iggymcfly

In kayfabe, Triple H challenged Batista and Batista accepted. When a champion loses, they automatically get a rematch (at least, that rule applies when WWE wants it for a storyline), which was at Backlash. Triple H challenged Batista to the HIAC and Batista accepted. Simple as that. ... and when was HHH at Judgment Day? I know he's all over Raw but main-eventing SmackDown's PPV would be a bit extreme, even for him <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wasn't thinking straight when I wrote that. What I mean was that he lost title matches at Wrestlemania, Backlash, and Vengeance. What I was saying is that after losing three title matches in a row, he really shouldn't be a world title contender. In kayfabe, he's blown every one of his opportunites, and needs to beat some lower level talent before earning his way back into the title picture.

I like the trade. The Orioles need something to wake them up right now, and obviously, if they want to make any noise in the playoffs, they need another top-flight starter. The O's won't be missing out on a lot with losing Cabrera, but at least he'll do the Marlins more good than having Burnett stick around for three months and then walk out the door.

Actually, I think RVD's at the point where he could use another long IC run. With the injury, (and before that, the time on Smackdown,) he's gotten to the point where he's somewhat of a fresh product to the Raw audience. They don't have to start him from the top, but they do have to give him lots of convincing wins. If he just cuts loose in the ring, doing whatever he can to get himself over against the likes of CCC, Masters, and Jericho, he could be back to his old level of overness in no time. Something like a 12 month IC title reign capped off with a World Title win over HHH at Summerslam next year could be awesome.

Actually, I'd say JBL is as bad as HHH as far as staleness goes. The last WWE PPV that didn't have JBL or HHH wrestling for a world title was No Way Out in 2004. That's so long ago that Brock Lesnar was still the WWE champion.

But Reggie Miller did? Bitch please. All he ever did was have everyone on the team set 35 screens for him, so he could jack up three pointers. He couldn't even create his own shot, let alone get other guys involved in the offense. I'd say somebody who gets 10+ rebounds per game, passes well out of the double team and plays great help defense in the post "makes his teammates better" more than someone who scurries around the floor like a chicken with his head cut off and completely disrupts the offense in order to attempt as many 3-pointers as humanly possible.

Honestly, I don't even care if HHH is manipulating the roster politically, or what happens to Cena in the long-term or any of that shit. What bothers me is this question: In kayfabe, what the fuck has HHH done to earn a title shot? He lost a one-on-one title match at Backlash, lost a one-on-one title match at Judgment Day, and lost a one-on-one title match at Vengeance. If Cena wins, he's accomplished absolutely nothing, and if HHH wins, it just makes the WWE Title (and by extension the Raw brand), look like shit. It's basically a no-win situation, and it makes the main event for the biggest PPV of the year look dull as hell.

I was just thinking, that's also why they had the belt in a sack the whole time. They didn't want to bother designing a belt they were never going to actually use, so they probably just put the US Title in a bag or something.

Yeah, I've been really happy with the draft for the same reason. My one regret with not watching Smackdown was that I never got to see Kurt Angle. Now...voila, problem solved!

Yeah, that's the reason that Batista just did a quick backstage interview instead of coming out with full entrance, because they were planning on bringing him out as the "big surprise" at the Smackdown show held the same night in the same arena.

I didn't get off work in time to get to the bar and see Angle/Michaels last night, but I did see the HIAC match, and I have to say that I liked Angle/Flair better. Whereas in the HIAC match, you could call all the spots ahead of time, and you thought about how stupid the wrestlers would have to be to walk into each other's moves about 18 times, the Angle/Flair match actually progressed logically from move to move. They were actually fighting to escape each other from move to move, rather than laying down or standing around while the other wrestler lay prone. Basically, it reminded me of the difference between WWF and WCW main event caliber matches back in 1998/1999. The WWF match might run shorter, but when it was going, it looked like the two guys were really fighting, as they both went all-out from bell to bell. Meanwhile, the WCW match would be a bunch of spots strung together by restholds, pacing in a circle, posing, standing around, and of course, laying down. For all the talk about Batista having his "best in-ring outing in the WWE", I thought it was no better than Nash's HIAC outing, and actually exposed him more than anything up to this point. At this point, I'd like Batista to either get traded to Smackdown or lose the title to Kurt Angle who knows how to go better both in the ring and on the mic.

When has a major star ever just "dropped down to the midcard and given up his spot" after he was at the absolute elite level. Rock left after losing to Brock, but it wasn't to go to the midcard, it was because he wanted to make movies. HBK left after losing his spot to Austin, but it was only because his back was broken. If a guy "drops down to the midcard" after being at the main event level, it's usually because he wasn't over enough to be a main eventer in the first place and the office is trying to pull back on his push. I'm not saying that HHH should be wrestling for the world title next month, but he should be in some main event level feud. (In a perfect world, he'd take on someone like Undertaker at Summerslam.)

When Michael Jordan went back to the Bulls, did anyone think of him as a has-been who couldn't cut in MLB? Brock Lesnar was a wrestler all through college before entering the WWE and is naturally going to be better at that then some sport he hadn't played since high school.

They'd be stupid to send JBL over, because I guarantee you that at least half the Raw audience still sees him as "that gay cowboy that used to team with Faarooq". If you ask me, they sent over too many main eventers to make it credible, and they really should send over somebody random like Torrie Wilson or Scotty 2 Hotty.

Well, I just figured that Rey would be a credible PPV opponent for a while, and his losing to Brock in three minutes isn't really much worse than Undertaker losing to him two straight falls. I was basically just trying to set it up so that Brock's so strong that Batista's perceived as the "only one" who might be able to beat him before he loses to him at Mania. And where exactly did Brock make it big? WCW?

Because you REALLY wanted Orton and Eugene in the main event? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not particularly, but that doesn't change the fact that Triple H buried them at a time the company needs new stars. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And I suppose Brock Lesnar buried Zach Gowen? I mean, really, Eugene was a gimmick wrestler, he was an entertaining distraction for a few months, but he was never going to be a huge star in the WWE. If you want to blame HHH for what happened to Booker or RVD, that's arguable, but blaming him for Eugene is just ridiculous.

I think this Yankees series could be just what the Orioles need to get out of their slump. They've played really well against them this year, they have the series at home, and the Yankees are about the only team they could find right now that are slumping as bad as they are. I expect them to right the ship here, but if they lose 2 or even (GASP) 3 games this series, they might be on the long road to missing the playoffs.

Oh well. What if they do make the playoffs by one game, but the day before the playoffs start, they get called up to the big league club? I don't think you'll hear any of them crying about the sacrosanct minor league playoffs they missed out on.

Since Batista and Cena are still together on the same show, and they've both dispatched of their challengers, they should at least tease a match between the two of them tonight. If Batista was cutting a promo about how he destroyed HHH and proved that he was the absolute #1 guy in the business, and then Cena's music hit, I bet the roof would blow off the place.

Cena?

Well yeah, I obviously didn't mean he was debuting or anything. 2 years is still a relatively short time to go from starting off on television to being put over strong as a World champion.

This is why I think that it would be such a great event to bet on. There are millions of people out there that don't realize the talent gap between the men's and women's game. In a typical year, at most, one women's player dunks in a college game. Meanwhile, on a typical D-1 mens team, there are at least three of four players that dunk reguarly whenever they get an open lane to the basket. Multiply that by 320 teams, and there are approximately 1000 men playing college basketball that can do things that only one woman can. If you watch women's basketball, it's hardly even the same game as the one the men play. Basically, the women would have to set screens, pass it around the horn, and hope to hit threes, but they still wouldn't shoot as well as a lot of the high school players. If the HS players played hard, and they played a 40 minute game, the score would be something like 101-62. If the HS players treat like a fun exhibition while the women treat it as a struggle to prove the worthiness of their gender, it would be a little closer, but the HS players would probably still take it by a score of something like 97-75.

Okay, this is kind of long, but here's my idea for what they could do if they brought back Brock. Let's say for argument's sake that it's the middle of August, and Batista is the World Champion on Smackdown. (Obviously, we don't know how the title situation will go, but the storyline's easily adaptable.) Brock Lesnar comes in out of nowhere in a Smackdown main event and F-5's Batista. Then the next week, Lesnar comes out and challenges Batista to a title match. Before Batista can answer though, Undertaker interrupts and says that Lesnar can't just waltz back into the WWE and expect a title shot. He says that Brock didn't give wrestling the proper respect, and thought that he could just try whatever sport he wanted on a whim, while guys like Taker have fought to uphold the business their whole lives. If Brock wants to get a title shot, he'll have to beat him first. Brock just laughs and says how he's beaten Taker time and again before and that this time will be no different. The next PPV, Brock has his return match against Taker. He dominates the early going of the match, but slowly starts to get winded, and when he finally gets Taker up for the F-5, he drops him and collapses to the mat, allowing Taker to set up a tombstone for the victory. The following week, Brock absolutely snaps. The show's scheduled to open with a 4-way cruiserweight title match, but Brock runs out and destroys everyone in the match with powerbombs and F-5s. The crazy enraged Brock goes on for a couple weeks, and he's considered a loose cannon that no one can control, destroying everyone he faces. Finally, Teddy Long is seen making a desperate phone call, saying that Brock's gone completely wild and that he "didn't know who else to call". The next week, Brock's scheduled for a match against Rey Mysterio. Brock loses the match by DQ, after which he brutalizes Rey with a chair and just when he's about to powerbomb Rey off the stage, out comes Paul Heyman. He says "Brock, is this how low you've sunk? The only way you can feel powerful is to beat throw a man that's half your size a platform? I remember when you were the most unstoppable monster that wrestling had ever seen. Now, you're nothing but a has-been. You can't even beat the Undertaker." Brock leaves Rey and goes over to stare down Heyman. "Oh," he says, "it hurts doesn't it. It hurts because it's true. But do you know what? I'm the one man that can make you what you once were. I know we've had our problems. Mistakes were made. But come with me, and the two of us will rule wrestling once again." At this point, Rey attacks Lesnar from behind. However, filled with even more rage, Lesnar quickly regains control and ends up throwing Mysterio off the stage after all. Heyman says "See, the animal's still there. All you need is a little guidance. Why don't you just come with me and talk about it." Lesnar stares Heyman down before ultimately walking backstage with him. The next few weeks, all we see from Lesnar and Heyman are some training vignettes similar to the ones used during the Rock feud, only with Heyman by his side as a trainer and maybe a short interview with Josh Matthews or someone "from Lesnar's training center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This gives Batista and Taker a chance to be the focus and also lets Brock regain his center and focus as a wrestler. Brock finally returns at Survivor Series against Rey Mysterio who missed about three or four weeks, selling the injury. He demolishes him quickly and effectively, squashing him inside of three minutes, and after the match, he just as quickly and effectively leaves the ring and walks backstage. Meanwhile, Batista defeats Taker in a typical 20 minute WWE main event retaining his World Title which he has now held for seven months. The next week on Smackdown, Brock and Heyman come out together, although Brock does much of the talking. He says that when he faced Taker before, he took the Deadman for granted. However, now he is a different man, and he is in the best physical condition of his life. He says that to show just how great of shape he's in, he wants to take on the Undertaker in a 2/3 falls match. Undertaker, of course accepts, and their feud continues to the next Smackdown PPV. When they finally have the match, not only does Lesnar defeat Taker, he defeats him 2 falls to 0, winning the first fall with the F-5 and the second fall with the triple powerbomb. Meanwhile, Heyman also starts managing the Dudleys who win back the tag titles at the same event. The next week, Lesnar says that he's proved himself, and now he wants a shot at Batista's World Title at the Royal Rumble. However, Teddy Long is growing a little wary of Heyman's power, and says that if Lesnar wants a title shot, the Rumble is where he'll have to earn it by winning the 30-man battle royal. To make a long story short, Lesnar wins the Royal Rumble and beats Batista at Wrestlemania in a match which may or may not be clean, depending on how serious you are about keeping Batista at an elite level in the WWE. Anyway, the Smackdown after Mania, Heyman comes out and says that not only is Brock Lesnar the greatest champion in the history of wrestling, he is also the most extreme, as he is about to demonstrate. With that, the two of them put on welding masks, and Lesnar wields a blowtorch with which he melts down the World Title into a puddle of gold and leather in the middle of the ring. Heyman reaches into his briefcase and pulls out the ECW World Title which Brock promptly wraps around his waist. At this, Teddy Long comes out, incensed, but before he can call for security, the Dudley Boyz, Brock Lesnar, Tazz, Chris Benoit, and Rob Van Dam all come out and beat him down as well as Batista and Taker who were trying to make the save. As the beatdown goes on in the background, Heyman says over the mic: "Don't feel bad Teddy. It's just the evolution of the business. WWE Smackdown may be dead, but ECW Friday Night Havoc is just being born."

I dunno. He's likely going to have insane heel heat fromt he crowd. Go with that rather than trying to go against the grain. Do you really think that Brock will have heel heat when he comes back? I think that he works better as a heel in the long-term, so I was thinking a character similar to Rock's "Hollywood heel" would be nice, but at this point, I'd think that the fans will be so happy just to see him again that it would be almost impossible to keep him a heel. He's arguably the most over star left in wrestling, and he's been gone for over a year. How exactly will you make the fans feel anything but excited to have him around?

I'd disagree. The US Women's Open is still the golf championship for all women as recognized by the USGA. If Wie wins the tournament, she's legitimately claiming the title as the best female golfer in America at the age of 15. I'd say that's something significant that's worth paying attention to. Furthermore, I think she is good enough to compete on the mens tour. When you think that she's 15-20 years away from her golfing peak, I'd say she's got plenty of room to grow into a legitimate threat. It's true that most female professionals just aren't capable of playing the way the men do, as they don't have the distance, and they can't attack the pins. Wie, however, is different. Her shotmaking skills are ahead of many elite male amateurs, and she has the potential to become a real PGA Tour-caliber talent. Oh, and just so I don't have to hand over my balls, I'll relay an excerpt from Bill Simmons, which sums up my feelings on how well women would compete with men in other sports: If the McDonalds All-American team ever played the WNBA champs, and I could get a spread of 20 points or less, I'd go down to one of those cash loans for car titles places, build up as much cash as I could, and put it on the high school kids. That game would be so lopsided that it would be downright embarrassing.

Actually, if the rumors are true, and he really comes back full time, I think this era might be known as the HHH/Brock era. When Lesnar was wrestling, he was built up stronger than anyone in the company including HHH.