JoeDirt

Oh don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good stuff in 98, especially Austin/Macmahon. But there's bad stuff too...does Val Venis getting castrated ring a bell? But 1999 just surprised me because WWF was SO popular then...and a lot of the stuff is laughable, like the Ministry and the Greater Power angle and Taker setting Vince's teddy bear on fire. And who the hell was supposed to be behind the rising briefcase at KOTR 99, anyways? I should also mention that it's not just the angles...it's how the matches are set up. Not only are they short...but there's very little wrestling, and tons of punching/kicking.

David Arquette = ratings. Oh wait...no, he doesn't. But JUDY BAGWELL~! does, right?

Well I would HOPE she likes him. Better than her saying "My daughter married a son of a bitch".

The fact that it was so loved only shows how REALLY BAD WCW's booking was at the time. -=Mike ...I tried to watch WM 15 --- I failed in the attempt WM15 is pretty awful. Rock/Austin has great heat and is decent, and nothing else is better than *1/2. Backlash is actually pretty decent though. Rock/Austin have a good rematch and I really liked Taker/Shamrock, though the crowd is dead for it. Of course it ends with Taker saying "HELLO STEPHANIE!" and setting up that whole angle...*shakes head*

And don't forget Undertaker and his Ministry... Lame. It's a whole different show, a whole different presentation of entertainment. I can see why VERY few matches in 1999 hit ****, and you wouldn't even DREAM of it in a TV match. We're a lot luckier now than we give credit for.

--Rico and Jackie Gayda are headed to Smackdown (this will be announced, unless things change, by the end of the day). The WWE web site not about A-Train coming to Raw was also accurate as of this morning. I believe there is one more major roster change coming. --I'm told Stephanie McMahon won't be announced today as G.M. of Smackdown.

Seems like the last few weeks TNA has been building shows around the actua wrestling than storylines. Plus the World Title situation seems to be booked right for one of the rare occasions it is. And Vince Russo came back...coincidence? I don't like him but TNA is always hot when he's there. I just wish he were behind the scenes instead of off-screen. Russo is tolerable as long as he isn't booked into actual matches (ESPECIALLY Main Events) Exactly.

Only when Abyss is wrestling. Yeah, that's true...though it's not as bad as 98-99 WWF or 97-98 WCW.

Let me just add that I'm also looking for the very first Smackdown, from April of 1999.

Seems like the last few weeks TNA has been building shows around the actua wrestling than storylines. Plus the World Title situation seems to be booked right for one of the rare occasions it is. I think it's all coming from them trying to impress Fox Sports Net, and I'm not complaining.

I haven't watched TNA in MONTHS... Maybe I'll have to watch a few shows if they're starting to pick things up again.

From reading Keller's report it sounds like a decent show. And they're doing a nice job building title contenders, so that's good too. Hopefully now they get a TV deal...

How did the whole 123 Kid storyline with Razor come about in spring/summer of 1993? Had Waltman worked his ass off with the WWF long enough as a jobber that they decided to give him a push? Was he already friends with Hall, who got him the push? How did he go from jobber to fulltime roster member?

Russo's theory was apparently the more title changes a year, the better. Glad that thinking is gone. True...though I always liked the Rock/Mankind feud, even if there were too many title changes.

Yeah, so it might be disappointing trades and just Steph announced as GM, but who knows. We've got a little over 2 hours until we find out, so post your thoughts here when we find out... So far rumored: A-Train to RAW (Meltzer) Rico and Jackie to Smackdown (Meltzer) Steph NOT named GM (Meltzer) Booker-T to Smackdown? (His name was on their roster page shortly last night)

I must be one of the very few who didn't like ROH MSE that much. Good picks, though.

World Wrestling Entertainment's Monday Night RAW Delivers Best Ratings Since April 2002 STAMFORD, Conn.--March 23, 2004-- Coming Off of WrestleMania® XX, WWE® Continues to Build on its Theme Where It All Begins...Again World Wrestling Entertainment®'s (NYSE: WWE) flagship cable program, WWE Monday Night RAW®, delivered its highest cable ratings since April 2002 last night. A special RAW that featured WWE Superstars from RAW and WWE SmackDown! (UPN Thursday's at 8 p.m. ET/PT) participating in a lottery to determine to which program they would be assigned beat all primetime broadcast television programs among male teens, and ranked second versus broadcast primetime among Men 18-24. RAW experienced week-to-week increases among all key demo areas, particularly younger demos. "WrestleMania XX was a spectacular success, and achieved our goal of gaining the attention of fans that are, fans that were and fans that will be. It was also meant to be a platform from which we would re-energize the WWE brand and foster ongoing interest in our television programming," said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. "Based on last night's ratings for RAW, I think we are off to a strong start in achieving our goals and retaining the interest of fans who were hooked by WrestleMania XX." In a cliffhanger episode, RAW Superstar Triple H® was moved from RAW to SmackDown!, seeming to break-up the clique Evolution, and it was announced that WWE Superstar Edge® would return from injuries, not to SmackDown!, but to RAW. In addition, SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman was moved to RAW and promptly quit, leaving WWE SmackDown! without a general manager. Who will be his replacement? How will Triple H take to a new environment and a new locker room? Will Evolution de-evolve without its leader, Triple H, or is rising Superstar Randy Orton up to the task of keeping the group together? "These are the types of storylines our fans love," noted Schneider. "Part of the reason that we created two stand-alone television programs (RAW and SmackDown!) was to provide more plot twists, new rivalries and intrigue, and we're just starting to realize that creative potential. All I can say is stay tuned. It's going to be a wild ride!" World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. Information on television ratings and community activities can be found at parents.wwe.com. Trademarks: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

1). They switched at seven. *rimshot* *ducks the tomatoes* *apologizes tearfully* 2). I remember reading about an upcoming Gates of Hell match with the Rock and the Undertaker but I don't recall it ever being mentioned by WWF. It's a match with a hole in the center of the ring and you win by throwing your opponent in the hole. I've never seen one but it sounds kinda lame. Yeah, I think it was a crazy Russo idea that got dumped. I was wondering if there was more to it, maybe reported by more credible internet sources than I was reading at the time. Oh, one more question: What was the deal with the whole Higher Power angle? Was it intended to be Vince, or did they switch at the last minute? It seemed kind of sudden to turn him back as a heel.

1) When did the WWF switch from having afternoon PPVs to having evening PPVs? 2) Does anyone else remember the rumors of a "Gates of Hell" match between Taker and Rock at Summerslam 99?

Battle Dome...Good God I had totally forgotten about that awful, awful, awful, AWFUL show.

This could never happen...the mic would fall through his hands. Okay that was wrong, sorry.

Another thought that comes to mind... No taker on this show... Where the hell does he go from here? Not many people he can feud with...maybe Booker, but RVD seems like a better feud for Booker. Maybe Big Show, but he's injured and might be taking time off...any ideas?

Yeah. Dumb trade.

Sounds okayish. Hopefully RVD gets a good program. Too bad there's no Rey on the show.

And another question... Why the hell did they have BRADSHAW get pinned in Simmons' last match?