ISportsFan

I think that we are aware of ABOBO's day today. Jason

It doesn't matter if most fans know it's him, since they probably have forgotten he's on the roster. Jason

I don't necessarily agree with Undertaker at all, especially since he's only been on TV 3 times since the year started. I think Eddie Guerrero winning a world title qualifies more than that, for sure. Jason

I agree, it's not all about match quality. HHH had shown no ability to do any promos other than comedic ones in 1998, when he was supposedly earning his stripes. His biggest feud ever's main selling point was when his faction did a comedy skit about his rival's faction. 1999's main eventers before HHH were Mick Foley, Steve Austin, and the Rock. The Undertaker was also up there, as was Vince McMahon. The thing all these 5 have in common is that their interview skills were varying. They could do comedy, and they could also do anger and serious promos to sell matches. HHH couldn't do that. Also, 3 of them could work very well and the Undertaker had ****+ matches with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in 1997, and had good matches against Steve Austin in 1998. HHH had a ring presence, a look, and he had charisma. But he didn't EARN the push he got. He couldn't work in the ring at the level of most of the other main eventers, and what he lacked there (that Foley/Rock/Austin had) he couldn't make up in promos. The push worked out well. But it's so stupid of HHH to say something like that when his push was so out of proportion to his ability level at both the ring and the mic. If anything, it proves that people that are given opportunities (that have some potential, like HHH did) can improve vastly and become a major player. He improved in almost every category between summer 1999 and January 2000. Look at Randy Orton. He didn't earn his push, but he's improving drastically over the 8-10 months since he's been pushed out of this world. I think that young guys don't earn TV time and it's given based on looks and what the company feels is potential. Of course, Billy Gunn also "earned" his push in 1999, and Bradshaw and Holly "earned" their pushes this year by making all that money. But, I don't think HHH thinks that, and he is blinded by his vision of the company. It's a self-fufilling prophecy to tell people they have to earn TV time and then give them no TV time to earn it with. And, even when someone does earn it (like Matt Hardy) still doesn't get it and someone who had no experience in WWE (Randy Orton) gets a push over a 10 month period that culminates in retiring Mick Foley again, basically. And HHH is the one that basically picked Orton to be his protege. In summary, HHH not only didn't have the ring work, like people are saying I'm asserting, but he also didn't have the serious mic skills either. He could do comedy, but that's about it. He learned how to be a serious heel while doing it, not because he was qualified to do it beforehand. Jason

But it does matter if he earned it more or less than others. HHH's quote was to the effect of people have to earn the TV time they get. And, let's face it, he didn't earn main event TV time by July-August 1999 when he started getting it. He had earned TV time, no doubt about it. But his match quality was not at the level of a main eventer, and his interview skills at that point were all comedy-based. His blood feud with the Rock in 1998 was based on his mockery of the Nation with DX. I said his push paid off. That is true. But to say he earned the push he got is unrealistic and ridiculous. To say Randy Orton earned his push is ridiculous. To say Matt Hardy doesn't deserve any push is ridiculous. But, the prevailing argument I'll make here is that HHH did NOT earn the push he got. He earned a push, yeah, but not the legend-push he got. Jason

Matt Hardy has been with the company 6ish years up to this point. He made the company a lot of money in the Hardy Boyz tag team with his brother, and both members of the team were popular (not just Jeff). He is popular, worked the tag division toward the top of the card with stellar matches, and has a pretty decent look. He worked his way up the card too, and can have very good matches. Should Matt Hardy be a main event player? Probably not. But he has just as much going for him now as HHH did back in 1999 (great gimmick, better matches than HHH had before his ridiculous push). He should at least be given TV time, because he earned it. Don't get me wrong--they made the right decision pushing HHH. Absolutely made the right decision. But he hasn't earned it more than anyone else that doesn't get pushed. And how about Randy Orton? HHH's protege. About one year with the company, and he gets to beat Mick Foley twice in 2 months and has 20 minute matches on PPV. He gets tons of TV time, and I don't think he earned any of it. Sure, he had 2 good/great/awesome matches at WM and Backlash, but he didn't "earn" the time to have those matches. Jason

How about beginning in summer of 1999, when he had previously had one ****+ match in his entire career (Rock at SummerSlam 1998, which coincidentily needed a ladder), he got a push that included beating Rock at Fully Loaded (with interference, mind you, but beating him nonetheless when Rock was really popular), Mankind on RAW for the WWF title, winning a 6 pack challenge to win the title again against 4 bigger names than him (and Bulldog, too), beating Steve Austin at No Mercy, marrying the boss' daughter in the hottest storyline of the year, beating Vince McMahon in a 30 minute match where they got to roam the entire building to build heat for the match, beating Big Show to win the WWF title again, beating Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) in bloodbaths at both the Royal Rumble and No Way Out (his first two awesome matches in this timeframe) to retire a legend, and becomming the first heel to walk out of WrestleMania with the world title ever. All that based on the fact he had 1 ****+ match in his life before the push, and his looks. He really earned his TV time. Of course, he ended up being a phenominal wrestler in 2000-2001, and he's starting to regain it, but he didn't earn his push by any means. Jason

This will happen more than people think. The voting system would only work if threads were nominated and then went to vote, AND it took about 80% of votes and a certain minimum amount of votes to let a thread become a classic. For instance, a thread is nominated by the nominating process, and it must get 50 votes for "yes," minimum, while gaining 75-80% of all votes as yes votes. Jason

What a markout moment. Jason

That crowd could have not cared less about these two guys. Edge is a main eventer for sure. To be fair, these 2 didn't even face off on Raw last week. So, they didn't really have an issue. But still, no response. Jason

Matt Hardy's a dog? Jason

Easily, Hogan's from WM IV and Hogan/Warrior both from WM VI take the cake for most ridiculous and idiotic promos ever. I can't help but laugh whenever I hear them. Jason

There's only one Taco Bell anywhere near my university, and it's 11pm road trip time for the Cheesy Gordita Crunch. We had a topic like this last year, so I thought I'd make a new one for the 2004 CGC season. Jason

Shaved to 1/8" for the past 3 years. Before that, shaved to 1/4" since about 1994. I'm only 19 too, so it's been shaved for more than half my life. Jason

This was a good show? Angle "dying," Haas and Rico acting gay when neither character is such, no good matches beside possibly Eddy/Big Show being passable, and a lack of cruiserweights? Good? Jason

19, suburban Chicago when I'm not in school in Champaign. Jason

Dark matches/International Heat: A-Train/Palumbo beat 2 locals Victoria beat Jazz Rhyno beat local Garrison Cade beat Val Venis Matt Hardy beat Steven Richards After the show: Foley thanked us for coming and said that a) Benjamin will become a star, b) HHH/Benoit/HBK will become legends at Backlash, and c) he will destroy Orton. He called Chicago the best city for wrestling, then the 4 faces left. Not much of an after-show. I didn't think that the crowd was as into the show as every other Chicago crowd I've been a part of. It was just disappointing that the crowd didn't respond as well as normal. I go to the University of Illinois right now in Champaign (and came back for Raw to see Benoit as champ), so that's why I am having trouble with the local jobbers' names. Personally, I thought it was a dull show with not much going on. Just a filler before the PPV. BUT, I got to see Benoit as champ, Foley's first TV match in 4 years, and Foley/Flair in the same ring, so I am all good for now. Jason

Seemed like they were really into the main event, especially when Benoit and Triple H were in the ring together. Yeah, what I meant by that was that the crowd has been better in the past for Kurrgan at house shows than guys like Tajiri and similar guys. But, the main event and Jericho/Trish/Christian segments were both super hot. Jason

Flair's matches would draw. HHH hasn't proven that he can draw with the formule (considering all of 2002-2003 wasn't so hot). Flair's opponents wouldn't be permanently placed in the midcard for the rest of their career after the title match. HHH has done that to anyone who is not in the kliq/clique/however the backstage friends are spelled. Flair's matches were consistently good. In 2002-2003, HHH couldn't bring the goods in the ring, either. There are more, too, I'm sure. Jason

It's possible to go to a major school (or a minor school, whatever) and not drink. I do it. Yes, there's beer and all kinds of alcohol all over the place, but drinking is not a requirement. Just don't do anything you don't want to do. Jason

2000 wasn't nearly as good as 1994 was/would have been, and 1994 counts since it's listed under the Expos. Jason

But, Sting and Vader were both capable workers, at the very least, and awesome at the very best. This, unfortunately, is not anywhere near that. Eddie is better than either Vader or Sting. Eddie, though, can't carry Bradshaw since nobody can. Bradshaw has never had a good match in singles. Heck, I can't even remember a good tag match with him. He's a lot like Billy Gunn, I think, in that he can be entertaining with a good tag team gimmick, but pushing him in any way as a singles wrestler is a disaster. He gets gassed early in matches, uses a lot of restholds, and is generally not very creative with his moveset (his finisher is a freaking clothesline (a good one, but a clothesline nonetheless, so the rest of his moves have to be weaker than that). He's never been good at ring psychology or anything of the sort, either. In general, this is a trainwreck and a shame that Eddie will get blamed for the buyrate. I don't think anyone will blame him for the match quality, though. That's all Bradshaw. Every single report from house shows with this match includes Bradshaw working the chinlock, too, so I am not optimistic. **1/4 tops. Jason

Wasn't the Eugene character thought of before Brock quit? Didn't Dinsmore get the call before Brock quit that there was going to be something for him in the big leagues? I could be wrong though. Jason

But the thing is WWE's PPVs have 7 or 8 matches that have been built for weeks/months on free TV, and will be long. TNA is basically charging the same price over the course of a month for 4 episodes of Raw, with the build-ups to matches and angles that have no business on PPV. I mean, TNA's made great strides and much farther than many people thought it would, but I don't know why people buy TNA for $35 a month when they can watch the same thing on Raw. Not criticizing those who like it, but I just wouldn't do it (unless there's a guaranteed MOTYC on a show, which is why I bought the replay of the first tag title cage match). Jason

None for isportsfan. "i sports fan": is the second image. is the first image. Jason