WWE Monday Night Raw 2/25/2008

I was fairly satisfied with WWE Monday Night Raw last night. Here we go...

Raw opened with an in-ring promo with John Cena, Randy Orton and Triple H, with William Regal as a 'moderator'. I'm not sure why, but for some reason they tried to make it (somewhat) reminiscent of a UFC weigh-in. What I mean is, they did the whole promo-photographs of the competitors before the match. John Cena even posed with his hands up. It felt a little odd. MMA's influence on WWE continues. The whole promo was a little predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. What I wasn't clear about was why all the attention was focused on Triple H and John Cena, while Randy Orton stood in the background. Even when Randy Orton took the mic, it appeared that he was being ignored by Trips and Cena... an afterthought. The weakening of 'Randy Orton, Champion' continues week by week. As expected, both of them turn on Orton and clear the ring of him, which in turn leads to them fighting. Orton returns to the ring and pulls RKO sneak attacks on each of them. I wish I knew why creative is doing this to Randy Orton's character. He's a great, believable heel... well, he used to be, anyway.

After the commercial break, we have a backstage promo between Ken Kennedy and Randy Orton, with Kennedy vowing to win the Money in the Bank Ladder match at WrestleManaia, and turning in the contract the same night after the WWE title match. I don't know if this is actually the case or not, but it seemed to me that Mr. Kennedy has been working on promo skills with Shawn Michaels. The speech pattern, delivery and dialogue all seemed to be lifted from the 'HBK Cocky Heel' playbook. Who knows?

The first match of the night was Santino Marella & Carlito vs. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes. There isn't a lot to say here... Bob Holly & Cody Rhodes won. I feel bad for Carlito. I don't know why they are keeping him buried in Santino's shadow. Sure, Santino has some mic skills, but when compared to Carlito, Santino is the inferior wrestler, not to mention he's ridiculous to look at. Furthermore, Carlito is just as good on the mic. I wish JR & King could've just focused on their commentary, rather than trying to get Maria's attention, over, and over, and over again. So annoying. I was left wondering what the whole point was... well, there wasn't one, except to show Maria in here Play boy Bunny logo outfit. Lame.

The press conference held earlier in the day was of course re-capped. The only reason I mention this, is I watched it live yesterday (see my thoughts here: WM 24 Press Conference). Congratulations, editing team. You managed to make Floyd Mayweather not look like a complete moron. Good job editing out all of the boos, as well as the 10-15 minutes when he looked like a child lost in the supermarket). I didn't think it was possible to polish a turd. Nice work. I missed Big Show at the press conference yesterday. In the package it was pretty impressive that Show's fist is nearly as large as Mayweather's head.

William Regal announced the Main Event. Something to be excited about. One of my faves, Mr. Kennedy is finally going to get to play with the big boys (I would later be disappointed when he basically ended up a jobber to the stars). After the announcement, Jericho approaches Regal and they trade hair insults. I hadn't really thought about it (but now I will unfortunately always think about it), but William Regal was right. Jericho's new hairstyle does look like a Cockatoo.

Separated at birth? You be the judge.

Chris Jericho made an obscure reference to their intercontinental title feud in '03 when he urinated in William Regal's tea, but I don't know if many fans will remember it. This whole promo set up the best match of the night, Y2J's Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier, Chris Jericho vs, Jeff Hardy.

Man, I hate Jeff Hardy's new entrance music. It's really bad... at least when compared to the old music. As one would expect, this was an exciting match. We've all seen the majority of the moves in this match, but it wasn't boring at all. Their two styles compliment each other like coffee and cigarettes (okay, not the most healthy analogy, but I have to draw from my source material). Jeff Hardy and Y2J made up for the botched double cross body in the Elimination Chamber (at No Way Out they jumped parallel and banged heads rather than hitting each other perpendicular), this time getting it right. Each Superstar successfully countered each other's signature moves throughout the match, adding to the excitement. One of my favorite counters was Jericho's bulldog into the second rope turnbuckle, but I didn't think Jeff sold it very well (he should have pushed Jericho like Trips does when he counters the RKO). There was a beautiful Whisper in the Wind into a pin attempt. On Jeff's sitout inverted suplex, the landing looked rough. Jericho landed face first. The match ended with an incredible finish... it's hard to put into words, but basically it was a Twist of Fate countered but Walls of Jericho, which was countered by Jericho rolling up Jeff into a pin, who in turn rolled through and pinned Y2J, who rolled through and got the pin, winning the match. The ladder match at WrestleMania is what I am looking forward to the most. So far, it contains all favorites of mine. It's just missing Matt Hardy and Umaga and then I have my dream match. Yes, I said Umaga. Many don't realize it, but the big guy, can fly.

Last night the Hornswoggle storyline has finally changed direction. Hopefully, it will be for the better. In my opinion, it really went too far, and last week was reprehensible. I've been waiting for them to announce Hornswoggle as Finlay's son, and last night it happened. Hopefully, WWE will finally reveal what 'The Deal' is, that Vince McMahon and Finlay kept referring to week after week last month. Then again, you never know... Hornswoggle was never thrown over the top rope at the Royal Rumble, and that was never addressed.
Side note: JBL, what the hell are you wearing? A royal blue shirt with a white collar & a robin's egg blue tie? WTF?

DH Smith made his return to Monday Night Raw last night, facing Umaga. Other than leading into the next promo with William Regal and Paul Burchill, I'm not really sure why this match took place. Umaga is already way over as a monster heel, and DH Smith got his ass handed to him. Like Colin Delaney last week on ECW, he only got two punches off. At least we got to see Umaga's Samoan Splash. It was almost as impressive as his (then Jamal) turnbuckle splash on Jeff Hardy (who was on a table on the floor) at Survivor Series 2002. My secret wish... bring back his brother Rikishi, and have a new Wild Samoans (although, please no dancing or stink faces. The Umaga gimmick is awesome). Creative, if you send Paul Burchill to WrestleMania 24 over Umaga, we're gonna riot (unless you grant my wish and put Umaga in the ladder match. See, I can compromise).

We saw HBK in action against Lance Cade. You know, I'm starting to get fed up. I know they need to drive the storyline and all, but is it really necessary to do it through pointless matches like this one? Is that the only way you can get HBK in the ring? That's not what you did last week. I'm sorry Ric Flair, but while Shawn Michaels may be 'absolutely incredible', it would probably be more appropriate (and believable) to make that statement after an absolutely incredible victory. My 'non-competitive wrestling' gripes continue. Anyway, The Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania is now a reality.
Side note: Is February national 'bloody/broken nose month'? HBK at No Way Out, Big Show at No Way Out, Jesse on Friday's Smackdown!, Shawn Michaels again last night. Hmm.

I was disappointed with the Main Event. It wasn't a bad match. I just desperately want Ken Kennedy to get over. My dreams would be dashed as he was made to look ineffective. I truly believe the guy could be just as entertaining as The Rock was, if given the chance. He's got the charisma, the physical talent, as well as the mic chops. Oh well. Triple H and John Cena win (of course), with Mr. Kennedy getting off a sneak attack Mic Check on John Cena after the bell.

On to ECW... It was mentioned that the big match tonight would be Santino Marella & Layla vs. Kofi Kingston & Kelly Kelly. Oh golly gee. I just can't wait (sarcasm)

Weekend Wrap Up: Smackdown 2/22/2008, Oscars & More

So... I haven't posted an Entry in a couple days. Honestly, I just haven't felt like it. That's alright, I'll kill three birds with one stone.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown! 2/22/2008
I didn't write my normal commentary on Smackdown, because, well... I thought it sucked. The only entertaining portion was the Money in the Bank qualifying match between Shelton Benjamin and Jimmy Wang Yang. This match, is exactly what I was talking about in my 'WWE Monday Night Raw, 2/18/2008' entry. As much as I would like to see Jimmy Wang Yang in a ladder match, I knew that Shelton Benjamin would get the win (who has been awesome in past ladder matches, by the way). My whole point here, is they put Shelton in the match with an opponent that made it competitive. It was a fantastic, high flying match. These two guys are great talents.

The only other redeeming quality about Friday's airing was the epiphany I had. If they ever decide to do a re-make of Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein, Festus would be the perfect guy to play Peter Boyle's monster. I also think that it's too bad that Festus isn't hairier. He be the perfect son of George 'The Animal' Steele.

80th Annual Academy Awards. 'The Oscars'
I trudged through this crap last night, basically because there wasn't much else on. I was surprised to see Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as a presenter. I gotta tell you Rock, I know you're living out your whole movie star fantasy, but please come back. Your movies are okay, but they aren't terribly spectacular. You were much more entertaining in the ring. Plus, I gotta say, seeing you in a tuxedo is just plain wrong (yes, more wrong than a T-shirt and stretchy man-panties.

WWE WrestleMania 24 Press Conference
While yes, I live here in Los Angeles, and could easily have gone to the Staples Center to see this live, I chose to sit here and watch the video stream on the internet. Fighting LA traffic all the way into downtown is not my idea of fun. Anyway, here's the recap:

Jonathan Coachman opens the press the press conference to introduce Vince McMahon. Thankfully, Vince walks out normally and doesn't so that awful 'powerwalk'. I guess he reserves that for the entrance ramp. Vince went on to define 'WWE', as if the world doesn't get it. World: Vince calls the WWE the world's greatest export. Wrestling: Here he talks abit about wrestling, but goes on to call WWE 'the only variety show left on television'. Entertainment: Vince claims to 'entertain our audience better than anyone else in the world'. Vince McMahon talks a bit about the first WrestleMania, and references the Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorf, and then elaborates on celebrity involvement. He made it a point to note that for only the second time WrestleMania 24 will be held in an outdoor venue, and that it will 'allow us to do things that we can't do indoors'. Hopefully, he means something besides just more pyro (Rumor has it that this year's WrestleMania will have 10 times more pyro than any prior events). That's cool and all, but I don't buy pay per views to watch fireworks on TV.

Coach then introduces John Cena, who gets a mixed reaction from the crowd, but there certainly seemed to be more 'boos'. Many of the crowd begin to chant 'you suck'. Cena praises and thanks Vince McMahon. He goes on to say that he, 'won't predict a win or loss, but guarantees history will be made'.

Coach then brings out Randy Orton. Randy Orton had a bad wardrobe day. He was wearing jeans with what looked like a tuxedo jacket. Typical Orton dialogue. John Cena giggles like a school girl when the crowd start chanting 'Cena'. Disgusting. Randy Orton wraps things up by saying, 'March 30th, I will not only walk out WWE champion, but no longer will I be known as the Legend Killer. March 30th I will be known as a Legend'

Next out is Triple H. Again, like Orton, typical Triple H ramblings. Hunter seemed to lose his train of thought and called the crowd 'crazy', followed with 'I forgot we were in LA'.
Triple H vows that at WrestleMania the 'King of Kings goes back on his throne'.

Coach re-takes the podium and starts talking about the Diva search. My stomach drops, because I know they are about to announce something stupid for WrestleMania. Candice Michelle and Maria come out to announce the 'first ever Playboy Bunny Mania match'. Whatever the hell that is, you can bet your ass it's gonna suck. Candice announces that it's Maria's birthday, which results in the crowd giving the worst rendition of 'Happy Birthday' that I've ever heard in my life.

The divas are followed by Edge, who basically said the same things he said on Friday Night Smackdown. 'I'm undefeated at WrestleMania too...' Blah, blah, blah...

Coach announces Rey Mysterio. Rey was wearing a god-awful black velvet mask with purple trim. It didn't go particularly well with a pinstripe suit. When Rey took the podium the mics were tall than he and began standing on his tip toes before lower the mic. He talked a bit about his injury and speaks to the crowd in a mix of English and Spanish. This would have been fine, but he never repeated in English what he said in Spanish like Ediie Guerrero used to do. Rey announced that his bicep surgery will be on Wednesday, but that it 'won't effect him helping his boy, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Every time Rey would mention Floyd Mayweather's name, the crowd erupted in boos. Vince, I hope you took note. We, the audience, do not like Floyd Mayweather.

The next bit confused me a little. I'm not sure whey it took a progression of three guys, to announce one guy.

For some reason, Coach brings out Mike Adamle. Mike rattles on about smalls guys being victorious over big guys. When Mike Adamle mentions Floyd Mayweather, the crowd boos. Mike Adamle introduces Shane McMahon.

Shane McMahon takes the podium and talks about WWE and Floyd Mayweather 'joining forces; The crowd boos. He mentions how the world is watching, and third parties such as HBO, Direct TV and Dish Network are nervous about the outcome. Personally, I don't care. After how unprofessional Mayweather was the night of Big Show's return, I hope he gets injured. That's right, I'm wishing ill on another human being. Sue me. For no apparent reason, the crowd starts a 'Cena' chant, followed by a 'Triple H' chant for no apparent reason in the middle of Shane McMahon's speech.

Shane introduces Floyd Mayweather. The fans are not happy to see him and he draw immediate heat from the crowd. The crowd stars chanting 'Yankees Suck' in response to Floyd's outfit. He stood there dumbfounded, saying nothing for roughly 5 minutes. For some reason he pulls a bundle of $100 bills out of his jacket and shows the crowd. He finally speaks... well kinda... he kept repeating 'I got all day'. The guy definitely looked rattled. The fans begin chanting 'you suck', which was followed by a 'de la Hoya' chant, which was followed by a 'Big Show' chant. Flord Mayweather then took Big Show's name placard off the table and ripped it up. For a guy that is supposedly so 'good on the mic' according to some sports writers, Floyd Mayweather is out of his element. He still is standing speechless, removed the bundle of cash and acts as if he is going to throw it into the crowd. He's that desperate, drowning that badly, that he is going to attempt to pay off the crowd. He stands on the table, flashing his money, inciting the crowd. He then jumps down and starts 'listening to the crowd' like Hulk Hogan would do. He ends up tossing money into the non-media section of the audience. After picking up the money, they continue to boo him. Floyd returns to the mic, apparently now ready to speak. He says that he is going to change the name of the WWE to the MME, Money Mayweather Entertainment. He also claims that he 'owns this city now', that he 'runs LA' and also 'runs WWE'. The crowd responds by chanting 'you suck big time'. The brags about his 'lifestyle', his 'money', and 'how good I look'. Boy, you sure do know how to win friends and influence people, Floyd. He says that he'll give people money if they tell him that he's the champ. Paying off the crowd? C'mon. Keep in mind, that this moron is saying all of these things with Shane McMahon directly to his left, champions Orton and Edge behind him, and Vince McMahon just behind the curtain. Finally, (Fi-nal-ly! ) he sits down. This was a fiasco and I want that half hour of my life back. Heh.

Mike Adamle returns to the podium to announce the Big Show. Apparently, Big Show is too big for the internet, because as his music started playing and came through the curtain my video stream disconnected. I wasn't able to rejoin the web feed. Too bad too, I would have liked to have heard the crowd chant Big Show's name and embarrass the little bastard.

I hope Vince took notes. We, the viewing audience, decide who's a heel, and who's a face. You can't force-feed us Floyd Mayweather as a face. We don't care if Rey Mysterio is supposedly his friend, and supposedly training him or not. This storyline needed a change of direction last week. I'd recommend changing it tonight on Raw. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Hulk Hogan Challenges Ric Flair to a Match at Wrestlemania: Revisited

You know, I was just thinking...

Thinking about the whole Hulk Hogan video on MTV.com yesterday.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's my entry from yesterday: Hulk Hogan Challenges Ric Flair to a Match at Wrestlemania

Anyway... this isn't going to be one of my long winded diatribes. My thought was since Hulk Hogan seems to have such loose lips... (see my thoughts on this here: Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon) ...what if this deal is already done?

I'll be curious to see if this pops up on one of the WWE shows, and if Hogan opened his mouth early, like he seemingly has done in the past. Yeah, it's good to build buzz, but if, if, IF this is a done deal, I'm pretty sure Vince wanted it kept quiet until WWE releases it.

Disclaimer: This is all speculation. I'm not one to perpetuate rumors.

ECW 2/19/2008: Would you like some Wrestling with your Marketing?

Wow.

You know, for the first time in quite a long while, ECW was good last night. I enjoyed it. In fact, I liked it better than this week's Monday Night Raw.

but... (with me, there's always a 'but'. What can I say? I'm critical) I thought there were bad points too. Here we go...

We opened with an in-ring promo by Ric Flair. I expected this. Ric Flair was noticeably absent from Monday Night Raw after his win over Ken Kennedy at No Way Out... then there was a blurb on Raw about Ric Flair making a 'special appearance' on ECW. Tazz joins Ric Flair and leads things off by discussing Ric Flair's induction to the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame.

Ric Flair took over and his dialogue was predictable, until he said, '...I'm honored to be a part, of ECW'. I think to myself, 'Self, Ric Flair just flubbed his lines. Surely what he meant to say was WWE'. Tazz would say later in the broadcast the Flair was a guest. If Flair has been moved to ECW, that sure blows the whole Flair vs. HBK at Wrestlemania theory. Anyway...

After a cheap San Diego, CA pop, Ric Flair is interrupted/joined by Elijah Burke, who in turn is interrupted/joined by Shelton Benjamin. I think to myself, 'Self, this is excellent. ECW is finally showing talent on the roster other than just Kofi Kingston, John Morrison & Mike Miz, CM Punk and Chavo Guerrero (sorry Chavo, but I can't say that I missed seeing you last night). As expected, Shelton 'the new gold standard' Benjamin, exchanged words with Flair, resulting in Shelton Benjamin and Elijah Burke beating down Flair, who was saved by a run-in by CM Punk, thus setting up the Main Event.
The good: An excellent in-ring promo foreshadowing an exciting main event.
The bad: Not necessarily related to the promo. I'm am most certainly not making any insinuations, implications or allegations here, but this promo made me realize that, here in the middle of Black History Month, there is no African-American talent on Raw. I'm sure that there isn't any intentional segregation going on here, but it's segregation nonetheless. (Please don't sue me Vince. It's only an observation. Heh)

ECW African-American talent: 5 - Big Daddy V, Boogeyman, Elijah Burke, Kofi Kingston, Shelton Benjamin.

Smackdown African-American talent: 4 - Mark Henry, MVP, plus Jonathan Coachman and Theodore Long.

Raw African-American talent: 0 - (Technically, yes, Ron Simmons is on the roster, but his appearances are few and far between. Sorry Ron, sporadic appearances don't count... DAMN!)

Next up, we have a No Way Out-recap video package. Approximate length 1 min 20 sec. (Why am I mentioning this? Read on, I'm leading up to something).

Commercial break.

Video package #2. Big Show/Mayweather promo for next week's Raw. Approximate length 15 sec

Video recap package (of what we just saw) at Flair's promo. Approximate length 30 sec

We return to find a promo with Elijah, Shelton and General Manager Armando Estrada, announcing the Main Event. Shelton Benjamin was much better talking this week, both on the mic and in this promo. I've been down on you the past couple of weeks Shelton. Kudos. The good: Shelton's improvement on the mic. The bad: Armando Estrada as GM

The first match of the night was Kofi Kington vs. Jason Riggs. I'm not sure why it took nearly 20 minutes to get to the first match (sarcasm), but oh well. The good: I am not sure why Kofi is back to wrestling jobbers when he pinned Mike Knox, a legit roster member, last week. At least Jason Riggs (formaerly of OVW) made Kofi look good. Kofi has talent, but Jason Riggs sold Kofi's moves well and made him look even better. Gladly, this week we didn't have to see another 'turnbuckle teabag'. The bad: Joey Stiles did an interview with Kofi after the match, and he was good on the mic, but I was sick of the 'bo! bo! bo!' two weeks ago.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin video package hyping the new DVD. Approximate length 45 sec

USA Network 'Raw Fan Nation' video package with Layla Milani. Approximate length 25 sec (Can you see where I'm going with this yet?)

Commercial Break.

Wrestlemania 24 video package. Approximate length 30 sec

Vince McMahon/Hornswoggle/Finlay/JBL-rep from Monday Night Raw. Approximate length 3 min 40 sec (plus additional time of Tazz and Joey Stiles discussing it. Just as difficult to watch as when it happened live on Monday)

The following match was Mike Miz (with John Morrison) vs. Colin Delaney (with Tommy Dreamer). I thought to myself, 'Self, good... We'll finally get to see Colin Delaney wrestle instead of just being the human ragdoll.' I mean, seriously, Zack Gowan got to do more stuff than this kid.
The bad: They let him land two punches. That's it...
The good: On the flipside, I was very impressed with Mike Miz as a singles wrestler, and more specifically, a single heel. Mocking Tommy Dreamer by giving Delaney advice while kicking his ass was priceless. I liked him much better alone, than in a tag with Morrisson. His jumping clothesline into the turnbuckle that left him perched on the second rope was awesome, as was the springboard off of Delaney's back, over the rope to hang him up on the second rope. Maybe I've been wrong about you this whole time, Miz...

Video package for the March '08 issue of WWE magazine. Approximate length 25 sec

Commercial break.

Video package recap of Maria's match vs. Beth Phoenix on Monday Night Raw. Approximate length 30 sec

This led to a promo with Kelly Kelly. Honestly, Joey Stiles, I don't care what Kelly thinks about Maria posing in Playboy... and Kelly Kelly, I don't care if posing in Playboy is something that you've always wanted to do. I also don't care if you think that it's (does best valley girl impression) 'so glamourous' and 'so prestigious'. As for your question, what do I think? I think your idea of what sexy is supposed to look like, your posing, your doe eyes and hair stroking make you look like a whore. If you don't want the answer, don't ask the question. Oh, by the way, learn to wrestle. The good: not much. The bad: More WWE T&A garbage

Stevie Richards vs. James Curtis. I'm not sure if Stevie Richards had new entrance music, or if they just cut out the 'I'll show you! You'll see!' intro. Not much to remark on here. I'd just restate what I said in my ECW 2/12/2008 rant. Richards looked okay. Curtis looked okay I guess. The bad: Seemed to be pretty much the same match as Richards' match last week. The Good: Hey, at least we don't have to see him stalk Victoria in drag anymore. Heh.

Oh, Steven Richards video recap at the beginning of the last match about his surgery. Approximate length: 30 sec.

Raw Rebound video package: Big show/Mayweather again. Approximate length: 3 min.
(You know Vince, no matter how much you try to force feed us this crap, Mayweather is not getting over as a face, especially since he threw legit blows and broke Show's nose the night he returned.)

We now see Ric Flair and CM Punk walking to the gorilla position. Flair and Punk trading whooo!'s was classic. Made me smile.

Commercial break.

Video package for Wrestlemania 24. Approximate length: 30 sec.

Main Event. Flair/Punk vs. Burke/Benjamin. This was a great match with lots of action. Even Ric Flair entertained me, which is saying a lot. I think that it was remarkable how quick-paced it was, as matches involving Flair seem to crawl. I had to laugh when Elijah Burke stole Ric Flair's material. The eye gouge to climb the turnbuckle, just to be tossed down by Flair was funny (Batista was using Flair's moves on the 2/15/2008 episode of Smackdown. Is this a trend?). It was even funnier when Flair then climbed the turnbuckle and actually got the attack off on not one, but both of his opponents. The black eye on this match was the botched spot with Shelton Benjamin and CM Punk. It wasn't so much the botched spot, but the fact that they re-did the spot on a live episode. They re-did the move, that wasn't even a pivotal part of the match. (Benjamin picks up Punk into the powerbomb position and runs to the turnbuckle, Punk is supposed to hop off of Benjamin's shoulders but instead falls over the ropes to the floor. It was unclear if Punk didn't make the hop, or Benjamin didn't give him the lift. Flair checks on Punk, picks him up and puts him back in the ring. When they re-did the move, Punk makes the hop and lands a running enzuigiri). Ultimately, Flair gets Burke in a figure four and Burke taps. Shelton Benjamin, Elijah Burke and CM Punk are to be commended. They made Ric Flair look like he was in his prime again. (The good and bad are obvious here)

So what's the moral of this story? This was a good show... but it could have been a great show. I understand the need for recaps to 'catch-up' the viewers that didn't see what happened... and coming from a marketing background, I understand the need to build hype, as well as cross-brand marketing strategies. I know that this has been a part of WWE's marketing strategy formula for decades, and I'm not suggesting that they go away. (Here comes the 'but')

but...

When a show has a hour long timeslot, after commercials there's usually around 40 minutes of 'actual' airtime. Over 12 minutes of 'actual airtime' (over 30%) was eaten up by video packages. Like I said, I don't expect them to go away, but on shorter show, there either needs to be less of them, or shorter ones.

As Queen Gertrude said to Polonius in Hamlet, "More matter, with less art". Or as Lance Storm said, (paraphrasing) "I like a little more sports in my entertainment"

WWE's Habbo No Way Out: Grand Prize Winner Announced

I just took a peek at Habbo, and the WWE has selected the grand prize winner in the No Way Out Elimination Chamber competition on Habbo.com.

The lucky Habbo, Attires, has won a non-virtual (read that, 'real-life') WWE Heavyweight Championship replica belt.

In addition, the Habbos with the top 5 Elimination Chambers (as voted by Habbo users) each received an in-game personalized trophy from WWE Superstar & ECW original, Tommy Dreamer.

The article goes on to say:

"Stay tuned because coming in March, WWE will be returning to Habbo with Wrestlemania. It will be bigger, badder, and bolder than both Habbo Royal Rumble and Habbo No Way Out combined!"

I'll, of course, post more info about WWE Habbo Wrestlemania when information is released.

For the full article: Attires has the Top Elimination Chamber

Hulk Hogan Challenges Ric Flair to a Match at Wrestlemania 24

You read that headline correctly.

In a video interview posted on MTV.com this morning, that's what Hulk Hogan is saying.

In the video, Hogan says, 'They need a main event real bad. When I think about Ric Flair stylin' and profilin', when I think about Hulk Hogan going head on head with Ric Flair in my backyard... They got a lot of tickets, brother, that need to be sold. The power of the 'mania, brother? Could be strong, brother.'

When asked if he was going to put Ric Flair out for good, Hogan replied, 'Either he'll put me out for good, or I'll put him out for good. One or the other. That would be the match of the new millennium. Hogan vs. Flair. Maybe get Vince McMahon as a special guest referee. Game on.'

Oh brother.

While this would sell a ton of pay per views, I can't see that Vince would ever do it. I mean, how could he? If Hogan wins, yes, Flair retires, but then Hogan gets a huge push right before he (supposedly) launches his new, rival wrestling promotion with Eric Bischoff. If Hogan loses, Flair has to stick around, and they have to figure out how to get rid of him again.

Smart move, Hulk. Even someone such as myself, who hates to watch the old-timers do the same moves they've done for decades, would be eager to watch. I don't think Vince is greedy enough to go for it. It wouldn't be a good business decision, if your new promotion is legit.


To read the article and watch the video: Celebrity Faves (about halfway down the page)