The Thread Killer

I guess that was my complaint. I'm all for guys being green and inexperienced, but when they can't convincingly pull off something as fundamental as a whip into the corner? I don't think they're ready for TV time yet. Then again, I might just be acting unfair and bitchy. In the poor kid's defense, that match was taped before a major PPV in front of 12,000 + fans. That had to be pretty damn nerve wracking, one would assume. But my gut reaction to seeing him wrestle was "Damn, he's clumsy."

I don't even know what point you're trying to make now. I could care less if somebody calls me a "smart mark." Mark, smart, smart mark, smark...they're all just made up industry terms that don't actually mean anything. I'm a Pro Wrestling fan. If it makes you feel better to classify me as a smart mark, then okay...I'm a smart mark. That doesn't make any of the arguments you've tried to make during this discussion any more valid. You also really can't sit there and make inflammatory statements like "Meltzer is not a Journalist and your not going to convince me otherwise" but then expect people to "move on." As I have said repeatedly, I don't even really like Meltzer all that much. I find him preachy, I don't care for his writing style, and I don't like his MMA fetish. But facts are facts. He has a degree in journalism, and people have paid him money to report on things. Mainstream publications like the New York Times and Sports Illustrated have called him the leading journalist in the field of Pro Wrestling. So for you to now try and argue that he isn't even a journalist means you're either trolling or being unbelievably obtuse.

Meltzer has admitted in the past that he has had conversations with Vince McMahon. I don't think those conversations were quite of the nature that you seem to think they were. Because he is a reporter. He's a journalist. Vince McMahon is a promoter. I find it bizarre that you think that just because Meltzer reports on Pro Wrestling, that he is automatically in the bag for whatever promoter waves a handful of cash under his nose. Putting aside what that implies about his personal code of ethics or his own journalism standards, I'm confused as to how that would even serve any purpose for him. He makes a couple of bucks, but what else good does it do him? Once again, that it is a pretty big accusation to level at a guy who has spent the last 34 years making his living as a journalist. But thank you for explaining to me the relationship between the media and business, because I had no idea how that worked. I find your attitude during this discussion to be puzzling. You have made some fairly brash statements - that you trust the word of Bruce Prichard over that of Dave Meltzer, and that Dave Meltzer takes financial compensation from Pro Wrestling promoters in exchange for good reviews in the Observer. You have claimed that Meltzer is just a tool of the big business of Pro Wrestling. But when I try and disagree with you about that, you react defensively and don't want to talk about it anymore. I was under the assumption that one of the main functions of PWO was to further discussion of Pro Wrestling. Why would you make statements which you would have to know would garner a heated debate...and then withdraw when you get one?

I'm seriously considering quitting the modern product again. I hadn't regularly watched WWE for years, I quit after Triple H went over Booker T at Wrestlemania 19. It wasn't just that Trips went over, it was the racist crap in the lead up to that match, Booker never getting revenge and then the whole deal with how bad Trips made Book look with the delayed cover. Left a really bad taste in my mouth, so I stopped watching WWE. I started again around this past Wrestlemania, but...ugh. That show was gawd awful, and the brand split hasn't really done anything for me. I can't sit through three hours of Raw with Mick Foley and Stephanie, Owens as Champ, The New Day, and the way they've botched the Cruiserweight Division. I do like Jericho (up until the bell rings) but that's not enough to get me to watch that crap anymore. I don't mind SDL, it certainly goes by a lot quicker than Raw, but even still...the only big plus there for me is AJ Styles. And how many times do we have to watch him fight Dean Ambrose? This whole deal with James Ellesworth was mildly amusing for one segment of one show. Now? Ugh, change the channel. I loved the CWC and I think I'll stick with NXT, but the writing on the main roster is so damn bland and uninspiring. There are no good stories being told. I think I'll go back to reading the results online and checking out the PPV's only. It's a shame. I guess if Joe or Nakamura gets called up, I would check that out, but right now otherwise, the creative is just so damn boring. The sad thing is, ROH is just as boring and who the hell even knows what TNA is going to do. I will probably stick to my classics for a while, or find another indie to get into.

So I watched NXT this week. The opener was Rich Swann against Kona Reeves, but the match was cut short by a run-in and beat down from Sanity. All I can say is, they didn't get there soon enough. This Kona Reeves is pretty damn bad. He looked so damn uncoordinated, I could have sworn he almost tripped over his own feet while doing a whip into the corner, and fell flat on his face.

Hey mods...maybe it might be a good idea to move a bunch of these posts into the Dave Meltzer thread in the Megathread folder? I don't want to derail this topic, and a couple of people over there were already discussing the Meltzer/Prichard rivalry, so these points might fit better over there?

In the sense that both guys want to make money, yes...they are both carnies. From there, I don't see them as similar, nor do I see this as an issue which has "sides." You're comparing apples and oranges. Meltzer is a reporter. Prichard worked for the companies Meltzer reported on, until he got fired. I would suggest that if it came down to the question: "Who are you more likely to believe?" I would pick Dave Meltzer and it wouldn't even be close. As I said, we're talking about two people who had entirely different agendas for the majority of their respective careers. Prichard had a vested interest in keeping information secret and controlling what got out, whereas people paid Meltzer to expose and report on that information. They are not comparable entities, regardless of whether or not you think Meltzer is a "lier." Up until very recently, they weren't even trying to achieve the same thing from the business of Pro Wrestling, aside from making money, of course. That's a pretty big accusation. You're saying Dave Meltzer has been discredited as a reporter and been exposed as a liar. I would concede that he has been wrong on many occasions. I have no doubt that he has been "worked" by many of his sources in Pro Wrestling. I do not think he has been exposed as a liar. That's the distinction, though. You don't trust Meltzer's opinion. I don't even care what his opinion is. Believe you me, I lost any respect I ever had for his opinion back when he decided that MMA and Pro Wrestling were essentially the same sport and could be judged equally. That was when I decided once and for all that I didn't mind reading his site as a source for news, but as far as editorializing...not so much. Sure, Prichard can have a podcast and editorialize. So can PWO and PTBN, and about a zillion people on YouTube. I am drawing the distinction between reporting news and editorializing. I would prefer that Dave Meltzer didn't combine the two, but he does. But my point was that if it boils down to "who would you believe" between Prichard and Meltzer, it really isn't close. I'm not even remotely upset about this. I don't subscribe to the Observer because I don't like how Dave treats Pro Wrestling as MMA's ugly sister. I also don't like his editorializing. I also don't listen to Prichard's podcast, for the same reason I don't listen to Vince Russo's. I don't respect him or anything he did in his career. I think he's full of crap. That's really what my entire point to you was. You might think Dave Meltzer is full of crap. Maybe he is. But Bruce Prichard is even more full of crap.

So just to be clear...you're suggesting that at points "throughout history" some wrestling companies have given Meltzer money to rate their matches five stars, so they could sell more DVD's?

He was some random dude who was writing about pro wrestling for a couple of thousand people and probably less than 1% of the audience at any given event knew who he was. I've never met anybody who claimed he was a good writer from a technical standpoint, because clearly he isn't. It has been amusing to me to see how little his writing has improved over the years, considering how much of it he does. Having said all that...he was a "renegade" if you want to consider the actual definition of the word: "a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles." He broke "kayfabe" in an era where you didn't do that. On top of all that, he wasn't even one of the "boys" and on top of all that, he had the audacity to make money from it. He was the first person to do that. I personally think that if there was no Dave Meltzer, the industry would look a lot different today, from the outside, at least.

If Bruce Prichard is "opening your eyes" about anything, you should probably be worried about your own judgment, not Dave Meltzer. I don't have a subscription to the Observer, and I never will. However, if you have to classify Dave Meltzer as anything, he has always been a reporter. A reporter with an opinion and bias, sure...but all reporters have that. He reports on the con that is Pro Wrestling, and for the longest time he was the only reliable person doing that. You might not agree with his opinion on the news, but if he was reporting it, there was a pretty damn good chance it was true. Bruce Prichard has made his living selling the con, not reporting on it. Go back and watch any WWE produced DVD since the Attitude Era up until he got fired. There's good old Bruce, front and center, towing the company line, parroting whatever the office endorsed version of the truth is. No matter what, how bad the story was or how wrong WWE was, you could always count on Bruce Prichard to be the ultimate McMahon sycophant. He was part of Vince's inner circle for years. Those guys hated Meltzer because they didn't own him and they couldn't control him. And if Prichard hadn't gotten fired (for whatever reason you choose to believe, be it stealing, repeated drug abuse, or the jealousy of Stephanie) I'm sure he'd still be in Connecticut saying "Yes sir, No sir" to Vince. The only reason Bruce Prichard is trying to sell himself as some sort of former insider with news and views that people should care about, is because he got tossed out of WWE, and then got tossed out of TNA. So what else is he going to do? This has been his whole life. It's sad, really. He can't exactly do anything else at this point in his life. So like Cornette, Russo, and others with a "name" from working behind the scenes in Pro Wrestling he is trying to keep himself relevant by doing shoot interviews and podcasts, where at least he can finally take shots and some of the people he hates. But it won't be much bad about the McMahon family, I bet. I am sure he lives in constant hope for the day he gets called back home to Titan Tower. Of course there is bad blood between Meltzer and Prichard. Prichard was partially responsible for helping produce a lot of the crap that the WWF crammed down everybody's throats. Meltzer reported and told the truth about a lot of what went on with the WWF back in those days, and I am sure he was none too popular for it. And I am sure he did more than his fair share of editorializing on it as well. There are those who complained that Meltzer was clearly biased towards JCP during their heyday. I don't know, I didn't read the Observer then - but if he had been, could anybody really blame him? Whatever bad things Meltzer has said about Prichard now, I can guarantee Prichard has said about Meltzer in reverse. We're not talking about two equals here. One is a reporter, the other is a carny. If you're looking for somebody to "drive you to new heights" I suggest you look elsewhere. The only place Bruce Prichard is going to drive you to is Bullshit City, USA. Population: Him.

Loss, over the years I have come to greatly respect you and your opinion. However, you are speaking about my future wife and the future mother of my children, and I'd ask you to show a bit more respect.

I have no issue with Corbin not being on the SD team, because Corbin is terrible. From a technical standpoint he's probably better than Shane, but not from a storyline or crazy bumptaking standpoint. And if that spoiler is true...and Kalisto could beat Kendrick and bring the Crusierweights to SD? Kickass. SD is so much better than Raw right now, that's one less reason to check out Raw. Really, Jericho (outside the ring) is one of the few reasons I even bother with Raw.

That is the most untrue statement in the history of the world. I will go back to my own quote from the "How Important is Commentary" thread in this very forum:

Have you read his first two books? He goes into detail about being friends with Stacey and how her then boyfriend Test was jealous that Foley was trying to seduce her. He talks about how hanging out with the Divas reminds him of the innocence of little children, which at the time I read it, I found highly disturbing. Seriously, he says that. He tells a bizarre story about a scene he wrote for one of his fiction books (about a woman eating a sandwich) which he then gave to several of the Divas to read, and he brags about how it turned some of them on. And that's not even getting into how he felt the need to share the details of how his second child was conceived. Then comes the third book, one of the main points of which is how desperate he is to help Melina and her career. In short...creepy. Since his most recent comeback, he seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time championing the women of WWE, and being quite proud of himself for doing so. When I mention his looks, I'm sorry...but when you're a big, hairy, disheveled looking dude wearing sweatpants and T-shirts of the most popular women in the company...then you look creepy. And I say that as a big, hairy, disheveled looking dude who is currently wearing sweatpants. If I spent all my time swooning over my female co-workers, and extolling their virtues to one and all, you know how I'd look? CREEPY. As far as his wife, I don't want to get slanderous. This isn't DVDVR. But there are issues there, which come across in his book, and even more so on his new show Holy Foley. If you haven't seen them, I'm not going to get into them. But the fact that his wife was once an attractive model really doesn't enter into the situation. If anything, it might be a motive behind some of Foley's creepy behavior. Bottom line is, whether you want to admit it or not, some of Foley's behavior over the years when it comes to female talent appears quite weird. Even if it is perfectly innocent, you have to admit that it looks weird. If you don't want to admit that, fine...but it's hard not to see, in my opinion.

I agree with Matt, 100%. Before I read his post, that was the comment I was going to make. This is probably a topic for another thread, but I find Mick Foley's obsession with the women in WWE to be really creepy. I thought it was mildly weird when he was going on about them in his books under the pretense of trying to be all fatherly and mentor-like, but it really has graduated to full-on unsettling. Like, somebody needs to talk to him, because between the way he acts combined with the way he looks, he has potential psycho written all over him. And seeing the way he acts in his "reality show" did nothing to dispel that impression.

With Ziggler/Miz I am betting we will see a rehash of the Midnight Rider/Yellow Dog/Andre The Giant Machine/Mr. America gimmick. Miz can't win without cheating or getting help from his wife recently, like the whole deal with the perfume in the eyes. So Ziggler loses due to some Russoesque screwjob or outside interference, which is horribly unfair, but he is forced to retire due to the stips. Next week the masked "Mr. Z" shows up, Miz has a conniption as is his wont, and hilarity ensues.

Just finished watching the show, and I loved it. I am sad the CWC is over, it was a fun distraction this summer. Watching the show tonight was the most fun I have had watching wrestling in quite some time. Thoughts... - Mauro Ranallo was annoying as hell tonight. If this is what he's like when he's not being produced through his headset, then I take back every mean thing I ever said about Vince McMahon producing the commentary by remote. Sweet Jeebus, Ranallo was out of control tonight. It's as if somebody offered to pay him $50 every time he worked the name of a Japanese Wrestler or maneuver into his commentary, or called a name in Spanish with a flourish. It's a known fact that Mauro is bi-polar and at points during tonight's show I was starting to wonder if he was entering his manic cycle without the benefit of his medication. Before the CWC, I always thought the worst thing in the world was having an announcer calling matches when they didn't understand, appreciate or respect the sport. (See, Cole, Michael or Whalen, Ed.) I thought the best announcer for a "smark friendly" product would have to be somebody like a Joey Styles...a guy who knew the sport, the history, and would treat it with the respect it deserved. After listening to Matt Striker call New Japan and Mauro Ranallo call the CWC, I am wondering if I got it all very wrong. So help me, I think even Michael Cole being told what to see, think and feel through his headset would have been better than Mauro Ranallo was tonight..may God have mercy on me for even thinking that. - The Metalik/Sabre match was Sabre's best match in the tournament, but that's kind of damning it with faint praise. There were clearly some miscommunications during that match. I lay the blame for that at the feet of Sabre, since Metalik looked a lot smoother against everybody else he faced, whereas Sabre looked awkward in all his matches. And not to pile on, but I do agree with some of the other posters here. Zack Sabre Jr.'s selling is...not so good. Shaking your head, and looking around wildly with a mildly annoyed expression on your face for five seconds does not constitute selling. I have officially seen enough of him to declare that I am glad he did not sign with WWE. To borrow a quote from Seinfeld, Zack...you must go now. - I came away from this tournament extremely impressed with Gran Metalik. I was amazed I had never heard of him, until I found out he was Mascara Dorada. I have seen little to none of his previous work. Here in Canada, we do get the weekly TV shows from AAA, CMLL and an English language NJPW broadcast, but there just aren't enough hours in my week to watch Raw, Smackdown, NXT, ROH, AAA, CMLL and NJPW on top of the CWC. Since the brand split I've mostly been watching WWE content, but I am way out of touch with Lucha. Now I am wondering if I should be making time for CMLL if this is the kind of talent they have. Metalik is so damn good. I can't believe he hits as much of his stuff as he does. His opponents deserve a ton of credit too, but I found Metalik's combination of high flying, funky rope based offense and submissions to be a real treat. He could end up being the breakout star of this new division on RAW. I really hope this new Cruiserweight Division ends up being for RAW what the division was for Nitro back in the day, before it all went so terribly wrong. I see no reason why Gran Metalik couldn't be the next Rey or at least Ultimo or Sasuke. Hell, based on what I've seen so far, he seems better than Ultimo or Sasuke. - Here's a question...why have a translator for Metalik, if her only function is to translate the questions but not the answers? WTF? - I had no strong feelings about TJ Perkins one way or the other coming into this tournament. I remembered him from Ring of Honor but every single match I ever saw him in there, he lost. He did make an impression on me when he wrestled as PUMA in the 2004 and 2006 World X Cup tournaments in TNA, and I thought he was pretty good as Manik as well. It wasn't until I looked into his background that I realized how much experience he has and how long and hard he has worked to make it in Professional Wrestling. It's hard not to root for a guy like him, who has clearly given everything to the sport and up until this point, not had much to show for it. From what I saw up until tonight, his game was solid, too. Good strikes, good submissions, innovative high flying. Then man, did he ever crank it up a notch against Ibushi. They really beat us over the head that Ibushi was the favorite to win this whole thing, so much so that I got to the point where I almost wanted to see him lose. But the fact is, all three of Ibushi's matches leading into tonight were solid, with his matches against Alexander and Kendrick both being two of the best (if not the best) matches. I developed the opinion that Ibushi must be one of those guys who can help bring the best out of the guys he is working with, but they have to have the tools. Ibushi sure helped Perkins, and their match in my opinion, was the best of the night, hands down. I was legit shocked at the submission ending. - I skipped the Tag Match for two reasons. Firstly, I really wanted to see the finals, but also I really can't stand Noam Dar. I figured the odds were pretty damn slim that Cedric and Dar would be beating "DIY" (seriously? who the hell is naming these teams? that's almost as bad as Authors of Pain.) So I skipped it. I may go back again and watch it later. - I had no problem with Trips coming out before the final. This whole thing was reportedly his baby, so if he wanted to come out and get some love, more damn power to him. Besides, even if it had distracted away from the final - which it didn't - that would have been more than offset by the announcement of the winner becoming the new Cruiserweight Champion. That's awesome news, but that belt sucks. They really need to fire whoever is designing these belts for them. - As far as the final itself, I thought it was good, maybe even very good. I think it probably suffered a fair bit from both guys being worn out from their earlier matches, especially poor Perkins. That man is going to be SORE for a few weeks, based on those burst blood vessels on his chest. Ouch. But yeah, I would have liked to have seen it go a bit longer, and it seemed like a bit of a let down after the Ibushi/Perkins match, but just a bit. It wasn't a bad match by any stretch. Both guys looked good, and most importantly, they work well together. I'd really like to see a rematch at the Clash, maybe? - I agree with everybody, that heading into the Final Four, the finals did seem kind of set since Sabre and Ibushi hadn't signed deals to be part of the division on RAW. But on the flip side, I wasn't sure Perkins would beat Ibushi based on how Ibushi had been portrayed this whole tournament. I thought it was likely we'd get a Gran Metalik/Ibushi final, with Metalik winning. So they still surprised me a bit, shows what I know. Bottom line is, in my opinion you can't really complain about much from this tournament, or the results. The positives outweigh the negatives by a ton, and the Crusierweight Division is now set up perfectly to succeed on RAW, with a ton of potential new talents in NXT or already on the main roster, ready to be added to the mix. Now let's hope they don't fuck it up.

I would agree with you normally, if it was just about anybody other than Punk. I would applaud anybody who had the courage to give up a high paying gig they hated, to follow their dreams. But Punk took a shortcut. Punk went from one high paying gig into another one. I don't know how much he made for this fight, but I'm betting when you factor in base pay, sponsors, merchandise and PPV buys, he'll end up making a nice payday. There are countless fighters out there who deserved that chance more than him. He had no business in the UFC, and it showed tonight. This is a guy who trained his ass off, full time for a year, with an established camp - and he still got his ass kicked in under three minutes. He basically could have spent the last year sitting on his sofa watching TV and eating Potato Chips, and the result really wouldn't have been that much different. He might have lasted a minute less. Granted, his name probably sold the PPV to a degree. I will be very interested to see how much, when the numbers come out. However, when it comes to using a "name" to sell a PPV, Punk was the first one to bitch when he was in WWE that guys like The Rock, and Undertaker (or part timers who weren't there day in day out) waltzed in for major paydays like Mania, over guys like him who he felt deserved it more. How is The Rock using his celebrity to cash in at Mania any different than Punk using his to cash in for the UFC? In both cases, guys who were more deserving, paid more dues and worked harder earned those spots. In fact, as a fan of both sports, I have way less of an issue with guys like The Rock coming back for Mania than I do with Punk earning a shot at the UFC. At least The Rock has experience as a wrestler. As Punk showed last night, he is no fighter. I think the biggest issue is that Punk can be a bit of a douchebag. There are countless stories about him being rude and dismissive with fans and a jerk with his co-workers. Punk admitted himself in his podcast interview with Colt Cabana that he was abrasive and hard to work with at times. (I wish I had a link to the story Edge and Jericho told on Jericho's podcast about Punk being a dick to them at a house show, it was hysterical.) People like to see jerks get their asses kicked. It's human nature. It takes balls to fight, I'll give him that. But really, that fight was an embarrassment for everybody involved, and I think people are going to be laughing at Punk for this for quite some time. If he really wants to bounce back, he needs to get on some semi-pro shows and fight guys at his level.

I don't follow EVOLVE, but I'd heard buzz about ZSJ. I'd never heard of Noam Dar before the CWC. To be honest, I haven't been one little bit impressed with either of them. I was somewhat relieved to see that I am not the only one who finds Dar awkward and rather lame. I have no idea why WWE signed him. Based on what I've seen of him so far, I could never see another Noam Dar match again and live a long, happy life. As far as ZSJ...yes, it doesn't help that I had read/heard good things. But I'm pretty sure that even if I had never heard tell of him before, I still wouldn't have been impressed with him based on his performances in the CWC. With all honesty, what has there been to be impressed about? He has been lackluster and uninspiring at best. I'm certainly not going to go and seek out more of his work based on what I've seen. In my opinion - and this is just my opinion - Sabre dropped the ball so far in the CWC. He shit the bed. This tournament has been an opportunity for those booked to really grab people's attention and make a name for themselves. Some have succeeded. Look at Cedric Alexander. I can't count the number of Cedric matches I saw in ROH, and he never impressed me. I thought he was bland and average. In the CWC he took the once in a lifetime opportunity combined with quality of opponent, and RAN with that mofo. Ditto Kendrick. He grabbed the audience, and shook them by the neck, screaming "I CAN STILL GO DAMN YOU." Ciampa and Gargano similarly took their shot with gusto. Jack Gallagher is a guy I am now seeking out. Hell, I might even go to one of his last indie bookings here in Toronto next week. Other guys have been just good, or have performed to the level they were more or less expected to. Some guys were not so good. (I'm looking at YOU, Ho Ho.) But Zack Sabre is one of the rare cases of a guy coming in with a rep and for my money, he hasn't shown me much except that he needs new tights, he has a bright red nose, and he could probably stand to spend more time in the gym and less time trying to come up with cutesy counter holds. There, I said it.

I was thinking the exact same thing after watching SDL last night. I wonder who the respective creative teams are?

I thought the opening segment backstage with Foley and Stephanie was pretty good. Easily the best thing Foley has done since his return as GM. Foley actually conveyed emotion well, and Stephanie reacted believably. And the fact that it was backstage and not in front of the crowd helped, I think. And then the show happened... Owens was awesome with his reaction to the fans and their chants. Rollins was really good against Owens with his "shut up, this isn't even about you" routine. So we're getting Owens vs. Zayn. Again. After their last PPV match which was supposed to be the last time they faced each other. WTF, really? Whoo-hoo to Jack Gallagher being featured in the Crusierweights ad. If that means he's coming to RAW, then sign me up. Bo Dallas gets a squash match? Really? Hasn't his ship kinda sailed already? If they want to rehab that character, it's going to take a hell of a lot more than a squash match or two and a promo. So Jericho vs. Rollins happened. On the mic, I am really enjoying Jericho since Wrestlemania. In the ring, not so much. WTF? The Shining Stars beat Enzo and Cass? Really? What kind of insane booking is that? First they get beat by Owens and Jericho at Summerslam, and now this. It's like WWE doesn't want them to be as popular as they are right now. What the hell are these people thinking? Enzo and Cass are crazy hot right now, but if they keep getting booked like this... Okay seriously...that Anderson & Gallows (who are apparently not the Club anymore?) and New Day segment was fucking painful. I've had more pleasant trips to the dentist. Whoever was responsible for that needs a good slap in the mouth, stat. That was fucking horrible. Man, this Darren Young/Titus O'Neil angle is awesome, said nobody, ever. As far as the rest of it all, meh. I have no strong feelings either positive or negative. But all in all, that was not a good episode of RAW at all.

Uh, wrong. He was from Planet Stasiak.

I can't stand Stephanie McMahon's onscreen persona. When she is on TV, I usually either change the channel, or at the very least mute the volume. I asked myself honestly why that is. I wondered if maybe it was some underlying subconscious misogyny on my part. But after thinking about it, I realized that wasn't the case. I don't hate female authority figure characters. I thought Vicki Guererro was outstanding in her role as Manager and GM. She was vicious mean spiteful and annoying as all hell - and she was supposed to be. But I liked how she did it. Firstly, the mere sound of Stephanie's voice, the pitch, tone and octave are just highly unpleasant to the ear - the nasal whining sneer sound. Even compared to Vicki's. Secondly, I think it might have more do with the fact that I just don't think I like Stephanie McMahon's ascent to the top of the most powerful organization in the history of Professional Wrestling. Remember her infamous comments on Smackdown right after 9/11? Those comments, while made years ago, encapsulate what I don't like about Stephanie McMahon. She was born, raised, and currently lives in a bubble. She only sees the world as it relates to her, from a McMahon perspective. I don't think she has any clue what it's like to have to struggle or suffer for your living. She might like being the Executive Vice President of WWE. She might even love it, but she is who she is, and has what she has, because of who her father is. She was born into privilege, and I don't care that her father might have made her work summers fetching coffee or answering phones in Stanford - the fact is she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and as soon as it was feasible, she was given the keys to the kingdom. I have to admit, I just don't like rich people who are handed massive amounts of power and have never had to pay serious dues in life. I don't care if they're male or female.

I think that is the one. There are 11 matches on that show, and if you count every talent under contract who was involved in that show in a visible role, (managers/seconds, special guest referees, and the color commentator that night) you get... Hercules Kerry Von Erich Curt Hennig Sherri Martel Sapphire Crush Bad News Brown Big Bossman Randy Savage Dusty Rhodes Earthquake Dino Bravo The Ultimate Warrior Rick Rude Roddy Piper That's 15 names. You're right about Wrestlemania X, there are 10 matches and 10 of the actual wrestlers on that show are gone. That is depressing.

Watching old wrestling can be incredibly depressing, especially old ECW or even Attitude Era shows. It's shows what a sad state things are in, when a few weeks ago I was watching a match on the WWE Network and exclaimed: "Hey! Everybody in this match is still alive today!" My roommate looked at me like I was insane, and asked if that isn't the case with most matches? I had to explain that frequently that doesn't happen. Just off the top of my head I told her about the main event of Canadian Stampede. 10 man tag match with 4 of the stars gone well before their time. I don't know which show it is, but a friend of mine told me about a major WWE PPV he saw on the network where thought there might be more deceased wrestlers on the show than those who are still alive. (Deceased now. They were alive at the time of the show.)