Wrestling...thats right, Wrestling!

[Rob]

I'm dissapointed with the results of the PPV.  I didn't see the actual event, so I really can't comment on how it was.  But I don't see where they go from here.  Are they seriously going for a Taker vs. Batista match at Summerslam for the title?  Not only would that match be brutal to watch, but so will the lead up to it for the next month.  How are they gonna build a feud between these two?  Once again they destroy any momentum Christian may have gained.  I wonder how long its gonna be before the fans give up on him.  I don't see the Animal - Heidenreich reign lasting too long.  Chris Benoit is a friggin' saint for jobbing to Jordan.  I'm happy he's not relegated to being the US Champ, but this loss buries him even more.  Its a shame the most talented wrestler on the Smackdown roster can be so underappreciated...story of his life I guess.  And to top it off a BS finish to the title match.  Can't they give the wrestling fan a little satisfaction?  I can't stand Batista, but a clean win for him over JBL would've at least been acceptable.  What's the point of a DQ finish if Batista's just gonna beat the hell out of everybody in the end anyway?  I just don't get it.

[Hammy]

Raw Review

The stupid booking continued on RAW, after months of the Kurt Angle Invitational on Smackdown & RAW someone finally lasted 3 minutes and won his Gold Medal, that someone being Eugene what i liked about the Invitational was i thought it would be a good way to eventually bring up a great new star and to make matters worse i see these to feuding leading to a match at Summerslam, Kurt Angle deserves better!

Next up we had a poor backstage segment between John Cena & Eric Bischoff, they tried to make it amusing but these guys don't gel and the whole thing is coming off like a poor version of Austin vs. Vince.

Things only got worse though as next we had The Heart Throbs & Pocket Rocket vs. Viscera & Clocas.  The match was a joke, and not a funny one either and on top of the poor quality The Heart Throbs were made to look useless, getting finished off my a tiny frog splash by a midget

Thankfully they had the first positive thing of the night after this, a very good tribute video to Lord Alfred Hayes.  When i found out it was going to be Shelton Benjamin against Masters/Snistky i knew we had another awful match on our hands.  Jericho/Maria managed to have a really funny backstage segment, she is the best backstage interviewer there has been in years.

The Battle of The Bands segment sucked to.  I'm guessing they pulled Fozzy since they knew the fans would may actually prefer them and they wouldn't want John Boy getting boos.  It makes me laugh when Jericho goes on about the 50,000 fans who saw Fozzy at Download, there were 50,000 fans in total at the festival, they were on the second stage though and i was there and i would say the crowd was 1,000 if they were lucky.

The Shawn Michaels in-ring promo last night was great.  Hearing him talk about being the main event, the ol' HBK being back, saying how he won't lay down for him, even though it was obviously scripted you could tell the knocks on Hogan weren't just part of a storyline they are quite true so it was good to see, and this whole reality and fiction thing with WWE seems to continue....

Benjamin vs. Masters/Snitsky was a short and crap match and was a lame attempt to put Masters over and further his feud with Big Show.

The Diva Search just gets worse...a Hot Dog eating contest...they weren't even good at it

Next up we had the Edge vs. Kane Stretcher Match which was crap.  Followed by another Matt Hardy attack and it's getting boring quickly are we really meant to believe security is that bad?  If it is Viscera & Rosey better watch out because i'll be jumping the barrier with a sledgehammer to take them out 

The Main Event Carlito vs. Cena w/ Guest Ref Jericho although short was quite good and Carlito showed that he does have decent in-ring skills, great to see him being pushed, decent finish as well, i really wish i could honestly believe Jericho was going to win the Title at Summerslam...oh well...

Well after that all i can say is what RAW needs is HHH & Ric Flair back, i really did not think i would ever say that, Cena can't carry it unless HBK gets more airtime which he won't unless Hogan can be arsed turning up then they need to come back.

[Malcolm]

Jim Ross was on WWLS The Sports Animal here in Oklahoma City today and had a few things of note that he said.

He mentioned that HHH would be back sooner then later when asked if HHH would be back by the time of Unforgiven which will take place in OKC.

When asked if he sees Sting coming into WWE he said, "The chances of that are slim to none due to Sting's beliefs conflicting with sports entertainment."

He made mention of Dr. Death Steve Williams being for cancer free.

When asked about the evolution of wrestling from the era of Mid-South to the current product. Ross said, "Bill Watts put athletes out there. He didn't have bodybuilders who couldn't perform due to having a hang nail or their tan didn't look right. You got extreme physicality."

When asked about Bret Hart he said, "He hopes to see him get in the Hall of Fame this year in Chicago and that the door is always open provided there is peace in the valley he could comeback into the family." He also noted that it could only be good to have someone of Hart's caliber to be around the young guys.

He told of story of Vader and his son Jesse, whom is playing at OU now, that when Jesse was eight that while most fathers play catch with there kids. Vader was lifting weights with his eight to ten year old son.

Just a few notes on what was a really good interview from Ross.

[Malcolm]

In a new WWE.com video clip, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long tells Muhammad Hassan that although he's not welcome on SmackDown, he can feel free to go to RAW. The full transcript of the worked promo is below:

"For the past month, Muhammad Hassan has been at the center of a media firestorm. From CNN to USA Today, headlines are all talking about Muhammad Hassan's controversial mission to become the world champion. At the Great American Bash, Muhammad Hassan said that if he did not defeat the Undertaker and become the number one contender, that he would never again appear on SmackDown. We all saw what happened at the Great American Bash. Mr. Hassan is a beaten man - physically and emotionally, with all of his injuries. Now, Mr. Hassan, if you're thinking about coming back to SmackDown...we don't want you, playa. You can go to RAW, or you could go anywhere else on this planet, but as far as I'm concerned, you can go to hell!"

[Malcolm]

Bret "The Hitman" Hart was recently interviewed on a pro wrestling radio show. Here are some highlights from that interview:

-Talks briefly about the NWA Legends Fanfest as well as Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, and Harley Race. Others involved in the Legends convention.

-Said he missed certain things about the business. He wishes he could still wrestle so he could have matches with people like Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, and more stuff with Chris Benoit. He said he doesn't, however, miss being dropped on his head, hotel rooms, rental cars, or a flight to catch everyday. He simply misses being inside the ring and performing in front of a crowd, a place he felt at home.

-He mentioned that he does not follow the current WWE product. He said he'd rather put tapes in and watch old matches for his wrestling fix. He said today's in-ring style is all about high-spots and random series of moves practiced before hand, getting away from what pro wrestling used to be completely.

-Said he wishes WWE kept their characters more legitimate, using the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin persona as an example of a good one. He claims today's characters aren't believable, and that WWE should go more the reality route instead of the soap opera with bad acting like they've been doing.

-When asked if he would accept an on-air role, for either WWE or TNA, he said the usual "never say never."

-He likes the spunk of TNA trying to be the counter-product of WWE, and feels the business thrives off competition. He said as far as negotiations to work with TNA, talks have been left on the table. He is still waiting for the right opportunity and circumstances.

-Talked a bit about the bad state of tag-team wrestling these days, saying it's basically ignored by WWE anymore. He talks about The Road Warriors, British Bulldogs, Rockers, and Hart Foundation as examples of great old-school tag-team wrestling, and how it can be succesful.

-About officially burying the hatchet with WWE, he said he thinks it will be one day, but nothing specific indicates that. He was proud of his time in WWE and said his career shouldn't be summed up with the last few minutes in Montreal in 1997. He says the main thing that bothers him about WWE is the respect issue. He feels WWE exploits the Montreal incident as much as possible, instead of admitting some fault or bad judgement, and just finally putting it behind them.

-Said he'd be willing to be part of the WWE Hall of Fame, and that he still wants to produce a DVD of his best career matches and other pro wrestling moments. He's still working with WWE on a way to make that happen. And of course his book is still in the process of being written, with him saying anytime it comes time to talk about Montreal or his brother Owen, it's hard to put it down on paper in the right words.

[Malcolm]

Three new writers (that know not a thing about wrestling) have been hired to the WWE creative team recently. One of them, a female brought in from the Nickelodeon channel, asked JBL recently how they made the "fake blood" continue to look like it was flowing out of his head.

-- Chris Jericho is expected to be gone from the WWE within 6 weeks, with SummerSlam being his last show. Jericho has a multitude of gigs booked for his band, Fozzy, including a ten-day tour of the UK in October.

[D]

HHH praise

and I may have been right about my brand extension being over prediction.



www.prowrestling.com





One of the main reason's that Vince McMahon was so upset last night had to deal with Batista's work in the main event against JBL. Vince & WWE have had really high hopes that Batista would be able to carry the title and continue to draw fans, but they are now concerned about his in ring work. Batista's rough in-ring work didn't show up as much in his series of matches against Triple H, because Triple H was able to carry him so well, but last night it was obvious that Batista was having problems in his match with JBL.

-There are rumors that are circulating that due to the fact that there is so much uncertainity with UPN and the WWE that after their current contract runs out with UPN, the entire Smackdown! brand could be wiped away. Of course, there is still alot of time between now and the end of that contract, but there are definitely whispers of what could happen after the contract does run out.

[Malcolm]

Sources within World Wrestling Entertainment have confirmed that both Spanky and Jamie Noble (James Gibson on the independent scene) will be returning to the company. Noble was actually at WWE Headquarters Wednesday, likely discussing the terms of his return deal.

Both Spanky and Noble have worked with Ring Of Honor this year; some have actually referred to Noble as ROH's MVP of the first six months of 2005.

No terms of the deal or start date were available at press time. It is believed that both will be allowed to fulfill their independent dates before starting with WWE.


Why the hell couldnt they bring back Gangrel or Gail Kim or Jackie or someone good

[Hammy]

Sources within World Wrestling Entertainment have confirmed that both Spanky and Jamie Noble (James Gibson on the independent scene) will be returning to the company. Noble was actually at WWE Headquarters Wednesday, likely discussing the terms of his return deal.

Both Spanky and Noble have worked with Ring Of Honor this year; some have actually referred to Noble as ROH's MVP of the first six months of 2005.

No terms of the deal or start date were available at press time. It is believed that both will be allowed to fulfill their independent dates before starting with WWE.


Why the hell couldnt they bring back Gangrel or Gail Kim or Jackie or someone good

You're joking right? Gail Kim & Jackie blew tons of spots in their first matches and were very medicore and Gangrel is too dated now and was never that good in the ring.? Jamie Noble was a decent cruiserweight with a good technical ground style.? Spanky aka Brian Kendrick is excellent i am glad he is coming back he is one of the best cruiserweights in the business today, ROH is an excellent promotion where only the very best are praised.

[Rob]

That Bret Hard book is gonna be an extremely interesting read.  There's little doubt in my mind that he'll appear on WWE telivision in the not too distant future.  He appears willing to bury the hatchet somewhat with Vince if its done in the right way.  I'm not shocked at all to see Batista fall flat on his face.  I knew it would happen since before he won the title.  His title regin has been worse than Randy Orton's.  Orton's failed cause he just wasn't ready.  Batista's is failng cause he's not any good in the ring or on the mic.  He's all around terrible.  He has the look (I guess), but it takes way more than that to be the champ.  I expected (and hoped) for Cena's reign to be a failure too, but so far his has been far more successful.  I believe its due to the fact that Raw has more guys that can carry him through matches and make him look good.  Also his gimmick, although incredibly stupid and annoying in my opinion, is one that would appeal to the mainstream.  One more thing..the WWE seems to be trying to get the Cruiserweight division on the map.  They've hired many new experienced guys like the Mexicools and the rehiring of Noble and Spanky...yet the match for the Cruiserweight Title on Sunday didn't even make it to the PPV.  It was on Heat instead.  Smackdwon should really take advantage of the Cruiserweight division.  It could reall bring something to a brand that desperately needs some excitement to it.  If they could make it something like the X Division in TNA it would be great.

[Malcolm]

The following is from WWE.com:

Chris Jericho wants to set the record straight.

With various outside sources reporting that Jericho has yet to sign a contract extension with WWE, the former undisputed champion made sure to contact WWE.com and denounce those reports.

"I signed an extension on Monday in Cleveland at Gund Arena," Jericho said. "I've been working with WWE for six years and I'm not going anywhere."

Jericho, who didn't want to disclose specifics regarding the contract, signed a short-term extension this week and said a longer extension is likely still in the works. Jericho still has big plans for his band Fozzy, but doesn't expect his musical career to interfere with his job as a wrestler.

"Fozzy isn't a factor at all," Jericho said. "Things with the band are going great and WWE has been really positive with Fozzy. We have some great opportunities overseas with the band, but none of that is going to hinder my time with WWE."

"I'm still an employee of WWE," Jericho said. "My contract had expired but I'm back and looking toward the future."

[Hammy]

Raw Spoiler

Tatanka is scheduled to appear on RAW tonight (nice nostalga trip) looks like a one shot deal where he is gonna try and break The Masterlock and unfortunately fail

[Malcolm]

Vinces Big Announcment Was that Matt Hardy Signed a new contract and he is facing Edge and Summerslam

[Evolution]

Good to see Matt Hardy back, would have liked him to call out Vince on his firing however

[D]

shawn Micheals took it back to the DX days tonight

that skit he did on Hulk Hogan was some of the greatest on air shit in the WWE in 5 years.

hilarious and great!

[Evolution]

Well you know something D brotha. That skit duuude was sure funny stuff from my brotha HBK AHHH CRAMP

[D]

If I were Edge Id be scared to wrestle hardy

thats shit is too personal

Id be afraid he'd accidentally fuck up a high spot.

Edge is brave.

[Evolution]

i think we can expect some potato shots in that one

[Hammy]

Raw was quite good last night BROTHA!

I like Rob Conway's new gimmick now, it's quite humerous, since he looks like a cross between George Michael & Buff Bagwell but the dudes got mic skills and is fairly good in the ring.

Shawn Michaels promo was fucking hilarious last night.  Since he returned in 2002 i've been waiting for his old school heel like promo's.  What i like even more is the fact that he is speaking the truth in many ways, Hogan's politics were well known in the company, he refused to job to Bret Hart not believing he was ready for the big time and threatened to no-show Wrestlemania IX unless he was given the title, along with this and the Matt Hardy promo last night (which wasn't that good) and the new wwe.com the company seems to be going for a very new honest outlook with fans, telling it like it is in many occurances, and they are doing this since they know fans are more intelligent now, although they still insult our intelligence expecting us to believe Matt Hardy could really jump past security 3 weeks in a row, and like D said their match at Summerslam will not be safe for Edge if i was Hardy i would of re-signed with the company just so i could do the ultimate screw-job and take out Edge in-front of the world, once they're in that ring there is no stopping him.  Tatanka's appearance last night was not as enjoyable as i had hoped it would be, boy has that guy put on weight he is really out of shape.

[D]

I think Edge could win a street fight against Matt though, so Im positive Edge can take care of himself.

Someone on another forum tried to tell me Hulk Hogan was the greatest wrestler of all time

i was like Dude.. U have no clue

Shawn Micheals wrestles circles around HOgan and I pray Micheals wins.

Shawn to me is the greatest wrestler ever and Hogan has one match and if u see one u see them all.