Celtic Guardian

For the moment, TNA can't even get Pacman cleared to show up in the crowd. Excerpted from AP:

I doubt that the Titans care about Pacman's well being at all of course. It's just that if the Titans organization hadn't cracked down on Pacman here, then the precedent established could have allowed other more valuable Titan players to risk themselves in wrestling. It should amaze me that TNA didn't get the contractual issues with the Titans settled ahead of time but then no amount of TNA incompetence is a surprise anymore.

If he hasn't signed an extension and will out of the company in a few months then it would be pretty retarded for TNA to give him all the title just to please Joe's fanboys. And if TNA doesn't give Joe the belts after all this buildup, he'll be damaged there to the point that there will be no reason for him to sign the extension.

Signed, sealed, delivered.... a done deal. USA Today reports the deal is official. Official announcement now up on TNA Wrestling site.

Not much of a bet, clearly over 2.5 for the short term McMahon bump alone. The problem is that bringing in the Mr. McMahon character by himself might charge up the Nielsen number for a week but would not help repair the damaged product. If "Mr. McMahon" can be used as a catalyst to transition to a radically altered Raw format, then we might have something.

...or never wrote such a thing in the first place. I am not suggesting that any non-WWE wrestler necessarily go over Cena. I am suggesting that WWE get out of its self-imposed box of what it can do and what it can't. A sense of true unpredictability has to be restored to the promotion.

That's old style "WWE is the universe" thinking. We've had that already. How's it working out? Whatever WWE does to fix this has to be outside Raw as we know it. Simply adding in concepts that have already been done or names that have already been worked won't do it. We need a new Monday wrestling template with a new creative czar, new voices to hear each week, maybe even a new Monday show not called Raw. That's what 2.5 means.

Open invitational tournament, invite TNA and Ring of Honor wrestlers by name. Actually make a deal with one or both companies if possible. WWE needs to think completely outside the box now.

The post-PPV bounce probably covered up what would have been a decrease last week. Instead, we get the accumulated two weeks of downfall all wrapped up in a disasterous one week plunge. If the 2.5 number is accurate, WWE Raw is beyond the help of band-aids and now in need of radical reconstructive surgery. All creative options (good, bad or otherwise) that are legally possible and financially feasible must be considered.

I mean it would be a lawsuit risk against PWInsider if it makes an accusation against Jeff Hardy based on fragmentary info that turns out to be false.

Go to PWT. Anyway, as I said in the Lashley thread the guys in WWE had to rush to rewrite RAW last night, not only because of the injury to Lashley, but also because of Jeff Hardy. Many thought it was weird how they booked Umaga to be a babyface, when he's in the middle of a feud with Jeff Hardy. Well, the word there is that Hardy didn't make TV last night, and while the guys at PWInsider will not say what the reason is just yet, they are saying that there is "serious concern" as to if Jeff Hardy will be back for SummerSlam...if at all. No clue what's going on, but there you go. Sounds like they do actually have a clue of what's going on but don't want to say it yet for all the obvious legal liability reasons.

The only thing I could find big that weekend in Atlanta was an outdoor food festival called the Taste of Atlanta. Don't know if that was the event mentioned by the Observer though.

TNA signing Pacman is the practical equivalent of pouring a bucket of sewage on one's self, then screaming "Look at me! I'm a total nonstop dumbass!"

UPDATED: Full letter link here (PDF file), from the committee itself.

Here's the key sentence to me. Congress could easily go into the "protect youth from evil influences" mode on this one. We have not heard the last of this controversy, we've barely heard the first of it.

Essentially, yes. The Sable character reflected a post-feminist viewpoint of women "taking control of their own sexuality."

Hammer has missed a lot of wrestling years between her original consulting stint and her present day management of USA Network. The original Attitude era was a successful attempt to grow the product beyond the child-skewing storylines that had insulted adult intelligence. Pro wrestling has advanced to the point in Hammer's absence though that returning to the Attitude Era would itself be an insult to adult intelligence.

WWE Championship John Cena© Vs Bobby Lashley Lashley (Vinnie Mac acts out of spite at the media critics and books a title win for the muscleman.) World Heavyweight Championship Great Khali© Vs Batista Vs Kane Khali (Vinnie Mac acts out of spite at the net critics and books a title retention for the tall man.) ECW Championship John Morrison© Vs CM Punk Morrison (Wrestlers who change their names/personas generally don't lose this quickly.) Intercontinental Championship Umaga© Vs Jeff Hardy Umaga (Being built up for the Jackass feud, not down.) United States Championship MVP© Vs Matt Hardy M. Hardy (to erase MVP's win over ****** as the most recent US title change) Texas Bullrope Match Randy Orton Vs Dusty Rhodes Orton (see Nitro/Dreamer precedent of building up heel by winning the face's speciality match) Woman's Championship Candice Michelle© Vs Melina Candice (Candice seems the new female favorite there.) Singapore Cane Match Carlito Vs Sandman Sandman (WWE doesn't like Carlito.) Cruiserweight Championship Cruiserweight Open Chavo Guerrero© Vs Jimmy Wang Vs Shannon Moore Vs Funaki Vs Jamie Noble C. Guerrero (title change doubtful in throwaway match.)

The details in the indictment will nauseate America. That's exactly why Goodell can't afford to wait.

Commish Goodell is kicking himself right about now for starting the "zero tolerance" policy. Now Goodell will have to hand out a major suspension to one of the league's biggest stars to avoid being perceived as a joke.

I don't care but please mark this as a spoiler thread or blackout the blatant spoiler here.

CW Philly has Smackdown airing as normal. The Phillies are scheduled for a West Coast game on the local Comcast.

Sounds like Rey Mysterio. "Understatement" could be a veiled reference to Rey's height. It would "get people talking" because of his connection to Benoit's doctor as O.G.

Appropriate choice of words. WWE is in trouble here as is Rey, of course.

Considering its placement on this Colours TV, I wonder if the show will end up being international or lucha themed as opposed to featuring the alliance as a whole.