Dandy

I saw it the night it came out (if you don't count the midnight showing, which there was only one within 30 miles of me doing that) and it was easily the movie of the year and easily the best superhero movie for me. Spiderman 2 was excellent, but I have always loved Batman more than any other comic figure. I agreed wholeheartedly with every minor change they made to the backstory as it made for a kick ass movie, but did not disrespect comic fans at all. Loved the realism and hope the trend continues. By the way, I picked up the video game and it rocks as well (I have the PS2 version for reference). You can unlock movie scenes, alternate Batman costumes from different eras, etc. It loosely follows the movie storyline, and there is a lot of stealthy Splinter Cell moves you have to do. When you buy the game, it comes with a free ticket to the movie!

I have always heard Duke "the Dumpster" Droese.

What was the name of the fake talk show comedy on E! (I am almost positive it was on that channel)? The host was named Dick, and it always centered around sexual jokes and such. Hilarious show that for some reason I have forgotten the name.

Thank you, Bob! That little bit of info will allow me to have a peaceful day instead of trying all day to figure out what in the hell it was called.

When was the last good one? 4 years ago? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Nova invented the last good one

DOUBLE POST

I'm betting that Tazz comes back out being "woken up" by the mic shot, and returns to his old ways until next week.

To have lackeys/allies to serve their purpose. There was always an underling or two that helped the Kingdom but was not necessarily a King him/herself.

I would think it would be okay in this folder considering the "mystery man" is probably still serving in some capacity for WWE. Any guesses by me would be pure speculation, as it could be anybody. What we do know, is that the following people were in on it: Vince McMahon Pat Patterson HBK Triple H Earl Hebner And the following people most likely were let in on what would go down: Shane McMahon Linda McMahon Stephanie McMahon Kevin Dunn So either it was one of them, or someone else came up with the idea and thus was in on it.

Hey, Rudo, why'd I get thrown off a bridge again? I was just saying that Austin being hit by the car should have been explained up front as Triple H's way of getting Austin out of the way of the Kingdom, not them catching a lucky break. Here is what you wrote on it: And then: Still, this is a captivating read that I look forward to the conclusion. Of course, I will be there to analyze it after it's been written.

For everyone stating they don't like the beginning of the angle, remember that one of the wrestlers said (paraphrased): "Do you really think we would let some wrestler wander in on us like that to uncover our secret? It was our plan all along to bring us to the foreefront because the time was right."

I covered the Maven/Dean question in the Sunday Night Heat Tapings thread. There is a very minor discussion on the subject in that thread if you are interested.

Don't forget RVD should be back by the time Christian is finished with Cena. Doesn't matter which one is heel or face, that would be a good feud I think. They could even do a double turn if done right. Both are cocky, arrogant characters that could compliment each other in the ring during matches.

Terrific read! However, I have a couple of minor suggestions that I thought of while reading it. The point was already made about Austin getting hit by the car. Just point out that HHH was the one behind it all along. Also, Judgement Day 2000 had HBK as the special ref, and he and Taker "inadvertantly" helped Triple H win the title back that night. That could be explained as well. The first Smackdown had HBK superkicking Rock to keep the title on Trips, which could also be explained. HBK could have realized that he might be able to make a comeback, and rather than go up against this powerful group, he would play ball and not try to get too big like last time. He sees the rewards of being with the group and decides it is the best route to go. Angle definitely should be in the group before he was. Triple H could have been grooming him for a top spot by working with him in the love triangle, and then Angle started winning titles shortly after it, while working major programs with Taker, HHH, and more recently, JBL and HBK. Just a few things that could be further explained. Awesome job on this, though!

I know it's the WWE and they don't really think things out, but wouldn't Maven/Simon Dean have a bit of an issue with each other if Maven is anti-ECW and is planning on wrecking the show, while at the same time, Dean (Nova) will at least be making an appearance? Will Nova alter his appearance so he might not be recognized by those fans who don't know? Will it mark the return of Nova and the abandonment of the Dean gimmick? Or, will they just not mention that he is also Simon Dean, and then let him go back to being Simon Dean and act like it never happened?

That is where free PPV comes in handy.

Raw still entertains me more, and only two things would change that for me: 1) if SD became live like Raw or 2) if SD returned to the awesome weekly wrestling during the SD6 era. As for the quality of Raw, they really need a revamp of their formula.

He should hit the 450 as a finish a few times on some bigger opponents.

I think Angle will be coming to Raw, but the challenges won't meet. Angle and Bischoff will start looking out for each others' interests due to their mutual hate for ECW.

I was just browsing the WWE Title histories at lordsofpain, and saw that everyone except for Trish is in their first reign with their respective titles. I thought that was pretty odd that all the first-timers are holding these belts at the same time.

I didn't actually think it was new and had never before. I thought it was interesting. And yes, it is rarer in this day to happen. And I was counting Hurricane and Rosey as a team never holding the belts before.

I disagree. I don't think any of that is necessary to add 3 or 4 OVW/other farm draft picks for both Raw and Smackdown. They can do it at the same time of the Draft Lottery. They don't need to have a draft-only special like the NFL draft, just incorporate it into the shows. It would not be hard to show 2 minute highlights of 10 prospects over the course of a few weeks to a month. I think it would be interesting. Also, if they can hold the Draft Lottery without stopping the split production, sharing shows, etc., then they can do the same for this type of draft. As far as being objective when evaluating the talent, I don't expect them to. I figured they could point out what strengths the wrestler has in the ring, you know....how they do when they announce. "Rob Van Dam with those educated feet." "Rey Mysterio is quicker than a hiccup." Stuff like that. It would not be hard at all and it would be much easier to debut a wrestler like that instead of saying, "Here's X, cheer him."

Not to mention that in his line of business, HHH needs to be on the active roster to make the most money. Athletes in most sports have guaranteed contracts where they make a high dollar bottom line no matter if they are injured or not. Sure, there are incentives or cases like Kellen Winslow II or Jay Williams, but a wrestler's income varies greatly with his position in the company, level on the card, merchandise, PPV revenue, and such. I know that if I were HHH, and I almost lost my career with the quad injury, I would not only be slightly scared it or something similar could happen again, but also try to make the most money I could before my career was over.

OVW Draft would work. You can show highlights from matches down there, show "combine" workouts that they did, give some background on them, a short interview on why they chose wrestling, etc. You could play up the differences between each wrestler just like real drafts, such as follows: "Wrestler A" --- (6'3", 255) tremendous athlete; maybe the most potential in the draft; will be a project, as it will take him several months to a year before he is ready to compete with the big boys; probable #1 overall next year, but will most definitely get drafted this year; high-flying heavweight that needs work on his mat wrestling; finisher is a wheelbarrow suplex. "Wrestler B" --- (6', 230) ready now; 4 years in OVW has shown him to be a good all-around technician; has a low-key personality that might not catch on with the fans right away, so if he wants to become a superstar he might want to learn to be more entertaining; good submission wrestler that usually finishes his matches with a Texas Cloverleaf. "Wrestler C" --- (6'4", 265) hated by the fans so far in his career; has a knack for getting under the fans' skin with his brash personality; more of a brawler that needs to round out his wrestling; great physique, good talker, lacks substance in the ring; finisher is a powerbomb into a chokeslam. And so on....

I don't think it would be a bad idea at all on TNA or some other promotion, but I think it would take away from the Rumble itself. The Rumble is special, and one of the most-watched, most-looked-forward-to PPV's each year. EDIT And to respond to the first post, I don't think they should merge the titles at all.