RavishingRickRudo

The following piece of Fantasy Booking is rated RRR. To preface the storyline, I have to say that it felt great when I was writing it. My intent was to create a storyline that ties in WWE/WWF history and wraps it up nicely with current storylines and programs, and I feel I did that better than I could have imagined. You ever had anything just "click", that's what this felt like. It, really, put itself together in the end, and part of me feels like -oddly enough- it was destiny. Fate, however, may not be kind to my spelig grammar or and? Blame that on the Canadian Educational System, I know I do. The story "peaks" at Summerslam, and it doesn't take into consideration the draft. It is, however, very flexible and crosses over onto both shows (it does not end the brand split, it does not bring back any star that already isn't already under contract, it doesn't debut any wrestler, it doesn't do anything that cannot be set up today, tomorrow, next week, or next month) which means whatever direction the WWE goes in the next few months, this can adapt easily. Whatever matches happen at Summerslam, this can adapt to (assume that the big matches for Summerslam have already been made with the current champions involved). As long as the key players are around, it works well. There are no exact dates involved, it does happen in sequence and one show follows another. I think it's the best thing that I've written, yes even better than Steve Urkel RAW GM or Trish Stratus 50-year-old Black woman, so if you enjoy my stuff, I think you will really like this. If you don't, read-on because it doesn't have the "humour" (which tends to be a subjective thing ) that the previous 2 pieces had. I try to explain everything, so if you have a point of contention, please read-on before replying. It's long, but that's mostly formatting; it goes down pretty smooth Enjoy! *Raw* On an episode of RAW nearing Summerslam, Wrestler X is walking backstage when he hears something coming from behind a door. He opens the door to see 6 figures sitting around a table. They all have masks on (not typical wrestling masks) as well as cloaks. They get up, attack Wrestler X and the camera man following him. The video feed goes out, but the audio is still on. Voice 1 (sounds like HHH): Do you think he saw anything? Voice 2 (sounds like -----): Nah. Voice 3 (sounds like -----): He better not have. Voice 4 (sounds like ---): Hey guys, can we get back to business here? Voice 5 (sounds like Flair): Yeah, and get rid of both of these guys' bodies behind the arena. Voice 6 (sounds like Bradshaw): Yeah, and close the door you're lettin in a draft! *Feed cuts off* *Back to JR* JR: What the hell was that?! King: I dunno JR, I think it was just a meeting or something. JR: Why were those guys wearing masks, and I think that sounded like.. King: I didn't hear anything or see anything JR, let's just ignore it and get back to this great RAW action! ----------- *Smackdown* *Teddy Long approaches Bradshaw backstage in his dressing room* Teddy: I don't know what you are up to JBL, but I will find out. JBL: What the hell are you talkin about Teddy? Teddy: Oh, you know what I'm talkin about. JBL: No... I don't... Teddy: Don't play games with me JBL, I want to know what you were doing on RAW Monday! JBL: WHAT?! Teddy: Ya heard me playa. I heard your voice on RAW last Monday. JBL: You must have me mistakened for someone else Teddy, I was in New York on Monday with some investors. I can give you their names and they will tell you the same thing. Infact, here, you can talk to one of em yourself. *JBL takes out his cell phone and hands it to Teddy* Teddy: Hello? Hi, is this Warren Larson? Yes, hello, this is Theodore Long, GM of WWE Smackdown, and I was wondering where were you last Monday night? Uh huh, uh huh, New York, with John Bradshaw Layfield... ok, alright, thank you very much. *Teddy looks at JBL and JBL smiles* Teddy: Well I apologize John, I guess I made a mistake. JBL: That's ok Theodore, we're all human, we all make mistakes. Teddy: I'll see ya lata, playa. JBL: Don't forget to close the door, you're lettin in a draft. *Teddy immediately turns around back to JBL and just stares at him.* *JBL smiles* JBL: A draft... a lil cold wind from outside. It's freezin in here. So could ya hurry-it-on up and get outta here, Teddy. *Teddy slowly turns around to leave* ----- *RAW Week 2* *Bischoff is talking on the phone* Eric: Yeah Teddy, I thought i heard their voices too. Eric: Yeah, yeah, there is somethin big goin down if it's those 3 together, and I have my suspicions on the other 3. I mean, I've heard rumours, but... *Eric Sees the Camera* Eric: HEY! Did I tell you to come in here?! *Camera leaves, but manages to open the door to see/hear Eric say* Eric: I think we should meet up to, I'll see you on Smackdown... ------ *Smackdown Week 2* *Bischoff is seen entering the building from his car, he is walking quickly and is greeted by Long* Bischoff: This is worse than I thought. Long: Wuddaya mean Eric? Bischoff: I just got finished talking with some "sources" of mine, guys who have been around for a while, and this "thing", well, it goes deep. Really deep. Long: That's not good, Eric. I've got a bad feelin about this. Bischoff: That's not good for either one of us, Teddy. I've had to deal with this kind of stuff in WCW, and from what I hear, this is 100xs worse. Long: Hell Eric, that kinda stuff killed WCW! Bischoff: I know, which is why we gotta know how bad it really is and we gotta stop it before it gets worse. *Long looks around* Long: I don't think it's safe to talk about this right here, right now. Let's go inside. Bischoff: Agreed. ------ *Raw Week 3* (Bischoff had been absent for most of the night, JR said he had been taken to the hospital. At the end of the night, his music plays...) *Bischoff walks down to the ring, bruised and bandaged* Eric: If I could have everyones attention. Earlier today I was attacked. It was during an interview I conducted with HHH. Now, HHH didn't want you to see this interview. Infact, he beat up me and the Camera man and took the tape that was in the camera. I figured he might do something like that, so I had another camera hidden. Here is what he didn't want you to see... *HHH and Flair walk into Bischoffs office, the hidden camera is behind a plant* HHH: What do you want Eric? *Eric is sitting there with Teddy standing at his side* Bischoff: Come in, Hunter. HHH: What the hell is HE doing here? *points to Long* Bischoff: He's here because even though RAW and Smackdown are competing brands, it appears that some of our wrestlers are mingling with each other, and that affects both of us... HHH: I don't know what you are talking about, Eric. Flair: C'mon Champ, let's get outta here. Teddy: Oh waitta minute Ric, this concerns you too. Bischoff: You see, a few weeks ago there were voices heard, live, on RAW. One of them sounded like you, HHH. And another sounded like you, Ric. Teddy: And one sounded like JBL, John Bradshaw Layfield, one of MY guys, a Smackdown wrestler. Bischoff: So what was a Smackdown wrestler doing here talking with a RAW wrestler, HHH? HHH: Eric, like I said, I don't know what you are talking about. That wasn't my voice Eric, look, there are millions of guys who sound like me, it could have been any one of them. And I saw Smackdown, JBL was in New York at the time and he had someone confirm it for him. As for Flair, hell, the guy is so old he can't even remember where he was at yesterday, ain't that right Ric? Ric: Whah? HHH: See? Bischoff: Oh CUT THE CRAP Hunter, I know it was you! I know it was Ric! And I don't care where someone says JBL was I know it was him too. I also know who the other 3 were, so unless you want those names exposed to the public -and I know you don't-, then you better come clean and tell me what you 6 intend on doing. HHH: I want to see my lawyer. Bischoff: Why? There hasn't been a crime committed. HHH: Don't worry, there will be. *HHH turns and knocks down the camera man and attacks Bischoff and Long* HHH: YOU WILL NOT SCREW THIS UP! IT HAS TAKEN WAY TOO LONG TO PLAN FOR SOME LOSER LIKE YOU TO RUIN! Flair: AND YOU! TEDDY LONG! SOME DAMN REFEREE! PEANUT HEAD! I STARTED THIS LONG AGO AND I DAMN SURE WON'T HAVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU MESS IT UP! HHH: Oh *beep* the camera is still on. Flair: Take the tape and let's get outta here. *back to bischoff* Bischoff: So now, here are the names of the 3 other men on that tape. *HHH's music plays* *HHH rushes down and confronts Bischoff* Bischoff: What are you gonna do Hunter? You are going to have to kill me to keep me from talking! HHH: No... the only thing I have to do to keep you from talking is this... *HHH grabs Bischoff by the throat and takes him down* JR: Oh god no! I'm not one of bischoffs biggest supporters, but dammit he's not a wrestler, he just is protecting RAW, he doesn't deserve this! *Flair runs in with a chair and they put it around Bischoffs head* JR: Oh come on! Can we get some help here?! Is everyone so afraid of HHH that they can't help here?! Is bischoff so hated?! *HHH jumps off the ropes and crushes Bischoffs throat* JR: DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! Damn you HHH! *HBK runs down and stops HHH* JR: YES! FINALLY SOME HELP! *Bischoff looks up in fear* HBK picks up the chair as if to attack Hunter and then motions to HHH. *Hunter and Flair go over and stretch Bischoffs arms out* JR: What the... *HBK takes the chair to Bischoffs hands* JR: OH MAH GAWD NO! NO! WHY! WHY SHAWN! JESUS CHRIST WHY!?! King: JR, the last man who said "why" is in that ring right now, so if I were you I'd stop asking questions! JR: THIS AIN'T RIGHT KING! AND YOU KNOW IT! AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING DAMMIT! WHAT DO YOU KNOW!! WHY WON'T YOU SAY ANYTHING! *King leaves the announce position* JR: THIS AIN'T RIGHT! RIC FLAIR, HHH, and HBK.. AND BRADSHAW. What's the connection and why?! WHO ARE THE OTHER 2! I need some answers dammit! *show closes* ------ *Smackdown Week 3* *JBL goes up to Teddy Long* JBL: Teddy, I gotta know. What did Bischoff tell you, about all this? Teddy: JBL, I am not talking to you. JBL: Teddy, I don't know what happened there on RAW, but I am telling you I was not a part of it. Teddy: Bradshaw, get out of my office. JBL: Teddy, you have gotta believe me. Teddy: Bradshaw, GET OUT. *JBL grabs Teddy* JBL: TEDDY, YOU WILL BELIEVE ME! *Kurt Angle rushes in from outside* Angle: HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY! *Angle pulls and throws Bradshaw off Teddy and looks ready to fight* Angle: Now I may not agree with Teddy Long all the time, but I respect him as a GM and you will too dammit! Or else I'll break your *beepin* ankle! *Bradshaw backs off and leaves* Angle: Are you alright, Teddy? Teddy: Yeah, Kurt, I am. Thanks. Angle: Teddy, what's goin on here? Teddy: You don't want to know, Kurt. Angle: Teddy, I gotta know. This involves me, you, everyone on Smackdown. What did Eric tell you? Teddy: Eric told me that there are a group of 6 or so guys who, well, we don't know what they're doin, but they're plannin somethin Kurt. And, well, they've been around for a while... that's all I know. Angle: How long? Teddy: Longer than any of us have been here, I'll tell ya that. Angle: Who's involved? Did Eric tell you the other 2? Teddy: No, no he didn't. He probably knew that anyone knowing that information would, well, end up like him. In the hospital, unable to communicate with anybody. Angle: Well, when this thing goes down. I've got your back. And I know a bunch of other guys in that locker room who got your back as well. We may not all like each other, we may pound the crap out of each other each night, but we'll fight together if that means saving Smackdown. If it means protecting our group. Teddy: Thanks Kurt, that means a lot. ------ Cole and Tazz have a talk... Cole: Ok, Tazz, you've been around this business, you hear lots of things. Now, The King ain't talkin. What do you know? Tazz: I know that, for years, at least a decade, there has been talk about a group of guys behind the scenes that, well, are in control. Cole: In control? Tazz: You know, they get more title opportunities than others. They get more air time on TV. They get paid more money. Cole: Do you know who these guys were? Tazz: I hear rumours of who they are, when I was backstage I saw certain people hanging out with certain people, but I know enough to know that if I name names, I'm done for, brutha, and let's leave it at that. Cole: Is this what is going on here? A big power play? Tazz: I dunno, but I wouldn't want to be in the crossfire when something like that happens. ------ *Week 4: Last Raw until Summerslam* *HHH, Michaels, Flair come out* HHH: There has been this big misunderstanding, on RAW -and on Smackdown. See, there isn't this big "power play" going on. There isn't this big "grand conspiracy" or secret group or anything like that. What happened to Bischoff last week was a mistake. We may have... overreacted. He simply was sticking his nose into the wrong business. And that was OUR business. HBK: For YEARS, now, HHH and I have been friends and we have been foes. And, guess what? We're friends again. That stuff happens between friends, it happens between family. And we, me, HHH, and Ric. We're a family. And Eric, last week you got inbetween family. Now that the cat is out of the bag, we might as well come out and say it. I want YOU Batista. In the ring, for the title. I would have liked to have said that with a chair shot from behind, you know, getting the upperhand in the feud and whatnot, but I guess now is a good of a time as any. I want the title. And I will strike you down and take it. Flair: WHOOO! That's right, big man! You may have beaten HHH, and you may have even beaten me. But we've got the heart break kid SHAWN MICHAELS! now and he's beaten you before, and by god, he'll beat you again. It's been a long time comin big man, and you're goin down very, very soon! As for that guy on Smackdown... There's only been THREE groups in professional wrestling worth mentioning... the four horsemen, DX, and Evolution... and lemme tell ya this right now, BRADSHAW, would never be good enough to lick THE BOOTS of any of those groups. WHOOOO! ------ *Week 4: Smackdown before Summerslam* *Bradshaw promo* JBL: I am being accused of many falsehoods. I am being called out because of those falsehoods. I am being called out by Kurt Angle. I am being called out by Ric Flair. I do not appreciate being slandered in such a manner. I have proven my innocence, I was never, EVER, on RAW at any time in the last 6 months. I have people who can confirm my whereabouts any Monday night of the year. And to be called out by Kurt Angle and Ric Flair is just disgusting and distasteful. And it will not go unanswered or unpunished. In 3 days at Summerslam, I will have my redemption! ----- *Teddy Long promo* Teddy: I don't know the full story goin on here. If I were to believe everyone BUT Eric Bischoff, then HHH, Flair, and HBK are on Raw saying they are together, and that Bradshaw isn't with them. Bradshaw is on Smackdown saying that he is not with HHH, Flair and HBK. And Kurt Angle has my back...and I'll believe that when I see it, playas. Bradshaw wants Angle and Flair. At Summerslam. But if I were to believe Bischoff, then Bradshaw, Flair, HHH, and HBK are together and there are 2 other guys that are planning to do something big... something that could destroy both Raw and Smackdown. Jerry Lawler, a man who has been around here for well over a decade knows something and is scared, and the wrestlers in the locker room either know something and are too scared to say anything, or don't know anything and are still scared to say anything. Well I want answers. And at Summerslam, I am going to GET answers. Because Eric Bischoff's nurse just called me, and said he'll be getting out of the hospital Friday, will be on a plane Saturday, and will be at *insert arena* Sunday and will lay the whole thing out. Now can ya feel me, playas? ----- *Week 4: Summerslam* *Teddy Long is waiting outside* *A motorcycle rushes by and throws off a large body bag* *Long runs over and opens it and sees Bischoff unconscious. Long gets on the phone and calls a medic* (*Later on in the show*) *Long is sitting in his room and is on the phone* Long: What do you mean he was in no condition to leave the hospital?! I got a call from his nurse saying that he was! What? He didn't have a nurse? HE WAS TAKEN?! By who?! 6 large men in masks... Oh sonnofa... (*Later on in the show*) *Long talks with HHH, Flair, HBK, Bradshaw, and Angle, seperately.* Angle: Why are you talking with me Teddy? I'm not a suspect in all this, am I? Teddy: Kurt, I don't know who to trust. All I know is that HHH, Flair, HBK, and Bradshaw all had skintight alibis and couldn't possibly have dropped Eric off here. So I gotta know, where were you today? Angle: I was with my wife and kids. The whole day. You can go ahead and ask them. Teddy: No need to, Kurt. I already did and they said what you said. Sorry to bother you. Angle: Just catch the guy who did this Teddy, and make him pay. ----- The end of the show has Batista, HBK, HHH, and Flair in the ring (whoever Batistas opponent is doesn't matter). JBL runs down and takes out Flair. Batista is still getting beaten down. Angle runs in, looks at JBL and sees him attacking Flair. He stops and thinks. JBL looks back. They understand each other. Angle attacks HHH and HBK, helping Batista. It is even. Cena runs down to give the advantage to Smackdown. It is hectic in the ring, punches flying everywhere. HHH, HBK, and Flair get eliminated. Bradshaw, Kurt, Batista, and Cena are in the ring. Then... *black* *BONG!* *The Undertaker makes his return to the WWE and walks down to ringside and everyone stops* *He stands in the ring between Batista, Cena, Bradshaw and Angle.* *HHH, Flair, HBK look scared shitless. Everyone else in ring is pumped up.* *The video screen turns on and everyone turns to it* *Video footage of Bischoff being loaded into the bodybag is shown. A guy in a motocycle helmet is zipping it up. He puts the body on the motorcycle and turns to the camera. He takes off his helmet to reveal The Undertaker, who does his eye and tongue thing.* *Batista and Cena turn to see HHH, Flair, HBK, Angle, Taker, and Bradshaw surrounding them, and smiling.* *Huge beat down* *Show ends with the announcers freaking out, and the belts being raised high by the 6. "A goddamn power play" is the last thing said.* ----- *RAW Week 5* *Vince McMahon starts the show in the ring* Vince: For 25 years I have controlled every single aspect of the WWE. I have always had power. Ted Turner. The Federal Government. They tried to take me down, they tried to take away my power... and they failed! I have never lost power, and I am not losing power now. What happened last night at Summerslam, that was just like the others. It was an attempt to take power away from me, the owner of the WWE. And it, and the 6 members who pulled it off, will FAIL. I still sign the cheques and the contracts, I still have the power to FIRE every single one of those 6 wrestlers. It was a nice lil coup for one night, but that's all it was... one night. It will not happen again. Because I signed the release papers of The Undertaker, HHH, HBK, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, and JBL and as of right now they are no longer WWE employees! *New Music Plays* *The group of 6 come out and enter the ring* Vince: What the hell? You're all fired! Security, SECURITY, get them the hell outta here! *Security doesn't budge* HHH: What's the matter Vince? What happened to that power of yours? Vince: What's going on here? HHH: How stupid do you think we are Vince? Do you honestly think that we'd go up against you if we weren't protected? Vince: What did you do? HHH: What did we do? Maybe you should be asking "What have we done?" because all we are doing now is doing what we have done for the past 15 years! Only now, we're making it public. Vince: What? Ric: YA SEE VINCE, OL VINNY BOY! 15 years ago, an NWA champion named Ric Flair entered the WWE. But, this wasn't the NWA, oh no. This wasn't WCW. This wasn't Jim Crockett Promotions. This was New York~! Up north! Hulk Hogan and Vince Mcmahon! And there was no way, NO WAY, someone like me -even if he was the NWA champion- could have been a WWE champion. I couldn't have had that power without some guys watchin my back. And one of those guys is standing in the ring with me right now... *Vince looks at HBK* *HBK shakes his head* Ric: No, no, no. Look HIGHER Vince! Look at the dead man, the Undertaker! *Vince looks at Taker and asks why?* Taker: Put the pieces together in your mind Vince. I've been here all along. I've been here for 15 years, and I didn't stay around, I didn't stay on top, by luck. I've always had somebody watchin my back, lookin out for my interests. In 1991, three men got together and decided it was time to take the power away from you, and put in their own hands. To take their own destiny and mold it themselves. It was me... Ric Flair.. and Bret "The Hitman" Hart. JR: Bret Hart? What does he have to do with all this?! Flair: That's right. BRET HART! You never saw that one comin, did you Vince? Never saw it comin! That's what made our pact so good, no one saw it! No one knew! We were winning titles after titles after titles and nobody made the connection. But it was there. You look at every step along the way, and it was THERE! Whooooo... Who did I hand that title off to before I left Vince? Take a guess? That's RIGHT! Bret Hart. When you fired me, when I went back to WCW, I made sure the power stayed in the group. And when one goes, another takes his place. Michaels: And that's where I come in. In 1994 Taker and Hart came to me and they said "we want you in", and so rose the Heartbreak kid. We ruled the world. The title kept moving between us, the power always remained with us. By 1997 the only thing that could stop us was ourselves. Survivor Series. Montreal. Bret Hart made the wrong choice. WE came up with the idea to screw him over Vince, and with that, one goes out and another comes in. HHH! HHH: The late 90's was tough. Austin wouldn't play ball. The Rock was just in it for himself. But we played the game. We lasted. And then we thrived. We got in the ears of certain people behind the scenes. The producers gave us the best shots, the best music, the best lighting, the best spots on the card, the most TV time. The magazine people put us on the covers. The merchandise people gave us the best t-shits. We were on DVDs. And when Michaels got injured and gone... Bradshaw: I CAME IN. That's right. Cept I wasn't like everyone else. I didn't just rise up and take power... I waited. And I waited. Like any good investment, I waited until the time was right and then BAM, I go bull and I take the title. HA HA. Flair: And then you had to go and buy WCW. I said that very night, the last Nitro ever, I said that you cannot take our lives, our destinies, in the palm of your hand. You think you have the power, YOU DON'T HAVE THE POWER, YOU DON'T! So when I came back, after the big Invasion of the WWE, I came back because I wanted to take that power BACK. I owned 50% of the WWE! We, you and me, were partners! But you, you, you always come back. You always find a way to win, Vince. And soon enough, I lost that power. And then you tried to divide us up, Raw and Smackdown. Split the power! Angle: So in comes me. Shawn Michaels returns, that makes 5, and I make 6. 3 on Raw, 3 on Smackdown. And we got stronger. There's only one problem now... we don't have the gold. Batista, Cena... they have the gold. They have what we want. They stand in our way of ultimate power. But they weren't standing for long at Summerslam. Oh no, we CRUSHED them, and when they heal up, when they get back from the hospital, we'll crush them and then take their titles! Oh it's true. HHH: See, Vince. It was a consolidation of power. The 6 of us together, we are stronger than any force in the universe. And 6 of our minds together, all this experience... We've been working on this plan for YEARS, you'd actually think we'd go up against you unprepared. You think we'd make a mistake like "accidently" having some wrestler open a door and ruin our entire plan?! It was all a set up Vince. It was all leading to Summerslam, and it was all leading to this night, to this momment right now! Bradshaw WAS talking to some investors on wallstreet, YOUR INVESTORS. YOUR Board of Directors. Bradshaw told them what was what. And they didn't like the idea of their top 6 stars being fired in one night. Because something like that would KILL a stocks price, and it would kill their investment. So you know what they did, they took the power away from you, and they gave it to US. So you CAN'T FIRE us, because there's a new CEO of the WWE and HER name is Stephanie McMahon Helmsley! JR: Oh, my, god. *Steph comes down to the ring, smiling, bouncing, jiggling, jumps in the ring and hugs HHH* *Vince is shocked, dismayed, silenced, dead inside* Steph: What, daddy? Vince? What are you so shocked about? Jeez, how many times have I tried to take over this damned company? The problem always was, though I always had the position to take over, I never had the support of the board, and I never had the support of the key players. Well, now I have both. And now, WE have the power Take a look around you, it was INEVITABLE. When you have power for so long, you get lazy with it, you think you are inVinceable... and just when you think no one will take it from you, someone will most certainly take it from you. And that's the difference. These men have been busting their ass for you for decades, while you've been making millions of dollars just sitting in your office. They've been working, planning, scheming.. waiting... and their time has come. There was a powerplay, Vince... and you just got played. *Vince gets arrested by security and taken out of the arena* Flair: The King is Dead! The King is Dead! Long... live... The Kingdom... TAKER! HHH! HBK! JBL! KURT ANGLE! RIC FLAIR! *The rest of the show runs with the 6 taking charge.* -------

Ditto CM Punk calling himself and 2 other wrestlers "the 3 kings" in his blog made me smile

Ouch. 4.4 for the WWE with _the very best they could offer_? That's the ceiling. They can't do any better than that with what the currently have now.

I rarely _ever_ hear anyone report on or talk about how good a feud is when it comes to ROH, so I find that very hard to believe. Punk drawing in Chicago? Get OUTTA here. Saying War Games is the selling point of a show is proving my point exactly. Any buzz surrounding that match won't be "I can't wait for this to blow off", it's going to be "That match is going to be crazy! ROH~! WAR GAMES! I'M GONNA START A FOUR HORSEMEN CHANT!" ROH Fans don't suspend disbelief. They wouldn't do and chant the shit they do if they did.

The bottom line is, wrestling is predetermined and the storylines are fake. So? It's called suspension of disbelief. People are able to do it with television, film, and theatre. People take guys hitting tiny balls with sticks of wood seriously. It's not necessarily difficult to get people "into" things. Yet Pro Wrestling, especially on an indy level, can't do it. Is it because the fans are "smart" to it?? I don't think that's the real reason - people are able to watch movies and know everything about the actor, and still laugh and cry and be emotionally involved despite being -what would be called in wrestling- "smart" to it. Yet wrestling/ROH fans would rather chant some silly shit than watch a match intently. The ROH fans get into the matches and storylines regardless, but when all is said and done, they still appreciate the wrestlers themselves, whether they're supposed to be faces or heel. From what I have seen, ROH fans aren't nearly "into" the matches as they like to appear to be. You look and listen to crowd heat at other events - Hogan/Andre, Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Furnas/Kroffat - and its another level of interest. These fans aren't conscious of what they are doing - they are too busy experiencing it. ROH fans aren't that way (I generalize ROH fans, I am sure there are a few that I wouldn't want to punch in the liver). Chanting "thank you" to a heel CM Punk on his last night isn't a problem. I think it is. It reeks of self-importance. The real problem is when the fans blatantly ignore the face/heel dynamics during the course of a storyline and cheer the heel anyway, ala Homicide. But really, that's not just restricted to ROH fans. I seem to recall Steve Austin and The Rock being cheered by WWE fans when they were trying to heel it up. Nothing wrong with that, to me. Cheering heels because you genuinely enjoy the character is fine. It's up to the wrestler and promotion to adapt. I think a big part of the sincerity of the crowd is lost in ROH.

Isn't it implied that by cheering loudly, you are saying "thank you" or "welcome back"? You don't hear crowds chant "Thank you" at any sporting event, or after any live theatre. But then again, those crowds understand their roles at the event while ROH fans think they ARE the event. Actually, those crowds don't even know they have a role, while ROH fans are so into themselves that they think they are relevant. That ROH fans find the need to bring up all the shit they chanted at the event certainly is a problem. At least to me it is. It's fucking annoying.

But do people go to the shows FOR the feuds and storylines? Or do they go for the "good matches"?

WWE was trimming the fat and saw a reason to fire him.

"You fucked up" falls under the same category that I'm talking about. Fans have forgotten what their purpose is. ROH fans go to ROH to see good matches, not to see feuds or storylines. Actually, maybe the fans *do* know their purpose, it's ROH that has forgotten. Cause ROH doesn't really do feuds or storylines, their objective is to put on good matches. So you don't really see fans cheering or booing genuinely for their favourites, you hear them chanting in relation to the match quality. "You fucked up" is to reference a mistake and is a criticism of the match, while "Thank you" is the opposite (both equally annoying to me). I don't really think it's appropriate for the crowd to chant either, the crowd should react to the story of the match and particular spots. But where's the fun in that? You're not part of the show, then. You won't be able to get over. And if you can't leave the show thinking how great you were, then why did you go in the first place??

Mach is the comeback fighter of the year, no doubt. 2004 had him go 1-2, and so far in 2005 he's 4-0 with a big win over a top 5 LW fighter. He looked fabulous in the tournament and if he throws those leg kicks at NYE, it might be a long night for Mr. Gomi. That the division is weak doesn't mean that Cro Cop and Nog are weak. Name some fighters you think could do what Fedor did to them. I'm having a hard time coming up with names. Heavyweights are naturally less-skilled than the lighter guys, but that shouldn't be a detriment to Fedor for being so skilled. That he is so well rounded at 240lbs, that he throws 6 or 7 punch combinations, that he can move around on his back so quickly, that he is able to come up with superb gameplans should be lauded, not dismissed. The list of guys who are better on their feet than Cro Cop and better on the ground than Noguiera in all of MMA is very slim. If HW won't do it, I bet you could take anyone at 205 -the majority of whom cut down from a larger weight - and put them up against Fedor and he'd smoke em. Liddell? If Fedor could take Cro Cop and get him winded, Chuck hasn't a chance. Couture? Couture got overpowered by Ricco, Fedor would pound the stuffing out of him. Silva? If he had problems with Arona, Fedor would disgrace him.

Using Meltzers ..of the year, dates, Fedor beat Nog and Cro Cop - widely considered the 2nd and 3rd best fighters in the world. That's a pretty strong statement to make. The guy is the only undisputed champion, IMO, out there. At all the other weights there can be debate made on who is the top fighter, but there is no doubt with Fedor. That said, Shogun beat 4 Top-10 fighters in 8 months. That's unprecidented. Sure, there are questions with him and how he'd fare against a Randy Couture, a Chuck Liddell (not necessarily from me ), a Babalu, and even Wanderlei that you don't really get with Fedor, but in terms of _performance_, no one tops him. Fight of the Year: Cro Cop/Fedor, with an insane amount of honourable mentions. I need to review that match. Fedor... STANDS... with Cro Cop. This goes beyond Fedor staying in Nogs guard when it comes to Fedor's off-the-wall-but-utterly-brilliant strategy.

I'm definitely seeing it again. Fuck spoiler tags, don't read it if you don't wanna know shit. The theatre was at about 40% where we we at and it was only running in one room, but the crowd that was there really enjoyed it. I'd say about 100 people were there in total. My thoughts: The first part of the movie wasn't very good. Joss sucks at having to write a lot in a little period of time. The best example of this is comparing Serenity (the Firefly pilot) to Train Job (the series premiere). Serenity moved along at a slow, but constant, pace and gave you everything you needed to know and it never felt forced. The Train Job was exposition city. The first half hour was The Train Job, with worse special effects. My god were those effects bad. And the first 5-10 minutes had all the sound dubbed in as they were following the crew around, which was annoying as shit and completely unnatural. The characters felt like parodies of themselves, they certainly didn't have the feel they had in Firefly. This had me so down. Then something happened. I dunno when in the movie that it happened, but after Joss got all that 'splainin out of the way, he let everyone do their thang and the movie finally got started. It didn't feel like Firefly again, but it did feel like the Firefly characters that I fell in love with in a different universe. I think the moment was when Inara and Mal were talking over the video phone and everyone was listening in. It felt a lot more "relaxed" after that. Everything fell into place. Summer Glau, Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Chiwetel Ejiofor were all top notch in this. Everything that Jayne said was gold, and The Operative was a great, great character. Glau and Fillion are just huge stars. But like all stars, it takes time for us to see their light. Glaus fight scenes were so sweet, and no one gets beat up like Nathan Fillion. Both were able to hit so many notes in this. I thought Book and Inara were used well, as I wasn't expecting much from them in the first place. Though, a simple "so, how much you pressin now?" from Jayne to Book would have warmed my heart. While they had some funny lines, Kaylee and Wash were just there. Simon wasn't nearly as effective as he was in Firefly. I liked the Mr Universe stuff more than I thought I would. The Reavers and Miranda were a good inclusion and the last 15 minutes were insane. Though I've known for months that Wash would die, I never saw it coming and it hit me pretty hard, especially when I think "oh god, that's WASH... and BOOK... The dinosaurs and hawaiian shirts... the strawberries and the hair... these are people I've enjoyed watching and they are gone. Fuck, that hurts. Though I probably am complaning more than I am gushing over it, I can tell you that I am feeling really fucking great right now and loved it despite its initial flaws. The movie is so damn quotable, and once it got its bearings it went from B-movie to something special.

It's the last quarter of the year, so... Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year

Good God Damn, it's been too long since our last Big Show Weight Loss Update. Thanks Jim.

I figured he gave Lorelai the ring when episode 1 was over.

How come they haven't paired up the ALLSTARS in TJ and Paris?? Seriously, when Michel gets scared, it's sooo good. It's odd how Rory managed to go from "HOT" to "Not so much" in a single episode. TJ with a messiah complex works on so many levels.

Exactly. Plus, the difference between a 3.2 rating and a 32 rating is a fucking dot. Jeez, you people are such doom and gloomers.

Last week the cold war heated up when Lorelai and Rory collided. No doubt both women are fuming after their bitter exchange of words. Tonight, will these two former best friends reconcile, or will the battle between mother and daughter be taken to a whole new level? Find Out, TONIGHT, on Raaaa.... GILMORE GIRLS~!

.... I don't think they'd get it.

I don't think I can convey how good this show was with a simple "thumbs up". As a formality... Thumbs Up. I can't compare this show to WM 17, which is still thought to be the standard bearer for a great PPV. The reason being, WM 17 is to Bushido: The Tournament, as the WOW PPV was to WM 17. This is the new standard. I don't think anyone who hasn't seen this show can properly understand how amazing this show was. It is an absolute tragedy that most audiences in the states won't be able to see it until November. If you had the ability to see this show and didn't choose to, you made a huge mistake. Pick up the replay. If you didn't have the right cable company, find a tape of the show any way you can. I can't compare this show to any other show I've seen before it, Super J Cup 94, WM 17, Final Conflict 2003, When Worlds Collide.. they simply wouldn't do it justice. Best Match: Gomi vs. Kawajiri Sakurai vs. Pulver Gono vs. Acacio Edwards vs. Hansen Hansen vs. Sakurai Gomi vs. Azeredo These are all FOTYC's, in my opinion. And this is 2005. The same year as Uno/Hansen and Bonnar/Griffin - I'm putting these 6 matches up with those. Worst Match: Baroni/Minowa The story of Gomi/Kawajiri was perfect. You had Kawajiri, the SHOOTO champion, the guy who doesn't seek fame or fortune, the guy who just wants to be recognized as the best - which many thought he was. Against Gomi, who has been Mr. Bushido, who has been getting all the fame and recognition that many thought Kawajiri deserved. This match had Gomi taking the title of #1 fighter in the world. That he's the real deal. Kawajiri threw some hard shots at him and he took them. Gomi threw some hard shots at Kawajiri and Kawajiri took them. However,.the longer it went, the more Kawajiri shrank and the more Gomi grew. Sakurai/Pulver, had Pulver as the much smaller man trying valiantly -but ultimately fruitlessly- to beat the seemingly brand new Mach. The leg kicks by Sakurai were sick. The combinations and body shots and exchanges were tremendous. This was a constant throughout the night, and it made for exciting battles. Gono/Acacio really got the ball rolling. Superb leg kicks, almost chopping the Brazilian down. About halfway through the fight I was like "hey, this is a really freakin good fight", and they just kept going. Gono throwing double leg kicks and bodyshots and hooks with the same hand was nuts. Edwards/Hansen - debatable finish, as Edwards put together some INSANE combos, up to the point of 7 or 8 strikes put together in one flurry. He was also better on the ground than Hansen. The last 3 minutes of the fight were dominated by Hellboy (german suplexes!), so I can sorta accept the decision, but I don't necessarily agree with it. At a point in the second round I figured Hansen would have had to finish the fight in order to win it. Hansen/Sakurai - Sakurai completes his comeback beating a top ranked fighter like Hansen. I guess I am not so mad that Hansen won the Yves fight simply because this fight was so good. An Andy-hug style spinning back kick was the highlight for me, but this was all good. If I had to choose, it would either be this fight or Gomi/Kawajiri as FOTN. Gomi/Azeredo - Gomi just proves his heart here, as he clearly wasn't at 100% going into it, and Az was after his quick win. Gomi just throwing everything he has into the flurries was pure guts. Awesome, awesome, awesome. This show was not only fantastic, but it also set up 2 HUUUUGE matches in Sakurai/Gomi and Henderson/Bustamante. The first time Dan and Murilo met up, it was a huge disappointment. This time, at this level, for the title that both should have been fighting for instead of moving up in weight, greatness will happen. The story of Sakurai and Gomi, training at the same gym. Gomi being the hot new star, while Sakurai making the comeback of the year and looking incredible in the process. Sudo/Yamamoto has some competition. I also have to say that Mauro and Rutten were top notch. Letting the final moments of the last fight speak for itself was a nice touch, and they didn't ruin the fights when they go to the ground by bringing up the "boring" label. Mauro deferred to Rutten excellently at times, and Rutten was really doing some of his best work here explaining the holds and counter-holds. Ranallo got over the importance of the tournament and how really freakin good it was, and made it seem special. I also liked the pre-fight B&W UFC-style interviews. It helped get over the characters of the fighters. Now if they could get David Sahadi to do their promo vids, they'd be perfect

Best show I've ever seen. No words. Should have sent a poet.

"Deadly Death Drop" Redundant? *Edit: Hey, I just read someone else say this Redundant!*

I just assume her fragile lil feminine mind is just taking longer than our strong, massive, man-minds. Surely, such brilliance has to go recognized at some point.

Does that mean that ROH should just throw lame duck challengers at Danielson for the first four months until people will start to believe the title can switch hands? Yes. Absolutely. Because guess what? Any challenger going up against him in those first few months will be lame-duck anyways. Why waste the guys now that you can push down the road? It's not like ROH is the kind of promotion that draws on the basis of main events and superstars - the same amount of fans will be there for Dragon vs. Dick Bumfuck next month as there would be for Dragon vs. Strong. They built up Strong NOW to be a main eventer and when the time comes for him to make a serious run at Danielson and the title, he will still have that stigma of being a amina eventer that was solified tonight. That's why I say delay it. Sidetrack Strong, don't feed him to Danielson now. Let him carry the momentum of last nights win and when the time is right, when the crowd is ready for Danielson to lose, THEN put Strong in there. Storyline wise, last night's win makes Strong MUCH more of a threat to be Danielson. Should ROH not try to build up Strong in character because some of their fans [think they have] figured out that Danielson won't drop the championship in the first few months? It seems like that is what you are saying: That ROH fans don't think Strong will win Danielson due to non-storyline reasons, so they shouldn't try to build him up with storylines. That's exactly what I'm saying. "On Paper" Strong _should_ be considered a threat. But in reality -which is what matters the most- the dude isnt't. And I don't think it's just "some" of the fans, I'm pretty sure the vast majority see Dragon coming out with the win. The fans shouldn't have to force themselves to believe Strong is a contender just because the storylines say so. That's not the role of the fans, that's the role of the booker. And by positioning Strong/Dragon for next month, so early into Dragons reign, Gabe failed to do that. And worse, he's trying to overcompensate by wasting a win like last night to build Strong up. It's pointless. I don't agree with that. ROH is presenting Strong like a tough challenge to Danielson with in storylines. I don't think the fact that people have "non-kayfabe" reasons for seeing him as a non-challenge should present how they present him in-character. You can't mix storyline expectations (Strong convincingly won Survival of the Fittest and has had some other big matches recently, so he could very well give Danielson a run for his money) with "non-kayfabe" expectations (Danielson just won the title and after two "short" title reigns, he will probably hold it for at least a few months). You are wrong. This is what the WWE does, they just did this with Jericho last month. Not only can you mix storyline expectations with real expectations, but you should -as a booker- mix them. Especially in this case. If they have a guy who the fans don't think will beat the champ, and you want them to believe it, but there is no way at this point in time that they'll buy it, then you save it until they're ready to buy it. You can't just force things on the fans that they don't accept. You write off "non-kayfabe" as if it doesn't exist or matter. What the fans think - no matter why they think it - matters most. If the fans don't buy that Strong has a chance to beat Dragon, then that's it - they don't buy it, it doesn't work. You can throw all the "buts" and "shoulds" and "in storyline terms", but if the fans aren't buying it, they aren't buying it, and it's your fault for trying to sell them it. No....it DID do something for Strong. This is what you either don't get or won't allow yourself to get. Strong going over a bunch of top guys last night cements him as one of the top guys in ROH. It accomplished moving Strong from a mid carder being pushed to one of the legit top guys in ROH. In other words, it solidified him as a guy who can main event shows now. It isn't that hard of a concept. But he challenged Dragon. So it wasn't about being pushed as a "top guy", it was being pushed as legit challenger for the title. And in building up a challenger for the title, it didn't erase the notion that he won't beat Dragon. When you build a challenger, you either build the underdog -which this is not-, or you build a guy who is the odds-on-favourite, or you at the very least build a "I have no idea what is going to happen, who is going to win?" scenario. This did none of that, because at the end of the day, Strong won't beat Dragon. So it was a fruitless win in that -the main- regard. You're problem is you are taking the idea that this win doesn't make it any more believable that Strong will beat Danielson and deciding that since it didn't accomplish that, it was worthless. You need to look at the things it did accomplish and what it was meant to accomplish. It was meant to accomplish Strong as a legit contender for the title, no? Strong didn't say "I'm a top guy now!!" after the match, he challenged Dragon. The intent was to build a challenger for Dragon. At the end of the day, a wrestler needs to have some wins over top caliber guys to be considered a top caliber wrestler himself. Would you disagree with that? Strong can't be portrayed as a top guy ("really, really good") without actually having some victories over other top guys. So the answer is "no"....I do not think he could be booked as a top guy just under Danielson without having some big wins under his belt. Let's go back to what you wrote: "booked as a guy who is really, really good but wasn't able to beat Danielson " That can't be accomplished by a competitive match? Like I already said, you are stuck on the win not accomplishing (in your opinion) what YOU think it should have accomplished without looking at what it DID accomplish. The win theoretically makes him a top/main event wrestler in ROH. The win benefitted him a lot then. THEORETICALLY?! Oh god. And with that you've crossed the line into trolling. And this is... ? I had to re-read what I wrote because I was pretty sure what I did write didn't implicated any sort of "glass ceiling". It was right. The best I can tell is you are saying that Strong not beating Danielson on his first try would mean that there is a "glass ceiling" in ROH. Is that right? Otherwise, I have no idea what you are talking about. Is Strong going to beat Dragon, despite being -theoretically- presented as a top contender? No? Why? No room for advancement, despite being presented as such, seems like a glass ceiling to me. If that is what you are saying, it is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read on this board. Wrestlers never being pushed to that next level (the main events) and sticking there is what constitutes a glass ceiling. A wrestler being pushed to the top of the cards, losing one match to the champ, and still being pushed as a top guy (assuming that is what happens), is hardly a glass ceiling. I don't really care what happens after the match. My basis of reasoning is soley on last nights show, and next months show and that last nights show did nothing to benefit next months show or the guys competing in it thus making it pointless.

Sahadi is one of wrestlings greastest assets. Those videos were perfect.