At 11/21/06 01:53 AM, aviewaskewed wrote: I think it's official now, if it wasn't before: Wrestling completely sucks and I have no faith in it getting any better anytime soon.

Avie, I think you should ban yourself now, for trolling the Wrestling thread. :-P

At 11/21/06 01:53 AM, aviewaskewed wrote: I think it's official now, if it wasn't before: Wrestling completely sucks and I have no faith in it getting any better anytime soon.

I'm guessing this is due to what happened with Sabu.

Other than that Raw was enjoyable. That ladder match was by far the best of the night.

I'm sensing that the rest of the Spirit Squad is just going to walk out on Kenny leaving him to face Flair's team on his own. Not so much a split up, just kicking a member out.

At 11/21/06 01:53 AM, aviewaskewed wrote: I think it's official now, if it wasn't before: Wrestling completely sucks and I have no faith in it getting any better anytime soon.

I had already booked it in my mind... Just let Umaga beat up on Sabu, but then let Sabu get DQ'ed once he grabbed a chair and threw it at Umaga's face. The chair would have no effect on Umaga and just when he's going after Sabu, Kane comes out and makes the save.

Umaga would have won by DQ and Sabu wouldn't have been treated as a jobber... Or just have Kane wrestle Umaga for the 177th time.

I'll give Sabu props because he's npt the type of guy who likes to job cleanly, much less get squashed in 4 minutes. So he had to swallow his pride for that, but still.. It didn't have to be that way.

And did anyone else notice how CM Punk and Van Dam weren't in action? I wonder if the WWE was afraid that they would get a bigger reaction than Cena or DX?
As Ron Simmons, this is a good move, because he's more than the guy who randomly walks in and says damn... Now he's a wrestler again.

At 11/21/06 12:33 PM, pepeatumi wrote:

At 11/21/06 01:53 AM, aviewaskewed wrote: I think it's official now, if it wasn't before: Wrestling completely sucks and I have no faith in it getting any better anytime soon.

They really should have some kind of offical WWE forum, or at least where you can send in your ideas. Maybe it wouldn't suck as much, though there would be alot of "UNDERTAKER SHULD TEAM UP WITH DX AND CENA AND LIKE BECOME ALL CHAMPIONS OMG".

Umaga would have won by DQ and Sabu wouldn't have been treated as a jobber... Or just have Kane wrestle Umaga for the 177th time.

Everyone is treated as a jobber by Umaga. Though, they could have at least let Sabu get a bit extreme on him.

I'll give Sabu props because he's npt the type of guy who likes to job cleanly, much less get squashed in 4 minutes. So he had to swallow his pride for that, but still.. It didn't have to be that way.

And did anyone else notice how CM Punk and Van Dam weren't in action? I wonder if the WWE was afraid that they would get a bigger reaction than Cena or DX?
As Ron Simmons, this is a good move, because he's more than the guy who randomly walks in and says damn... Now he's a wrestler again.

I am pleased by this.

Some not so great news folks:

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Due to WWE's recent move of dropping all ECW-only house shows, the next few months probably won't be much fun for lower tier ECW wrestlers such as Tony Mamaluke, C.W. Anderson and Danny Doring.

Considering that only upper tier ECW wrestlers are going to be appearing at the combined house shows with SmackDown or RAW stars (pretty much the people who regularly appear on television), the underneath guys aren't going to get much in the way of bookings due to space limitations on house show cards. The ECW wrestlers with higher guarantees are going to be booked often, so this won't matter much to them, but the low-end guys are really going to have it tough for the next few months because they're hardly going to get booked.

Most of the talent that signed on for ECW back in the spring agreed to some really low downside contracts. Most of the "ECW Originals" agreed to $500 a week deals (or about $26,000 a year), which is actually less than what a lot of the developmental talent get, not to mention considerably less than what lower tier RAW and SmackDown talent get. The downsides are so low for ECW talent that their biggest acquisition, Sabu, agreed to a $1,500 a week contract ($78,000 a year). Although, considering that he's solidly booked and often appears at pay-per-view events, he'll earn far more due to bonuses.

Internally, the plan is to combine ECW and SmackDown house shows (and some RAW) until at least April 2007.

ECW on SciFi Report card for 11/21

This show's hook was the reunion of the Hardyz. Cheap ratings pop yes, but it also provides the show with a great oppurtunity to hook in some new fans that may not regularly watch the Tuesday night program. I also really liked that the main event was Extreme Rules, WWE really should be justifying the Extreme part of the show's name, and doing something to differentiate it from their other two shows. Good solid stuff this week.

Bobby Lashley over Matt Striker via pinfall: I've been saying for awhile I really think they need to reignite the Striker/Sandman issue for the PPV, maybe next week. The point here was to showcase Lashley as an animal, and mission freakin accomplished. Lashley got to look impressive, and Striker got to bump around for him. A good opener. Grade: B

Hardy Boyz over the FBI via pinfall: This was a very good match. The FBI work well with pretty much anyone, and the Hardyz are no slouches either. They really tore it up in the time they were given, and while I'm never a big fan of the way they treat original ECW workers like they're second class citizens or just outright jobbers, this was really fun stuff, and some great action. Crowd was hot too. Grade: A

Van Dam/Heyman segment: I really liked this segment, Paul Heyman is just incredible as a scumbag, and I like how they ratcheted up the stakes for the main event. This is the kind of backstage segment I like, stuff that helps build up other aspects of the show. Grade: A

CM Punk over Kevin Thorne via submission: I think Kevin Thorne is a bit underrated, he's a pretty decent worker, and I thought he looked solid on offense against CM Punk. I like that we finally saw someone kind of put Punk into trouble. Kelly Kelly coming down made sense, and it does subtly help hype Punk's small part in the Survivor Series, and the post-match fight teases the idea of Kelly and Punk maybe hooking up, although I don't think Punk needs her in any way. The other problem with this angle is how do you neccessarily hate a guy in Knox who has to deal with the fact his girlfriend is basically a tramp? Grade: B+

Big Show promo: Show's body may be injured and his matches may suck these days, but he's still golden on the mic. His response to the "What?" hecklers was also priceless. I also liked that Lashley was brought out here as well, they are really building Lashley as a big star, and I tend to think he's probably the guy walking out of the Chamber with the belt. Lashley may be the single best acquisition for the new ECW thus far, and the shows are already getting better with him on them. Grade: A

Rob Van Dam over Hardcore Holly via pinfall: I love when they give the main event that "big match" feel, and this is a grudge match of sorts. The camera angle, choice of time to ring the bell, it was all classic ECW. It had me pumped to see the actual match go down. The segment with Test beforehand was pretty useless, but I guess they just wanted Test on the show, and to put a little more hype into the Chamber, which is frankly what is going to make or break this show (I'm interested). As for the match itself, it was a really good bout between the two and it showed that Extreme Rules can be done with minimal actual plunder spots when the guys involved know how to have a good match without it. The shots with RVD having his head jammed through the chair in the corner, then Holly stomping it onto his face were just friggin vicious. This is really the difference between good hardcore matches, and bad plunderfests, you build to the spots, and when you start pulling them out, you do measured and damaging looking stuff. Just a great match from two of my favorite Extremists. Grade: A

Overall: I really liked the show top to bottom this week. There was some really great wrestling to sink your teeth into, matches that mattered, and angles that further built to the December to Dismember PPV, this is probably gonna be the best we get for at least the next week since I imagine next week is going to be mostly all about booking the rest of the PPV since they have nothing aside from the chamber announced. This show felt a lot like the stuff they were doing in the summer, and that's a compliment. Grade: A

Thanks for reading as always, this report card brought to you by Professor aviewaskewed, Professor of Extreme Studies. This report card delivered in the name of the Funker, The Sabu, and the Holy Heyman.

awesome report as always!

I'm not even sure what other matches are on the ECW PPV to be honest, thats what happens when you can't watch it. I'll look over on wwe.com to see.

Did Avie say the polls on WWE.com can sometimes influence the E's decision on how a match will go? Because the results of that poll look pretty conclusive.
Do you think the WWE have done something wrong to get Test a bigger percentage than Sabu on the poll?

look at this poll pic!! i was bored and took it

Question: I'm a bit fuzzy about Shows injury, somone fill me in?

At 11/22/06 07:37 PM, Peacekid wrote: Question: I'm a bit fuzzy about Shows injury, somone fill me in?

specifics have not been released officially, but I would venture to guess it would be the places you would first thing when you talk about a guy his size. His back and knee's would be my best guess.

At 11/22/06 11:58 PM, Outlaw88 wrote: specifics have not been released officially, but I would venture to guess it would be the places you would first thing when you talk about a guy his size. His back and knee's would be my best guess.

It's the back and the knees from what I've told, that's why you see him moving slow as sin these days, but his promos are still great. I love how he dealt with the "What?" hecklers last night, and I think Paul Heyman was legit cracking up as well.

There have been no matches aside from the Chamber announced because WWE's policy is not to promote other PPV's while they've got a big one already going (which is another arguement for not having this many PPV's, and especially this close together).

Time for some news from Dave Scherer:

-RVD is being told he is expected to go on the Iraq tour this year, RVD opted out two years ago because he didn't want to risk his safety in a war torn area. There was some tension about this at the tapings this week. Not sure if he's going or not, but the expectation right now seems to be he WILL go.

-Jobbing to Umaga was punishment for some dopey stuff Sabu did backstage. Apparently he falls asleep, shows up late, and basically is squandering his chance as with the new system of ECW going on the big house shows, he can make more money. I agree with Dave in my hopes that he's going to get his shit together.

-Big Show is being very vocal that he wants to take at least a year off. He's very very injured, and he's been telling people he wants the time off. The speculation from Dave though is that he may take something more like a month then do a limited schedule.

-Kurt Angle has been saying he knows of a half dozen guys looking to jump to TNA...is it true? Yes, insofar as there's a lot of guys at the semi-main, and former main that would consider working for TNA for a good amount of money because the schedule is so much better (this is something that WCW at one time used as a lure to get guys to join them). There's definitely a feeling amoung some the grind is hurting them. Two possible names: Mysterio and Benoit possibly!!

At 11/22/06 11:48 AM, TheD-LucksEdition wrote: That reminds me, where is Terry Funk anyway?

At his age, Terry can't do more then a couple matches a year pretty much, and I don't really think WWE really wants him in full-time on camera or anything, they just like the idea of using his name as a way to give rub and credibility to the new ECW.

heres my predivtion 4 SS

DX (co-captains) CM Punk, Matt & Jeff Hardy vs. Rated RKO (co-captains), Johnny Nitro, Mike Knox & Gregory Helms -team DX
John Cena (Captain), Kane, Lashley, Sabu & RVD vs. Big Show (Captain), Test, MVP, Finlay & Umaga Team-cena
Ric Flair (captain), Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter & Ron Simmons vs. Kenny (captain), Johnny, Nicky & Mikey -legends
U.S. Champion Chris Benoit vs. Chavo Guerrero-beniot
Batista vs. World Heavyweight Champion King Booker- im not sud books probly gonna get DQed but ill say batista
Undertaker vs. Mr. Kennedy -taker
Women's Champion Lita vs. Mickie James -micke (the title aint going vancant agian)

At 11/23/06 12:49 AM, aviewaskewed wrote:
-Jobbing to Umaga was punishment for some dopey stuff Sabu did backstage. Apparently he falls asleep, shows up late, and basically is squandering his chance as with the new system of ECW going on the big house shows, he can make more money. I agree with Dave in my hopes that he's going to get his shit together.

So that's why he was jobbed out. I thought it was some sort of lingering of effect of having been pulled over along with RVD a while back.

-Big Show is being very vocal that he wants to take at least a year off. He's very very injured, and he's been telling people he wants the time off. The speculation from Dave though is that he may take something more like a month then do a limited schedule.

I've said it before, love him or hate him, you gotta give it up for the big guy. He's been fighting through a lot of pain,a nd he's still been capable of giving some of the best matches his career. Too bad we'll get to see him do a moonsault in ECW.

-Kurt Angle has been saying he knows of a half dozen guys looking to jump to TNA...is it true? Yes, insofar as there's a lot of guys at the semi-main, and former main that would consider working for TNA for a good amount of money because the schedule is so much better (this is something that WCW at one time used as a lure to get guys to join them). There's definitely a feeling amoung some the grind is hurting them. Two possible names: Mysterio and Benoit possibly!!

I believe Rey's contact ends right about the time he gets back from knee surgery. Just imagine if the WWE hypes up Rey's return only to have him go to TNA. As for Benoit, I can't say I'm surprised. He deserves a lot more than to carry the US title and be involved with the whole Eddie storyline. I expected him to go to TNA after coming back from his "sabbatical'.

At 11/22/06 11:58 PM, Outlaw88 wrote:

At 11/22/06 07:37 PM, Peacekid wrote: Question: I'm a bit fuzzy about Shows injury, somone fill me in?

specifics have not been released officially, but I would venture to guess it would be the places you would first thing when you talk about a guy his size. His back and knee's would be my best guess.

Hasn't his back been injurired (sp?) for a while now? If anything, that would be the reason he's being released. But, why didn't the Big Show leave earlier, if that's the case?

At 11/23/06 10:38 AM, ManMadeKing wrote: Hasn't his back been injurired (sp?) for a while now? If anything, that would be the reason he's being released. But, why didn't the Big Show leave earlier, if that's the case?

Because he's a trooper. I've got a lot of respect for someone who can work through injuries like his, and carry a title. I'm quite amazed that he's not just quitting full stop.

At 11/23/06 10:44 AM, HeartbreakHoldout wrote:
Because he's a trooper. I've got a lot of respect for someone who can work through injuries like his, and carry a title. I'm quite amazed that he's not just quitting full stop.

Yeah, But back injuries for a guy his size are a serious issue. I'm not saying I don't respect him for staying in the game for as long as possible, but for someone his size to have a back problem, is pretty bad.

We're not saying it isn't a serious issue. We just admire the fact that he is working through it like he is.

At 11/23/06 10:55 AM, Outlaw88 wrote: We're not saying it isn't a serious issue. We just admire the fact that he is working through it like he is.

And I admire the fact that he's getting out of there when the pain gets too much, rather than the insane Kurt Angle mentality.

WHY THE HECK DO YOU GUYS LOVE TNA SO MUCH!?!?!!??!?!????????? IT SUX!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm pretty sure WWE HAS heard of Rey going to TNA, and he's a bug name, so why would they just GIVE HIM UP?!?!!?!?!!?!!?!?!!?!????? SEE I WAS RIGHT!!!! TNA LIVES OFF OF WWE!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! IM RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG!!!! And I'm enjoying my SD vs. Raw 07!!!! I had to switch to controller type D because I couldn't get used to A. Is there an truth 2 Foley coming back?!?

I don't know if you all feel the same way....
But i still think WWE still has a huge void in entertainment. It use to be so much better back in the day....
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock made the WWE absolutely funny and entertaining.
Goldberg made it interesting... until he left
Brock Lesnar seemed like a cool candidate for being the next big thing... but he didn't stay long.

I mean... who does the WWE have that is so great to watch now?
Kane, Undertaker, John Cena, Hardy Boys, Boogeyman, Boby Lashley... etc
Who knows how long these guys will be around?

Kane and the Undertaker are getting old... they're older than Stone Cold and The Rock.
John Cena could be the next ROCK... and move out and just make movies...
Hardy Boys have been around for awhile..
Boby Lashley seems like a guy who would be a Goldberg and wrestle for a little and leave for a year or two and come back and wrestle a few years and leave.

But what really pisses me off is that the WWE has a lot of guys who can't even talk on the mic all that well.
The following CANNOT talk well... Melina, Edge, King Booker, The Coach, Johnny Nitro, Spirit Squad, Batista, etc.

And what's with these Diva Retirements???
Lita and Trish were the most entertaining Divas ever... they had so many bra and panty matches...

The Combination of The Rock making fun of people, Lita and Trish in their bra and panty matches, Stone Cold starting trouble and whooping ass and drinking beer, Kane w/mask WINNING matches and whoopin ass, Undertaker being absolutely Evil, The Hurricane when helms was a super heroe was so funny, Godfather when he brought out the "HO TRAIN", The Acolytes when they played strip poker, and many other stuff was what made Wrestling entertaining...

At 11/23/06 08:39 AM, Joe-Milionare wrote:

Standard WWE fan picks. All faces.

At 11/23/06 08:36 PM, YoinK wrote:

But what really pisses me off is that the WWE has a lot of guys who can't even talk on the mic all that well.
The following CANNOT talk well... Melina, Edge, King Booker, The Coach, Johnny Nitro, Spirit Squad, Batista, etc.

I agree with you for the most part. For a company that calls itself World Wrestling Entertainment, it sure as hell doesn't offer much entertainment or wrestling for that matter. But I disagree with putting King Booker and Edge on hat list. Booker has always been great on the mic and the way he's pulled of the whole King Booker character is a testament to that. Edge knows how to heel a crowd, not too long ago RAW was in Quebec and when Edge came out he got cheered, a couple of words by Edge later and that same crowd wanted him to get killed.

Add to that that both these guys have done some funny skits and promos (Booker with Austin and Goldust and Edge with Christian and Angle back in the day) and its tough to say that these two guys aren't good talkers..

At 11/23/06 08:36 PM, YoinK wrote: The Combination of The Rock making fun of people

early jericho was the most entertainment seen in wwe.
he was the funny, then they turned him into an ass clown :(
now he's like gooooone..
sad.

At 11/23/06 08:47 PM, madknt wrote: early jericho was the most entertainment seen in wwe.
he was the funny, then they turned him into an ass clown :(
now he's like gooooone..
sad.

yes I agree! Jericho was really funny.. and yea he turned into an ass.. and now I guess his main focus is his band... Fozzy. I hope somebody funny comes back to the WWE...
But it looks like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin retired... permanently.

As for King Booker... I just think he sounds so fake when he talks.. It just isn't entertaining. He's better off not even talking. His wrestling skills are better than his mic skills.

Another guy who can't talk is... The Big Show! He sounds like a retard when he talks... but I guess that's happens to a person's voice when their 7 foot 500 pounds.

At 11/23/06 08:52 PM, YoinK wrote:
yes I agree! Jericho was really funny.. and yea he turned into an ass.. and now I guess his main focus is his band... Fozzy. I hope somebody funny comes back to the WWE...
But it looks like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin retired... permanently.

Word is Austin will probably be involved in next year's Wrestlemania (though he probably won't wrestle) which means he'll get some mic time. I'm pretty sure that Jericho will come back to wrestling eventually, as for The Rock... He's gone and he won't come back.

.

TNA recently released their 50 Greatest Moments DVD on November 21. Here is a list of those 50 Greatest Moments. Which ones were you able to experience? And which ones do you think should have ranked higher and which ones do you think should have ranked lower?

50. Roddy Piper humiliates Chris Rose from Best Damn Sports Show.
49. Chris Rock comes to TNA to film "Head Of State".
48. Diamond Dallas Page's debut in TNA.
47. Jeff Jarrett brawls with the Tennessee Titans.
46. Jim Cornette joins TNA.
45. Rhino gores Abyss through the Wall.
44. The return of Senshi a.k.a. Low Ki.
43. Road Warriors debut in TNA
42. Samoa Joe vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger from Bound for Glory 2005.
41. The Team 3D Funeral.
40. Country Star Toby Keith appears on the debut of TNA and eliminates Jeff Jarrett from the Gauntlet for the Gold match.
39. Team NWA wins the 2004 World X Cup.
38. The fire at Hard Justice 2006.
37. James Mitchell scalps Raven.
36. Rhino's debut at No Surrender 2005.
35. Team 3D debuts.
34. Samoa Joe wins the X Division Title.
33. Abyss attacks Christian Cage at his home.
32. The First TNA Steel Cage match (AMW vs. XXX from June 25, 2003).
31. Ken Shamrock wins the NWA World Heavyweight Title on the debut show.
30. "Cookiegate" when TNA stars invaded the Universal Studios set that WWE was using to film the Royal Rumble 2005 commercial. The only WWE star you could recognize was Rey Mysterio via his tattoos on his arm.
29. Ron Killings wins the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
28. "Controversy in Canada" When Jeff Jarrett beat Raven to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title with help from America's Most Wanted & Scott D'Amore.
27. Jeff Hardy's Swanton Bomb from the top of the stage at Bound for Glory 2005.
26. Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears appears in TNA.
25. Victory Road 2004... TNA's first 3 hour PPV.
24. Scott Steiner's debut at Destination X 2006.
23. The Lockdown 2005 PPV being the first all steel cage PPV event.
22. The Basebrawl with Bobby Heenan, A.J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox, and the Diamonds in the Rough.
21. Rhino wins the NWA World Heavyweight Title at Bound for Glory 2005.
20. Raven's debut in TNA.
19. Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Macho Man Randy Savage debut at Victory Road 2004.
18. The first Six Sides of Steel Cage match (AMW vs. The Naturals from July 21, 2004).
17. Jeff Jarrett wins the first King of the Mountain Match.
16. Raven wins the NWA Title at Slammiversary 2005.
15. The debut of the Ultimate X Match (Chris Sabin vs. Matt Bentley vs. Kazarian).
14. Alex Shelley films Sting's private life (The debut of Paparazzi Productions).
13. AJ Styles becomes the first X Division Champion.
12. The debut of Jeff Hardy.
11. The first TNA show with appearances from Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr., and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
10. Chris Candido helps The Naturals win the NWA Tag Team Titles (Candido's last TV appearance).
9. Christian Cage wins the NWA Title at Against All Odds 2006.
8. Barbed Wire Massacre Match: Sabu vs. Abyss from Turning Point 2005.
7. AJ Styles wins the NWA Title from Jeff Jarrett at Hard Justice 2005.
6. The AMW vs. XXX Six Sides of Steel Cage match from Turning Point 2004 (Elix Skipper walked the Six Sides of Steel in this match).
5. Christian Cage's debut at TNA Genesis 2005.
4. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels from Unbreakable 2005.
3. Jeff Jarrett attacks Hulk Hogan in Japan.
2. Sting's return to wrestling at Final Resolution 2006.
1. TNA's debut on Spike TV.

At 11/23/06 09:13 PM, LordKooler wrote: 1. TNA's debut on Spike TV.

that doesn't say much for TNA.

First of LK let me say... Nice sig!

Now.. 9. Christian Cage wins the NWA Title at Against All Odds 2006.
15. The debut of the Ultimate X Match (Chris Sabin vs. Matt Bentley vs. Kazarian).

I love Christian but the debut of the Ultimate X match is a more important moment than Christian winning the NWA title. What's more important to TNA? A former WWE mid-carder winng the heavyweight title or the first ever ultimate X match which would become the staple of the X-Division if not TNA?

I'd say Ultimate X is a greater moment.