The SmarK Rant for WWE Old School (MSG 10.22.84) This is a new rant, by the way. Never saw this one on 24/7 back in the day. Taped from Madison Square Garden Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Mean Gene, or as I call them, Gino and Gene O.

Could a Third Man Be Added to the WrestleMania Title Match? According to a source that told Bryan Alvarez, the current internal lineup for WrestleMania lists the following for the title match: "Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. ???" Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter Possible Undercard Matches For WrestleMania? The same source told Alvarez about several matches being discussed for WrestleMania: Dean Ambrose vs. Big E to unify the U.S. and IC Titles Luke Harper & Erick Rowan vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns Sheamus vs. Christian Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust A possible match between NXT guys is being discussed too Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter Who is Inducting Jake "The Snake" Roberts into the WWE Hall of Fame? Jake will be inducted by Diamond Dallas Page Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com WWE.com"Where are They Now" with Scott Norton http://www.wwe.com/classics/wherearetheynow/where-are-th...

> > Most of us think that there are better options for the main event of > Wrestlemania XXX than Randy Orton defending against Batista. But > exactly how many are there? That is what I would like your readers to > help me find out. > > I whomped up a program to randomly match up an Elimination Chamber > participant (the champion heading into Wrestlemania) against a Royal > Rumble participant (the challenger) 177 different possibilities for > the Wrestlemania XXX main event. With a click of a button, you choose > whether you believe that this matchup would be a better main event, a > worse main event, or that you have no opinion. Every new vote will > bring up a new matchup, and after you've voted at least once, you will > be able to see all of the results in real time as voted upon by your > peers. > > Anyway, if you feel like wasting some time to give us some data > points, you can access from > htt...

Smackdown Date: February 28, 2014 Location: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall There are no major stops left before we get to Wrestlemania and things are rounding into focus. The only big question at this point is the World Title situation, as Batista vs. Orton seems to be the end game but for the life of me I can't imagine that actually happening. Batista is scheduled for a big interview tonight which might answer a few questions. Let's get to it.

Matches for Tonight Include: Daniel Bryan & The Usos vs. Kane & New Age Outlaws AJ Lee vs. Cameron for the Diva's Championship Real Americans vs. Big E & Mark Henry Plus, Batista addresses the WWE Universe

Well, this column is bringing me more attention than I thought it would.  It is already on Ewrestling news, and it will be in Greg De Marco's column this Sunday. Other websites are wondering if I could put in on their website, too  Just a heads up: It's a pretty long piece. 

The SmarK 24/7 Rant for MSG Show - April 6 1981 - Taped from MSG - Hosted by the late Vince McMahon.

Highlights of the live stream today include a replay of NXT Arrival, replay of Survivor Series 2012, and the debut of the Smackdown pre-show, and Smackdown Backstage Pass. I, like many others, attempted to enjoy the NXT show last night, and the stream pretty much crapped out for everybody at the same point. Alas, I never fully recovered the stream in time to enjoy the main event. But I did get to see the first run Superstars! I can forgive the technical glitches early on, as long as it runs smoothly in the future. MLB.TV had a lot of issues in it's own early run, but is now one of the best streaming services available. If you're discovering a PPV you have never seen before, put it here. If you're enjoying a show that you've seen countless times, put it here. If you've been ostracized from your circle of MMA-loving friends for falling deeply in love with a piece of technology like you're a much less likeable version of Joaquin Phoenix, put it here.

> > Hi Scott, > > Further to your e-mail about getting the Network in Canada, I was wondering if you could share this out on the BoD and see if any UK users have been successful trying a similar process? > > Thanks, > Tom Should be the same process, because I know there's a ton of people watching in the UK. Maybe it's the one thing that will finally reunite the United Kingdom again?

WWE Network to Add More Content Once the Free Trial Ends? A source has told PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson that a lot of content will be added once the free trial is over. The reason for this is that they wanted the trial to sample enough to get them to pay but not give them everything at once. That same source also told Johnson that they plan on adding every episode of "Saturday Night's Main Event" and "Clash of the Champions" at some point. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Cesaro Update There are currently plans in place for a major Cesaro push after WrestleMania. However, due to most of the card being set already, he does not have a prominent role in the show. Credit Bryan Alvarez, F4WOnline.com Problems at Last Night's NXT Arrival Show In addition to the technical problems, the building ended up overselling the show and 200 fans were not allowed in the building. http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/35660-lots-of-p...

The SmarK Rant for NXT ARRIVAL LIVE from Orlando, FL! Well, I’m watching it on a two hour delay, but I COULD have watched it live. Also, figuring out how to actually watch the on-demand version was a bit of a challenge, too.  And as it would turn out, not the last challenge I would face tonight with the show. Your hosts are Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton & William Regal

Impact Wrestling Date: February 27, 2014 Location: Wembley Arena, London, England Commentators: Tazz, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall The main story coming out of last week's show are Storm turning on Gunner to cost him the world title and the official announcement of Lethal Lockdown for control of the company. Bobby Roode will be captaining Dixie's team but we're not sure who will be joining him against Team MVP. Other than that we'll likely get more build towards Joe vs. Magnus. Let's get to it.

NXT Arrival Date: February 27, 2014 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, William Regal Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's the biggest night in the history of NXT as we are LIVE, I believe for the first time in modern NXT. This is the first live wrestling airing on the WWE Network so it should be a good test of the technology. The main events are Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro in a rematch of the match of the year and Bo Dallas defending his NXT Championship against Adrian Neville in a ladder match. Also of note: this will be partially going head to head with Impact Wrestling tonight and going forward. Let's get to it.

Here are your choices: Scott Hall, Volume 1 http://www.rfvideo.com/shootwithscotthall.aspx Diamond Dallas Page http://www.rfvideo.com/shootwithdiamonddallaspage1.aspx Chris Kanyon http://www.rfvideo.com/shootwithchriskanyon.aspx Vote by clicking on the link below. Voting ends Saturday night at 8pm. http://poll.pollcode.com/71191434

The preshow starts at 7:30. The panel includes Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, and Paul Heyman The actual show starts at 8pm. Matches include: Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville in a Ladder Match for the NXT Championship Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro Paige vs. Emma for the NXT Women's Championship Plus several other matches, one of which includes the Ascension, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com

Hey Scott,   One of my favorite things to read on the site over the last few months has been your NXT recaps.  Now that I have the WWEN and can watch it (and since it's pretty clear that they're going to ruin everything great about NXT) I want to see all the good stuff I've only read about.  Where should I go back to, and other to the Sami/Cesaro matches, what's the really "can't miss" stuff?   NXT isn't really a show with a bunch of "can't miss" moments.  Certainly the Zayn/Cesaro match was a clear highlight, but the charm of the show is more in the week-to-week continuity and building of the characters before your eyes.  There's no "must see" Tyler Breeze match, but I like watching his entrance and schtick because it feels comfortable and familiar after a while.  Mojo Rawley is terrible, but it's fun to watch him develop literally from the ground up because WWE is REALLY high on him and he's going to be pus...

Hey Scott; Apologies if you've already posted something like this, and bigger apologies for my technological ignorance.  But I was wondering if you could post a step-by-step walk through on how you were able to get the Network in Canada. I understand there is a program to gain an American IP? Once youve done that do you need to install that on every device you wish to watch on? (Xbox, iPad, iphone etc) Or will you need to pay for a different IP for each device? Once this is done are you good to go or do you need an actual US mailing address? Can you pay with a Canadian VISA/Paypal? Again, this is likely child's play for some people but I'm sure there are others like me out there who aren't sure about how to get this done. Thanks for any help and keep up the great work! Happy to help.   1)  Subscribe to a DNS changing system.  The one I use is Unblock-US ( www.unblock-us.com ).  It'll cost you $4.99 a month, but it allows you access to all the regions o...

(Indeed, for most of the early stuff they post to the Network, I’ll already have it done from when it was up on Classics on Demand, so here’s the MSG show currently in the Old School section of the vault). The SmarK 24/7 Rant for MSG - October 28 1991 - Taped from New York - Your hosts are Gorilla & Bobby & Alfred

The Network functionality is improving daily, and now we get word that all available MSG broadcasts are going to be added? Just unemploy me now! Brian Bayless is going to have a thread for the NXT Arrival show tonight, and that should be the highlight for the live stream today. You got something you want to share, put it here. You got a gripe about the technical problems? Put it here. You have chosen to shelter yourself in pizza boxes, unkempt body odor and broken relationships? Put it here, because you're not alone.

This was released by Highspots in 2006. It runs for one hour and forty-eight minutes.

The SmarK 24/7 Rant for Legends of Wrestling: The Worst Characters in Wrestling - Your host is Mean Gene, and we're featuring Mick Foley, Pat Patterson, Michael Hayes and Dusty Rhodes.

WWE Network Update The Network received more than 130,000 signups during the first eight hours on it's debut. The WWE did not track these numbers and stopped giving out the information after they found out others were tracking them. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter WWE Network to Feature All of the MSG House Shows? Although nothing is official, there is talk of making all of the shows available on the network in the next several months. It will not happen right away as it is a time-consuming project. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter WWE March 8th MSG Show Lineup Although subject to change, here is where the lineup stands: John Cena & Batista vs. Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt Daniel Bryan vs. Kane w/ HHH New Age Outlaws vs. The Usos vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust for the Tag Team Titles Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Goldust vs. Cody Not Happening Anytime Soon? Apparently, Goldust has been insist...

Hey Scott, Not that you need a primer, but I wrote this for the younger fan looking to dip their toes into the WCW realm. Wouldn't mind hearing some of your picks. http://camelclutchblog.com/wcw-pay-per-views-wwe-network/ Hell of a list.  I'd throw Halloween Havoc 89 on there, and 95 for the Horsemen deal and pre-Russo prescience of what the business would become under him.  Also 98 was an amazing undercard with one of the worst advertised main events in history.  I think Bash 91 and Uncensored 95 are also required viewing for the same reasons as Souled Out is.   

Monday Nitro #157 Date: October 5, 1998 Location: Carolina Coliseum, Charleston, South Carolina Attendance: 8,782 Commentators: Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're very slowly making our way towards Halloween Havoc and the stories are already dragging. Thunder was actually a nice break from the Hogan vs. Warrior stuff as Goldberg and Page got the spotlight. We're also in Horsemen country tonight meaning an appearance from Flair and the boys is a solid possibility. Let's get to it.

(This is one of the initial offerings in the Network’s Vault section, and wouldn’t you know that it was already shown on Classics on Demand and ranted on by myself around 2008.  So here you go, Network watchers!)  The SmarK 24/7 Rant for World Class Championship Wrestling - November 2 1982 - This era of WCCW is a few years before the time when I was using a dish to watch the territories on a regular basis, so the whole era is pretty new to me. But hey, we'll give it a shot. World Class was always WAY ahead of the curve in the pre-WWF days, using multi-camera shooting and rock music for entrances.

Is this Monday on RAW going to being the biggest crowd hijacking yet? Doesn't it seem likely that we will get a full three hours of nothing but CM Punk chants? Don't be ridiculous.  There's going to be AT LEAST one "Randy Savage" chant to break up the monotony.  

Scott, part question,  part vent.  WRESTLEMANIA 30.  What. The. Fuck. They have the makings of a great all time card with guys like Cena, Brock, Bryan, Batista, orton, HHH (yes, I still enjoy a yearly HHH match) The Shield, UT, etc.  What we are getting is literally the worst combination of these guys I can imagine.  I'm actively rooting for Jesse Baker to pull a Tonya Harding on Bray Wyatt and Brock, just so Vince is forced into Cena/Taker. Here is my question.  Stay with me here...Any chance that the WWE is purposely holding off on their huge money makers, Cena/Taker, Brock/Bryan, Cena/Brock, Cena/Bryan, Batista/Lesnar since they know they'll sell tons of ppvs this year with the network deal.  WWE can put out an average card since they known the network and 10$ price will bring in viewers on its own.  Next year when I assume Mania, and other ppvs like SummerSlam or the Rumble are an a la carte 60-80 dollar purchase, they can put on their real money makers.  It's...

Hey Scott, Long time reader occasional commenter.  I've been pushing through a lot of old PPVs on the WWE network, mostly WCW stuff from the 80s because I grew up a WWF kid.  If NWA/WCW had a show that ran in the metro Detroit area at that time I never saw it, most likely because I didn't get cable until 90-91 I think.  Then I fell out of wrestling around 92 for a while.  I didn't come back to it until the Attitude era started when I was a senior in high school (you'd call that grade 12).  So really to me anything before 98 in WCW/NWA I've only read about or seen on DVD.  Anyway I'm watching Starrcade 85 and holy crap are there a lot of titles.  I thought WWE after the buyout was bad.  My question is: what's the hierarchy?  Is the National title above the US title?  It looked like there were three sets of tag titles, National, US and World.  Where does the Mid-South title fit in?  Just curious.  Hope you got your streaming issues straightened out.  I...

For those who want to participate in the thread Saturday night and watch a PPV together at the same time and comment, here is a poll I comprised of different suggestions. Here are the choices WrestleMania VII Starcade 1997 Spring Stampede 1999 http://poll.pollcode.com/39293773 Voting Ends Friday at 4pm

Was listening to the SCSA podcast and Austin asked Steve Regal what he thought of Savage/Steamboat from WMIII. Regal got really serious and said he appreciates the match but after talking with Ricky about it, he can't ever appreciate it. Austin said he understood and they quickly moved on. Do you know what Ricky Steamboat told them to sour them on that match? I'm sure I can think of a few joke answers, but maybe it's the deal with Hogan basically having Steamboat fired for stealing his spotlight?  I really don't know what other deal it could be, since the match has been covered extensively in tons of detail and really the only things of note are that they rehearsed it for months and Hogan was pissed about it being so great.  

Scott, Hope you're enjoying the network as much as me. 2 quick questions after watching Bash 89 today. 1. I noticed while watching the credits at the end of the ppv that Jim Herd was executive producer in 1989. I've only heard Jim Herd be universally trashed by any of the talent who worked for the company at that time. 1989 is universally regarded as the golden year for the NWA though. As an aside HH 89 might be the most underrated ppv of all time. Back to the point though, if Jim Herd doesn't deserve any credit for 1989 who does for the direction of the company that year? 2. In place of the awful round robin format, what would you have booked for the top 4-5 matches for Starrcade to top off that year properly? I doubt any human being alive could possibly enjoy the network on the same level as I do.  But you're welcome to try. 1.  Ric Flair.  Jim Ross.  George Scott to a certain degree.  Pretty much anyone in the organization, besides Herd, up to and i...

I figured that maybe this could be a daily thing where you share your thoughts on whatever is happening on the live stream, or maybe you've discovered an old PPV or show that you want to discuss, you could do it right here. My own experience thus far? Too much work, not enough play. Although I caught the "Coolest Catchphrases" Countdown, and the NXT intro special. Everything is running fine, and no problems as of last night.

Scott, I have a few random questions based off of shows I've watched on the network. 1.  Did the NWA use The Great Muta to his fullest potential in 1989?  After watching The Bash & Halloween Havoc it seems to me that Muta could have been a big time player.  What happened? 2.  How long was Jim Ross a booker in NWA/WCW?  Does he get the credit he deserves or was his time as booker not very memorable? 3.  Does the Dangerous Alliance get enough credit for being awesome?  They were an awesome group, booked to look awesome, and the angle dominated the first 5 months of 1992.  I would think it has to be one of the all time great "stables"? 4.  What was up with Triple H at wrestlemania 26?  For as much as we all complain about him hogging the spotlight - he sure didn't that year.  He wrestled a mid-card match against Shameus that didn't take up much time on the ppv or if I recall correctly very much tv time leading into the event.  How did we get s...

Batista Update The decision to turn Batista heel was made after the Elimination Chamber PPV due to the reaction he received from the crowd. Orignally for last night, Batista was scheduled to turn heel and rip apart the fans after losing to Alberto Del Rio and being called out by Randy Orton about the fans not liking him, which would lead to him going nuts and acting like an animal. At the last second, the decision was made to have him appear on Smackdown for a few segments. For those wondering, even before the crowds turned on Batista, he was scheduled to turn heel at some point this year. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Elimination Chamber PPV Rematch Scheduled for RAW The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield will take place on RAW next Monday Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com WWE Putting a Hold on Your Credit Card Account if you Ordered the Network For those who ordered the network and saw a charge appear on your statement, they are just putting on a hold, similar to...

I'm watching Superbrawl 1997 and just noticed that little blips along the progress bar. Hovering over them reveals important points during the course of the. The start and end of each match. That's a nice touch. These weren't present the first time I tried to watch the show just 15 minutes before. My only complaint with the video archive is the freezing, which could easily be resolved by allowing things to load as they do on Youtube.  It seems to load ten seconds of video every five seconds, which is more complicated than it needs to be. It's obviously a work-in-progress and they seem to be using us as their beta testers, which kind of sucks for obvious reasons because they should have just done, you know, BETA TESTING.  However, as much as I wish they were a bit more transparent with the issues and fixes, it's WWE so you get what you get and you don't get upset.  Last night I was able to watch the live stream on PS3 without an issue, and I even started th...

I cannot wait to see HHH's page on the WWE Network...

November 23, 1985 Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon In action tonight are Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, and Terry Funk. Also in action are Hillbilly Jim & Cousin Junior and the Dream Team. Plus a women's battle royal and "Piper's Pit" with guest King Tonga

Thousands of words have been written in recent months from any corner of the internet about a WWE star whose run on top has been submarined by bad writing, bad booking and a perceived lack of faith from within the company almost entirely based on what we see on-screen. I'm going to write some more of those words today, but as you probably figured out from the headline, they won't be about Daniel Bryan.

AKA "The Topic That Is Destroying Daniel Bryan In Ad Revenue". PS3 is working fine as of this afternoon, live stream loads (Bret v. Shawn DVD currently on there), PPV archives load and now there's little bookmarks on the timeline for most of them, complete with SPOILERS for the finishes.  Timeskipping is a total writeoff, don't even bother yet.  You can skip to the specific points in the timeline in theory, but it immediately stops playing.  Video quality for pre-2000 stuff is hit-or-miss, as you'd expect, since most of it was mastered from VHS-quality tapes.  Clearly none of the full shows were redone for the DVD era like the individual matches were, but it's not like I haven't watched a million VHS dubs in my lifetime.  Also I'm now watching on a 42" plasma instead of my old 27" tube TV like back in the day, so that would also influence the quality. iPad works perfectly as well, easy to navigate, looks FANTASTIC because of the smaller s...

1. Was the Shield-Wyatts match from Elimination Chamber a five-star match? 2. Was it the best 6-man tag match of all time? (Or at least in your memory?) 1.  Nope, I had it at ****1/2.  Their debut match at TLC 2012 was better, for one.   2.  Hells no.  I can think of half a dozen Michinoku Pro six-mans that were better, including the one at Barely Legal, but it was certainly still a great match.  

In honor of the WWE Network, lets talk about some of our favorite moments that have been lost in the shuffle / aren't spectacular, but appreciated anyway. I always think the key to a good match is the ability to make it 'feel' real to people who know its fake. Like when a table doesn't break on an Elbow drop, or Shawn took that Moonsault on his knees during Wrestlemania a few years back (though I disliked that match - maybe I should rewatch it!) Thus, two questions today: Question 1: What are your favorite little moments from Wrestling history - little bumps or sequences or matches that delivered something memorable, not because of greatness, but because of creativity - that you can access on WWE Network. Question 2: If you don't have WWE Network, how long have you been in Al Qaeda? 

The SmarK RAW Rant – 02.24.14 Live from Green Bay, WI Your hosts are Michael Cole, JBL & Jerry Lawler

Hey Scott Love your website keep up the good work. As far as the network the streaming channel works great but the video on demand content is very aggravating. Either it doesn't play, buffers a lot, or the rating just plays and then poof back to the catalog. Also when I can play it I can't fast forward it just loops back to the place I left off its like I have to watch the whole show in its entirety I've also been having issues with both streaming and archives since I finally got online, which I assume is from opening day issues.  It's really not a dealbreaker for me because I know they've got the proper infrastructure behind them (even if they're throwing them under the bus in press releases) and they should be able to figure it out.  But definitely there's some big room for improvement thus far.  

Hi Scott, Guess what? We're able to unblock WWE with the DNS. There's still some streaming issues but that seems more to be from the WWE side. For more info, please read here: http://simpletv.co/blog-posts/wwe-network-on-simpletv/ If its working for you, feel free to pimp away. :) Best, Kenneth Unblock-US is also working for me at the moment, but I'm happy to throw some business your way!  

John Cena's Injury a Work According to Wade Keller of PWTorch.com, he has confirmed through multiple sources that Cena's injury last night was a complete work and used further the feud between Cena and Bray Wyatt. The single leg takedown was planned to look the way it did. Credit Wade Keller, PWTorch.com WWE Network Schedule for Today http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_76612.shtml#.UwyN0PldXIs Kayfabe Commentaries Releases "Wrestling's Most Crappy Gimmicks"

So, I figure I'll make this its own thread. In tonight's Raw Rant (down there), I reviewed the Raw Pre-Show.  I'm happy to do it, but if you think it's not necessary and just detracts, I understand. So... should I or shouldn't I?  Please vote below.  Voting stays open as long as I can remember it.

When last we left our heroes, they were on the WWE Network. Heck, odds are some of you never left the heroes today. I know I'll be going straight to the Network when the show's over. The PG Era Rant for WWE Raw, February 24, 2014. Live from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Or is it Milwaukee? Where's R-Truth when you need him? BUT FIRST, it's a Raw Pre-Show! Your panel is Josh Mathews, Booker T, Alex Riley, and Ric Flair.

Howdy Blog O'Doomers and Happy WWE Network Day! My thoughts on the Network? Runs well on the Laptop, not so much on the iPad so I need to figure out what the issues are there. Otherwise it's beautiful. Television thoughts? A friend recommended Impractical Jokers to me about a month ago so I DVR'ed them and forgot they were in the queue. So when it came time to clean it out I watched them and it's pretty funny. The best part is the double payoff as the guy playing the joke doesn't know what he's going to get ahead of time so you get the initial payoff and then the payoff of him relaying the joke. I am finished watching Appalachian Outlaws, which had a six week run on History and wow those hillbillies are fucking nuts. Podcasts? Caught JR's first podcast. It was decent, obviously he and Austin couldn't break too much new ground as this was the third time they have hooked up on a podcast in like three months. They both said that Bad News Barrett should ha...

A psychologist said to me, there are only two important questions you have to ask yourself. What do you really feel? And, what do you really want? If you can answer those two, you probably can leave your neuroses behind you. Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/harold_ramis.html#D4BaH1BjOFlfhK4M.99 A psychologist said to me, there are only two important questions you have to ask yourself. What do you really feel? And, what do you really want? If you can answer those two, you probably can leave your neuroses behind you. - Harold Ramis (1944 - 2014) A psychologist said to me, there are only two important questions you have to ask yourself. What do you really feel? And, what do you really want? If you can answer those two, you probably can leave your neuroses behind you. Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/harold_ramis.html#D4BaH1BjOFlfhK4M.99 A psychologist said to me, there are only two important questions you have to ask yours...

- After they took down the sign-up page for repairs, it appears to have fixed the problems and I signed up with a US address and Paypal without a hitch.   - My Roku box isn't able to find the app, but I don't watch TV on that one much anyway.  My PS3 was able to download it after switching to the US account, and although the streaming channel portion won't play, the PPVs and archives work FLAWLESSLY.   - Everything works perfectly on the iPad version.   - The website works for both and looks spectacular.  Navigation is easy on both the web, IOS and PS3.   And now I have to go to work.  FUCK.

Please be patient if ordering @WWENetwork as we’re experiencing extremely high demand. Your order will be processed as soon as possible. — WWE Network (@WWENetwork) February 24, 2014 Well, that’s encouraging.  I’m glad they didn’t PLAN for this much demand or anything…

Scott, Hi! Over at Paste Magazine is a list of the ten things you should watch first on the WWE Network, written by myself and Robert Newsome, the editor of the Atomic Elbow wrestling fanzine. It'd be awesome if you could post a link at the Blog of Doom. http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/02/10-things-you-need-to-watch-on-the-wwe-network.html Sure, and I've love to check out the Network if their billing page would ever stop crashing this morning...

The launch is NOW.  And of course the site is already jammed up with people trying to sign up.  Start discussing all things Network here!

WWE.com RAW Preview http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2014-02-24/five-point-preview-26183885 WWE Network Lineup This Morning Here is the schedule this morning for the first slate of programs: 9:00am: WrestleMania Rewind 10:00am: WWE Countdown 11:00: This is NXT Credit PWTorch.com TNA Tag Team Championship Change at House Show This Weekend The American Wolves defeated the BroMans at a house show in West Virginia http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/100-tna/35585-title-change-changes-next-weeks-ppv Kayfabe Commentaries Announces Next Release in their "WWE Timeline Series" The next release will be 1984 WWE as told by Roddy Piper. It will be available in April. https://twitter.com/KayfabeComment/statuses/435876968098443264

Talk about the show here. 

I just caught the one and only Diamond Dallas Page on Shark Tank this past week and....he kinda made a dork of himself, saying "BANG" and doing the diamond cutter symbol roughly 7 dozen times in about 2 minutes. I shook my head, this is why we can't have nice things, IWC.Though it worked, my moms bought DDP Yoga that night. Thus: What is the most embarrassing thing you've ever seen a pro wrestler do on a non-wrestling show? What about the best? I'm sure we've all read about "The Weakest Link" and a couple of other examples, but I think my favorite non-wrestling related appearance was either Vader on Boy Meets World, or when The Rock hosted SNL and Big Show, Foley, and I think Triple H(?) tagged along for the ride. That stop smoking sketch was funny. As a kid I *really* loved the Mad TV / Bret Hart angle they ran and promptly forgot about.  What say you, Otters?

> > Hi Scott; > > Long, long time reader. Any chance I could get a cheap plug for my WWE Week in Review column? This week is also an Elimination Chamber preview (obv). > > http://therec-room.com/theater-of-the-absurd-the-wwe-week-in-review-plus-elimination-chamber-preview/ > > Thanks, hope all is well. > > Sent from my iPhone Gold medal for Canada! How could it not be well? Also, someone finally tipped me off on the Simpsons Reddit hack. (Google it). So things are good.

Elimination Chamber PPV Update As of last night, there were no major changes in plans to the show. Also, all of the favorites on the betting line skyrocketed last night. There is some talk that a match could be added to the card, with Dave Meltzer speculating that it would be a women's match. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio WWE.com Article on the "50 Coolest Moves" http://www.wwe.com/classics/classic-lists/the-50-coolest-maneuvers-of-all-time The Original Sin Cara Makes His Debut in AAA  Below is a link to the photo showing him. He is coming in as a "mystery character" apparently. http://euro.mediotiempo.com//media/2014/02/22/xblack-warrior.jpg.pagespeed.ic.U_SQ-ItV6J.jpg RF Video Releases Shoot   Interview with Kaitlyn

And by 'buy' I certainly don't mean stream!  We've got a slobberknocker x 1000 in Wyatts/Shield and a potentially awesome Elimination Chamber with Bryan/Cena/Orton/Cesaro/ Sheamus/Christian. Nothing too exciting other than that (ADR/Batista, Big E/Swagger, Outlaws/Usos, Young/Titus) but still there could be some interesting developments going into Mania and 2 intensely watchable matches.  What do yourself and the BODers think? I'm not particularly amped to watch Orton win yet another match with the odds stacked against him, but I guess Wyatts/Shield should be fun.  I don't think it's particularly worth buying, though.  

Switched to my US account tonight on the PS3 and installed the WWE Network.  T-Minus 36 hours until my wife and child never see me again!  Unfortunately it doesn't appear that I can trick my Roku box yet, but as long as I've got one connection to the big TV, that's all I need.   Cross your fingers for Monday morning that Unblock-US will support this.

Thunder Date: October 1, 1998 Location: The Scope, Norfolk, Virginia Attendance: 8,858 Commentators: Lee Marshall, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay Reviewed by Tommy Hall Back to the weather show with the big story being Bret Hart turning on Sting after their long friendship of two weeks. The Black and White is reunited again as we very slowly make our way towards Halloween Havoc and the EPIC rematch between Hogan and Warrior. Hopefully Thunder continues its tradition of focusing on everything except that match. Let's get to it.

February 23, 2002 From the Murphy Recreation Center in Philadelphia, PA Your hosts are Steve Corino and Eric Gargiulo This is Ring of Honor's debut show. The promotion was put together by RF Video due to the company needing a promotion to replace the sales they were making from ECW, who went under and had the brand name rights purchased by the WWE. After failing to get aligned with CZW, RF Video owner Rob Feinstein started RoH and sold the tapes and merchandise exclusively through his company.

On Tap for Tonight: UFC 170 The Winter Olympics NBA Action College Basketball HBO Boxing is back, with Miguel Vazquez vs. Denis Shafikov Also, Ahmed Johnson won the shoot interview poll by 42% and the recap will be posted on Thursday afternoon

Source

Editor's Note:  The alternate title for this game is "Parallax's dream job: The game"    “Everyone hates the President” said my Mother after I, yet again, bemoaned the extreme polarization of folks on various social media platforms toward Mr. Obama. I guess it’s true. But still, don’t these people on Facebook and Twitter and Disqus know how hard that job is? What the actual *job* of the President is? The hoops and loops and crap you have to jump through to get something done? Surely, the man running our country deserves at least a hint of respect - how can anyone *seriously* believe the President - Bush, Obama, Clinton, whoever - is actively trying to destroy our country, while *also* being incompetent and stupid. I was not expecting, upon discovering and playing “Masters of the World: Geopolitical Simulator 3” to feel incompetent and stupid as the President supposedly is. Nor was I trying to destroy the country, but I managed that too. 

The question is who does he face? I have no desire to see him wrestle Styles again (even if they are to battle to see who is the true owner of the CLASH). Cole is their main guy, but the match doesn't have that big fight feel, same with Lethal. Briscoe would be a waste, Steen would be a clash of styles. Bennett? No. Ciampa? Not really. ACH and Kyle O'Reilly would make for great matches, but for the money I'm sure that's not the direction they are going. Ah yes, Matt Hardy. Ok, no. That pretty much gives us Elgin, Strong or Hero. Anyone else come to mind? Figured this would give the board a chance to make witty quips about combining the two fan bases and it adding up to 18, or some similar "hip" banter. I can confirm however that many of us will in fact sleep better at night now. Either Hero or Styles would work for me.  

When Will Elimination Chamber Become Available on the WWE Network? It will be available 30 days after it airs on PPV. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter WWE Network Begins to Roll Out Although you cannot subscribe or view content yet, you can add the channel to your Roku, Playstation 3, and Playstation 4 devices. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com TNA Interested in Chris Hero? Although a contract has not been offered yet, there is a push from those in the company to bring him aboard. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter RF Video Releases "In the Ring" with Chris Hero

I had to work at 7am today, despite a normal second shift schedule. As a result about 65 percent of my brain is asleep, and the other 45 is running on fumes. Thus: What's the weirdest schedule-related adventure you've ever had? Working that pesky 2am-7am shift at Dunkin Donuts? Getting up at 5am on a Saturday to road trip to a venue in time for a football game? Did you watch the THIRD Wrestlemania replay starting at 2am and go to bed around dawn? 

Hey Scott.   I hope all is well.   I just saw this article on TMZ and thought it was pretty interesting.   http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/21/hulk-hogan-wwe-return-monday-night-raw-wrestlemania/   Hulk Hogan was at the performance center AND he was wearing his ring gear.   Could it be possible that Hogan said enough prayers and ate enough vitamins that Vince might  actually pull the trigger and have Randy Orton job to him this Monday on Raw to continue with their epic feud from 2006?!?!?!   Say it ain’t so!!!!   Zach Sadly, Hogan lost three of the four demandments as a part of the settlement with Linda, so now legally he can only say his prayers and must get his vitamins from natural food sources.  

So, I was watching the Yokozuna-Undertaker match at Royal Rumble 1994, and there's one thing that always bothered me. (One thing?) When all the heels start coming out to beat the crap out of Taker, they all make sense for the most part- they're either monsters like Bam Bam or Diesel or they're somehow at least tangentially related to Fuji and Yoko, like Kabuki or the Headshrinkers. The type of people you'd bring out to just destroy the Undertaker. Then you get JEFF JARRETT?! Nothing against Jarrett (well, not at this point anyways), but he just doesn't seem to fit in AT ALL. I get this mental picture of all the monster heels in the back making their horrible plans for the match, and Jeff just walking up like a little kid who wants to be cool and asking if he can play too and the heels letting him in so he'll shut up already. Was there any explaination for how he got mixed up in this, or is it just one of those things that I really shouldn't worry about...

So, there was an incident a couple of years ago on ESPN here in the US when, aware of how much criticism they were getting for a ridiculous amount of coverage of Tim Tebow (now-former NFL quarterback), they deliberately devoted an entire hour of Sportscenter to Tebow. Every story for an entire hour (except one breaking story), all on one guy. Having D-Bry wrestle twice to start Raw tonight got me thinking...could they have him wrestle an entire Raw? Maybe after he wins the title, the Authority makes him wrestle one match after another for an entire show in a desperate attempt to unseat him. Or, if he doesn't win the title, they make him wrestle an entire show to get another shot. Flair used to work Broadways...figure with a big long show-opening promo, commercials between matches, etc., Bryan would be in the ring two hours. Could he do it? And what would the reaction be like? The blog would be like "I wish there was more Daniel Bryan on this show.  They should ...

Scott, Instead of coming up with creative backstage segments and camera/audio tricks to mask the negative crowd reaction to Batista, why doesn't WWE take the path of least resistance to getting Batista's babyface heat back? Create a situation in which Daniel Bryan is getting beat up by some Authority goons and have Batista make the save. Or have Bryan team up with Batista in tag match, or have Bryan talk up Batista as his good friend, or have Batista say when he wins the title at WM he's going to give Bryan the first shot. Basically use Bryan to get Batista over again. Seems easy enough, right? The fact that they haven't done this yet makes me believe WWE is really planning to turn Batista heel and have him feud with Bryan, either before or after WrestleMania, which is why they're keeping them separate for now. Thoughts? You'd be wasting Bryan on him.  I'd actually have Hulk Hogan make the save and do the posedown routine with Bryan to give him the rub...

Smackdown Date: February 21, 2014 Location: World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's the go home show for Elimination Chamber and everything is set for Sunday. Monday ended with a huge brawl between the twelve people in the two biggest matches on Sunday which is a good way to end a show. The main event for tonight is Sheamus vs. Christian after Christian turned heel on Monday. Let's get to it.

Matches Confirmed for Tonight: Sheamus vs. Christian Jack Swagger vs. Daniel Bryan Cody Rhodes & Goldust & Rey Mysterio vs. Wyatt Family Jimmy Uso vs. Road Dogg Also, Summer Rae vs. Emma in a Dance Off

Source Straight from WWE.  I have no problem with Hogan being a part of the show and him acting as host to fire up the crowd is the best option for him.

Hey, Scott: the 2013 RSPW Awards are (finally) finished! (It took us a while to root out a couple of schmucks who were vote-spamming and recalculate all totals.) http://mightygodking.com/2014/02/21/the-2013-rec-sport-pro-wrestling-awards-final-results/ Sorry, I just wanted to ensure that Bob Backlund finally got his Best Bowtie Slammy after Owen Hart stole it 18 years ago.  

November 16 th , 1985 Your hosts are Jesse Ventura (subbing for Bruno, who is teaming with his son, David tonight) and Vince McMahon. In action tonight are Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat. Plus, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff, and the team of Mike Rotundo & Junkyard Dog.

> > Hey Scott, to celebrate the launch of the WWE network next week, how about a quick list of the essential ppvs newer fans should view 1st. > Also, would love for u to redo rants of WM 17 and GAB 89 to decide which is the greatest PPV of all time. I personally will be watching the full version of Bash 89 as soon as I can, but WWE already put a pretty good list of essential PPVs up a little while ago. I suspect that with all the filler edited back into the Bash, WM X7 will win handily.

Hey Scott, Sami Zayn is a great wrestler, however I still can't see him as anything but the great El Generico... I think commentators should point out during a Sin Cara match that they don't believe that is actually Sin Cara under the mask, pointing out Hunico's tattoos, height etc. Bring this up and start probing Sin Cara that it may be an imposter.  REALLY nitpick all the slight differences between Hunico and Mistico.  Have a sit down interview with a shadowed figure claiming to be the real Sin Cara and challenge for a match at an upcoming Raw. Hype it up big time and have this white french Canadian come out claiming to be the real Sin Cara and absolutely SQUASH Hunico with all of the typical El Generico/Sami Zayn spots and throw out everything you knew about the old Sin Cara and believe this is the Sin Cara.  WWE acts like this was the Sin Cara all along and universe plays along because Zayn oozes the charisma. Ole! Sin Cara is a loser undercard gim...