clean rob

If he does, thats the trigger to get WWE people interested in NWA:TNA. Sadly, this is probably the reason Vince will keep Nash on the payroll.

^^^ Seriously? That's beyond even WWE levels of ridiculous. Apparently Royal Rumble isn't being broadcast at all in the UK - so I hope it's the main event. And takes up the whole 3 hours. But seriously, unleashedfury is quite correct - at least Bob Holly has a badass, semi-hoss (demi-hoss? Whatever.) image, so it will look good for Brock when he convincingly beats him/drops him on his sandbagging head again.

I still like the guest ref idea. A Benoit/Angle (possibly Benoit/Lesnar) match for the title looks possible so reffing that match would be perfect, as there'd be plenty of scope to put Benoit over as Bret's natural successor. e.g. Benoit has Angle in the Crossface/Sharpshooter, Vince runs down to interfere but gets smacked by Bret and put in the sharpshooter as both Vince and Angle tap...Bret raises Benoit's arm for a nice visual. That sort of thing. If Bret wants a speech, the show's bloody long enough to justify fitting one in. Bottom line: Bret's appearance will get PPV buys for McMahon, plenty of crowd heat, an opportunity to put over a current worker, and provide Bret with a big paycheck and an opportunity to make a final farewell speech, should he wish. Everybody's happy. Well, most people.

Hmmm, I think that's a pretty hefty exaggeration. How many people have ever actually beaten Brock clean in a one on one match? Angle has, Benoit got a sort of moral victory...anyone else? He still beats down virtually everyone on the roster pretty convincingly, of course Brock has to make it look like some of the challengers are a credible threat to him (Holly for instance). I think the point behind Brock's character is that he doesn't often NEED to cheat to beat his opponent, but he does anyway because he doesn't care about the sportmanship - he just wants to win and keep his title at all costs. Personally, I think Lesnar is one of the few wrestlers who WWE consistently book well, and I'm digging his character right now. He's like the polar opposite of HHH - Goldberg is the ONLY real face who's a title contender on Raw right now (and god knows he should be with the way he's been booked), Brock on the other hand has in the last month alone made credible title contenders out of Benoit and to a lesser extent Holly and Rey. Go Brock!

The Rock. Exactly. The obvious choices at the moment are to have the respective titles on the line between HHH and Rock, and Angle and Benoit (either or both could be face here) leaving Brock and GB to have a non-title big money match and let Vinnie Mac cream his pants over his creation beating the symbol of WCW success. Unless Austin wants the "one last" match with Goldberg, which I find unlikely. Either way Bill is doing the job.

So now WWE will get exactly nothing off the UK audience for Armageddon (except for what I can only assume will be a very small number getting the webcast). Great job shooting themselves in the foot there. I'm not too pissed off about missing this PPV as it looks shit, but I'd hate to miss the Rumble.

If he does, I want him on TV NOW, regardless of how crappy he is. I would mark out for every single Inspector Gadget reference.

-ANNOUNCER OF THE YEAR- * Tazz (SmackDown!) - Obviously. -ROOKIE OF THE YEAR- * Sheldon Benjamin (SmackDown!) - TWGTT both rule, but I'll just give the nod to Shelton, he seems smoother in the ring. -MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR- * Big Show (SmackDown!) - by a country mile, no-one is close to the relative improvement BS made this year. -PAY-PER-VIEW OF THE YEAR- * Vengeance 2003 - Far exceeded my (low) expectations, was pretty enjoyable throughout. -FEUD OF THE YEAR- * OTHER (Y2J & HBK) - one of the few feuds which made sense and went for a decent length. -STORYLINE OF THE YEAR- * "Chris does it all for the Nookie" (Chris Jericho & Trish Stratus) - I'm still enjoying this actually. Strange. -MATCH OF THE YEAR- * Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle (Royal Rumble 2003) - In my eyes, *****. I was caught up in it 100%. -TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR- * The Worlds Greatest Tag Team (SmackDown!) - The Worlds Most Aptly Named Tag Team. -SMACKDOWN! WRESTLER OF THE YEAR- * OTHER (Eddie Guerrero) - Consistently good in the ring, on the stick, everywhere really. -RAW WRESTLER OF THE YEAR- * Chris Jericho - see above. *~BONUS~* -THE MOMENT OF THE YEAR 2003- * Brock botches the Shooting Star Press at Wrestlemania XIX - sadly, this is THE one moment I'll remember most from the year.

Benoit's standing ovation was great, but him and Angle at RR '03 would still be match of the year if it hadn't happened. The way the match was structured seemed to allow the crowd to stay into it without going nuts from the start, using the bigger spots sparingly and sensibly for the first half of the match. The last ten minutes had the audience going nuts because by then they'd really connected and the atmosphere this created made all those near-falls incredible. By the second Angle Slam I was convinced it was over and on the edge of my seat, it's very rare that I actually feel that way during a match. The clean finish(!) and standing O were the icing on the cake. Seriously, what is there not to like about the match? Story: gripping. Crowd: hot. Spots: sensible, excellently performed. Psychology: playing off their previous matches, good. Selling: good (bar the usual pop-up belly-to-belly). Other than POSSIBLY Jericho/Michaels at WM, what else DID come close this year?

Well, if he used it more often, it would fit the criteria for the SUPER FINISHER a la the Tiger Driver '91. That is, if it actually got the win each time it was used. Agreed, although the fact that HHH has already kicked out of it would make the job of getting it over as a 'super finisher' rather more difficult. That said, it would be nice if he busted it out maybe every 6 months in the really big matches. I can't see why he doesn't really (hmmm...maybe because he isn't getting much in the way of really big matches?)

To the best of my knowledge, Booker T has used the Harlem/Housten Hangover only twice on WWE TV. Once as the finish to his match with Big Show at Vengeance '02 (when it popped the crowd huge) and once at WM XIX on HHH, where he fluffed it a bit and HHH kicked out (naturally).

I can understand people calling Taker or Hardy most improved this past year, as they've both put on much better matches in the last 12 months than previously, but just take a long, painful look at any of Big Show's matches about 18 months ago. He was SHIT. Appallingly so. Now - my god - he's fairly competent! No-one has made anything close to the relative improvement that he has. Oh, and Ray - the big deal about Angle/Benoit was that it was the best match in WWE this year. That's pretty much it.

Most of these have already been mentioned, but here goes anyway: MVP of the year : Chris Jericho Match of the year : Angle vs. Benoit, Royal Rumble. Raw wrestler of the year : Chris Jericho Smackdown wrestler of the year : Eddie Guerrero Rookie of the year : Shelton Benjamin Tag team of the year : Team Angle/TWGTT Feud of the year : HBK/Jericho PPV of the year : Vengeance Storyline of the year : Trish & Y2J...early doors I know. Announcer of the year : Tazz. No competition.

Angle's Heel Hook/ RR'03 AnkleLock is kind of a third finisher, being as it is an advanced version of his usual Ankle Lock. I like the way the move's been booked, as it's kind of like what you're talking about with Misawa's TD '91 - in the really big matches where the Ankle Lock just won't put 'em away, he busts it out, but the Ankle Lock is still a very credible finisher.

Tajiri vs. Noble: **1/2. I was really enjoying this match, but it was WAAAY too short. Noble's blocking of the mist then baiting Tajiri was cool. Team Angle vs Team Lesnar: **3\4. The superfast eliminations were a little too fast for me but they did well concealing the hoss team weaknesses and Angle's injury. The last minute was like a constant markout what with Benoit's Crossface and Cena's FU. Needed another ten minutes, just like the last match. Molly vs. Lita: *1/2. Not as bad as I was expecting, as Lita wasn't too sloppy. And I always mark out for the Molly-Go-Round. Kane vs. Shane: 1/4*. I was expecting bad, and this was worse. Anti-climactic, inferior and less brutal than their last encounter, stupid backstage bit...and the 'chair shots' using the steps...just awful. Can't believe some people thought this was OK. Bashams vs. Guerreros: **. Solid match, continues to build up the Bashams and the Guerreros tension, so served a good purpose... hopefully they aren't going to drag this on too much longer though. Team Austin vs. Team Bishoff: ***3\4. Like has been said by virtually everybody, MOTN by yards. The eliminations were unpredictable yet sensible, the crowd was hot and the balance of workrate and drama was just right. Virtually everyone came out looking good, and HBKs blading was the icing on the cake. Vince vs. Taker: 3\4*. Considerably worse than I was expecting. Good booking I suppose with Taker dominating, but he got punked out by Kane far too easily at the end. Surprising that there seemed to be much less heat than Vince's match last month. GB vs. HHH: *1\4. Pretty much what I was expecting. At least Goldberg is selling reasonably well these days, and the last 2 minutes were fun. Overall: I only really enjoyed the Survivor series matches, but not a bad show. Could have been really good with a reshuffling of match lengths. 2.5\5 for the show as a whole.

I think he's going for more of a Flair look. When he shouted "This is for you, Ric!" during the match, he wasn't referring to the figure 4, he meant his love handles!

Sorry sir, I promise not to make such an idiotic prediction again! ...no really, why was it such a stupid prediction (other than, y'know...it didn't happen)? I must be missing something. At least I got all but one of the matches right.

Vince vs. Taker: **. I think it'll be a lot better than everyone's expecting. If Taker works hard (and if he's taking time off, he'll want to give it his all before he goes), and Vince is a heat magnet again, it'll be entertaining on a dramatic level at least. I have a feeling we are going to see a LOT of blading. GB vs. HHH: *. We've only really seen this match once before, and yet I feel like I've seen it a thousand times over already. Will be mostly bad, and extremely s-l-o-w. Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff: ***1\4. Hopefully Austin's fate hanging in the balance will get the crowd hot, and barring Henry, every worker here CAN have a very good match. I'm expecting a good balance of drama and workrate here. Team Angle vs. Team Lesnar: **3/4. I really can't see the match doing anything but sucking while Jones (and probably Morgan too) is in the ring. I expect a slow, crappy start that eventually comes to life once the poor workers are eliminated, and with any luck a hot (clean) finish. Bashams vs. Guerreros: **1/4. I for one think the Bashams look promising (although they shouldn't be champs) and I think this match should be solid, with a finish we can all see coming a mile off. Hopefully they do it well. Kane vs. Shane: 1\2*. This will be like Taker\Vince with all the redeeming features surgically removed. 1 big bump, 1 big pop, that's it. Hopefully short (fat chance). Tajiri vs. Noble: ***3/4. Tajiri has been entertaining the hell out of me over the last two months, and his ringwork has been great. If Noble can pull out a good performance this should be MOTN. Lita vs. Molly: 3\4* Time filler. Hopefully will contain a Molly-Go-Round so I can mark out. Lita winning should pop the crowd.

Not a chance. Even WWE won't put someone that untested in a title match at WMXX. Lesnar got the nod last year because: a) He'd already proven he could draw (a bit) and pick up crowd heat. b) He'd been in a successful ME already, at Summerslam. c) He's actually got talent. d) The crowd wanted him to win it and main event with Angle. It's SurSer already and Morgan hasn't even had a televised singles match. He is not winning the Rumble. Though I wouldn't put a strong showing out of the question.

Err...why? If they alternate which brand wins it every year, even the slowest marks are going to catch on to that sort of thing. I see the possible contenders at the moment as: SD: Benoit, Eddie, Cena. Raw: HHH, Orton, Kane. What with Kurt's new surgery needs, they'll probably figure that the Raw main event scene is a safer playing field, and most likely go with Trips. But I'll be hoping till the bitter end that Eddie gets the nod.

Oh go on then, I'll have a go. World Heavyweight Championship HHH Vs. Goldberg Prediction: the constant putting over of GB's 'shattered ankle' did make me wonder if HHH might get the win back, but surely, SURELY Kane has to move on to a title feud after SS, so I'll stick with Goldberg retaining...possibly by DQ. Buried Alive Match The Undertaker Vs. Vince McMahon Prediction: I reckon this match will make No Mercy's main event look underbooked. After about fifty interferences and swerves, Vince gets the win. Lots of blading. RAW Survivor Series Match Team Austin Vs. Team Bischoff (Booker T, Rob Van Dam, The Dudley Boyz, and Shawn Michaels Vs. Chris Jericho, Scott Steiner, Christian, Mark Henry, and Randy Orton) Prediction: D-Von by Steiner, Steiner by Bubba, Bubba by Orton, Henry by RVD, HBK by Orton, RVD by Christian, Christian by Booker, Orton by Booker, Booker by Jericho. Bischoff's team gets the win. Could be good. SD Survivor Series Match Team Angle Vs. Team Lesnar (Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly, and John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar, The Big Show, Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan, and A-Train) Prediction: Bradshaw by A-Train, Holly gets himself DQ'd/killed by Brock, Jones by Angle, Angle by Show, Morgan by Benoit, A-Train by Cena, Show by Cena, Cena by Lesnar, Lesnar by Benoit. Benoit gets a title shot at the PPV-ish smackdown in 4 weeks. Could be an enjoyable, hot match. Ambulance Match Kane Vs. Shane Prediction: Kane wins CONVINCINGLY. Even WWE can't be stupid enough not to do that. Can they? Cruiserweight Title Match Jamie Noble Vs. Tajiri Prediction: Tajiri's (definitely not the) Yakuza cheat early on, but the ref sends them to the back. Lots of nearfalls, and Tajiri wins one Black Mist later. MOTN. Women's Championship Lita Vs. Molly Lita wins after a succession of 'signature' moves which are merely existing moves with the word 'Lita' replacing their first syllable. Probably the Litabomb, Litacanrana and Litarmbar Takedown. A brief pop ensues and Lawler laughs at Molly's 'fat ass'. Edit: Also: Bashams win causing Guerrero split. Obviously.

Maybe no-one mentioned it because there is exactly no chance of it happening?

12) Goldberg has never tried to improve the announce team on Raw by setting JR on fire. 13) Kane is such a ladies' man he can even score with dead girls. 14) Kane is good at The Weakest Link.

He'd be a better color man then Lawler. Lets face it - as of recently, Billy Kidman would be a better colour commentator than Lawler. Eh? What discussion are you having, vivisectvi? Because I think you're the only one having it.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't the focal point of the show for 4 weeks running, in fact I only recall one promo that was actually about the wig period. And I wouldn't have said even that was the focal point of the show, more a comedic interlude. Although it was referred to for several weeks afterwards, wasn't it just used as a (rather tenuous) way to set up the Hogan match, rather than being the main point of the show? At least that's how I remember it, maybe you were just so enraged about the whole thing that it was all you remembered.