cabbageboy

Wow, I am shocked that Bourne actually got the win tonight over Henry in that match. I would have thought for sure that Henry was winning it to give everyone the hard sell that he should win the vote. I guess even WWE realizes there's no way he can possibly win that vote and decided just to push Bourne for the shot. Real fun match though.

I hope they realize that the more MVP jobs out on a weekly basis the harder it will be to get him over again if they ever decide to push him. I still say he needs to flip out and demand a trade to Raw.

Let's see, that PTW show was from 11-30-87 so I would bet most of it was taped before the Survivor Series actually took place. Thus the lack of hype or mentions. Wouldn't shock me if the next show had plenty of Series fallout on it. I did at least like the New Dream Team vs. Young Stallions on this show.

Agreed. The NWO angle needed to end after Starrcade 97. It needed to crumble. I dunno, I can't say I was really all that interested in this whole Sting/Hogan angle even at the time. Certainly not compared to the total insanity going on in the WWF in late 1997. I think part of this is that I was simply sick of Hogan being a world champion, particularly when he was jobbing in every major non title match. With Piper beating his ass at every turn why on earth would anyone think the mythic Sting couldn't crush Hogan? I think Sting's whole appeal was a smoke and mirrors act. A guy who is over mainly because he isn't wrestling and isn't cutting promos is someone that isn't going to stay over in the long run. Sure, maybe it takes away Sting's "mystique" to actually show up for work and WRESTLE (gasp!), but the fundamental booking is better that way in the long term.

And now the questions: 1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco? Eh, not a staggering amount but at least they should be fired up for a while. If nothing else he should focus more on the defense, but does he have the personnel? 2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already? The Colts are in big time deep shit as it is. They have road games at Tenn, Pittsbugh, SD, and Jacksonville left. They look like an 8-8 team to me. 3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already? Dallas is in deeper shit than the Colts since they have injuries out the wazoo even moreso. I think Tampa will wax them this week and then they have road games at NYG and Washington, so they could be looking at 4-6 soon and then the wheels will come totally off. 4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas? Nah, it's just not their sport. I can see the NFL trying this for a while but eventually reducing it to preseason games and not screwing a team out of a home game like they are doing this week with Saints/Chargers. 5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg? The Rams need to just keep playing like they give a crap. There was never much awful about them talent wise, but they obviously quit on Linehan. Protect Bulger, keep playing solid D, and give Jackson plenty of carries and they have a shot in NE, but I just think the Patriots will find some way to win that one.

Here are predictions and I'll follow with another post with the questions: Early Tampa Bay at Dallas: I am utterly baffled as to how Dallas is favored by 7 or so in this game. I don't care if Romo is healthy or who they have, Tampa is going to beat that ass. Bucs by 10. Washington at Detroit: Redskins struggle but usually get the job done. Detroit can't buy a win. Washington by 7. Something like 20-13. Buffalo at Miami: First division test for the Bills and the Dolphins are now reeling a bit after a decent start. Bills by 8. St. Louis at New England: Pats looked excellent stomping the Broncos, but have injuries now out the wazoo. Rams look solid now with Haslett, but I can't see them winning here. NE by 6. San Diego at New Orleans @ Wembley Stadium: Who knows with this bizarre London game, but the Saints don't have Reggie Bush so the Chargers should win this handily. SD by 12. Kansas City at NY Jets: Okay, the Jets just lost to the Raiders so they can't possibly afford a loss to the usually hopeless Chiefs. Jets by 10. Atlanta at Philadelphia: This should be a fun game. Falcons could really impress with a road win here, but if Westbrook is healthy I think the Eagles hang on. Philly by 4. Oakland at Baltimore: Raiders got a nice OT win over the Jets, but this year the stat of west coast teams going east is not good at all (0-9). Ravens by 14. Arizona at Carolina: See the above stat. Cardinals are a good home team, but they aren't going to win this one in Carolina. Panthers by 13. Late Cleveland at Jacksonville: This actually should be a close game, since the Jags know nothing else. That said, I can't see the Browns winning this. Jags by 3. Cincinnati at Houston: The Bengals really, really suck and it's only getting worse with Palmer ailing. Houston is getting on track after a rough start. Texans by 14. NY Giants at Pittsburgh: Easily the game of the day. Steelers have already gone through some wars this year while the Giants have played mediocre teams for the most part. Steelers by 5. Seattle at San Francisco: Niners just fired Nolan, so who knows how they react. I think they come out strong this time and smack the weak Seahawks. SF by 9. Football on Monday night Indianapolis at Tennessee: This is a flat out must win for the Colts. Will they win? I can't see it happening. Titans will lose a couple but not at home. Tennessee by 7.

The thing that blows my mind about this series is the crazy level of plot twists and things to follow. The Saw films have to be a nightmare for critics in some ways since they aren't simple slice n dice slasher fare, but instead have a dizzying amount of plot and even characterization. So they can't be classified as brainless Friday the 13th type stuff. I do agree that 3 is the worst in the series for the reasons mentioned. Saw 2 is intense and nightmare inducing with the various traps (burning to death in the oven, the pit of needles, the glass trap for the hands...just sick shit). Saw 4 is actually pretty underrated and Rigg was a solid enough protagonist. With 3 I think the problem I had with it was that in previous films (or in 4 as well) the various traps and how the people deal with them say something about them as characters. With 3, Jeff can either help these people or not help, or help and they still die....none of it really matters since he has to get to Jigsaw at the end. Ironically a main theme of the movie (namely that Amanda is unfair and doesn't give people a fighting chance to survive) is what hurts the overall film.

To back up a bit, yes I know exactly what WCW was trying to say with the Sting angle. And yes, the initial angle was really excellent stuff with Sting being accused. The problem is that it went on forever. The reason I mention the Dillon angle with the contracts is that I firmly agreed with Hogan and Bischoff on that one: A man who hasn't wrestled in nearly a year has zero business making demands for a title shot. This sort of angle works better when the face has to go through some lower level guys to get to the boss heel. WCW never grasped that simple aspect of booking. Sting needed to beat the crap out of a bunch of lower level NWO thugs and get to Hogan (in matches, not just attacking people). The reality is still this. Sting's heat would have died a quick death even if he beat Hogan in 5 minutes clean. They still would have had the same goofy schmozz that led to him jobbing to Macho, and Macho still would have jobbed it right back to Hogan, so the end result by March 1998 would have been the same. Hogan would have had the belt again, and now Sting would be wrestling again and not be anywhere near as special. I can understand the frustration over the Starrcade finish, but not the actual match so much. What did anyone expect? Was WCW really supposed to book a 5 minute squash as the main event of their biggest PPV ever?

I'm still trying to figure out how Jericho is going to retain on Sunday. By all rights he looks really weak right now while Batista looks utterly dominant, and there will be either Austin or Michaels as ref to boot. The only thing I can figure is a Dusty Finish with the guest ref blatantly screwing Jericho at the PPV and Adamle being forced to reverse the decision.

The past 4 World Series have all been beatdowns. I don't see this one being any different. I'll take the Rays in either 4 or 5, with maybe Hamels getting the lone Phillies win.

Sure, I understood that Sting was being a whiny bitch and sulked in the rafters for a YEAR while all of his friends got their asses kicked by the NWO. How did people ever fall for that angle for such a long period of time? It's the epitome of smoke and mirrors booking, where a guy literally does nothing (doesn't wrestle, doesn't cut promos) and is the most over guy in the promotion. Watching these old Nitros has soured me on that whole angle. Especially at the point where Dillon offered Sting contracts vs. Syxx and then Hennig, but Sting refuses and only wants Hogan. Silly JJ Dillon, he actually wanted the guy to wrestle a few matches to become #1 contender!

I don't see how a court could actually make WWE blur logos and do all this crazy crap. It actively hurts their DVD product. Why doesn't WWE simply put a disclaimer at the beginning of each disc saying "From 1979 to 2002 we were known as the WWF, which has nothing to do with the World Wildlife Fund." I can get why they now have to be WWE, but there's no way if I'm Vince I'd ruin my tape library to satisfy these assholes.

I'm trying to remember this, but didn't the WCW announcers mostly hype The Outsiders invading during the excellent Rey/Psychosis opener of Bash at the Beach 1996?

Yeah, the eventual realization of what happened with Sting prevents me from marking out while watching these shows. To be honest I don't recall caring much at the time either. It was more of a feeling like "Oh, so Sting is FINALLY going to actually wrestle and earn his money and challenge Hogan?"

Let's check out the predictions: Dallas Cowboys @ St. Louis Rams: Wow, without Romo this looks iffy especially considering the Rams might have come to life. That said, I think the Cowboys somehow scratch out a win by 4. (I actually went up to STL for this game and it went about as good for the Rams as possible while the Cowboys with Johnson were in total meltdown mode. 0 for 1) San Diego Chargers @ Buffalo Bills: Chargers look good one week, look like crap the next. This is a week to look like crap, with a trip to the east coast tossed in as well. Buffalo by 7. (Pretty much nailed this one. 1 for 2) New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers: Both teams are puzzling and both need a win here. When in doubt, go with the home team. Carolina by 3, but the Saints should get payback later in the season. (Wow, wasn't anywhere near close actually. 2 for 3) Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears: I really don't buy the Vikings after nearly losing to the Lions. Bears are a good 3-3 if that makes any sense. Chicago by 8. (Wild, high scoring game. 3 for 4) Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals: It's the Bengals. No Palmer. Steelers coming off a bye week. Pittsburgh by 10. (Even a bigger beating than I figured. 4 for 5) Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs: Part of me is thinking upset here since the Chiefs beat the Broncos recently, but I just can't see this somehow. Titans by 6. (Not remotely close at all. 5 for 6) Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins: The Ravens looked like a joke against Indy this past week, while I would think the Dolphins would be pissed over their last game. Miami by 10. (Why do I keep picking the Dolphins? 5 for 7) San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants: Giants really laid an egg vs. Cleveland, so who knows how they will respond. Still, I can't see the Niners going to the east coast and winning here so I'll say NYG by 12. (Nailed this one exactly. 6 for 8) 4:00 games.. Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans: The Texans are pretty good for a 1 win team, while the Lions have to be deflated after that Minn game. Houston by 7. (Nailed this one exactly as well. 7 for 9) New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders: Raiders may well be hopeless at this point, while Favre looks to be getting into a groove. Jets by 13. (Okay, this was just....bad. How could the Jets lose to the Raiders? 7 for 10) Cleveland Browns @ Washington Redskins: This is the toughest game to call of the week. On one hand the Browns look to be shaping up. On the other, the Redskins can't lose 2 in a row at home to STL and Cleveland. I'll take the Redskins by 1. (Ended up being really tough for the Redskins. 8 for 11) Indianapolis Colts @ Green Bay Packers: If Matt Ryan can win at Lambeau, then Manning will win at Lambeau. Colts by 10. (Ouch, Colts looked really bad out there today. 8 for 12) Sunday Night Football: Seattle Seahawks @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dare I say Tampa with Jeff Garcia might be the best team in the NFC? Bucs by 14. (Nice, sold win for Tampa tonight. 9 for 13)

Yes! I was terrified that the Rays would fall in the Yankees and Indians footsteps and blow a 3-1 type lead to the Red Sox, but thankfully that didn't happen. I'll at least watch the World Series now...if Boston had actually made that comeback I doubt I would have watched a single game of it. In fact I think quite a few people agree with that. The Rays have to win this thing now. They've got the home field, they've got the better overall starting rotation (though Hamels is a bit better than anyone they have). Besides, you can't beat the Red Sox and lose to the Phillies....that's like beating Russia and losing to Finland.

Not a whole lot really. Kozlov beat Jeff in an attempt to influence voters (which of course won't work in a million years). Maria gets a shot at McCool now, though I'm not sure what the point is. Khali looks to be veering towards a face turn, which is needed. MVP continues his jobbing ways by losing to Truth. SD often times isn't a bad show exactly but it's mostly unexciting.

Just wondering but is Mean Gene actually Jewish or is this another case of the Sheik being a nutjob? As far as Studd goes, the guy is their HOF star of the month and it seems like he has jobbed in 80% of the matches they've shown, aside from a couple of countout wins over Hogan and Backlund.

Eh, I don't blame WWE for not wanting to change major titles on a PPV like this. At best maybe change the ECW belt at some point, but the WWE and World titles should change on a PPV where we at least know the challenger going in and thus WWE can promote it.

1. Are the Cowboys a bunch of dumbasses trading for Roy Williams? Nah, I don't think so. They gave up draft picks to be sure but until this trade I don't think the Cowboys had the greatest receivers after Owens. 1a. Are the Cowboys a bunch of dumbasses for signing Pac Man Jones? Yes. Pacman just isn't worth the insane headaches over his off the field antics. He might be a solid player but he can't stay on the field due to all of his suspensions. 1b. Are the Cowboys completely fucked, with Romo out for a month, and a possibly rough stretch on their schedule? Not completely fucked, but if Romo is actually out for a month then they might lose 3 of 4 games. They can beat the Rams either way most likely, but I'd say Tampa, NY Giants, and the Redskins can all beat them. 2. Which team(s) will Detroit beat this year? Honestly, having taken a look at the schedule I see maybe 1 win over Minnesota in the rematch. Otherwise it would have to be an upset. 3. Will the 49ers finish above .500 this season? No. 5-11 likely, maybe 6-10 if they pull an upset over someone. 4. Who is more disappointing: Ryan Grant or Joseph Addai? Will either man step up big this week, head to head? Addai. This is a guy who performed well on a Super Bowl team and was solid again last year, while Grant could turn out to be a one year wonder. Favre may have had something to do with Grant's success, and now with Rodgers teams can focus on stopping the run more. 5. This week, will we see the Browns that got thumped by Dallas, or the Browns that whipped the Giants? A mixture of both. As in I would expect a tough game vs. the Redskins win or lose.

Yeah I didn't include Angle's heel ranting in late 2005-early 2006 since I agreed with some of what he had to say and the really bad stuff he obviously said in mocking fashion.

I don't think DDP's smiling man gimmick was what won Worst Gimmick or whatever it was. It had to be DDP as the stalker during the feud with UT. That was a different gimmick than what he did a bit later.

That had to be a historic collapse tonight by the Rays. Even though they have the last 2 games at home I can't possibly see how they can come back from something like that. It makes me sick quite honestly, but the Red Sox will somehow pull something out of their asses.

Okay, I know that Rude/Chono was a misfire and a snoozer, but from watching this a while back there was nothing that screamed out "Worst Match of the Year" about it. It mostly seemed like a jetlagged Chono cashing a paycheck and Rude didn't give a crap. There aren't wildly missed spots. It's just....boring.

I don't really think they did hang around much after losing to Bad Company, it might just be the AWA using some footage to stretch it out.