Just John

I'm going with the Hostile Takeover from BATB 96. That match turned WCW around, but it often doesn't get credit for it's impact on wrestling. The NWO pretty much ended the gimmick era. Sure Vince tried more gimmicks after they arrived, but none of them worked. The NWO pretty much set up the good guy vs bad guy formula as opposed to gimmick vs gimmick. It was one set of cleraly defined heels trying to ruin a company, not a pig farmer vs an astronaut or a dentist. They were also some of the first "cool heels." This formula would later be used and taken a step further by DX. HHH still tries this today.

Gimme: $300 on HHH $500 on Angle $100 on the Dudleys

The noticable lack of a commercial break was a dead giveaway. Then Steiner moving into position for the boot. And for everyone who says Test's acting was good, you must not have seen his D-level acting moment: "I'm gonna treat you like the slut you are." (complete w/D-level smirk) The Rob Conway swerve was even more obvious. If they wanted to get heat for La Res, they would have dragged the soldier to the ring and beat the hell out of him. I thought it was obvious as soon as they just shoved him and left. (Heel turn rule #34: If you're fighting a person you know you will join, just shove him. See: Show joining NWO, Lesnar joining McMahon)

Angle vs Lesnar: Kurt should definitely retain, although it doesn't have to be by winning (screwjob, DQ). Let the feud carry to No Mercy and then have Kurt get the clean win back. Then let him feud with Eddie leading into Survivor Series. Unfortunately, Vince's ego may get the better of him here. He usually doesn't allign with losers (which is what my plan would dictate) and you know he would love to gloat about making Brock a monster and leading him to victory. However, if Brock does lose, that could lead to a real Lesnar/McMahon match. EC: Who shouldn't win: Nash, Orton, Goldberg, HHH, or Shawn. Jericho should definitely win this match, but most likely won't. I'm sure HBK won't win since he won tthe last EC. Even WWE wouldn't be dumb enough to put the title on Orton this early. Nash sucks and WWE realizes this and he certainly won't win. I see HHH retaining unfortunately, but I wouldn't count out a 1 month reign for The Big Hebrew.

Yes. It's all a matter of opinion, which obviously varies person to person. I don't think Blackman or Angle benefitted from Shane's bumps the same way that Rocky or HHH benefitted (is that even a word?) from Mick Foley's bumping, largely because Mick's bumps involved both people. Hunter and Mick brutalized each other at the Rumble which made both men look tougher in the end, and HHH look really good because he came out on top. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree here.

Really? I seem to remember Steve getting made into Austin's bitch at the next ppv, then disappearing from tv all together. Granted, that was due to injury, but I don't remember anyone saying Steve was tougher after he knocked Shane off the tron. It's not like the announcers mentioned that Steve was any better, and Blackman just continued to do the same old stuff and never really got anywhere from knocking Shane off. I'm not saying someone couldn't tell you if you asked them, but that spot totally put the spotlight on Shane and didn't do much for Angle. Shane's not a big guy and doesn't look too hard to throw around compared to most wrestlers. Most people who have feuded with Shane have tossed him around like it was nothing at one point in their feud, so I don't think it did much for Angle, but that is just my opinion. I don't think Angle became a badass until he feuded with Austin.

Tony 2: There's no question about that. Mike Cole 2: That damn... Yeah, I'm a little late.

There's a differencce between the bumps that those two take and the ones Shane takes. What exactly did Shane's bumps do for Angle or Blackman anyway? The correct answer is nothing, but it certainly put the spotlight on Shane-O. Compare that to say Mick Foley putting over The Rock. First, there was a well-established feud between two wrestlers. They had a series of matches going back and forth leading up to the Rumble and even afterwards as well. I guess you could say the defining moment was when Mick took the 12 unprotected chair shots, but people know it was the Rock who dished out those shots. The difference simply boils down to what the average fan thinks. Rumble 99: Man, did you see Mick take all those chair shots from the Rock? S. Slam 2000: Man, did you see Shane fall off the Titan Tron? One puts over the guy, the other one doesn't. Like I said, Shane's bumps did nothing for Steve Blackman or Kurt Angle. Mick Foley also did more than just bump. He actually had a long, established feud, making sure that when Rocky or Hunter went over, it was significant, not just Mick bumping his ass off.

You mean the "C is for cookie" promo? That's the only one I remember Shane cutting against Angle... and it sucked. Shane is definitely the most overrated non-wrestler in WWE. All he does is bump. He is dependent on bumps. Do you think anyone would care about his match with Angle if he didn't take the suplex on the glass? All this guy does is jump on tv, seemingly whenever he feels like it, as there is really no set pattern to when he appears. He then jumps into a major heat-stealing feud, draining not only the wrestler he's working with, but the entire roster as well. Most people associate KOTR 2K1 with Shane bumping off a glass panel, not the triple threat world title feud. Similarly, Summer Slam 2000 is Shane falling off the tron, not Rock/HHH/Angle. Now, instead of "what will Kane do next week?" its "what will happen with Shane and Kane?" RVD hasn't gotten any attention, even though he's scheduled to fight Kane. The other main event scene (you know, the one with the world title) has been reduced to filler, so Shane-O can hog the last 10 minutes of the show, and the opening 15 while he's at it. Bottom line is, Shane is just like the rest of the McMahons (minus Linda, who knows her role). He's out there for attention. However, instead of just gloating about how great he is like Vince or Steph, he just takes a huge bump, which focuses entirely on him (i.e. no one thinks of Steve Blackman knocking Shane off the tron, or even jumping on him afterwards; no thinks about Kurt throwing Shane on to the glass). He's just as much an attention hog as Steph or Vince, let's not kid oursleves into thinking he's actually trying to put Kane over here.

I totally agree. What a horrible way to cap off thier monster truck war. Other moments: Sting/Jake laser stare down Bomb on Davey Boy's boat Hanging the Bossman at WM 15

I'd throw in Rey Rey vs Psychosis at Bash at the Beach 96.

How about the two women on Raw named "The Lesbians?" No individual names, just The Lesbians, complete with their own locker room.

Quick Question: If you, by chance, picked the "APA" to win the Brawl, do you get money even though Bradshaw won? I mean, Faarooq was standing right there next to him.

OK, I'll try my hand at this. (Newbie) I'll bet: $200 on Benoit winning $100 on Noble winning $300 on APA winning the Brawl $50 on Benoit/Eddie going 18+ $50 on Eddie escaping the crossface twice $50 on Zach's leg as a weapon By the way, what happens if you lose all your money?

^^^ That was describing Mikey Whipreck. I remember the Slamboree 96 ppv with Public Enemy vs Benoit and Sullivan in the lethal lottery. During that match, Rocco Rock falls over after stomping Benoit on the ground and Dusty said, "He heet heem so hawd, dat it threwed heem off balance. It's kinda like stompin' a rock, ya eva deed dat, stomp a rock?" Heenan replied in a confused, yet a god-you're-fucking-retarded voice, "No, I've never stomped a rock!"

Yes you are. You're presuming he's innocent before you even give the girl/prosecution any chance to share what they have. Kobe may have raped her, maybe he didn't. Fact is, none of us will know until the trial is over, and even that may not be conclusive. Making a big fuss about people accusing Kobe of raping her, but ignoring any thought that it could have happened, is just as subjective and hypocritical. Everyone needs to leave this alone until the trial is done and over with before passing any judgment, one way or the other.

I think they did a match in Japan once with Barb wire ropes, some light tubes, and a salt-covered ring. Ouch!

"I actually thought the Rumble match wasn't as good as the Taker match at Mania, which still wasn't as good as either the HBK match, the 10-Man tag on RAW, or the match he had with The Rock before SummerSlam AS." I hate to jump in to your argument, but I just don't see how you can attribute the success of a 10-man tag to just one guy. Keep in mind you had other outstanding workers in that match such as Benoit, Malenko, The Rock, and Mick Foley.

Best: The Rock Mick Foley Ric Flair Chris Jericho Kurt Angle Worst: Kidman Torrie Stacy (she couldn't even say "penis" without cracking up) Terri Steph Billy Gunn Sable (You're nothing but an amputee!) Good because they're bad: Test Steiner Lita Maven (I'm not going to your room!)

The only way the Lakers could not win the Championship with that line up would be if all those egos clashed. Mind you, that possibility is not unlikely.

Anytime Stevie Ray is in your main event, you know you did something wrong. Out of all the guys in the NWO at the time, you'd think they could find someon better than Stevie Ray.

The Jags 62-7 win over the Dolphins comes right to mind. Last year, I think, the Red Sox beat the D-Rays 22-4, and of course the 25-8 rout of the Marlins. A few years ago, the Redwings beat the Canadiens (or Nordiques, I don't remember) 11-1. My middle school football team always lost by embarassing margins (40-0, 52-12, 44-0, etc)

My ideal card: WWE Title Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle U.S. Title finals Matt Hardy vs Chris Benoit U.S. Title Semifinals Matt Hardy vs Billy Gunn Chris Benoit vs John Cena Tag Team Titles Shelton and Charlie vs Tajiri and Eddie Cruiserweight Title Rey Mysterio vs Ultimo Dragon vs Billy Kidman Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli vs APA *See how there is no America/Gowen/McMahon crap.

Bill Goldberg Nathan Jones Chris Kanyon Rosey Tommy Dreamer

While he may not be a good wrestler, The Big Show can be pretty damn funny. I like him in backstage skits that don't involve screaming and spitting. Others: Bryan Clark (as Wrath) The Cat