cabbageboy

The answer: Of course U of L isn't back on track.....lost today at Rutgers by 9. Honestly, at this point the NIT is too good for us. I watched most of the Quette/Pitt game earlier today. I'm at the point where I just fucking HATE Marquette. Talk about a jobber that refuses to recognize their role in life. Pitt had them beat by about 8 in the last 15 seconds and of course Quette keeps fouling just to annoy me, even when the game was blatantly decided. It's one thing to do this garbage when you're down 3 late, but down 8 is time to just call off the dogs and let it end. Tom Crean has done that shit for years though, I remember seeing a U of L/Quette game in 2000 where we were up 9 or so late and they just kept fouling ad nauseum.

Why would White Zombie be mentioned here? That's a flat out horror classic. House of the Dead is at least somewhat silly fun, unlike Alone in the Dark from Boll (which is just horrid).

Smackdown can get away with that though. Having 2 really hyped title matches is overkill on the Rumble, where the Rumble itself should be the main storyline. Why does everyone think HHH is simply going to win this thing or do jack shit at WM? There's simply no logical place for it considering a few things: 1. I can't see them jobbing out Edge to Cena, given that Edge has done his "I'm not a transition champion!" interview and WWE has also touted how well the ratings have been with him as champ. Note the Rumble TV ads proclaim "The Rated R Superstar's title reign begins!" 2. HHH/Edge at WM makes no sense whatsoever and this also leaves Cena with nothing to do (and I doubt they put him in a position to get trashed by the crowd vs. Hogan). 3. According to Meltzer they still want to do HHH/Cena at WM. I'm expecting HHH to be tossed by The Big Show and Kane, or maybe Rey in a shocker. Him winning it makes no sense at a time when they have a serious chance to elevate some new people.

Well mostly the point I meant was that 24 and Raw have different audiences. Why do people insist that Cena/HHH has to be a title match? I say do it at WM anyway but keep the belt on Edge. As far as him having a run like JBL, I don't think it'll be that long. WWE has to have learned from that debacle. I'm not saying it needs to change every month like WCW in 2000 but a title change every now and then is good. 1992 is a good example: Year started off with the title vacant, Flair won it at the Rumble, Savage at WM, Flair back after SS, then Bret beat Flair and held it the rest of the year. A certain amount of title changes but nothing so bizarre the audience can't follow it.

These Benoit/Orton matches are so insanely overrated by you guys. They give them about 25 mins. constantly when they can't even find substance for 10 mins. of a match. Thus we get nothing but Randy's god awful headlocks and sleepers for half the match since he has no fucking clue what to do out there for 20+. I love Benoit to death, but this Orton series needs to end. Hell, Henry/Rey was a better match. It at least told a "little man vs. fat man" type story. From tonight I have no idea who to look at for the Rumble. I don't see Orton. This angle with him and Booker is sorta...whatever. Doesn't seem like a Carlito/Masters deal from hell, but more like Booker will just wait his opportunity and toss Orton rather than cash in the favor. Or vice versa. Either way I don't think either guy is making much impact in the Rumble based on this. Honestly, I have no idea who is going to win the Rumble. Let's have a look at the main guys: HHH: Because God hates us all. That said, it really doesn't make any sense for him to win, especially if they are hell bent on 1. Keeping the title on Edge and 2. Going through with HHH/Cena at WM. Rey: Interesting idea but I don't think many people will buy Rey as a world title threat. Just too small. An ultra small guy winning a battle royale is kinda silly. That said he's dedicating it to Eddie so maybe he'll get a feel good win. Orton: Just went over him, doesn't seem like much more of a contender than Booker based on tonight. Also jobbed to Benoit and has zero momentum or credibility. RVD: His video package tonight was the best thus far, it really got me stoked for his return. Honestly, if they want the most over guy in the match to win, RVD is it. I can't think of much of anyone else that's getting the hype for the Rumble. In some cases like Orton it's mostly just rumor anyway. Ask yourself this: Have they really done a decent job conveying to you on TV that Orton has a chance in hell of winning the Rumble?

Honestly, from seeing Punk's OVW work with Brent Albright this criticism of Punk "just seeming like he's imitating wrestlers rather than working" is more credible than you think. A lot of guys on OVW are like this though, just incorporating the 3 Amigos suplexes from Eddie, the Benoit or Angle German suplexes, that sort of thing. While I enjoy these matches on OVW a part of me can't help but realize it's just riffing on guys they see on TV every week.

Ken Doane = ratings. Those guys look like Michigan St.'s male cheerleaders or something. This gimmick won't hurt anyone as long as guys break off from it after a little while and develop their own persona. 24 is being a bit overhyped in terms of its impact on wrestling. Personally I've never even watched the show and would never dream of turning off Raw in favor of it (no knock on 24, I've heard it is great). I've watched wrestling on Monday pretty much every week from 1992 till now, as well as watching from early 1988 to late 89 (I stopped watching in 90-91).

Batista was all but a face last year, I mean hell he was perhaps the most popular guy in the match. Also, in 97 Austin was more tweener leaning almost towards face, he wasn't really a clear cut heel I don't think. Michaels was technically still heel in 95 I guess, but he veered towards tweener soon after. Yokozuna is really the only flat out heel I can think of who won the Rumble as a heel, stayed heel, and then went on to WM. My prediction for the Rumble: Since HHH has shit on Rey here and also has lingering problems with the Big Show, I think those guys double him and toss his ass. The final 2 will come down therefore to Rey and RVD, and I guess I give the edge to Rey since it'd be a bummer to dedicate the match to Eddie and not win at that point. That finish makes all sorts of sense to me. 1. It sends the crowd home extremely happy since the underdog Rey wins it after dedicating it to his dead pal. 2. It gives RVD a nice return showing, short of actually winning it. 3. Rey and RVD were tag teaming when RVD went down with the injury last year. 4. Eddie replaced RVD in the tag team with Rey, so it has that continuity going.

S. Carolina gave UK a serious game at Rupp this weekend so it doesn't shock me that they beat Florida tonight. The irony now is that UK despite that horrid 0-2 conf. start is right in the thick of things. U of L baby! Finally a beatdown of Cincy 67-50. The real test of whether we're back on track is this weekend at Rutgers.

They have to keep the belt on Edge. How can they possibly justify taking it off him right now? He's a hot heel and what's more a fresh and new heel on top. The ratings and numbers do not lie.

Rey winning it and dedicating to Eddie is a nice idea, but we've seen Rey vs. Angle a bunch of times. I am really opposed to anyone on SD winning the Rumble since they can easily just have that #1 contender determined at No Way Out. Someone from Raw needs to win the Rumble since they have no PPV to get that straight.

I hadn't thought about Rey seriously winning the Rumble but it's a cool idea (though I think RVD makes more sense, Rey winning any kind of battle royal is silly at his size). Orton just isn't on the map right now, and the SD spoilers this week give zero implication that he is any sort of favorite (no more than Booker for instance).

Agree, Mondo is a guy I'm shocked they ever called up so he's probably just glad to do ANY of this silly shit. Nick Mitchell? Who? And Nick Nemeth was a bum on OVW and is no waste (hell the guy was Chavo's caddy). Putting Doane and Jeter with these jobbers is a horrible idea. It's stupid since simply bringing Doane and Jeter up with their OVW personas would actually work well! Doane: Arrogant punk with a heel stable backing him, thinks he's better than his years suggest he is. Jeter: Total heel dirtbag who turns on his tag partner and generally runs amuck in the fed. How hard is this stuff? The Spirit Squad might be a silly and amusing gimmick for some talentless jobber wrestlers. It's the sort of thing Heyman could have gotten over in ECW using Chad Austin and some other bums, but nobody he was serious about pushing.

Lebron could perhaps win some titles but he has to get away from Cleveland. Let's face it, the idea of "Cleveland Cavaliers: NBA Dynasty" just brings on a feeling of cognitive dissonance. I voted for Kobe by the way. He's already got 3 rings and now he's busting out 80 pt. games.

I don't really get why Florida has dropped in the polls. They are still 17-1 and lost to a ranked team on the road. Should they really have dropped behind Texas and Memphis, who both have 2 losses? Texas is getting solid but I still can't put them all THAT high. A 30 point beating from Duke and a 20 pt. asskicking from Tennessee still hang over them.

Revenge is a mediocre movie from what I recall but hell it at least had some violence and nudity, didn't it? Pretty much anything with nudity and a body count of any sort isn't Worst Movie Ever level bad. Sure it might be bad, like * level bad, but not worst ever. I'm not sure I want to watch some of those horror movies to find out how bad they are, haha.

They can't be retarded enough to have Carlito get ANY sort of heat on RVD. This is a no brainer feud if there ever was one, just needs to be a quick beatdown type deal. It isn't even notable enough to be a 1 on 1 WM match, just a MITB type thing and maybe a TV match where RVD kicks his ass. Even if RVD doesn't win the Rumble, doesn't he kinda have to finish in the last 4 or so? Hell they even had Mr. Perfect finish 3rd in 2002 and he really didn't have much heat at that point.

I agree. If RVD isn't near the main event (and in all honesty, it might be a bit soon after his return) then him, Shelton, and some others in another MITB would be a great idea. Besides, shit that EC incident with RVD and HHH was at Survivor Series 2002. How long does the guy have to be jobbed out over it? The guy has been hurt for a year. Let's face it. What if HHH gets the WM shot and wins the title. So what? What can you do with it? It's just back to him shooting on everyone and holding others down, and frankly I don't see a remotely interesting feud with him holding the title at this point. I'd almost just do Cena/HHH anyway at WM with no title on the line. HTQ, I realize that RVD is going against Carlito on some house shows but is that really a biggie? Let's face it, this Carlito thing just needs to be a quick TV assbeating to get RVD back in the groove. It's not anything that has legs enough to last till WM. The reason HHH winning makes no sense to me is that it looks like Edge is retaining at the Rumble. Another 3 way would suck, so let's dismiss that idea. And Edge/HHH, a heel vs. heel matchup at WM for the title? What a shitty idea. And HHH isn't really in a position to turn face. Hell, if anything he and Edge are almost too alike in their trash talking burial jobs on their opponents.

Just wondering, but why would RVD be such a longshot? I shall review: 1. He'll be the most over guy in the match. 2. He'll be the "returning star" who gets that Rumble type push. 3. Aside from a minor little tussle with Carlito he has no real enemy in it at the moment. That's the key. Guys who win the Rumble usually are either obvious winners or guys coming in with either no one really hating them (Yokozuna in 93 for instance, even Benoit in 2004 didn't really have a heated feud coming in) or perhaps EVERYONE hating them (Flair in 92, Austin in 98, Rock in 2000). It's rare that a guy wins the Rumble when he's got that one enemy out to fuck him over. Shawn right now has Vince, HHH has the Big Show. On SD UT will have Orton out to toss him, and Orton has guys like Benoit, Booker, or even Orlando Jordan who might toss him.

Actually I thought M. Bison was from Thailand on the video game, not Russia. And yes, Street Fighter has its guilty pleasure charms. I think you guys toss around "worst movie ever" too liberally. The worst movie ever has to be something so heinous, so unentertaining that it can't be defended on ANY possible level. Bad horror movies at least have some camp humor and fun and thus some possible entertainment. I'm telling you guys: One Man Out. Worst movie I've ever seen. No entertainment value, no suspense, just horribly boring and shitty. As I said, so bad it made my head hurt the rest of the day and also made me hate the theater ever since for showing it. I even spent a whole 50 cents on a used rental tape of it so I could watch again to see if 15 years gave me a new perspective on it. And it still sucks bad.

I must be the only one who caught a brief mention in Edge's opening promo. He was trashing Cena and said something like "After I beat Cena on Sunday and send him to the back of the line you people will have to find another overrated piece of crap to get behind." I couldn't help but think RVD. HHH isn't winning the Rumble guys. It just has no heat, and it makes zero sense. 1. He has no real momentum. Sure, he's blathered a couple of times about "At WM I will face whoever and get the belt." So what? It's just typical heel promo, no real passion behind it. 2. He's also in a feud with the Big Show and right now has dominated it, breaking the Show's hand and beating him at NYR. Show will get that receipt by tossing HHH from the Rumble. This is the weirdest Rumble. There's no one you can point to and say "This guy is winning it hands down." Is there even a favorite? I keep hearing shit about Orton but the guy is dicking around with Orlando Jordan and the US division on SD at the moment, so he really makes no sense. My pick right now is Van Dam. Edge threw in that subtle little shot about another "overrated piece of crap" for the fans to get behind, and frankly RVD will be the most over guy in the Rumble match anyway. If he gets tossed before the end I guarrantee the crowd shits on the rest of it.

UK showing signs of life is really a bad thing for them, if that makes any sense. I knew it would happen, the SEC blows too hard for UK to not get well in conf. play. They'll make some kind of heatless minor tourney run (maybe 2nd round, Sweet 16 if they are VERY lucky) and then nothing will change in Lexington. I'm amazed U of L is still ranked. It doens't really matter since now we're REALLY screwed having to return those Nova and UConn games, get Cincy twice, Marquette will be tough, WVU and Cuse on the road. We're fucked basically. I think WVU is the best team in the conference by the way. In the games U of L has had vs. Nova, Pitt, and UConn I wasn't all that thrilled with any of the 3. Pitt is just their usual violenct, thug selves...they won't go anywhere past the Sweet 16 (kinda hard to when you score 60 points a night). Nova is all guards and not enough size, and has a tendency to let teams hang around. And UConn? Lots of talent but I don't really see that unquestioned top guy like a Richard Hamilton or Emeka Okafor or Ben Gordon. It's like a whole team of #3 options, like a whole team of Dockerys.

I think VH is almost TOO hated if that makes any sense. The only aspect that was worst ever level bad was Richard Roxburgh as Dracula. He was fucking horrid. There were a few aspects of it that I kinda liked though. It's a *1/2-** movie, but not BOMB or DUD or worst ever level. To some extent I can understand the Kill Bill criticism. The first time I saw it I was blown away by it....but then along came the 2nd movie which I thought had entirely too much rambling speechifying and I didn't much care for it. Then when the 1st came out on DVD I watched again and the stuff I was stunned by wasn't as stunning the 2nd time. It's not really something I watch often, but it's certainly nowhere near "Worst ever" bad. Perhaps it could go in an overrated category?

I don't think RVD will be doing his "Dude, relax" crap anymore. Wasn't that the point of his rant at One Night Stand? The fact that he feels capable of more on the mic but they script lame hippie promos for him? I've never felt WWE truly understood RVD's persona. They took one aspect (the stoned out, chilled dude aspect) and made it his ENTIRE act. The real RVD is somewhat like that but he's more of a cocky asshole, someone like T.O. that you love when he's on your team, but hate if he's on the other team. His best stuff is really kind of heelish, but right now the last thing Raw needs is another heel. RVD gives them someone that the fans actually will cheer.

How could GAB 96 be underrated? In The Death of WCW book they even mentioned some people say it's the best PPV of all time. 1989 GAB is a really fun show but I can't say it's the best ever really. Maybe it's due to the DQ in the US title match or the fact that essentially none of the feuds were really blown off (Muta/Sting or Flair/Funk). Call me crazy but I kinda liked Starrcade 92 recently on the 24/7. It's supposed to be a crappy show but a lot of the Lethal Lottery tag matches are fun, Sting/Vader is killer, and the tag title match (Pillman/Windham vs. Steamboat/Douglas) is excellent. And I'll get shit for this, but I kinda like Halloween Havoc 91. There's a bit too many squashes on it, but the Luger/Simmons main event is underrated, and I like some other stuff like the Austin/Rhodes match and Taylor/Eaton. The show gets a hugely bad rap due to the Chamber of Horrors match, but I even kinda like that one for a laugh.