Slickster

Next pick should be...

*points to self*

That's a great idea. Good catch.

How they can move the WWE Tag Titles back to SmackDown if Finlay and Hornswoggle are on different brands? Even if they win this Sunday, Raw/ECW will have both sets of tag titles.

The supplemental draft is (and has always been) "random" picks for each brand, with no rhyme or reason to the draft order. I'd expect Elijah Burke to go to Raw, while Val Venis or Super Crazy gets sent to ECW for a change of scenery.

http://www.promotingprowrestling.info/ "This amazing digital book contains all the information and ideas you'll ever need to successfully promote pro wrestling events! Years of experience and successful ideas condensed into one amazing volume!" Has anybody heard anything about this book? I'd imagine lesson 1 would involve doing the opposite of what Vince Russo does.

Well, this was inevitable. http://mikeadamlesreplacement.com/

Correct. The question was regarding strap matches, not bullrope matches. Besides, the last bullrope match was Dusty-Orton at GAB 2007.

I think they should post factoids during entrances and segments saying what the original music was during each segment. It would help put stuff like the bWo segment into context.

The last strap match was HHH-Rock on 9/21/99, IIRC. That was the SmackDown! episode where HHH had an inferno match, a casket match, a chokeslam match, and a boiler room brawl as well. I think they could have done a better job of explaining Goldust's dryhumping/makeout antics as humiliation tactics, which could have established the faces not as bigots but seeking to avenge embarassment.

Well, no good could come from him cutting down Mike Adamle, so it's smart of him to skirt the issue and move on.

And regarding the tattoo, WWE removes it from all pictures/merchandise of CM Punk, so they aren't making any money off of it.

Additional Questions 1. Would things had gone differently for the brand -- i.e. would the brand look different altogether today -- had RVD and Sabu not been pulled over for drugs, with Van Dam having to give up both Heavyweight Championships only a few days later? Of course. Van Dam was getting the push of a lifetime and was the face of the brand, on par with Rey Mysterio and John Cena. Remember, RVD pinned Rey Mysterio and John Cena- both reigning World champions - in singles matches within a five-day span. He presumably would have carried the ECW title into the fall. Instead, he got a significant (and totally justified) depush until his departure in June 2007. 2. Do you feel making an established WWE star in The Big Show the unstoppable heel ECW Champion helped or hindered the brand in its developing months? It definitely helped it in my view, especially since there was literally no one else on the brand with enough fan recognition to carry the load. Remember, they were still doing ECW-only house shows and putting Sabu or Tommy Dreamer as the brand's top guy wasn't going to draw shit with the new ECW fanbase they were working with. I feel like the reign revitalized Show's career by undoing the preceding seven years of midcard stagnation he had been stuck in. Heyman did the right thing by putting Show in Extreme Rules matches against top guys from the other two brands to establish him as credible. 3. Would adding a secondary singles title and tag titles make the brand more legitimate in your eyes? Would it help you place ECW on the same level as Raw or Smackdown? At this point, I think a secondary title might work to elevate a guy like Elijah Burke or Kofi Kingston. With the talent exchange with SmackDown!, I think there's no need for ECW tag titles when the WWE tag title picture is already thin. 4. Do you think young wrestlers like John Morrison, CM Punk, and Elijah Burke would be more prevalent or less prevalent in the WWE if only Raw and Smackdown existed? Would they even still be in the federation at all? Aside from giving guys like Sabu and Balls Mahoney national exposure, I think the best thing ECW has done is provide a forum for these young guys to showcase their abilities outside of Louisville. I think that these guys would definitely have been lost in the shuffle if they were ever called up to Raw or SmackDown! in the first place. 5. Has this reincarnation of ECW ultimately sullied the legacy of the ECW of the 1990s in your mind? Not at all. If anything, it's like watching a great classic movie, then watching a remake of it from decades later. There are things you like/dislike about each version that can be compared.

I think it was really a smart thing for The Rock to do his usual schtick off the bat so the fans mark out early and will be quiet for the inductions. Plus, it's what the fans have really wanted to see.

WWF @ Cincinnati, OH - Riverfront Coliseum - May 18, 1992 (9,160) Wrestling Challenge taping: Tatanka won a 40-man battle royal at 13:16 by last eliminating Blake Beverly & WWF Tag Team Champion IRS; other participants included: Shawn Michaels, WWF IC Champion Bret Hart, Sgt. Slaughter, Tatanka, Tito Santana, Kerry Von Erich, Barry Horowitz, Jim Powers, Kato, Skinner, Repo Man, Dale Wolfe, the Brooklyn Brawler, Brian Costello, Reno Riggins, Brian Donahue, Barry Hardy, Chuck Casey, Ron Cumberledge, Col. Mustafa, Crush, Mark Spears, WWF Tag Team Champion Ted Dibiase, the Nasty Boys, Beau Beverly, the Legion of Doom, Koko B. Ware, Owen Hart, the Natural Disasters, Virgil, and Tom Stone WWF @ Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena - May 19, 1992 WWF Superstars taping: Tito Santana won a 40-man battle royal WWF @ Hamilton, Ontario - Copps Coliseum - June 1, 1992 (9,000) WWF Superstars taping: Davey Boy Smith won a 40-man battle royal by last eliminating the Beverly Brothers at 10:19; other participants included: WWF Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase & IRS, Virgil, Barry Horowitz, Rick Johnson, Al Hunter, Bob Knight, Glen Ruth, the Beverly Brothers, Jim Powers, Duane Gill, Repo Man, Brian Knobbs, Tatanka, Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Saggs, Rick Danger, Jerry Davis, Kerry Von Erich, Barry Hardy, Tony Ulysses, Owen Hart, Koko B. Ware, WWF IC Champion Bret Hart, Bruce Mitchell, Kato, Jim Bruznell, Skinner, the Dublin Destroyer, Phil Apollo, Tito Santana, Rick Martel, Joe Milano, and several other unknowns WWF @ Ottawa, Ontario - Civic Center - June 2, 1992 Wrestling Challenge taping: The Berzerker won a 40-man battle royal by last eliminating Kerry Von Erich and Skinner at the same time at 9:57; other participants included: Davey Boy Smith, WWF IC Champion Bret Hart, the Beverly Brothers, Virgil, Kato, Owen Hart, Koko B. Ware, the Nasty Boys, Tito Santana, Tatanka, Sgt. Slaughter, Rick Martel, WWF Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase & IRS, Duane Gill, Joe Milano, Jim Brunzell, Bob Starr, Bret Johnson, JA Gooden, Steve Martinez, Bob Bradley, Bruce Mitchell, Barry Horowitz, Bob Knight, Jerry Davis, Joe McMullen, Al Hunter, Jim Powers, Scott Palantonio, Barry Hardy, Nick Danger and 3 others --So they just ran a battle royal at each of their bimonthly TV tapings using some of the contracted talent and adding prelim guys to pad out the total to 40.

Regarding WWE's choice of WM locations: it's clear WWE wants to keep hitting the big cities and major media markets to ensure maximum press coverage and to make WM a tourist event for a whole weekend, not just a day. Orlando fits the bill perfectly. In addition, WWE is choosing to use large domes for events since it's clear they can actually fill them again. The Citrus Bowl was chosen after WWE committed to Orlando as a host city, since the original plan was to use the Amway Arena. I don't anticipate WWE will be willing to do outdoor Manias in any other market outside of Florida due to variable weather conditions. WrestleMania 24: March 30, 2008 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL WrestleMania 25: April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX WrestleMania 26: March 28, 2010 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ

Quite a few celebrities at Mania this year, but it's odd that they aren't hyping up the celebrity appearances more.

Another great editing botch is at Armegddon 2000, where Jericho bulldogs Kane through a table. The table didn't break the first time, so they did it again. In the edit, Jericho starts with Kane's head under his left shoulder, then they crash through the table with Kane's head under Jericho's right side.

Maria's Playboy photos are online.

Which is funny since TBS hasn't been on the SD! roster since, what, 2004?

Well, Solie can't talk shit about McMahon anymore since he's dead. I'm sure his widow/kids would be more than happy to make a tearful happy speech about him and we all get a standing O feel-good moment. Have Dusty induct him and put Flar-Rhodes from Starrcade 85 on the HOF DVD. Easy as pie. Expect the same for Bruno, Backlund, Warrior, HTM, and all others who feel they're above doing the HOF. You will either accept a plaque in person or you will be inducted posthumously. That's the genius of the HOF: since WWE owns North America's wrestling history, they can rewrite it however they wish. You can be a huge star like Bruno and die defiant of WWE, but they will induct you ex post facto so it looks like "WWE loves wrestling's founding fathers." Plus, marks think that the WWE HOF means something, so they think less of people who aren't in the HOF.

I second the motion to discuss WCWSN from 99-2000. The world needs more Fidel Sierra and Dave Burkhead main events.

James Curtis is the Barry Hardy of our generation.

They didn't. They have multiple themes again, as they did in 2006 and 2007.

Right, but that was before the boom. WWE has enough of a nest egg saved up now that they can coast through some lean years without coming close to closure.