lazorbeak

I don't know, if I were Vegas, my favorite has to be CM Punk. He's got a lot of momentum, he's an established name that hasn't won it and he has a stable to help him out in the match (see Randy Orton in 2008). I'd say he's my pick for most likely. Other favorites: John Cena. He's been operating at a very high level as he's essentially replaced HBK as the guy on Raw who doesn't need to be in the title picture to be in a great feud, but he's still WWE's guy and they'd love to put him vs. Punk or him vs. Miz as their headliner. John Morrison: somewhat of an outside chance, but they've been pretty high on him lately, he's got a great feud with the Miz built in, and it's a show that should sell itself so you don't have to worry if Morrison/Miz doesn't go on last (although frankly it could, considering their match a couple weeks ago). Smackdown favorites: Alberto Del Rio. If your Raw feud is Cena/Punk, you can do Del Rio/Edge as your Smackdown feud and put it lower down the card. Outside chances: Triple H. Doubtful, considering he's almost guaranteed to work a program with Sheamus in the near future. Wade Barrett. He is leading the Smackdown Nexus, and could work against Edge, but considering Undertaker wants to work with him, I see him vs. 'Taker in a gimmick match being far more likely. Plus they still haven't explained the Nexus run-in on 'Taker from months ago. I have a hard time of thinking of anybody else with a real shot.

Punk has been a main eventer for almost two years though. He wasn't quite a top guy his first title reign when he was feuding with JBL, but he was still holding a world title and taking part in major matches. For "game" purposes, he was a main eventer. He appeared on posters, headlined TV and house shows, etc. Then he won MITB again, won the title and turned heel, and was involved in the biggest storyline of 2009, main eventing 1/3 of that year's PPVs, putting him up there with Triple H and Orton as guys that main evented the most cards that year. In 2010 he wasn't in the title picture much but he still worked major feuds with Mysterio and Big Show, two former champions who are still major names in the company. Now he's set for a Wrestlemania match with the biggest babyface in the business. Yeah, Punk is a main eventer, and has been for quite some time.

He main evented four pay per views in 2009 during his first heel run, including Summerslam! It's just baffling to me that anybody would say he isn't a "main eventer." If that's true, I guess Undertaker isn't a main eventer, and neither is Edge, and neither is anybody that isn't John Cena or Randy Orton.

Yeah that's patently ridiculous. He was main eventing pay per views and you don't think he was a main eventer? Big Show is a main eventer and when was the last time he main evented PPV?

Say what? Recaps and highlight packages were invented during WWF/WCW wars. Every WWF show from that era came with intro video packages that summed up the current major storylines, and anything important was talked about repeatedly during the midcard/minor segments. What you're talking about is pure rose-tinted nostalgia. I'm pretty sure girls were prettier and food was tastier in 1998, too.

While I don't disagree with much of this, the year does go on past Wrestlemania. Jeff Hardy never won a title at Wrestlemania (or even had a title shot). I could easily see Morrison in the title picture by May/June. But he's still more of a long shot I think than Del Rio. Morrison is still not totally comfortable on the mic and despite the beard he is still a little too pretty to be a top babyface. Del Rio is just an amazing prospect and I'd be really surprised if he isn't champion going into Summerslam.

Owen died in an accident, so it's not really the same thing at all. Also they hadn't already given Owen the gimmick, then just moved it on to someone else after his death. That situation is just conjecture. But anyway I'd rather talk about how great Alberto Del Rio is.

As much as I like Morrison and his chemistry with Punk, it's hard for me to watch their matches from that summer considering the details of Morrison winning that belt (filling in for Chris Benoit at Vengeance). Not sure why it bothers me more than actually seeing him in older matches, but it just makes me queasy knowing the storyline was planned to be Punk vs. Benoit at Summerslam.

I realize I'm behind the curve, but I just caught Friday's Smackdown. Wow was that a great show, top to bottom. Even the divas angle is interesting in an attempt to get people to care about McIntyre, who hasn't really done much lately. But the fatal four way, Ziggler/Kofi, the title match, and especially the main event were all awesome matches and the crowd was going nuts for all of it. If Alberto Del Rio isn't champion on Smackdown by June, something has gone horribly awry. He is the total package: great look, great facial expressions, great athleticism. I have a hard time thinking of the last time a guy made his debut for WWE looking this complete, and that includes Sheamus and Brock Lesnar, who both won world titles in their first year. He is completely ready now, just showcase him for a few months and then give him the belt. I mean an MMA and greco-roman background, from one of the most famous families in Mexico, experience all over, amazing charisma, and a fantastic build make him look not just like a future champion, but somebody to build a company around. It's even more amazing because he spent his first 7-8 years as a technico and has far less experience as a rudo, yet he's this good at it.

Yes, he seriously was. Former WWE superstar Chris Nowinski wrote a book and then involved with an institute that deals with spreading awareness of the consequences of concussions in athletics. And yes, considerably more research on the brain of these old football pros is known now than was known ten years ago. Also a lot of the stuff you're saying about people not saying something about Foley's condition then or criticizing WWE in any way is just completely, 100% the opposite of truth. WWE was lambasted in the media for months because of the actions of one man, who coincidentally had the brain matter of an 80 year old alzheimer's patient after the shots to the head he had taken in his career. This was a company that responded by creating a wellness policy designed to prevent early wrestling-related deaths. To say nobody blames them for the things they do is preposterous.

Totally agree with this. Wrestling is a variety show. I look back at some of my all-time favorite events and they had hardcore junk wrestling, big superheavyweights punching each other, and compelling storylines in the main event. Not every segment on every show needs to be some sort of 5* classic. In fact, the part of TNA I enjoy least is the lack of variety when it comes to constant gimmick matches and my general boredom with bland indy guys who seem to think they need to put on some sort of show-stealing match in the midcard or on TV.

As somebody mentioned on another board, he's an ugly skirt away from being an even lazier version of Raven. Except worse in every way.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="PeterHilton" data-cite="PeterHilton" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26529" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This is the only time this has ever happened, so i doubt there's a reason to make any serious changes. I mean, unless you eliminate divisions entirely there's always the possibility.<p> </p><p> I do think it creates an argument for eliminating the whole 'division winners get a guaranteed home game' deal</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Yeah this is the thing I think the NFL should potentially re-think. Every wild card team is better than the division winner they play this year. The closest thing to an exception is 10-6 Eagles taking on the 10-6 Packers, except for the part where Green Bay already beat Philadelphia in Philadelphia this season. I like how the NBA does it: a division winner is guaranteed at worst a 4 seed, but if the 5 seed has a better record they get the home court advantage. </p><p> </p><p> You could argue that doing that would take away some of the luster of being divisional champs, but being the best team in the NFC West is not much of an accomplishment. In the AFC West, Kansas City couldn't even win 3 games in their traditionally mediocre division and yet they still get rewarded with a home game while the Jets and Ravens have to travel because they play in the same divisions as the top two teams in the league? Not that winning 10 games is ever easy, but the Chiefs last place schedule meant games against Buffalo and Cleveland, plus the AFC West played the NFC West, so they got 4 out of conference wins against awful teams, and for this they get to host a playoff game?</p>

That's just your biased personal opinion. I realize PWI isn't completely objective but she did win female superstar of the year this year and is probably the top active heel in women's wrestling right now, period. I mean who else is even close? Tara? Madison Rayne? Also I'm not sure if you just don't know what athleticism is or what. Do you make this same complaint when watching any sport with female athletes? Is gold medalist Kerri Walsh unathletic just because she's tall, thin and fit? Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova?

Also the part where she's improved a great deal and has the athleticism and drive to hang with some of the top talents. Honestly from the vitriol from Hyde you'd think she was the second coming of Mongo McMichael, instead of a solid worker who has improved tremendously. But where's Melina on that list?

The stable as it had existed had run its course. Cena made the heroic comeback, he got Barrett by himself, and he dropped a bunch of chairs on him. Nexus wasn't going to be a "unique faction" without Barrett, without him it's the Spirit Squad without the McMahons: a bunch of green guys who either need gimmick replacement surgery or a spell in development. This breathes new life into an angle that was otherwise dead. And that's an awesome image.

Four or five guys of the same disposition? Was that not clear from the sentences immediately around that paragraph? Anyway, my point is there's no question that Punk was a main eventer last year. He's still a main eventer this year. Just because he hasn't been booked like the top guy in the company doesn't mean he's not a main eventer.

In TEW terms, not every main eventer needs to be main eventing every show. And besides, during his feud with Hardy, he was in the final match on several PPVs and went over on several of them. No question but that he is/was a main eventer in TEW terms. I mean, doesn't Lobster Warrior start off a main eventer despite being the #5 face in the promotion in SWF (after Bruce, Money, Faith, and Frehley)? Ignoring the fact that WWE has a much larger roster and therefore would have even more main eventers, do you really think there were 4/5 guys ahead of Punk when he was champion last year and main eventing Summerslam?

How much do the Magic really need a backup center though? Howard is fit enough to run 35-38 minutes every game and for the 10-13 minutes he's off the floor, you can go with a small lineup with Bass or somebody at the low post and then Turk playing 4 with three guards.

Linsolv, even if what you're saying is true, maybe a message board run by a company that does in fact sell content for money is not the place to ask someone to help you violate copyright?

Can someone recommend me to a way to do illegal things? Because on a sponsored site for commercial products seems like the place to talk about how I don't pay for the media I watch. Seriously as annoying as the boy's club at EWB can be, thank goodness they don't put up with this garbage.

Pete, you're totally on the money here. TNA is taking a bite at both ends. "Oh, we can't afford to pay your insurance, travel, etc. costs because we're the little guy!" At the same time, "oh, we reserve the right to get a cut in any side deal you try to make because we're the big guy that gave you exposure!" So on the one hand, they're acting like the little indy that can't pay the bills, but at the same time they're limiting "independent contractors" right to work by inserting themselves into the equation as the one responsible for a worker's recognition. So as a worker, not only do you make far less than an "employee" without the associated costs to TNA, you also don't get the freedom that's supposed to come with being an independent contractor. The worst of both worlds! It's ethically abhorrent and borderline legal, but it's nothing particularly new in the industry. As far as the argument that wrestlers should be paid like the dirty carnies they are (which is the argument being made, apparently), it still doesn't gibe with the fact that TNA is keeping those carnies from working other carnivals without getting a cut of the worker's paycheck. This inflates the dirty carny's asking price and makes it a bad economic decision to bring in Chris Sabin for my indy fed when Sean Waltman is $400 cheaper and it only costs him $50 to get him trashed. So not only should we pay these people like carnies, we should make them unmarketable to other carnivals!

You mean the Yet-ay? Lawler's booking of USWA is just an example of not changing with the times. I love camp and goofy crap more than the next guy, but their "apple pie and wrestling" type product was a good decade out of date by the mid-1990's. Instead of innovating, they were basically doing what WWF had already done years earlier, but without the A-list talent pilfering. No question but that he's tremendously overrated because of his work with WWF and the work he did to make himself a star in his own backyard.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Wrestling Century" data-cite="Wrestling Century" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You mean the time that Kane debuted in the Memphis territory under the name of the Christmas Monster? I personally haven't seen any footage of it, but I've heard of that angle.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Found it: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8NR9TMpOX4&feature=related" rel="external nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8NR9TMpOX4&feature=related</a></p>

First of all, I had nothing to do with your argument. Second of all, the only point I am making is how you sound when you say something like that and how end zone dances are far, far, FAR from the biggest problem in our culture even when we confine our culture's problems to those directly involving sports. Nowhere did I say you were wrong or a bad guy. Seriously, this isn't even my fight. I don't care about end zone dances either way. So I think calling me a "winner" is a bit premature since I'm not even a competitor.