Smackdown Date: May 31, 2013 Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Josh Matthews Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's the final show of the Canadian tour and the main story tonight is of course Shield vs. whomever they can find to face tonight. Other than that we've got Ryback trying to get people to care about his feud with Cena and the three guys fighting for the Intercontinental Title. Right now is a pretty lame time in the WWE as they're in a very slow mode so tonight's show probably won't change much about that. Let's get to it.

Scott, Ratings just came in for Impact and it got a 0.8. When will TNA begin to panic? 0.6? 0.4? Ratings are steadily decreasing. Will they abruptly end the Aces and Eights? Or could we see even MORE Hogan on TV even in a wrestling role? If the Slammiversary buys are lower than expected, what big shake ups do you expect? Thanks and enjoy your beautiful weekend I find that TNA doesn't usually panic-book, the panicking is usually done by Spike.  Hulk's probably gonna be like "Three and a half years isn't enough time for a company to turn around with me on top, brother, we're gonna need another couple of title reigns for me to really see which way the wind blows when it comes to Hulkamania in 2013."   Apparently we're building to Hulk v. Bully at Bound for Glory as it is, which is just...no.  Just no.   I'm gonna throw it out there, because I can't unsay it afterwards, but maybe they should fire Bischoff and Hogan and bring back Jeff Jarrett. ...

Ok, so the big Joshi update is up. Tons added for a bunch of classic stars: http://rudoreels.com/shop/product-category/comps/wrestlers/c/cuty-suzuki/ http://rudoreels.com/shop/product-tag/jumping-bomb-angels/ http://rudoreels.com/shop/product-category/comps/wrestlers/t/takako-inoue/ http://rudoreels.com/shop/product-category/comps/wrestlers/m/manami-toyota/ http://rudoreels.com/shop/product-category/comps/wrestlers/m/megumi-kudo/ http://rudoreels.com/shop/product-category/comps/wrestlers/m/mariko-yoshida/ These are all going to be available as downloads as well, though it may take a while. My home connection is very slow so I have help with uploading and will have a ton of stuff flooding the digital site very soon. Just added the Best of Battlarts set (  http://rudoreels.com/digital/index.php/best-of-battlarts-1996-2001-17d/ ) and I've got loads of AAA that will be added THIS WEEKEND. Both the digital and DVD sites have revamped category systems making it easier to find ...

May 21, 2003   Your hosts are Don West and Mike Tenay   The show starts with a video package on last week’s show. The main focus was on how they tried to make Glen Gilbertti into a main event star.   Graphics show all of the factions in TNA and Tenay reads as a scroll runs down the screen. It says that since there has been too much anarchy between the factions, there will be two separate tournaments. No explanation of how this will stop the "anarchy" or what these tournaments are were given.   Raven is shown sitting on top of a production truck. He mentions how the “bullshit” chants erupted when he lost against Jarrett. He runs down everyone for a minute then gets attacked. The beatdown isn’t shown but it was supposed to be Jarrett as we hear his voice stating that he is here tonight.

Thunder Date: January 8, 1998 Location: Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, Bobby Heenan  Reviewed by Tommy Hall  Due to the success of 1997, WCW decided to add another show to it's TV schedule so here's their new idea. Tonight is a souped up show as debuts often are, as we have a Cruiserweight Title match, an update on the world title situation after the debacle at Starrcade, and the Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff match from Starrcade in full, which I'm sure wouldn't get on the nerves of the fans who paid for the show. Let's get to it.

Hi Scott, Thanks for plugging our wares in the past. Any chance of plugging our wrestling/horror anthology, LUCHA GORE: SCARES FROM THE SQUARED CIRCLE? It came out about ten months ago, and the Kindle version is currently free on Amazon for the next five days. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FRSIM6 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009FRSIM6 http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B009FRSIM6 Thanks,  Kevin G. Bufton Cruentus Libri Press My readers do enjoy free things.

What's the one moment/match you wish you were front row for? I'd have to go with one of my all time favorites, Rock vs Hogan from WM18. I've always been a mark for Hogan, especially for the nWo. So, to get the nWo, plus a return of classic Hogan, I would have screamed myself voiceless during that match.

The SmarK Rant for TNA Impact – 05.30.13 Taped from Tampa, FL Your hosts are Todd Keneley, Mike Tenay & Taz

Submitted without comment because no words seem adequate. http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/29/pro-wrestler-may-be-next-gop-senator-from-tennessee/ I'd love to hear the muckraking at the debates.  It would be epic.  "Mr. Jacobs, did you or did you not accidentally kill your high school sweetheart, set your parents coffins on fire, and electrocute the testicles of Shane McMahon?  DON'T WAIT FOR THE TRANSLATOR, I KNOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME!"

NXT Date: May 29, 2013 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Tom Phillips, Brad Maddox Reviewed by Tommy Hall Tonight we have some main event stuff to get to as it's time for the #1 contenders battle royal, with the winner getting a shot at Langston at some point in the future. Other than that it's hard to say what we'll get which is one of the most interesting parts of a show like NXT. Odds are everyone will be in the battle royal with some working other matches tonight. Let's get to it.

Impact is back at 9pm tonight and will remain at that slot. Also, according to Dixie's Twitter account, TNA has made a "big free agent signing" that will be revealed this Summer. Announced matches for tonight are: Sting & Joe Park vs. Bully Ray & Devon (This match will open the show) Chris Sabin & Taryn Terrell vs. Kenny King & Gail Kim Chavo & Hernandez & Gunner & James Storm vs. Bad Influence & Austin Aries & Bobby Roode Plus, fallout from AJ Styles attacking Aces & Eights and Kurt Angle and more news on Slammiversary.

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/31544-ufc-announces-its-own-network-may-beat-wwe-to-punch-but-not-in-us Might not launch in North America yet, but this has GOTTA infuriate Vince.

Scott, I wasted another Wednesday night watching Main Event. I was looking forward to Langston/Barrett vs. Miz/Del Rio only to find out that they changed the Main Event AGAIN! Do they just not care about The Main Event or do they figure that people will watch anyways? This is the third of fourth time that they've done this in a couple of months. Also, why do they keep changing stipulations that are added already to PPV matches? i.e. Cena vs. Ryback - Ambulance --> Three Stages of Hell, Survivor Series having Team Punk vs. Team Foley --> Cena vs. Ryback vs. Punk, HHH vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania --> No Holds Barred + HHH's career on the line,.  Is it just writers' indecisiveness or just laziness? Thanks I know this will come as a shock to the readership of my blog, but WWE's tendency to bait-and-switch their matches is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.  I understand injuries or whatever, but it's WAY too frequent now where, as you noted, they'll advert...

Most ridiculous/worst piece of wrestling merchandise you've ever owned? And not just owned, but PROUDLY owned. For me, it's the fake-gold Razor Ramon razor necklace I had in 6th grade. I LOVED that bad bitch, and use to wear it nonstop. I thought I was the coolest motherfucker on Earth with that thing. Also, it looked nothing like the one here in the photo, because it use to belong to a friend of mine, and was all beat up, and worn looking. I was the coolest. How say you guys?

http://gameological.com/2013/05/for-our-consideration-backward-compatibility/ A really interesting article about how expensive backwards compatibility really is and why the next generation of consoles is ditching it, and why they're still dicks for doing so.  Especially since, as I've noted, I've been playing a whole bunch of "living in the past" PS2 games via the PSN like Sly Cooper, the God of War series and Jak & Daxter without crumbling into dust due to technological regression.  

What if... John Cena doesn't cut a free style rap during the 2003 Smackdown Halloween party? Does Cena take a different path to the same destination? Does someone else eventually become the "face" of the company? Or is the name "WWE" enough to carry business? Go! Well, Cena was on the verge of getting cut by that point, mind-blowing as it sounds now, and I think that like many others he simply would have found something else to do with his life.  Cena's been on top for eleventy million years now, but it's not like he led a giant explosion in popularity for the company or anything, he's just a really reliable draw on top.  So if I was to guess, I'd say Randy Orton or Batista could have been slotted into his position and done most of what he did on top for all those years.  Would it have hurt them in the long run?  Yes, no doubt.  Would they have survived without him pumping out crappy t-shirts and ugly belts?  Undoubtedly.   More imp...

Scott,  With a couple years of time and perspective, how do you think the "Summer of Punk" should have played out?  With the massive momentum of Punk's "pipebomb" promo and the classic win over Cena at MITB, where do you think it should have gone?  Do you still have Del Rio cash in and let Punk chase for a while, impeded by corporate types like Laurinaitis and HHH?  Do you keep the belt on him via hook & crook, with Punk outsmarting HHH's contenders until an eventual HHH-Punk showdown?   I think the booking was OK, but just not decompressed enough.  They should have had Punk win the belt at MITB, take a few weeks off and send in videos from his house or Bermuda or wherever he was holding the belt hostage.  Then they could strip him of the title and do the tournament at Summerslam with Mysterio winning, then Cena wins it from him at Night of Champions and the next night Punk comes back and he's all "Yo dog, that's my title, let'...

It's that time again as I've written a new book with ALL NEW reviews of the flagship show of WCW. There are 18 shows in all in this one, starting back in 1983 and ranging all the way forward through to 2000. This is exactly what it sounds like and is something a lot of old school WCW and NWA fans will be interested in. Also, this time the book is only $4 instead of the usual five. The book is available worldwide and can be picked up in America here In England/Europe here And in Canada here . If you live somewhere else and want to pick it up, just search "KB's History of Starrcade" on your Amazon site and it should be there. It's an e-book format, but if you don't have a Kindle or any other kind of e-reader, there are free Apps which can let you read it on your computer, phone or whatever else you prefer. You can find those free apps here: Apps Anyway, I hope you like it and enjoy. 

Monday Nitro #121 Date: January 5, 1998 Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 26,773 Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Larry Zbyszko, Tony Schiavone Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's been a week since the mess with Hogan and Sting to end the last episode and from what I understand, nothing has been announced yet. Odds are that's going to be saved for the first episode of Thunder which airs three days after this show. We're in a new year here though so things should be pretty big tonight to give them a good start. Let's get to it.

Having a night off from work, streaming some fire pro returns again. Feel free to join me. http://www.twitch.tv/thepiledrivingcritique

Here's some Beautiful Bobby and Sweet Stan MX goodness. And back in the day when unified champions were rare.

- It was announced today, via press release, that WWE & Warner Bros are teaming up for a new Flintstones film that will be released in 2015. The film, which is expected to be straight to DVD, is described as follows… Fred, Barney and the whole Bedrock gang join up with Vince McMagma (Vince McMahon), and WWE Superstars and Divas including John Cenastone (John Cena®) and CM Punkrock (CM Punk®) as part of the very first WWE main event. Michael Luisi, President, WWE Studios had the following to say about the project…. "WWE is family-friendly entertainment, so partnering with Warner Bros. on a Flintstones/WWE project was a natural extension of our Scooby Doo deal. This new, animated feature allows us to showcase our brand with young fans and loyal Flintstones enthusiasts alike."  Source  I'm a big fan of both WWE and the Flintstones, so this sounds awesome.

Back again, with another question of the day... Most embarrassing moment, or the most embarrassed you've ever been to be a wrestling fan. For me, it dates back to around 2001. I had a friend who was equally into wrestling as I was. I had another friend who thought pro-wrestling was a bit of a joke, and would give us shit for it. So, one day I'm at my friend's house and we decide to watch Beyond the Mat. Well, the friend who would give us shit comes over, and what part does he happen to walk in during? While Dennis Fucking Stamp is in the middle of his workout, in case he's booked again. My friend started laughing harder than I'd ever heard him laugh before. He then accused me and my friend of watching Gay Alcoholic Step-Dad Trampoline Porn every day for at least 6 months. I hate Dennis Stamp.

Bully Ray is in Boston! First, he scared me into a cold sweat here: http://www.wcvb.com/news/sports/One-on-one-with-TNA-World-Heavyweight-Champion-Bully-Ray/-/9848968/20332060/-/ip476dz/-/index.html Then my @Wrestling617 partner Jimmy Stewart insulted him to his face! http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/05/28/felger-mazz-producer-jimmy-stewart-angers-wrestler-bully-ray-in-interview/ The interview mocked here: http://www.csnne.com/video_content_type/jimmy-stewarts-wrestling-interview Bully was actually really cool in person - and a freakin' beast.  This was a lot of fun.  Looking forward to Slammiversary Sunday. Someone's gotta be, I guess.  

Scott, Was Mick Foley planning on retiring in early 2000, or was that always just going to be an angle?  He waited a good two years before getting back in the ring, but it seemed like he really was hanging it up in 2000.  After becoming champ in '98/'99, did he decide he better hang it up or was it just an angle to get HHH over?   I have only read Mick's first book, so apologies if this stuff was all answered in one of these others.   He was really planning on retiring in 2000, and in fact you can tell because he pretty much let himself go by Wrestlemania.  And yeah, he talks about it in his later books.  

October 27, 1984 Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon This week’s featured match is the Tonga Kid vs. Roddy Piper. Also, JYD, Paul Orndorff, Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch, and Brutus Beefcake will all be in action.

Hey Scott, been a long time reader, love the blog and the books. I'm a stand up comedian and my debut album "Sadamantium" just came out on Comedy Central Records.Would love a plug if at all possible, please. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSSMIPW/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1369714190&sr=8-13   - Mike Lawrence. Good luck!  

The SmarK RAW Rant – 05.27.13 Live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which is an odd place for a Memorial Day show given that it’s not a holiday up here. In fact, because Canada is Bizarroworld, it’s legal to kick a veteran on May 27 anywhere in Canada. Your hosts are Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry Lawler

by Logan Scisco - A video package highlights Steve Austin’s acts of defiance against WWF officials in recent weeks. - Jim Ross and Jerry “the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are broadcasting from Muncie, Indiana .

Bobby Eaton almost kills Randy Mulkey at the 4:32 mark.

This is an incredible match between AJ Styles and Low Ki from 2005. It is from the Zero One promotion in Japan.

Just in case people are sitting there refreshing the site waiting for the RAW rant, I'm working an all nighter doing computer upgrades, so I won't even have a chance to watch until Tuesday afternoon sometime.  Sorry.

To all my American BoD'ers, Happy Memorial Day To the rest of the world BoD'er community, Happy Monday! I'm doing this early since the house clean is finish and the family can go out on the boat with friends, eat some good food and watch the fireworks. There's an NBA playoff game tonight and I think Blackhawks-Red Wings game as well. Or there's wrestling if you're into that sort of thing. Regardless of what you do, make your Monday a good one. Come out swinging but make sure to keep it clean.

Alright, buckos, here's the question of the day. What's the worst sequel to a classic match? I'd have to say Rock vs Hogan II from No Way Out 2003. The original may not be a technical masterpiece, but the crowd & atmosphere is amongst the greatest of all time. It's one of my all time favorite matches. However the sequel was absolute garbage. It was slow, immensely boring, The Rock not only phoned it in, be called collect. An absolute dud. I'm sure some may say Hogan vs Warrior 2, but that match is bad in a fantastic way. I mean, the Log-Roll of Attempted Discomfort is worth the price of admission alone.

A year or so after the 18 second debacle, Daniel Bryan is still super over and in a position where he could (arguably) be propelled to Cena-like levels of superstardom, as evidenced by the affable way in which he presents himself during promotional interviews, the Make a Wish thing he did for that kid with cancer, and his general clean cut and hard working attitude. Not to mention the fact he has everyone from the 5 year old kids to the 30+ year old smarks chanting his name. I like many others are dreading a potential heel turn, so my question for you is do you think a heel turn would work right now for Bryan? Surely (as seen with CM Punk) the crowd will still cheer for him. Where do you think this is headed and are you as confident as other Bryan fans are that he can become an even bigger star than what he is now. Thanks Well…hang on, I’ve got another call. Hey Scott, got some questions for you. After turning almost everything WWE gave him into gold and showing more personality than...

> Surprised you haven't posted about Hogan burning his hand yet. (gross pictures) > > http://www.tmz.com/2013/05/26/hulk-hogan-emergency-room-photos/   The vengeful ghost of Andre strikes AGAIN.

Many tag teams have graced the squared circle of wrestling, many great, many merely good, many bad. In the recent history of wrestling, no team made more of an impact than Hawk and Animal, The Road Warriors.

He passed away from lung cancer at age 43. http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/31476-garza-passes-away-from-lung-cancer-at-43

Scott, just did 72 straight hours at a hospital for residency and decided to unwind by reading over the BoD and some old Keller stuff.  Find that your feedback is always factually correct so had a few questions if you could post. 1) How exactly did Bret Hart return to WWE?  Was he approached by Vince to add a big name to that years WM?  Did Bret approach Vince looking for closure by having one last WWE run?  They must have had numerous conversations about Owen, royalties, etc. in his absence, and as recently as 05 I can remember Bret still claiming he's never go back. 2) How do wrestlers PPV payouts work?  Was watching an old Jericho interview where he talks about expecting a 9 figure WM 19 bonus but was given a 7 figure check.  Always figured it was just a % of the net for the main eventers and a lower % for the mid card but this is a huge discrepancy of money so there can't be be a standard policy in place? 3) I HATE Sheamus.  Don't find him enterta...

Waiting for the Trade by Bill Miller   Batgirl New 52 Vol. 1 – The Darkest Reflection by Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes collects Batgirl 1 - 6   Why I Bought This: I always liked Batgirl best of the core Batman characters dating back to the Adam West series. Since I mostly enjoyed the first three New 52 books I sampled, and with Barbara Gordon finally returned to that role, this my next pick-up from that line.     The Plot: Barbara Gordon has regained the use of her legs and decides to resume her career as Batgirl only to come across a new costumed serial killer known as Mirror.  

Since we’re MINUTES away from the launch of season 4 on Netflix, here’s a refresher on the first three… The SmarK DVD Rant for Arrested Development - Season One This is the story of a brilliant TV writer who unexpectedly created one of the most revolutionary and critically beloved shows in sitcom history, but got no support from the network who was supposed to be finding an audience for it. It's Arrested Development.

You can just call Canada the Price Club Country, because when we open a can of whoop-ass, it's INDUSTRIAL SIZED! Two gold-medal games against the US, two wins. And now, to the reader mail, most of which is from the US and thus would lose an important hockey game to Canadian reader mail.  (I was feeling a bit patriotic that night, I see.) 

Not sure what’s so “ridiculous” about the SNME intro:  It introduces the players and shows what the matches are going to be, all in 30 seconds or so. 

Local news did a story on DDP Yoga: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/22400751/tomorrow-night-at-11-transforming-lives-through-ddp-yoga Matthew Good for him!

Woof.  http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/31448-wwe-releases-wrestlemania-buy-number “WWE released its updated estimate of buys for WrestleMania, the first official company number, which was 1,048,000 worldwide.” I think we can state without fear of contradiction that it was NOT HHH’s fault. 

>  (warning: MOTYC) > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVuOICPZqm4 Whew, glad you warned me.

Smackdown Date: May 24, 2013 Location: CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're past Extreme Rules and the main story is of course HHH. He collapsed at the end of Raw while Curtis Axel was laying in the ring with no one paying a bit of attention to him, so odds are we'll hear about getting an update on him on Raw tonight. Other than that we have Del Rio confirmed as the #1 contender for Ziggler whenever Dolph is healthy again. Let's get to it.

"Nice to see TNA offering good wishes to those hit by the tornado, whereas WWE offers nothing." Is WWE allowed to have a show since the tornadoes hit first before they get criticized? And no, I'm not counting the Wednesday show nobody watches. The tornado story happened WELL before RAW was on the air, and probably before they even finished rewriting the script for the millionth time.  And no one’s asking for a big graphic like TNA does when something happens that day, but wilfully ignoring it like WWE does because it doesn’t match up with their corporate mandate of “making people smile” is bullshit. They could at least have had Michael Cole stop shilling the WWE app for 4 seconds to say “Best wishes to those in Boston” or “Hey, Jim Ross lives 10 miles from the tornado disaster, but he’s OK.”  But if it’s not a cause where they can produce 5 minute video packages about themselves and how fucking great they are for RISING ABOVE BREAST CANCER or RISING ABOVE BULLYING or w...

  It's time once again for everybody to come aboard the FEEDBACK FEEDBAG! What with my intermittently buggy internet connection over the past couple of weeks, I've been behind in my mailbaggery, so let's get caught up right now, shall we?

As promised here is the subsequent RAW after Over the Edge. Once again my opinions have not changed; however, some editing has taken place. Enjoy! RIP Owen Hart 1965-1999. Live from St. Louis, MO Airdate: May 24, 1999 Hosted by Jim Ross (JR) and Jerry “the King” Lawler

May 14, 2003 Your hosts are Don West and Mike Tenay The show opens with a video package on last week’s show. This focuses on how they made Glen Gilbertti into the number one contender, including him winning the “Anarchy in the Asylum” match and assaulting an injured Jeff Jarrett. We see a stretch limo pull up with Glen Gilbertti getting out, wearing a suit and holding a wad of cash as he tips the driver. He speaks into the camera and states that he will do some Sports Entertainment tonight then tells the camera man to follow him around. In the background, we see Erik Watts getting out of his car.

The SmarK Rant for TNA Impact – 05.23.13 Live(-ish, sorta) from Tampa, FL You hosts are Todd Keneley, Mike Tenay & Taz Nice to see TNA offering good wishes to those hit by the tornado, whereas WWE offers nothing. Unless it’s a charity that they’re sponsoring that month, of course

Waiting for the Trade by Bill Miller   Spider-man: Return of the Goblin by Paul Jenkins & Humberto Ramos collects Peter Parker: Spider-man (vol. 2) 44-47.   Why I Bought This: Over a year ago I bought the trade for a Spidey vs. Venom story called “The Hunger” by Paul Jenkins and it was astonishingly good: like by far the best Venom story to be told outside of the character’s first few appearances. Paul Jenkins in general seems fairly well-regarded for his work on Spidey and after the reading that Venom story I wanted to sample some more of his run. It seemed like stories tackling Spidey’s other major foes would be the best pick-ups in that regard so I grabbed both this Green Goblin story and a Doc Ock trade off Amazon.   The Plot: Norman once again makes a run at Peter through his friends and family. The story features a lot of psychological back and forth so there’s no way to recap without heavy spoilers.

NXT Date: May 22, 2013 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're a week away from the big NXT battle royal but tonight's main event is Corey Graves vs. Bray Wyatt, as the Wyatt Family is apparently targeting people like Graves and Kassius Ohno for reasons yet to be named. This seems to be another filler episode before we get to next week where things start all over again, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let's get to it.

Tonight's matches include: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson Mickie James vs. Velvet Sky for the Knockouts Title Sam Shaw vs. Alex Silva, with the winner facing Jay Bradley for a spot in the Bound for Glory Series Also, Aces & Eights will "patch in" AJ Styles tonight and James Storm will announce his tag-team partner. Suicide returns to action as well.

> Scott, > > The nWo angle in WWE fell flat, but do you think it could have been better?  Nash's injury and Hall's implosion (on that plane trip?) didn't help things, but how do you think the nWo thing could have played out better in 2002? I would vote for "not associating them with Vince McMahon right away."  With GM Bischoff, sure. 

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AugwggFWTQ > > Not surprisingly, they had no chemistry back then either.  And why did Matt stop doing a 450 splash? That sounds like the setup line for a bad joke.

On the 14th anniversary of Owen Hart's death I present to you my first rant. The opinions have not been altered but I made some modifications to punctuation. I hope you enjoy it! RIP Owen Hart 1965-1999. WWF Over the Edge 1999 Live from Kansas City, MO (attendance: 18, 244) Airdate: May 23, 1999 Hosted by Jim Ross (JR) and Jerry “the King” Lawler

Don't know if anybody has sent you this yet. Pretty hard to argue with the list... of course some people still think Hogan/Russo was a work... and I think I'd change the order around a little, but all in all I think they hit the big ones.   http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-greatest-unscripted-disasters-in-pro-wrestling/ Once it got to the court system, it was pretty apparently Hogan/Russo not a work.  Unless Joseph Park was the lawyer. Really good list, all the ones I would have hit on as well.  Really, the Andre-Maeda story is even crazier than described, but that's some pretty hardcore wrestling nerd stuff to really get everything going on, so what was presented was great.  John Cheese is easily my favorite guy on Cracked, even if he goes to the "Rich people are like this and poor people are like THIS" well way too often sometimes.  

Dan from New York checks in with a question about The Madness & The Dragon... " I am 31 and started watching wrestling in 1986-87.  The greatest period of booking and wrestling I remember is the build to the Mega Powers angle from Post Wrestlemania III - Wrestlemania V.  Here's one question from that era: On SNME after WM III, Steamboat has his first IC Title defense against Hercules and Savage is on commentary spazzing out at the chance someone other than him will get "HIS" title back from Steamboat.  He actually does a run in and then saves Steamboat from a post match beatdown.  They were obviously building toward a rematch from WM III with Savage obsessed over the IC Title.  Now I've long heard rumors that Steamboat only lost his hard earned title because he asked for time off to be with his kids and HTM was in the right place at the right time to get the shot.  This allowed them to turn Savage face with the same ag...

OK, who’s the wise guy?  Our favorite peacekeeper is still in Afghanistan so I’m assuming it’s not him. 

Hey, if you're up late and want to watch I'm streaming some fire pro wrestling returns again over on twitch tv. http://www.twitch.tv/thepiledrivingcritique/

Welcome to the post-Smackdown edition of Scott's Feedback Feedbag! The book is almost done, as I'm just finishing off 2001 and getting some trusted people to look it over and make suggestions.

Starting next week, I'll also be posting Thunder every Friday.  Nitro will start being three hours long and five hours of shows in a single day is too much material at once. Monday Nitro #120 Date: December 29, 1997 Location: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 12,196 Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Larry Zbyszko, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're into a new era in WCW now as Starrcade 1997 is finally over. We round out the year with this show, where the story is who is actually the WCW World Champion. Sting did win the title, after being pinned by Hogan by way of a “fast” count. The problem is the count wasn't exceptionally fast, therefore making it look like Hogan won clean. Tonight is allegedly a huge night for WCW but I wonder how they manage to screw it up. Let's get to it.

> Whoa:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/05/16/wwe-concussions-chris-nowinski-research-sports-legacy-institute-cte/2178667/ > Makes that HHH storyline even more timely.

Here's something i'd quite like to ask all the BoD'ers every now and then - What if..? After some of the cool discussion that took place in the ECW thread I started last week, I put this question to you: "It's 2001 - What happens if ECW stay in business (say, get the deal with USA) and WCW go out of business?"

So, here's some odd obsessed fan taking video camera footage of loads of the WWF guys at a hotel, then at a charity baseball game, and then before they enter some sort of function (he even catches VKM!). Freaky bits include - the filmer dressing as HBK and filming himself in the mirror, and also spying on HBK/Vader working out in the gym. (See, I told you it was odd. You all know what you're getting yourself in for). But, in all seriousness, it's a cool watch, even if it's just to see Trips and Ahmed Johnson (who looks like an utter monster at this point) pissing around during a Q&A. And Tammy during her DISGUSTINGLY hot phase. Man, she loves it. Also, look out for Lawler and Hennig having a seriously off day... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q34DIJB5uY (Credit goes to Inside the Ropes on Facebook)

I was sent this analysis from a fan of Scott's who goes by the name Joesph, the other day. As he puts it: "It's a frequency analysis I did on all of his matches rated above 4 stars (****1/4 to *****). I took 12 wrestlers as I mention in the study who put on great matches. I just completed a study for Dave Meltzer's ratings as well and compared the two" It's no surprise who's at number 1, really. Also, keep in mind, this is strictly for a person's WWE career. Other promotions need not apply. This was a great deal of work, and an interesting read. Especially that The Rock doesn't get any 5 star love. I thought for sure most people considered WMX7 to be a 5 star main event, but I suppose the ending does sour it. Anyone else want to use the Caliber Express Line: caliberw@hotmail.com

Speaking of "new presentations" (and I'll get razzed here for the threadjack), but has anyone seen the info of the Nexbox, or Xbox One? Seems like everything you never wanted in a game system, they threw in there. God, the new Xbox.  The “play used games for a fee” thing is so obnoxious, as is the constant internet connection requirement, likely to keep ads flowing as it is now.  Using it as a cable box is useless in Canada because there is no over the air coverage up here unless you’re near the border, and most of the “added value” entertainment crap on Live Gold isn’t available due to geographic restrictions anyway.  I really soured on Microsoft’s service in the past few months and don’t regret switching to the PS3 at all.  It’s a better streaming box, plays Blu-Rays, and I don’t have to buy new batteries for the controller all the time.  Plus it’s my CHOICE to pay for PS Plus, and I get free games out of it!  Microsoft raises the price for Gold in both...

  I'm having a quick bout with writer's block as I slog through the 2001 chapter of the book, so I thought I'd stop and clean out the ol' mailbox.

You may have heard this already but at the Smackdown tapings tonight, someone was holding up a sign that said "Scott Keith Fears Fuj". It was on the main camera side so it may have made TV. During the tapings, the loudest pop was for Orton followed by Daniel Bryan and Sheamus. The next loudest pop was for Dean Ambrose. During the match he had with Kofi Kingston, there was a loud "Let's go Ambrose" chant. WWE will most likely dub over that. I did notice that they were protecting Roman Reigns tonight. The match between Kofi and Ambrose became a 6-man between The Shield and Kofi/Orton/Sheamus. Reigns briefly tagged in but spent most of his time on the apron or floor. After the match ended and the cameras stopped rolling, Reigns was escorted to the back while Ambrose and Rollins took finishers from the faces. Thanks, Joe Ryan I would dispute the accuracy of that sign.  What are the sources on that?  Why do they think they KNOW who I fear?  Wh...

Hi Scott This seemed to work quite well last time we tried it, so why don't we have another go at it? Basic premise, I give Scott two options (A or B) and he picks one. Nice and simple. Let's get at em!

October 20 th , 1984 Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon This week’s show includes the Tonga Kid vs. The Executioner, Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik, and an update on Tito Santana

Hogan has a monster he has to deal with.

by Logan Scisco - A video package recaps the events of last night’s In Your House:  Ground Zero pay-per-view . - Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry “the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from Cincinnati, Ohio . - McMahon interviews Commissioner Sergeant Slaughter, who receives a chorus of boos.  Slaughter pledges that there will be law and order in the WWF and that Steve Austin will be suspended until he receives a doctor’s order that allows him to compete.  Slaughter announces the beginning of a tournament to crown a new Intercontinental champion, with the finals to be held at In Your House:  Badd Blood, and Austin must present his title to the winner.  Austin comes out to a big reaction, pledges to deliver a can of whoop ass to Slaughter’s front door, and makes fun of his weight.  The last part might seem cheesy, but Austin delivers it in such a bad ass manner that John Cena should take notes.  On his way out, Austin gives S...

I've noticed a few things lately that are pointing to the WWE trying to become more like other pro sports (notable football): - Instant Replay - Pre/Post game shows - Miked up refs (Kioda was miked last night) These are little things, but it's worth paying attention to if it continues in this direction.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Rob  Any change is a good change at this point, I think.  I don't know that a pre or post game show is the cure for staleness or anything, but it at least shows they're willing to try something else.  

So, it's been about a month since CM Punk went off on hiatus and such and I was wondering, how long is he going to be gone? Until late summer for Summerslam? Late fall and Survivor Series? The entire rest of the year? Given how we are now suffering through HHH sticking his big nose back into things, positioning himself as counterpoint for Cena as the top guy, how fucking long must we wait until Punk returns? Jesse What am I, his doctor?  

Hey, Caliber. i had a question and was curious if you knew or anyone on the blog knew. i know Scotts email is backed up so i thought i'd jump to the head of the line and email you. Anyway, who actually started having music on their way to the ring? I've heard Hogan claim he did it with Eye of the Tiger. But of course you can't trust anything The Hulkster says.  Thanks! For those out there, I'm more than happy to be your Express Check-Out in the email world, all single-men, cash only, no chit-chat. So long as you don't mind not getting Scott's opinion and just want it up for discussion. Honestly, I have no idea. I heard the same about Hogan. Although I've heard Sgt. Slaughter claim he was the first, by coming out to the Marine Corp theme. Also, PS Hayes said that he and the Freebirds were the first. So, can anyone nail it down? Any others who have a question can send'em to caliberw@hotmail.com

The SmarK RAW Rant – 05.20.13 Happy Victoria Day! Hope everyone spent the day contemplating what Queen Victoria meant to them on a personal level, much like I did. That and playing God of War III. Live from Kansas City, MO Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL

Hi Scott,   Just wondering if you had a chance to check out this awesome read.   http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643969-the-final-days-of-randy-macho-man-savage   Thanks, Brian Yup!  The Observer obit is also awesome and adds even more crazy stories, but this one really humanizes him, especially the stuff about how he was happy to live outside wrestling and drive his mom to doctor's appointments and stuff.  He really was one of the greatest of all time and it's ludicrous that Vince doesn't just do whatever he wants and put him in the Hall of Fame.  

And we're back to no one watching RAW. No NBA games tonight but there should be one or two NHL games right? As for the PPV. Extreme Missed Opportunities. I liked the tag match even though it was short. I thought Big Show busted his ass in the loss. Man Ryback-Cena was going to a good place. They were doing a good job of making Ryback look like quite the bad ass and then the non-finish just killed it. They booked themselves in a corner and as my husband said, "anything short of a gunshot is going to make Ryback weak if he lays for 10 seconds." End of the day, if you're going to go that far just hotshot the fucking title to Ryback. If it's for a week or a month who cares. At least it would be something out of the ordinary and it's not like Cena needs some long reign. The cage match, good lord...I was hoping this would actually set up the start of a charge to the title for Brock but instead he looks like a guy that needed his manager to survive. We need Brock-Cen...

Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that every other match I've ever seen was being held in an ordinary ring?! Then I gotta see this show!

Scott's Feedback Feedbag! by Scott Keith 01/23/2002 (I guess I took 8 months off between the first and second edition…which…well, kinda does sound like me, actually.)  For those who wonder why WCW went bankrupt, please bear in mind this brilliant piece of literature from a Bischoff apologist that I received tonight after the RAW rant. Further keep in mind that this was pretty much the nicest of the bunch, as one of them even called me a very bad word, which is not only rude, but anatomically impossible.

Taped from Toronto, hopefully we get a better crowd than we did in NYC. Hosted by Kevin Kelly and STEVE CORINO!

Hey Scott, Since you're digging up lots of your old material, I thought I'd point you over to this gem, which you may not remember from 12 (!) years ago http://www.geocities.ws/cranksylvania/kieth.html   Good for a laugh, if you can roll with the punches, and I think the Blog of Doomers would get a kick out of it :) Yeah, I remember that one.  It wasn't done with malice towards me or anything, and it was pretty funny.  The REALLY hateful ones tended to be people who worshiped Russo or were still bitter about WCW's death or whatever.  

The SmarK Rant for WWE Extreme Rules 2013 Eh, I’ve got nothing else going on tonight anyway, why not? Plus last year’s show was one of the greatest PPVs in history. My original plan was to watch it live and troll Twitter, but I ended up having to watch the replay. Live from St. Louis, MO. Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL

Just sending this along again, Scott. Thanks as always! Episode 217: King of the Ring 1999 http://placetobe.podbean.com/2013/05/02/episode-217-king-of-the-ring-1999/ Episode 218: Fully Loaded 1999 http://placetobe.podbean.com/2013/05/06/episode-218-fully-loaded-1999/ Episode 219: Saturday Night's Main Event: 7/28/90 http://placetobe.podbean.com/2013/05/08/episode-219-saturday-nights-main-event-72890/ Episode 220: Thunder in Paradise: The Movie http://placetobe.podbean.com/2013/05/11/episode-220-thunder-in-paradise-the-movie/ Episode 221: Kevin Kelly, 1999 WWF Part One http://placetobe.podbean.com/2013/05/13/episode-221-kevin-kelly-1999-part-one/ Episode 222: Headlines w/ Extreme Rules 2013 Preview http://placetobe.podbean.com/2013/05/15/episode-222-headlines-extreme-rules-2013/

Here you go! This might not be as bad as we think for a few reasons: -- The Shield should have some titles and maybe Dean Ambrose can elevate the U.S. title to something of some importance. -- Del Rio and Swagger, for as much as I hate the angle, have decent chemistry and their I Quit match could be a good one. -- Brock might beat Triple H to a bloody pulp. Maybe not. Or this could suck. But I have a feeling it's going to be a worthy PPV. Would I buy it? Of course not but that's why I live close to a sports bar. Extreme Open Thread rules for one night only. Don't keep it clean. I want dirty. I want angry.

The Masked Reviewer creates himself in a lucha libre video game and plays through the story mode on easy. Why easy? Because once you see the actual in ring stuff this game has to offer you'll see how truly bad it is.

WOOOOOOW.  I was going through the Feedbag archive file and I found THIS gem.  Prepare to sit back and be amazed.  You might want to get some popcorn. Edit:  I cleaned up the formatting and bolded the parts that were from other people.  Keith Klassics: Whining About Bret Hart Circa-Montreal 1997

Back to the beginning, twelve years ago: Time to open up that ol’ Smarks.com mailbag…

Hang on, I need some spoiler space first…

> So apparently TNA isn't going to help with Zema Ion's medical bills from his appendicitis and tumor issues and has a fund raiser set up here:  https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/6hd2/zematna?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=Isupport > > Ripner > If he was Canadian he wouldn't need a fundraiser.  Just saying.  Hope things work out for him though.  The lack of medical coverage in a sport where guys beat the shit out of their bodies is pretty ludicrous.

> I had totally never even heard of this... But it was definitely interesting.. > And fuck that guy for going over the Demos in my first live Mania, anyways... > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4nlN0mvXCc When I read the e-mail I thought it was going to be a shoot interview with Kitao.  This would of course be different.

OK, couple of quick hits here tonight: 1)  Through the 411 archives and the Wayback Machine, I’ve managed to reconstruct 10 editions of the Feedback Feedbag and that’s all I can find.  Anything from Rantsylvania is gone due to the redirect because Wayback didn’t/couldn’t archive it, and there’s limited stuff available from 411wrestling.com via Wayback.  If you can find ANY editions saved on the web out there somewhere, send ‘em my way so I can 2013 Scott sez the shit out of them.  For reference, I’ve found a couple from June 2002, September 2002, and then the rest from the 411 archives between Jan 2003 and March 2003, when I apparently stopped doing them quite abruptly.  I used to do them literally every day in 2002, so I know there’s a bunch out there still. 2)  I noticed that the Wrestlemania Kindle edition was missing this year’s show, and also lacked a table of contents and pretty cover page, so I redid it and added those things.  I believe once ...

Hey there guys, if you need something to do after Smackdown tonight. I'm streaming again over on Twitch TV if you're up for watching some simmed Fire Pro Wrestling Returns matches. Originally I had plans to sim extreme rules in WWE 13, but apparently the servers are down and I couldn't download creations for the shield. Here's the link if you're so interested. twitch.tv/thepiledrivingcritique

Smackdown Date: May 17, 2013 Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Josh Matthews Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's finally the last show before Extreme Rules. On the Smackdown side (assuming there still is such a thing), the main event has been changed over to Del Rio vs. Swagger in an I Quit match due to Ziggler being injured. As for tonight, expect a lot more hype for the major matches on Sunday, including Ryback vs. Cena. Not with Cena around of course as this is Smackdown but you get the idea. Let's get to it.