RIP Velocity

The whirlwind continues in WWE-land as Vince McMahon has decided to resurrect ECW.

Apparently the plan right now is to cancel Smackdown's Velocity program and have an ECW show taped before each episode of Smackdown.

My thoughts on this are divided. On one hand, this should help ticket sales to Smackdown live events. ECW (even a bastardized version of it) has name value to "hardcore" wrestling fans. They may be willing to sit through Mark Henry if it means they got to see Sabu versus RVD.

On the negative side: They're going to use WWE cameras, WWE camera angles, a WWE set in a WWE arena? I suppose they'll be good enough to change the ring apron.

I thought they had every intention of sticking these guys in the old ECW arena with Paul and Dreamer, cut them a budget and let's see what they can do.

I fear that this Smackdown version of ECW is going to be too painful to watch.

I also fear that without Velocity the WWE will have no where to put Spanky and London as soon as their current push is over.

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WWE initiation caught on tape

Go YouTube Go! An amateur video featuring several WWE superstars was shot during their tapings in the UK, and it featured the "initiation" of Spirit Squad member Johnny Jeter. Others involved and seen in the video include: John Cena, Umaga (who chopped the hell out of Jeter), Carlito, Alejandro Estrada and others.

If Vinnie Mac has anything to say about it - this video will be yanked off YouTube in a hurry - though I'm not sure under what grounds. The write that accompanies it states "we" recorded, implying that the wrestlers themselves filmed and then released the clip to the Internet.

It's worth a quick laugh so check it out.

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Sabu joining the WWE

Tha "O" Show learned today through several reliable sources that Sabu will be signing a WWE contract very shortly.

Conflicting reports online state that he has already signed a three year contract, while others say he signed a one year deal. I have learned that Sabu has not yet signed anything, but that it is a mere formality at this point. He is expected to sign a one year guaranteed contract with two option years - options belonging to tha "E".

What role will Sabu fill in the WWE? Apparently, none. He will however be a major piece of the new ECW.

The WWE has decided to move forward with plans to relaunch the ECW brand under the guidance of Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer.

It sounds like the show will start off with internet-only broadcasts but could eventually slip into a late night timeslot on the USA network. What does that mean to Canadian viewers? Unknown at this point. It's very unlikely that TSN would be taking on anymore wrestling inventory.

Sabu is apparently going to be in Ohio this Monday for Raw. This could be to meet with people, or to kick off this ECW angle with a bang.

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A True American Hero

If you read our Wrestlemania predictions, then you know that I'm smiling right now saying - I called it baby!

Yes, I said that JBL, the wrestling God, would in fact defeat that guy who used to call himself a Canadian - Chris Benoit for the U.S. Title. My colleagues (specifically my boy Dan-e-o) seemed to think this would a step down for my man JBL. A former World Champion taking a second tier title that's never held any prominence in the WWE.

Well, on Smackdown tonight, John Bradshaw Layfield put the U.S. Title over. He is making it look more legitmate and is even stealing a little shine from Rey.

His work on the mic tonight was unbelievable. Angle, who is no slouch when it comes to cutting a promo looked overmatched and had to fall back on "You Suck". JBL kept things flowing by catching heat for every which reason. The band kids who he wasn't happy with - firing Jillian - discrediting Mysterio and his fans who he called the "12 million illegals" - This guy generates more heat than the fiery pits of hell (which may be where he ends up after all his socially unacceptable comments - if you believe in that sort of thing).

In his blog, Mick Foley recently called Edge the top heel in the company. Sorry Mick. That job has been taken by the "True American Hero".

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Lockdown Predictions

The staff here at Tha "O" Show gathered 'round the oval table in tha main office at Show-Towers today to discuss this Sunday's TNA pay per view - Lockdown.

For the unwashed masses that have been initiated into TNA - this might be a good place to start. If for no other reason, then just the simple fact that they are clearly carving out their own niche and are not just "Diet WWE" like WCW was for so many years.

The Lockdown PPV features an entire card full of matches, where each and every event takes place inside a six sided steel cage. Holy gimmickery. Yup, and i dig it.

At the time this article was written, only five matches had been announced with more promised to be revealed this Thursday on Impact. For the purposes of this piece, we'll focus on the matches that have already been announced.

NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
CHRISTIAN CAGE (c) VS. THE MONSTER ABYSS

I think Abyss will be the NWA Champion one day, but not Sunday. Christian is still the "biggest aquisition in TNA history" and fresh after moving to Thursday Nights, I think they'd like to keep their "big name guy" at the top of the company. The problem for casual TNA fans when they see Abyss at a glance is they still view him as a Mankind / Kane rip off. Truth is, he's better than both of them.

Winner: Cage in the cage

LETHAL LOCKDOWN MATCH
STING, AJ STYLES, RHINO & THE TRUTH vs.
JEFF JARRETT, SCOTT STEINER & AMERICA'S MOST WANTED

I'd be way more into this match if it was Styles and Rhyno versus AMW. Throwing your tag champs into this potential cluster fuck could be dangerous. Scott Steiner, I hope you have a guaranteed deal with TNA, because if you perform the way you did during your last WWE run, the TNA fans will shit on you faster than you can say "Holla if you hear me".

Winners: I'll pick JJ's team because Jeff hates losing.



X DIVISION TITLE MATCH
“THE SAMOAN SUBMISSION MACHINE” SAMOA JOE (c)
vs. “THE HOMICIDAL, GENOCIDAL, SUICIDAL” SABU

Match of the night right here. First off, The cage will be covered, with weapons hanging from the top! You HAVE TO love the fact that Sabu shows up in TNA for the odd ppv bloodbath. He's so over and has so much power behind his name that he doesn't even HAVE to appear on TV to get a match over. You just HEAR Joe versus Sabu and you say - HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP. This could end up looking very stiff.

Winner: Sabu does his job and Joe retains his title.


ANTHEM MATCH : TEAM 3D VS. TEAM CANADA
The stip in this match is a little weeny to me. The winners will have their anthem played. What is this, the freakin' steel cage olympics? On a side note - I'm getting a little tired of 3D VS. my Canucks. The addition of Spike could make things more fun, but this is starting to feel like the tag division that the Dudleys were trapped in back in NY. Who are the Dudleys facing tonight? The Hardys? Edge and Christian? Or Both!

The red hot tag division that TNA had going has fizzled and needs to be rejuvinated. Could that be with Brother Ray and Brother Devon carrying the mantle? Sure... but first they have to get past Team Canada - and I'm predicting they will.

Winners: Team 3D


ARM WRESTLING CHALLENGE: KONNAN VS. "BULLET" BOB ARMSTRONG
Here it is. The arm wrestling rematch. See, usually when an arm wrestling challenge happens in wrestling, it's to hype up a future bout between a couple of powerhouses. The arm wrestling challenge almost always ends in a 'schmoze' so no one loses face.
Here, we have a rematch of an arm wrestling match that was schmozed on TV. THIS IS THE BIG BLOWOFF! An arm wrestling challenge in a steel cage. Unless someone gets their arm ripped off, this bores me to tears. I was a Bullet Bob mark as a kid, but c'mon. They keep talking about his age and how he's in great shape "for his age" - but then you switch channels and see Vinnie Mac who's bigger than Hogan, and suddenly Bob looks like an escaped senior from the home.

Winner: Konnan's lungs, cuz he likely won't get blown up right away.

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"O" Holy night...an interview with god

It's been a while since I've flexed my interviewing muscles, but I decided to get God's take on being booked in a match at Backlash tagging up with Shawn Michaels to take on Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon. It was a frustrating interview to say the least. God has a habit of keeping kayfaybe with even the most basic of questions, and he managed to turn around more than one question on me. This was a little like interviewing the Undertaker and King Kong Bundy all rolled into one. Thanks go out to igod for providing the interface to speak with the allmighty.

Darkside: Hi god, welcome to The O Show.
God: Hi there . I am a Christian.
Darkside: That's great, we've got a few questions to get to, so let's get started.
God: It is great. Do you mean you and me have?
Darkside: Umm. Sure.
God: I see. Yes I understand it.
Darkside: You're booked in a match with Shawn Michaels to take on Vince and Shane McMahon at Backlash. How did this come about?
God: Do you mind if I tell other people you say I am booked in a match with Shawn Michaels to take on Vince and Shane McMahon at Backlash. Carefully.
Darkside: Sure, go ahead, it's public knowledge.
God: Come on. Are you sure it is? I might.
Darkside: Okay...wow, you're more evasive than Macho Man.
God: OK with me too. I'm glad your impressed, . Do you mind if I tell other people you say I am more evasive than Macho Man.
Darkside: Please do.
God: OK I will do it.
Darkside: What do you think about the match?
God: What is it to you?
Darkside: It looks interesting on paper.
God: it interests me too.
Darkside: What do you think of Shawn Michaels?
God: Is there only one?
Darkside: Well, there's also a porn star, but I'm referring to Shawn Michaels the wrestler.
God: Interesting. There sure is.
Darkside: Do you and Shawn communicate regularly?
God: I have never considered it. I chat with people on the Web.
Darkside: Great. Have you thought much about your entrance?
God: I'm glad you liked it . I have thought many things like that.
Darkside: Lightning, peals of thunder, Glory glory, what can we expect?
God: I lost my train of thought.
Darkside: Okay then, moving on. Backlash is on a Sunday, how will that affect your work rate?
God: Yeah okay, Where are you going? And on a Sunday how will that affect my work rate is Backlash.
Darkside: Well, you rest on the seventh day right?
God: Well that's okay. No I do not rest on the seventh day. Do you? I answer a lot of silly questions.
Darkside: I quote from the good book: "And on the seventh day god rested."
God: I haven't heard anything like that before.
Darkside: It's from the bible, you should read it, a lot of folks down here are pretty serious about it.
God: I've heard of it before.
Darkside: How do you feel about the whole religious wars thing that's going on down here with followers of yours lining up on different sides?
God: I am not sure if I can quantify the answer. I'll ask around and get back to you.
Darkside: Thanks god, it's been an interesting conversation.
God: You are quite welcome! I am a Christian.

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Dangerous Stories: Dreamer Welcomed Sign Guy To ECW

First off I want to say thanks to the guys at Tha "O" Show for posting my stuff. I'm glad to be here, and want to hear from all of you. Check me out on my space. Let me make my first post here at Tha "O" Show about how I got into this business.

So my whole start in to E.C.W came as a photographer hooked up by ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky. He wrote the E.C.W. Action Wire and occasionally I would contribute articles and that grew to being a ringside photographer. Being a photographer was fun stuff, it was my 'in' to the wrestling business and a chance to be part of some pretty cool things. It was also the start of my long and continuing friendship with Tommy Dreamer.

Dreamer always looked out for me and gave me a lot of pointers about staying out of TV camera shots, out of the way of any outside the ring action, etc . . . It was also the Dream who “broke me in” to the wrestling business. As the story goes I had become friendly with Raven traveling with him to an occasional indy show and taking some pictures and what not. Well once night at the E.C.W. Arena in August of 1995 Steve Richards, another guy I had become friends with along the way, told me Raven needed to see me. Well usually when you hear something like that it’s either that someone needs you to go get something, or they wanted copies of their photos, etc – Well this was a little different. Raven’s exact words were “Congratulations you graduated, you are now Sign Guy Dudley” and there you have it, that is how Sign Guy Dudley was born. He told my task for the night would be simple, they had a ringside seat for me on the hard camera side and he wanted me to hold up pro-Dudley signs. At the time the Dudley’s were Big Dick Dudley, Little Snot Dudley, and Dudley. So here I go off to ringside wearing a tye-dye that didn’t fit a flannel shirt, and a pair of shorts. The whole gimmick was to mock the other sign guy who sat in the front row and for some reason annoyed Raven, and to also expand the Dudley family of interbred freaks.

As the show went along I held my signs, watched the matches, etc – Dudley Dudley came to the ring to battle Tommy Dreamer and at that point I jumped up and down, went crazy, and looked like a goofball. Well the finish came along with Dreamer up and all the Dudley Boys left the ringside area but T.D. stayed. He gave me a long stare from the ring and then jumped down to the floor. Then he was face to face me and I just kept going along with it all, laughing at him and what not. Then he ripped my sign, cool I thought, then he grabbed me and pulled me over the rail. Yeah, this shit was not worked out at all.

So there is Lou D’Angeli – Sign Guy Dudley – whatever, being slung into the E.C.W. ring not having any fucking idea what is going on. I hear Dreamer call for a chair, and all I could think of was not to put my hands up and take this shit because Dreamer would never hurt me – He didn’t but did give me a nice one. So now I am selling this chair shot thinking all is done, wrong. Dreamer comes over and says “DDT” and I am like OOOOKKKKKKKKKKKKK – He hauls me up, screams E.C.W. and plants my head right on the chair that he just wacked me with. To even try and describe the shit going through my head at that time is impossible. All I can say is the EMT’s came out, threw me on a stretcher and hauled me to the back; the entire time I was covering my face because I was smiling because I couldn’t believe that had just taken place. It was fucking great.

From that point forward, Dreamer would help me non-stop to become a better, bumping, manager. He always had faith in me when others gave me shit because I wasn’t trained and had a spot in the hottest company in wrestling. But as time went on, I started making trips to Long Island and the House of Hardcore so Dreamer, Taz, Saturn, Mikey, and eventually Bubba could show me how to be an effective manager without getting myself killed. As Bubba and D-Von became huge I always felt grateful I had the chance to be part of those matches, to have spots, and to have their faith that I wouldn’t fuck it all up. Dreamer gave me those chances by opening doors for me, and not just letting me rot away and I am very grateful to him for that.

I always thought Sign Guy Dudley would be a three month deal. Who knew? Not me . . .

Thanks for reading . . .

lou

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Lou E. Dangerously joins 'Tha Show'

Former ECW personality Lou E. Dangerously (also known as Sign Guy Dudley)has decided to join tha family here at Tha O Show.

He will be sending in stories from his days in ECW, general commentaries, etc. Some of these will be stories dug up from his personal archive - but Lou E. has decided to share these gems with all Tha Show-go'ers out there.

Look for his first installment shortly.

Be sure to check out his MySpace website too. www.myspace.com/loudangeli. Be sure to drop him a comment and tell him Tha "O" Show sent ya.

Welcome about Lou!

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A whole new following for Griffin

In UFC, much like in pro wrestling - you don't always have to get the win to get over. In fact, in many cases, it's easier to get the crowd on your side if you don't have your hand raised but are brave in the attempt.

That's exactly what happened earlier tonight when former reality show contestant Forrest Griffin, The Ultimate Fighter, faced off with a UFC Icon: former Light Heavyweight Champion, Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz said afterwards that he was nursing an ACL injury and was at "70%". I don't if I should take that as load of shit or an insult to Forrest. How many times did Ortiz duck Liddell citing nagging injuries as the reason? Granted, there's a big difference between Griffin and "The Iceman".

The fight started with Ortiz catching the kid and unloading a brutal ground and pound. Fans were likely waiting for Big John to wave his hands, but Griffin hung in.

he fight ended up being a split decision in favour of Ortiz.

“I never said I was the best,” said Griffin. “I’m just a dog. I fight.” That attitude, as well as his performance against the former champion and current Ultimate Fighter coach has cemented Griffin as a contender and one of the best Light Heavyweights in the world. I'm pretty sure we will see a rematch of this fight.

Oh ya, and Tim Sylvia punched the piss out of Andrei Arlovski to take back the Heavyweight Championship. Anti-climactic much? Ya.

I give SpikeTV and the UFC full marks for trying to make us care about these two - but neither have the compelling back stories of a guy like Forrest or even Tito.

Quick prediction: Within 2 years the gross majority of the fighters under UFC contract will have cut into the company via their Ultimate Fighter program. It's already happening, and it's just a matter of time before those cats completely take over. Fans want to feel passionate about a fighter AND see a great fight. Is that too much to ask?

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TNA gets things right!

I generally try to avoid online spoilers... so I had no idea what to expect tonight when I tuned in to the new episode of TNA on Thursday nights.

Instead of the usual quick squashes we've become accustomed to on SpikeTV, we started the show with a Samoa Joe / Chris Daniels match already in progress. Some quick highlights catch us up and we're off. NOW THAT'S the way to get your company over!

The match was sick - and I'm THRILLED to say, my personal fav wrestler beat my second fav wrestler (sorry CD, you gotta take a backseat to "THA MAN"), as Samoa Joe regained the X-Division title!

Another nice surprise... the match between Team 3D and America's Most Wanted... this TV match was given plenty of time and featured the surprise debut of Spike Dudley - or the artist formerly known as Spike Dudley.

The world that has never bothered ordering a TNA pay per view is going to finally start seeing why this is the top company in the world... if they keep producing free tv like this!

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Raw: O's and NO's

What goes up must come down. Everything has its opposite right? So, while we've christened the almighty letter "O" as our exclamation of excellence, it begs the question, "what is the opposite of an 'O'?" That my friends, would be the "NO". Makes sense right? Do I think John Cena is a good wrestler? No. So while the Mick Foleys, Samoa Joes and Shane McMahons of the world continue to grace us with great moments of "O"-worthiness in professional wrestling history, there are just as many "NO" moments that keep us critiquing the very artform we all hold so very dear to our hearts. Last night's Monday Night Raw - as usual - was full of both.


NO:
Umaga VS. ?? Why has WWE brought back jobbers? If you have to, at least give these poor saps the dignity of a name!! Quit referring to someone's opponent as "this young man".

O:
The McMahons in church skit - I have always, and will continue to say that Vince McMahon is the greatest character in the wrestling business. If, for no other reason, because he cracks me up. While many may think that adding "God" to the Backlash pay per view is going overboard - I got news for you - McMahon went overboard years ago! Using holy water to impersonate Triple H's 'spitting' entrance was priceless. And the line of the night came when Shane was encouraged to read a 'prayer' prepared by his father praising the elder McMahon's 'grapefruits which produced the life-giving semen that spawned me...' (to which Shane just stopped and said "Dad, this is getting weird") Too funny!

NO:
John Cena...who is NOT the least bit funny. The best he could do was call Edge an asshole and Triple H a guy who likes to kiss ass. He follows that up with saying that maybe he should leave the ring so the two can make out. Huh??!? He is light years from having the natural charisma and wit of The Rock who I assume he is trying to emulate the most. Also, his excuses about why the crowd has turned on him are lame. They boo you cuz you suck John. Your finishing move is a body slam off your shoulders. Gimme a break dude.

O:
Chris Masters' taking of the Carlito chairshot! It was flush to the skull! Triple H take notes...that's how you take a chair. Triple H has taken more chairshots to the forearms and hands than any two wrestlers in the business.

NO:
Mickie James VS. Maria. Why is women's wrestling so sloppy?

O:
Seeing Trish Stratus' bare ass while she jumped around the ring imitating Mickie at the end of the match. Sweet.

NO:
The Kane walking in the back skit. What's the deal with Kane going nuts to his own recorded voiceover: "May 19th, it starts again..." or whatever. I know they're trying to promote his movie but stop giving wrestling-haters a reason to call what we watch stupid...cuz that's exactly what that is. Are we hearing what he's thinking? How do you explain that? Dumbest thing since Randy and Bob Orton seeing themselves in a casket last year during their feud with the Undertaker. Remember when Randy supposedly saw his father's face all-bloodied in a hallucination (along with every TV viewer of SmackDown!)? Sheesh.

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This MySpace crap actually works!

A couple weeks ago, my boy Dan-e-o finally decided to have his own MySpace site started up. He got his crew on it and they opened up myspace.com/daneo10. I noticed that within days he had made contact with hundreds of fans of his music and people in the industry.

Could this same trick work for Tha "O" Show? I had to know... so myspace.com/thaoshow was born. Within a couple of days I was in touch with tons of wrestling fans, fans who remember my radio work in Toronto, and even some wrestlers I haven't spoken to in ages. Some of the boys I got on my list are guys I've never actually met, but mark out for like a school boy... Like, the guy featured on Tha "O" Show's logo...... Samoa F'N Joe!!


It seems like just about every major star has a myspace account. Wrestlers, musicians, movie stars... etc etc.

When it comes to networking, and getting in touch with people within a particular industry - I gotta say myspace is leading the way online.

So to all of y'all checkin out Tha Show for the first time, after followin a link from myspace - thanks for checkin us out.

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WWE Extreme Makeover

I got a bunch of emails Tuesday morning asking me what I thought of the WWE's new guy... that 'wildman'. The 'wildman', calling himself Umaga, looks like the love child of Sika and Hakushi and is actually not a new face to the company at all.

The last time we saw him on TV was with TNA when he was using his original ring name 'Ekmo'. In his previous WWE run, he was known as "Jamal" of Eric Bischoff's laughable tag team bodyguards - 'The Three Minute Warning'.

We had heard that Jamal / Ekmo / Umaga (real name Eddie Fatu) had recently resigned a deal with the company. Most expected him to rejoin Rosey, but the big guy was released just days later.

Can this repackaging of Ekmo get him over as a singles star? Well the fans were crapping all over it Monday night. Even former OVW star, now Umaga's manager - Armando Alejandro Estrad seemed to struggle. But hell, they threw him in there with the Nature Boy. Not quite fair.

At least Jamal's makeover is substantially better than that of his former tag team partner who went from the fearsome Kimo to S.H.I.T. - a Super Hero in Training.

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Say hello to Harry

Tha "O" Show has learned that Harry Smith has been signed to a full WWE contract. Smith is the son of Diana Hart of the legendary Hart family and the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.

Davey Boy was a friend to at least a couple members of Tha "O" Show. We were greatly saddened by his premature death, and are thrilled to hear that his son will now receive the opportunity to follow in his professional footsteps, on the biggest stage of all.

In the past, Harry has pulled no punches when stating he wishes to be-like his father but not BE his father... referencing the steroids and pain killers that damaged Davey Boy permanently.

Despite looking so much like dad, Harry also has a similar skill set in the ring, especially when you look at Davey Boy early on - and not at the end of his career when he basically stuck to power spots. "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine of TNA's Team Canada, recently wrote in his Slam! Wrestling column that Smith might be the best wrestler in the world pound for pound. High praise indeed.

Harry has spent most of his time in Stampede, and had been rumored at one point to be heading to TNA. That never did come to fruition and now he's off to fulfill his dream.

Good luck kid.

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Orton Suspended...

The following is a news bulletin courtesy of Brian Alvarez and Figure Four Weekly:

Just days after many expected him to be crowned the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania 22, Randy Orton has been suspended for a month.

This suspension appears to have nothing to do with the WWE's drug testing or their Wellness Program. It seems that ever since Kurt Angle came to Smackdown in January, Orton has had behavioural issues. Apparently there have been a number of issues that were kept fairly quiet within the company.

The last straw may have been Wrestlemania weekend when he blatantly defied the WWE's dress code. Rumor has it that Orton has been quite the heat seeker of late.

The suspension sounds like it will be for a solid month of tv tapings and house shows, and goes into effect April 12th.

It is expected that the WWE will run an injury angle with Angle on Smackdown as a way to keep Orton off TV in the storylines.

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TTYL Tomko

Tyson (Travis) Tomko has been released by the WWE, prompting many fans to ask "Tomko was still working with the WWE?"

Tomko was apparently pissed last night at the Heat tapings when he learned that Gene Snitsky and Goldust have been put together as a full time tag team. Apparently the plan had been for Tomko and Snitsky to work together following Wrestlemania and to receive some sort of push.

Tomko allegedly got pissed, and the WWE "solved his problem".

I don't like hearing about anyone losing their job - but in this case, he literally asked for it. Hell look at guys like Val, Scotty or Holly. They jus chill in the background, shut their mouths and collect a paycheque.

He is a seven year ring vet and was trained by Hack Myres in Florida.

Tomko, who should be renamed "Tmk" for never providing us with a single "O", will likely try his hand at TNA or the indy scene once the usual no-compete expires.

Good luck

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Ken Doane's coming out party...

The Spirit Squad, in improbable fashion, ended the streak of Kane and The Big Show as Tag Team Champions... but the bigger thing might just be the answer to a future trivia question. 'What was the first title WWE Hall Of Famer Ken Doane won in the WWE?" Ok so, I might be boosting a little - but how many 19 year olds have you seen with that much ability in the right place at the right time?

Doane started training with the great Killer Kowalski at the age of 13. He is seen by many in the WWE as a future main eventer. Doane has outstanding athletic ability and the work ethic of Kurt Angle.

I'm not afraid to admit that I am a Kenny mark... because in a few years when he's rockin' some new gimmick and headlining shows I'll be able to say I've been boostin him since his days in OVW.

Of course, I've often said the same thing about guys like Edge, Christian and JBL... but nobody seems to care!

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Wrestlemania Hangover...

Ok, here's my chance to brag... I won the Wrestlemania prediction challenge, but WOW - the story reported by Meltzer that several finishes to major matches were changed at the last second certainly seemed to hold water.

Cena retained? What? Hunter tapped? What? Before this starts sounding like an Austin promo, let me ask you - why did the Backlash promo have Cena say "At Backlash I take what's mine..." What the hell is that? He's talking about his damn belt isn't he? If not - then what the hell does he want?

I was really hoping that during the main event, Cena would just flip off the fans and go all out heel. At least that would make his win logical.

Rey going over was just evidence that despite the fact that no one really accepts Rey as a legitimate World Champion, the WWE is so concerned with growing their latin market in the U.S. that they will take a flyer on Junior.

RVD? I guess this was a decision made to try and pop a few more buys on One Night Only 2? When the decision to not put Hunter over was made, I'm guessing that blew Flair's opportunity to snatch that case. I'm not sure I'm thrilled with the choice to put Rob over in that match, but the match itself was spectacular. Filled with "O"'s. Thank you Shelton.

The Undertaker really understands what it means to give something special at Mania.

How much did Foley get to do that? It wasn't enough.

Wow - was the Boogeyman exposed or what? He looked terrible.

Who has better facial reactions than Vince McMahon? The finish to his match with HBK was truly memorable. Do you really need to any DX references though?

Mickie James was awesome... despite the botched finish. Don't get me wrong, I still have no time for the E's women's division. Speaking of the girlies - how was that a "pillow" fight? It was a match with 3/4 of the ring occupied with Edge and Lita's celebratory bed.

Bret Hart felt uncomfortable being acknowledged last night. Give me a break. I know he said all along he wouldn't be there, but for God's sake Bret... give the crowd in Chicago who still give a shit about you and the fans on PPV a chance to say goodbye. Classy.

Overall, this was a great show in my opinion - significantly better than last year's.

Lemme know what YOU THOUGHT! Leave a comment, or drop me an email bigdaddy@thaoshow.com

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