iggymcfly

Triple H vs. Booker T, Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero, and JBL vs. Cena are no more main events than Undertaker vs. Orton is. And has the Luger winning the title plan been completely dismissed? I kind of vaguely remember someone dismissing it, but I was still pretty sure that the plan was for Luger to be in the ME at some point.

This isn't going to go over well, but edited for accuracy.

JBL has held the title for longer than anyone since Kevin Nash. Just think about that for a second. The nWo didn't exist yet, Nash was still playing Diesel in the WWF. With a reign that long, I don't see any reason that one loss at Mania would end the feud.

I like how everybody completely forgets that Vince Russo booked the WWE for the two best years they ever had, storyline-wise. He'd probably just leave WM alone, build up a heel while Batista finished off HHH again at Backlash in a stip match, and then set up hot feuds for Batista throughout the summer.

blah blah blah Don't be try and be a smartass. You're only halfway there, and you've got the wrong end of the act down as it is. Better to be an ass than a dumbass I suppose. And believe me, I can tell YOU have both halves down from your post.... He didn't say dumbass. He said smartass. Dumbass.

I can't pick out a particular suit right now, but I just wanted to say that my one disappointment with the main event segment was that he didn't wear a suit out to the ring last night. He just doesn't have the same aura in wrestling tights. I can kind of see it this time though, because from a character standpoint, he had to know that something was going to end up happening with HHH, and he probably figured he'd be better off going out there dressed to fight.

I'm glad somebody posted a thread on this. I thought Batista was great on Raw last night too. It actually reminded me of something from 1999 when the face was just so cool in the ring that everybody couldn't wait for him to beat the shit out of the heel, all the dialogue was good, and the heat was tremendous. I thought the "thank you" thing was actually great. What he was saying is that he thanks Flair for mentoring him, and he thanks for HHH for motivating him to beat his ass. He just didn't spell it out for everybody like Benoit or HBK would have against HHH, because that's his style. All the intangibles that Batista showed last night are exactly what someone like Booker T is misssing that kept him from ever getting the title. Batista was cool, calm, and collected. Instead of stumbling for words or looking lost, he just exuded coolness like he knew he owned HHH, and he was just waiting for the right chance to beat his ass. That brand of face charisma is what draws in most of the marks to wrestling, and I swear that Batista has more of it than anyone since The Rock.

I could see Jarrett buying different wrestling sites to shill TNA. As for Vince? It just seems like he's got better things to do.

Sean Connery definitely comes to mind for this thread. I've liked pretty much everything I've ever seen him in. A good example of his personal value to a movie is Highlander. The movie comes across as a mediocre ** movie during the early parts when he's there, but then his character dies, and the movie absolutely goes to hell. As soon as he goes, it turns into the most boring, unwatchable piece of crap I've ever seen in my life.

The thing is that they actually did a dead baby angle in the last few months, so it's not that they're afraid to go to that subject matter. It's just that they did it with all the depth and quality of a frigging high school drama production. That idea is actually exactly where they need to go with Shawn Michaels' character, and would hold more depth than any storyline they've done in a long time. However, they stopped even trying for that deep of storylines a long time ago. Honestly, the last booker that the WWE had with that kind of wide-open attitude was Russo. Right now, I'm happy to have a feud that makes sense on some level where I actually care about the winner, and don't really know who it will be. If you boil down Angle/HBK, what it is basically is a challenge between two great wrestlers from opposite brands to see which one is better. It's that simple. You don't have to read too much into Angle's promo on HBK. Just know that Shawn was on top when Angle first came in, and now having accomplished pretty much everything else he's wanted to, Kurt wants to see if he can beat Shawn. (Unless Shawn challenged Kurt in which case I can't make sense of it at all.)

I'm surprised to see the responses in this thread. I think this card looks to be the best Mania card since WM X-7. The build for WM XIX and XX was absolutely terrible, and seemed reminiscent of the build that Fully Loaded would have gotten back in the day. There was no epic quality whatsoever. And the return of Undertaker? He hadn't even been gone that long. His return was more anticlimactic than exciting. The Batista/HHH main event has better build than any WM title match since X-7, and I think Angle/Shawn and Taker/Orton have been built great as well. The Money in the Bank match is one of the most intriguing undercard matches in recent history, and as for JBL/Cena, well there's always going to be one dud. I could see the argument that WM X-8 was more anticipated, but that was totally a one-match card, and the heatless abortion of a main event puts it behind this year as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to watch Mania this year, but the card still looks absolutely awesome.

Since it's harder to read stuff in quote text, I'll just post the article directly: Bonds' Performance Oscar-Worthy Friends and co-workers were calling me as if they'd just seen a movie that had shaken them. Talk shows were filling my voice mail with breathless requests for reaction. Their reaction to what Barry Bonds had just said was: OH, MY GOD, HE'S GOING TO QUIT! My reaction was amusement. The more I watched a tape of The Interview That Rocked the World, the more I chuckled. The more I chuckled, the madder I got. The gall of this guy. The childish gall. What you must understand about Barry Lamar Bonds is that he is one big, calculating, spoiled brat of a supremely gifted child – 40 going on 14. For me, a Bonds at-bat remains the most riveting moment in sports. Yet for me, the rest of Bonds' life is one long Maalox moment. So now America's favorite villain is trying to vilify the media. That was the intent of his hilariously staged session last Tuesday outside the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse in Scottsdale, Ariz. Bonds wanted to shift the blame for his problems onto those who merely report what he does. With his performance as a tired, beaten man, Bonds wanted gullible fans everywhere to say: "The damned media has driven poor Barry into early retirement by ruining life for him and his family." I must admit, Bonds was pretty convincing. Remember, he wants to be an actor when he's through with baseball. So I'll make him the B-Movie Oscar front-runner for Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Costume Design. Yet this production had one major flaw. Come on, Barry, you don't give away the plot before you utter your first line. Bonds didn't appear to realize that ESPN's camera already was rolling as reporters positioned themselves around him and his 15-year-old son Nikolai, seated next to him. Bonds did not qualify for Best Director as he ordered cameramen to "get my son in this, not just me, because I want to show the pain you've caused my family." Ah, Hollywood. Bonds was using his son as a prop. Nikolai wasn't allowed to have a speaking part, but he was wearing a retro Barry Sanders jersey. As a Bay Area columnist, I spent enough time closely observing Bonds to know that he doesn't miss a trick. I'm convinced he instructed Nikolai to wear this jersey to convey a subtle threat from his dad: Barry Sanders retired early; and this Barry might, too, if you people don't quit writing and talking about all the bad stuff. Bonds also shrewdly used another prop – a crutch he was given after recent arthroscopic surgery. Bonds propped it under his chin as he poured out his anguish. Nice touch, Barry. He dived into melodrama with: "You wanted me to jump off the bridge, I finally have jumped." Then he leaped to this kill-the-messenger conclusion: "You wanted to bring me down, you finally have brought me and my family down." Yes, it's our fault. We chose a trainer with an already-shaky reputation – Greg Anderson, a high school teammate of Bonds who has been indicted for distributing steroids. We testified that we "unknowingly" used some sort of topical steroid that we thought was like flaxseed oil. We carried on a nine-year relationship with a woman who wasn't Mrs. Bonds – a woman who says Bonds' attorney has acknowledged this relationship in several letters. We asked this woman to leave a job as a graphics designer in Silicon Valley and move to Phoenix. We dumped her and ultimately infuriated her by offering what she calls an insulting settlement of $15,000. Yes, we make $17 million a year. We all but dared her to write a book and do interviews with Geraldo Rivera on Fox News and with the San Francisco Chronicle. In those interviews, she says Bonds told her he was using steroids as early as 2000 and that she saw all the classic signs of steroid use – acne on the back, bloating and 'roid rage. That led to her being asked to testify before the BALCO grand jury. Yet she said she did not see Bonds use steroids – a possible loophole for Bonds if the grand jury considers a perjury charge. Then again, she also says Bonds gave her $80,000 for a down payment on her Phoenix house – and that he took this money out of cash he received from autographed memorabilia. That accusation could interest the IRS. Our fault, Barry. We made your kids cry. Not you. We pushed you off the retirement bridge. Asked when he would return to play, Barry dropped this shrugging Bonds-shell: "Maybe midseason, maybe next year." Maybe never. Please don't take your home-run balls and go home, Barry. But know this: At least once each of the last three seasons, Bonds has delivered his "I'm tired and this is my last season" speech to Bay Area reporters. And they have dutifully run to their computers and microphones and delivered breathless THIS COULD BE IT stories. Around the clubhouse, Bonds often acts like a 14-year-old when he's horsing around or playing video games. And though his father, Bobby, and his godfather, Willie Mays, taught Barry to loathe the media, we're also his favorite toy. When he wants some attention, he knows he can set us off like fireworks. He also admitted last season that "half the stuff I say to you guys, I don't believe." There are only two ways Bonds isn't coming back. No. 1, if he goes to jail – and it's highly doubtful Bonds believes that right now. Or No. 2, if his knees are shot, which doesn't appear to be the case. All we've been told is that Bonds has had three arthroscopic surgeries since last season to clip torn cartilage. No major ligament damage, just torn or frayed cartilage. The Giants say a second surgery was required on one knee because Bonds accidentally hit it on a table at SBC Park before spring training. The other theory is that Bonds pushed his rehab too hard because he was desperate to stay in monster shape in the tougher-testing era. Bonds said he didn't like how his follow-up surgery had been "talked about," but he wouldn't be specific. Yet he's going to miss half or all the season? Most pro athletes return from 'scope surgery in two to four weeks. I've had 'scopes on both knees. After the first one, at age 43, I was able to run three miles one week later, and I quickly increased it to six or eight miles. The second time, after some smoothing of my kneecap at 50, I was pounding the pavement again in three weeks. Neither time did I need crutches to leave the hospital. So I expect Bonds to be back by mid-April. Manager Felipe Alou sounds as if he does, too. I also expect Bonds, who has 703 home runs, to pass Babe Ruth's 714 this season and break Henry Aaron's record of 755 next season. If nothing else, Bonds can finally swallow his pride and move from left field to first base, where he wouldn't have to run as much. Bonds has said he will not play first base, presumably because he wouldn't want to embarrass himself at a position he doesn't know and considers beneath his Gold Glove dignity. Maybe it's time to learn first base. I also fully expect Bonds to wind up his career as an American League DH, probably in Anaheim. Bonds dropped a hint last season about wanting to play for the Angels, because he now owns a home in Beverly Hills. Oh, woe is Barry. He was born with a Silver Slugger in his mouth, amid some of America's most expensive real estate in San Carlos, Calif. His formative years were spent in major-league clubhouses. He has been a superstar since Little League. Yet he regularly reminds reporters of how much tougher it is for black players. But for Barry Bonds? And is it the media's fault that Bonds keeps making his quest to pass Ruth a racial issue? In his first spring-training media session, Bonds tried to intimidate the media. You lie! In his second interview, he tried to plead with reporters in what sounded almost like a confession. We're entertainers. Leave us alone and let us do what we have to do. Now poor Barry has tried to blame the media. He ended Tuesday's performance by turning to Nikolai and wearily saying: "Let's go home." I wondered if he had practiced the line in front of the mirror.

If I'm reading this correctly, I could swear you're saying that Vince doesn't have the balls to bury the Smackdown brand. Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Hey aren't you the one that kept telling me what a misguided fool I was every time I tried to rank them in my top ten?

HAHAHAHA!!! funniest thing i've read in ages, great job! keep it up, maybe we can get him to go away! Agreed. That's the hardest I've laughed in weeks. I was going to suggest that coils get banned for being so stupid, but that post justifies his whole existence.

I don't know what's worse: 1) That someone made that long of a list of Benoit matches. 2) That people actually read through the whole thing to check for omissions. 3) That I'm only the second person that thinks there's something just a little bit creepy/weird/crazy about it.

The thing about Batista is that he has the potential to draw money in the WWE like no one has since the days of Rock and Austin. He can actually bring in new fans. I've got two different friends that don't hang out together, and can't tell Raw from Smackdown, that out of the blue brought up how cool Batista was in the last couple weeks. I mean something's really clicking here. For all the talk about HHH's political power, at the end of the day, Vince decides what's best for business, and makes decisions based on that. In a situation where Batista has the chance to become a huge star, and would completely get the legs cut off of him with a loss, I can't imagine that he wouldn't win at Wrestlemania.

It sounds like good booking for the most part, but there are a couple parts that bother me, and make me thing it might not work. Right now CCC's in the lower-card comedic heel role, and the temporary face turn wouldn't really make much sense. The heel mastermind works best when the fans rally behind the face before realizing they were betrayed. (See Rocky in 1998) I've got the feeling that if this scenario was played out, CCC would never get very over as a face, and the fans would be half expecting him to turn back pretty much the whole way. Second, I think GAB is still too early to turn JBL. Under your scenario, he would have still been in every WWE title match for a whole year at the time of the turn. The fans really aren't going to be cheering for him to move back up the card. I agree that it's important to keep him in the upper card after he loses the belt, but I think he needs at least 2 or 3 months away from the title picture before they can turn him.

He's right. I almost made fun of it myself, but I didn't want people to get mad at me for "flaming".

Oh well. Doesn't matter now. STATE WINS! And I'm still alive for second in my pool.

Still don't like the move. The way Kentucky's been shooting in the OTs, it's far from a given that they could have scored at all if MSU played proper defense.

So, um why was it smart of Michigan State to not play defense there? I really don't get that one.

And it's kind of crazy, but I think that the three best games of the tournament so far might have all been regional finals.

Yes, great defense there! Although not getting a shot off is pretty much inexcusable at this point.

Michigan State needs a timeout. They're shaken as fuck right now.