Bob Geigel's passing at 90 probably isn't going to make the start of RAW or anything but the old time promoter did step from behind the booking sheets to help get even more heat on the Magnum T.A. - Nikita Koloff feud. Rest in Peace.

Smackdown Date: October 31, 2014 Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Commentators: Michael Cole, Tom Phillips Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're onto a new set of new stories for a change now with a focus on Cena vs. the Authority and Ambrose vs. Wyatt. That isn't the best pair of stories in the world but we're stuck with this until we get to the Rumble and the wrestling actually matters to the company anymore. It's also Halloween so hopefully things aren't all that campy tonight. Let's get to it.

Smackdown on SyFy at 8/7c.  Matches scheduled include Divas Halloween Costume Battle Royal; Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler; Ryback vs. Heath Slater; MizTV with Mark Henry as guest; Los Matadores vs. Gold & StarDust; The Great Khali vs. Rusev; and the main event is Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro in a Trick or Street Fight. That's right! It's a Very Special WWE Halloween Special, Charlie Brown. If you're interested, WWE Network will be airing a special preview of the Brothers of Destruction DVD at 10/9c. NBA action sees Cavs vs. Bulls at 8/7c on ESPN, and Clippers vs. Lakers at 10:30/9:30c. Four games on the NHL schedule highlighted by Kings vs. Red Wings. See you around, Little Doomers.

From the daily update: Yeah NOC did terrible business, so I can't remotely understand why they are going to rerun it a bigger show? Have Lesnar fight anyone else. Shit I'd be more interested in seeing what kind of match he could have with big show over cena part 4 as a placeholder to mania. Here's the deal with their thinking according to Meltzer:  Brock Lesnar costs them a bazillion dollars a match, so the only chance they have at recouping their costs in the deal is to put him in the ring with the biggest star they have available at the time (or on the outside have him completely destroy a minor star like Big Show) and at the moment that would only be John Cena.  They're not paying him all that money to make other guys into stars, because that's not their mindset.  If Rock was around, or Batista, for example, that would be justifiable.  Anyone under that level, to them, is just making Brock less special. NOW, that being said, I think they're full of crap becau...

http://nypost.com/2014/10/30/the-wwe-gets-ready-to-crumble/ Probably not the national press they'd like to be getting. But their ENGAGEMENT scores are so high!   I just can't wait for stock to drop to $9.99 so we can get the most epic screenshot of all time. 

Welcome to Halloween weekend everyone. Enjoy this sample of holiday and other pieces from the week that was at PTBN! Justin entered his Treasure Trove to break down the iconic Ghostbusters music video: JR’s Treasure Trove #3 – Ghostbusters: The Music Video (1984) It's Halloween! Here are playlists of great wrestling Halloween moments as well as a Halloween music playlist for you! Kevin Kelly was joined by Gangrel for his Halloween Episode: The Kevin Kelly Show Episode 21 – Featuring Gangrel Scott & Justin's Vintage Vault Refresh series is through Survivor Series 1988:  Scott & Justin’s Vintage Vault Refresh: Survivor Series 1988 Matt D breaks down Halloween Havoc 1991:  Where the Big Boys Play: The Column Beyond – The Great(???) Match Robbery of 1991 The NBA-Team had a couple of podcasts this week, including an interview with Charley Rosen:  NBA-Team Podcast PTBN's Seinfeld Rewatch checks out classic episodes "The Tape" and "The Nos...

Randy Orton Pulled from European Tour WWE has pulled Randy Orton from the upcoming European tour. Orton was schedule to face Chris Jericho in a street fight on the tour, but has now been replaced with Bray Wyatt. No reason was given, however it was announced this week that Orton will star in The Condemned 2: Desert Prey for Lionsgate and WWE Studios. Production was listed as starting later this year, which could mean the European tour. Credit Wrestlezone Future Plans for the Main Event Scene in WWE According to the Wrestling Observer, there have been rumors that John Cena will face Brock Lesnar at TLC, however the current plan remains for Cena and Lesnar to face off at Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns is being advertised for December house shows but it looks like he may not return until after Royal Rumble. The plan for the title is for Lesnar to beat Cena at Royal Rumble and face Reigns at Wrestlemania XXXI. Bob Geigel Passes Away Former NWA President Bob Geigel passed away yest...

The SmarK Rant for Lucha Underground – 10.29.14 I’ve had a few people e-mail me about this show, so I figured I’d download it since there’s no legal way to watch it in Canada anyway. Other than that, I’ve heard nothing about it so I’m going in blind. It’s on something called the El Ray network in the US and that’s about the extent of what I know. The production values are really high quality, with a filmed look instead of the WWE video tape look we’re all used to. Your hosts are Matt Striker & Vampiro.

It’s been a busy week and I’ve fallen behind again, which is embarrassing considering this lineup of wrestling that’s been waiting for me. Stars like Alex Wright, Madusa, and Ice Train are here this week! TONY SCHIAVONE and “SOBER” BOBBY HEENAN are your hosts; and apparently the line was building all day at Disney to see WCW. This might in fact be true, I’ve been to Disney, and EVERYTHING has a bloody line, even that traumatizing “It’s A Small World” ride through hell.

According to sources, the plan is still for Brock to beat Cena, and lose to Reigns at WM.  Look into the crystal ball, am I the only one who sees a Triple H/Orton main event reaction?   The crowd sat silent for the Taker match until the streak ended.  The Summerslam match drew "boring" chants during the suplex barrage and Orton/Reigns was a snoozer.  Wouldn't the sensible thing be to put Cena over Brock and have Roman beat Cena clean?  That also frees Rusev from getting the Cena-crush treatment Bray Wyatt got and give someone else (Ambrose, Ryback) the rub of beating Rusev. ​I really liked Todd Martin's fantasy booking a couple of weeks ago, where he pitched Rock v. Reigns as the main event, so that Rock can work his magic with someone who you know he would put over huge.  Then you still do Rusev-Cena, but this time RUSEV CRUSH and that not only has the benefit of keeping him strong, but it gives Reigns a logical challenger down the road when Brock is gone and makes...

Tonight on the WWE Network, NXT is at 9/8c. Schedule for the show: -#1 Contender Tag Team Battle Royal -Emma vs. Carmella -Justin Gabriel vs. Bull Dempsey -Baron Corbin in action -Sami Zayn vs. Titus O'Neil Following NXT will be Superstars at 10/9c. Scheduled matches are Emma vs. Summer Rae and Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd. Baseball is over.....but we have many other sports to choose from. Thursday night NFL action on CBS. NFC South action sees the New Orleans Saints (3-4) taking on the Carolina Panthers (3-4-1). NBA action: on TNT, the New York Knicks face the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8/7c. Nothing of note is significant about that game....at all. At 10:30/9:30c, TNT will follow that up with Thunder vs. Clippers. NHL action: 10 games to choose from. All of them interesting, I'm sure. There's always plenty of action in the evening thread. RIP Roxy.

Ryback's return as a face last night got me thinking of a Royal Rumble spot they just HAVE to do this year(should have done it 2 years ago).  They need to give Ryback the '1994 Diesel' spot.  Have him come out at #10, clear the ring and as he's alone waiting and the countdown clock is winding down, he leads the crowd in a 'FEED ME MORE' chant.  Do this 3 times.  Feed him an Uso, a Matador, Heath Slater and then have a guy like Ambrose or Rusev come out to finally end it(anyone but Triple H).  I think that would be an awesome moment and it would really get the crowd into the match.  Not only that, it would put Ryback over huge.  I'm not saying Ryback should win the Rumble but that spot just has to happen.  That 'feed me more' chant is just made for that 'Diesel' spot in the Rumble.  Your thoughts? That assumes a lot more thought and caring into the Ryback character than the creative team has put into him.  But yeah, there's a lot of fun ...

http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2014-10-30/wwe-network-stock-wall-street-731k-vince-mcmahon-survivor-series-john-cena I feel like they need to push John Cena even harder, and perhaps have the announcers wear "$9.99" t-shirts all the time to really emphasize the price point. If people only knew what a great value the Network was and how much John Cena they could get on the Network, they'd hit their million subs in no time!  

WWE Network Subscriber Number Released The WWE released their Q3 financials today, and announced the number of WWE Network subscribers. The company confirmed that they have 731,000 subscribers for the network. The company added 31,000 subscribers in the quarter, representing a 4% increase from June 30. The Network was expanded into 170 countries, and considering that they had 700,000 subscribers at the end of Q2, this has to come off as a disappointment. The company continues to gain some subscribers, but is also continuing to fail in maintaining the ones that they had. WWE Network Pricing Plan Changed WWE announced today in their Q3 financials report that they are introducing a new “simplified price plan” for the WWE Network. They are dropping the six-month commitment, and keeping the price at $9.99. TNA Status Update There have been reports that TNA Executive John Gaburick was in New York City yesterday, finalizing a new TV deal for the company. Pwinsider.com reports that t...

​​ No 6-Month Commitment Great News! WWE Network is now $9.99 per month with no commitment. That's right. You'll continue to get every LIVE pay-per-view, access to our massive on-demand library and more for the same $9.99 per month you currently pay, but without a 6-month commitment! There is no action is required on your part. On your billing date in December, your WWE Network subscription will automatically convert to a no commitment account and will continue uninterrupted for $9.99 per month, plus applicable taxes. If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please visit wwe.com/help. wwe.com/help . Thank you for being a WWE Network subscriber. ​And also, the number is 731K.  This company is about to hit increasing levels of desperation.  ​

The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 10.23.95 Ad Roulette! Still only the one ad I’ve ever seen. So they’re rolling it out REALLY slowly. YouTube, on the other hand, has been inundated with ads lately, especially on stuff like the Game Grumps or Machinima. Live from…ugh…Brandon, MB. THAT place gets a live RAW in 1995 but Edmonton and Calgary didn’t get one until 1997? Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

Dear Scott, Assuming the numbers haven't been leaked before you decide to answer this, how many WWE Network subscribers do you think WWE will report on Thursday? The Observer said WWE " needs to average 1.1 million subscribers during 2015 just to maintain equal cash flow" and closer to 1.4M to get back to its level of profitability pre-Network. On Tuesday's PWTorch Livecast, Jason Powell predicted somewhere between 650k and 770k (715-725k as a narrower range), while Wade Keller said he personally would view anything above 770k as "better than expected."  I didn't see Dave's prediction in the Observer, though he did say it "will be far ahead of" the 700k number reported as of the last conference call and added that below 900k "would not be good." ​I'm thinking 775.  You'd have to think that by adding 170 countries they'd roll back some of the monster losses in numbers they're going to suffer over the summer, but...

On Episode 21 of The Kevin Kelly Show, it is time for Halloween and to celebrate, Kevin welcomes in David “Gangrel” Heath for a chat! They talk about how he got his start in wrestling, his WWF run and the evolution of his character, the trademark issues with the name Gangrel, the promotions he is currently running, training Rusev, his relationship with Luna Vachon and much more. Be sure to check out Territory League Wrestling and follow Gangrel on Twitter! Kevin & JR then talk about wrestling Halloween traditions, the best and worst wrestling costumes, Hell in a Cell 2014 and more before hitting up the always popular Trending Topics! The show wraps with a spirited game of Trick or Treat, where Kevin decides which celebrities, wrestlers and athletes deserve a trick or a treat in 2014. So please join us for another great episode of the Kevin Kelly Show! The Kevin Kelly Show Episode 21 – Featuring Gangrel

TNA IMPACT tonight at 9/8c on Spike. Schedule matches include TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley defending against Bobby Roode, with Kurt Angle as guest referee. The tag team #1 contender tournament continues with the semi-finals. Low-Ki/Samoa Joe vs. MVP/Kenny King and The Hardys vs. EC3 and Tyrus. World Series Game 7. This is it. This is for all the moolah, and for the trophy that will get dragged behind George Costanza's car. Giants-Royals. Tim Hudson vs. Jeremy Guthrie. It's on FOX at 7/6c. NBA regular season gets into full swing with twelve games. Bulls/Knicks on ESPN at 8/7c and Thunder-Trail Blazers at 10:30/9:30c. NHL only has two games tonight, Red Wings/Capitals and Predators/Oilers. TV has all new Arrow on the CW at 8/7c. It's ALWAYS interesting in the evening threads.

Andy was supposed to write my recap. I'm assuming he's busy, so I will do it. In any case, let's do this real quick.

Monday Nitro #191 Date: June 7, 1999 Location: CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Eric Bischoff Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's the go home show for the Great American Bash which hopefully means we're finally getting some new main stories instead of the drek we've been sitting through so far. The big old vs. new story needs to get going and hopefully we can get there after this coming Sunday. Or at least to something other than Nash vs. Savage. Let's get to it.

http://the-w.com/t/49928#526755 I would totally let Dr. Unlikely write this stuff for the blog any time he wants.  A fabulous summation of what's wrong with the company right now.  

The SmarK Retro Rant for WWF In Your House IV - Originally aired October 22, 1995, this show not only was so humdrum that they couldn’t think of a witty subtitle, but it also has the distinction of earning the lowest buyrate ever for a WWF PPV, at 0.4. Kevin Nash, just call him “Money”.  (Actually, on the RAW shows building this up, they were trying to make “Great White North” into a thing as the subtitle, but it didn’t happen.  I’d like to go with Davey Boy’s summation from one of his promos as a subtitle:  “That 50 below hellhole Winnipeg”  Spoken like someone who spent years touring the Prairies.  - By the way, thank you to the Russians for inventing vodka, so I was able to make it through this one. On a related note, thank you to the makers of ibuprofen.  (I’ve heard conflicting reports over the years about my roommate’s patented “take three Tylenol and a giant glass of water before bed to prevent a hangover” advice.  At the time this rant was ori...

Daniel Bryan Update Last night at the Smackdown taping in Houston, WWE filmed a segment where the Big Show addressed the crowd and informed them that Daniel Bryan will need to undergo surgery on his arm. Bryan hasn't wrestled since April, and has been rehabbing since June but has not regained strength in his arm. Credit PWInsider RAW Viewership for this Week The 10/27 episode of Raw did 3,745,000 viewers, which is up 50,000 from last week’s number. That number was the second lowest of 2014. The company had hoped for better the day after the Hell In A Cell PPV. The show lost audience as the night went on, dropping from 3,868,000 viewers in hour one to 3,529,000 in hour three. Credit PWInsider Clearing Up CM Punk Rumors The return of CM Punk merchandise (most of which has already sold out) to the WWE website was more a case of loose ends being tied up, according to one source we've spoken with. When Punk's WWE deal expired this past July, with it went the rights...

Here's some classic craziness from Memphis, with Mark Curtis managing a heel Rock N Roll Express during the thick of a Smoky Mountain Wrestling invasion angle in 1995.  Ricky Morton suddenly becomes Tully Blanchard and PG-13 are the babiest faces to ever babyface.  God I love Memphis when it's done right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iNFIdQC4fw Unlike many other managers of his generation, Jimmy Hart really hasn't changed much in over thirty years.  Let us celebrate the man who stole Dick Clark's immortality potion with his piano medley of Greatest Hits Not Performed With The Gentrys, and behold what it sounds like when a man sings Sexy Boy in the third person.

The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 10.16.95 Ad Roulette is another win for me, with just a WWE Network logo. Taped from Grand Rapids, MI. WEEK FOUR, BABY. Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=56670 Ho. Ly. Crap.

WWE Network has Main Event at 8/7c, Monday Night War at 9/8c (focusing on Chris Jericho) and a repeat of the Rivalries debut episode at 10/9. World Series Game 6 on FOX. Giants lead 3-2 and look to win it all tonight. Schedule starters are Jake Peavy and Yordano Ventura. Will it go to seven? NBA season opens tonight, right? Anyone?................Bueller? Then there's the NHL. You will always be #4 in our hearts, hockey. The Flash is on tonight. I know some of you like that. No ghosts in here tonight, unless your avatar is that of a ghost.

by Logan Scisco So after a three week absence my column has returned.  Graduate school caught up with me and I had a litany of papers and book readings due that prohibited me from blocking out three hours to watch this show.  I got all of that out of the way, though - The WWF must have had a history buff on the production staff at this time because the video package for this card features clips of John F. Kennedy, Benito Mussolini, and George Patton.  It is like a tame version of Mr. McMahon’s Utopia, but it is very effective at getting you excited for the show. - Jim Ross and Jerry “the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Here's something different for a change. This is from ROH's Glory by Honor 2002. The venue for this was kind of jarring for me, as I usually don't stray from big time WWE arenas. However, it's an awesome match, and if you don't check out indy feds too often, watch this and you'll soon forget about the production values and small crowd.

Ring of Honor Announces Toy Licensing Deal Baltimore, MD (October 28, 2014) – Ring of Honor Wrestling® (ROH) and Figures Toy Company today announced a licensing agreement to develop, market and manufacture a line of collectible figures and accessories based on the wrestlers and world of Ring of Honor Wrestling.     For the first time ever, Ring of Honor fans will be able to collect their favorite ...

Have WWE and CM Punk Reached an Agreement? WWE has started putting CM Punk merchandise back on sale at WWEShop, which might indicate that Punk and WWE have reached an agreement over the sale of his merchandise. His items had previously been pulled from the website over the summer. Credit 411mania.com Former NFL Player Starts Training at the WWE Performance Center Sabotino "Sabby" Piscitelli began training at the center yesterday. During his palying career, Piscitelli had played for Cleveland, Kansas City and Tampa bay. Meanwhile, indy wrestler Uhaa Nation reportedly got a great reaction during his tryout last week. Credit PWInsider Smackdown Rating This past Friday's Smackdown was watched by 2.28 million people, and received a 0.6 in the 18-49 demographic, which is down 15% from the previous weeks' episode. The household rating was 1.67. Survivor Series Match Confirmed In case you missed it last night on RAW, the main event for Survivor Series is set...

Hey Scott, Try this one on: Ambrose/Rollins from Sunday is the third WWE PPV singles main event ever where both wrestlers were in their 20s. The first two? Taker/Taker and Taker/Yoko, both 1994. It's a useless fact, but goddamn is that a dumbfounder. Was Undertaker seriously that young in 94?  Damn.   ​ ​

This is new to me. And easily the worst possible way to use Sunny in 1995.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwvoDBHXSdg ​Yeah, this wasn't her best work.  But they were bending over backwards to find SOMETHING for her to do, because even in SMW as a teenager you could see the star power she had and they weren't going to let her get away.  The Bodydonnas were basically a vehicle to get her over and moved onto someone who could draw. It's just too bad they thought gladiator Faarooq was that someone.   ​

AndyPG is a good guy. Let me start by saying that. He and I had a talk about stuff on Facebook and we traded our likes and dislikes about Hell in a Cell. He likes what we're seeing. I'm "whatever" at this point. Look, whether you like or hate the current product/regime, we all agree on one thing: after taking several chair shots, Ambrose pretending to be afraid of Obi-Wyatt Kenobi was beyond ridiculous. It was Paul Bearer with a Flashlight Urn ridiculous. Papashango making Warrior puke ridiculous. The end of the match was ridiculous. But I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself. Please excuse my bullshit. How are you? You good?  That's cool. I'm in for AndyPG this week and he'll be in for me, doing Main Event, tomorrow. I'm used to writing these things late but I'm on a deadline everywhere I look (I've kinda put myself out there now) and I have to get things done on the dot or they send Bray Wyatt to Sister Abigail my cat while spewing...

The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 10.09.95 Taped from Grand Rapids, MI Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

This week's episode of the Monday Night War focusing on Chris Jericho got me wondering:  does Y2J "deserve" his own episode of the series?  Sure, most of us love Jericho.  He's a fantastic promo and he's one of the elite performers in the ring in the history of the sport.  However, was he really so integral to the feud between WCW & the WWF that he "earned" (I keep using quotes because it's ultimately, pretty trivial) a focal entry into the series?  He was held back to where he never moved beyond midcard status in WCW, despite great performances, and after his AMAZING debut in the WWF, he was immediately shuffled into meandering, innocuous feuds with Bob Holly, Chyna, etc.  Even when he was put over Austin & Rock as the first WWF Undisputed Champion, he never seemed to be a major draw. I'm not arguing his talent or ability, I'm just not sure he "moved the needle" enough to warrant his own episode of the show in the same way ...

What a Network special the WWE had last night. It was almost as boring as RAW. I was probably a little hard on the main event because the ending suck. The brawling that Ambrose and Rollins did was perfectly acceptable. Otherwise Dolph-Cesaro was pretty good and the stream kept up for me all night so you take the small victories. Unfortunately pretty good seems to be the max for the promotion these days. There is a maddening lack of great matches coming from the WWE in the last few months. Even Cena, who is always good for at least one or two four-star type matches a year hasn't had the ability to showcase that. His match with Cesaro a while back was excellent and otherwise he's been stuck in that middle-ground area working with Wyatt and Orton. Right now to be honest I'd  worry less about the programs and angles if the match work was really good. Everyone seems to be settled in their little area though -- good enough for me not to hate it but no one striving to be gre...

Windham and Rhodes were the unified WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champions here. Dr. Death's original partner was supposed to be the late Terry Gordy, but Gordy left WCW just before this show, as a sign of loyalty to All-Japan found Giant Baba; WCW had begun striking up a working relationship with All-Japan's rival New Japan. Gordy's replacement was Stunning Steve Austin, who would leave WCW a few years after this show, and would appear sporadically on the indepedent circuit before retiring. If I remember that correctly.

...what happened to Dixie Carter's announcement that was supposed to come within 10 days of about two weeks ago?  There was supposed a TV deal announced on Friday if I'm not mistaken and that sure as shit didn't happen.  Meltzer was actually talking about it this morning, and apparently the Toby Keith deal was pretty close to happening for a decent chunk of money last year (you know, back when they were stringently denying that the company was for sale and all) but Toby backed out because Bob Carter insisted on Dixie staying on TV as a figurehead and retaining "some kind of job" with the company.  Also, something something red solo cup.  Did I do that country music reference right?  I'm from Saskatchewan and still don't listen to that shit, but I think he was the guy.  Anyway, I bet they're wishing they would have taken that deal now.   But I'm sure everything is great.  

Thunder Date: June 3, 1999 Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina Commentators: Mike Tenay, Larry Zbyszko Reviewed by Tommy Hall Things have to be getting better soon. I mean, I don't think it's possible for them to continue being this bad. WCW has been trying this idea of just throwing every boring idea they have out there to bury the good stuff and it's bombing horribly. The lower card stuff is terribly uninteresting and the main event stuff is awful but there's a little glimmer in there with all the talent they've got. If some of that got a better focus, there's serious potential in there. Let's get to it.

Hell In A Cell Attendance WWE announced that the attendance at the American Airlines Center in Dallas was a legit sellout at 15,303. WWE Dropping Elimination Chamber PPV? The Wrestling Observer reports that Elimination Chamber is being dropped as the February PPV, and is being replaced with the name Fast Lane . The Elimination Chamber match itself is said to be moved further down the calendar as a setup for SummerSlam. Former Wrestler Suing WWE Billy Jack Haynes has reportedly filed a lawsuit against WWE, alleging egregious mistreatment of its wrestlers for its own benefit, as well as its concealment and denial of medical research and evidence concerning traumatic brain injuries suffered by WWE wrestlers. Haynes last wrestled for WWE in 1988. New Series Premieres on the WWE Network Tonight WWE Rivalries makes it's debut on the WWE Network tonight after RAW. The first episode will focus on the feud between Steve Austin and Vince McMahon.

The SmarK Rant for WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 Live from Dallas, TX Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL

Kick off show starts at 7/6c. It's schedule to have Mizdow TV with Miz as a guest. Here's the card going into the show: Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella - Loser becomes the Winner's personal assistant AJ Lee vs. Paige - WWE Divas Championship Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. Gold & StarDust - WWE Tag Team Championship Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro - 2 out of 3 Falls Match - WWE Intercontinental Championship Sheamus vs. The Miz - WWE United States Championship The Big Show vs. Rusev Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins - Hell in a Cell Match John Cena vs. Randy Orton - Hell in a Cell Match - Winner gets a future WWE World Heavyweight                                                                                        Championship title shot.

Hey Scott, Justin Henry here. First off, thanks for contributing to my Dean Ambrose article for Fighting Spirit a couple months back.Turned out very well, actually. After reading the thread on Foley's pre-ECW resume, it got me to thinking. Fans today who never saw Mick wrestle prior to, say, 2007, might see him as some fat buffoon who makes lame puns and comes off like the blissfully out-of-touch uncle. Of course, you, me, and many older fans remember his gift-of-gab in WCW and ECW, and of course, the inhuman amount of punishment he'd take in redefining the wild brawl. So for question fodder: looking back to your formative days of fandom, what wrestler, above all others, did you misjudge when you first saw him, not realizing that his prior work was as legendary as it was? For me, getting into being a fan as a five-year-old in 1989, I thought Dusty Rhodes was just some fat ass that unclogged toilets and danced with an older black woman. I had no frame of reference that he was a ...

I'll bet you football guys thought I forgot about this, didn't you? Bayless doesn't have any picks this week, but I offer you the chest-thumping, fist-bumping football discussion thread. Have a good day. Hell in a Cell thread will be up in time for the kick off show.

I met Mick Foley Friday night. If you’re here for the wrasslin’, you may want to skip me as I indulge in a little long-winded epilogue of the night. This probably isn’t much of a surprise, seeing as how he was in Ottawa to do his comedy show and I live here. Wrestling fans sorta flock to wrestlers, it’s how we roll. My best friend was able to help organize an outing with a number of people from his office, and to spice things up we brought a number of non-wrestling fan wives along for the ride (including my own). We were having a drink at the bar next to the venue before the show, when much to my surprise, in walks Mick Foley and Jason Sensation, and a small pile of merchandise that he was selling (and donating the proceeds to charity). I quickly took my place in line, with my wife, to meet the Hardcore Legend.

Good afternoon Mr. Keith, all this Mankind/UT HIAC talk and the earlier post of the Iron Man Match, have you ever thought its time to officially break out a whole new rating, beyond the Stars?   "Match Rating: Unable to Rate due to both historical significance and No Current Consensus by the IWC of its proper star rating, w h​ ether it would be underated, or overated, by many.  But still, NEEDS to be ​​ seen by all!" While someone disagreed about Savage/Steamboat earlier, that opinion I feel is such a minority I don't think it warrants inclusion in this subject.  Matches I do however have forever divided match raters since they took place, are: Hogan/Andre Bret/Michaels Iron Man UT/Mankind HITC Bash at The Beach 96 Main Event Hogan/The Rock And you might even be able to throw in the WM20 Main Event, at what was considered one of the greatest matches of all time followed by one of the greatest moments of all time with Benoit & Eddie standing tall, it has forever becom...

Scott, What Mick Foley matches prior to his ECW run are worth checking out (from any federation)? ​ Well, the most famous is the 2/3 falls match with Eddie Gilbert that basically defined the ECW/hardcore style and launched the careers of a million tape traders online.  And of course he had a bunch of great ones with Sting and Vader in 92/93 in WCW.  Before that he was basically a job guy who did occasional crazy indy matches.  ​ ​

World Series Game 4 on FOX beginning at 8/7c. Scheduled starters are Jason Vargas and Ryan Vogelsong. Royals lead the series 2-1. NCAA football is highlighted by No. 3 Ole Miss taking on No. 24 LSU, on EPSN. Feel free to talk about other games if you are so inclined. NHL action, and the Brian Pillman doc on the WWE Network. Also, by request, some posters are going to have a PPV watch. It will be Badd Blood: In Your House at 8:30 ET. There you go; enjoy your evening.

Hey Scott, Given that watching Raw now resembles the most painful form of medieval water torture - would WWE benefit from trying the early Nitro (95-96) approach? I always seem to recall it being an hour and a bit of blistering Guerrero, Malenko, Benoit, Jericho matches, and then a snooze-fest involving Hogan. But it worked. Throw Ziggler, The Usos, Harper, Kingston, Kidd, Cesaro, Zayn, Neville etc out there to have those good rasslin' match things that Vince doesnt understand, and then we can all watch something else for the final hour where Cena says poop and Ambrose plays with a mannequin? best wishes, Gareth ​I think the most basic issue is that Vince is turning into Verne Gagne and Bill Watts and all the other people he destroyed in the 80s:  The out of touch wrestling booker who won't change or pay attention to new trends and just needs to go away and be a executive or whatever.  ​

Are there any great matches (5-Star or 4-Star) you hate? For any reason... Kayfabe. The commentary. You got dumped midway through the match.  Personally, I cannot stand Steamboat-Savage from WrestleMania III.  I was 12 and a huge Ricky Steamboat fan when the throat belling occurred. I wanted REVENGE. I wanted Savage to be bloodied and battered; to be stretchered out, never to be seen again. Anything less would be a disappointment. As a result, I get irrationally pissed every time I it. I know it's a great match, but my 12-year-old self will have none of it. ​Hmm, interesting topic. I really dislike watching the Bret v. Shawn Iron Man match, even though I know it's "great" in a technical sense.  That would be my #1 choice.   British Bulldog losing the Euro title to Shawn at One Night Only is a great match where I was so disgusted by the politics involved that it ruined the match for me. Those are the two that stand out for me.  ​

Smackdown Date: October 24, 2014 Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas Commentators: Michael Cole, Tom Phillips, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's the final show before Hell in a Cell and things are all set. The main story coming out of Raw is Seth Rollins finally attacking Randy Orton, his partner on Monday, by Curb Stomping him to end the show. This is likely going to help set up Orton's face turn and then Orton vs. Rollins, which could be some very interesting stuff down the line. Let's get to it.

From Facebook: SSW TV news - at the end of last week we had a complete crash of our computer systems. It has taken us just over a week to get it back up and running. The Power Half Hour will be back next weekend on Heritage TV and Tri-Cities TNT/ Heartland. There will be an online edition for this weekend on youtube. Thanks   With the new TV deal, I'm thinking that Beau has the dough to upgrade to a Pentium.

Last week, E! made life interesting and miserable for Matt and I by airing two episodes, back to back. This week, they learned from their experience -- and did it again because fuck us.

Smackdown is on at 8/7c. Featured matches include Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro for the Intercontinental Championship. It's the go home show for Hell In A Cell. World Series Game 3 is on FOX at 8/7c. Series tied 1-1. Schedule starters are Jeremy Guthrie and Tim Hudson. Some Friday night NCAA football highlighted by No. 6 Oregon taking on California. That's on FS1. You got anything else? Bring it up in here.

NXT Date: October 23, 2014 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Jason Albert, Alex Riley, Rich Brennan Reviewed by Tommy Hall NXT continues to be the show gives me the most hope in wrestling as you can see the big stories building and they're as well put together as anything else in wrestling today. You can see Zayn vs. Neville coming and you can hear the roar of the crowd for the near falls. There's other good stuff coming too so let's get to it.

I apologize for the quality of this one. October in 2002 brought some awesome goodness on the Smackdown side. I want to focus on that timeframe with the next several videos. Let's kick it off with this match between Edge and Kurt Angle. Earlier in 2002, they had a feud which led to Angle losing his hair. Edge and Rey Mysterio formed a team as they were entered into the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament. Angle had formed an alliance with Chris Benoit. Here is a singles match between Edge and Angle in the middle of all this. Edge vs. Kurt Angle Pt.1 by Stinger1981

With all of the focus given to the Bella feud, I've been thinking of women's wrestling as a whole. Specifically, it's drawing power and future. I understand the bellatrocity is an attempt to lure Total Diva fans into the product. This gives some justification to its high slot on the shows; but not much.  However, aside from this forced corporate synergy, has women's wrestling ever had real drawing power for the big US promoters (WWE, WCW, AWA)?  The Fabulous Moolah was champion for 20+ years. Was this due to her ability to put butts in seats or her political maneuvering?  Did Trish and Lita ever headline a C-Show?  Did Chyna?  What is the highest a women's match ever been up the card?   I remember the Finlay-booked Diva's matches to some of be the best segments of Raw.  The Diva's segments now?  Not so much. is it incorrect to say the highest goal for a woman wrestler in North America to achieve now is not the Diva's title or a semi-main event at Wrest...

I don't know whether to ask what took you so long or tell you what a mistake you've made. Game is ridiculously addictive. I've been playing for most of the last year, and I got bored with SuperCard after a few days. You'll get plenty of shared rewards from me, although I don't play as much as I used to...new kid, new job, you know the drill. I will also offer advice if you want. A few tips to get you started: - Don't bother with Bag-Man. He sucks. If you get a Bag-Man cover, sell it for Iso-8 and use it to level your other guys. - As you get more three-star characters, you might want to ditch your one-stars to make room for new guys, but keep one or two to use in events where you need a one-star. I especially like Venom, because you can team him up with Classic Spider-Man and have them build on each other's powers. - I never really liked using Sentry, so I got rid of him, but he seems to be everyone's favorite character in PvP events. Daken is another on...

I know the consensus would be Hogan/Andre - but think about it, the Jim Ross "Good God Almighty!" call has taken on a life of its own, and because the WWE continues to promote the Attitude Era as the most important thing that's ever happened in human history, more people in the internet era (who don't watch wrestling) have seen the Foley off the cage spot than Hogan slamming Andre. Also do I get a prize for being the 1 millionth person to email you about Taker/Foley? I'm also gonna have to go with Hogan/Andre, there, compadre, but I appreciate the effort you put into the argument.  Certainly for most memorable MOMENT you could rank it up there, but most people don't really remember the circumstances or details of the match around the swan dive.  I'd even say Rock v. Mankind would best it, in fact.  

Welcome to the weekend everyone. Enjoy this sample of pieces from the week that was at PTBN! Brad Woodling remembers the first time John Cena battled Randy Orton inside Hell in a Cell:  Cena and Orton’s First Clash in the Cell The Titans of Wrestling crew interviewed the great Tito Santana:  Titans of Wrestling #36: Interview with Tito Santana Scott & Justin's Vintage Vault Refresh series is through SummerSlam 1988:  Scott & Justin’s Vintage Vault Refresh: SummerSlam 1988 The NBA-Team continues their preseason divisional previews and Andrew Riche has begun his written previews as well:  PTBN’s NBA-Team Division Previews Maurice Pogue examines buying video games for gaming vs. collecting:  The Wall of Shame PTBN's Seinfeld Rewatch checks out classic episodes "The Pen" and "The Parking Garage":  Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch The Place to Be Podcast chatted Vengeance 2003 and also hosted their fourth annual Halloween Spooktacular:...

NXT Takeover: Evolution Card Thus Far The following matches were set up during last night's NXT tapings: -Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn for the NXT Championship (if Zayn loses he will leave WWE) -Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the NXT Women's Championship -The Lucha Dragons vs. The Vaudevillains for the NXT Tag Team Championship -Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. The Ascension The show is set for 12/11/14 on the WWE Network. WWE Hiring New Social Media Manager Per PWInsider, Cody Barbierri, WWE Social Media Manager, is gone from the company. There is a job posting on WWE.com seeking to fill that position. Barbierri was the individual that was slapped by Alberto Del Rio for refusing to apologize for a comment that Del Rio thought was racist. Del Rio was fired from the company for the incident. Edge and Christian Reuniting? Christian will begin to appear in the SyFy series Haven beginning 11/28. He will be playing a character named McHugh. It is a recurring role, and he ...

Impact Wrestling Date: October 22, 2014 Location: Sands Bethlehem Events Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Commentators: Mike Tenay, Taz Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're closing in on the Lashley vs. Roode showdown with the champion seeming to have some issues with the rest of the Trio. Other than that we have the start of a tag team tournament for a shot at the titles at some point in the future. I kind of like TNA just doing the week to week TV stuff instead of building to meaningless PPVs for a change. It works for NXT most of the time so why not TNA too? Let's get to it.

The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 10.02.95 I really like this three-a-week pace. That’s the speed they should have been adding them at all along. Ad roulette: Nothing tonight, not even a WWE Network logo. Taped from Grand Rapids, MI Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

Hey Scott,  Talbot from the blog here, wondering if you'd give this podcast a plug? It's called Aliens Under the Vatican and I've been appearing on it semi-regularly as kind of a "technically not a cast member but there all the time/Steve Martin on SNL in the 70s" kinda capacity for a while now, but I didn't previously ask for a plug because it's not usually about wrestling…. but this week I figured I'd ask for two reasons:  1) It's the host's birthday, and I'm too cheap to get him a real gift.  2) The first twenty minutes or so of the episode are almost entirely about Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and the host's very good Jesse impression reappears throughout the rest of the episode.  Other topics include dinosaurs, Bill & Ted, whether or not Harley Quinn is a juggalo, and one of the hosts doing everything he can to keep me from getting through a "Gotham" review.  Thanks in advance! Hopefully you and/or the BoD can ...

Hey Scott, How come we don't see refs take bumps anymore? We still get a fair amount distraction/screwy finishes but I can't recall the last time we saw a referee taken out while it happened. How come?  ​Last I heard, it's just a Vince thing, where one day he issues an edict that he wants the refereeing to be more "realistic" and thus no ref bumps.  It's true, though, distraction finishes would be slightly less annoying if they changed it up with a ref bump here or there.  Especially in a main event setting, if not overdone, it can be effective.  Plus it's more realistic for a referee to be unconscious and thus not able to see interference, rather than ignoring stuff happening over his shoulder.   ​

Some Thursday night discussion points for you: WWE Network with NXT at 9/8c. The main event for the show will be Adrian Neville against Titus O'Neil in a non-title match. Then Superstars at 10/9c, featuring Jack Swagger vs. Bo Dallas and Kofi Kingston vs. Tyson Kidd. Thursday night NFL action has AFC West action San Diego Chargers taking on the Denver Broncos. The Chargers are 5-2 and the Broncos are 5-1. Sounds like a pretty good game. That's on CBS at 8:25 ET. There's NCAA football with #18 E. Carolina at home to Connecticut and Miami (FL) at Virginia Tech. NHL action, NBA preseason with the regular season opener less than a week away.

Kurt Angle had defeated Austin to win the WWF Championship in his hometown of Pittsburgh at Unforgiven 2001. Austin had been off TV for a couple of weeks after that loss, and was then granted a rematch for this episode of RAW. The Invasion angle may have been botched, but it did offer plenty of memorable moments, this being one of them.

Just read an article with Mick Foley talking about his famous hell in the cell match with Undertaker. In it he talks about the legendary conversation with Terry Funk telling him to start on the top of the cage. Wouldn't the match have been better if they started in the cage, had a war inside the cage, somehow they get out of the cell, climb to the top then throw foley off the cage and/or do the chokeslam thru the cage and the match with that?  Yeah, but they already did that in the Shawn-UT original.  Perhaps if we're building time machines and rebooking classic matches, we could lay off poor Mick and avoid him going through the table and suffering kidney damage in the first place?