Kurt Angle Mark

Other than the quality of the shows that is the big difference between Raw and Smackdown right now, Raw lost its competition MNF ,while every network including the WB has thrown everything they have on Thursday, Thus Raw's numbers have gone up while Smackdown is off .2 from their usual number the last few weeks.

Chris Benoit suffered a partially torn bicep in the Smackdown match with Kurt Angle that aired last Thursday. He is not going to need surgery and isn't expected to miss any ring time at this point. credit: Dave Meltzer

After Raw went off the air, Steve Austin came to the ring. He got a huge pop, not surprisingly. He gave Chief Morley several stunners. Chris Jericho came to the ring to drink beer with Austin, and Austin gave him a Stunner, too. credit: PWtorch.com

Damn, Kurt Angle better pin or make Brock tap out at No Way Out or perhaps even next week because this is too much.

Dave Meltzer just confirmed Goldust new gimmick "The current plan is that Dustin Runnels, after being electrocuted last week, will return as a character with deep emotional problems and tourette's syndrome"

I figured that Teddy Long talking about Black Lighting shooting lighting out of his ass was a way of foreshadowing Goldust's new gimmick.

Do me a favor KAM and check them out for me... With the ones I already listed, what other RAW or SmackDown! encounters did they have? I check and there have been 8 one on one matches between Angle and Benoit on free TV. Here are the dates. Raw: 06/11/01- Cage Match Smackdown: 03/23/00 04/20/00 05/25/00 10/24/02 11/14/02 12/19/02 02/06/03

Excluding the England PPVs, I have every match that involved Angle and Benoit, in one form or another, except for one. That one being Stone Cold and The Rock vs. Angle and Benoit from the 2/19/01 Raw, because we didn't get the TNN feed that day. I have also written down every Raw and Smackdown card from 2000-present so I could check and list every one of the matches that had Angle and Benoit in them.

Actually more people watched Smackdown than Raw. Network TV and Cable TV ratings are different A 1.0 rating for Network is equal to= 1,055,000 households A 1.0 rating for Cable is equal to= around 800,000-850,000 homes I always use this as a guide, a 4.0 for Raw is the same as 3.2 for Smackdown.

To be honest I think its kind of hard to decide if the number was good or not because the Michael Jackson interview is too much of a curveball. Especially considering that most times ABC barely beats Smackdown in the ratings.

1wrestling.com just corrected itself and said that Raw actually got a 3.4 rating.

Team Angle defeated The Guerrero Brothers to capture the WWE Tag Team Titles a couple minutes ago in Philadelphia, Pa. at the Smackdown tapings. We'll have complete results later. credit: PWtorch.com

One of their matches that stands out to me was the one they had during the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. I don't remember if it was good or not, I just remember marking out because the Rock pinned HHH with a fisherman suplex.

You need to realize that the show was preempted in many areas including D.C and Detroit. When Smackdown was preempted in L.A. and New York this past August it got a 2.7 rating.

Mike Goins sent along this item. ... This is a follow up of sorts to your story about Rhyno perhaps becoming the fourth member of Triple H's stable. Radio ads in the Huntington-Charleston (WV) area promoted WWE's Raw house show February 16 at Big Sandy Superstore Arena has one of the matches listed as Rhyno and Batista tagging up to take on RVD and Kane. Maybe a sign of things to come? credit: 1wrestling.com

Two things I do like, is that it appears that at some point we are going to see: Los Guerreros vs. Team Angle for the Tag Team Titles. and Matt Hardy vs. Billy Kidman for the cruiserweight title Two matches that I have been waiting for.

Not true. Raw got over a 3.5 rating only one time during the last 9 weeks in went up against MNF MNF ends, and Raw has gotten a 3.6 3.9 3.8 4.1 in the last four weeks.

Since I'm from L.A. I must agree. I hate it that people thing we suck because of the crowds in Anaheim. If you live in this area you know there is a big difference between us and the people of Orange County. Orlando is also a great city. It is usually the only hot crowd in Florida. Chicago is awesome as well.

Benoit-Angle: Another match of the year candidate by Phil Speer BOSTON – Jan. 19, 2003 – What can be said that hasn’t been said already about Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit? The two Superstars have seemingly done it all, against each other and as a tag team. Their match at Unforgiven last September in Los Angeles was a match of the year candidate. And so was their battle tonight at the Royal Rumble. “My goal was to steal the show,” said Angle, who retained the WWE Championship. “I think we did it.” Besides the customary beet-red chest that any Superstar gets when he wrestled Benoit, Angle said he was feeling fine after the match. It was Angle’s first contest since before he had anthroscopic surgery on his right knee, which he said was a bit sore and swollen after the match, but pretty good, all things considered. “What a way to start back,” he said. “A 25-minute match with Chris Benoit. Could it have been better? Yeah, but then you’d be nit-picking.” That said, Angle proceeded to nit-pick: “If I had a little more wind, I could have shown a little more emotion and my moves would have been crispier.” He also said the knee brace he has been wearing slows him down a half step. “The fans might not notice, but I do,” he said. Angle and Benoit, of course, are their own worst critics. Nit-picking aside, both Superstars were thrilled with their performance tonight. And the fans and fellow Superstars were saw no need to nit-pick. The Superstars gave both Benoit and Angle a standing ovation. Fans gave Benoit the same after the match. “I really get goose bumps thinking about it,” Benoit said, extending his arm to show the goose bumps. “It’s a very good feeling to have the fans appreciate what I love – what I really love – doing. The ovation the fans gave me today was very meaningful. Those are the moments that make the hair on the back on your neck stand up. That’s a moment I’ll never forget.” Like Angle, Benoit said he was feeling the usual post-match bump, bruises, aches and pains. But nothing seemed to be torn or broken – including his surgically repaired neck, which he continues to stretch and exercises, as he did when he was rehabilitating it, even though he has full medical clearance. The condition of his neck was no doubt on many fans’ minds when Benoit delivered an electrifying top-rope headbutt onto Angle, who was seemingly all the way on the other side of the ring. “When I got up (to the top rope) and looked, I didn’t realize he was so far away,” Benoit said. “So I just went for it.” Comparing tonight’s match with their battle at Unforgiven, Angle said, “Story-wise, it was a little better. Technique-wise, it was not as good.” Benoit said he doesn’t compare his matches, but he was proud of tonight’s effort. “I’d say most of my meaningful matches I’ve had with Kurt – meaningful meaning for a title or a contendership or something like that – are on a pedestal,” he said. “I’m proud to be competing against a great athlete like Kurt. I’ve got a lot of respect for him as an athlete.” The respect is mutual. Said Angle, “Chris Benoit is the best wrestler in WWE.”

RAW Moment of the Decade: Chris Jericho's debut RAW Superstar of the Decade: Stone Cold Steve Austin RAW Match of the Decade: Michaels/Austin vs. Owen/Bulldog RAW Most Shocking Moment: Eric Bishoff appears on Raw RAW Best Mic Skills/"Gimme the Mic": The Rock(Heel Version) RAW Sickest Bump: Godfather powerbombs Ho(Victoria) through a table RAW Diva of the Decade: Sunny

Well i hope it's true. Perhaps after watching last week's Raw Stephanie realized that HHH is more attracted to his own body than to her's, and dumped the guy.

Yeah, I also heard him say it. I think he mentioned Rikishi, too. Cole assumed that all these people were going to be in the Royal Rumble, he didn't say that they were officially in the Rumble.

Christian also entered the Royal Rumble last night.

Wrestler of the Year: Kurt Angle Tag-Team of the Year: Booker T and Goldust Match of the Year: Angle and Benoit vs. Edge and Rey ( No Mercy) Rookie of the Year: Brock Lesnar Feud of the Year: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit Best Face of the Year: Rey Mysterio Best Heel of the Year: Kurt Angle Most Improved Wrestler of the Year: Trish Stratus Comeback of the Year: Goldust/Eddie/Benoit Favorite wrestler of the Year: Kurt Angle Most Hated wrestler(the person you hate the most): HHH Un-Pushed wrestler of the Year: Booker T Too-Pushed wrestler of the Year: HHH Best promo man of the Year: Kurt Angle PPV of the year: Summerslam Biggest Shock of the Year: Crowd reaction to Hogan at Wrestlemania Biggest Story of the Year: Return of Hulkamania/Austin walk out Saddest Item of the Year: British Bulldog's death Storyline of the Year: Angle And Benoit forced to be tag partners Best Moment of the Year: Brock F-5's the Big Show Worst Moment of the Year: Any HHH promo Worst Storyline of the Year: Katie Vick story Worst Feud of the Year: HHH vs. Jericho

The first moment that got me down on the WWF/E was the Smackdown before Unforgiven 2000, when Angle laid out HHH with the Sledgehammer and forced himself on Steph because right there I knew that HHH ws going to win and that there was no way Steph was going to end up with Angle. It kills me till this day because Steph and Angle are my two favorite people in the WWE and it was my dream as a wrestling fan to see them together. The second was when they didn't turn HHH face after Wrestlemania X-7.. This is reason I hate HHH so much, because if he would have turned face in either of these situations not only would have he benefitted form it but so would have the WWF. Instead these moments turned out to be the start of WWF/E's downfall. Also IMO Summerslam 2001 was what killed the Invasion. After seeing X-Pac beat Tajiri, Undertaker and Kane kill Page and Kanyon, And both Austin and Rock walk out as champions I knew the Invasion was going to fail. I turned to my friend right after the show was over and said " The WWF is in big trouble now" and unfortunately I was right.