "power tripping" and "making decisions that are easiest for me and may not be best for everyone else". She also mentions someone complaining about me asking for rides. God, I know if the shoe was on my foot, I probably wouldn't be much different, but for such trivial nonsense as me "asking for rides", why can't people just tell ME about it? At the time, that was really the only part that bothered me. The idea I was "power tripping" actually amused me because it would mean that at least one employee thought I was actually exhibiting supervisory powers, something most people I work with don't believe. An hour or so later I get a chance to read the actual e-mail she warned me about. The e-mail version of these complaints from my co-workers include the above mentioned "decision making that only benefits me" as well as stating I've been called arrogant. When I read that, I actually chuckled. The rides issue was thrown in, but she made sure to note that is not work related (she told the anonymous complainee that, but wanted me to know someone mentioned it). I respond to the e-mail (which I should also note says this is more of a "heads up" and is in no way a write-up or letter of discipline), noting that I have a sarcastic nature that is generally not meant to be taken seriously but that I will watch what I say. I also note that I have, as a rib, yelled at two co-workers to "do what I say, I am yoru boss!" but as both were friends and that I was joking, I assumed it was not an issue. I then went on to continue my work. 10 minutes later the whole thing sinks in and I am both terribly pissed and completely depressed. I became thankful that I have an inner monolgue capable of visualizing meetings with my boss where I yell and swear, calling the whole deal bullshit. Doing this mentally saves me from having to do it today. It really bothered me and I spent the rest of my shift kinda moping around, thinking about who these mystery complainants could be. What really got me mad was the fact she won't TELL ME what incidents are being referred to. You see, if she were to straight up say "this is the incident I received a complaint about that I agree with the complainaint about", I would work to fix that. But no, it's a vague "in one instance I agreed". How the hell does THAT help me? What is more important - me knowing what to fix, or giving me vague details about something that may not have even happened because if I am told the details, I can figure out who complained? I already have a suspect list as there are only two people that give me a ride home, and a third that used to but stopped (which kind of makes it a bit more obvious). I have a difficult time keeping stuff like this inside, and during a break ended up speaking with a friend of mine (since before he worked with me) about the situation. Unfortunatley another co-worker (who I suspected may have complained about something) came by and got caught up in my venting. Both of them had no diea where the arrogance thing came from, with the non-friend telling me that I know her well enough to know she's rather direct with people when something bothers her. I thought about it and came up with a suspect list of who the jerk co-workers could be: 1. Pregnant Girl. Last Monday, I worked a day shift in exchange for not working an afternoon shift the Tuesday I was going to the SmackDown tapings. I was already in a bit of a mood that day and was dead set about getting myself the easiest job on the day shift. I told her when I came in she was being moved somewhere else and I was doing her job for the day, and she complained. I told her she is scheduled to do the other job the next day, and asked why today is a problem. She gave the "I'm pregnant and having pains today!" spiel and I apologized. Then, right in a front of her, I called someone and (in a very arrogant tone, but in a way I thought he would know I was joking) told him I was "pulling rank" and doing his job for the day while he got stuck with the crap one. He actually didn't mind, so it worked out. I told the PG I was sorry if I sounded angry or rude earlier and I meant nothing by it. As human nature is with most people, she said not to worry about it, but my thought is this IS the "doing things that benefit you and no one else" incident, as well as the arrogance incident. This person used to give me a ride when she worked afternoons, but that was her offer. It could be tied together, though. 2. Old Man. OM is very angry and hates every possible job he can be given at our work site. He considers everything to be BS and gets very mad at the smallest things. He often tells me of people at work that bother him but has never questioned anything I do. He is only a suspect because he gives me a ride home. I will admit the ride thing is entriely my fault - I should get a damn car - but I'm pissed that people aren't open with me about it. I'm a very shy person and hate asking people to go out of there way, but over the past 8 months I've become conditioned that things are ok now, which has led to me gradually becoming more demanding ("If I'm getting a ride, can we stop at the store on the corner for milk?"). In a certain light, I guess I could be the bad guy in this case, but the fact is I'm always very apologetic / meek when asking, "Do you mind / It's ok if we don't / don't worry about it / do you want anything from the store? / would you like some gas money?" OM's answer is always no, same goes for suspect #3 (well once he needed gas and I paid for it). Anyway, the only reason OM is a suspect is because he's angry. Generally HE offers ME the ride and I don't even ask. 3. Friend through work. FTW is someone I consider a friend, though we do not really hang out or anything outside of work. I talk to him over MSN, we talk all the time, he got me watching MST3K, and so on. Only a suspect because he gives me a ride to work (and picks me up, too) but this was an idea of his, not mine. He also has seemed slightly colder to me since I returned from my temporary work site, though that could be my imagination. 4. Girl that is friend of the boss. The main suspect. GTIFOB was friends with my boss before she started working here and at times hangs out with her outside of work. They often discuss their personal lives with each other at work. She is also friends with FTW outside of work as they play poker Tuesday nights. She often seems like a nice person at work, but, as my pre-coworkers friend described her, "has that 'can become a bitch' aura to her". She also voices problems with co-workers to my boss / her friend which sometimes are taken with more value than they should be, because they are friends. I don't recall doing anything that upset GTIFOB, but does anyone ever know when the upset a chick? Anyway, she had commented previously that if we both worked at a different site "straightening everyone out over there", I would even be able to get a ride home (said site is quite out of my way). She has also picked me up at home before going to early morning supervisor meetings. I thought asking her Friday if it was possible for her to pick me up for a day shift on Saturday was a harmless request she could turn down (and did, stating she would up late and would be rushing to work that morning), but right now I have to believe, because chicks are insane, it bothered her, she complained to my boss / her friend over the weekend, and hence I get an e-mail sent about it Monday morning. In closing - wag of the finger to whichever of my co-workers are being whiney bitches (though it seems I just spent a large chunk of writing time and blog space being just that as well). Sorry for boring anyone who read this - I just had to vent and let it all out. Thanks for putting up with it (assuming you did).

Tell me about it... Oh, and PWInsider says Boogeyman and Dupree might be going to ECW.

Regarding my ongoing saga trying to get my 24/7 Online subscription back: Now I'm being told I need to access parental controls to continue with my transaction. This is great and all, but I never set any parental controls, nor was I aware WWE.com even had any. Sure enough, I see in my account that there is an option. It asks me to enter a password, but I never set one. My account password or pin don't work, so I'm still stuck. An e-mail was sent. MM: Did they address your concerns over the loss of the June archive?

"WWE.com has learned that SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long intends on once again deploying a New Talent Initiative (NTI), promising a cavalcade of new, talented Superstars who will appear on SmackDown in the coming months. Long launched the New Talent Initiative towards the end of last year and introduced a score of new stars such as Mr. Kennedy, the Boogeyman, Bobby Lashley and Finlay. Each of these men has had tremendous impact on SmackDown since their debut. Given what SmackDown has seen from such Superstars, one can only expect great things from the new wave that Long will introduce to WWE fans. Mr. Kennedy arrived on SmackDown last August and quickly gained recognition with an impressive winning streak. With victories over Rey Mysterio, a pre-royalty King Booker and, most recently, consecutive wins over Batista (by disqualification and count-out), Kennedy’s actions in the ring have been just as loud as his recurring self-introductions." Correct me if I am incorrect, but was the NTI an angle Palmer Cannon used to introduce the juniors? Also, Tommy Dreamer's "shoot" column is unsuspended and will be back on Saturday.

Good atmosphere and matches (aside from the ME) tonight. Brooklyn Bralwer looks the same now as he did when I started watching him job on Superstars in 1991. Good to see him and Vlad the Superfan - old school nostalgia.

This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Wendy's International because its content was used without permission

I thought you were on vacation, chasing after Maura

I currently don't care about 24/7 Online as I was disconnected from the service when my CC was stolen. I was even sent angry-ish e-mails from WWE.com about it, despite the fact I warned them my card was stolen and I was getting a new number. When I finally tried to update it earlier this week (after I got my card and was given some available credit) I was told it was denied. This didn't stop them from charging me $3 each time I tried to sign-up (when I questioned this, I was told it was a standard processing fee that would be given back in 3-30 days). I don't know why it was denied.

I don't know about Canadian & US Coke being different but I do know that we do have different laws that's for sure. Our Mountain Dew has NO caffeine in it. I didn't even know for years that the US put caffeine in it and always wondered why their commercials were all "Extreme" and whatnot. Hence why we had Mountain Dew Energy (which I believe has been rebranded Dew Feul). It got around our clear (or almost clear, I guess) beverage regulations of being caffeine free. I guess because they new had a caffeinated Dew product out, they had to pute "CAFFEINE FREE" on the regular Dew cans.

I once had an idea back in 2002 that Pepsi should build themselves around the "Blue" idea (since I liked it) and change the colours of their cola. Pepsi would be the same, but cherry would be Pepsi Red, twist would be Pepsi Yellow. It would also have opened the door to Crystal Pepsi returning. It was not to be.