thecitythesky

* the irony of my situation... is that now that i DO have to work on Thursday nights i watch Smackdown!... ... since there's nothing else to do at work. and man... do i miss having something better to do. the upside is... that at least i'm getting paid to put up with such nonsense.

* then don't look at the preview. did you think there'd be no continuity between the shows.? would you be upset if you checked RAW's preview thread and saw matches contingant on the PPV from the previous night you hadn't watched.?

* Who does CM Punk think he is to demand the right to sell his labor on days they were promised that freedom when the contracts were signed? What an outrage! wow... i didn't know you'd read them. if you could give me a link, that'd be great. What more than likely actually happened, was TNA worded the contracts in their favor with the stipulations regarding their reservation of the right to approve outside bookings. (considering that Behrens has had a hand in Styles' booking since he was in Wildside...) and decided to act on it when they were gearing up for TV. while the strict enforcement of those portions of the contract may not have been an issue previously, they always could've. that they chose not to up until now is immaterial. it makes no sense to blame TNA for enforcing stipulations concentually agreed to by both parties. no one forced Punk, Daniels, or Styles, etc. to sign the contracts... and the time to dispute the wording and provisions would've been... you know, before they signed them. realistically, TNA could've told Punk flat out that he wasn't going to be working RoH anymore and booked him anyway. and when he didn't show up, sue him for Breach of Contract. he should be happy he got the choice in the first place.

* last i saw of him doing anything was in All Japan.

* no problem... wasn't my idea in the first place. * as for the show tomorrow... i think that the Whitmer/Maff matches are going to drag RRC3 down a bit. but that the SCS/Briscoes match should be good, as should Punk's interplay w/ Steamboat. ......

* this is major tom to ground control thank you... i certainly do appreciate your condecension. ... the 50% goes to the workers. and isn't designed to fuck any promotion. the 15%... my, you should probably start blaming Styles and Daniels for signing the contracts in the first place. they knew that TNA had pull over their outside bookings, and if they were terribly concerned about it, maybe they should've thought ahead. ....... and futhermore... maybe you ought to learn not to confuse issues. considering that the talent removal from the RoH shows had nothing to do with the outside booking issue. RoH has get exposure, and guys that also work for TNA worked there. guys they had under contract were getting massive praise and exposure working for a different company (moreso than they got for their TNA work... and with good reason). gearing up for TV, why would a company want their guys' work elsewhere to be at they forefront.? because then the question becomes... why not just put RoH on TV.? and now that you've finally got a spotlight of sorts... why put another company over.? pulling their talent from RoH shows was their right, and worked within the confines of contracts that their talent signed. because as much as indy wrestlers become associated with certain promotions... the fact of the matter is that no one is anyone's. until contracts get involved. which is the case in the TNA pulling talent situation... if you think is a shitty thing to do because it hurt RoH... that's fine, but grow up. it's the wrestling business. i would a assume that a "smartmark" would know that this is arguably the sleaziest business in the world (with music and film taking close 2nd and 3rd). everyone fucks everyone else over... it's about looking out for number one. and in this case... TNA has legally binding documentation to look out for number one for them. (i'm not taking sides... but to turn TNA's attempt to grow and to be the only large showcase for its talent into a desire to fuck RoH is assinine.) .... so... when you come back to earth and can focus on an issue, let me know.

... is it just me, or does that logo, with the inverted "i" as the exclamation point, make it look as though the show is called "MPACT" at first glance.?

except for the fact that TNA didn't pull styles and daniels and sabin to fuck RoH. the did it to protect themselves and their investment by being to only fed with a large amount of coverage to showcase two of the premiere workers in the country and someone who's on the verge of some really exciting stuff.

* or go to your local Hooters, BW3s, sports bar, etc.... get some food, and watch a shitty PPV with a pitcher of shitty american beer. honestly, i've found that i enjoy bad shows more in a large crowd of people who are really into as casual, albeit drunk, fans. which is odd... as i can't stand horrible wrestling or crowds. such is life.

i certainly think that Ian makes a valid point with the effort to avoid the one-upsmanship in the KOTDM. considering that the US indies lost Nick Mondo due almost entirely to the roof bump at TOD2 last summer.* a bump that he himself realizes very very easily could've killed him had things gone a little bit too awry. *... i am aware that his graduation also played a role in that decision.

* because he's the heel. and the heel should always have a disadvantage to overcome and the odds against them. i just figured that was obvious?

yup dude. **** 1/4 rating lowered because i felt they should've been given 2-4 more questions.

i'm still confused... is Daniels ready as you stated in your editorial.? OR do you think that Daniels isn't ready as you stated in your preface to said piece and thereby "useless".? ............................. inquiring minds want to know. EDIT: i had to change "worthless" to "useless." lest i imply that you think that Daniels has no value as opposed to serving no purpose.

although it's not a confirmed match: i think that this Sunday, Rico/Haas are going to get a Hardcore/Ass pounding.

Are 7 year olds their target demo now? Most high school and college kids are out with friends or doing something fun, and adults are at work. Further, how does it help to have 2 months of inflated ratings and then a drop when school starts? it's actually not that bad of an idea. since they are almost setting it up as you would a control group in an experiment. if what you said occurs, and they draw enough people... then it may get FSN to move them to a better overall timeslot which would also appeal to the demographic they lost w/ school starting up again. it's two birds and one stone. : of course, if (read: when) they don't draw very well in that slot - they will have saved themselves at least some money by not paying for the better timeslot right out of the gate.: i think that they have the right idea w/ the timing and the slot for the gamble that they are trying to make. and like i said. if it doesn't pay off them their target audience have loads and loads of free time; then it probably wouldn't've paid off regardless. .............. 52 weeks reserved doesn't mean Fox can't pull it earlier than that, either. with them paying for the time. i can't imagine that FSN would pull them at all, unless they violate that "family friendly" image that they are to adhere(sp?) to. ............... They have a MAJOR uphill climb. true.

There's no question that Daniels is ready to enter the big leagues and he's arguably been ready to do so for the last few years. maybe... you should re-read your own article before linking to it. (and to save everyone the time of maybe reading it... all it really says is that Daniels in really really good (earthshattering!?), but would be misused in by Vince and Co.)

I was quite disappointed when Ian announced that IWA-MS is the newest NWA member. Basically, being an NWA member entails that you pay some outrageous number each year for a title belt, some crappy t-shirts in your merch stand, and the right to call yourself "NWA (whatever)", which doesn't draw a dime. although... i believe that it does allow you to avoid the "booking fees" TNA is now charging for their contracted talent. and makes it a lot easier to book talent from other NWA affiliates; and i certainly wouldn't mind seeing more guys from places like NWA-Wildside in an Ian's ring. ................ AND... it allows Ian to further give Cornette the finger. and i'm okay w/ that.

* like ultimo dragon.? *

yeah... he beat Harley Race w/ a high crossbody to win the NWA World title. and on occasion he used to drop a knee from up there when he wasn't getting pitched off.

I still am not sure if this will air on Comcast Sportsnet which is the local sports station that airs both in Philly and DC areas. They do play some FSN programming so I'd imagine, they'd pick this up too...I hope! ... i'm not sure they will. since NWA-TNA is paying for the time, it seems like the deal is analagous to an infomercial type scenario. so Comcast may be able to elect to pick it up on their stations from their occasional FSN feed. but i wouldn't imagine that they would right out of the box. . i'm not sure what they air during that time slot, as i don't live in the area. but if it's paid programming of some sort; Comcast'd be better off to keep that hour to themselves and make more money than they would off of the advertising from the TNA show. and if Comcast would have to pay for the programming from FSN or TNA for the show in exchange for the advertising dollars (which they most likely would, since the Comcast thing'd be more representitive of a syndication type deal) you can probably forget about it. ................................................................................ . also. as far as the ratings issue goes. i don't think that getting the ratings is necessarily their primary concern. being that they're keeping the Wed. PPV slot, the TV show ought to be used as a platform to get people who wouldn't pay for the product, but would watch it for free to check them out and eventually buy the PPVs. at least at this point in the game that has to be their MO. if their hoping for a non-staggered 3PM timeslot to be their jump off. they should quit now and save Panda some money. *

quite possibly. more than likely, you're the only one watching who feels like posting results. as opposed to cutting and pasting them. although, rest assured. my stuck at work self certainly appreciates it.

* with everything i've read over, especially over the last month and a half or so, it seems as though the contracts are written in the following fashion: : there HAS to be a provision in the contract stating that NWA-TNA has reserved the right to approve or deny any of their contracted talents' indy dates. this was essentially made fact during the RoH debacle. so... TNA can quite easily do what their doing now. which is admittedly a shakedown of sorts. and certainly isn't really a "plays well w/ others" type of thing to do. but anyone that was deluded enough to think that the wrestling business is among the sleaziest in the world should probably wake the fuck up. but the right of review/refusal granted by the contracts with respect to other dates certainly allows for this sort of action. .. really, in both situations (this and the RoH one) the blame really lies squarely on the shoulders of the talent. it was their decision to become contracted talent to TNA. it very well may have been a case of them not believing that such provisions would actively be enforced. either way, it's a document they chose to sign, and it's their own fault that they have to deal with the consequences. i'm not going to say it's not shitty, from a fan standpoint, but i'm not going to call foul on TNA for doing what their contracts allow. ................................................................................ .......................... also, i don't thnk that the provisions apply to work outside the US. otherwise, i don't know why they'd be so non-chalant about letting a talent they're apparently so high on (Daniels) miss so many shows for Japan dates. and i'd imagine that AJ isn't too upset about Behrens handling his bookings, as i remember watching an Ian Rotten interview where he talked about having to contact him about booking AJ, and this was almost 2 years ago. ................................................................................ ........................... *

* my picks on this one.. (some of the first round picks'll only make sense come second round) BRACKET A RODERICK STRONG vs SEDRICK STRONG ALEX SHELLEY vs JIMMY JACOBS CHRIS HERO vs STRIKER HOMICIDE vs BLACK TIGERS BRACKET B TEDDY HART vs AZRIEAL PUMA VS MIKEY TENDERFOOT NAPHTALI VS PETEY WILLIAMS JUSTICE VS DAMIEN ADAMS ...................................... Round 2 Roderick Strong vs. Jimmy Jacobs : i think that they're going to try to recreate what these two had together in IWA-MS, and i believe, part of a 4-way in CZW (?). the IWA match was very good, and this way they're taking a little bit of a chance (i'll cover that more in depth later). Chris Hero vs. Homicide : again, recreating what many feel was an excellent match-up from last year at IWA-MS' KOTDM tournament (although, i don't particularily care for it.. that's another story) in an NWA Florida ring. it never hurts to put on highly regarded match-ups, even if they're between people you don't really use. Teddy Hart vs. Puma : like him or not, he draws attention to an event/promotion. and i think that NWA-Florida is going to make this match based on the apparent strength of their Inoki Dojo match. only here, Hart gets the victory. Petey Williams vs. Justice : although rather bland, Williams is technically sound and does do some exciting thing in spite of his lack of charisma. i think that this will lead to a semi-final match between two familiar opponents in what, by all accounts, ought to be an very good match. ............................................ Round 3 Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero : this promises to be a very hard hitting match. i see Hero trying diligently to subdue and out wrestle Strong, going for the sub. and eventually getting drawn into a fun run of strikes and suplexes and all that jazz. given 15 min. or so... could be a good time. Teddy Hart vs. Petey Williams : this should serve at a contrast to the previous match, and will more than likely just be a really exciting 10-ish minute sprint. a crowd popping mix of high impact and high flying. ................................................. Final Chris Hero vs. Teddy Hart : this is going to be the year that Hero becomes a name around the indies on par with AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. and not in terms of regard and acclaim but in terms of name recognition amongst casual indy fans. and i see the push he's getting in CZW has really heated up this past weekend. obviously he's ultra-valuable to IWA-MS. and NWA-Florida wants to get a piece before every larger promotion is clammering for him. and the fact that he has no desire to go to RoH will, i think, make his rise throughout the rest of this year that much sweeter. this match, i feel, is really going to be a true test for Hart. to see if all the people defending him and his talent are really right. if you look back at Hero's match w/ Homicide from last August all i see is Homicide brutally exposed while Hero works circles around him. He's not doing it on purpose or to embarass him, it's just that with as good as Hero was that night really showed the holes and inconsistancy of Homicide's ability - what does it more than anything are Homicide's attempts to keep up and not just go with the flow and let it happen... he seems to try to make it, unsucessfully, go his way and looks foolish in the process. so, if Hart can either hold on and let the magic happen; or if he can keep up in his own right, i think his detractors will have some 'splainin' to do. .................................................................. with tournaments like these the point, to me, isn't to put over the promotion, but rather just to showcase some fantastic matches in your ring. and to get press and attention that way... and to get people to come back or enjoy seeing your guys in non-tourney matches. that's why bracket A culminates in 2 IWA-MS re-matches (Strong/Jacobs) and ('Cide/Hero), there's the Inoki Dojo/Hart match, etc.. simply to put them on in their ring based on the strength of previous efforts elsewhere. it's a treat for the loyal fans, and it'll sell some video tapes. and the first time meeting of two highly regarded talents (in the finals no less) will certainly draw attention to the promotion. also, by selecting some (possibly) unexpected winners (Jacobs, Puma) they gain a certain degree of claim in using them i a greater capacity before anybody else really did. Outside of IWA-MS and some less distributed/discussed Michigan feds. Jacobs hasn't really got the same oppurtunities as Shelley (who i feel is the slightly lesser skilled of the two.). so, for NWA-Florida to put him over his frequent opponent/partner who gets more attention than he does may also serve to give them some attention. all in all, it looks to be a super excellent event regardless of how things play out. however, i would like to see it a certain way. but so would everyone else. *

actually, it's actually a hexagon. (as opposed to one long rectangle as described above.) and yes, the ring does open up a whole new "bag of tricks" when it comes to spots and super fun rope running. the best example of a 6-sided ring in action is on the Toryumon vs. T2P event pitting Ultimo Dragon's earlier class against his 2000 graduates (Toryumon 2000 Project (T2P)) who wrestled exclusively (i believe) in the 6-sided ring in Mexico.

honestly... i don't have a favorite as: while i think that The Love Below had the better songs of the two records, it was just that... a collection of songs rather than a cohesive album. whereas Speakerboxxx functions much better in this regard. so it really is the better of the two albums. ... but, if i'm throwing one of them on to hear a track on my way to work. more often than not, it's going to be The Love Below. and if i'm going on a long drive out to my parents house w/ time to kill, Speakerboxxx is usually my weapon of choice. :thecitythesky... is falling: