Interested to see what matches (primarily singles) people would say are the best/must-sees for people on that second, maybe third tier of great technical wrestler. We all know what Savage, Flair, Michaels matches to seek out, but curious about the following guys. -Christian The Orton series in 2011 produced some top-level stuff, but Christian as a singles guy has never really been a tippy top worker.  The match with Jericho at WM20 was a near-showstealer also.   -Dean Malenko Almost any of his Cruiserweight title matches in WCW, but the Jericho match at Slamboree 98 was pretty much the peak of his run.  I also have a soft spot for the match with Scotty 2 Hotty at Backlash 2000.  Plus there's reams of awesome Japan stuff in the Super Junior tournaments.   -Barry Windham Ric Flair, 1987, pick any of them.  -Raven His shot at the NWA title with Jeff Jarrett was amazingly built and one of the best things TNA ever did, and then of course there's a million decent br...

hey scott, longtime fan etc wanted to know your opinion on the matter of NXT: should the show be aired on US/Canadian TV? should Smackdown rather be used as an introduction platform for the "TV ready" NXT talent? or is the "hidden North American existence" working well as it is atm (since Shield, Big E, Wyatt Family must be considered as succesful debuts)? best wishes Well really, NXT was supposed to be that show on SyFy, and it got cancelled because that's exactly what the network didn't want.  NXT is fine "hidden" like it is, because guys can work out their goofy gimmicks and silly names and then come in fresh when they're ready.  

With the recent love for Die Hard in the previous thread, I got a couple requests for the MME article on it. Now we can talk about men's fashion and industrialization all day. Year: 1988 Director: John McTiernan Star: Bruce Willis “40 Stories Of Sheer Adventure!”

(Since we’re on the topic of Predator, here’s my original DVD review from 2003…) The SmarK DVD Retro Rant for Predator / Predator 2 With the recent release of the 1990 sequel to one of my all-time favorite guy movies, I figured that I might as well do a double-shot review of them. Sadly, Arnie’s career started a terminal spiral with 1999’s dismal End of Days, but for good old testosterone-injected bad-guy killing action, you can’t beat most of his stuff from the 80s. For instance, Predator. For some reason, they decided to make a sequel in 1990, and now we’ll take a look at why it doesn’t stand up to the original.

Hey Scott...I was watching Smackdown via Hulu on my PS3, and I saw something that I find really irritating.  During the little bullying promo between Vicki, DB, and Ryback, it was *painfully* obvious that Ryback was reading the few lines he had off of a cue card (or something similar) located just off camera. He was clearly not looking at DB while speaking to him, and this is not the first time it's happened on a WWE program.  It is one of the reasons I stopped watching Saturday Night Live, and it seems horribly unprofessional to me.  I can see why the folks on SNL would do it - though I wish they wouldn't - but wrestlers...(cough)...excuse me....SUPERSTARS now feel the need?  Yeah, it may not affect the in ring product, but it really messes up my suspension of disbelief while I'm watching.   On the plus side, it makes guys like Punk and Heyman look that much better. Am I alone on this?   No, they've been doing cue cards for YEARS now and it drives me crazy.  Stev...

Thunder Date: April 9, 1998 Location: Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee, Florida Commentators: Lee Marshall, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're still rolling through NWO a-go-go here with Hogan, Savage and Nash in a three way war for control of the team. Sting is still an afterthought and the midcard guys are still stealing the show most of the time. You can see them starting to be pulled down into the downward spiral from here. Tonight's big draw is a major announcement from Flair on his future in the sport. Let's get to it.

Today in crazy matches I never knew happened... The Rock n Roll Express vs The British Bulldogs. With Pat O'Conner as referee, for some reason. And some of the worst announcing I've ever heard. But still, RnR vs the Bulldogs! I have this one on one of my endless RNR comps that I picked up in my tape trading days, and it kind of sucks.  But yeah, as historical curiosities go, holy shit. 

To break up the monotony: In the space of four years, John McTiernan made three of the best action movies of that generation: Predator (87), Die Hard (88), and Hunt for Red October (90). Each movie is awesome in its own particular way. So two questions: 1) What happened? Did Last Action Hero kill this guy in Hollywood, or did the action genre move in a different direction with Cameron's Terminator 2 in 91? 2) The big decision: Die Hard vs. Predator, you have to pick a winner. Which do you choose and what's the argument (we already know your affections for Predator)? 1 )  Oh yeah, the action movie landscape changed in a BIG way around that time, which kind of bummed me out as a kid who had grown up watching the MANIAC COP genre.  I think it was actually Die Hard that killed the superman-with-a-badge deal, because it presented an everyman hero who WAS vulnerable, and then we started getting every permutation of "Die Hard On A (Blank)" studio pitche...

> Hey Scott! > > Here is a sampling of what went down at PTB Nation this past week! > > Scott & Justin chatted with the one and only CRZ:  http://placetobenation.com/place-to-be-podcast-episode-249-christopher-robin-zimmerman/ > > Justin dove into his Treasure Trove:  http://placetobenation.com/jrs-treasure-trove-1-history-of-ecw-22596/ > > Ben & Jen continue their trek through Total DIvas:  http://placetobenation.com/total-divas-watching-total-divas-week-five/ > > Todd & Ben looked back at the first season of Orange is the New Black:  http://placetobenation.com/place-to-be-nation-television-special-orange-is-the-new-black-season-one-overview/ > > Richer & The Mailman looked at last week's Breaking Bad:  http://placetobenation.com/richer-the-mailman-episode-4-breaking-bad-karaoke-swag-vmas-and-more/ > > Also, for you wrestling nerds, we have really increased our wrestling podcast covera...

Smackdown Date: August 30, 2013 Location: Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall We close out August with Daniel Bryan on a bad run of luck. For four straight shows now he's been left laying by Randy Orton and the new Corporation, but luckily for him the fans are still WAY into him. That's only going to last for so long though until the fans start to view him as a guy who got lucky against Cena instead of an elite level star. Let's get to it.

Subject: CJ Parker is Pamela Anderson's character from Baywatch Surely this is not a coincidence. Wait, Baywatch had dialogue?

Lex Luger enjoyed a long and highly decorated wrestling career. Almost from the minute he first stepped into the squared circle, he was pushed as a top of the card talent, and for good reason. Lex Luger had the look and athleticism to become potentially one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He had a very nice run, winning the WCW title three times. However, the lifestyle of wrestling soon caught up to Luger, and he experienced one of the most incredible falls from grace ever seen in wrestling. This book is the story of the depths Luger fell to and what he did to climb out of the abyss.

This week's choices are the top three requests that I have been receiving lately: 1995 WWF Timeline with Kevin Nash 2000 WCW Timeline with Vince Russo Paul London & Brian Kendrick Highspots Shoot Voting Ends Sunday at 8pm. Vote by clicking on the link below. What Shoot Interview Would You Like to See Reviewed?

Hulk Hogan Botches Promo During Last Night's Impact According to Dave Meltzer, not only was Hogan supposed to say that the match between Sting and Bully Ray was a non-title match, he also said it was tonight, when it really was supposed to be for next week http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/100-tna/32881-note-on-impacts-finish AJ Styles Contract Update AJ has reached a short-term deal that will take him just past the "Bound for Glory" PPV. TNA still hopes to sign him to a longer contract but it will come down to money. http://pwinsider.com/article/79959/more-on-tnaaj-styles-big-name-not-at-impact-last-night.html?p=1 More WWE Developmental Name Changes Samuray Sol will now go by Kalisto Ryan Drago will now go by Simon Gotch Credit Dave Meltzer, F4WOnline.com Notes on WWE Tryout Camp According to Dave Meltzer, there were 30 wrestlers in the camp and he was told that Eddie Edwards stood out more than anyone else, with his partner Davey ...

Pretty good TV match between Terry Taylor and Randy Savage - Dec. 1992 I remember this one!  And yeah, it was pretty good, even though Taylor was not giving much of a crap at this point.

I'm not the only person thinking that they've finally found the right players to recreate the Austin/McMahon feud, am I? Bryan is a self-made star in the midst of a transcendent rise that the WWE doesn't want as the face of the company. And HHH is the perfect replacement for Vince, since he represents not only "evil management" but also was the standard bearer of everything the WWE wanting in a champion. There's even a smart angle to it, since we are all aware of Trips history of holding people down so his character makes sense. And Bryan is almost a perfect underdog - a lifelong indy guy and Internet darling. So I say let HHH screw Bryan over nonstop and bully everyone and make them all bow down to him...as long as he puts Bryan over clean every time they match up.  If he learns that lesson from Vince, they could have real magic on their hands. T hat is the biggest difference between Vince and HHH, isn't it?  HHH always has to be STRONG ...

Tumbler with pictures in order of every WWF champion after they first won the title.   http://hangsdong.tumblr.com/post/58724911582/every-wwe-champion-in-order-of-when-they-won-the That's pretty cool.  Weird that Batista was so far along in there, but I guess he didn't win the WWE title until the Cena deal in 2010.  

Greetings. "There I am...masturbating in the shower....this will be the high point of my day" Today's question came to me when I was watching that Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff Q&A. What celebrity's death will effect you the most? Or, has said celebrity already passed? For me, it's a toss-up between Adam Carolla & Schwarzenegger. I have the same reason for both guys, as they've both been a huge influence on my life, and each serve as a role model. Both busted their asses non-stop to get where they are, and are completely self-made. Arnold has always been a larger than life type of icon to me, and someone who's obviously been a massive influence on me as far as my passion for bodybuilding. Adam is the down to Earth guy who was born into a family of losers, who always told him he was nothing, yet he always knew he had talent, and refused to play the hand he was dealt, or let the people & environment around him have any effect. They both t...

Impact Wrestling Date: August 29, 2013 Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz The news of the week is the BFG Series is wrapping up tonight before the September 12 No Surrender special. Apparently six weeks isn't long enough to have 66 matches and amazingly enough, TNA didn't catch on to that idea. Other than that we have Hogan for the first time in about a month tonight, though I don't think a lot of people noticed he was gone. Let's get to it.

The latest news from TNA tonight, according to Dave Meltzer, is that Magnus will not be on the show as his visa has expired. TNA is working to fix this as we speak. The BFG Series will end tonight and the top four in the standings will go on to the 9/12 show.

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Geoff Stiltz" < geoffstiltz@gmail.com > Date: 2013-08-29 6:15 PM Subject: VHS tape GIVEAWAY To: "Scott Keith" < skeith@gmail.com > Cc: Hey Scott, I have some old wrestling/mma VHS tapes from my trading days, and I was trying to figure out a better way to get rid of them besides throwing them away.  Since I no longer have a working VHS machine, they're free to any of your readers (they just pay shipping).  My e-mail is geoffstiltz@gmail.com .  It's all or nothing, so all five tapes come as a pack.  See listing below: Super J Cup 1994 (commercial release) Pride Shockwave 2004 (tape-delay PPV US feed) Pride Bushido Vol. 6 (tape-delay PPV US feed) All Japan Best Tag Match Ever - Misawa/Kobashi vs Kawada/Taue 6.9.95 All Japan Pro Wrestling Classics Vol. 47, 48, & 49     (includes Brody vs. Flair 2/3 falls, Funks vs. Brody/Hansen I & II, and much more) Regards, Geoff

In this weeks edition, I name drop a Blog of Doom regular, 4-newcomers enter the proving ground, The worst Tattoo in wrestling makes an appearance, and the World Title tournament begins with Jay Lethal taking on Sonjay Dutt in the main event. Show opens with a video package featuring Jay Briscoe begging not to be striped of the title, and Nigel doing it anyway.  The screen cuts to Kevin Kelly who introduces our opening contest... TV Title Proving Ground: Vinny Marseglia VS Todd Hanson VS Bryan Fury VS Kongo OK, Marseglia is the only one of these guys who has even been on ROH TV before--and that was months ago so a brief description of these scrubs is in order Marseglia looks like a less healthy Jeff Hardy with more tattoos Hanson is a thick guy with an overgrown beard. He would look right at home in the Wyatt Family. Fury looks like a wrestler...I really don't know what to add--generic looking but not in the Vanilla Midget sense Kevin Kelly called Kongo as "indes...

Does Raw have a budget?  and i was wondering how much do you think things like the zamboni/Beer truck/cement mixer cost back in the day of Austin? Those were some of the defining moments of the attitude era and i feel like theyve moved away from that but maybe because its just not cost effective.  The whole D-Bry escalade paint thing made me think of this.  Yeah, the show has a budget of a million or so.  Blowing up cars and such generally ran $100k or so in the Russo era, not sure about today.  

This interview was filmed in 2004. It runs at three hours and forty-five minutes long.  

Greetings. "Ricky Springfield, he's a buddy-ah mine!" I'm interested in the blog's thoughts on some entrance music related items. We all have our favorites, but here's what I want to know: 1) What is your favorite "so bad it's awesome" wrestling theme? 2) Which totally forgettable or underachieving wrestlers had awesome themes that were, well, too awesome for them? For me, the answer to number one is a tie between Billy and Chuck's "You Look So Good To Me" and Rick Rude's "Simply Ravishing" Black Cat ripoff.  And for two, D'Lo Brown and Rob Conway.  Thoughts? Billy & Chuck's song is an N'SYNC tune. I remember being at a friend's house back in the day and his little sister all of a sudden started listening to B&C's theme song. After further investigation, I found out the details. I don't know about so bad it's awesome, but I can certainly go with bad. Sting...

TNA Officials Upset with Hulk Hogan's Recent Statements? According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, he asked around the company what they thought of Hogan's statements about needing more money and giving Eric Bischoff the "keys to the car." Several in the company, including a few wrestlers, note how that was a slap in the face to Dixie Carter and also noted how she has listened to a lot of ideas from the Bischoff/Hogan regime (Moving Impact to Monday Night's and taking the show on the road) and how they have not improved business growth at all. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Kassius Ohno Removed from the NXT Opening Ohno (Chris Hero), has been removed from the opening but still remains with the company. He hasn't been seen on NXT in several weeks. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Sami Callahan Assigned his New NXT Name He will now go by the name Solomon Crowe. Cerdit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com

> With ROH possibly folding in the next couple of years, could u see Trips going after their library?? WWE will own everything available when all is said and done, so of course. The money from one DVD release that does reasonably well pays for the minimal cost of the entire library. Speaking of DVDs, I was checking out the MSG listing, and what a huge disappointment that one is. Shawn v Razor AGAIN? Only 4 pre-Hogan matches? What nostalgic fans are buying this thing for The Hardy Boyz v The Dudley Boyz in 2000?

Nevertime poster - only a lurker.   Do you envision a scene down the road during one of the D Bryan humiliation skits where HBK comes out to defend his prized pupil and confronts HHH and Vince.  Shawn cuts a promo on them and lays the foundation for one of them crossing over to Daniel's side.  If some sort of McMahon fued is working its way to WrestleMania, then they can't all be on the same side as they are now . . something has to give.   What sayeth you? The clear storyline path seems to be power mad HHH deciding that the Facgime doesn't need old man Vince any longer.  HBK would fit as a foil for old frenemy HHH and as a representative of the previous era that HHH is trying to kill off, in that hypothetical storyline, although I don't think Shawn wants to come back.  What might work is Vince choosing Undertaker as his avatar so that HHH's guy has to end the streak in order to get ultimate control of the company.  

NXT Date: August 28, 2013 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal Reviewed by Tommy Hall After last week's great match between Zayn and Cesaro we're needing a new #1 contender. We've seen a showdown teased between Sami and Dallas for awhile now so that might be the best possible option. Either way NXT is capable of coming up with some good programs out of nowhere and odds are they can do it again here. Let's get to it.

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 08.28.13 Apparently these go up on Hulu on Wednesday night. Sweet. Taped from Orlando, FL Your hosts are Tony Dawson and William Regal

Holy shit, if someone had told me all they would need is Eric Bischoff, unlimited resources, and a smartphone, I would have told them to get on that shit years ago!  Goddamn, why didn’t I think of that?  THIS MAN IS A GENIUS. Also, EVERYTHING IS FINE.

> Holy crap! The end of Trinity caught me completely by surprise. I'm now actually excited for this. Not quite as good as the Sinestro War set-up, but still, wow. > > DC spoiled their own payoff last week because that's what they do now, but the end of Justice League 23 was still a huge nerdgasm for me. Although I thought the Cyborg thing was setting up something totally different than what we got. Anyway finally a crossover deal with an actual PAYOFF that isn't a huge letdown and makes sense.

Most wrestling fans today, be it casual or hardcore, consider American wrestling a one horse race. Ever since WCW, the only modern competitor to WWE, was run into the ground and bought for pennies on the dollar by Vince McMahon, wrestling has essentially been limited to one big dog and a few feral cats. Ring of Honor was a much celebrated independent, almost in the same vein as ECW. That organization has fallen on tough times and is not longer for this world. (From my source who worked for the company, he says everything bad you read about ROH right now is true). TNA was a novel, if terribly named, idea that seems to be reaching its wits end at this stage of the game. If these two organizations were to go belly-up, it would leave WWE and a bunch of no name independents. But inside that opening paragraph some astute readers (or critics...I got plenty of those) will say "Well, wasn't TNA once NWA-TNA?" Yes, it was. Before Vince McMahon Junior was out of diapers, before Jo...

What is the biggest ratings drop you've given a match from the first time you've seen it to the next time when you've actually had time to really examine the match? For example the first ladder match with Razor and HBK could have gotten 5 stars at the time but after watching it could have gotten a lower rating.   Also, was there ever a match that got a ratings INCREASE after you watched it again objectively? Yeah, I've had a lot that increased, mostly because I would be watching WCW PPVs while I was drunk or pissed off at the company or both, and I really shorted a lot of good matches and then did better reviews later.  My most notable increase would probably be Mankind-UT Hell in a Cell, which was upgraded from one star to four stars.   I don't generally downgrade stuff that much, although I recall a couple of Wrestlemanias from the Russo era where I gave wacky ratings and corrected them later.  HHH v. Kane from 15 springs to mind, and there was a Chy...

Ain’t it the truth.

Monday Nitro #134 Date: April 6, 1998 Location: Miami Arena, Miami, Florida Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Larry Zbyszko Reviewed by Tommy Hall This is the first time WCW has gotten together since last week and as usual, the focus is all on the NWO. In this case it was Nash accidentally kicking Hogan in the face, ticking Hollywood off as we're getting closer to Spring Stampede where they're teaming up together. In other words, as usual, the NWO drama overshadows everything else on the show despite the fans getting bored with it. Let's get to it.

> Scott, do you know what's up with Jim Neidhart these days? I've just come across this video in which he seems to be acting very strangely indeed. Non stop shaking an bobbing around. I'm actually hoping he's doped up on something and not actually being 'normal'.  > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMDzSUhGxmE#t=41 I don't know but I hope he gets help for whatever it is.  Maybe years of marriage to Ellie finally got the best of him?

> Hey Scott-- > > Please take a look at the following name changes: > > Britney Fetkin has been renamed Devin Taylor.  > Erika Hammond has been renamed Veronica Lane.  > Lexi Kaufman has been renamed Alexa Bliss.  > CJ Perry is now LANA > > Is it just me, or has WWE decided to give up the pretense and go full-on porn star with these names? > > --J The truth hurts.

Hulk Hogan Addresses Rumors of a WWE Return and Advice on How to Fix TNA http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7D6gDdKS9uo WWE Offering Four $25,000 Grants for their "Be a Star" Anti-Bullying Program http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wwe-offers-100-000-star-175800709.html New Ring Names Assigned to WWE Developmental Wrestlers The following is from Mike Johnson at PWInsider.com: Stephen Cole has been renamed Cole Andrews Britney Fetkin has been renamed Devin Taylor. Erika Hammond has been renamed Veronica Lane. Smith James has been renamed Bull Dempsey. Lexi Kaufman has been renamed Alexa Bliss. CJ Perry is now LANA. Rebecca Quinn (the former Rebecca Knox) has been renamed Becky Lynch. Adam Scherr has been renamed Braun Stowman. Interesting they would rename him as he's got a bit of a name in the bodybuilding world, having won the 2012 Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championships. Australian talent Matt Silva has been renamed Buddy...

Greetings. "Normally, my prospects of coming back alive from a meeting with Nicky were 99 out of 100. But this time, when I heard him say "a couple of hundred yards down the road", I gave myself 50-50" Today's question comes from a Mr. Elmo Machete. Not sure if this has been used as a topic before, but trying to get through that Samoa Joe/Necro Butcher match the other day got me thinking about something my friends & I were talking about the other day: who did we each think was the absolute WORST wrestler, the one without even the tiniest hint of skill, that we'd ever seen perform? I myself settled on New Jack. I'm literally shocked that anyone has ever let him inside a wrestling ring (even though when near one, he doesn't often stay inside for long). Can't stand him, never could, can't believe he's ever been booked anywhere. By anyone. Don't think I've ever seen him do an actual wrestling move. Your (and the Bl...

> > With Daniel Bryan going up against the McMahons, is there any chance we can get a Daniel Bryan/AJ reconcillation? > > If AJ is going to after the Diva show participants, you could add Stephanie in the middle to protect "WWE property." This goes in line with Stephanie's seemingly forgotten bullying of AJ a month ago. > > You also end up with two useful side-effects: > 1. Decent character development for AJ by having her going from doe-eyed girl pining for Daniel to dumping him at the altar so she could be corporate to finally helping him out. > 2. Someone who can pop Stephanie one - well other than Randy Orton. > > Really Daniel & AJ have the same complaint. They don't have the right look and therefore aren't respected by corporate. Plus AJ being the first to step up against HHH would be a lot of fun. > > Thoughts? > > Wayne > > > Certainly not the worst idea. I can see ...

February 9, 1985 Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon This week, Vince lets us know that three tag-team matches will take place , one of which includes Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch. Also, a training video with Hulk Hogan and Hillbilly Jim and we will finally see the action from the December MSG show.  

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/100-tna/32854-new-twist-for-bound-for-glory-series EVERYTHING IS FINE. What a giant clusterfuck this promotion is becoming.

Change of Plans in TNA's "Bound for Glory" Series Thursday night will feature the last matches in the series, with the top four contestants going on to the "No Surrender" show on 9/12. The decision was just made to end the series as they did not have enough time to complete the round robin tournament. http://www.impactwrestling.com/news/item/4959-It-s-MUST-WIN-THURSDAY-in-the-Bound-For-Glory-Series-Thursday-9-8c-on-IMPACT-on-SpikeTV AJ Styles Contract Update According to Mike Johnson, AJ has been offered a short-term deal with the hopes of both sides working on a longer-term contract. No word on whether or not AJ has accepted the offer. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Matt Morgan Update According to Mike Johnson, the WWE and Morgan have had some discussions but there has not been an offer made by the WWE at this point. It has also been reported that WWE has little to no interest in TNA performers, with the belief that they already have guys ...

Going home pretty soon and I have a 17 hour flight. I hate the viewing choices on international flights so I made the decision to watch some wrestling. For all the years I have watched wrestling, I am coming up blank at what I want to watch, so I am looking to the BoD for inspiration. I'd like a nice mix of workrate, entertaining crap, squash matches, classic WCW/ECW/ROH/TNA/WW(F)E, maybe some Japan/Mexico. Whatever you recommend, I will look up and "acquire" Thx in advance, The Fuj G 1 Climax!

by Logan Scisco - Jim Ross and Jim Cornette are in the booth and they are live from Fayetteville, North Carolina . - Harvey Wippleman comes out, billed as “Handsome” Harvey, to Rick Rude’s theme music as Ross and Cornette make jabs at Rude.  Wippleman welcomes out D-Generation X, but WWF Champion Shawn Michaels pushes him down, says he’s not hard to replace, and runs him out of the ring.  Michaels feigns like he cares about what happened at Montreal and says he and Bret are going to patch up their differences later tonight.  You know, if you ran this together with when Bret actually returned to the company it would make perfect sense.

So according to this... http://www.wrestlingdvdnews.com/update-wwe-raw-20th-anniversary-dvd-box-set/49555/ ...the upcoming Raw 20th Anniversary collection is slated to have UP TO 20 complete episodes of the show. Which episodes do you think should obviously be included? Which episodes aren't so obvious that you'd like to see included? And would you prefer just an unreleased match compilation? More obvious question, do we REALLY need another DVD compilation celebrating the longevity of RAW?  Aren't the previous 5 or 6 enough by now? Anyway, the full episode idea is interesting, although I don't really remember many full ones.  Obvious choices: - The first one - The 1-2-3 Kid upset / Marty Jannetty return episode - Steve Austin terrorizes the Hart Foundation for two hours - This year's post-Wrestlemania snark-fest - The USA Homecoming episode - RAW Old School I'm sure there's many others, but those would have to be on there, you'd thi...

WWE.com Article on the Birth of "Extreme Championship Wrestling" WWE.com has an interview with Paul Heyman on the 19th year anniversary of the change from "Eastern Championship Wrestling" to "Extreme Championship Wrestling." http://www.wwe.com/classics/ecw/birth-of-extreme-26143772 WWE Showing Interest in Prince Devitt? According to Mike Johnson from PWInsider.com, WWE has been interested in Devitt for a while. It's also been reported that William Regal showed a tape of Pac (Adrian Neville in NXT) wrestling against Devitt to HHH and said that they could be the future of the company. They ended up signing Pac from that as Devitt went to New Japan. Although there hasn't been a deal made or anything, the WWE remains interested. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com AJ Styles to Meet with TNA Officials This Week According to Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com, AJ and TNA will try to work out a deal. The main holdup is money and with TNA restr...

The SmarK RAW Rant – 08.26.13 Live from Phoenix, AZ Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL

Greetings, boogalooshrimps. Caliber, hope all is well.  I was filling out some insurance paperwork for an ER patient I had a few weeks ago...she had gotten into a fight with her husband so decided her best method of retaliation was to take his denturs and hide them up her vagina.  They punctured her internal vagina and gave her a bacterial infection, hence her visit to the ER.  This got me thinking of a good QOTD...whats the craziest relationship/breakup/cheating etc. story you guys have?  I love these types of stories.  Ill divulge mine in the thread.  Thanks MH - officerfarva That is stunning. I mean, she truly thought that would be the best place to hide them? Sometimes when you hear about how stupid people can be, you wonder how things ever get done at all. Well, as for my story, it goes a little something like this....

TNA Impact Wrestling Special: Hardcore Justice 2013 Part 2 Welcome everyone to the review of TNA's Hardcore Justice 2013 Part 2. After reading through the comment section of my debut review, I noticed a trend. Some of you said I needed to put more of my personal opinion into the reviews while others liked the generic move by move play by play. I decided to mix things up and mesh both together. Also, someone suggested posting a little blurb about why I gave the match a certain review. I will be adding that as well. Keep the comments coming as it helps me get better as a writer and helps you as the reader get a better review!

What's My Motivation Here? I don't remember who it was that told him this. Probably Terry Funk. I don't even remember which of his books it was in. Probably his first. But I distinctly remember a point made by Mick Foley that's stuck out with me more than anything else I've ever learned about the psychology of professional wrestling (and we're obviously paraphrasing here): it doesn't matter if the heel is right. It doesn't matter if his motivation makes sense. It just matters that THEY think it makes sense. That seemed to be a running theme tonight: establishing motivation, albeit to greatly different extents.

So, when last we left our heroes, Superman was off to the Fortress of Solitude for recovery time.   With Parallax joining up with LexCorp and the rest of the Justice League nowhere to be found, it’s up to a small hero to step up and protect the Universe.   Okay, I’m stretching the DC to WWE analogy here, but the point is: Daniel Bryan is the hero we deserve right now.   But, against the McMahons, is he the hero we need? Tonight: Rob Van Dam faces Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk faces Curtis Axel in a WWE App Match.   I’m a little surprised we’re getting these on Raw instead of the next Pay-Per-View, in which both Del Rio and Axel, as champion, are obligated to show up. - The Rated-PG Rant for Monday Night Raw, August 26, 2013. - Live from Phoenix. - Your hosts are Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry Lawler.

Hi, just wondered do you think Vince or Trips actually follow other Groups shows? ie keep up with storylines and the like in TNA? Not have it watched, but watch in themselves? Was curious as to that and if they watched Wcw back in the day With thanks Geemann Everything I've ever heard says that Vince doesn't watch or give a crap about TNA, or any other wrestling promotions aside from his own.  

Howdy Blog O' Doomers! Nothing too exciting this week. Should be another interesting show on RAW as the company's only two storylines of note right now will continue to progress. I agree with our Smackdown guy, Thomas Hall, when he says that it would be nice for Daniel Bryan to have a few bright moments tonight since he's been left laying for the last three shows. I get where they are going but at a certain point if you make Bryan too much of a plucky underdog and don't have an immediate PPV payoff the whole angle goes sour. If they want to drag his chase out to the Survivor Series or even farther they have to at least make it look like he's on even ground. I'm also curious at how much people will buy into this Orton reign. Looking at his divorce records he's making about 2-3 million/year so there's a major investment in this guy and this might be the time where they are looking to see if he can really draw some money. I understand the point that, for th...

-Well, let’s not beat around the bush – for a Fuel TV show this card was unbelievably stacked – a title fight main event away from being a high-end PPV card, effectively. I actually thought it was weird that they’d put it on Fuel TV where the viewership is pretty low, but I guess it was more like a gift for the Japanese fans than anything else and hey, Fox must’ve been happy as the show ended up shattering the viewing records for Fuel TV anyway.

Nikki Bella is a history buff.

CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel on RAW Tonight Here is the rest of the preview http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-08-26/five-point-preview-26142812 Ted Dibiase Jr. Leaves the WWE He announces this via YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7C8mJvases&feature=player_embedded Kayfabe Commentaries Releases Timeline Series of 2000 WCW with Vince Russo tomorrow Here is the trailer for the shoot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5HM4-uuFzo&feature=c4-overview&list=UUxY4Sa92Z0xbzuSrRhBMJZQ And another sneak preview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPB1Eqeuf3o&list=UUxY4Sa92Z0xbzuSrRhBMJZQ

I'm wondering what are some of the funnest matches you've ever seen are. Not necessarily the best but matches that were really fun to watch. Randy Orton vs. Triple H at No Mercy 2007 stands out in my mind. I've never liked their chemistry but they had a hell of a Last Man Standing match here. I think it's a great match(****+) but it's really elevated by how much fun I have watching it. The crowd is with them on every count(it's in Chicago) JR is losing his shit on commentary and Orton wins clean and looks dominant. Really fun match.  Any matches you can think of that aren't ***** classics but stand out in your mind as fun? Pff, if you can't have fun watching HHH engage Randal Orton in sports entertainment, you're not doing it right. There's been tons of matches I classify as "entertaining crap", mostly stuff from WCW in the mid-90s like Scotty Flamingo v. Johnny B. Badd in the boxing match, and most famously Roddy Piper v. Adr...

I was watching some old ECW matches the other day and it dawned on me that I have never once seen a female in the audience at the ECW Arena. So I have two questions: 1) Has a girl EVER attended an ECW event? and 2) Is there any other gathering in human history that has a worse male-to-female ratio than ECW in the 90's? 1.  I don't have attendance records handy, but I'm gonna say no. 2.  This blog?

Greetings, hububaloohs. Today's question is an interesting one, from a Mr. Steven Jones. Hey Calibre, Love what you bring to Keiths blog.  You are great.  A Top Ten Guy in my book. I had a good idea for QOTD.  Remember Blossom, and "On a very special episode of Blossom..." What if the WWE did that?  On a very special episode of Monday Night RAW?  Could be some funny stuff.  Thought I would throw that out to you and the blog. Keep it real Thanks Culiber. First off, Steven, it's Calibray.  You know, people always talk about the "very special episodes" from the late 80's, early 90's, but I really only remember two. The Family Matter's episode about gun violence, where someone was shot over a pair of shoes, and the Full House where Stephanie's friend was beat by his dad. Then at one point Danny comes up and is all "Steph, you didn't take out the trash", to which Stephanie replies later "Oh man, I'm in big t...

Scott, whats up?  2 quickies but discussion generating questions for the doomers... 1) Was listening to a PTB podcast at the gym (edjoyed your edition by the way) and they mentioned that WWE had discussions of hot shotting Cena/Rock to WM 27, and going with that and Miz/Morrison as the top 2 matches?  Was this ever REALLY an option?  Seems far fetched consdering how planned out Rocks recent run was. I was literally not even paying attention to current wrestling at that point so I have no idea how true it was, but considering that Rock needed months of lead-time to get ready for Survivor Series, I seriously doubt that was a real option.   2) They also mentioned how WM 20 should have been HHH/Benoit, Rock/HBK, and Foley/Orton.  I love this PPV so have no complaints about the card but why didn't Foley/Orton have a 1-1 match?  It would have been a great launching pad for Orton, as it was he kinda got overshadowed by everyone else.  I think that's exactly why the...

The Daniel Bryan discussion this morning made me ponder what the best overall move names are. I think the Japanese have this one wrapped up in terms of artistic merit (HIgh Fly Flow, Rainmaker, Shining Wizard, Miracle Ecstasy Bomb) but none of those really describes WHAT the move is. I think overall it's tough to top Undertaker claiming the tombstone piledriver as a generic move name that got turned into his signature move name, but there's a lot of good choices and I'm sure Sweet Chin Music is also gonna rank highly.

> > Hey Scott, > > Considering there are only so many spot for wrestlers in the WWE and TNA , why do seemingly so few US wrestlers go overseas to wrestle in Japan (or even Mexico)? Is it a pay issue? Are there the same issues with job availability? Yeah, it's a pay issue, because New Japan isn't exactly WWE and there's only so much to go around for gaijin there. Thus why Albert would rather do whatever he's doing now instead of getting respect and a push in Japan. Sometimes you gotta pay the bills.

Hey Caliber,          Your friendly fellow fitness buff here. I am proposing that in honor of the guy that trained him we start a movement to name Daniel Bryan's new running knee finisher "Sweet Beard Music" What do you think? I bet everyone on the blog can unite, (for a change) to make this  happen. (YankeesHoganTripleHFan) You know, it's not bad. But I have to admit I'm partial to Goat Knees Pizza. Especially since he's going up against Orton, and they can call it the GKP. And you know, you call it the Pizza because you eat that shit. So, how about it, gang? Anyone have a better idea? It'll be one of the BoD's many highlights amongst it's legacy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoZOiS0jzl8 A surprisingly advanced and playable Intellivision wrestling game. Ugly graphics though.

Scott, With Cena seemingly falling into the "I don't like him but I respect him" category, what do you think his legacy will be? Will his stale character and overexposure hurt his chances  of being remembered alongside guys like Austin, Hogan and Michaels? I don't know what he'll be remembered as yet because the next generation of fans haven't entered into the business with their nostalgic views of him.  I wouldn't have thought that Hogan would get a 10 minute standing ovation in 2002 given how his career wound down in WCW, but you never know.  Maybe Cena will go away for a couple of years at the end of his career and get to come back as a massively popular legend, you never know.  

Scott, Something that I dislike about the current era of WWE is how sterilized everything looks. The stage is just one giant screen comprised of many smaller screens, and the crowd is far too illuminated. In the Attitude Era, say what you will about its flaws, it had a great, gritty look that is conducive to an aggressive and exciting environment. There was one big monitor (the Titantron) and a whole bunch of metal shit around it. It didn't look like a Tokyo nightclub. The best rock shows of history have followed the same ideal: metal shit and a big statue or something behind the band. I don't want to watch a band play in front of a plasma TV. The '70s and early '80s was great too, how the crowd is mostly in the dark and it makes the wrestlers look like gladiators fighting for good and evil among a dark sea of souls. It reminds me of stand-up specials from the same period. That's why mid-'90s WCW looks so obsolete. Tough guys would come out through coloure...

Now that we know the extent of Cena's elbow injury, would you consider that the best match ever where one guy goes into the match with a greatly disabling injury? Other candidates off the top of my head: Wrestlemania XIV: Michaels vs Austin (Michaels with career-ending back inury) King of the Ring: Undertaker vs Mankind (Taker jumping off Cell with broken angle) Wrestlemania XIX: Angle vs Lesnar (Angle neck injury) Taboo Tuesday: Michaels vs HHH (Michaels with torn meniscus) I certainly can't think of any other ***** matches where one guy had a freakin' baseball growing out of his elbow, on top of a torn triceps.

Scott, have you ever seen/rated this match? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIy819hzNUA Basically ten minutes of Joe wiping the floor with Butcher, inventing such moves as the Forehead Powerslam and the Fuck You You're Going Over, and other stuff that would make Brock Lesnar cringe. Also a guest commentator who went on to a have decent little career in WWE. This could honestly range from five stars to negative five stars depending on the reviewer, so would be interesting to get your take. Never seen the match, no.  Aside from powerslamming the dude on his FOREHEAD, there wasn't much to it for my liking.  Necro Butcher is the guy with one of the biggest disconnects between most awesome wrestling name and worst look I've ever seen.  You hear the guy's name and you're picturing something like Bane or 1992 Vader and you get this dude out of Duck Dynasty instead.  It's really weird.

Scott,         I was looking at the Scott Keith ****+ website and saw 1992 had an astounding 21 matches of 4 stars or higher. Looking back I don't remember 1992 being THAT good. What would you say the best year for in-ring competition was? Not necessarily best storylines. You're the only person who has responded to my friend request on Simpsons Tapped Out thus far, so you get your question answered!  rspwfaq on Origin, people.  I need to finish the damn boardwalk already! I'm pretty surprised that 92 would be so high, actually.  You'd think 89 would be the obvious choice with two Flair-Funk matches and the trio of Flair-Steamboats.  Plus over in Japan shit was off the HOOK.  So we'll go with that.  

August 13, 2003 Your hosts are Don West and Mike Tenay Tenay hypes the top matches for tonight, which include Raven vs. Shane Douglas and America ’s Most Wanted & Dusty Rhodes vs. Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger & Glen Gilbertti  

I will readily admit: I am a whore. Legs spread wide. A link to my site on SummerSlam: http://marianosaves.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/quick-and-dirty-summerslam-2013-review/

Just watched the Cesaro/Zayn match that is getting a lot of buzz...and based on your comments, I'm interested in your comments on this. Cesaro seems like an obvious pick if they're interested in doing a new Evolution style stable.  Do you think he's been ruined already by his association with Dutch and Swagger, or is there still hope?  I feel like he could play the Windham/Orton/Rock role pretty well, and then could be pushed to the main event.  On a related note, Christian seems like an obvious candidate for the old veteran tag team role.  Who would you want to put with him to give them a big push? Am I getting so old that Evolution is considered a classic stable now?  I know it's my 39th birthday next week, but shit, man. I think the Orton/HHH thing is more a Corporation type deal than Evolution.  And Cesaro would be PERFECT as an impeccably dressed HHH lackey, plus you can do the idea I've been advocating for years and stick Jack Swagger in a sharp business s...

Smackdown Date: August 23, 2013 Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's an interesting time in WWE as we have our first heel super stable in several years and they can do whatever the like because “we own the place.” The two questions at the moment are what will Daniel Bryan do to fight these guys off and who will step up to help him in the war. Odds are we won't find out until Monday. Let's get to it.

Scott,   Another local look at DDP's Yoga:   http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/23238388/diamond-dallas-page-ddpyoga   Matthew

> ....aaaaand go. Come on, he only killed off one potential franchise thus far. Cut him a break. He might be wicked awesome.

More News on CM Punk Challenging the Fan on RAW According to Mike Johnson from PWInsider.com, he asked around about the incident and said that it was not scripted. He also was told from other fans nearby the fan that he did not say anything considered to be over the top. Johnson was also told from those backstage that Punk was in a "grumpy" mood all night long. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com WWE Talent Being Told to Work Harder in Order to Help the Company during John Cena's Absence. They are also being told that this is their chance to make a name for themselves. Also, it was reproted that talent was told Cena will probably be out until the Royal Rumble. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com "Money in the Bank" PPV Buyrate Totals The show drew 146,000 buys in North America and 46,000 overseas. SoCal Val the Latest Casualty from TNA http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/32780-another-tna-departure

Greetings, buckaroos. Today's question comes from a Mr. Jeff Bailey Favourite referees.   I'm always partial to the ones you don't notice: Joey Marella, Tim White, Jack Doan, etc. Much better than Earl Hebner, Charles Robinson and the like who may as well have a sign above their head saying 'Look at me!'   In fact Hebner and his shitty exaggerated counting really gets up my piss hole.   Actually, Robinson is my favorite. I often find he just disappears once the match get's going. Plus, he doesn't do obnoxious things like when it's a No-DQ match, and someone is in a submission, then reaches the ropes, he'll just stand there like "what do you want me to do about it?". Other refs will forget and call for a break. Or they'll do things like try and prevent certain weapons being used, or like Hebner and his favorite "That's enough!" he'd always yell at Triple H. Plus, who hauls ass better than him? ...

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 08.22.13 Taped from Orlando, FL Your hosts are Tom Phillips & Alex Riley

Here are the choices: Marty Jannetty (Volume 1) Rick Martel Billy Jack Haynes Vote by clicking on the link below. Voting ends Sunday at 8pm Which Shoot Interview should be reviewed next?

Impact Wrestling Date: August 22, 2013 Location: Constant Center, Norfolk, Virginia Commentators: Tazz, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall  We're still in Virginia for the other main event from Hardcore Justice. Tonight's main event is the Mafia vs. the Aces in a big ten man brawl with the person taking the fall being banished from Impact Wrestling forever. Other than that we've got another four way match for twenty points in the BFG Series. We've got about a month left in the entire Series so points are becoming more and more important. Let's get to it.

Hey Scott,  Was hoping you could let everyone know, via a plug, that Scott Keith ****+ has a new home at  http://skeith4plusratings.blogspot.com/ My bandwidth was exceeded at the old home and I've had reports of the website going in and out, sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't. Anyway, I hope everyone will update their bookmarks, as I'll (hopefully) be updating this new site a little more frequently than I did the old one. I'm still working on the design and a few odds & ends, but all the content is there and ready for everyone's viewing pleasure. The archives are gone and basically you're just getting the bare bones here, but at least there's no worry of getting shut down. Thanks a lot! No problem.  Pretty sure you won't crash Blogspot's bandwidth at least.