Tim Cooke

In terms of working WWE style, he has good punches, good bumping ability, and has been one of the stars of Velocity. His March 2005 match against Doug Basham was a really good 5 minute match. I can try to upload it when I get home if people need to see it. He isn't out of this world but I am sure matches against Rey Jr., Eddy, Doug Basham would be more than worth the time to watch, if he wasn't doing nothing on Raw. Tim

"(2) Continuity, continuity, continuity. If two wrestlers have feuded before, don't just assume the audience has forgotten about it. Acknowledge it. Edge and Kane are feuding now. Throw a bone to the audience, and remind them that Edge defeated Kane in his comeback at Backlash 2004. Mention that Edge and Christian dropped the tag titles for the final time to the Undertaker and Kane in 2001, thus necessitating Edge's switch to singles and climbing of the mountain. Mention that Edge sided with the Undertaker back in 1998-1999 around the same time that the Undertaker revealed that he started that fire in an attempt to murder his brother. Storyboard, storyboard, storyboard. If you start remembering your own angles more often, the fans will become trained to accept that and want that." But that would take work and preparation on the announcers part, not to mention the booking staff! Just writing about that made me want to see Kane vs. Edge today, if they actually packaged it together with past history. Tim

Match #1 - Jung Dragons v British Bulldogs - To be honest, I don't like the Bulldogs at all but they get the YES vote as the Jung Dragons don't have any matches or longevity to even start a "poor" argument. Match #2 - Los Guerreros v Edge & Christian - E&C, as they had better matches in late 1999/2000. Their trios combo with a young Kurt Angle was a much better part of WWF in 2000 than HHH Match #3 - Booker T & Goldust v Fantastics - Fantastics, but BookDust gets the shaft being against a final 4 finisher if I have anything to say about it. Tommy Rogers > almost every other exclusive tag worker in US history. I can see cases for Eaton and Morton but won't like them Match #4 - Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho v Hollywood Blondes - Blonds, even though they are massivly over rated. Tim

1- end the brand split. Too much clutter on both brands. WWE needs to cut costs anyways so drop the waste. Why move a solid guy like Jindrak to Raw only not to use him? 2- reform TV. Their TV product is SO stale that it needs to be mixed up. With no competition, bring back some squash matches. This might mean moving to smaller buildings and/or doing tapings instead of "live TV" but it will make live events all the more important. Teach people how to talk and cut promos. Not everyone has to be Jim Cornette or Bill Dundee with the ability to come out 5 times a show and be entertaining each time out but everyone can at least put some effort into one interview per show. 3- 1 PPV per month max. If I was the WWE, I would cut down to 8 with 4 "Prime Time Specials" live on TV. But since PPV companies wouldn't be for that, go back to the standard 12. 4- Bench Trips. 5- Expand horizons. Allow for an out flying spot fest between guys who can do it every so often. Instead of letting Basham/Jindrak work a 5 minute Velocity match, let them have a low card feud that builds over several TV shows to the point where they can blow it off during a mid card match on TV with a 12 minute match at the top of the hour (10 pm). Other than fire a bunch more people, those are my suggestions, not that any one of them has a chance in hell of happening. Tim

It's on the new Lynch custom I just got. Coming your way soon. Next AWESOME match. Jumping Bomb Angels vs. Crush Gals (3/20/86 - 2/3 falls) Almost a trial version for 11/26/92. The heat for the Crush Gals is indescribable.

8/27/93 Love Machine/Heavy Metal/Fuerza Guerrera vs. El Hijo del Santo/Blue Panther/Octagon (San Jose, California - Handheld) Really awesome. Description later.

Eh, I don't think it's so crazy. But I also don't think HHH has ever reached **** in his life. Tim

Trips studying old AWA tapes of Ray Stevens during his quad tear instead of something actually useful is a big cause for his change...though I still debate whether he actually changed after the injury.

Hardy Boys Harlem Heat Heavenly Bodies Koloffs (though it probably should have been Krusher instead of Nikita but who cares since Ivan is good enough to carry a decent heel team and heel Nikita is under rated) Tim

GAB LIve Analysis Keller: 3 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. CHAVO GUERRERO -- Cruiserweight Title match They opened with a pretty slow pace, indicating they had some time to work with. They even went to the first mathold at 2:15. Chavo kicked Rey off the top rope at 5:15 and Rey sold it as a knee injury, setting up Chavo stomping away and working over Rey's knee for several minutes. Rey teased a comeback a couple of times, but made a big comeback with a dive over the top rope onto Chavo at ringside at 12:15. Rey, though, came up limping on that knee worse than ever. Back in the ring, Rey gingerly climbed to the top rope. Chavo caught him up there and set up a top rope superplex, but Rey (of course) fought out of it. They ended up both standing on the top rope and leaped off together with Rey ramming Chavo's head into the mat. A few "holy sh--" chants from fans who wanted to believe they were seeing something special, and it was a nice spot, but hardly worthy of that chant. Both men were down for eight counts, then Chavo covered Rey for a two count. Rey reversed into a cradle for a near fall himself at 14:30. Chavo reversed Rey into the ropes, but Rey springboarded off the second rope with a bodyblock and then hit a Russian leg sweep for a near fall at 15:30. Chavo came back with a Gorybomb, so Cole announced, "We are going to have a new Cruiserweight Champion," thus taking away any sense of suspense for the discerning viewers who know the pattern - announcers never accurately announce a finish ahead of time. Rey predictably kicked out, much to Cole's amazement. Rey fought back with an enzuigiri and then nailed the 619 at 17:30. He followed up with a West Coast Pop, but Chavo blocked it and went to a single leg crab for a near submission at 17:45. Rey struggled toward the bottom rope, but Chavo yanked him back to the middle. Rey, though, did make it to the bottom rope at 18:45. Rey countered a Gorybomb attempt and rolled through into a victory roll for a three count. WINNER: Mysterio at 19:45. STAR RATING: *** -- Fundamentally sounds and told a nice story with a couple big spots and the final few minutes solidly above average, but hardly anything memorable overall. Pretty much what you'd expect from these two working "WWE cruiserweight style," but nothing more. 7 -- EDDIE GUERRERO vs. BRADSHAW -- WWE Hvt. Title match They set up lights in each corner that lit up every time one was touched to help make it clear when someone would be on the verge of touching the fourth post to win. They also announced that if anyone detached themselves from the bullrope, they'd be DQ'd. Bradshaw dominated early, choking Guerrero with the rope and hitting him with the cowbell. Bradshaw hung Guerrero upside down in the corner and then went to ringside and wrapped the rope around his neck and pulled on it. Cole said, "Eddie Guerrero may be in trouble, he may be turning red." I'd get on Cole's case, but I don't think any announcer in history could make this card seem exciting. I'm shocked he's still got any will left to live at this point. You can tell Tazz barely does anymore because unlike Cole, he's a genuine fan of wrestling who has seen great shows before so he has something to compare it to. Bradshaw set up a powerbomb on the announcers' table, but Guerrero tripped Bradshaw and took over control at 6:30. Guerrero yanked Bradshaw into the ringpost, then hit him with a chairshot. Bradshaw began bleeding and the crowd woke up for the first time in over an hour. Back in the ring Guerrero touched three corners, but Bradshaw blocked the fourth touch. The ref then reset the lights once the momentum was stopped. Bradshaw surprised Guerrero with a DDT at 11:30. Guerrero fought back with a couple yanks of the bullrope between his legs. He then hit a top rope Frog Splash. Guerrero easily touched three corners, but Bradshaw rolled to ringside, taking away the slack necessary to hit the fourth turnbuckle. Guerrero rammed Bradshaw's head into the steel stairs at ringside. He then yanked Bradshaw back up to the ring apron, but when he set up a suplex, Bradshaw KO'd him with the belt. Bradshaw then threw Guerrero onto the announce table at ringside. Guerrero bounced and fell to the floor. Bradshaw then powerbombed Guerrero onto the table, and the table finally gave out at 16:30. Bradshaw came within a few inches of touching the fourth corner to win the match, but Guerrero, like a scene out of battle of the network stars, tug-o-wared Bradshaw back to mid-ring and then gave him a low-blow with the bell. He whipped Bradshaw several times with the rope and bell. (He actually more so whipped the mat just past Bradshaw, but we'll look past that.) Bradshaw and Guerrero began each touching each other, and it was 3-3 with Bradshaw working his way to the fourth. Guerrero yanked Bradshaw away from the corner. One slip and we'd have an unplanned title change. Guerrero whipped Bradshaw with the bell and then rammed into Bradshaw. Bradshaw went back-first into the corner, and then Guerrero hit the fourth turnbuckle himself with his hand. Kurt Angle came out and said he wasn't out there due to a personal vendetta, but he wanted to be sure the right decision was made. They replayed the finish, showing that Bradshaw's shoulder and back touched the turnbuckle before his hand. He said as a result, Bradshaw is the new WWE Champion. Guerrero collapsed in the corner, saddened by what just happened. A bloody Bradshaw celebrated with the belt. Cole and Tazz said it was the right call. Guerrero soaked up some cheers and "Eddie, Eddie" chants. WINNER: Bradshaw at 21:11 to capture the WWE Title. STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- Some nice bumps and a solid intensity. Blame that title change on CNBC. Mitchell: "John Bradshaw Layfield's bullrope title win was the same old bad rope match that went out of style ten years ago. I never liked these matches because they limit what the better workers can do. Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero was good, but that match-up is beginning to fray at the edges." Keller: "The Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero and Eddie Guerrero vs. Bradshaw matches were good. Not very good. Not great. But above-average. Not nearly enough to carry this show."

I subbed for a month to the Torch VIP area. Here are some "interesting" clips: From Bruce Mitchell: "A boring, imminently skippable show turned into something else in the swipe of a razor blade, as Eddie Guerrero offered up the worst, most memorable blood bath in the thirty year history of the company. Suddenly the crowd forgot they were watching a blown up John Layfield Bradshaw get carried and bought into the real/fake struggle Guerrero, losing pint after pint, was engaged in to finish the match. My fear going into this show wasn?t that it would flop, but that Guerrero?s still fragile status as a top wrestler would be damaged. Instead, it was one of the more memorable moments of a great career. This match and feud has been booked in the old territorial formulas more than anything I?ve seen since Vince Jr. took control twenty years ago." Pat McNeil: "The main event match was a good one and that had a lot to do with Eddie Guerrero. Both from the work he had to do to get over John Layfield and the vicious blade job he did near the end of the match. Everything was laid out well and the initial ref bump was innovative. Still, it was frightening how little the crowd cared about JBL before he opened up with the cheap heat pre-match promo. Another concern is that for the second straight PPV in Los Angeles, WWE booked the main event with an inconclusive finish." Wade Keller: "Blading grotesquely doesn't save this show from being a sub-par WWE production. Bradshaw promised to deliver the match of his life, and he did, but that isn't saying much. That's like Extreme Makeover promising to make Sen. Ted Kennedy look better. It's hard not to. And it's hard to have a bad match with Eddie Guerrero. Bradshaw, though in better shape than usual for him, didn't blow me away with his athleticism or even believability as a main event thug heel. He put in a nice performance, about what WWE was hoping he'd do a couple years ago when they gave him his first singles push. That is too much blood. Blading is unpredictable, but Guerrero bled as if he had taken a bottle of aspirin to thin out his blood, too. I was concerned that they would have to go to the finish much earlier once his blood flow continues without clotting. The intensity of the match was really good, though. Both wrestlers had the right tone to how they approached the match, including Guerrero's aggressive, emotional attack at the start and at the finish. I'm not dreading the thought of these two in another singles match, although it's hardly something to count down the days to, either." Wade Keller "Live Analysis": "8 -- EDDIE GUERRERO vs. JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD They went into the prematch vignette for this match at just 10:03 ET, giving this match basically the entire final hour to fill. Bradshaw claiming he's worthy of being in a main event slot because he's worked so hard this past month to get into shape would be like an unworldly, naive, recently-elected president saying he was worthy to be president because he started reading and learning about the world the month before he was sworn into office. Talk about cramming! Before the match, Bradshaw said he was going to make Eddie Guerrero's mother his maid so she can live out the final years of her life in his home in New York City. He guaranteed, "absolutely guaranteed," he would be victorious in the ring. Guerrero rode out in a bouncy car. When Eddie entered the ring, Bradshaw asked how his mom was. Cole was upset. I think it was considerate of Bradshaw to care. Eddie worked over Bradshaw at the start with a fervor. Cole said Bradshaw would have to survive the early flurry of emotions from Guerrero. At 2:00 Eddie threw Bradshaw into the ring and yapped at him about his mother. Then he threw him out of the ring again. Tazz said he didn't expect Guerrero to dominate so decisively so early. Guerrero whipped Bradshaw into the stairs, but Bradshaw reversed it, sending Guerrero shoulder-first into the steel. Back in the ring at 4:00 Guerrero fought back, but Bradshaw quickly KO'd Guerrero with a punch. He followed with an elbow for a two count. Bradshaw threw some forearms at Guerrero in the corner, then went into a side headlock. Eddie escaped briefly, but then Bradshaw put Guerrero back on the mat with a headlock. At 7:00 Bradshaw caught Guerrero flying at him and then gave him an overhead fallaway slam onto the mat on the floor. Bradshaw then backdropped a charging Guerrero into the Spanish announers' table. Both wrestlers rolled into the ring to break the countout. Bradshaw then went to a bearhug. More 1974 AWA house show action. Guerrero poked Bradshaw's eyes to escape, then whipped Bradhaw into the corner and followed up with punches and playing to the crowd. He hit a dropkick followed by his series of three unreleased vertical suplexes. At 13:00 Bradshaw came back quickly and fought out of a powerbomb set-up, then slapped his chest and ran toward the ropes, but the ref went down. When Bradshaw charged, Guerrero backdropped him to the floor. Guerrero threw Bradshaw into the American announcers's table area. Bradshaw then surprised Guerrero with a chair. Guerrero bladed and hit a real gusher. Blood was flowing about as fast as you'll ever see it that quickly after gigging. Cole said Guerrero was bleeding like a sieve. Guerrero's blood splattered all over the mat as Bradshaw punched away at his forehead. Then he hit his Clothesline from Hell, but the ref was still KO'd from being knocked down several minutes earlier by Guerrero. Bradshaw got so frustrated, he pounded on the back of the ref. Who does he think he is, Brad Miller? He went for a pin when a second ref arrived, but Guerrero managed to kick out. When Bradshaw charged at Guerrero, Guerrero dropped down and the second ref went down. Bradshaw then powerbombed Guerrero and the original ref came to enough to count a near fall. Guerrero kicked out again. The crowd popped and chanted "Eddie, Eddie." Bradshaw looked on in disbelief. He went for another pin. Guerrero kicked out again. Bradshaw applied a sleeper. Tazz and Cole said that Guerrero would probably easily pass out quickly given his loss of blood. Bradshaw back suplexed out of it. The blood didn't clot at all as it flowed out of Guerrero's forehead like a faucet. It was beyond entertaining. Guerrero began to dance and pound his chest. He began the Hulk Hogan-style superman comeback with a punches to Bradshaw. Guerrero flew into Bradshaw's arms. Bradshaw went for an overhead suplex, but Guerrero countered into a DDT. Guerrero struggled to make it to the corner. Guerrero went for a frog splash, but Bradshaw moved. The ref counted both men down. Bradshaw rolled out of the ring. He grabbed Guerrero's title belt and a chair. He threw the chair into the ring. The ref grabbed the chair and threw it out of the ring. Bradshaw entered the ring with the belt. Guerrero hit Bradshaw with a low blow. Guerrero hit Bradshaw with the belt and the ref DQ'd him. Guerrero continued to punch away at Bradshaw. Three referees pulled Guerrero off of him. Guerrero broke free and hit Bradshaw with the belt. Bradshaw ended up bleeding himself from the forehead. Guerrero then hit a Frog Splash. When Bradshaw began to retreat up the aisle, Guerrero charged at him and tackled him. WINNER: Bradshaw via DQ in 23:00. STAR RATING: **3/4 -- Take away the blood and there wasn't a lot to this match. And the blood was so extreme, it actually began to take away from it being even watchable, although that's a matter of taste. Guerrero's intensity in wanting to go after Bradshaw from the opening minute of the match to the post-match brawling was believable and fit the storyline. Not embarrassingly bad, but hardly PPV main event worthy, either. The show ended at 10:40 p.m. ET." Keller Smackdown 4/15 Show vs. Guerrero Notes: "3 -- BIG SHOW vs. EDDIE GUERRERO Cole confirmed the Judgment Day main event would be Eddie Guerrero vs. Bradshaw. Show dominated early. Guerrero came back by raking Show's chest hair at 4:30. Then he dove onto Show at ringside and shoved him into the ringpost. [Commercial Break] More kicking and stomping by Show for several minutes of action. Guerrero grabbed a wrench from under the ring and tossed it to Show. Show caught it and the ref reprimanded him for it. Guerrero then attacked Show and scored a two count at 14:15 after a tornado DDT. When Show kicked out, he flung Guerrero onto the ref. Show went for a chokeslam, but Guerrero escaped it with a kick between Show's legs, then hit a DDT and a frog splash for the win. Guerrero led the crowd in a "Na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" chant. Just what WWE needs - send fans another message that another top star is gone from the roster. Show did a great job crying at the lack of shared sadness from the fans. His facial expressions are among the best in pro wrestling. "Why are you laughing," a despondent Show cried out. WINNER: Guerrero at 15:45 (estimated time due to commercial break). STAR RATING: *1/2 -- It dragged in spots (okay, a lot of spots), but what there was was done well and in the right places."

He could defintely be very bland, but check out those matches I listed above, as well as 5/27/80 vs. Dusty Rhodes in New Japan to see a more fired up babyface. The Muraco match is a huge revenge/brawl match, so it doesn't have Bob locking on a hold for 10 minutes without working it a lot (which he did sometimes, but other times, he would be the master of working a hold and making it interesting). Tim

Some Backlund stuff is very bland and could be considered "boring." But for every match like that, he has excellent matches against Adrian Adonis (1/18/82), Don Muraco (9/21/81 & 10/17/81), Hulk Hogan (4/12/80). Definetly an aquired taste, but no where near as bad as most people have placed him. I recommend either Mid South or Memphis as a start to Territory work in the 80's. If you want to go back to the 70's, go the route of All Japan, which was working the NWA style in their big matches with a bit of their own flavor that would keep getting richer and richer throughout the years. Tim

MOTYC. My WWE MOTY. I downloaded it but I have a DVD copy of Smackdown coming next week and will pass along to Will. Fuck Angle/Michaels and Benjamin/Michaels, this was the real deal. Rey and Eddy are head and shoulders above anyone else in the WWE. Tim