JoeDirt

There are some spoilers for tonight's RAW at: http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_10954.shtml

Ha, I was just about to post this. Nice thinking. If Orton were smart, battle royal would go on first, and then if HHH lost he could get a world title shot on the same night.

I was watching an old RAW the other night from early 1999, when Mankind had just beaten the Rock for the title I believe leading into the Rumble. Looking back...damn that show wasn't very good. An opening 25 minute mic segment, several 2-3 minute matches, the horrible Undertaker forming the Ministry segment...uggh. But do you think if the WWF changed styles, and went back to the Russo-esque style of having lots of 2-3 minute matches, lots of entertainment skits, mic work, everybody having catch phrases, etc, do you think ratings would go up? It's not a question of whether or not this would be good TV or not...after all, most Hollywood blockbusters are HORRIBLE, and yet the people flock out to see them. So do you think that if the WWE went back to this "crash TV" style ratings would go up, or that it wouldn't change things at all?

They've got something up their sleeve, I'm telling you...otherwise there's no way in hell the "golden boy" would go third instead of fourth.

The original plan for the Bossman/Big Show "ha ha your dad is dead" feud back at the end of 1999 was to lead to the Undertaker returning and feuding with Big Show for the title, I believe, but Taker hurt himself right before he was going to return and had to wait a few months before coming back in May of 2000. And as Big Show didn't get over great as champion, he dropped the belt to HHH, as Vince decided to do HHH vs. Foley at the Royal Rumble instead of HHH vs. Big Show. I believe the original plan for the Undertaker's return was scripted by Terry Taylor, and I remember it as being really weird and "out there" but I don't remember many details...maybe someone can help out? Also, does anyone else remember rumors that Chris Jericho was going to be named "Exacalibur" when he debuted in the WWF?

Good reviews so far...and I love the randomness.

There's a reason this is happening this week and Jericho is booking next week. If HHH is simply going to retain, why not have him beat Jericho this week and do the battle royal last? No, something is definitely up here. I can honestly see HHH losing the belt here, though I'll probably feel like an idiot at the end of the night for thinking so. 1) Somebody like Edge or Batista wins the title. Next week Jericho books himself in a title match against them. HHH costs Batista the title if its him, and the split is complete, or maybe HBK returns and costs Edge the title, and Jericho wins it. Then Jericho drops it back to HHH at New Years Revolution. 2) Jericho wins the title and then I don't know exactly how he'd book next week, but the end result would be him losing to HHH at New Years Revolution. 3) HHH retains. But if so, why have Jericho book last? They're headed somewhere with this, but I don't know exactly where...I could see the battle royal not even happening tonight, to be honest. But if HHH beats the entire roster in a battle royal to retain his title, it'll be ridiculous.

Good review. I've been interested to see this show, now I just might pick it up. Too bad a lot of the singles matches weren't anything special, though. But I really like the concept of this show and I think they should do it a few times a year.

I think we look back on stuff more fondly than what we're currently getting. I'm not saying that 2004 WWE is fantastic by any means, and there are a LOT of improvements that need to be made. But look at it this way...televised wrestling is way better now than the two minute matches from 1998 and 1999. Younger, new guys are starting to get pushed now, where as the past few years we've seen guys like Goldberg, Piper, the return of the nWo, etc. We've seen title reigns for Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, and even if they weren't handled wonderfully, at least they had their moments at WM20. No, it's not how great the first half of 2000 was by any means, but it's shown some signs of life. Another thing that hurts is the fact that there's no competition. Honestly, looking back I think the WWF looked great just because of the crap WCW put out. And looking back, at least WCW had more good wrestling than the WWF had in the Russo days. Now with no competition, all of the internet's ire is focused directly on the WWE. The WWE is rebuilding, something necessary because of the horrible booking since Steph look over. They're looking for their stars to carry them through the rest of the decade. It's going to be interesting to see what happens, and who catches on with the fans and who flops.

If you think the WWE thinks Cena is on the same level as Christian, you're crazy. Uhh...? How aren't they? WWE sees Cena and Orton as the future of the company. They see Christian as a midcarder who won't be any higher than he currently is. I'm not saying anything about talent or anything like that...but the WWE clearly sees Cena in a much higher light than they do Christian. He's easily one of the biggest stars on Smackdown.

Yes, but we've also established that I am an idiot. Nah, I'm just like the WWE...I do my booking on the fly, baby.

2004 has been better than 2002 or 2003. At least now they are pushing some new people...Benjamin, Snitsky, Carlito, etc. A year and a half ago we had Roddy Piper vs. Mr. America and Kevin Nash vs. HHH on pay per view. 2002 had Hogan vs. HHH and Hogan vs. Undertaker for two months as the main event on PPV, followed by HHH vs. Undertaker. I'd say now is better, they're just going through a rebuilding time.

Good points made so far...

It depends on what you're booking. Booking ROH like Sapolsky does is different then having to book a TV show.

To Raw: 1) Big Show: A big name to counter HBK going to Smackdown. Has fresh matches with HHH, Edge, Snitsky (uggh), Kane, etc. 2) Charlie Haas: Has a nice feud with Shelton waiting to happen. 3) Jackie: Send her along so she can be with her husband. 4) Hardcore Holly: Just move him away from Dupree, lol. 5) JBL: He won't have the title by the time the draft comes around, so why not? Again, he's faced all the top challenges on Smackdown during his title reign. 6) Doug Basham: He's the better Basham, so give him a singles push or something. To Smackdown: 1) Shawn Michaels: As its been said, he needs to get off RAW. Get him some fresh matches on SD, he's already burned through HHH, Benoit, and Kane on RAW, and we REALLY don't need to see HHH vs. HBK again. 2) Hurricane: Get him in the cruiserweight division, he's dead weight on RAW anyways. 3) Stacey: Balances out Jackie going to RAW, she can't wrestle anyways. Have her manage someone on SD. 4) Rob Conway: Find some other Canadian guy to team with Grenier and let Conway break out as a singles star. 5) Kane: Another case where he's burned through a lot of the top programs on RAW, as he's had PPV matches with HHH, Benoit, Snitsky, and Edge already. Get him away from Lita and that horrible storyline. 6) Tyson Tomko: Not doing anything on RAW. --Of course we'll probably get something again where a big star is drafted and then traded back, or something like that. The keys here are HBK and Kane to Smackdown , while moving JBL and Big Show to RAW. This allows Smackdown to have somebody else take over top heel position (Angle, and then obviously someone else needs to turn, because you'd have HBK, Kane, Eddie, RVD, Misterio, Undertaker all as faces), giving you fresh matches. Conway should also get a big singles push, I think.

If you think the WWE thinks Cena is on the same level as Christian, you're crazy.

Hold on, ten guys go from each brand on this? I thought it was just five from RAW and five from Smackdown, and then the GM's can make any trades they want along with that. EDIT: Nevermind, it was six each this year. Of course they could always change it, but who knows.

So other than last years inductees and Patterson, who is already in the HOF? I think Dibiase is a must, btw. He's one of my top picks for sure.

Did Bret Hart and Mick Foley ever have a televised match?

Just to name a few that haven't been mentioned... Owen Hart Ted Dibiase Sid Jim Duggan Demolition One Man Gang King Kong Bundy -Are there any particular qualifications to get in the Hall of Fame, or do they just pick who they feel like?

When did Goldberg start to get his police escort entrance to the ring?

The WWE is really retooling their roster now and debuting a lot of new faces. Why not have a draft to help debut young guys? Here's my idea: A draft would be held annually. Let's say it's in May. From Wrestlemania to the night of the draft (which would rotate being on RAW and SD every year), the WWE could run clips profiling the "top talent" in the draft, showcasing them a bit to the WWE audience, hyping them up, etc. Then on draft night, each brand gets 5 picks or something like that. They "draft" guys, who would be guys from OVW, guys on developmental deals, etc. Just think of how much Lebron James was "over" before even playing a game in the NBA. With the right amount of hype, they could get over these top draft picks before they even set foot in the ring, and make them into big stars. They could say that the draft picks would either start out on the brand, or stay in developmental training, so if a guy in reality wasn't ready yet, they could wait and debut him later, and then say "hey, that guy was RAW's #3 pick in the draft this year!" or whatever. I think it would be a different way to help create stars. Obviously it would be on the talent from there on out. But it could be something different and interesting. People get into drafts and seeing "stars of the future" and stuff like that. What do you think?

A review of WCW Bash at the Beach 1998: "This was a very good ppv.The main event was good.I thought ddp and karl malone would win.The only thing is that dennis rodman has been in the ring before.Goldberg should wrestle harder people.Everyone knew Curt Henning wouldn't win.He is not even a wwe champion,so why would he fight Goldberg when he knew he would lose.Kevin Greene tried his best to beat the Giant,he was just to hard for him." A review of Great American Bash 1999: "I got this ppv when I was 7 years old and every time I rent it,I don't watch all of it because it is so boring.The best match is Brian Knobbs vs Hak.I didn't even enjoy the main event.Macho Man is like hulk hogan and ric flair.They have been wrestling for too long.Macho Man made his debut in 1973 and fighting for the heavyweight title.He needs to let other people have a chance to win the title." A review of Halloween Havoc 1998: "1. TV Title Jericho vs. Raven. 8/10 Good opening match 2. Meng vs. Wrath. 10/10 Awsome, two big men just brawling 3.#1 Contenders Match for Cruserweight Later in the night Juventude vs. Disco Inferno. 9/10 Good, long, action packed match 4.Tag Team Title Rick Steiner & Buff vs. Giant and Scott Steiner. 9/10 Good match, Buff turns on Rick, but Rick still comes out victorious 5.Cruserweight Title Match Kidman vs. Disco. 7/10 Ok match, not really what i expected 6. Scott Hall vs. Nash. 10/10 little slow in the beginning but gets a lot better! 7.US Tile Match Sting vs. Bret Hart. 10/10 Awsome one of the triple main events, One of the show stealers. Action packed, very good, and very entertaining 8. Hulk Hogan vs. Warrior. 10/10 I thought 10/10 jus 5 minutes into the match! Awsome, action packed, great manuvers, Warrior and Hogan work great together!!! One of the best WCW matches Ive ever seen! 9.WCW Title Match DDP vs. Goldberg. 10/10 Nothings better than two fan favorites go at it. A lot of all types of wrestlings, amatuure, brawling, technical and all sorts of kind. Great Match, great action, cool moves, just one of those great match up, DDP and Goldberg work really well together, very exciting and entertaining.!!!!" Or how about this review from the same guy of Road Wild 1999? "One of the great PPV's in 1999. But since it was outside and it was light outside, it was kind of distracting to watch a match, but thats not a big deal. Fan were on their feet the whole time. 1) 6 man tag match Rey Mysterio Jr.,Eddie Gurerro, and Kidman vs. ICP and Vampiro w/Raven. 7/10 good high flying action, but kind of slow in the middle 2) Tag Title Match Triads (Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon) vs. Harlem Heat. 8/10 Not bad, prett cool moves 3) US Title Match Chris Benoit vs. DDP. 10/10 Awsome match! Show stealer, great paced action and very entertaining 4) Enerst "Cat" Miller vs. Buff Bagwell. 6/10 If Cat wasnt an ..., it would have been a good match. Bagwell did good, but Ernest gave a letdown 5) Sting vs. Sid Vicious. 9/10 Wow. Perfect pace, great, non stop action! GREAT MATCH 6) Rick Steiner vs. Goldberg. 8/10 Good match, good action, good pace, but a little to short 7) Dennis Rodman vs. Macho Man. 10/10 Great, Rodzilla can entertain! Great action, backstage brawling and awsome altogether terrific match 8) Heavyweight title and career match Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash. Another 10/10 Hogan can pump the fans up wich makes it fun to watch. Kevin and Hogan work great together! Hogan and little slow but did great! Nash did awsome as well ALL AROUND GREAT PPV!!! Buy This Tape!!!!!!!!!NOW...trust me if your a true wrestling fan, and appreciate this type of wrestling , you will love this video. " And finally this review of World War 3 1998: "in my opinion don't buy this ppv i mean the juvi vs. kidman match was good and the steiner vs. steiner match wasd good because steiner gave goldberg the finger but the battle royale was too predictable everyone knew nash would win but the main event of page vs. bret hart sucked i mean what kind of main event is for the u.s. title especially when the hitman gets cheated by the ref don't buy this movie" Yeah, there's no point to this post...I just thought it was funny.

Spike Dudley v. Rey Mysterio v. Billy Kidman v. Chavo Guerrero Cruiserweight Title This was a high-flying match. Spike never should have retained. Rey Mysterio is the greatest Cruiserweight of them all and he can't win the title. Spike retains when Kidman hit a Shooting Star Press on Chavo and Spike covered. 6/10 Shelton Benjamin v. Christian IC Title This was a very good match and it is worth seeing. Shelton Benjamin kicks Tomko & Christian BUTT to retain his title. 7/10 Team Guerrero=Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Big Show & Rob Van Dam v. Team Angle=Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak & Carlito Carribbean Cool This was an incredible match. When Cena comes out Carlito and Jesus start running all over the place. Carlito, Jesus & Cena all go into the back and Cena beats up Jesus and Carlito escapes. Team Guerrero won after an F-U, Chokeslam & a Frog Splash on Kurt Angle to win. 10/10 Heidenreich v. Undertaker This was another great match. Another Undertaker classic. Heidenreich pts up a fight then Taker hits a Chokeslam, a Last Ride & a Tombstone Piledriver to beat Heidenreich. 10/10 Trish Stratus v. Lita Women's Title This was a very quick match. I'll only give it a rating because of the Chair Shot. Lita should have won the title and this actually be a match instead of a brawl. 1/10 JBL v. Booker T WWE Title This was another Smackdown! match that was incredible. JBL said that if he lost to Booker he would never wrestle again. Josh Matthews tried to come and save Booker but he got a Clothesline From Hell. JBL retained when he did the same on Booker T. 10/10 Team Orton=Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit & Maven v. Team Triple H=Triple H, Edge, Gene Snitsky & Batista This was a very good match but it should have been the Main Event. The Winner of this match got to control Raw for 1 month while Bischoff is on vacation. Team Orton picked up the win when Orton hit an RKO on HHH to win the match for his team. 7/10

Great review, Tom. I'm glad to see a match like this reviewed, which you wouldn't usually see. When you see Ian and Tank work, you have to realize that it's not going to be quick matwork you might see in a match with Alex Shelley or Nigel McGuinness. It's going to be slow, no doubt about it, but it'll be smart and hard hitting. I liked Ian's match with Ray Gordy, and his match with Arik Cannon recently was a lot like that too. Tank has really shown in a short time in IWA that he is tough as hell (some really bloody matches in the KOTDM tournament), and can really go with somebody who can work the match. Cool stuff. Can't wait to hear what you think of the big main event.