http://wp.me/pgJLq-xD0 That first tag match really has to be a rib by someone. 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xD0 That first tag match really has to be a rib by someone. 

Hey Scott, Something has been rolling around in my head about the UFC's success, and I think that this weekend's main event exemplified it. I thought I'd send it your way and see if you and your readers agree. So, we all know by now that Jon Jones was never really in any trouble on Saturday night. The betting odds said as much going into the fight, the pundits all had Jones winning, and it was borne out in the fight. However, all of that aside, the UFC did a wonderful job getting people to think Rampage might be able to win, or at least wondering if he could. Rampage did some of that with his previously unseen commitment to training, Jones helps by still being a relative newcomer, but still, the UFC finds ways to turn a puncher's chance into real doubt. They did the same with Yushin Okami and Jake Shields, they'll find a way to do it with Carlos Condit (even though I don't see him beating GSP), and Brian Stann if he gets past Chael Sonnen, etc., etc. ...

Hey Scott, Something has been rolling around in my head about the UFC's success, and I think that this weekend's main event exemplified it. I thought I'd send it your way and see if you and your readers agree. So, we all know by now that Jon Jones was never really in any trouble on Saturday night. The betting odds said as much going into the fight, the pundits all had Jones winning, and it was borne out in the fight. However, all of that aside, the UFC did a wonderful job getting people to think Rampage might be able to win, or at least wondering if he could. Rampage did some of that with his previously unseen commitment to training, Jones helps by still being a relative newcomer, but still, the UFC finds ways to turn a puncher's chance into real doubt. They did the same with Yushin Okami and Jake Shields, they'll find a way to do it with Carlos Condit (even though I don't see him beating GSP), and Brian Stann if he gets past Chael Sonnen, etc., etc. ...

Scott, Long time reader and fan of yours here. I was wondering if by chance you could plug my charity event I’m doing? It’s called Extra Life. I’m going to be playing video games for 24 hours straight on October 15 th , 2011. All donations and money are going to the Children’s Hospital in Richmond, VA. My brother was born 30 years ago with a cleft lip. The Children’s Hospital performed surgery on him as a baby and today you would have no idea that he ever had it. They helped our family in lots of ways and I see this as a way to give back to them. This will be my third year participating in Extra Life. It is a lot of hard work. You might think playing video games for 24 hours straight would be fun, but it can wear on you after a while. I’ve seen your willingness to help others out, so I hope you can share this with everyone on your blog. The link to my fundraising page is http://www.extra-life.org/participant/kingofkeith and I will be broadcasting it live starting at ...

Scott, Long time reader and fan of yours here. I was wondering if by chance you could plug my charity event I’m doing? It’s called Extra Life. I’m going to be playing video games for 24 hours straight on October 15 th , 2011. All donations and money are going to the Children’s Hospital in Richmond, VA. My brother was born 30 years ago with a cleft lip. The Children’s Hospital performed surgery on him as a baby and today you would have no idea that he ever had it. They helped our family in lots of ways and I see this as a way to give back to them. This will be my third year participating in Extra Life. It is a lot of hard work. You might think playing video games for 24 hours straight would be fun, but it can wear on you after a while. I’ve seen your willingness to help others out, so I hope you can share this with everyone on your blog. The link to my fundraising page is http://www.extra-life.org/participant/kingofkeith and I will be broadcasting it live starting at ...

After last week’s lackluster offerings, I was surprised and delighted that there was some really high-quality stuff this time.  Especially because it was stuff I was really looking forward to.

After last week’s lackluster offerings, I was surprised and delighted that there was some really high-quality stuff this time.  Especially because it was stuff I was really looking forward to.

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/28/wednesday-morning-backlash-daniel-bryan-money-in-the-bank-and-wwe-wrestlemania-28/ I think Aaron is nuts if he thinks Bryan actually gets to wrestle at WM, let alone challenge for the World title.  Bryan turns heel and loses the briefcase to a babyface within the next month or two, I’m betting.  Their flirtation with caring about him as anything but an enhancement guy is long past. 

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/28/wednesday-morning-backlash-daniel-bryan-money-in-the-bank-and-wwe-wrestlemania-28/ I think Aaron is nuts if he thinks Bryan actually gets to wrestle at WM, let alone challenge for the World title.  Bryan turns heel and loses the briefcase to a babyface within the next month or two, I’m betting.  Their flirtation with caring about him as anything but an enhancement guy is long past. 

Hey Scott, I was doing some reading, and I noticed that a cavalcade of legends including Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle and John Cena (he's a legend) have all praised Orton's skill in the ring, calling him the best wrestler in WWE and all this other stuff.  I know that part of it has to be WWE building up Randy Orton as a legend, but some of these comments are made by guys outside of the company.  So it's more than just politics. Okay, I don't want to bash Randy Orton, but this needs to be said.  Randy Orton isn't that good.  Mildly above average, maybe.  But he's never elevated a crappy wrestler to a good match.  So what about Orton makes all these guys praise him?  Is it his "crispness" and "cleanness" that marks him as a safe wrestler?  Cause after the Rhodes incident, that can't be the case.  I just don't get why such a boring wrestler is praised as an in-ring genius....

Hey Scott, I was doing some reading, and I noticed that a cavalcade of legends including Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle and John Cena (he's a legend) have all praised Orton's skill in the ring, calling him the best wrestler in WWE and all this other stuff.  I know that part of it has to be WWE building up Randy Orton as a legend, but some of these comments are made by guys outside of the company.  So it's more than just politics. Okay, I don't want to bash Randy Orton, but this needs to be said.  Randy Orton isn't that good.  Mildly above average, maybe.  But he's never elevated a crappy wrestler to a good match.  So what about Orton makes all these guys praise him?  Is it his "crispness" and "cleanness" that marks him as a safe wrestler?  Cause after the Rhodes incident, that can't be the case.  I just don't get why such a boring wrestler is praised as an in-ring genius....

Oh, forgot to add to the RAW rant:  The buyrate for Summerslam is in, and people are gonna be out on the street as a result.  300K worldwide, which is down from 350 the year before.  That’s about 175 domestic, or in other words PPV is dying fast for the company and they either need to do something wacky like remember how to sell the product, or else they need a huge new revenue stream to replace it.  I would not want to be around Vince right now, I’ll say that much. 

Oh, forgot to add to the RAW rant:  The buyrate for Summerslam is in, and people are gonna be out on the street as a result.  300K worldwide, which is down from 350 the year before.  That’s about 175 domestic, or in other words PPV is dying fast for the company and they either need to do something wacky like remember how to sell the product, or else they need a huge new revenue stream to replace it.  I would not want to be around Vince right now, I’ll say that much. 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xA6 Notice how we’re a few weeks into the SUPERSHOW era and now the Smackdown guys are just a bunch of random geeks like everyone else on the show?  Suffice it to say, I will not be wasting money on this PPV.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xA6 Notice how we’re a few weeks into the SUPERSHOW era and now the Smackdown guys are just a bunch of random geeks like everyone else on the show?  Suffice it to say, I will not be wasting money on this PPV.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xyV The Best of Fall Brawl!  What, no Warrior match? 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xyV The Best of Fall Brawl!  What, no Warrior match? 

Hey Scott, I was just wondering if you've checked out Boardwalk Empire . I'll admit that it took me awhile (and HBO OnDemand) to get hooked, but it's a pretty decent spiritual successor to The Sopranos . I'm still not 100% sold on Steve Buscemi as the lead, but everything else is top-notch. Just wondering about your thoughts (if any) and anyone else on the blog who happens to be a fan. Although I enjoyed the violence and sex, and I’m generally a gangster movie aficionado, I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters and dropped out after the fifth episode.  It just didn’t feel like anything was happening to me.  Really, the only thing I was watching on HBO lately was True Blood. 

Hey Scott, I was just wondering if you've checked out Boardwalk Empire . I'll admit that it took me awhile (and HBO OnDemand) to get hooked, but it's a pretty decent spiritual successor to The Sopranos . I'm still not 100% sold on Steve Buscemi as the lead, but everything else is top-notch. Just wondering about your thoughts (if any) and anyone else on the blog who happens to be a fan. Although I enjoyed the violence and sex, and I’m generally a gangster movie aficionado, I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters and dropped out after the fifth episode.  It just didn’t feel like anything was happening to me.  Really, the only thing I was watching on HBO lately was True Blood. 

Hello Scott, Long time fan, bought all your book.... sorry for my bad english but i'm french. everybody like your new Impact wrestling rant and the fact that we find again your unique writing style. I wanted to know what is your favorite writing year since you write on the internet ? I really really like your rants on 2002 and 2003, That why Wrestling's one ring circus is my favorite of the four book. What year do you feel your writing was the best or in what year did you take the most fun of writing ? 1998 for sure.  Thunder was a terrible show, but it just gave me endless material to work with.  Plus it gave me my biggest audience ever with Wrestleline.  When I branched out into doing RAW for my own sites, it was the thick of the Austin era and so there was always stuff to talk about there too.

Hello Scott, Long time fan, bought all your book.... sorry for my bad english but i'm french. everybody like your new Impact wrestling rant and the fact that we find again your unique writing style. I wanted to know what is your favorite writing year since you write on the internet ? I really really like your rants on 2002 and 2003, That why Wrestling's one ring circus is my favorite of the four book. What year do you feel your writing was the best or in what year did you take the most fun of writing ? 1998 for sure.  Thunder was a terrible show, but it just gave me endless material to work with.  Plus it gave me my biggest audience ever with Wrestleline.  When I branched out into doing RAW for my own sites, it was the thick of the Austin era and so there was always stuff to talk about there too.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xyd Tattooing is supposed to be a sacred institution, only exploited for bachelor parties, MMA fighters and reality shows.  This is just DIRTY.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xyd Tattooing is supposed to be a sacred institution, only exploited for bachelor parties, MMA fighters and reality shows.  This is just DIRTY.

From today’s Observer news update: WWE sent out a survey question yesterday that was pretty mind-boggling: Imagine a 24-hour cable network that was run by The WWE. It featured a mix of WWE-made programs, including new shows, repeats of Raw and SmackDown from USA and Syfy and "classic" or "historical" programs featuring shows from different promotions like classic WWE footage, WCW, ECW, NWA, AWA, etc. from years past. It would have two new weekly WWE live in-ring shows (wrestling), but not SmackDown or Raw. It would have a daily live in-studio viewer interactive show similar to SportsCenter. Additionally, this network would include WWE's "classic big 4" pay-per-view events including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble to the lineup at no additional cost. Rather than having to pay for them, they would now be specials with the same match quality you're used to seeing on pay-per-view for no additional cost. These 4 events wo...

From today’s Observer news update: WWE sent out a survey question yesterday that was pretty mind-boggling: Imagine a 24-hour cable network that was run by The WWE. It featured a mix of WWE-made programs, including new shows, repeats of Raw and SmackDown from USA and Syfy and "classic" or "historical" programs featuring shows from different promotions like classic WWE footage, WCW, ECW, NWA, AWA, etc. from years past. It would have two new weekly WWE live in-ring shows (wrestling), but not SmackDown or Raw. It would have a daily live in-studio viewer interactive show similar to SportsCenter. Additionally, this network would include WWE's "classic big 4" pay-per-view events including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble to the lineup at no additional cost. Rather than having to pay for them, they would now be specials with the same match quality you're used to seeing on pay-per-view for no additional cost. These 4 events wo...

Sting and Ric Flair had what could charitably be called a match on the last Impact show.  To my knowledge, they are the only two guys to wrestle each other in a major promotion (if the AWA in it's death throws was still a "major organization", then TNA deserves that title too!) in four different decades.  Does it deserve to be known as the greatest wrestling feud of all time? Ninja please.  There’s been far more epic and fruitful long-term feuds in wrestling over the years.  Such as: - Paul Heyman v. His Creditors - Vince McMahon v. Sanity - Kevin Nash v. Grey Hair - HHH v. that cart on Monday OK, that’s all my joke answers for now.  Anyway, the Sting-Flair feud was pretty great up until 2001.  Actually I think about the 1995 Flair turn way too much, because I hated it so much back then but it was kind of secretly brilliant.  I think that Hogan v. Flair is another contender because they were mostly in...

Sting and Ric Flair had what could charitably be called a match on the last Impact show.  To my knowledge, they are the only two guys to wrestle each other in a major promotion (if the AWA in it's death throws was still a "major organization", then TNA deserves that title too!) in four different decades.  Does it deserve to be known as the greatest wrestling feud of all time? Ninja please.  There’s been far more epic and fruitful long-term feuds in wrestling over the years.  Such as: - Paul Heyman v. His Creditors - Vince McMahon v. Sanity - Kevin Nash v. Grey Hair - HHH v. that cart on Monday OK, that’s all my joke answers for now.  Anyway, the Sting-Flair feud was pretty great up until 2001.  Actually I think about the 1995 Flair turn way too much, because I hated it so much back then but it was kind of secretly brilliant.  I think that Hogan v. Flair is another contender because they were mostly in...

Hey dude, I've been reading your stuff since the smarks.com days.  Glad you're doing some reviewing again. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading your NoC review.  Despite being a fan of your writing, I'm not a huge fan of move-by-move reviews.  A few sentences to describe the match and major spots are all I really need. That's all and do with this information what you will.  Keep up the good work. I tried that approach on a full-time basis with RAW back in 2006 before I gave up for good, but I found that I drifted back to doing play-by-play once I got a netbook and could do reviews on the fly again.   I honestly don’t care about PBP, but the impression I always got was that people wanted it.  So what does everyone else think?  Short-form reviews that I can post quicker, or the long-form ones that generally take me longer to crank out?  Not as short-form as the disaster that was the Ricky Steamboat DVD review, but I real...

Hey dude, I've been reading your stuff since the smarks.com days.  Glad you're doing some reviewing again. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading your NoC review.  Despite being a fan of your writing, I'm not a huge fan of move-by-move reviews.  A few sentences to describe the match and major spots are all I really need. That's all and do with this information what you will.  Keep up the good work. I tried that approach on a full-time basis with RAW back in 2006 before I gave up for good, but I found that I drifted back to doing play-by-play once I got a netbook and could do reviews on the fly again.   I honestly don’t care about PBP, but the impression I always got was that people wanted it.  So what does everyone else think?  Short-form reviews that I can post quicker, or the long-form ones that generally take me longer to crank out?  Not as short-form as the disaster that was the Ricky Steamboat DVD review, but I real...

And what a mixed bag this week was.  Lots of Bat content, not much good content.

And what a mixed bag this week was.  Lots of Bat content, not much good content.

So I'm watching 96/97-era Raw and it's amazing the slow build they gave Austin around this era from the moment he got over at the King of the Ring. Austin was still involved in curtain-jerkers or left off pay-per-views completely and even in his main event feud with Bret, Bret seemed to have the advantage over him every time, even in brawls. Hart beat Austin at the Survivor Series, seemed to pummel him in the random brawls they had on various Raws, eliminated him legally in the Royal Rumble and beat him to a bloody pulp at WrestleMania 13, yet Austin remained strong, possibly due to his vastly superior mic work, I guess. The only times Austin got the better of Hart was a win by disqualification and the street fight Raw... it's amazing he didn't lose any heat because of it. Also shocking how Austin didn't even earn any championship gold until about a year later as a throwaway tag champion with Shawn Michaels. Nowadays, if people get even remotely over, they...

So I'm watching 96/97-era Raw and it's amazing the slow build they gave Austin around this era from the moment he got over at the King of the Ring. Austin was still involved in curtain-jerkers or left off pay-per-views completely and even in his main event feud with Bret, Bret seemed to have the advantage over him every time, even in brawls. Hart beat Austin at the Survivor Series, seemed to pummel him in the random brawls they had on various Raws, eliminated him legally in the Royal Rumble and beat him to a bloody pulp at WrestleMania 13, yet Austin remained strong, possibly due to his vastly superior mic work, I guess. The only times Austin got the better of Hart was a win by disqualification and the street fight Raw... it's amazing he didn't lose any heat because of it. Also shocking how Austin didn't even earn any championship gold until about a year later as a throwaway tag champion with Shawn Michaels. Nowadays, if people get even remotely over, they...

Scott, In light of Triple H's comments that UFC is not evolving enough, I went back and looked at how many times the always cutting-edge WWE has had John Cena or Randy Orton main event a pay-per-view. I went back to 2005 when Cena was "drafted" to Raw. Here is the complete list. I believe I counted 51, assuming Cena-ADR main events Night of Champions. It's my rough guess that there have been 76 PPVs since June 2005, meaning the hip, fresh and always unpredictable WWE has had Cena or Orton in 2/3 of the main events. In all fairness, some of them had Cena AND Orton. 

Scott, In light of Triple H's comments that UFC is not evolving enough, I went back and looked at how many times the always cutting-edge WWE has had John Cena or Randy Orton main event a pay-per-view. I went back to 2005 when Cena was "drafted" to Raw. Here is the complete list. I believe I counted 51, assuming Cena-ADR main events Night of Champions. It's my rough guess that there have been 76 PPVs since June 2005, meaning the hip, fresh and always unpredictable WWE has had Cena or Orton in 2/3 of the main events. In all fairness, some of them had Cena AND Orton. 

was wondering if you had any thoughts on the 30-min fcw match between seth rollins and dean ambrose... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRm-2loMupM Good match, although I’m not a huge fan of DQs in Iron Man matches in general.  Seth Rollins is such a dumb wrestling name, although at least it’s his real one so you can’t blame it on WWE creative.  I think he’s gonna be a big star, although I bet they make him shave his beard off and cut his hair so that no one recognizes him and he loses any star reaction he might get from ROH fans. 

was wondering if you had any thoughts on the 30-min fcw match between seth rollins and dean ambrose... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRm-2loMupM Good match, although I’m not a huge fan of DQs in Iron Man matches in general.  Seth Rollins is such a dumb wrestling name, although at least it’s his real one so you can’t blame it on WWE creative.  I think he’s gonna be a big star, although I bet they make him shave his beard off and cut his hair so that no one recognizes him and he loses any star reaction he might get from ROH fans. 

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/22244-hardy-faces-multiple-drug-charges-after-raid Sadly, when I read the headline, I couldn’t even wager a guess as to which Hardy brother got raided for drugs.  Somehow I don’t see Matt escaping as unscathed as Jeff did. 

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/22244-hardy-faces-multiple-drug-charges-after-raid Sadly, when I read the headline, I couldn’t even wager a guess as to which Hardy brother got raided for drugs.  Somehow I don’t see Matt escaping as unscathed as Jeff did. 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xww MARK F’N HENRY.  Nuff said.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xww MARK F’N HENRY.  Nuff said.

http://the-w.com/t/44267.2#470197 Just wanted to highlight this post on CRZs board because it sums up perfectly why all us disgruntled fans are probably gonna give up on them again.

http://the-w.com/t/44267.2#470197 Just wanted to highlight this post on CRZs board because it sums up perfectly why all us disgruntled fans are probably gonna give up on them again.

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/19/the-smark-rant-for-wwe-night-of-champions-2011/ Anyone expecting anything other than Super Cena beating whatever his name was got what they deserved, frankly. 

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/19/the-smark-rant-for-wwe-night-of-champions-2011/ Anyone expecting anything other than Super Cena beating whatever his name was got what they deserved, frankly. 

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/17/rasslin-roundtable-night-of-champions/comment-page-1/#comment-64204 I figured I was going to be checking out this PPV at the theatre on Sunday anyway, so I might as well throw my hat into the picks game. 

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/17/rasslin-roundtable-night-of-champions/comment-page-1/#comment-64204 I figured I was going to be checking out this PPV at the theatre on Sunday anyway, so I might as well throw my hat into the picks game. 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xuG Champion v. Champion matches.  And no, Hulk v. Warrior is not one of them. 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xuG Champion v. Champion matches.  And no, Hulk v. Warrior is not one of them. 

Hey Scott, do you plan on reviewing any more of the New 52? I'd be interested to get your take on the new Superboy series and the debuting Red Lantern series. But of course.  I’ve been working through the latest pile and I’ll see how many I want to keep on.  From what I’ve read so far this week: - Superboy #1.  I’ve always liked Connor Kent, and I’ve followed him since the Death of Superman stuff (whatever happened to Tom Grummett anyway?  His artwork on Superboy and Robin was wonderfully clean and fun), and even after the radical change in character where he went to shirt and jeans.  This also is a fun Superboy book, with a lab-bred Superboy growing up in a virtual Smallville clone and having an internal monologue with himself.  I have no idea how this relates to the original character, but it’s a great jumping-on point and it’ll stay on my pull list.  - Batwoman #1.  LOVED IT.  Not sure that we need both a Batgirl and a Batwoman...

Hey Scott, do you plan on reviewing any more of the New 52? I'd be interested to get your take on the new Superboy series and the debuting Red Lantern series. But of course.  I’ve been working through the latest pile and I’ll see how many I want to keep on.  From what I’ve read so far this week: - Superboy #1.  I’ve always liked Connor Kent, and I’ve followed him since the Death of Superman stuff (whatever happened to Tom Grummett anyway?  His artwork on Superboy and Robin was wonderfully clean and fun), and even after the radical change in character where he went to shirt and jeans.  This also is a fun Superboy book, with a lab-bred Superboy growing up in a virtual Smallville clone and having an internal monologue with himself.  I have no idea how this relates to the original character, but it’s a great jumping-on point and it’ll stay on my pull list.  - Batwoman #1.  LOVED IT.  Not sure that we need both a Batgirl and a Batwoman...

Hello Scott, Longtime fan who’s read practically everything you’ve ever written (including World Hero Federation). I’ve followed you via Rantsylvania, Wrestleline, 411, Inside Pulse, et al. Heck, I even got a sign with your name on it on TV for like 30 seconds at a RAW taping. I’m a writer myself and also a lifelong Star Wars fan (as I know you are as well). I was hoping you could give a plug for a blog I wrote recently for on the worst changes that George Lucas has ever made to the original trilogy, and there have been plenty. The list includes Darth Vader’s new “Nooo!” from the Blu-Ray edition that came out this week. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2011/09/seven_changes_to_the_star_wars.php Plus, it would be awesome to see something that I wrote mentioned on a blog that I check daily. Thanks man. I want that Blu-Ray so bad and yet hate it so much.  It’s a complex relationship I have with George Lucas.  Although I got to watch Episode IV ...

Hello Scott, Longtime fan who’s read practically everything you’ve ever written (including World Hero Federation). I’ve followed you via Rantsylvania, Wrestleline, 411, Inside Pulse, et al. Heck, I even got a sign with your name on it on TV for like 30 seconds at a RAW taping. I’m a writer myself and also a lifelong Star Wars fan (as I know you are as well). I was hoping you could give a plug for a blog I wrote recently for on the worst changes that George Lucas has ever made to the original trilogy, and there have been plenty. The list includes Darth Vader’s new “Nooo!” from the Blu-Ray edition that came out this week. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2011/09/seven_changes_to_the_star_wars.php Plus, it would be awesome to see something that I wrote mentioned on a blog that I check daily. Thanks man. I want that Blu-Ray so bad and yet hate it so much.  It’s a complex relationship I have with George Lucas.  Although I got to watch Episode IV ...

@CrankyVince.  Just fucking follow him already.  FUCK.

@CrankyVince.  Just fucking follow him already.  FUCK.

Hello Mr.  Keith.  After watching the Story of Wrestlemania Doc and the UT/Micheals match came up, I can't remember such a memorable near fall as when Micheals kicked out of the tombstone.  That was one of the most heart stopping moments in my wrestling fandom, so i got 2 questions for you. 1.  What are your favorite near-falls of all time? 2.  What is your favorite series of near falls in a match? That’s a strangely specific query. Definitely that tombstone spot is right up there.  The legendary series of near-falls in the Steamboat-Savage match is burned into my memory as well.  Honestly I don’t really recall specific near-falls otherwise. 

Hello Mr.  Keith.  After watching the Story of Wrestlemania Doc and the UT/Micheals match came up, I can't remember such a memorable near fall as when Micheals kicked out of the tombstone.  That was one of the most heart stopping moments in my wrestling fandom, so i got 2 questions for you. 1.  What are your favorite near-falls of all time? 2.  What is your favorite series of near falls in a match? That’s a strangely specific query. Definitely that tombstone spot is right up there.  The legendary series of near-falls in the Steamboat-Savage match is burned into my memory as well.  Honestly I don’t really recall specific near-falls otherwise. 

Scott, Do you think the WWE will make a Sting DVD? It seems like such an obvious thing and yet 10 years after acquiring the WCW archives they've yet to produce one. Are they waiting for Sting's involvement? Clearly there must be some modicum of respect there; for them to not just go ahead and do it without him. Or maybe they think it'll sell better with his input? What should be on *the* Sting DVD? I think it has to do with not wanting to pay him royalties without having him under a Legends contract, but really it’s hard to do a compelling DVD about someone without any demons.  It’d be a pretty easy DVD to compile, as you’d have his different phases to divide the discs.  For The Early Years, you’d have to have the Flair draw from Clash I, Sting winning the TV title from Mike Rotundo, the Sting & Luger Crockett Cup win, Sting v. Muta from Bash 89, Sting winning the World title from Flair, Sting & Luger v. The Steiners, winning the World title from...

Scott, Do you think the WWE will make a Sting DVD? It seems like such an obvious thing and yet 10 years after acquiring the WCW archives they've yet to produce one. Are they waiting for Sting's involvement? Clearly there must be some modicum of respect there; for them to not just go ahead and do it without him. Or maybe they think it'll sell better with his input? What should be on *the* Sting DVD? I think it has to do with not wanting to pay him royalties without having him under a Legends contract, but really it’s hard to do a compelling DVD about someone without any demons.  It’d be a pretty easy DVD to compile, as you’d have his different phases to divide the discs.  For The Early Years, you’d have to have the Flair draw from Clash I, Sting winning the TV title from Mike Rotundo, the Sting & Luger Crockett Cup win, Sting v. Muta from Bash 89, Sting winning the World title from Flair, Sting & Luger v. The Steiners, winning the World title from...

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/15/inside-pulse-exclusive-with-wwe-legend-shawn-michaels/

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/15/inside-pulse-exclusive-with-wwe-legend-shawn-michaels/

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/22151-matt-hardy-arrested But he's fine.  Just ask him.

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/22151-matt-hardy-arrested But he's fine.  Just ask him.

   Hey Scott,      Two part question, both involving Brutus the Barber Beefcake. Back in 88 he was gaining momentum as a face and was pretty much scheduled to win the IC title from the Honky Tonk man at Summer Slam. As we know he was pulled out , replaced with the Warrior and history was made. Was this just a case of wanting to put the title on Warrior instead or were there other factors at work.    Two in 1990, before the accident there was no question that he was going to win the title from Mr Perfect. My question is, what were the plans for him after that? The most obvious would be that he became yet another one of Hogan's "best friends" to turn on him but he was so over as a face at that point that the was no sense in killing the momentum. He was never scheduled to win the title in 88.  He was always just the guy to give Honky someone to beat without wasting any of the real stars.  It was all, as the kids say...

   Hey Scott,      Two part question, both involving Brutus the Barber Beefcake. Back in 88 he was gaining momentum as a face and was pretty much scheduled to win the IC title from the Honky Tonk man at Summer Slam. As we know he was pulled out , replaced with the Warrior and history was made. Was this just a case of wanting to put the title on Warrior instead or were there other factors at work.    Two in 1990, before the accident there was no question that he was going to win the title from Mr Perfect. My question is, what were the plans for him after that? The most obvious would be that he became yet another one of Hogan's "best friends" to turn on him but he was so over as a face at that point that the was no sense in killing the momentum. He was never scheduled to win the title in 88.  He was always just the guy to give Honky someone to beat without wasting any of the real stars.  It was all, as the kids say...

Hey Scott,     So since you've plugged every project I've started over the years, and the plugs you post these days are about as random and obscure as they get, I was hoping you'd give some attention to my new Burger Blog.  A buddy and I are risking our health by eating a burger a week, every week, to find out who makes the best burger but more importantly, what a perfect burger is really made of.  We're at: http://www.burgerweekly.com http://www.facebook.com/burgerweekly http://www.twitter.com/burgerweekly Thanks! And it's nice to see you reviewing wrestling so consistently again. I thought I had already plugged this project, but I’m always up for people risking their own health for others’ amusement.

Hey Scott,     So since you've plugged every project I've started over the years, and the plugs you post these days are about as random and obscure as they get, I was hoping you'd give some attention to my new Burger Blog.  A buddy and I are risking our health by eating a burger a week, every week, to find out who makes the best burger but more importantly, what a perfect burger is really made of.  We're at: http://www.burgerweekly.com http://www.facebook.com/burgerweekly http://www.twitter.com/burgerweekly Thanks! And it's nice to see you reviewing wrestling so consistently again. I thought I had already plugged this project, but I’m always up for people risking their own health for others’ amusement.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xrZ The last interview was so boring that I had take a day off and try to figure out what the fuck they were trying to say.

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xrZ The last interview was so boring that I had take a day off and try to figure out what the fuck they were trying to say.

Scott, It's 1998 in WCW...If you had to choose one, re: Goldberg's streak: 1. End it before he gets the title--Someone beats him, he regroups to decimate the nWo, and claims his first World Title. 2. End it via screwjob, build to rematch mercy-killing--something like the Nash loss, but with a satisfying blowoff victory in the rematch. 3. End it clean--ala Hogan-Warrior, building another star in the process. Either an established guy like Sting or a new star-in-waiting ends his streak. 4. The Bobby Heenan Plan--have him NEVER lose. Was there a 'right' way to go about things, or did they just book themselves into a corner with Goldberg's streak and title reign? If they limited his wrestling appearances to PPV main events, he never needed to lose.  The money wasn’t in finding someone who could beat him, it was in people paying to watch him destroy people.  Had they kept legitimate numbers for the streak and not overexposed him, they c...

Scott, It's 1998 in WCW...If you had to choose one, re: Goldberg's streak: 1. End it before he gets the title--Someone beats him, he regroups to decimate the nWo, and claims his first World Title. 2. End it via screwjob, build to rematch mercy-killing--something like the Nash loss, but with a satisfying blowoff victory in the rematch. 3. End it clean--ala Hogan-Warrior, building another star in the process. Either an established guy like Sting or a new star-in-waiting ends his streak. 4. The Bobby Heenan Plan--have him NEVER lose. Was there a 'right' way to go about things, or did they just book themselves into a corner with Goldberg's streak and title reign? If they limited his wrestling appearances to PPV main events, he never needed to lose.  The money wasn’t in finding someone who could beat him, it was in people paying to watch him destroy people.  Had they kept legitimate numbers for the streak and not overexposed him, they c...

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xqk Getting close to the end now, and it shows. 

http://wp.me/pgJLq-xqk Getting close to the end now, and it shows. 

Hey Scott, long time reader (since Rantsylvania) though it was the King Lear rant that truly won me over. If there's one thing I have learned through the years, it's that you hate Gedo and will plug anything. Well, I have a plug for you: My website, 360voice.com , is running a big achievement challenge for Gears of War 3 which can be found here: http://360voice.gamerdna.com/gears . Essentially you get a group of 40 guys together, and compete to score the most Gamerscore in one month. The prize pool is $10,000. No really, $10,000. You can also get a prize share by simply referring people to the event. So there you a go, a plug with absolutely nothing to do about wrestling but would still be awesome to see on the only wrestling blog I ever bother going to anymore. Glad to see you reviewing shows again! I don’t hate Gedo anymore.  Stop living in the past, man.  1996 was a long time ago. 

Hey Scott, long time reader (since Rantsylvania) though it was the King Lear rant that truly won me over. If there's one thing I have learned through the years, it's that you hate Gedo and will plug anything. Well, I have a plug for you: My website, 360voice.com , is running a big achievement challenge for Gears of War 3 which can be found here: http://360voice.gamerdna.com/gears . Essentially you get a group of 40 guys together, and compete to score the most Gamerscore in one month. The prize pool is $10,000. No really, $10,000. You can also get a prize share by simply referring people to the event. So there you a go, a plug with absolutely nothing to do about wrestling but would still be awesome to see on the only wrestling blog I ever bother going to anymore. Glad to see you reviewing shows again! I don’t hate Gedo anymore.  Stop living in the past, man.  1996 was a long time ago. 

Hey Scott, I was wondering if any of the following matches had happened, if you knew where to find them, and if they were good enough to warrant hunting down:  1) Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart, ideally somewhere in the mid 90s while they were both reasonably close to the top of their game (i.e., pre WCW)? They had a pretty famous match on Saturday Night’s Main Event in the fall of 1987 where Savage was at the very tippy top of his game, and it’s considered one of Savage’s greatest matches and the match that directly led to Bret getting a singles push.  So yes, definitely worth checking it out.  Pretty sure it’s on the Best of SNME DVD set.  2) Roddy Piper vs. Jake Roberts, before Jake completely lost his shit? Dude, that would have been such a car wreck in WWF.  Wouldn’t have worked at all.  However, they met a bunch of times in Georgia, although I don’t recall any standouts.  3) Rick Rude vs. Curt Hennig (before Hennig's inju...

Hey Scott, I was wondering if any of the following matches had happened, if you knew where to find them, and if they were good enough to warrant hunting down:  1) Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart, ideally somewhere in the mid 90s while they were both reasonably close to the top of their game (i.e., pre WCW)? They had a pretty famous match on Saturday Night’s Main Event in the fall of 1987 where Savage was at the very tippy top of his game, and it’s considered one of Savage’s greatest matches and the match that directly led to Bret getting a singles push.  So yes, definitely worth checking it out.  Pretty sure it’s on the Best of SNME DVD set.  2) Roddy Piper vs. Jake Roberts, before Jake completely lost his shit? Dude, that would have been such a car wreck in WWF.  Wouldn’t have worked at all.  However, they met a bunch of times in Georgia, although I don’t recall any standouts.  3) Rick Rude vs. Curt Hennig (before Hennig's inju...

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/11/the-smark-rant-for-wwe-vintage-collection-09-09-11/ Mr. Perfect v. Rowdy Roddy Piper!!!

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/09/11/the-smark-rant-for-wwe-vintage-collection-09-09-11/ Mr. Perfect v. Rowdy Roddy Piper!!!

Hi Scott, Hope all is well. I've got a question for your blog, which relates to the role of giants (or just big dudes) in wrestling. Personally, I love the often-used angle where a big guy is presented as an invincible killer and built up for the top babyface for a huge payoff. Kane is my personal favourite in 1998 when he was unstoppable until he met up with Taker and Austin. However, my big problem is how these giants are employed after their first angle. Granted, very few are great wrestlers but it's just weird how WWE does it now, where a killer will have his big angle...then dropped down to punching-bag status...only to be built up again every few months as a killer once more. Kane, Big Show, Khali and now Mark Henry are prime examples of this although Henry doesn't bother me as much because his promos come across like he's a guy who's done messing around and wants the world title at any cost. His recent in-ring promo with Bret Hart where Bret asks ...

Hi Scott, Hope all is well. I've got a question for your blog, which relates to the role of giants (or just big dudes) in wrestling. Personally, I love the often-used angle where a big guy is presented as an invincible killer and built up for the top babyface for a huge payoff. Kane is my personal favourite in 1998 when he was unstoppable until he met up with Taker and Austin. However, my big problem is how these giants are employed after their first angle. Granted, very few are great wrestlers but it's just weird how WWE does it now, where a killer will have his big angle...then dropped down to punching-bag status...only to be built up again every few months as a killer once more. Kane, Big Show, Khali and now Mark Henry are prime examples of this although Henry doesn't bother me as much because his promos come across like he's a guy who's done messing around and wants the world title at any cost. His recent in-ring promo with Bret Hart where Bret asks ...

Scott - This subject has been discussed from time to time on the blog, but I'd like to get your take on it: how exactly did this whole "anti-smark" mentality that is currently infiltrating the internet come about? Do you think it's a psychological reaction to the Benoit tragedy, or is there another cause? I've been around the so-called "IWC" for quite some time now (fifteen years), and even though there were always been those who questioned Meltzer's journalistic credibility or had differing opinions about what makes for a good match, I've never seen this kind of vehemence, disdain and outright hostility towards certain targets until the last few years or so. Is it just anonymity of the internet that makes people so emboldened and devoid of common decency and respect? And I don't think it's mere trolling, although there are those who fit into that category. Rather, it feels more like a wholesale rejection of anything that even remo...

Scott - This subject has been discussed from time to time on the blog, but I'd like to get your take on it: how exactly did this whole "anti-smark" mentality that is currently infiltrating the internet come about? Do you think it's a psychological reaction to the Benoit tragedy, or is there another cause? I've been around the so-called "IWC" for quite some time now (fifteen years), and even though there were always been those who questioned Meltzer's journalistic credibility or had differing opinions about what makes for a good match, I've never seen this kind of vehemence, disdain and outright hostility towards certain targets until the last few years or so. Is it just anonymity of the internet that makes people so emboldened and devoid of common decency and respect? And I don't think it's mere trolling, although there are those who fit into that category. Rather, it feels more like a wholesale rejection of anything that even remo...

I found what you wrote about Barry Windham not reaching his full potential during your WWF Vintage Collection review interesting.  Are there other examples of wrestler's not reaching their potential, for whatever reasons, you can think of?  Terry Taylor? Lex Luger? Vader? I don’t really know what more Vader could have done.  By the time he went to the WWF he was past his prime and it’s not like he was going to be the top guy there anyway. Terry Taylor is a different kettle of fish, because he was a great worker who got into a really bad car accident in the 80s and then suddenly became a mostly good worker instead.  So yeah, the Red Rooster thing destroyed any chance he had to get over on his own, but there was really a ceiling there anyway.  He wasn’t going to be a top guy. Luger, yes, definitely.  Should have been The Guy, but he got screwed over too many times and he just stopped caring.  Nikita Koloff is another one who should have jumpe...

I found what you wrote about Barry Windham not reaching his full potential during your WWF Vintage Collection review interesting.  Are there other examples of wrestler's not reaching their potential, for whatever reasons, you can think of?  Terry Taylor? Lex Luger? Vader? I don’t really know what more Vader could have done.  By the time he went to the WWF he was past his prime and it’s not like he was going to be the top guy there anyway. Terry Taylor is a different kettle of fish, because he was a great worker who got into a really bad car accident in the 80s and then suddenly became a mostly good worker instead.  So yeah, the Red Rooster thing destroyed any chance he had to get over on his own, but there was really a ceiling there anyway.  He wasn’t going to be a top guy. Luger, yes, definitely.  Should have been The Guy, but he got screwed over too many times and he just stopped caring.  Nikita Koloff is another one who should have jumpe...

Hey, Scott. Just wanted to pass along this interview with Jeff Katz (producer of Wrestling Revolution) conducted by Michael Spada and Jimmy Rivers of the Breaking Kayfabe podcast. A very interesting, intelligent discussion that answers pretty much any and all questions about the up-coming WR project. Highly recommended! http://breakingkayfabe.podbean.com/2011/09/09/interview-jeff-katz-wrestling-revolution-project/ Katz seems like a cool guy and I really like the idea of a wrestling promotion with a set end date for their storylines, because it makes it easier to craft actual stories with beginning, middle and end that way. 

Hey, Scott. Just wanted to pass along this interview with Jeff Katz (producer of Wrestling Revolution) conducted by Michael Spada and Jimmy Rivers of the Breaking Kayfabe podcast. A very interesting, intelligent discussion that answers pretty much any and all questions about the up-coming WR project. Highly recommended! http://breakingkayfabe.podbean.com/2011/09/09/interview-jeff-katz-wrestling-revolution-project/ Katz seems like a cool guy and I really like the idea of a wrestling promotion with a set end date for their storylines, because it makes it easier to craft actual stories with beginning, middle and end that way. 

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/69561 An older article, sure, but I came across it while doing my usual random surfing of Mental Floss and I found the presentation by Jason Scott to be pretty engrossing.  For those of us who used to hang out on local BBSs via 2400 baud modems, this is a great trip down memory lane.  Basically it’s a video of Jason giving a talk at a computer convention, delivering an entertaining hour-long history of various software pirate groups and how it evolved into what it became today.  Sadly he only really gets rolling just before he runs out of time, but I’d love to see a full-length talk from the guy on the subject, because he turns a potentially dry subject into a humorous conversational chat.  It’s great stuff. 

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/69561 An older article, sure, but I came across it while doing my usual random surfing of Mental Floss and I found the presentation by Jason Scott to be pretty engrossing.  For those of us who used to hang out on local BBSs via 2400 baud modems, this is a great trip down memory lane.  Basically it’s a video of Jason giving a talk at a computer convention, delivering an entertaining hour-long history of various software pirate groups and how it evolved into what it became today.  Sadly he only really gets rolling just before he runs out of time, but I’d love to see a full-length talk from the guy on the subject, because he turns a potentially dry subject into a humorous conversational chat.  It’s great stuff. 

Hi Scott, Since you've been reviewing AWA on ESPN and I just got done watching SuperClash III, I was wondering what if all the promoters involved had been able to trust each other for longer than five minutes and had done a follow-up pay-per-view sometime in 1989? What do you think the card might have looked like based on the talent available at the time? For title matches, I think a Lawler-Kerry re-match to settle the dispute would be a must, and logically it'd be a first blood match and I suppose you could have Tatsumi Fujinami defend the IWGP title against Manny Fernandez based off their little post-match fracas and to add some international flavour. You know Verne would want Greg featured with his precious TV title so I guess an outsider with some name appeal who was available in '89 to come in for a shot would be Bam Bam Bigelow. The British Bulldogs would also have been able to come in (if not working All Japan or Stampede) so my initial thought was to ...

Hi Scott, Since you've been reviewing AWA on ESPN and I just got done watching SuperClash III, I was wondering what if all the promoters involved had been able to trust each other for longer than five minutes and had done a follow-up pay-per-view sometime in 1989? What do you think the card might have looked like based on the talent available at the time? For title matches, I think a Lawler-Kerry re-match to settle the dispute would be a must, and logically it'd be a first blood match and I suppose you could have Tatsumi Fujinami defend the IWGP title against Manny Fernandez based off their little post-match fracas and to add some international flavour. You know Verne would want Greg featured with his precious TV title so I guess an outsider with some name appeal who was available in '89 to come in for a shot would be Bam Bam Bigelow. The British Bulldogs would also have been able to come in (if not working All Japan or Stampede) so my initial thought was to ...