Dangerous A

That and as the "secret" partner for babyfaces that need tag partners at the last second.

The latest Observer (the one dated for this monday, I get them early) says Bret and Vince are back talking, this time with no intermediaries. McMahon is attempting to get Hart to come to WM next year and be inducted into the Hall of Shame...er...I mean Fame as well as put out a DVD of his career. WWE is also trying to get the rights to Hart's career encyclopedia book because a) they know it'll be the best selling book in Canada and b) they want to neuter aspects of the book. They are going through with production of the DVD whether Bret is a part of it or not.

I'd like for WWE to quit playing theme music when anyone interupts a promo or does a run in.

From this week's Observer, a list of WWE and some OVW contracted performer's ages... Ken Anderson-28 Kurt Angle-36 Antonio-24 Steve Austin-40 Danny Basham-27 Doug Basham-28 Batista-39 Da Beast-24 Shelton Benjamin-29 Chris Benoit-38 Big Show-33 Bischoff-48 Boogey Man (Mary Wright)-41 Booker T-40 Paul Birchall-26 Garrison Cade-25 Chris Cage-25 Matt Cappotelli-25 John Cena-28 Christian-31 Coach-31 Rob Conway-30 Carlito-26 Michael Cole-38 Super Crazy-31 Daivari-20 Simon Dean-33 Ken Doane-19 Danny Doring-31 Rene Dupree-21 Edge-31 Eugene-29 Ric Flair-56 Funaki-36 Lillian Garcia-31 Joy Giovanni (not on roster)-27 Sylvan Grenier-28 Eddie Guerrero-37 Jillian Hall-24 Muhammed Hassan-24 HHH-36 Heidenreich-33 Christy Hemme-25 Mark Henry-34 Paul Heyman-39 Hulk Hogan-51 Bob Holly-42 Scotty 2 Hotty-32 Hurricane-30 Danny Inferno-28 Ivory-42 Chris Jericho-34 Johnny Jeter-23 Mac Johnson-23 Orlando Jordan-(?) Juventud-30 Kane-38 Maria-25 Kid Kash-35 Frankie Kazarian-27 Stacy Kiebler-25 Alexis Laree-25 Blaster Lashley-28 JBL-38 Lawler-55 Brock Lesnar-28 Lita-30 Paul London-25 Teddy Long-49 Chris Masters-22 Michelle McCool-25 Shane McMahon-35 Stephanie McMahon-28 Linda McMahon-55 Vince McMahon-59 Melina-26 Mercury-26 Shawn Michaels-39 Candice Michelle-26 Mike Mondo-22 Rey Mysterio-30 Nitro-25 Chris Nowinski-26 Mike Nox-(?) Nunzio-33 Randy Orton-25 Roddy Piper-51 Psichosis-34 Daniel Puder-23 CM Punk-26 William Regal-40 Steven Richards-33 Roadkill-28 Romeo-24 Rosey-35 Jim Ross-54 Mike Shane-37 Todd Shane-37 Sgt Slaughter-56 Snitsky-34 Al Snow-41 Trish Stratus-29 Tajiri-34 Tazz-37 Chad Toland-27 Tank Toland-27 Tyson Tomko-30 Undertaker-43 Rob Van Dam-34 Victoria-34 Val Venis-34 Viscera-35 Kerwin White-34 Torrie Wilson-29

Actually Jeff shouldn't be in wrestling. Period.

Cause UT has bad taste as well?

I just hope the Bret Hart set focuses on more than just Montreal '97. It obcviously has to be acknowledged, but enough already.

Looks like Mr. Wells is leaving Memphis for Sac Town... http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2114460 ESPN.com news services MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Bonzi Wells is no longer Jerry West's headache. ESPN.com has confirmed that the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to exercise an $8 million option and send the disgruntled swingman to the Sacramento Kings in a three-way deal with the Utah Jazz. The trade was first reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The deal cannot be announced until the NBA finalizes its collective bargaining agreement. The Kings will send guard Bobby Jackson to the Grizzlies -- a moved Jackson also confirmed to SportsTicker -- and center Greg Ostertag back to Utah for a second tour of duty with the Jazz. Utah also would send guard Raul Lopez and Kirk Snyder and forward Chris Borchardt to Memphis. West, the Grizzlies' president, had been trying to deal the 6-foot-7 Wells since he was removed from the squad during this past season's playoffs. The 29-year-old Wells averaged 10.4 points -- his lowest mark since the 1999-2000 campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers -- in 69 games for the Grizzlies last season. The 32-year-old Jackson had been a valuable contributor off the Kings' bench in recent seasons but, slowed by numerous injuries, averaged just 12.0 points in 25 games this past campaign. Information from SportsTicker was used in this report

I'm not big on Rhino for the fact he has the "WWE Reject" stigma attached to him. That is one thing that will hinder TNA in the big picture. Who wants to watch guys that WWE doesn't want? Now if they were guys that could go, it'd be one thing. But we are talking about guys like Billy Gunn, BG James, and Jeff Jarrett. Not exactly setting my world on fire. While Raven is sort of in the same boat, he skates a little because he has a cult following and didn't do much in WWE whereas the 3 guys I mentioned all peaked in WWE.

I'll say I'm glad Diogu started to warm up some because I caught his first summer league game on League Pass and was not impressed. I'd like to see him push Troy Murphy for minutes and perhaps relegate Murphy into trade bait by mid season.

Ivory's only redeeming qualities in the last 4 years have been some of her shoot comments on creative and the unintentional comedy she provided doing commentary. She did have a great bod for a woman over 40.

Here is a summer league report on who's tearing it up and who's stinking it up from ESPN Insider... Stars aren't made in the NBA's summer leagues, but we did learn a few things in the last three weeks. First, a caveat: When judging players, take summer league performances with a grain of salt. Success in the summer leagues isn't a very accurate predictor of who will become an NBA star. While in previous summers LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Al Jefferson and Marquis Daniels gave us early signs that they were ready to have breakout years, players such as Qyntel Woods, Willie Green, John Salmons and Zarko Cabarkapa have also dominated in these leagues. A more accurate predictor is summer league failure. Nine times out of 10, it seems, if a player can't produce against the watered-down competition in the summer leagues, he'll struggle mightily to get it done against real NBA players during the season. But even that is only a short-term prediction, not a long-term one. This year, the NBA held four summer leagues across the country -- the Reebok Vegas Summer League, the Minnesota Summer League, the Southern California Summer Pro League in Los Angeles and the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. Who played well? Who bombed out? Insider talked to a number of NBA scouts and executives during the week to get you the skinny. Here's what the NBA Boys of Summer were up to in July. Summer Studs Nate Robinson, G, Knicks Stats: 17.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg in the Vegas Summer League Stats: 15.2 ppg, 5.8 apg at the Minnesota Summer League The skinny: Robinson was the most exciting player on the floor for two straight weeks and had scouts walking away convinced that he could be an instant impact player in the league. His speed and intensity can overcome any size limitations. In fact, scouts in Minnesota said he started to show that he could distribute the ball. Still, make no mistake, Robinson is a scorer -- much like the Bulls' Ben Gordon, Robinson's job will be to jump-start the offense (and the crowd) whenever he enters the game. I still can't get over the fact that the Suns traded him. He would be perfect -- perfect -- in Phoenix. Ike Diogu, PF, Warriors Stats: 18.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg in the Reebok Vegas Summer Shootout The skinny: The questions about whether Diogu has the size or skills to play the four in the NBA are quickly dissipating. He started off the summer slowly and finished with a flurry, dropping 37 points and 12 rebounds on the last day. He looks more and more like the second coming of Elton Brand. Hakim Warrick, F, Grizzlies Stats: 18.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg on 54 percent shooting at the Southern California Summer Pro League The skinny: Warrick was a college stud who slipped a bit in the draft because no one knew for sure what position he'd play in the NBA. That's still not settled after seven games, but the Grizzlies believe they have a versatile player who's going to find a way to get the ball in the basket and grab rebounds. The odd thing is that Warrick's athleticism doesn't translate into blocked shots. He blocked zero shots in seven games for Memphis. Chris Paul, PG, Hornets Stats: 15.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.7 apg in the Vegas Summer League The skinny: Paul got off to a red-hot start (21 points, five assists, four rebounds against the Cavs and 12 points, nine assists vs. the Wizards) before a minor injury ended up slowing him down for the rest of the camp. The consensus among summer league scouts is that Paul will be the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. Andrew Bogut, C, Bucks Stats: 13.2 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.4 bpg in the Minnesota Summer League The skinny: Bogut had an up-and-down week. He was outplayed by the trio of Dwayne Jones, Nick Horvath and David Simon in the first game and finished with just seven points. Then Bogut was dominated in the paint by David Harrison, the Pacers' second-year center, showing he had neither the strength nor the quickness to guard an NBA player in the paint. All that said, Bogut definitely had his moments. He was great in games against the Rockets, Raptors and Knicks. He showed tenacity on the boards, patience on the offensive end and an ability for moving the ball out of the post. The talent is there, but questions remain about whether he's physically ready to come in and play center in the NBA. SLEEPER: Andrew Bynum, C, Lakers Stats: 10.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg at the Southern California Summer Pro League The skinny: No one was expecting anything from Bynum for at least two years, but he played as though he belonged in his first seven games. He has soft hands and great size, and he runs the floor pretty well. Bynum was out of shape and needs to get stronger, but he was much more skilled than most scouts thought. It doesn't mean he'll get a sniff of playing time in L.A. next season, but it looks like the Lakers may have a keeper. Honorable Mention: Wayne Simien, PF, Heat (17.1 ppg, 7 rpg); Sean May, PF, Bobcats (14.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg); Channing Frye, C, Knicks (13.8 ppg, 5 rpg); David Lee, PF, Knicks (12 ppg, 6.2 rpg); Jason Maxiell, PF, Pistons (15 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Linas Kleiza, F, Nuggets (15.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg); Eddie Basden, G/F, Bulls (14 ppg, 5 rpg); Lawrence Roberts, PF, Grizzlies (13.6 ppg, 11.7 rpg); Alex Acker, G, Pistons (14.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg); Ryan Gomes, F, Celtics (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg); Monta Ellis, G, Warriors (15.8 ppg, 3 rpg); Antoine Wright, G, Nets (16.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg); Raymond Felton, PG, Bobcats (12.5 ppg, 5.5 apg); Julius Hodge, G, Nuggets (13.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Martell Webster, G, Blazers (12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg). Breakout Performers Travis Outlaw, F, Blazers Stats: 18.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg in the Reebok Vegas Summer Shootout The skinny: Outlaw looked last summer as though he was going to be one of the few high school-to-pros busts. However, some good playing time toward the end of last season seems to have bolstered his confidence. Armed with a nice mid-range jumper, a ton of athleticism and great energy, Outlaw was definitely the surprise player in Vegas. Within days, GM John Nash said he was getting phone calls from teams offering first-round picks for Outlaw. But the Blazers would prefer to move Darius Miles and put Outlaw on the floor more this season. Chris Kaman, C, Clippers Stats: 20.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg in the Vegas Summer Pro League The skinny: If the Clippers are going to make a serious push for the playoffs next season, some of the responsibility is going to rest firmly on Kaman's shoulders. Elton Brand and Corey Maggette will deliver. Shaun Livingston has great promise at the point. And Cuttino Mobley will improve the team's shooting. But they need more help in the middle and Kaman showed in Vegas that he's capable of delivering -- at least against summer leaguers. Sebastian Telfair, PG, Blazers Stats: 18.7 ppg, 6 apg in the Vegas Summer Pro League The skinny: I wasn't a fan of Telfair last summer and still have my reservations about him, but it's tough to deny that he continues to improve. His court vision is excellent and he has a knack for getting to the rim. His jump shot is as ugly as ever, but if he can push the ball and keep turnovers down, he's got a chance to be special. Kevin Martin, G, Kings Stats: 19.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg on 47 percent shooting The skinny: The Kings have spent the summer (and another draft pick on Francisco Garcia) trying to find a replacement for Cuttino Mobley this summer. After Martin's excellent summer league performance, have they found him? Martin was also awesome last summer, but he didn't score with this efficiency or with this accuracy (41 percent) from 3-point country. Though his relative lack of strength still makes him a defensive liability, he's an awesome scorer. Lonny Baxter, F/C, Rockets Stats: 21 ppg, 6.2 rpg on 59 percent shooting in the Minnesota Summer League The skinny: Baxter's another summer league warrior who never quite gets the minutes he needs to produce in the NBA. The Rockets love his ability to score around the basket, but with Stromile Swift set to join the team this fall, will Baxter ever catch a break? SLEEPER: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F, Timberwolves Stats: 13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg in the Minnesota Summer League The skinny: Skita was awesome in the first game, scoring 25 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and shooting 4-for-5 from 3-point land, all in 17 minutes. Unfortunately, he broke his hand nine minutes into the next game and missed the rest of the summer league. But his performance was impressive enough that the Wolves and Skita agreed to a free-agent contract late Thursday night. Still, before the Dirk comparisons begin again, it's important to point out that Skita put on a show in Vegas last year as well, leading all scorers with 25.7 ppg and shooting lights out from behind the 3-point line. Honorable Mention: Dwight Howard, PF, Magic (19 ppg, 7.5 rpg); J.R. Smith, SG, Hornets (20.6 ppg); Tony Allen, G, Celtics (16.8 ppg); David Harrison, C, Pacers (14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Luke Jackson, G/F, Cavs (11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg); Matt Carroll, G/F, Bobcats (15.4 ppg); Britton Johnsen, F, Spurs (15.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg); Dion Glover, G, Rockets (18.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Josh Powell, F, Mavs (11.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg); Leandro Barbosa, G, Suns (18 ppg); Olumide Oyedeji, PF, Cavs (9.6 ppg, 7 rpg); Maciej Lampe, C, Hornets (11.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg); Andris Biedrins, C, Warriors (7.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Summer Duds Marvin Williams, F, Hawks Stats: 7.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 28 percent shooting in the Rocky Mountain Revue The skinny: Williams has been, in a word, awful. That doesn't mean much for his long-term future. As we've said before, the summer league isn't the most accurate predictor of what a player will or won't do in the season. But scouts claim that Williams looks tight and often lost on both ends of the floor. That can't be what the Hawks were hoping for from the guy that should be their franchise player. I still believe that Williams will end up being the best player in the draft. But he isn't off to a great start. Al Jefferson, PF, Celtics Stats: 7.5 ppg, 6 rpg in the Vegas Summer League The skinny: Jefferson's great summer league performance last season coupled with flashes of brilliance during the season had Celtics fans already clearing out a spot for Jefferson in Springfield. He definitely didn't take another step forward in Vegas. He shot just 44 percent from the field and never did much to impact the games. That's what the Celtics expected from Jefferson last summer, not this one. Darko Milicic, PF/C, Pistons Stats: 9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg on 36 percent shooting in the Vegas Summer League The skinny: The excuses are about to stop. With Larry Brown out in Detroit, it's now time for Darko to respond. We can talk all we want to about rust (he hasn't played in two years) and conditioning (it's tough to keep in shape when you're the towel boy), but the Pistons had to be disappointed in what appeared to be an indifferent effort by Milicic. The rust will come off with playing time and the conditioning will improve. But what happened to the aggressive play that convinced the Pistons that Darko was not your typical Euro softie? Darko had flashes when he looked very good, but much of the time he just didn't look like he cared. That had better change or Flip Saunders will put him on the same seat on the bench that Larry did. Jonathan Bender, F, Pacers Stats: 8 ppg, 5 rpg on 25 percent shooting in the Minnesota Summer League The skinny: Who else is sick of hearing about how awesome Bender's potential is and how great he looks in practice? He's always hurt and extremely inconsistent when he is healthy enough to play. He played exactly one lackluster game for the Pacers in Minnesota and his body language was awful. He acted like he didn't want to be there, according to numerous scouts in the building. Kirk Snyder, G, Jazz Stats: 6 ppg, 1 rebound on 33 percent shooting in the Rocky Mountain Revue The skinny: With only one season under his belt, it's too early to call Snyder a bust. But if he keeps playing the way he has in Salt Lake, a monumental bust is exactly what he's going to be. Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

Another concern I have with how unnaturally big Eddie has gotten is the possibility of torn muscles, something he is no stranger to. It hasn't effected his performance in ring, but in the last month or so he really looks to have piled on some extra meat.

Warrior coming back rumors are just stupid. He is a loose canon now and WWE doesn't want to risk not being able to control him. Rock is back on good terms as stated previously. He got some pub this last spring when Be Cool was premiering. WWE wouldn't show him if they weren't cool with him. I personally dont want to see Austin/Hogan because I think the match will suck balls, but I could see them (Austin and Hogan) trying to make it happen for the WM check, which is usually quite big and since they would be at least co-headlining, they'd get some pretty decent coin from a one match deal. Vince would do it. It's just up to the men to put it together. And isn't Bret going to be leading the Invasion here pretty soon?

Even though this is pretty serious, that was funny.

If they didn't go overboard with the whole terrorist aspect, there wouldn't be 4 different threads on this whole subject and we'd all be talking about what a shitty match Taker/Hassan would be.

Exactly Porter. That also means WWE loses a stream of revenue because UPN pays them $700,000 an episode to show SD! If they breach contract and lose that money, sure they could go to Spike, but Spike isn't going to pony up that money because they know they don't need SD as much as WWE does. $700,000 x 52 weeks= shitload of money

I can see Holly's point because the Alabama Slam is one of his signature spots. However, Juvy has wrestled exactly once on TV, so it's not like he's established it as part of his regular reportoire. He's been warned now. If he does it again, he deserves whatever consequences come with not listening. Holly seriously needs to grow up though. As far as the 450 goes, Paul London has every right to be mad. I'd be mad too if you caved in my grill by being reckless. On the flip side, I've seen Juventud wrestle since 96 and he hits the 450 right a hell of a lot more than he screws it up.(come to think of it, I can't recall him screwing it up of the times I've seen him) I don't blame him for trying to get over. He's in a new environment and promotion, I can't fault the guy for trying to do his job. Suffice to say, if they told him to not do it again, it's not an unreasonable request. I like the Juvy Driver as a finisher better anyways. As far as oiling up goes, as a grown ass heterosexual male, I can never defend oiling up your chest.

Why didn't he reference Kurt Angle-Would be gutter slut rapist? That was pretty low brow, even for WWE standards.

Flip Murray is on rock.

The real victim here is Mark Magnus. From WWE calling him up WAY too early and then escalating his character to offending heights. The best we can hope for Magnus is he goes back to OVW for a couple years, gets better in the ring, comes back as Mark Magnus-man who is angry as hell at management for screwing up his career!

Another interesting question to bring up in this whole Hassan/UPN situation. Was UPN tipped off or have any knowledge of the followup for the Hassan 7/4 angle? I remember WWE on their website saying they were wanting to follow up on the Taker beatdown/chokeout bit. Did they let UPN know where they wanted to go and UPN said "fuck that"? Or did UPN err on the side of caution (and WWE past history of controversial angles) and went with the ban despite what WWE had planned for a followup? Did UPN owe it to WWE to at least explain where they wanted to go with the Hassan character before handing out this punishment? (oh yeah, DA bringing the meat to the convo)

I wonder if WWE.com released that statement as sort of a selling point for the ppv? "Come see the end of Hassan" It appeals to both marks and smart fans.

Isnt that what the IC and US titles should be for?

Currently it's Carlito for now. For the best unintentional comedy both in and out of the ring, you can't get better than Snitsky and Heidenreich. When they get together, it's comic gold.