Just John

It seems like it at first, but it all wraps up nicely in the end.

One that really gets overlooked is Edge/Christian vs. The Hardys at NWO 2000. It was just a regular tag match, but far and away the best match between those two teams. There weren't any ladder spots, but there also weren't any 5 minute resting periods. Even with the dumb Terri interferrence, the match was great and Edge's post-match interview really planted the seeds for their heel turn after Mania. I'd also agree with the sentiment of Edge being a blank slate as a singles competitor. Although, oddly he has great chemistry with Randy Orton. Both guys usually have to be in the ring with someone exceptional for a good match, but for some reason they complement each other just right.

In order: And yes, the beginning has lots of titties, but no graphic sex (at least nothing worse than what you normally see in an R-rated movie). I don't feel that needs a spoiler, as it was quite gratuitous and the mere presence of titties doesn't affect the plot.

Dusty Rhodes has so many memorable quotes: (Starrcade 95) Heenan: Oh, he was playing possum. Rhodes: What!? How can ya play possum? You getta gun an' chase me uppa tree and I say "Imma possum, Imma possum..." Heenan: You've never heard of PLAYING POSSUM??? (Slamboree 96) *Rocco Rock falls down after stomping Chris Benoit* Rhodes: ... And he kicked him so hard, that it threwed him off balance. It's kinda like stompin' a rock. Ya eva did that? Stomp a rock? Heenan: No, I've never stomped a rock! (Fall Brawl 96) *Rey does his 619 diving fake* Rhodes: Well, lordy dordy, boola boola boola! Yeah, he actually said that.

Well, the Rockets are back to being embarrassing. Guess what kind of team we've been putting on the floor for the last week. Starters: Ryan Bowen David Wesley Dikembe Mutombo Rafer Alston Juwan Howard Bench: Jon Lucas Luther Head Lonny Baxter Good god. No wonder we suck and average like 70 points a game.

No, not really. The Steelers only "problem" this year was when Ben got injured and we lost 3 in a row knocking them pretty low in the playoff standings. Although, the Steelers are a much better road team than home team, so that may have been a blessing in disguise.

Well, at least it takes that long. Unlike on Raw, where all his interesting angles have been completely used up.

The money program for Mania is Angle/Mysterio. We should also get some more Angle/Benoit matches along the way which are always fun. Oh, and Raw is going to be complete garbage now. Michaels can't wrestle every match.

I thought Benoit/Orton was decent as well, and a nice way to mix it up after their previous two matches. I thought story-wise it was a good build off their previous matches, and particularly smart for Benoit to try to keep it a mat-wrestling contest where he knows he has the advantage. Therefore, it made sense that Benoit was in control most of the match. I hate the overbooked finish, but whatever. I knew it wouldn't end clean, but that was still a shitty finish. I'm glad Booker's the US champ, as that title should be beneath Benoit. I'm kind of interested how they follow up with what Orton demands from Booker. The Piper's Pit segment was re-fucking-tarded, but it does mark the end of an exceptionally stupid angle that went nowhere. So maybe it wasn't that bad. I must be the only person in the world who didn't know the BR winner until the show. Although, when Angle came out, I knew it would be him. Decent BR, despite there being only 3 (4 if you count Henry) legit contenders. Angle completely carried Henry down the stretch, bumping around and utilizing some creative spots. Thank god Angle won. Am I the only one who thought Cole and Tazz looked like idiots declaring Henry the winner? I mean, they repeatedly mentioned Angle never went over the top, and despite laying right in front of them for 10 minutes, they completely forgot about him.

The only guy in TNA I really wanna see Lesnar fight is Samoa Joe. Now that I think about it, that would be really good. There's not much beyond that though. The sad thing is that Lesnar was a perfect fit for WWE. He was big enough and had enough personality to be a sports entetainer, but at the same time he had enough speed and mat skill to be a good wrestler. It's really too bad he's burned his bridges with WWE, because that's where he's the best fit.

Oh god. I mean, I'm not an OJ fan by any means, but this is pretty ridiculous. WWE is really piling on the wrestlecrap early this year. Oh, btw, let's start speculating on who his male interest will be... My guess is Booker T.

The odd thing about this movie is that the violence that takes place outside of the torture chambers is often more graphic and excessive than what goes on inside. Notable exception to the scene involving the eye. That's all I'll say about that.

I liked how Christian managed to rack up the most losses despite being around only 9 months or so.

I liked it when HHH returned from death in 2001 and attacked Austin, if for no other reason than to listen to JR's reaction. Daivari as Angle's guest ref was good, because it was so random. One of my friends joked that the ref would be Muhammad Hassan, and when the music hit, for a split second I thought he was right. My favorite all time is Sting in 1997 at Uncensored. The NWO just won the ME, but Sting came from the rafters and beat the hell out of all the top guys.

Mark Henry is one of the very few wrestlers that I absolutely cannot stand. Every thing about him just bugs me, most notably his ridiculous pushes. Actually, what bugs me more than anything is his ungodly ability to kill any heat within a 3 mile radius of his mere presence. The cage match was solid and the crowd was into it until he got involved. You could just feel the energy being sucked out of the building when he showed up. Say what you will about guys like Orton or whatever that don't get big reactions... But Mark Henry, now there's a true heat vacuum. Here's hoping Batista beats him soundly at the Rumble, then Henry's contract runs out and he's never heard from again.

I don't see what the big aversion is to doing a sneak attack MITB shot. As long as Edge goes over the former champ relatively clean in a rematch, it should be fine. I like the idea of him getting desperate knowing that his time's running out, then sneak attacking the WWE title winner at Mania. It's not the ME, and it'd be something different than the old "face overcomes the odds and takes down evil heel champ" routine. For the traditionalists, you could still do that on SD. And, seriously, Edge wouldn't be that bad for title run. He's good on the mic, and decent in the ring. When he's in there with someone good, he's very carryable. If you let it go until Summer Slam, Cena will be over enough to be a face again, and can take it off Edge decisively. Or you could give it to HHH, or even Michaels if you wanted.

Man, the inconsistent play of the Rockets is incredibly frustrating. How come they can go on the road and handle a good team like Cleveland, but can't take jobbers like the Raptors at home? I think the Yao injury is hurting the team more than people realize. And that Indy/GS trade would be killer for the Warriors. They lose a couple 3-point shooters, but they rely on 3's way too much anyway. They get Artest who needs no hype, but also a very solid role player in Foster who will do all the garbage work you need. IMO, this is a steal for GS.

What about Curtis Hughes being Jericho's manager/bodyguard a couple months after he debuted in the WWF? Curtis had been in the WWF prior to that, correct?

If HHH/Cena is inevitable, why not go with a brief HHH face run to freshen things up. Here's what I might do.... NYR: Nothing special. Cena wins EC in normal fashion. HHH cheats to beat Show. Between NYR and RR: Cena keeps up with his "unintentional heel" schtick. Vince berates Michaels for losing the EC match, but Michaels somehow gets another shot at the belt at the Rumble. Maybe have Cena talk up HBK and continue to play his suck up to the fans thing that's getting him booed. Cena talks Vince into giving Shawn a shot at the Rumble. HHH continues to be himself. Rumble: Cena/Michaels goes down in face/face fashion, despite the crowd obviously favoring Michaels. Cena then goes full heel by using the chain to beat Michaels into a bloody mess out of desperation to win. HHH puts on a strong showing in the Rumble, perhaps even being the last Raw guy there. He doesn't need to win, since fans buy that he deserves a title shot whenever he wants, and someone like Rey could use the victory more. Rumble to Mania: Cena's a heel and beats up on some midcard faces to establish that. He also wins a rematch with Michaels thanks to Vince interferrence. I know, that sucks, but Michaels/Vince is going to happen and after he got screwed at the Rumble, we need to get Shawn out of the title picture. Meanwhile, HHH brags about his strong Rumble performance and claims he should be the #1 contender. HHH runs into Cena in the back, and runs him down verbally. Hunter remains smug, but since he's actually cool and berating Cena, the crowd should support him immediately. Commence feud. Also, Edge becomes aware in late February or so that his MITB option is running out. For about 3 weeks he tries to use the shot, only to find that either Cena or Edge himself have been booked in matches already at each show. Edge bitches to Vince, but Vince doesn't budge saying it's Edge's fault for waiting so long and letting his personal beefs with Hardy and Flair waste his year away. Edge is pissed, takes his anger out on some midcarder who may need a match at Mania, setting up a rather meaningless match. Edge uses the "I'm so pissed, I'm just gonna kill _______" Mania: Raw does not get the ME... They've had it for two years, and it's SD's time. Besides, you don't this scenario to close the show anyway. Basically, Cena and HHH fight, HHH wins after long match. Edge who squashes his worthless opponent earlier then runs out, and batters the new champ HHH with the briefcase. He demands his World title shot, which must be granted to him and pins HHH. HHH is unconscious and Cena is pissed as hell. Michaels beats Vince, and you have a summer of Michaels/Edge/Cena/HHH (and maybe Angle) matches to build around.

Ah, no wonder I forgot about that. I thought I had blacked out on a relatively important WCW/NWO era midcard angle. Good to see it was just a forgettable Thunder incident. Thanks for the help!

Alright, I need to revive this thread after watching Eddie/Ultimo from Slamboree 98, and I need a refresher on an angle... What circumstances led to Chavo being Eddie's slave?

Hm, that botched call seems pretty big now. Although, to be fair, USC did have two critical turnovers in Texas territory.

Yes. Another one I don't get is Eye of the Hurricane. Isn't the eye supposed to be calm and non-destructive?

Doesn't look too bad on paper. JBL/Matt and the Henry squash aren't needed, but not all of the matches can be winners. The other 3 look pretty good, anyway. Sure, the last two happened last week, but both pairings have good chemistry. I'm interested to see the ME, too, as I believe it's MNM's first high-profile gimmick match.

That Muhammad Hassan would be killed... And his manager would become Kurt Angle's personal ref. Not one, but two people would surpass JBL's title reign length. Tim White of all people would kill himself on ppv. Johnny Nitro would be a 3 time tag champ.