Just John

I think we should just call the Lakers "Kobe and Friends." There was a play tonight where 2 or 3 different guys missed a shot under the basket, then ball rolled out to Kobe who picked it up and nailed like a 30 ft shot. He's playing at the highest level in the NBA, yet they're just barely over .500... Think about what that says for everyone else on that "team." It's the AI effect times 10.

Well, after the big trade, the Knicks played like well... Like they have all season. I also briefly saw some graphic on ESPN (didn't catch it all), that showed something like the Knicks getting rid of 3 guys who they owed no money to after this season, but picked up like $30 million more in salaries. Is there some catch to this?

I think Benoit dropkicked the wrong half of the steps on that spot. Damn, did that look like it hurt. No one bats 1.000, I guess.

Ouch. Rey/Eddie at 30 definitely gives this list a black eye in my book. I just don't know how you can look beyond the great story telling, reversals, and flawless execution of some very difficult moves. This match was about so much more than the finish. I love Rey/Psychosis too... I mean it was the first modern CW match in America and still holds up today in terms of pace and spots. I think that match is actually pretty significant historically speaking, but as an actual match, it completely lacks the emotion and story of Rey/Eddie. Since you've gotten pretty much all my favorite WCW matches out of the way, I don't have much to look forward to in the top 25. Still waiting for Wargames 92 and Steamboat/Rude. Beyond that, I just hope it doesn't become a big Flair jerk off fest.

I think Scotty and Funaki are safe. They're jobbers who know the WWE style so they can give a good evaluation on the new guys. Same goes with Val and Richards. Snitsky, after getting way more over than he ever should have, has been dead weight for months now. I think the Spirit Squad will be taking over the Raw comedy jobber roles. That eliminates the need for Snitsky and Viscera. Tomko's probably done too, along with Rene and the Bashams who haven't done anything in forever. And God willing, hopefully all of the juniors will be fired at once. I don't know if OJ is gonna last much longer either.

I don't think it's a good thing that we're seeing .5 decreases BEFORE Mania. Not that it's really surprising, due to the shoddy ME picture, but still.

Thanks. Doesn't sound too bad... As long as MNM retains, I'll be happy. The main event sounds like it could be fun.

Please?

If that's the case I guarantee you'll see Van Gundy run out of town long before T-Mac.

Why Houston would look to get rid of the guy they absolutely can't win without is beyone me. He isn't going to the Lakers without LA having to give up Kobe. A straight trade between those two would be pointless and wouldn't change either team's situation.

This thread title is better than the other one.

After how horribly Rey and Orton have been booked recently, I can't buy them going over Angle who has been booked like a total badass. Angle should just destroy both of them, then go back to feuding with UT, Benoit, Batista, and maybe even Finlay over the summer. Let Rey re-establish himself as himself (and not the physical host for Eddie's spirit) and regain some credibility before getting a serious ME push and title shot at No Mercy or Survivor Series.

I remember that pic floating around this board in like September, and I remember thinking that it was spot on. Sadly, five months later, it still is.

I'll pimp wicked-wrestling.com That's where I got Angle/UT, and a variety of other matches from WWE, WCW, TNA, ROH, NOAH, etc. /shill

Well, I downloaded that Angle/UT match, and it certainly lived up to the hype it's been getting. This match happened about 5 years later than it needed to, because it put Angle over HUGE. He dominated most of the match and got smart, clean win (kinda reminded me of the Bret/Austin SS 96 finish). Good story telling, psychology and move execution from both guys. Gets a solid **** 1/4 from me. Best WWE match since Lesnar/Eddie. No Way Out gets lossed in the RR/WM shuffle, but it usually delivers with at least one stand-out match.

Well, I suppose if Houston wanted to use the old "take 1 step forward to go 100 steps backwards" philosophy, this would be the way to go. I would be ashamed of the Rockets for accepting this deal. The Rockets need to be trading away everyone BUT McGrady and Swift (and Yao and Head). A T-Mac, Yao, Stromile front court is pretty solid stuff. They just need to get some good young guards, and the team is a contender. I can't even believe the Rockets front office is even considering giving away T-Mac... That's just mind boggling.

That is something you shouldn't even joke about.

Well, one thing we can all be happy about is that WWE has finally given Angle the serious ME push he deserves. He is booked like the #1 badass in the company now. When was the last time UT jobbed clean? Summer Slam 98? 1998? Angle is being booked as a strong, smart, face... He's finally living up to the 3 I's.

I'll get the inevitable Hart Foundation vs. LOD/Goldust/Shamrock/Austin match out of the way. On a less common note, I also liked the Filthy Animals vs. Natural Born Thrillers multi-man tags.

I'm just glad WWE is hyping the CW division somewhat. I don't believe it's MOTY, I think RVD/Carlito holds that honor early, although I haven't seen the Velocity tag everyone's talking about. I also hope London and Kendrick get a tag title shot at Mania. Their match with MNM on SD was good, even though it was cut very short. Give those teams 12-15 minutes and you get a possible MOTYC.

This situation is more like when Angle beat HHH for the #1 contender spot at NWO 02. Of course, HHH just beat Angle easily the next night on Raw with the same stipulations and the whole thing was forgotten.

The hardest part about Andre's dunk, was that he had to stay high enough to dunk, but not get so high that he would hit his head on the backboard. Most guys heads are well above the backboard when they dunk. That's some skillful jumping.

The Spud Webb jump was a nice idea, but come on, Nate kicked him in the chest on the way up. I feel there was some pretty blatant favortisim shown towards the little guy, but whatever. It's not like the dunk contest is really a legitimate competition with lots of integrity or anything.

If that's the case, there's no way MNM should job. Not that you could make much of a case before hand. Unless Matt brings in Samoa Joe or Brock Lesnar as a partner, there's absolutely no reason to pointlessly job the belts off the best tag team since Haas/Benjamin again.

Paint by numbers or freehand, the end result is Michaels work turns out better most of the time. His tv match with Shelton from last year is way ahead of any Finlay match I've seen since his return. To explain Angle's recent in-ring work... His last two programs were with Mark Henry and John Cena. That is all.