Dobbs 3K

How do they "integrate" Greg Valentine into their regular tv? I mean, unless he's going to wrestle regularly again? From what I remember, Valentine was never much of a talker or anything, so I don't see how having him be a manager would really work out.

How about shooting the rioters to start?

President George W. Bush called it a "religion of peace."

I don't get why TNA is bringing in even more X Division guys at this point. I mean, don't they have a big enough roster already? I think TNA should focus on building up the guys they have right now. Sure, if a can't miss star comes along (like if Christian really is available), then go ahead, sign him up. But why are they bringing in more ROH type guys at this point?

I think the key point is that it would be a solid business strategy for the WWE to at least take input and use the internet to build their business further. I'm not saying that it would be smart for WWE to base all of their booking on what the IWC feels. A comparison was made a couple years ago to the movie business. It used to be that online spoiler sites and review sites were loathed by Hollywood. Now, movie producers will often invite people from websites to visit their sets, and get input from them. I'm not sure how extensive this practice is, but I know it does happen. I'm seeing signs that it's starting to happen...wwe.com posting online interviews and pictures of people visiting Titan Towers, etc. I think WWE should spend less time fighting with internet sites and fans, and more time _working_ with them. After all, the IWC represents some of the most rabid and devoted wrestling fans. I think that's something WWE should be exploiting.

Ok...because this is a pet peeve of mine...from www.m-w.com: "resigned": 1 : RELEGATE, CONSIGN; especially : to give (oneself) over without resistance <resigned herself to her fate> 2 : to give up deliberately; especially : to renounce (as a right or position) by a formal act intransitive senses 1 : to give up one's office or position : QUIT 2 : to accept something as inevitable : SUBMIT "re-sign": transitive senses : to sign again intransitive senses : to sign up again Not trying to be a jerk, but I see this time and time again in reference to wrestler contracts and such, even from major websites. I'm probably guilty of it too.

It's not so much about religion as it is about culture. To be fair, France has tried to assimilate these Arabs and North Africans into the French culture (at least from what I understand), but it seems more and more like they _don't_ want to assimilate. France has social welfare, giving people housing and such. I guess that is not enough for many of these people though, members of the so called "religion of peace." The Middle East is not the frontier of jihad, Western Europe is.

There's been riots going on in the Paris, France area for over a week now. This in the same country that criticized the US for being unprepared for the hurricanes...take note...this is what happens when you allow 10% of a western nation's population to become Muslim. Unrest Reaches Paris; 13 Cars Torched By ELAINE GANLEY PARIS (AP) - The urban unrest that triggered scores of arson attacks on vehicles, nursery schools and other targets from the Mediterranean to the German border reached Paris overnight, with police saying early Sunday that 13 cars were burned in the French capital. By 1 a.m., at least 607 vehicles - including those in Paris - were burned during the 10th night of violence, said Patrick Hamon, spokesman for the national police. The overall figures were expected to climb by daybreak, he added. The violence - originally concentrated in neighborhoods northeast of Paris with large immigrant populations - has spread across France, extending west to the rolling fields of Normandy and south to resort cities on the Mediterranean. Attacks were reported in Cannes and Nice. In the Normandy town of Evreux, arsonists burned at least 50 vehicles, part of a shopping center, a post office and two schools, Hamon said. Five police officers and three firefighters were injured battling the blazes, he said. The unrest is forcing France to confront long-simmering anger in its suburbs, where many Africans and their French-born children live on society's margins, struggling with unemployment, poor housing, racial discrimination, crime and a lack of opportunity. Police deployed a helicopter and tactical teams to chase down youths speeding from one attack to another in cars and on motorbikes. Some 2,300 police were brought into the Paris region to bolster security, France-Info said. More than 250 people were arrested. The violence erupted Oct. 27 following the accidental electrocution of two teenagers who hid in a power substation, apparently believing police were chasing them. The anger spread to the Internet, with blogs mourning the youths. Along with messages of condolence and appeals for calm were insults targeting police, threats of more violence and warnings that the unrest will feed support for France's anti-immigration extreme right. "Civil war is declared. There will no doubt be deaths. Unfortunately, we have to prepare," said a posting signed "Rania." "We are going to destroy everything. Rest in peace, guys," wrote "Saint Denis." The unrest reached Paris late Saturday. Hamon had no immediate information on the neighborhoods where the vehicles were torched. Paris police headquarters said three cars were damaged by fire in the Republique section, northeast of City Hall. "It's copycat acts," Hamon said. "All these hoodlums see others setting fires and say they can do it, too." Evreux, 60 miles to the west, appeared to suffer the worst damage Saturday. The burning of the shopping center showed that "there is a will to pillage," Hamon said. "This has been true since the start," referring to grocery stores, video stores and other businesses that have been set afire. The unrest has taken on unprecedented scope and intensity, reaching far-flung corners of France on Saturday, from Rouen in Normandy to Bordeaux in the southwest to Strasbourg near the German border. However, the Paris region has borne the brunt. In quiet Acheres, on the edge of the St. Germain forest west of Paris, arsonists burned a nursery school, where part of the roof caved in, and about a dozen cars in attacks the mayor described as "perfectly organized." Children's photos clung to the blackened walls, and melted plastic toys littered the floor. Residents gathered at the school gate, demanding that the army be deployed or suggesting that citizens band together to protect their neighborhoods. Mayor Alain Outreman tried to cool tempers. "We are not going to start militias," he said. "You would have to be everywhere." Cars were torched in the cultural bastion of Avignon in the south and the resort cities of Nice and Cannes, a police officer said. Arson was reported in Nantes in the southwest, the Lille region in the north and Saint-Dizier in the Ardennes region east of Paris. In the eastern city of Strasbourg, 18 cars were set alight in full daylight, police said. In one attack, youths in the eastern Paris suburb of Meaux prevented paramedics from evacuating a sick person from a housing project. They pelted rescuers with rocks and then torched the waiting ambulance, an Interior Ministry official said. Most of the overnight arrests occurred near Paris. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy warned that those convicted could face severe sentences for burning cars. "Violence penalizes those who live in the toughest conditions," he said after a government crisis meeting. Most rioting has been in towns with low-income housing projects where unemployment and distrust of police run high. But in a new development, arsonists were moving beyond their heavily policed neighborhoods to attack others with less security, Hamon said. "They are very mobile, in cars or scooters. ... It is quite hard to combat" he said. "Most are young, very young, we have even seen young minors." There appeared to be no coordination between separate groups in different areas, Hamon said. But within gangs, he added, youths are communicating by cell phones or e-mails. "They organize themselves, arrange meetings, some prepare the Molotov cocktails," he said. In Torcy, close to Disneyland Paris, a youth center and a police station were set ablaze. In Suresnes, on the Seine River west of the capital, 44 cars were burned in a parking lot. "We thought Suresnes was calm," said Naima Mouis, a hospital employee whose car was torched. On Saturday morning, more than 1,000 people marched through one of the worst-hit suburbs, Aulnay-sous-Bois. Local officials wore sashes in the red, white and blue of the French flag as they filed past housing projects and the wrecks of burned cars. One white banner read, "No to violence." Anger was fanned days ago when a tear gas bomb exploded in a mosque in Clichy-sous-Bois - the northern suburb where the youths were electrocuted. Sarkozy also has inflamed passions by referring to troublemakers as "scum."

This is why crew members of large passenger ships and planes should be allowed to carry guns.

I don't know what Chris Benoit will do, but he does live in Georgia...not too far away to make a trip down to Orlando once or twice a week...

In Brewers news, general manager Doug Melvin's contract has been extended thru 2009. Bad news for Red Sox fans who thought he might be coming to Boston. Also, earlier this week, the team named Robin Yount their new bench coach.

Um...could Benoit really make more money working for ROH than for TNA or going overseas?

WWE isn't doing great right now, but let's not kid ourselves. This isn't 2001 WCW.

I _really_ enjoyed the show last night. It was nice having wrestling on a Thursday night again, if only as a one time thing. Some thoughts: - The six man tag was far and away the best show of the evening. My wife, who is only a very casual wrestling fan who sometimes watches RAW with me, said "this is the best match I've seen in months!" She was really into it, and liked all the high flying and flipping moves. If TNA can keep attracting casual fans like that, they could really turn into something big. - Samoa Joe is the real deal. When he yelled in AJ Styles face...well, it was awesome. You don't see that kind of emotion in a match too often nowadays. - My wife also noticed how there was less talking on this show than most WWE matches. It was a nice change of pace. - Ultimate X was good, but it didn't blow me away. The match felt a bit disjointed to me. - The Dudleys, er...Team 3D had a decent match, using some moves I don't remember them doing in a while. - Some of the guys really do need personalities though. Especially a lot of the X Division guys...I mean, is there any difference between any of the guys in Team Canada? What sets apart guys like Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, and Austin Aries? Other than using slightly different moves, I have no idea. - I liked the segment with Raven and Rhino. It served a purpose, and both guys seemed believable. - I didn't mind Jeff Jarrett as much as usual. I thought he wrestled a pretty good match. I think the Stroke is fine as a finisher. Keep in mind, I'm never going to be a JJ fan, but at least he wasn't totally annoying like he has been on previous shows I've seen. - Monty Brown has the total look of a star. I was laughing at his facials, and loved how he gave that jobber the Pounce three times in a row. I thought it was a good way to keep hyping Brown. I can summarize my thoughts like this: Spike TV, please move TNA to a week night (when I'm actually home), so I don't have to tape it! I will watch!

Yeah..."Byte This" only fits the term "WWE programming" in the loosest sense of the phrase.

Around here it is pitch dark by 6 PM (after daylight savings ended). There was some local trick or treating, but it was wrapped up around then. Apparently, Fat Vader and Goldust don't bring ratings?

How many minutes did it take Snuka to get up to the top rope and steady himself enough this time?

FWIW, Shelton wrestled on Heat...does that count as a "PPV pay day?"

I think it would be funny if they show a clip on Impact (assuming he signs with TNA) where he just shows up randomly in the back, walks up to Larry Z, shakes his hand while everyone looks on dumbfounded, and says "Hi, I'm Jay Reso, let's talk," and then they walk into Larry's office, or something like that.

When is WWE going to realize people are sick of seeing announcers and other non-wrestlers in matches and major angles on TV? I mean, what possible good could have come from Austin laying down for frickin' Coach???

I agree. I don't mind Goldust being back. It appears he can still work and is in good shape. He can do comedy really well...hell, my wife thought he was hillarious when he was teaming with Booker T, and she's barely a wrestling fan at all. Vader looked awful though, and it's a shame because I used to be a big fan of the guy. Maybe if he had a few months to train, he could've come back and not embarassed himself.

Yeah, I get the impression that Vader showing up was pretty last minute. Maybe if he had a few months of hard training he could get himself back to a decent weight. I mean, it was pretty embarassing to watch him fall twice in the ring, and then fall off the ring apron. At least Goldust hit his finisher and stuff. When Coach was telling Vader to finish Batista off, I thought we'd at least get to see a powerbomb or the Vader Splash. Instead, we get a lame double axehandle. Pretty pathetic.

This is the kind of thing TNA fans can point to when they say TNA is better than WWE.

My top three: - Super Mario World: Mainly due to cool stuff like the cape, and being able to use Yoshi. - SMB3: Man, this game was hyped like crazy, and deserved it. I remember going to the local rental place, and it was always rented out for weeks at a time...I finally got to buy it later than summer, and had a blast with it. Took me a LONG time to beat, too. - Super Mario Bros: I begged my parents for a Nintendo pretty much just for this game alone. Honorable mention: SMB2...I like how the environments are fairly interactive, like climbing vines and being able to ride on enemies, etc. I've never gotten to play Super Mario 64, sadly. I didn't get an N64 right away, and when I finally did, this game was kind of passe at that point, I guess.

For what it's worth, I hope he _does_ go to TNA. I think he'd instantly give TNA some more credibility, and they could use him in a lot of different ways (as has been mentioned earlier). Personally I'd hope they push him as a face, because I think TNA could use that one pretty recognizable guy who can talk on the mike in their main event scene (discounting older guys like Nash and the Outlaw, etc).