WWE General Discussion - January 2008

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Ad rates, ad rates, ad rates...

 

It's not the rating, it's the rates / key demographic combo. That said, I can't answer your question. Isn't "Eureka" or something a big ratings hit? Maybe Battlestar Galactica?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

To go with the new sets can you see WWE finally dropping their mutilated scratch logo or perhaps just changing the font?

 

They already have a new logo

 

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

So, in canon, is Big Daddy V NOT Viscera / Mabel? Matt Striker said BDV was not in the Rumble last year, but he clearly was.

 

His WWE.com profile says he debuted in 1993 and references in tag title and KOTR wins, so whatever. Damn wrestling continuity.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

It's ridiculous. I don't know why they wanted to treat Big Daddy V as a new character when everybody knows exactly who he is. It's not like the old territory days where feds existed in their own bubbles. It just makes the on-air talent look silly ans stupid at the same time.

 

It could have easily been explained that Matt Striker refocused "the Worlds Biggest Love Machine" and turned him into what we have now. Why even keep the "V" connection if he's supposed to be a new character?

[Bruiser_Brody_ 0]

Just heard that Vince contacted howard Cossell to come in as a announcer in 1984. Thought that was pretty cool.

[Guest The Big Wiggle]

Ad rates, ad rates, ad rates...

 

It's not the rating, it's the rates / key demographic combo. That said, I can't answer your question. Isn't "Eureka" or something a big ratings hit? Maybe Battlestar Galactica?

 

I'm pretty sure Eureka surpassed ECW in the ratings by this point, or, rather, ECW dropped so far that it fell below Eureka.

 

But yeah, ECW draws nowhere near the ad buys that a Peabody-award winner like Battlestar Galactica does. That's the important distinction.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

To go with the new sets can you see WWE finally dropping their mutilated scratch logo or perhaps just changing the font?

 

They already have a new logo

 

 

 

That WWEHD logo supersucks.

[haVoc 0]

I'm annoyed by the WWEHD push. Mostly because Time Warner doesn't have USA or SciFi in HD yet. I would have dropped Time Warner a while ago if it wasn't for the Road Runner package.

 

Vince being so out of touch, I can't help but to wonder if he thinks he's revolutionizing TV by going HD.

[Matt Young 0]

I'm annoyed by the WWEHD push. Mostly because Time Warner doesn't have USA or SciFi in HD yet. I would have dropped Time Warner a while ago if it wasn't for the Road Runner package.

 

Vince being so out of touch, I can't help but to wonder if he thinks he's revolutionizing TV by going HD.

 

You can get Roadrunner without TW cable. I have DirecTV and shitty Roadrunner internet since better services are not available in my area.

 

Also, the WWE HD logo has nothing to do with the WWE wrestling logo.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I'm annoyed by the WWEHD push. Mostly because Time Warner doesn't have USA or SciFi in HD yet. I would have dropped Time Warner a while ago if it wasn't for the Road Runner package.

 

Vince being so out of touch, I can't help but to wonder if he thinks he's revolutionizing TV by going HD.

 

Yeah, here we have Charter, mainly because I can get their digital cable package with DVR, along with high speed internet and phone line all on one bill. But yeah, we don't get Sci-Fi, USA, or even CW in HD, so all the WWE-HD hype is pretty meaningless to me.

[haVoc 0]

I'm annoyed by the WWEHD push. Mostly because Time Warner doesn't have USA or SciFi in HD yet. I would have dropped Time Warner a while ago if it wasn't for the Road Runner package.

 

Vince being so out of touch, I can't help but to wonder if he thinks he's revolutionizing TV by going HD.

 

You can get Roadrunner without TW cable. I have DirecTV and shitty Roadrunner internet since better services are not available in my area.

 

I've thought and looked into getting DirecTV and Roadrunner but it's cheaper staying with the Time Warner package deal. The phone line means nothing since I use my cell phone for everything.

 

[luke-o 0]

I know for the majority of last year ECW was got the best ratings of anything on the channel, is that still the case? Because there's no way the new head of the channel is going to drop the highest rated show for 2 years running, that's career suicide.

 

IIRC, WCW was the highest rated show on the their network before they got shit canned.

[geniusMoment 0]

Bruce Mitchells year in review quiz

 

 

VIP EXCLUSIVE - From PWTorch 2007 Yearbook (#1006/1007)

 

"The summer is over, the harvest is in, and we are not saved."

- Isaiah

 

1. According to WWE sources, why did Chris Benoit murder his wife Nancy and his seven year-old son Daniel, then strangle himself to death with a cord on his weight machine?

 

A. An argument with his wife over the care of their son Daniel, who WWE heard had Fragile X, drove Benoit into a rage. He was a "monster."

 

B. Who knew?

 

C. It certainly couldn't have been brain damage from all those concussions he got wrestling. He made all his flights, didn't he?

 

D. It had absolutely nothing to do with steroids or 'roid rage.

 

E. All of the above

 

2. Pick the revelation that caused top WWE management to high-five each other, relieved that no one would then be able to pin any responsibility at all for the two murders and suicide on anything they did.

 

A. Despite Benoit passing WWE's Health and Wellness test in April, authorities found a cache of large amounts of steroids in Benoit's house.

 

B. Despite Benoit passing WWE's Health and Wellness test in April, authorities revealed that Dr. Phil Astin, Benoit's personal physician, prescribed him a ten-month supply of anabolic steroids every three weeks.

 

C. Despite Benoit passing WWE's Health and Wellness test in April, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Chris Sperry, who performed the autopsy on Chris Benoit, revealed that Benoit had a 59-to-1 TE ratio of testosterone in his body, ten times the normal dosage for testosterone therapy.

 

3. Why in the world did WWE management rejoice at the news that Chris Benoit had the second highest T/E ratio ever recorded in a drug test by an athlete?

 

A. It gave credence to all those in the media and general public who believed that Chris Benoit went into a steroid-fuelled rage, murdered his family, and killed himself.

 

B. It gave credence to those who wondered how Chris Benoit had a houseful of steroids, prescriptions for a ten-month supply of steroids every three weeks, and yet still wasn't caught by WWE's Health and Wellness testing.

 

C. It gave WWE cause to send legal counsel Jerry McDevitt on CNN's Greta Van Sustern Show to assert that "all the speculation about the impact of steroids on this case were essentially removed from the case by Dr. Sperry in about as clear a scientific language as one can articulate" and "that there were no illegal anabolic steroids found in his body."

 

4. Pick the true statements from the list below:

 

A. Testosterone is a steroid.

 

B. Testosterone is, in fact, the most popular steroid for building muscle mass.

 

C. Dr. Sperry's autopsy report did nothing to remove speculation about the impact of steroids in this case.

 

D. All of the above.

 

5. What constitutes an illegal use of anabolic steroids?

 

A. A doctor prescribing one patient a ten month supply of steroids every three weeks.

 

B. A patient having an enormous cache of steroids and painkillers in his home.

 

C. A patient buying steroids from an Internet pharmacy without valid medical reasons or a valid medical prescription.

 

D. All of the above

 

6. WWE's rival, the Total Nonstop Action promotion, paid tribute to Chris Benoit, their fallen brother in arms, by:

 

A. calling in the California State Athletic Commission to independently conduct and administer regular drug testing on all of its performers.

 

B. banning all chairshots to the head during all of its performances.

 

C. publicly calling on WWE Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon to adapt a more humane schedule for his wrestlers.

 

D. Subsequently hiring Andrew Martin, the man who said taking steroids was a personal choice - "like getting a tattoo" - and whose physique inspired WWE Creative to name him "Test," shorthand for the steroid Benoit had in such enormous quantities in his body at the time of his death.

 

7. Based on his public statements, which of the following is a key reason Vince McMahon doubts the findings of the Sports Legacy Institute regarding Chris Benoit's significant brain damage from all his years of spectacular bumps, steel chairshots to the head, and diving headbutts from the top rope, even though medical experts such as CNN's neurologist on staff, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who looked at the slides of Benoit's brain post-mortem and believed the damage mirrored an 85-year-old man who had either Alzheimer's or dementia?

 

A. He had consulted regularly with Dr. Phil Astin, Benoit's personal physician, whenever Benoit took a big bump or a flying headbutt spot during a match.

 

B. He reviewed the results of regular MRIs the WWE Health and Wellness Policy required of all WWE employees.

 

C. He educated himself on the concussion research that one of his own employees, Chris Nowinski, helped pioneer.

 

D. Benoit showed up for work regularly.

 

8. Ken Kennedy on kenkennedy.com ripped pro wrestlers like "Superstar" Billy Graham, Marc Mero, and Lanny Poffo who had the audacity to actually criticize WWE on national television, after Benoit's death, calling them "silly bastards" who are "bitter" and "frustrated." He then did an interview in the UK Sun in which he denied taking steroids at any time while in WWE. What was the predictable result, based on history, of Kennedy standing up for WWE?

 

A. Federal investigators revealed that Kennedy's name appeared on the list of customers who bought steroids from Internet mill Signature Pharmacy.

 

B. Kennedy served a 30 day suspension from WWE, ruining a major push just as he was about to be revealed as Mr. McMahon's illegitimate son.

 

C. He then claimed he bought the steroids only to rehabilitate an injury (the Hulk Hogan defense), forgetting that if he actually had a legitimate medical reason to obtain those drugs, he could have just gone to a legitimate doctor.

 

D. He stopped speaking out publicly about the issue, sparing us his explanation as to why he claimed he never used steroids when he knew the Feds had already busted his source.

 

E. All of the above

 

9. John Cena found himself in the middle of a controversy after giving a rambling, two-minute answer to the question "Have you ever used steroids?" CNN only aired his more provocative "I can't tell you that I haven't, but you'll never be able to prove that I have" answer instead of his more direct "Absolutely not" on their "Death Grip" documentary. WWE demanded an apology from CNN and CNN responded by airing both answers on a weekend re-run. How was it that Cena, with perhaps the most stringent schedule in all of sports entertainment, had time to do an in-depth interview with the Cable News Network?

 

A. WWE gave him time off from his schedule to accommodate CNN's request.

 

B. CNN flew in to a Raw taping to do the interview.

 

C. He did the shoot during one of his regularly scheduled WWE time-out vacations.

 

D. He had time off because he had torn his pectoral muscle, an injury that usually only the most muscular of pro wrestlers and body-builders get.

 

10. Pick the wrestler from the list below who has not lost major time and money from his job because of muscle tears, a type of injury that usually only muscular pro wrestlers and bodybuilders suffer.

 

A. The Undertaker

 

B. Mr. Kennedy

 

C. Batista

 

D. Triple H

 

E. Bobby Lashley

 

F. Mr. McMahon

 

G. Big Daddy V

 

11. How many of the former WWE wrestlers who died before the age of 50 was Vince McMahon willing to take any responsibility at all for, by claiming that they occurred "on our watch"?

 

A. All of them.

 

B. The ones who died of problems that could be traced to things they did because of their job.

 

C. Half of them.

 

D. The main-eventers.

 

E. Five - the ones who actually died while still under WWE employ.

 

12. Pick the professional sports team that had five active players on its roster die over the last ten years.

 

A. No team in Major League Baseball.

 

B. The NBA? Nah, that ref didn't kill anybody.

 

C. Hockey? I can't name five hockey players...

 

D. The Washington Redskins.

 

E. None. Are you kidding?

 

13. Fun With Drug Suspensions Part One: Pick the one wrestler below from the list of Signature Pharmacy customers who was not disciplined and/or suspended by WWE

 

A. Randy Orton

 

B. Charles Haas, Jr.

 

C. Adam "Edge" Copeland

 

D. Robert "Booker T" Huffman

 

E. Shane Helms

 

F. Mike Bucci

 

G. Anthony "Santino Morelli" Carelli

 

H. John "Johnny Nitro" Hennigan

 

I. Darren "William Regal" Matthews,

 

J. Ken "Mr. Kennedy" Anderson

 

K. Eddie "Umaga" Fatu

 

L. Shoichi Funaki

 

M. Chavo Guerrero

 

14. Fun With Drug Suspensions Part Two: So, why wasn't Randy Orton punished for buying drugs from Signature Pharmacy, not his first, or even second drug violation without a proper doctor's prescription?

 

A. Due diligence.

 

B. It was a clerical error.

 

C. They forgot.

 

D. Who can keep track of all those names?

 

E. Raw needed a strong heel champion or business might go down.

 

F. Who knows? I'm sure they made their decision in the best interest of the talent.

 

15. Fun With Drug Suspensions Part Three: Hey, how come WWE waited until the media released all those names to suspend all those wrestlers, when the Albany, N.Y. District Attorney informed them of the list weeks earlier?

 

A. Due diligence

 

B. It was a clerical error

 

C. They forgot.

 

D. Who can keep track of all those names?

 

E. Raw needed a strong heel champion or business might go down.

 

F. Who knows? I'm sure they made their decision in the best interest of the talent.

 

16. Fun With Drug Suspensions Part Four: Hey, how come none of the wrestlers on the Signature Pharmacy list, including Chris Benoit, were caught by the WWE Health and Wellness drug-testing program?

 

A. Luck.

 

B. Maybe the wrestlers ordered the drugs but didn't take them.

 

C. Maybe WWE put them on Double Secret Probation and didn't tell anyone because, well, it was a secret.

 

D. Or it could have been they made the wrestlers work without pay, multi-tasking by sending a message and helping the bottom line simultaneously.

 

E. It's still a mystery.

 

17. Fun With Drug Suspensions Part Five: And what about the 12-18 months before Chris Benoit died? Why weren't there a lot of wrestlers caught by the WWE Wellness Testing during that time?

 

A. Luck.

 

B. Nobody was taking any muscle enhancers.

 

C. I mean, just look at them.

 

D. There were. It was a secret.

 

E. The coast was clear.

 

18. Match the famous sports governing body with some of the penalties it imposes for using performance enhancing substances and/or misusing prescription pain medication:

 

A. The National Hockey League.

 

B. Major League Baseball.

 

C. Olympic Track and Field.

 

D. World Wrestling Entertainment

 

 

1. First positive results in a 20 game suspension, the second 60 games, the third a lifetime ban.

 

2. First positive - 50 game suspension, the second 100 games, the third a lifetime ban.

 

3. A two year suspension and the return of all medals, results, points and prizes .

 

4. First offense - warning that level has to go down, the second - 30 days, the third - sixty days, the fourth - dismissal.

 

19. After Chris Benoit murdered his family and killed himself, his personal physician Dr. Phil Astin was arrested and lost his medical license. The term "Mark Doctor" then entered the lexicon of mainstream journalists like Nancy Grace and Dan Abrams. This revealed to the world the loophole in the WWE Health and Wellness Policy "my 3-year-old could drive a freight train through," (Travis Tygart - World Anti-Doping Agency). That loophole allowed WWE wrestlers to use steroids and muscle enhancers as long as a doctor like Dr. Astin wrote them a prescription (and a doctor like Dr. Black to approved it). WWE Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon reacted to these very public revelations by:

 

A. declaring a new day for the well-being of his independent contractors and completely closing the "mark doctor" loophole once and for all.

 

B. continuing to set the physical standard for the younger talent, this time by training for the New York City Marathon.

 

C. Calling in a completely independent agency to administer a drug policy in line with WWE's peers in professional sports.

 

D. Leaving the "mark doctor" loophole untouched, saying, "What's wrong with a doctor making that decision?''

 

20. How did Vince McMahon come up with this policy, anyway? As McMahon explained to CNN: "The federal government didn't suggest that we start a program of this nature. The media didn't suggest that we start a program of this nature. It started because it was the right time to do it." Good point. So, when was the right time, exactly?

 

A. After McMahon read that book "Game of Shadows" and didn't want any Barry Bonds types in his locker room. What an asshole.

 

B. When McMahon realized that the talent was, in the end, his company's greatest asset and he should do everything he could to protect that asset on behalf of his stockholders.

 

C. When McMahon grew tired of talent missing all those months off to rehab muscle tears.

 

D. Weeks after Eddie Guerrero keeled over dead in a hotel room the morning of a pay-per-view and the heat was on again.

 

21. Lessons, Part 1: What lesson did Chris Masters learn when he built his muscular body up to the point the WWE not only hired him, but put him on Raw, gave him an elaborate entrance that featured his Masterpiece physique to its greatest effect, and set him off on a major winning streak?

 

A. In this business, your face is your fortune.

 

B. A good attitude will get you far in this business.

 

C. The most important thing is, shake everybody's hand in the locker room.

 

D. In this business, your body is your fortune.

 

22. Lessons, Part 2: What lesson did Chris Masters learn when, after Chris Benoit's death, he was suspended under the terms of WWE's Health and Wellness Policy?

 

A. There are Twelve Steps to sobriety.

 

B. Your face is your fortune.

 

C. Get your life straightened out and your job will waiting for you when you do.

 

D. You don't need drugs to have a Masterpiece of a body.

 

23. Lessons, Part 3: What lesson did Chris Masters learn when he returned to WWE after his suspension, leaner and wiser, only to be stripped of his elaborate ring entrance and his major push up the main event ladder?

 

A. WWE is a confusing place.

 

B. Seriously, don't forget to shake everybody's hand in the locker room.

 

C. It's all part of the learning process in this business.

 

D. Whatever it was, a confused Chris Masters was suspended for 60 days for his second WWE Drug Policy Violation, and then released outright by the company.

 

24. Harry Smith is the son of the famous professional wrestler The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, who died at the age of 39 from a heart attack the medical examiner believed was hastened by his prolonged use of steroids. Knowing that, Harry vowed one day to:

 

A. go to college and get an education.

 

B. eat right take good care of himself physically so he could live a long, healthy life.

 

C. have a long talk with his cousin, Teddy Hart.

 

D. become a big star in professional wrestling some day, just like his dad.

 

25. So, Harry Smith realizes his dream and finds himself employed in World Wrestling Entertainment. Lacking much of a personality working in Ohio Valley Wrestling in September, per the terms of the WWE Substance Abuse and Drug Policy, he takes a drug test. He fails. What happens next?

 

A. He's promoted to the big show on Raw.

 

B. He's given a push as the debuting son of the legendary British Bulldog.

 

C. He wins his first match in strong fashion.

 

D. He forms a tag team with one of the most popular stars in the whole promotion, Jeff Hardy.

 

E. Then he's suspended for thirty days because he failed that drug test back in September.

 

F. All of the above.

 

26. Huh? He got a promotion and a noticeable push after failing a drug test, then he got suspended for thirty days? How could that happen?

 

A. It was a clerical error.

 

B. Randy Orton wasn't suspended after his name turned up on the Signature Pharmacy list.

 

C. WWE management wanted to prove even an up-and-coming star featured on their flagship show Raw could get suspended without, you know, really actually suspending one.

 

D. I don't know, but there had to have been a legitimate reason for that to happen.

 

27. What is the actual purpose of WWE's Health and Wellness Policy?

 

A. To protect the health and wellness of WWE Talent.

 

B. To provide a public relations smokescreen that would allow them to continue business as usual.

 

28. Steve Blackman came to WWE's defense when Marc Mero made the rounds of cable network news shows after Chris Benoit murdered his family and killed himself, waving a list of over 50 dead wrestlers he had worked with in his career, working for the two biggest national wrestling companies. Blackman pointed out that he never took steroids when he worked in WWE, and he made it, so it was clearly the individual wrestler's choice, and not a job requirement. So, really, why didn't Steve Blackman use steroids?

 

A. WWE didn't give better, more lucrative pushes to muscled-up freaks when Blackman was breaking in, so there was no reason for him to take them.

 

B. He tried them when he first broke in to pro wrestling and he had such a bad reaction he was hospitalized and almost died.

 

29. CNN's top investigative reporter Anderson Cooper thought he had a scoop the day after it was discovered that Chris Benoit murdered his family and killed himself. His producers had found a recently released WWE pro wrestler who was willing to be interviewed live after telling them in the pre-interview, "Me being a pro wrestler, if I make it to 45, I think I'm doing pretty good." The experienced, well-connected Cooper, who has interviewed the best and brightest in both politics and show business, went on the air live to query the wrestler, Brian Christopher - the son of Jerry The King Lawler and...

 

A. Christopher described how he learned Fox News financial analyst John "Bradshaw" Layfield was a locker room leader.

 

B. Christopher described the drug regimen he took to gain a marketable physique and survive the tough schedule wrestlers endure.

 

C. Christopher listed his eleven friends in the business who died young and how the ways they died was linked to the business.

 

D. Christopher, pupils dancing, pulled the rug out from under Cooper and described how WWE "recently cracked down on drug use of all kinds" and "how a lot of wrestlers came running up to him to say 'we get drug tested a lot' and "it's not about the size anymore" and "what I meant to say was if you live to be 45 and you're still competing (wags eyebrows) in professional wrestling, you've done something."

 

30. An embarrassed Anderson Cooper reacted personally to both this 1180 degree betrayal from some goofy Memphis con man and the large amount of public interest in the horrifying story of dozens and dozens of pro wrestlers dying from the drugs they took to make themselves marketable to fans and promoters by:

 

A. scheduling a nightly in the appaling death rate of professional wrestlers,

 

B. unleashed a slew of CNN investigators on the story in order to change a culture that might cost more people their lives,

 

C. and personally supervised the preparation and execution of each live pro wrestling interview from there on out.

 

D. put his perfectly coiffed skunk-tail between his legs and slunk off, never mentioning the Benoit story again.

 

31. Veteran Fox reporter Geraldo Rivera did Cooper one better when he used his keen investigative skills to break the Benoit murder case wide open on the Bill O'Reilly Show, intuiting that Chris Benoit may not have done it at all, but that there "may" have been conspiracy linking Benoit, his wife Nancy, her ex-husband Kevin Sullivan, and her friend, the late Sherri Martel. What clues led the intrepid Rivera to this stunning scoop?

 

A, Nancy and Sherri "died on the same day" - (not true.)

 

B. Nancy was "booked" by Sullivan into a fake satanic cult over 20 years ago.

 

C. Nancy was married at different times to both Benoit and Sullivan.

 

D. He was just running his mouth, exploiting a murdered woman and her son for attention.

 

E. All of the above.

 

32. WWE.com reported the deaths of Chris Benoit and his family at about 6:00 E.S.T on Monday, June 25th. The Wrestling Observer reported that WWE management understood there was a strong possibility that Benoit was responsible. What's the most plausible reason for WWE do a big tribute show to Benoit on Raw that night and wait until the next night on the lower-rated ECW show to, as Vince McMahon promised, say his name for the last time?

 

A. Nobody knew for sure where Kevin Sullivan was.

 

B. It was a clerical error.

 

C. Benoit was a great wrestler who contributed a lot to the company and deserved the benefit of the doubt.

 

D. Raw dead wrestler tribute shows always do big ratings.

 

33. True Or False - Six months after the firestorm surrounding the Chris Benoit murder/suicide, all it revealed about the pro wrestling business, and the revelations in mainstream sports about the illegal, unhealthy use of muscle enhancers, all TNA could manage in terms of a drug policy is telling their talent there would be one - at some point.

 

34. True or False: After Chris Benoit returned from neck fusion surgery, WWE management stepped in and threatened to fine or suspend him if he did not stop doing his signature top rope headbutt since it's a move with high risks of further neck trauma and concussions:

 

A. True. It was the obvious right thing to do, and there were plenty of other ways for someone of his skill level and tenure to get over with fans in a safer manner.

 

B. False. Fine or suspend a wrestler for choosing to do a wrestling move on his own? What, are you crazy? He's a an adult and an independent contractor making a personal decision in that ring.

 

35. WWE legal counsel Jerry McDevitt and Aegis Sciences Corporation head Dr. Jerry Black, who designed and administered WWE Health and Wellness Policy, were both so appalled by the unfair media coverage the Chris Benoit murder/suicide got that they:

 

A. agreed to appear together on national television and to...

 

B. answer any questions Nancy Grace may have had and...

 

C. patiently explain away any misconceptions she and her audience may have had...

 

D. as long as Dave Meltzer and Brian Alvarez, non-WWE apologist wrestling reporters scheduled to be on the same show, weren't allowed on the air with them to ask questions or directly react to what they were saying...

 

E. all of the above

 

36. A shocked Nancy Grace and CNN Headline News reacted to this blatant demand for them to breach their journalistic ethics by:

 

A. telling McDevitt and Black that not only were they not going to accede to their demands, they were make it part of their story and examine exactly why they were afraid to be questioned on national television by journalist who covered the professional wrestling business closely.

 

B. patiently explaining to them that the last thing they ever wanted to do was overbook their show, so McDevitt and Black were free to go.

 

C. telling them sure, then putting Meltzer and Alvarez on with them anyway.

 

D. caving in without a whimper.

 

37. After an industry-wide discussion and debate among management, wrestlers, journalists, and fans to help turn the tide of deaths in the wrestling business and improve the lives of the talent who sacrifice so much for other's entertainment and bottom line, which of the following made changes did billionaire Vince McMahon make in his business?

 

A. Announced and implemented a new schedule for WWE wrestlers that allowed wrestlers to take one full week a month off to be with their families.

 

B. Ended the decades-long practice of requiring their talent to be independent contractors, offering them the same insurance and benefits other employees in the company receive.

 

C. Brought in a truly transparent, independent agency to both administer the drug tests, exam the wrestlers regularly, and make the decisions on the consequences of the results.

 

D. Discontinued the ladder match gimmick and brought in experts on the science of brain concussions to vet their product and make recommendations.

 

E. Stopped pushing or not pushing wrestlers based on their muscle mass and started re-educating their fans as to what athletic fighters look like.

 

F. Brought back prominent links to the complete text of the always evolving Health and Wellness Policy on the corporate website homepage so fans, reporters, and government officials could examine the entire policy, and began issuing press releases when any aspects of the policy changed to improve its effectiveness.

 

G. None of the above.

 

38. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform was so appalled by what they read in the media about the death rate in pro wrestling, they wrote letters to WWE and TNA demanding, uh, requesting all records the companies had pertaining to drug testing and their talents' medical records. Both WWE and TNA responded and the Committee:

 

A. thanked them for their patriotism.

 

B. followed through on the information they learned and held hearing on the professional wrestling business.

 

C. lost the envelope with TNA's data in it.

 

D. publicly decried WWE for their incomplete response to their request (Rep. Cliff Stearns).

 

E. or at least one of its members (Rep. Stearns, again) toured Dory Funk Jr.'s training center and got down on the mat with the ex-NWA Champion.

 

39. The following are reasons two congressional committees investigated the pro wrestling business in preparation for holding hearings. Pick the one reason those hearings may very well never happen:

 

A. The pro wrestling death rate dwarfs that of any other sport or entertainment genre.

 

B. Pro wrestlers receive no retirement benefits, insurance, or pensions from the national companies.

 

C. Thousands of young people aspire to look like the professional wrestlers they see on TV.

 

D. Pro wrestlers are heroes and role models to the children to which the companies market.

 

E. It's beneath the dignity of Congress to investigate the damaged lives and deaths of such vulgar people.

 

40. What prompted Chris Benoit murder his wife Nancy and his seven year-old son Daniel, and then strangle himself to death with a cord on his weight machine?

 

A. The effects of the enormous amount of steroids and other muscle enhancers he took over the last 25 years of his life.

 

B. The effects of the uncountable concussions he received from the stiff style he used in the ring.

 

C. The stress on he and his family from the brutal travel schedule he maintained for the last decade.

 

D. The effect of the anti-depression and pain medication he took.

 

E. The stress of his volatile relation with his wife Nancy.

 

F. Something else.

 

G. No one will ever know for sure.

 

H. Some combination of most or all of the above.

 

ANSWER KEY

 

1. E... 2. C... 3. C... 4. D... 5. D... 6. D... 7. D... 8. E... 9. D... 10. G... 11. E... 12. E... 13. A... 14. F... 15. F... 16. E... 17. A... 18. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4... 19. D... 20. D... 21. D... 22. A... 23. D... 24. D... 25. F... 26. D... 27. A... 28. B... 29. D... 30. D... 31. E... 32. D... 33. True... 34. False... 35. E... 36. D... 37. G... 38. D and E... 39. E... 40. H... ...

[Kizzo 0]

There is another article on WWE.com about the move to HD...

 

The crew is putting the final touches on incredibly vibrant, high-definition versions of Raw, ECW and SmackDown, including the assembly of a revolutionary entrance set that will be used for all three brands. It's also tweaking the complex lighting and pyrotechnic elements that give each brand's broadcast their distinctive looks, as well as adjusting every Superstar's entrance package to shine in gorgeous WWE HD.

 

This is very interesting. All three brands will be using the same exact entrance set, but will tweak to match each brands extensive look. I can't wait to see how this looks.. Maybe they are trying to save cash??

 

WWE HD

 

 

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Using the same set for all shows?

 

 

gay.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Eh...the brand extension is basically dead now, so what does it matter?

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Flair's standing behind Huckabee on CNN right now

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

After not mentioning it at all earlier in the week, The Score's website confirmed they're doing the HD feed for Raw and SmackDown. I don't see why they wouldn't have been receiving the HD feed for their HD channel, but I'm not really into that whole thing to know what's what anyway.

[Kizzo 0]

Another article that was posted on AVS Forums

Mike Grossman, WWE's Senior Vice President for Television Operations, will be watching every moment of WWE’s week-long debut in high-definition with anticipation – and some nervousness. Those new HD cameras cost a pretty penny, and if, say, WWE Champion Randy Orton grabs one to clock Jeff Hardy with a high-def cranium shot, Grossman might just grit his teeth a little as the high-tech device gets swung.

 

“That could be a problem,” Grossman replied with a cautious chuckle. “Let’s hope not.”

 

WWE’s switch to HD required a complete renovation of WWE's production equipment, from the cameras and microphones at ringside to the production truck parked out back. It also necessitated re-creating WWE's production processes from the standard-definition age.

 

"We went from doing the show the same way for a number of years, in the same truck, to having to reinvent everything," said Duncan Leslie, WWE Vice-President, Technical Events Operations. "All the infrastructure had to change. It's sort of like going from black & white to color."

 

Such a radical transformation meant not only new HD video cameras, but more powerful and colorful lighting elements. The result? A view of WWE that, until now, you could only get live in the arena, in a front-row seat – a view that has technical crews extremely aware of the tiniest elements.

 

"There's nowhere to hide," Leslie explained. "Every T-shirt in the audience can be read. Every bead of sweat, every scratch on the canvas is seen. What you see through the HD lens, you'd see with your eyes live."

 

The crowning jewels of the high-definition renovation are two new state-of-the-art production trucks. WWE worked with NEP Supershooters of Pittsburgh, Pa., to design and build the trucks that replaced the standard-definition vehicle, and will lease a custom truck designed for HD transmission.

 

Leslie said the new trucks feature miles of cable and more than 100,000 buttons, as well as a massive monitor wall to display the numerous camera feeds. "We're a sporting event, we're a concert” he said. “What we make these trucks do is totally unique [in the industry]."

 

"Reset" for the set and more

 

Say goodbye to the iconic Raw TitanTron, as well as the SmackDown fist and mirrors. They’ve seen their last television tapings.

 

To take full advantage of the high-definition platform, a radically redesigned entrance set will be shared by all three of WWE's signature shows. Exact details regarding the set will remain top-secret until Raw’s is unveiled Monday night. However, a shoot in Florida last November brought all the Superstars together to record the new show openings in HD. Additionally, new intros and graphics for Raw, SmackDown, ECW and pay-per-view events are rumored to feature some 3-D elements.

 

"There will be several video elements that will be pretty slick,” Grossman asserted. "It will be a whole new show. It's going to be spectacular."

 

3-D elements?? That would be interesting...

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I dont think Maryland constitutes a southern city, but it would be totally awesome if they were doing their HD set bootcamp here considering theres a SD house show here tomorrow and RAW is just over the Bay Bridge Tunnel in Hampton Roads. My guess is they are doing it in Hampton Roads though.

[Jingus 0]

I agree, Maryland does not constitute a southern city. Especially since it's a state.

 

 

Quick straw poll: how many people here are actually capable of watching WWE in HD in their debuts? How many people have HD televisions and receive the channels which are carrying the HD feed of the WWE programs? My guess is, not many. While obviously it's going to become the industry standard over the next decade, my feeling is that right now, WWE debuting in HD means damn near nothing.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Anyone with Directv can get USA and Sci Fi in HD, and its believed the number of directv HD customers is between 2 and 3 million give or take.

 

CW might be the bigger hold up, as only 11 (mostly major) markets have a CW affiliate in HD.

 

 

[Kizzo 0]

Anyone with Directv can get USA and Sci Fi in HD, and its believed the number of directv HD customers is between 2 and 3 million give or take.

CW might be the bigger hold up, as only 11 (mostly major) markets have a CW affiliate in HD.

 

Not true.. the market I'm in is small(Little Rock) and our CW station is in HD.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Anyone with Directv can get USA and Sci Fi in HD, and its believed the number of directv HD customers is between 2 and 3 million give or take.

CW might be the bigger hold up, as only 11 (mostly major) markets have a CW affiliate in HD.

 

Not true.. the market I'm in is small(Little Rock) and our CW station is in HD.

#57 out of 210

[JPopStarKami 0]

I lack HD, thus this means little to me.

 

I want HD, though. I wonder if will be possible to stream it in high res on computers...monitors can produce HD resolution, right?

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Yes, I had a HD tuner on my computer and I could watch programs in HD.

 

I don't have a DirecTv HD box but I have an OTA tuner so I can watch SD in HD.

[UZI Suicide 0]

I can't imagine RAW without the Titan Tron.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

I agree, Maryland does not constitute a southern city. Especially since it's a state.

 

 

Quick straw poll: how many people here are actually capable of watching WWE in HD in their debuts? How many people have HD televisions and receive the channels which are carrying the HD feed of the WWE programs? My guess is, not many. While obviously it's going to become the industry standard over the next decade, my feeling is that right now, WWE debuting in HD means damn near nothing.

 

 

I have an HDTV and HD DVR, but don't get USAHD, ECWHD, or CWHD. I get the WB in HD and they'll be showing Smackdown in HD.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

I can't imagine RAW without the Titan Tron.

 

 

Hopefully they'll have some sort of Titan Tron.