The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 10.30.13 Taped from Orlando, FL Your hosts are William Regal & Byron Saxton & Renee Young

Happy end of Halloween Blog Otters! I'm on my way to an organ performance at Brown university and figured I'd post this, else miss two QOTDs in a row! What are you best and worst Halloween adventures?  I have a few involving sailor Jerry's, k2 , cops and German chicks but ill save it for a real keyboard So I'll post my costume. I'm the king of kings.... Personal band. https://mobile.twitter.com/MeekinOnMovies/status/396121149018349568/photo/1

Hey Scott, long time no see.  I was wondering if you could post my latest match in the Prairie Wrestling Alliance against Michael R Blais? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x4VJjdBjiU Thanks man! -Marky Of course!  Feel free to pimp anything else you want, too.   Random note:  There's a kid in the front row wearing the same hot dog costume that my wife wore today.  

Impact Wrestling Date: October 31, 2013 Location: Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Commentators: Tazz, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's Halloween night and the main story is the TNA World Champion left in a nice car last week, apparently not wanting to sign a contract and taking the title with him. Since this is TNA, you can see the brackets for the tournament being filled out as we speak. I'd assume we're heading for a champion vs. champion match because that's what WWE did a few years ago and if WWE can do it, TNA can as well, albeit with more mistakes and stupidity. Let's get to it.

Here are the choices: Raven & Honky Tonk Man Raven & James Mitchell Matt Hardy & Shane Helms Vote by Clicking on the link below. Voting Ends Saturday at 8pm. http://poll.pollcode.com/835514

Tonight is a special Halloween edition of Impact. http://www.impactwrestling.com/news/item/5082-IMPACT-Preview-Tonight-s-Halloween-Broadcast-Angle-vs-Roode-Will-Abyss-Return

Hi Scott. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind giving a shout out to a webseries I co-wrote and directed on the BoD? It's called Project Hollywood. It's a comedy, sort of Entourage meets Arrested Development/It's Always Sunny. The first two episodes are up on www.projecthollywoodwebseries.com , with two new episodes released every Wednesday. People can also find us on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/projecthollywoodseries ). I think some of your readers will dig it. ~Scotty J

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-31/even-professional-wrestlers-understand-fed-enemy Kane transformed from The Devil's Favorite Demon to Rush Limbaugh wannabe so gradually, I hardly even noticed! Kane has been doing the libertarian thing for years now.  He and Val Venis should form a team.  

Here is an excellent article describing the on-screen character of the manager, promoter, commentator, et al that we love to hate. Heyman/Dangerously portrays a misogynist to the Nth degree and improves the quality of programming in doing so. While some men shy away from his true distaste for women in prominent roles women despise the character to the core. That, to me, is what makes Paul Heyman a fascinating player on the wrestling stage. Enjoy! https://medium.com/p/311b4cd1d4f9

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9901222/a-quick-hell-cell-recap-modest-proposal-favor-wwe-offseason Before everyone starts e-mailing it to me... And yeah, I agree with the idea.  CM Punk really should have taken WAY more time off after Wrestlemania.  Frankly he didn't need to come back until Summerslam.  Would have made the showdown with Brock even more dramatic.  

NXT Date: October 30, 2013 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: William Regal, Renee Young, Byron Saxton Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're still in the Abu Dhabi era, meaning it's still time for the lower level guys to shine on this show. That opens up a lot of doors as it's hard to tell what the show is going to focus on. The strength of NXT has always been its ability to put the focus on anything at any time though, so hopefully this show holds up well. Let's get to it.

Steve Austin and the Undertaker had weird chemistry for being two A+ guys that often crossed each others paths. The matches ranged from solid, but not memorable to flat out boring. It seemed like Summerslam 1998 was when they were aiming for their classic but Austin got concussed real early in that match and needed 'Taker to guide him through. Well this isn't that match but rather their 2001 encounter with Austin in full-blown heel mode. Enjoy.

This was filmed in 2001 and has a run time of two hours and twenty-five minutes

I think that we need a good old fashioned GOAT thread, so that we can talk about great wrestlers, who still aren't A+ wrestlers.   And by "talk" I mean yell at each other a bunch.  It's pretty fun. Have at it.  

Scott - In the spirit of Halloween, here is a whole collection of wrestling videos for the Blog today http://placetobenation.com/pro-wrestling-halloween-bucket-of-treats/ Thanks!!!

Hey Scott, Do you think the Daniel Bryan situation plays out similar to a Ric Flair scenario where the fanbase vocally starts chanting for him during any segments with Randy Orton and Big Show? Would it possibly culminate in the proposed Randy Orton/Big Show Survivor Series match just getting bludgeoned with "We want Bryan" chants? -Vintage Gamer You might want to ask Zack Ryder how well that worked out for him.   WWE doesn't care what the fans want unless it overlaps with their own desires.  

Hi Scott,    A few months ago you insisted that you still think Shawn Michaels will one day return to the ring. In this week's RAW review you said you doubt that this Daniel Bryan business will lead to a match between them. If putting over his protege isn't a good enough reason for Shawn to work a match, what would be? Do you think he's still holding out hope that the Rock will work with him? According to the latest WON, Shawn is still vehemently denying that he's going to wrestle again, but people who know him think he's working Wrestlemania.  In which case, Daniel Bryan going over him in a show-stealing ****+ match would mean way more than winning the title again.  I think it would be a worthwhile cause for Shawn, as long as it's not some goofy variation like Evil D-X v. Punk & Bryan in a match where the loser gets pooped or something.  

WWE.com Sitdown Interview with HHH http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/triple-h-exclusive-interviews-with-michael-cole WWE Third Quarter Earnings Released Revenue for the WWE increased by 9% this quarter and across the board, they exceeded expectations. Below is the link to the report. http://pwinsider.com/article/81263/wwe-releases-third-quarter-earnings-beats-estimates.html?p=1 Eric Bischoff Update Bischoff was sent home by TNA. His contract expires in February and right now, Dave Lagana and Matt Conway will be in charge of creative. A lot of people were happy to see Bischoff leave as he was usually negative. As recently as a few weeks ago, there was talk of bringing Bischoff back as an on-air talent. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Future Plans for Roman Reigns? As of now, the plan for Reigns is to turn babyface once the Shield splits up. However, the split is not expected to happen until several months down the road. Credit Bryan Alvarez...

First off, this only really applies to gamers. So, hopefully some of you have seen the incredible work that goes in to the community creations from WWE '12/'13. Unfortunately, THQ/2K have removed some parts of the Creative Suite that make it incredibly difficult to duplicate some of these creations, that take days, sometimes even weeks.

Scott, with the term "A+ Players" being tossed around as loosely as spots in the WWE Hall of Fame, who would you say are the true A+ players of wrestling? There have been a lot of A's, but in my mind, to be a true A+ player, the ultimate wrestler (not the Ultimate Warrior) you have to truly transform the industry as a whole, and raise wrestling to a level it has never reached before. The only two people that I believe have ever done that are Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin. Ric Flair?  Just carried on the legacy he inherited, and was never a huge draw outside the Carolinas. Bruno Sammartino?  Carried his company for over a decade, but couldn't really expand them beyond being a profitable Northeastern promotion. The Rock?  Gained mainstream fame after becoming a movie star, but really didn't take wrestling to a higher level than Austin brought it. Andre the Giant?  An attraction, a curiousty, a draw, but not a gamechanger f...

Discuss the game here tonight

Monday Nitro #140 Date: June 8, 1998 Location: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Commentators: Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're at the last Nitro before the Great American Bash and we have a new co-main event for Sunday of Sting vs. Giant for the tag titles. It's hard to say what we're going to get tonight as almost everything is set, meaning we've got a three hour commercial for a show that doesn't sound all that interesting in the first place. Let's get to it.

So now that Hogan and Eric and Pritchard are no longer there, who the hell is booking TNA anyway?   I was watching the RF video Raven shoot yesterday, and I really, really wish they'd bring him in to book/write/produce/whatever now that his wrestling career is for all intents and purposes over. I believe J-E-double-F is the last man standing as far as creative for that company.  But as you noted, who the hell knows?   They should just go for broke and hire Raven, Jake Roberts and Scott Hall to book the shows, with whoever is sober that day getting control.  You would NEVER get a boring show.  

In 1982 there were few bigger A+ players than Ric Flair and Kerry Von Erich. Flair is Flair...hell 16 times World Champion...need I say more. But those of you that doubt Kerry Von Erich's A+ status should understand that if Vince McMahon had a choice between Hogan and Kerry Von Erich on who to build a global promotion around I think he would have thought about it for a long time. In hindsight it's easy to say that Hogan was the obvious choice but I believe that back in this era Von Erich was every bit as big of a star. And look at that body, that hair, that All-American face, that charisma. A+ all the way baby! Here they go. From 1982. 2 out of 3 falls for the 10 pounds of gold. Enjoy.

RAW Viewership Rises RAW drew 4.15 million viewers this past Monday, the highest amount since the NFL season began. Credit F4WOnline.com CM Punk Busted Open During RAW Punk was busted open above his eye during his beatdown from the Wyatt Family. He did not require any stitches. Credit PWInsider.com Ric Flair Update Flair, who took time off from appearances at the request of his friends and family due to his appearance at the WWE 2K14 symposium, is now looking to take bookings. Flair is currently living in Tampa, FL with ex-WCW wrestler Joe Gomez Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com AJ Styles Defending the TNA Heavyweight Title in Mexico Styles will be facing Judas Mesias at this Saturday's TV Taping for the AAA promotion Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com

Or if we all promise to be adults, can we post pictures and hilarious gifs? Nope.  Because not everyone can be adults and I have no desire to risk angering the gods of Google.  Plus they make the pages load slow as shit on my mobile devices and it drove me crazy.  There's many fine places where you can post and share such material, and the BOD is not one of them, sorry.  

Hi Scott I'd just find this match on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4dKpxKyWKg "The Sandman, Chris Candido, and Sunny were so drunk that Sunny passed out in the ring. Sandman fell off chairs doing his usual entrance. Candido could barely walk and stumbled everywhere and just fell down. Due to this, the LWE has officially stripped Chris Candido of the LWE Title and it remains vacant." Yeah, I remember that show and how people thought it was Sunny's low point in the business.  How naive we were.  

May 10th, 1985 Your hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes and Vince McMahon This week’s guests include Roddy Piper & Bob Orton, Bruno Sammartino, and Ivan Putski

Hey everyone, went to redbox today and picked up WWE 2K14 to test it out. I'll be streaming 30 Years of Wrestlemania tonight. So, if you're interested stop on by and check out the stream and chat with other blog members! http://www.twitch.tv/piledrivingcritique

- Another great black and white video package hypes the Royal Rumble match and puts over everyone from Steve Austin to the Headbangers as a threat . - Jim Ross and Jerry “the King” Lawler are in charge of commentary and they are live from San Jose, California.

The SmarK RAW Rant – 10.28.13 What is WITH the delays in getting WWE onto Hulu this week? NXT was late last week and now RAW doesn’t go up until well after it normally would. Some of us have things to do with our lives instead of watching silly wrestling shows. I mean, clearly not me of course, but SOME OF US.

We've all been here. 5am, wide awake, sick as a dog, and the only thing on TV is...infomercials. Turtle Wax, Oxy Clean, Orange Glow, Slapchop, ShamWow, Snuggie, P90X, the Bowflex, Jane Fonda Aerobics, Sweatin' To the Oldies, and countless more products have become seared into our skull thanks to infomercials that are cheesy enough to make us think the products are crap, but, possibly, for 19.95 (plus S&H) may be worth checking out anyway. Thus: What have you tried / bought / used that was from a TV infomercial? Does the Slap Chop work? Is the Sham Wow for real? Is the Snuggie awesome, or just a bathrobe you put on backwards?

Hey Scott, Christopher Daniels revealed his thoughts on TNA's struggles, Vince Russo's lack of faith, and 20 years of the BEST MOONSAULT EVER. http://temple-news.com/arts/2013/10/29/corrigan-fallen-angel-tna-star-christopher-daniels-refuses-settle/   Thanks!

Is Kurt Angle and A+ player? Well he's got a gold medal and he was great at every facet of pro wrestling entertainment so let's go with this Triple Threat from Taboo Tuesday. Angle vs. HBK vs. Cena. Why am I doing this? Because while The Princess might not always give you what you want, she'll always give you what you need!

RAW Entirely Re-Written Just a Few Hours Before the Show Mike Johnson from PWInsider.com spoke with someone from the creative team at 3:15pm yesterday who told Johnson that they had nothing planned yet and that Vince ordered for a complete re-write Orignally, Vince himself was suppose to appear on the show to confront HHH and Stephanie. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Daniel Bryan Update As of now, there are no other plans in the near future for Bryan to get back into the title picture. A few sources in the company told Mike Johnson that they believed Bryan got elevated from this program. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Paul Heyman Update Heyman was backstage at RAW last night but not used. The decision was made to end his feud with CM Punk, which was originally planned to run through December. No word as to when Heyman will return on-screen. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Shawn Michaels Update According to Mike Johnson, Shawn Michaels will not be app...

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. I believe this might make some money.  Just a hunch.

The ending of the PPV last night made me pretty upset and I wrote about it:  http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-wwe-hates-its-fans-and-they-keep.html It's been a pretty depressing couple of months, watching Bryan been buried in the worst way possible. And they were so close (again) to something so good. I really wouldn't say Bryan has been buried.  He's just not the bulletproof top guy that he should have been after the Cena win.  A lot of people were waiting for the rocket push and we got WWE sticking a firecracker in his boot instead.  

Why the fuck should we give a fuck about Shawn Michaels vs Danial Bryan? Let's face it. Shawn has become a pathetic joke. He exist SOLELY so Undertaker or anyone who HHH's feuding with, to beat the shit out and in the case of HHH, he's basically a human shield that exists solely so SOMEONE has to get the shit kicked of of them by his opponent, since HHH won't let himself look weak. He's weak on the mic, has zero character (and hasn't had one in AGES worth a shit) and quite frankly, the idea of him being offered to Danial Bryan as a consolation gift opponent after three months of consistent burial, is a joke. I'd rather see Bryan get the honor of beating Undertaker (with the added bonus of Undertaker reminding HHH that Undertake has made him his bitch countless years in a row when he publicly tells HHH he won't wrestle HHH again at WM and for him to force HHH to eat shit and let him fight Bryan, who is Undertaker's preferred opponent...

When last we left our heroes, one of them had made a triumphant return; another had destroyed an overmatched nemesis; and the third found himself robbed. Who deserved what? Did Daniel Bryan's actions cause him to lose the title that was his? Is John Cena's fourteenth title reign a sign of more future dominance? And what of CM Punk's future, now that the Dangerous Alliance lies in tatters behind him? The pre-show commercial promises talking from Shawn Michaels and John Cena. - The PG-Era Rant for Monday Night Raw, October 28, 2013. - Live from Orlando, Florida, which just seems appropriate for some reason. - Your hosts are who you thought they were.

So, between them Cena and Orton have held: 19 WWE Championships, 6 World Heavyweight Champions, 1 Intercontinental Championship, 3 United States Championships, 2 WWE Tag team Championships, 3 World Tag team Championships, and won 3 Royal Rumbles. The FIRST of those titles was won in December 2003. Cena is still 36, Orton only 33. The obvious question...if YOU were booking WWE, would you keep going with what works(these two guys), or push someone new? It's clear that no one else can really do the business they can(including Daniel Bryan). But if something happened to one or both of Cena and/or Orton, what could they realistically do? To be fair, you forgot the 2 Money in the Bank wins between them. And nothing will ever happen to them, because in WWE-world everything good that happens remains that way forever and no one ever needs to think ahead and have contingency plans.  

Howdy Blog O'Doomers! I think we should just be patient and see where this goes. Because obviously we've all been overreacting up to this point. Besides the Seahawks should crush the Rams and I fucking hate the Cardinals and the Red Sox. So enjoy the show and come out swinging but try to keep it clean!

How do you guys define addiction? I remember reading Stephen King's "On Writing" and found he realized he had some serious drinking (among other) issues when he would go out to restaurants and be absolutely baffled at people who could only have *A* class of wine, or a *A* beer - his logic being, why would you drink if you didn't intend to get a little buzz-faced? What do you define as alcoholism / addiction?  Any quality "oh man I gotta slow this shit down" stories you want to share if they aren't toooo tragic?

Orton vs. Cena, Ironman! You ungrateful bastards will watch it and like it because it's what's good for business.

Looks like an interesting reads.  Maybe not for the 'too' smart. http://nypost.com/2013/10/27/true-stories-from-the-fake-world-of-pro-wrestling/ I figured Shoemaker would have a book in him sooner or later.   Hope there's lots of notes in the margins.

Hi Scott, Thanks for answering my earlier question on the Blog! I ended up attending the show, and yeah, it was far from full - lots of sections closed and covered over, and lots of empty seats on the non-camera sides. Anyway, I put together some thoughts on the show from a live perspective here ( http://buexperience.blogspot.com/2013/10/wwe-hell-in-cell-2013-october-2013.html ) if people are interested. Thanks again, and keep up the great work as always! I shall endeavor to continue doing so.  

WWE.com RAW Preview http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-10-28/five-point-preview-26159507 WWE.com Footage of Big E Langston and Dean Ambrose Receiving Medical Treatment After Their Match at "Hell in a Cell." http://www.wwe.com/videos/big-e-langston-and-dean-ambrose-are-treated-by-wwe-medical-staff-wwecom-exclusiv-26159505 Curtis Axel Injury Update Axel tore both of his hip flexors and is out indefinitely Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio "Total Divas" Returning on November 10th Here is the official press release from E! in regards to the second season premiere "As Eva Marie becomes increasingly popular, Nikki begins to feel threatened . Ariane works to control her temper. Nattie has fears regarding her return to the ring." Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com

Okay, folks, the ground rules: I did not see the show.  I am commenting on the booking only based upon the WWE's website report of what they consider important.  I will still award MVP and give a Final Rating. And unlike the text last time, this time you get a YouTube vid!  Thrill at the annoying buzz of feedback because I don't understand audio controls yet!  Enjoy my Jake Roberts mustache and awful growth of mini-beard (hey, I don't shave on weekends)!  Listen to my TV newscaster voice!  See the towel hanging on the door to my bedroom!  YOU GET IT ALL!  C'mon -- who else would serve up an opportunity to snark on a silver platter like this?

...dumb memes aside, what is the story even supposed to be at this point?  Bryan gets screwed out of the belt at Summerslam, then has it taken away after Night of Champions, then a no-contest at Battleground and finally screwed again in his ultimate chance at revenge after a RAW where HHH and Shawn basically demeaned him as a B+ guy who couldn't win the big one?  I know I rag on them "telling stories" but at least the story leading up to Summerslam made sense and paid off the MITB thing in a way that you could go from A to B to C and say "Aha, of course HHH was going to screw Bryan over there".  What was the point of The Reign of Abeyance?  Why not just put Orton over last month if that's where you wanted to go with it?  It's now three PPVs after Summerslam and we're literally right back where we were again -- Orton as champion after the referee handed him the fluke win and screwed over Daniel Bryan.   And people wonder why I can only stomach RAW o...

C'mon, how bad could months of John Cena and Randy Orton as the main champions be? Guys?  Guys?

Saw this from The Cubs Fan on The W who was reporting about what Dave was saying on The Wrestling Observer podcast last night... http://the-w.com/tna-on-the-market-carters-talking-to-potential-buyers   Your thoughts? I was listening to that podcast on the way home from work, yeah.  Obviously there's only two viable options here: Viacom buys it and runs it as a TV show, or Vince buys it for the video library and picks at the bones of the talent left.   Unless maybe Steph was cashing in those $14 million worth of stocks for something OTHER than building a house...

Preshow starts at 730pm. Here is the card: Kofi Kingston vs. Damien Sandow (Preshow Match) Los Matadores vs. Real Americans Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship) CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman (Hell in a Cell Match) Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. Usos (Tag Team Championship Match) AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella (Diva's Championship) Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan (Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship)

The Intercontinental Title Match between Big E Langston and Curtis Axel that was to take place on the Preshow was cancelled due to an injury suffered by Axel. http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/33724-injury-knocks-title-match-off-wwe-hell-in-a-cell-ppv

Hey, Scott. My memory has been fooling me lately...I recently saw that Alex Wright didn't debut for WCW until 1994, when I could have sworn it was a bit more pre-Hogan. I was just wondering whether he was legitimately considered a great worker for the time and the "next big thing," or if that was just the gimmick. Thanks! Mike R Definitely just the gimmick.  He wasn't any kind of a worker until the luchadors came in around 96 and he had someone to show him how to work that style.  

Just a heads up to check out Scott Hall on Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast.  He's totally lucid and his REMARKABLE knowledge of the business (particularly given what he's done to himself over the last decade and a half) is pretty amazing.  Given his basic understanding of how wrestling "works" and a history that dates back to Florida when Dusty was booking(!) and the AWA, it's a damned shame he hasn't been working for the E for the past ten years on the creative staff.  If there's any way he can keep himself together he'd still be a fantastic add for them. Best, PAK Oh, there's no denying that he's got a brilliant mind for the business.  But just look at the trouble that someone like Michael Hayes has caused in his tenure and he doesn't even have a quarter of Hall's demons.  Even if Hall was sober it would be too big of a gamble for a family friendly company like WWE to take now.  

May 4th, 1985 Your hosts are Jesse Ventura (Filling in tonight for Bruno Sammartino) and Vince McMahon. In action tonight are the British Bulldogs, Don Muraco, and Paul Orndorff, who will be without Bobby Heenan. Also, Ricky Steamboat and King Kong Bundy are in action and Piper's Pit with Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo.

Here are my picks: Pittsburgh (-2.5) at Oakland Atlanta (+2.5) at Arizona Philadelphia (-5.5) vs. New York Giants Last week: 2-1 Season: 8-10

Hi Scott -   Wanted to share a couple links from PTBN this week as we go into the Hell in a Cell PPV tonight. We'll be having a live blog this evening as well.   Justin remembers the original Hell in a Cell: http://placetobenation.com/remembering-the-original-hell-in-a-cell/   PTBN HiaC Preview and Predictions: http://placetobenation.com/wwe-hell-in-a-cell-2013-preview/   Place to Be Podcast Episode 264 - Hell in a Cell Preview, Bound for Glory wrap-up and more! http://placetobenation.com/place-to-be-podcast-episode-264-headlines-hell-in-a-cell-preview-bound-for-glory-recap/   The latest PTB Vintage Vault turns the page into 2001: http://placetobenation.com/place-to-be-podcast-episode-263-royal-rumble-2001 /   We also put up a written piece prior to each pod, which reviews one of the matches in depth: http://placetobenation.com/vintage-vault-pre-viewing-royal-rumble-2001/   Our Bound for Glory live blog had a lot of success: http://placetob...

Hi, Had a question regarding ticket sales. I noticed that tickets for Hell in a Cell in Miami tomorrow are still available via Ticketmaster. Not a few, but lots - all over the arena and even at ringside. With 24 hrs to go to show time, is this normal? Or is the show drawing very poorly? Thank you, and keep up the good work! I wouldn't say it's "normal", but they are not doing so good with the drawing at the moment, so it's not entirely unexpected for this show. Sometimes they open up blocks of tickets closer to showtime when they have the final setup completed and such, but in this case they're just not selling a lot of tickets right now.  

So this is a selfish one for me. I'm going to the Pats game tomorrow and would love to get some quality stories, tips, tricks, and ideas for making my Pats game adventure quality. What are your sporting event dos and don'ts? Do you pregame? How do you pick up chicks at a game? What's the best way to be a quality fan?  I'm not intending on drinking for I gotta drive after, but fully intend to be adjourned to an herbal dimension by the start of the game. Have at it, Blog Of Doom!

http://mobile.avclub.com/articles/rip-marcia-wallace-aka-the-simpsons-mrs-krabappel,104770/ This makes me say boo, not Boo-urns. And now we're getting old because Simpsons actors are dying at advanced ages.   

Hi Scott. Just watching a few NJPW matches that you have recomended on YouTube and there have been some fantastic matches this year alone. The Shibata v Ishii match in paticular was incredible. 2 questions for you: 1) Why arn't NPJW on tv in the US? If someone bought the rights to the product and just added an American commentator, im sure the ratings would do well. 2) Do you have a top ten list of NJPW favourite matches, or even just top ten from this year? Keep up the good work. 1)  I dunno, because even if they packaged it with English commentary and put it on Hulu or Netflix I'd watch the SHIT out of it.  Many people agree with me.   2)  The Shibata-Ishii matches are indeed out of this world, anything with Tanahashi is fantastic (the Okada trilogy are all ***** and he had a ***** match with Minoru Suzuki last year).  Really, any combination of the Tanahashi/Okada/Prince Devitt/Karl Anderson crew is going to give you something tremendous.  One match I rea...

On tap for tonight: Game 3 of the World Series College Football NHL Saturday Night Live  is new with host Edward Norton and musical guest Janelle Monae

Thunder Date: June 4, 1998 Location: Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois Commentators: Mike Tenay, Lee Marshall, Tony Schiavone Reviewed by Tommy Hall After Monday we have a major development in the form of Sting joining the Wolfpack as pretty much everyone figured he would. It really doesn't change anything as WCW is just standing on the sidelines while the NWO civil war continues. Hopefully we get some of the Great American Bash card filled in tonight as the show is in ten days. Let's get to it.

Question for blog on the first time Bret and Shawn faced off on pay-per-view: 1-I feel like the crowd is dead for 90% the match until the finish. Do you think this was the WWF audience just getting used a more mat based main event style now that Hogan and Warrior were gone? Or was Shawn not over enough at the time to be be considered a serious threat to actually win the title? 2-Do you know the original plans for surviver series 92 before the title got switched to Bret? Was it going to be Flair defending against Macho Man?  1.  Shawn was in a different universe from Bret at that point and had no viable chance of winning.  Plus it was a different style on top, as you note.   2.  No, I'm pretty sure Savage/Warrior v Flair /Razor was always the idea, unless we're veering into the weird parallel universe where Warrior turned heel at Summerslam.  

Sell out! With me, oh yeah. Sorry, I'll try to keep the Reel Big Fish content to a minimum this QOTD. Anyhoot, I've been pondering the concept of 'selling out' and what it means, and how it can make a fellah (or lady) hate a given artist. What do you define as selling out? Have people like Kid Rock, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Bon Jovi 'sold out' because they changed their styles? Or are you okay with a musician adapting their style to reflect A) what they think is popular and B) the kind of music they want to make?  Did The Rock sell out?

Good day Mr. Keith.  All the recent discussion about UT's opponent for this coming up wrestlemania, really either Cena or Lesnar, has me clamoring more for the former for 30, and the latter for 31, and heres why they should book it.  A Lesnar/UT match needs more build then starting from what i assume would be no earlier than Royal Rumble, a Cena/UT match needs the simple "well, we haven;t faced eachother yet at wrestlemania" promo.  Plus CM Punk needs his rematch to close out the Heyman fued once and for all.  So this is how I would book it: Lesnar wins title at Rumble, from Cena, Punk wins rumble, gets Lesnar at mania. Cena loses title, and  on raw, wines again about how horrible his life is now, challenges for the streak.  UT excepts. Punk beats Lesnar, UT beats Cena Next night on RAW, Lesnar is PISSED!  at the loss, and as UT comes out to say, tease last night was his last match, Lesnar beats the living hell out of him, like a REAL MAN'S beat down, emt's,...

Hiya Scott, Some daft fella has put Warrior/Savage 1991 into WWE 13, and it's brilliant! Makes me wonder why they don't just lift the original commentary from PPVs and stick it into those 'Best of the Attitude Era/Wrestlemania' modes on the games... I don't think technology has advanced that far quite yet.  This was quite the editing job, though.  Too bad the angle at the end couldn't have been put in there too, but kudos to whoever put this together.  

This was a reader suggestion, since WWE is on this awesome run of stuff on YouTube right now.  Seriously, subscribe to their channel, it's pretty great. By the way, this feud kind of threatened to shatter the space-time continuum, especially if you stopped to consider who was actually supposed to be who and attempted to make logical sense of it.  In a fun way, of course.

Hi, Scott! If I remember correctly, the first time the MITB ladder match and the Elimination Chamber came out, it was as if Raw GM (at that time )Eric Bischoff was the one who came up with the idea for the two matches. Knowing that Bischoff was a real booker in the past, is there a chance that he actually came up with these matches, or were the matches made up by some other people backstage, and as the authority figure, he just made it look like he thought of the matches himself? Thanks and more power to the BoD! Bischoff was not a "booker" in the sense of devising storylines and ideas, he was more the guy who would take input from others and give the yes or no.  He came up with broader concepts like the nWo invasion, but the day-to-day stuff was a committee.   That being said, the Money in the Bank match was a well-known suggestion by Chris Jericho, and Elimination Chamber was a case where they had someone design the cage and then kind of devised the matc...

Ryback in the Doghouse? Multiple sources have told Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com that Ryback has major heat on him for several reasons. One reason is that he has not improved in the ring, with some feeling that he has actually regressed. Another reason is that he has been injuring people in the ring, with CM Punk as his latest casualty. Punk was hurt this past RAW and as a result, was written off this week's Smackdown (Johnson wrote that he heard a rumor that Punk was injured after RAW on Tuesday but said he was awaiting confirmation on a second source before reporting it as legit). And finally, Ryback has heat on him from the office due to his poor attitude during company events. One source believed that he wouldnt be surprised at all if Ryback was dropped as a Paul Heyman guy. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Former NFL Player Trying out for the WWE Former Por Bowl Linebacker Shawne Merriman has been at the WWE Performance Center for the past sever...

Smackdown Date: October 25, 2013 Location: Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're finally at the last show before the Cell PPV which technically has been built up for about two months now, depending on how you look at it. The main story coming out of Monday is that Big Show is indeed still around despite being in a bunch of lawsuits both for and against him which is riveting television if I've ever heard of it. This company is in desperate need of a new top story but I wouldn't look for that to change anytime soon. Let's get to it.

Would you be happy with the current rumored WrestleMania 30 card? That card being:   WWE Title Match Randy Orton v. CM Punk   Undertaker v. Brock Lesnar   Daniel Bryan v. Triple H   World Title Match John Cena v. Sheamus   Goldberg v. Ryback   Cody Rhodes v. Goldust   Throw in 2-3 more matches it could be a good show...but nothing really stands out. Yeah, without Cena-UT it doesn't really stand out as a must-see show for me.  Orton-Punk and Cena-Sheamus in particular have been done to death.  Eh, we'll see how it shakes down.  

October 1, 2003 Your hosts are Don West and Mike Tenay We are shown a clip of AJ Styles and Vince Russo entering the arena. Scott Hudson is out front as Russo lets AJ know that there might not be a match tonight as he has known Jarrett for a long time and they are going to “break bread.” The announcer’s microphones are not working to start the show.

The inbox just keeps piling up, so let’s see if I can bang off a few questions here before work…

All, I had the chance to interview Antonio Cesaro this week and thought it might be something you'd consider sharing with your readers. Thanks. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1824649-antonio-cesaro-exclusive-the-giant-swing-little-people-and-making-it-in-wwe

Eric Bischoff Update Bischoff, who was not backstage at last night's Impact tapings, was also not present during the "Bound for Glory" PPV. In regards to his status with TNA, the talent roster was told yesterday during a meeting that Bischoff will be working with the company "from home." In regards to the meeting, Mike Johnson reported that morale was "very good" from the people he spoke with. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com WWE.com Video of Triple H "Shooting" on Shawn Michaels http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/triple-h-exclusive-interviews-with-michael-cole Fan Attendance Number From "Bound for Glory" The show drew 2,622 fans. Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter Jesse Sorensen to work for RoH Sorensen has been medically cleared to work for RoH as his doctor stated that he was no more likely to suffer a severe injury than anyone else in pro wrestling. Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four ...

Steiners vs Money Inc Cage by CrossFaceChickenWing Steiners vs. Money Incorporated for the WWF tag titles...in a steel cage! Awesome ending as well that I bet Vince just loved due to the crowd reaction... Yeah, this was from the Summerslam Spectacular on USA if I’m not mistaken.  I did a review of this show a few years ago on 24/7 and the ending of that cage match was pretty insane. 

Impact Wrestling Date: October 24, 2013 Location: Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz Reviewed by Tommy Hall Bound For Glory has come and gone, boring the hundreds and hundreds of people who bought it and the dozens who actually attended. The main development is AJ Styles defeated Bully Ray to win the world title. Actually every title changed hands at the show, with the Bro Mans, Gail Kim and Chris Sabin all taking home gold. This is kind of the beginning of a new year for TNA so hopefully they can come up with something better than what we've been seeing lately. Let's get to it.

NXT Date: October 23, 2013 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Tom Phillips, Tensai, Alex Riley Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're back after last week's excellent, pay per view level show. I'm pretty sure this is the start of a new set of tapings so things should feel a bit more fresh. It's hard to say what's coming with this batch as a lot of the main stars were on a tour of Abu Dhabi when the shows were filmed. NXT hasn't let me down yet though so let's get to it.

Here are your three choices: Bret Hart, Volume 1 Shawn Michaels Ricky Steamboat Vote by clicking on the link below. Voting Ends Satruday at 8pm http://poll.pollcode.com/812835

The big news out of TNA tonight is that Eric Bischoff is not backstage tonight and is not expected to be back anytime soon. According to Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com, Bischoff was supervising the creative end of the company. Scherer has not yet been given a reason for Bischoff's absence.

So... It seems to me that the groundwork is being laid - intentionally or otherwise - for a Cena-Bryan feud, with Bryan as the quasi-heel (although he'd undoubtedly have a lot of fan support). The motivation for Bryan is just about perfect: why does Cena get a free pass from The Authority - thrown into a title match before he's set foot in the ring following injury - but Bryan keeps getting screwed over at every turn because he's not "Good for Business?" Never mind the fact that he beat Cena clean as a sheet in the middle of the ring. Cena, meanwhile, has a perfect defense: he chose to defend the title against Bryan at Summerslam, and when you go all the way back to it, he's the one who brought Bryan back into the company after the Nexus kicked him aside (or if you want to go for extra realism, after he got fired). It could even work with both of them winning their matches on Sunday to make it a title unification feud, although I doubt they'd go there si...

Name a wrestling match, television show, movie, food, song, or band that you fully expected to hate, but surprised you with its quality, entertainment value, taste, catchiness, or talent.  I have a few:  The Trish Stratus v. Stephanie match from a PPV a few years ago.  Also Shane vs. Kurt Angle from KOTR a few years ago, as well. Indian Food.  Captain Phillips (Which is essentially one big love-letter to the NSA) Train (The band, not the transportation)

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 10.23.13 For some reason the show was uploaded to Hulu 12 hours late this week. I NEED MY FIX, DAMMIT! Taped from Orlando, FL, and FUCK ME, the stupid pink ribbon bullshit is permeating this show now, too. Your hosts are Tom Phillips & Alex Riley, with SPECIAL GUEST Tensai.

This interview was filmed in 2002. It ran about two hours and 45 minutes long.

I'm raising money for Extra Life for the 3rd time and I could use some help getting some last-minute donations. Thanks for whatever help you can get me! http://bit.ly/HhoakP Long as everyone on the blog doesn't have to wear pink or anything.

I might have thrown this one up before, don't remember. Punk and Austin trying to hype up WWE '13. Austin channels his 1996-early 1997 persona by just being miserable and annoyed the whole time. Ross plays his role perfectly, being somewhat of a passive aggressive instigator. Was it just about the video game or were these guys possibly planting the seeds for something bigger that didn't come to fruition? Either way everyone seemed to be in good form here although I almost forgot the calm, babyface version of Punk.

Undertaker's Next Opponent for WrestleMania? As of now, the current plan for Mania will have the Undertaker go up against Brock Lesnar, provided he is healthy enough to work a match with him. According to Meltzer, Brock was either going to face The Rock or the Undertaker. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Who Paid for Kurt Angle's Rehab? The WWE paid for Angle's rehab. WWE Policy about rehab is that they will pay the bill for anyone who was under a contract with them as long as it is for drugs or alcohol. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Ricardo Rodriguez Update As of now, Rodriguez is written off of TV and will become a regular on NXT, with the idea that he will be called up as a wrestler at some point. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter WWE.com "Where are they Now" Segment with Ken Shamrock http://www.wwe.com/classics/wherearetheynow/where-are-they-now-ken-shamrock-26158097

Why the hell do all the shows look the same? It used to be that Raw and Smackdown had their own individual sets and rope colors. Even the ppv's use those lame ass white ropes. Are blue, red and even black ropes not considered PG? Well, NXT looks different, but that's kind of a special case.  By the way, Hulu didn't put the new episode up tonight, so I dunno what's going on with that.  Usually they're up at midnight EST on the dot.   Anyway, I think the sameness of the shows is for budgetary reasons, in that they have to tape Superstars/Main Event/Smackdown/Saturday Morning Slam/Ring Ka King all in one go a lot of times, and it's easier to change the graphics on the big screen and use a generic set of ropes and ring aprons rather than having to swap out entire sets from show to show.  Plus it gives the entire lineup a unified feel, which I can understand from a business standpoint.   Now, my own pet peeve is that they haven't actually changed the basic ...

Hey Scott, Why was Paul Heyman fired from WCW? I'm watching some WCW from 1991 and 1992, he's gold as always, as a manager and as a commentator. It couldn't have been finances, no way he was making more money to jump to ECW at that point. Was this just another picture of WCW letting go of talent? He was fired because Bill Watts hated his guts and refused to pay whatever amount of money for a manager, and basically wanted to bust him down to commentator's salary again.  Heyman tells the whole story in one of the famous ECW fanfest shoot interviews that he does, I think the one from Cyberslam 96 if I'm not mistaken.  Bill's side of it from his shoot interview is that he liked Paul but just hated working with him so damn much.   I don't think Watts actually fired him if we're being totally technical about the whole thing, I think that he just busted his balls and moved him down the card until Heyman quit, but the gist is the same.  

Holy shit, my sinuses finally un-swelled and my head no longer feels like someone is wrapping their belt around it, so let’s celebrate with another numbered list!

A s of this writing, Abeyance has been WWE champion for   37 days   (and will remain champion until at least   day 41 ). Previous Abeyance reigns: 51 days  in 1988 (vacated after Andre sold the title to Dibiase. Abeyance was later defeated by Macho Man Randy Savage) 46 days  between late 1991 and early 1992, when Jack Tunney stripped Hogan of the belt and Ric Flair eliminated Abeyance at the 1992 Royal Rumble to win it. 3 days  in 1997, after defeating Shawn Michaels' smile 49 days  in 1998, eventually losing the title to The Rock. 5 days  in 1999, Abeyance defeated the Chairman of the Board, only to be buried by Triple H at the PPV less than a week later. Typical. 5 days  in 2007, Abeyance defeated John Cena and put him on the shelf for four months. But once again, Triple H struck and Abeyance was buried for the 2nd time in a row. 6 days , in 2009 after defeating Batista and injuring him much like he did John Cena. 2009 was the year Abeyance showe...