RavishingRickRudo

Shawn was on as much drugs as anybody, so he certainly didn't get by or was allowed anything. Though, Shawn did have a talent for sucking up...

WWE business in the early-mid 90's dropped because they didn't create new stars that appealed to the fans, so it was hard to keep the momentum from the 80s going. Going the kiddy route of the Godwins, Doink, et. al. just started to bury them. At this time they moved to more PPV's a year, which certainly didn't help things. Meanwhile, popular culture was about 2 things - rap and grunge, both of which had an edge the WWE didn't have nor wanted to have. I don't think steroids had a lot to do with it. That's my perspective, maybe there's something I don't know here. However, the WWE gave a very, very, very, VERY bad impression to kids when it came to body image. Women will talk about Barbie and models and magazines giving this unrealistic image, but professional wrestling was just as bad if not worse. Then again, the entire culture in the 80s with Arnold, Sly, and Van Damme was focused on these super physiques. I think Vince should take a lot of the blame when things like this happen, because he sets the standards and he could *easily* stop a lot of it right now by implementing certain measures. But that's ethics we're talking about, and Vince doesn't see wrestlers as people. But while a lot of it is on Vinces shoulders, steroids is found in every sporting competition for a reason, and its the same reason its found in wrestling - to get a leg up on the competition, or to keep up with the competition. In wrestling, which is such a visual medium, its important to look bigger and stronger, because people will believe you are bigger and stronger without having to even watch you wrestle. So it's inevitable. Even without Vince, there would be steroid use. I just don't think it would be as rampant as it is today. And the fact that Vince could stop it if he wanted to puts responsibility on him when he doesn't, even while dead bodies pile around him. Inaction, in this case, is just as bad as action. Even though he doesn't force anyone to use them, he doesn't say not to - and when he pushes guys who use, it certainly doesn't say not to. But then again, Vince is probably looking at himself and saying "I'm not dead yet and I've taken roids for decades, so it can't be the roids..."

Wrestlers are expendable because the amount the WWE pays when a wrestler dies is... well... just about 0. Meanwhile, the losses from a vastly reduced schedule and using smaller wrestlers, would -in their minds- cost them millions and millions and millions.

I am expecting a dance-off where both men rip off their gis and proceed to HUSTLE.

I could see Gunn convince BG to team up in a tag match, gain a certain amount of success, and they try to convince BG that Konnan and Killings are holding them back.

I think they were going for a "Joe went to Far" / "No one deserves that" kinda thing. In the match, and even leading up to it, Daniels wasn't acting like a heel. He had a good case for being a team leader - he had the most experience, he was X division champ the longest. He gave Joe the credit of being the strongest wrestler, but Daniels was the smarter wrestler. Daniels was visibly happy that Joe was teaming with him - giving Joe a pat on the back for saving his ass. When I was watching it, I was like "Daniels is a heel? Why should I boo him??". And then I was expecting Daniels to turn on Joe at the end. I wasn't shocked that Joe turned on Daniels, but I didn't expect it.

But how was it a heel turn? Was Joe a face before? Were Joe and Daniels best friends? This was a power play. Daniels was a bad guy. Joe is badder. That Joe "turned" on Daniels isn't the point, it's the severity of the beatdown which is the point. THAT is what Tenay and West were getting over.

I think it was more like Joe taking out someone that was in his way. Joe is neutral, he's in it for himself. Good or Bad? The heel/face dynamics aren't really relevant, fact is you had Joe DESTROY Christopher Daniels. Daniels, the longest reigning X Division Champion. A guy who took AJ Styles to his limit. And Joe fucks him up like he was nothing. AJ Styles comes out and witnesses the result of Joes fury. If Joe could do that to Daniels, what could he do to AJ?

I second the theme music thing. Very good. Especially by TNA standards.

I emailed Meltzer about this, but do the families get anything after a wrestler dies? Do they have insurance plans? Will the WWE take care of Eddies family? I don't mean for a life time, but will there any aid given in general?

Full Guard is when the guy on the bottom has his legs around the guy on the top and the feet are locked together. Open Guard is when the feet are unlocked. Half guard is when both legs are grapevined around the opponents one leg. Then there is the butterfly guard, which was mentioned before. There's the guard where you triangle the body. And there's the rubber guard where you put your legs way up on your opponents back/shoulders.

Six Corner Frog Splash Salute

Eddie vs. Ohtani from Starrcade 95 was great cause it showed PLUCKY YOUNG FACE Eddie.

Eddies promo (with Chavo) on Benoit from Smackdown where Benoit doesn't say a word and Eddie goes through 50 emotions trying to convinve Benoit he's his friend. Eddie vs. Rey Halloween Havoc 97. Eddie bring so much hate to the match. Just him walking down to the ring sneering at the fans is classic. The rest of the match was Eddie giving one of wrestlings best shitkickings to Rey. Eddie vs. Lesnar NWO 04. Eddie totally makes this match telling a superb story of a guy who has to be resourceful and use the ring to his advantage over the bigger, strong, champion. Eddie vs. Malenko Hostile City Showdown - I thought this was better than their 2/3 falls going away match. It had smarter mat wrestling and... I should probably watch it again...

Episode 11 takes us on a Matt Hughes journey from winning the title against Newton to fighting some of the best welterweights in the UFC to maintain it. The full schedule: Hughes vs. St. Pierre Hughes vs. Sakurai Hughes vs. Newton

Ideally, Bas would still be doing colour on cards that he WAS fighting on. "Try to take ME down? LIVER SHOT! They underestimate it!"

So, which fighters were ahead of their time? Or, which fighter do you think would compete well today (or would be fun to see fight today), and it's a shame they existed in an earlier period of MMA?

Netwon vs. Miller Newton vs. Sanchez Newton vs. Parisyan Newton vs. Diaz

Frank definitely is the first that comes to mind. Especially with the welterweight and middleweight divisions now. Frank vs. Franklin. Frank vs. GSP. I was watching a Gilbert Yvel highlight reel, and if he dropped the weight, Yvel vs. Loiseau would be KILLER.

Which I SO am going to do. You just have to realize that I don't work with and within the same conventions of time that everyone else does.

"The UFC plans to run twelve live fight specials on Spike TV during 2006. If two of those twelve specials are live Ultimate Fighter season finales and the other ten are simply live fight shows that have no connection to TUF, it would seem likely that the TUF season finales will be the two most-watched UFC TV shows of 2006." I got this off UG, but it wasn't sourced.

Then I haven't seen them. Son, you don't understand. He did a turnbuckle punching spot and he was hitting the dude WITH HIS WRISTS.

http://www.ufc.tv/index.cfm?fa=MultiMedia.Detail&gid=1857 Forrest Griffin interview. The guy clearly wants to be somewhere else, yet he still manages to deliver a good interview. Man that guy can talk. The more you listen, the more his southern accent comes out.

We need to decide if episode lists are spoilers.

You're just saying that because you're drunk. I know you'd never really say anything bad about Billy Rush.