RavishingRickRudo

Is Sally Struthers available?

How much does a clue cost? We should start a fund.

If they get lucky, they have 4 shows between PPV's. When you factor-in after math and the hard-sell, it's really 2 shows to let things develop. That's about 160 minutes (4 x 40) to build for a 180 minute (3 hour) show. And there's about 20-30 wrestlers to get over during that time. The show can't get going like that, it can't build a following. Most of the audience doesn't even care about the PPV at this stage in the game, which is reflected in their post-PPV rating.

They could have the best writing team on the planet, they still will have to deal with writing in the confines of an hour-long show and a PPV every month.

*Inserts comment about having too many PPVs and how it is negatively effecting their TV*

I am *this* close to starting up a Mike Swick Appreciation Thread. http://www.myspace.com/mikeswick

Sting vs. The Giant from Slamboree 96 was a surprisingly good match.

I like the way Murdoch carries himself in the ring. It's a shame his wrestling can't live up to his surl. What was great about Hansen was that he looked surly, he acted surly, and DAMMIT, he wrestled surly.

Well, like, everything is different. The graphics are way different. There's the stage and video screen. Jeff Osborne and Ryan Bennett had mics in their hands. Sleazy D had hair. Online scoring. The video packages. Production-wise, it's totally different... cept for the production mistakes, they're still the same. Fighter wise. Ricco Rodriguez, Gan McGee, Pedro Rizzo, Din Thomas, Caol Uno... lightweights in general... Dave Menne, Phil Baroni, Bustamante as champion, Randy Couture as a heavyweight, DIN THOMAS.

I didn't buy it, but I downloaded UFC 39. It's really, really, really weird watching it.

I'd take these two over 99% of the WWE roster, especially when it comes to believability.

That's awesome. But I am a snowglobe mark, so yeah....

So you're saying the steroid issue is more important in wrestling which is why it should be...LESS open? I don't follow. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am saying the WWE is doing this to protect themselves from the finger pointing they're getting and will get in the future. Think about it. If a wrestler dies in the future, which is not so much an if but a when, people will say "the WWE should have done something", like some of us did with Eddie. Well, the WWE will say "we test". So to avoid that finger pointing in the future, they have to make it public now. Their first interest isn't in protecting the wrestlers, it's protecting themselves. If they really wanted to protect their wrestlers, other measure would be implemented on top of the testing.

You've never seen something along the lines of "contingent on passing a drug test"? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No no no, I know that companies have to make it known to applicants that drug testing is required. What I mean is, you can't be serious that this is proof that corporations announce their drug policies to the public and that its comparable to what the WWE is doing now. They, legally, have to do that.

I don't really agree with that. MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL all have their drug policies public, as do the Olympics. They do it for the same reasons that WWE is doing it, public pressure means a public solution. However real sports have different legitimate concerns regarding steroids that make it more necessary to disclose this information to the public and take a stance on the matter. Steroids in real sports are for performance, so people will feel cheated if athletes test positive for steroids. Thats not the case in wrestling. Steroids are there for cosmetic reasons. It's apples and oranges. Getting rid of steroids in sports is to make things more competitively even. Getting rid of steroids in wrestling is to save lives. Many corporations, on their application information, have that info as well (I am applying for jobs now and have run into it). You can't be serious with this.

Might be looking into that a little too deeper than it is. WWE.com is being used, as they have said many a time to whoever is there to listen, as THE outlet for ALL WWE news for the most part to be released "before the others." So in that sense, just because they did this big deal about it on their website shouldnt mean there is more to this than there is. They might just want to release the info before anyone else reports it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Which conveniently allows the WWE to paint stuff like this as "getting the news out before anyone else does". It's nice spinning. Ok, they reported it... why have Vince directly talk to the wrestlers and air it on WWE.com? That's doing more than just reporting it.

Yeah, a few weeks off will do it... Yeah, we're gonna get more guys who look like Joe... Yeah...

Why "announce" it at all? It's for the wrestlers, not the public. I don't think you'd see other corporations posting on their website the president of the company telling employees about drug testing policies. That's a private matter, within the company. So why record Vince telling the wrestlers? ...unless they want everyone to know they're drug testing wrestlers. If they _really_ wanted to protect their wrestlers, they'd address the things which creates the dependence on drugs as well as the drug testing.

That they're making this _so_ public suggests more of a "protecting their ass" thing than "protecting their workers" thing.

Maybe its a thriller about Tom Hanks' lil round friend from Castaway. "A bond formed on a deserted island. Left behind in freezing waters. He thought it was gone forever. Now it's back... and it wants revenge. "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllssooooooooooon!!!'"

"Did you have occasion to call Dr. Zahorian on March 23 of 1990 and ask him for anabolic steroids?" "Yes," Piper replied. "I did." "And what did you ask him for?" "I asked him for some Winstrol, and I believe some Deca-Durabolin, and I'm not sure, maybe an anti-inflammatory, too." "Did you receive the anabolic steroids you ordered from Dr. Zahorian in California?" In a low voice, Piper answered. "Yes, sir."

The Steroids issue is an interesting one. If the actual policy places steroids in "performance enhancing drugs" category and not in other categories (prescription meds, for example), then are steroids still allowed if they are prescribed by a doctor?

Damn right we are! Old Man Mushnick needs to get off his dead horse and stop beating the high horse and ... RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!!

That fucking bastard.

Will the WWE still be maintaining the schedule that essentially forces guys to take prescription meds like pain killers? Will Vince continue to push big, muscular guys like Batista while the cruiserweights get the shaft, and anyone not fitting a certain mold get pushed aside? Will the WWE continue to fire guys who get injured? Will WWE wrestlers still feel the need to go out and perform even though they are hurt because they think they will lose their spot if they step out to recover? Yes, this could be a potentially great thing if they're serious about it. But this seems more like a reactionary measure than a strategic one. The WWE sees the criticism, and can see more potential criticism in the future, so they set up drug testing to insure that -in the future, when another wrestler dies and fingers start to get pointed-, the WWE can say "Hey, look, we test. We have a policy. We've done everything we can to make sure our wrestlers aren't abusing." It's more like they're protecting themselves than protecting the wrestlers. Drug use is more like a symptom of a problem, not the cause of the problem. The cause(s) of the problem are some of the stuff I wrote above. The schedule. The grind. The pressure to perform. The lifestyle. Hell, even the contracts and the pay-structure help promote drug use. It's very hard to take this company seriously on this matter because they've tried it before, and then when the public eye stopped watching them, they went back to their old ways. This is the company that is going through a cost-cutting period, has lost a part of their revenue generation in their contract with USA, and implenting a good drug testing policy will cost them millions and potentially put them in the red, all things considered. Which leads me to believe that the policy will be fluffy. That the guys will find ways around it because they can't live life on the road without abusing drugs, they will still see the need to use steroids, and whenever they think they should stop and rest for a while they still won't because the WWE hasn't ensured them that their spot will be there when they get back, and that the office won't really care because their bases are covered, and that you'll still see wrestlers die.