artDDP

Sigh, that's the type of creative comedy which WWE simply cannot come up with. Thanks for the link!

Oh, my God...WWE likely really thinks that segment makes Morrisson appear hip.

At WrestleMania XIX why did Hunter feel it necessary to wait twenty seconds before pinning Booker T? Was there some sort of issue I'm not aware of? I've never seen Triple-H completely bury someone that decisively.

Jingus, you are correct in that several ECW wrestlers used insider terms to bond with their audience. I am only commenting on how Joey used them. I felt that Joey came off as sort of corny, like the type of announcer parodied in old sketch comedies. I much prefer the announcing of NWA Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura, and at times Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko.

Styles' high-pitched squeals of, "One, two, HE GOT 'IM!!!" were way worse than any of Vince McMahon's commentary. Saying the phrase, "Beautiful hoo-dan-canrana by..." in at least every match. Every time he used an "insider" term to get a storyline across, he had to stress it like some desperate kid who so badly wants attention. To wit, "In this business, that's what we call A RECEIPT." "You can ask THE BOYS what they think of..." His commentary was the same every match. He sounded as if he was more trying to get himself over than any ECW talent or angle. He was willing to expose the business as he explained why the competition sucked, then in the same five minutes would expect us to suspend our disbelief to get wrapped up in ECW storylines which were supposed to be "more real"?

I think Batista is the "fragile" one, not Randy Orton.

Joey Styles was beyond overrated his entire career. I have no idea why anyone thought he was good.

I'd forgotten Bischoff. He felt it necessary to include in his book a passage decrying Turner Broadcasting's request of an annual DNC donation.

Does Joey Styles still work for WWE? The few times I've seen the product in the last couple years he's either not there or in part of some angle where he's fired/quit.

Wrestling seemed more fun to follow when the dirty politics and cutthroat business practices were going on. These days I log on to wrestling sites and nothing excites me. Watching the Monday Night Wars DVD reminded me of a fun time, when I could enjoy the in-ring product as well as the shenanigans.

Ken Shamrock is rapidly becoming the "Buff" Bagwell of MMA.

No, I agree with Loss. Casual fans need storylines they can latch onto which lead to believable matches. Storylines, angles, feuds, whatever you want to call them, drive business. And for those storylines to work they must have a logical ending. Wrestling has traditionally clung to the idea that you can squeeze "one more match" out of anything. For example, if the NWO storyline actually ended rather than descend into self-parody.

If these wrestlers take their business so seriously then stop getting so jealous because someone became a success without it.

My point wasn't that Rock didn't care about the business. John Cena is acting as if Rock's entire passion for life until 2004 was professional wrestling and then he quit suddenly for something better. Rock cared about his own performances, made himself better, and got a better job offer. That's how life works.

As I recall it, the Rock got into wrestling because he couldn't play pro football, not because he was really into it. From everything I've ever heard about him he did his thing and took off, didn't stick around and pay much attention to others' matches nor the competition. Didn't Mick Foley say he just ignored him after bashing his head in at the 1999 Royal Rumble? Of course this is just Vince McMahon's bitterness at not being able to put the bullet in Rock/book him to join the "Kiss My Ass" club.

Scott Keith can continue to earn a living yet millions of dedicated, talented people go unemployed in this country...

I never told my current long-term girlfriend about how I bled so much during my days as an indy wrestler here in Cali. When she saw Randy cut and tape the blade her first thought was that he was going to kill his opponent. Then I told her to just keep watching. About five minutes later she realized just how I got so much color, then just kept staring at my forehead.

Before ECW became a complete joke they were influential in shaping the business during the decade of the '90s. Bischoff was the first to lift elements of ECW and try them out on a national stage. Examples include hiring Sabu and other cruiserweight and technical wrestlers and bringing in Public Enemy and their tables. Later the WWF implemented better character development and storytelling but Bischoff was the first to begin integrating some elements of where the business was going.

Eric Bischoff didn't know how to tell a story or "build" anything. Look at spring/summer 1998 WWF; they solidly built their key feuds until SummerSlam that year and weren't trying to hot-shot anything to pop a rating. Then "Crash TV" came about and I still think that was just a Vince McMahon social experiment ("Damn it! I'm going to change the standards of acceptable TV in America!")

I fondly recall the 1992 Survivor Series when Nailz slobbered all over Sean Hannity during his pre-match promo. Hannity warned us that the match could get ugly and advised viewer discretion. I was pumped for some all-out violence--especially after the l-o-n-g beating Bossman took on Superstars--and instead got four minutes with about two or three nightstick "blows."

Lest we forget Taka Michinoku & Bradshaw versus Kaientai from Over the Edge. A fun match with comedy spots that didn't make anyone look bad.