Idiotic if True: How an Impact Burnout May Have Screwed over the Young Bucks

Were these guys wronged by the competition?

Cageside Seats has a pretty good summary of the scuttlebutt surrounding the Sin Cara hood and the two men who play it, especially the original. It's a good read, but in describing one of the reasons why Mistico has become persona non grata in WWE right now, they brought up this nugget on a recent controversy involving two decidedly non-Sin Cara related wrestlers:

The Young Bucks shouldn't have bothered turning up for their recent WWE tryout, their chances were shot as soon as Rob Van Dam gave them the rep of dodging veteran's handshakes. In a predictable development, RVD's good friends Booker T and Goldust made sure to concur with his assessment via Twitter that they were a couple of disrespectful young punks and thus the Bucks could kiss their WWE chances goodbye.

First, a disclaimer, I don't assume that this is 100% truth here. Dave Meltzer (the source for the Cageside article) may have an element of truth to that slant on how things happened. He may be talking cynically. I don't know.

That being said, if there is any element of truth to this... what the fuck, WWE? Really? Really? I purported not even to want to judge how the WWE backstage culture was, and if the Bucks did "wrong" Booker T, then it's one thing. It's a personal beef, and they handled it the way that they handle those kinds of things backstage. However, if what Meltzer is insinuating is true here, then it's a clear case of a guy who works for another company influencing policy. Regardless of who the guy is, that seems pretty fucked up to me. The guy basically is using his influence to make sure that two guys who might have a future in the industry can't get ahead. Isn't that kind of blackballing considered unethical at the very least?

Furthermore, let's look into the guy who's starting this bullshit. Rob Van Dam. Apparently, if the insinuation is true, he cares about respect and petty bullshit, which is fine and dandy if you're into having your ego stroked, but let's look at some of the things he doesn't care about. He doesn't care about showing respect, since he mouths off about Impact in the media if he's unhappy (and regardless of whether you agree with him or not, you take care of that shit in house). He doesn't care about following drug policy obviously. He also doesn't care about co-worker safety, since his well-documented sloppiness hasn't abated over the years. In fact, I'd say it's gotten worse since his most egregious offense against protecting his fellow workers happened within the last six months, i.e. his amateur dentistry on Abyss with his foot. So now, WWE HR policy is going to be directly impacted by a burnout working for the struggling competition? That is hilarious.

That also isn't to say that RVD and his cronies Booker and Goldust would be totally at fault here. If WWE really is going to not sign the Bucks due to that backstage fracas without further investigation, then what does that say about them? It's one thing to have a guy in the doghouse in Mistico because of behavior that's widely observed, but wouldn't you think it funny that the Bucks, who apparently shook hands with everyone else, had a problem with only two guys, guys who were friends of a habitual drug user with a massive ego? If the reports are true, then doesn't this make WWE look fucking stupid for siding with a guy who ultimately is part of the organization that's most competing with them, whether they know it or not?

But that's the kicker. I keep going back to the disclaimer. There's no way to gauge whether any of these reports that are based on non-primary sources and conjecture are 100% factual. While I have my reasons to believe Meltzer over anyone, including his colleague Bryan Alvarez, wouldn't have an axe to grind, it's entirely possible that he has a journalistic bias against the WWE. It's not that big a negative. It's human nature. There's entirely a chance that this whole post is bluster, and within six months, the Young Bucks will be in WWE, and who knows, maybe Mistico will be Sin Cara once more. That being said, there's too much smoke in the form of wrestler chatter about this kind of thing for there not to be fire. If it was just something internal, then yeah, maybe I wouldn't have wasted any more words on it than I did back when I reacted to it first. But the fact that someone working for Impact may have something to do with the Bucks not signing WWE contracts seems stupid at least, unethical at the midpoint and illegal tampering/collusion at the very worst. It's so mind-bogglingly awful that even the very specter of it doesn't pass the smell test.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Wrestling High School, or Why I Don't Wanna Hear about Who Disrespected Whom

Centers of a firestorm that I wish I'd never known about

There's a reason this is the first time you're going to be reading about the supposed disrespect shown by the Young Bucks towards Booker T. It's the same reason why I don't follow Joey Image on Twitter anymore, or why I bristle at people who retweet his "YOU NEED TO RESPECT THE BUSINESS" BS rhetoric. I hate hearing about treating this mythical thing like the "business" with a fake layer of respect that's been propped up by guys who never fully left high school. I also don't want to hear about how people I generally like - and I like both the Young Bucks and Booker - bristle and act like assholes over feeling entitled over respect or being portrayed as disrespectful, whether right or wrong.

Granted, I haven't come to say that these wrestlers need to grow up and that they need to get out of this mold that respect is earned through tenure, not through deeds and demeanor and whatever other happy horseshit code they abide by. It's as old as wrestling itself, and hey, if that's how they want to conduct their business, then hey, good for them. I don't want Undertaker coming to my office and telling me how to conduct business there. Even if I think how they conduct their locker room code of ethics or respect or whatever is pedantic and childish, it's their business. What they do behind closed doors is what they do behind closed doors, and there's a reason why I'm an engineer and Booker Huffman and the brothers Massie both went into the wrestling business.

But that's the thing. If Booker didn't take to Twitter to put the Bucks on blast, then I wouldn't have known about it. If Rob Van Dam hadn't slammed the Bucks for "disrespect" before they left Impact, I wouldn't have known about it. If the Bucks and their brother Malachi hadn't responded in kind on social media, I wouldn't have known about it. Now, we're inundated with this wave of "he said, he said" accounts to incidents that maybe shouldn't have been big deals in the first place. Furthermore, you get Booker and Malachi carrying on to the point where I unfollowed both of them.

It's bad enough when the dirtsheets report on this kind of thing like it's news, but they can be ignored because hey, unless they have primary, neutral sources who are able to be named transparently, it can be dismissed. But when you have the people themselves taking to Twitter to fight in an attempt to curry favor with the masses, it gets right in your face, and you have to deal with the reality that people you enjoy on television can be assholes, or at the very least, they can be fool enough not to keep their dirty laundry contained within the confines of their locker room.

That's what gets me about people like Image. They want it both ways. They sanctimoniously preach about how we fans need to stop being disrespectful when we refer to wrestlers by their real names or (in what is the most hilariously preachy and wrong example) when we predict how a match is going to go, (and it's not just Image who does this, a lot of mainstream wrestlers do too) but then they carry on in public, either airing dirty laundry or weighing in on dirty laundry. I mean, if referring to a wrestler by his real name is disrespectful and invasive of their privacy, what does it say when they throw those otherwise private issues into my face? I would say that airing your own dirty laundry, or even worse, commenting on someone else's is far more damaging to this imaginary respect than would be if I referred to these men by their real names₁ (which aren't exactly secret anymore). When Shane Helms is posting passive-aggressive blogs piling on the Bucks, detailing why "RESPECT" is so important, that's giving everyone a peek into the backstage world of these people, one that by all accounts, we should not be allowed to see. So, which way should it be?

Personally, I would much rather try to stuff the toothpaste back into the tube and go back to a world where the wrestlers handled their business internally and didn't blab to interviewers or take their fight to Twitter. Especially in the case of the Young Bucks and the people they may or may not have disrespected, I don't know whose side to take, mainly because it's all based on hearsay. When you have disputes between two parties, and no one's really there to witness, that's all it is. I don't know either party in this case personally either, so why should I feel the need to judge like I do? For all I know, RVD and Booker could be onto something. For all I know, RVD and Booker could be full of shit and have really fragile egos, taking something innocent the Bucks did and misconstruing it because they feel like they're owed something. But the thing is I don't know, and I'll probably never know.

And the whole not knowing thing? I think I liked it better that way.

1 - If you take that as an explicit endorsement to refer to guys by their real names, congratulations, you've missed the point completely.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

The One Where Jason Doesn't Know I'm Quoting Zack Ryder

Wrestlespective Radio: SummerSlam 2001's Main Event

Jason Mann and I discuss SummerSlam 2001's final match in his series of podcasts dedicated to the main events of each of WWE's summer classic events. The match is The Rock vs. Booker T for the WCW World Championship... yep, the WCW World Championship. Wrestling sure was wacky in 2001. Anyway, we go over Booker T's wild eyes and facial expressions, the efficacy of Shane McMahon as a manager, the Invasion and a whole bunch of other things. Come for the match discussion, stay for Jason awkwardly not knowing that I'm trying to riff off the end of Zack Ryder's Z! True Long Island Stories with my outro. Good times!

When Announcers Stop Caring: Why Taz and Jerry Lawler Actively Hurt Their Products

"Not for nuttin' Tenay, but I ain't got
the slightest clue what's goin' on!"
Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

I get why people don't like Michael Cole anymore. Trust me, I do, and I'm actually there myself. I hate that he talks over guys like Jim Ross or Josh Mathews who are passionate about trying to get the stories and the action in the ring over. He's entertaining at times, yes, but increasingly he's becoming more and more of a nuisance and a caricature rather than being the guy who tells the truth (which is really where heel color commentators excel... Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura ALWAYS told the truth, no matter how sordid it was).

That being said, I'll still take him over Jerry Lawler any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I also get why people hate on Mike Tenay. I've been doing it ever since I started the blog (unless I was talking about his run in WCW as the knowledgeable foreign wrestling analyst, which was GREAT). A play-by-play announcer shouldn't have the level of knowledge that a regular mark fan does. It's okay to be surprised every once in awhile, but announcers are there to show a little bit of authority at least. Tenay doesn't show that. Plus I hate his tendencies to call moves by their abbreviation and then saying the words right after.

That being said, he's leagues better to me than his broadcast partner Taz. LEAGUES.

I can stomach bad announcing, even if it grates on me. Fine, you have annoying habits, or you call my favorite wrestler "boring". I can deal with that. But the one thing I really can't stand is not giving a shit. Seriously, how hard is it to be enthusiastic about selling the product you're calling? The announcer's job is to make sure things are conveyed and that there's a sense of excitement attached to the things happening in the ring. Generally speaking, if the guy who's there calling the action is apathetic, then why the hell should I feel anything other than malaise? Even worse, if the announcer can't be assed to pay attention to what's going on in the storylines, then why should I?

Big example of this occurred on Impact Thursday. Sting had told Immortal that he was a network executive just so he could cause some shenanigans during the telecast. Towards the end of the show, before the steel cage main event between Kurt Angle and Ken Anderson, Sting revealed that he lied about being an exec, causing a great bit of consternation amongst the main heel faction. There was a big deal made about it by Tenay and to an extent Taz. Minutes later, Taz made note that Sting made the match because he was a network exec. I can only imagine Tenay's off-camera facepalm was epic at the stunning lack of attention paid by Taz. The worst thing about it is that it happened on a taped show. They could have cut that audio out. Then again, it is Impact.

It's the same reason why I can enjoy Booker T even if he has obvious flaws. It doesn't take a critical analyst to tell that Booker really gets into calling the action, and even if his knowledge lacks sometimes, or he states the obvious or he doesn't have the snappy comeback to put Cole in his place, he has a joyful exuberance that makes him a million times better to listen to then even some technically "good" announcers. He makes me want to get into the match he calls.

Why can't WWE and Impact see that? I mean, Lawler is an iconic name, and Taz used to work for WWE, so obviously, he's gold in the eyes of Dixie and Co. But those are things that shouldn't determine who your broadcast team is. Diamond Dallas Page is also an iconic name, but he also seems to be a guy who'd jump at the chance to sit next to JR on RAW and call action. Booker's an iconic name, and he knows how to sell sizzle. Adam Pearce is an iconic name at the indie level, and when he got behind the mic in NWA Hollywood, he was perhaps the guy who did the best job out of anyone who called matches for them. It's not mutually exclusive to be a good broadcaster and a big name.

The broadcast booths of the mainstream wrestling companies need enemas. Even if a guy like Cole is kept, as irritating as he is, at least he gets behind his character. If he stayed and Lawler left, I'd be super happy. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be alone either.

My Favorite Wrestlers Ever: #25 through #21

Let's dive into the list, shall we? Let's do it!

Photo Credit: WWE.com

25. Kurt Angle

Full disclosure, Kurt Angle would be a lot higher on this list if he didn't fall off towards the end of his WWE run and into his TNA/Impact tenure. Ever since he dropped the "goofy" from his "goofy badass" persona, I've really found him to be bland and mostly unappealing. Even his wrestling has sunken for me.

That being said, I'm not here to bash the guy. This is my favorite wrestlers list. There was a time when Angle was must-see TV for me. From the time when he first debuted at Survivor Series '99 through his feud with Brock Lesnar, there were a scant few who commanded my attention both in the ring and out of it like Angle did. He was great as a performer himself, but he was also a great foil for nearly everyone he worked against, be it Steve Austin, Big Show, Lesnar or Booker T. At one time, he was the best in the world, which makes his fall from grace for me that much more painful to watch.

Photo Credit:
Scott Finkelstein

24. UltraMantis Black

When most people mention the Dark Lord, they're probably Star Wars fans referring to Darth Vader or Harry Potter fans referring to Lord Voldemort. When I refer to a Dark Lord, it's lovingly and obediently and directed at one UltraMantis Black. Why? Well, because he's awesome, that's why. To begin to understand how Mantis brings in the goodness is just to understand his gimmick. He's a guy who wears an insectoid mask, carries around a staff and is an alleged proponent of black magic. It's utterly silly, silly enough that it fits into the Chikara ethos perfectly.

It's not just the gimmick either. He's a good wrestler, maybe not the best in terms of ability in any one area, but the dude knows how to convey a story. He's also one of the best announcers in wrestling right now, and whenever he's calling a match on Chikara DVDs, ESPECIALLY when his partner is Bryce Remsburg, the results are magic. He's also one of only three guys whose t-shirt I own or have owned in the past. One was mentioned yesterday. The other one is my favorite wrestler of all-time. That's pretty good company.

Photo Credit: WWE.com

23. Booker T

SUCKAAAAAAAAAAH! Booker T always had that wild-eyed charm, an unhinged aura that made him eminently likable to me. As a guy who didn't watch all that much WCW until 1999, I missed out on a lot of Harlem Heat. But when he busted out as a solo star, I thought WCW had something with him. They tried turning him into a dimestore imitation of The Rock, but he deserved so much better than that. Much like Christian is portrayed now, Booker was always played up a the foil who lost, especially when brawling with Steve Austin in a supermarket while Ric Flair and Vince McMahon watched on the TitanTron.

Thing is, Booker now continues to prove his awesomeness to me every Friday night and on PPVs when I get to order them. He's so damn charming and exuberant that it doesn't matter that he states the obvious all the time or doesn't really know to defend himself when Michael Cole barbs him. And when he made his comeback, doing the Spinarooni before getting tossed to the floor by Mason Ryan at the Royal Rumble? Yeah, I marked. Huge.

Photo Credit: WWE.com

22. Yokozuna

Yoko has the distinction of the first heel that I really rooted for. It wasn't early on in his run, but after WrestleMania: The Arcade Game came out for Sega Genesis, I started using the shit out of the sumo warrior. From there, my vicarious living through digital means of the big lug made me more and more of a fan of his.

I also thought he was very underrated as a worker. I mean yeah, there's only so much a 500 lb. guy can do, but what he did do, he did really well. I loved the Banzai Drop as a finisher too. Simple, effective match finishes are sometimes the best, and while a three-and-a-half rotation corkscrew moonsaulting cutthroat Death Valley Driver might be pretty to look at, a quarter-ton dude jumping ass-first on a guy's chest gets to the fucking point right away.

Photo Credit: WWE.com

21. CM Punk

Only 21st? Yeah, it might seem low, but when you consider there have been thousands upon thousands of guys to step in the squared circle, 21st is probably somewhere in the 99th percentile. And that's damn good.

See, just because I like 20 guys throughout wrestling history more than Punk doesn't reflect badly at all on the Straight Edge Savior. I also admit that the way things are going now, as he gets more and more of a stage to do his thing, if I were to do this list next year, he might make top 10. His ceiling is that high, and he's done a fucking fantastic job of entertaining me since I've come back to wrestling three years or so ago.

The reason why he resonates with me, and with so many other fans, is that he gets it. He's not a "performer", he's a real person, with real thoughts, speaking real words and sparking real emotion. He's a great wrestler and never denies that this is wrestling. When he speaks, it's so natural. He's not afraid to take risks either. I mean, from him jabbing at Jeff Hardy's drug addiction in 2009 all the way up to insinuating that he has an intimate relationship with Triple H's wife today at ComiCon, he has a flair for the entertaining.

So yeah, don't think of this as me underrating Punk. Think of the other 20 guys on the list over the next few days as guys I really, really have a fandom for. Because if I have Punk at this spot, imagine how much I enjoy the next twenty.

Wrestling Six Packs: Favorite Announce Teams

All hail the great and devious lord of Chikara's
Commentation Station!

Announcing is such a tricky beast. You can have great announcers, but what good are they if their partner's a dud, or if they're miscast? That's why you can't really look at single announcers as much as teams. Here are six of my favorite announce pairings or trios in wrestling today.

1. Bryce Remsburg and UltraMantis Black

Of course Bryce was going to be here. Hell, I love nearly everyone that has ever gone into the Commentation Station, and Bryce's exuberance is a huge reason. For whatever reason, I think he pairs best with Mantis. The Great and Devious One's macabre and methodical tone plays as a perfect canvas for Bryce marking out like a less smarky Joey Styles. It's just a perfect teaming.

2. Excalibur and Chris Hero

In addition to being a world-class wrestler, Hero takes to PWG's announce table whenever he can. The results are pretty epic. Excalibur, when left to work freely behind the table for the Guerrilla, is just a treat to listen to. He's a trove of wrestling trivia and move knowledge, and the excited calls and cursing don't hurt for me at least. He's there with a bunch of different partners, but for some reason, he and Hero gel the best. I think that it's a combination of Hero's natural charisma and knowledge as well as the chemistry and friendship that's easily sensed between the two. One of the reasons why PWG stands out above the fray.

3. Scott Stanford and Josh Mathews

I don't know what it is about Scott Stanford that makes me like him so much. Maybe it's his cheesy, over the top delivery, his palling around with Zack Ryder, his nicknaming, the seeming non-sequiturs... he's such a throwback, kinda like a Vince McMahon, only a little more knowledgeable about how to call an actual match. Mathews serves as a good foil for him just because of how understated he is. He seems the most comfortable with Stanford. Matt Striker was too pompous. Michael Cole and he had too much of an inside relationship that got old more quickly than I thought (without some mediator in between, as we'll see later in the list). But with Stanford? Yeah, it's a shame no one watches Superstars, because they're missing out.

4. Lenny Leonard and Leonard F. Chikarason

There's nothing really flashy about this team, but then again, they call matches for EVOLVE... that's the meat 'n potatoes fed. Wins matter. The action matters. They're pitch perfect for the fed, and they're both really informative, both with the history and with the actual action. I really dig it.

5. Josh Mathews, Booker T and Michael Cole

Booker T makes this broadcast team. He absolutely does. I've noted before that he's an anomaly in that he's a true neutral voice. I also love his banter with Michael Cole, with Cole needling him and Booker playing it off pitch-perfectly. His bewilderment at certain happenings is just priceless too. Booker is just like Dusty Rhodes as an announcer. He really shouldn't be all that good, but he just fits and is memorable for what some might term "all the wrong reasons". But if liking Booker is wrong? I don't wanna be right.

6. Bryce Remsburg and Mike Quackenbush

And we come full circle with another Commentation Station pairing. While Mantis' theatrical style plays foil to Bryce in one way, Quack is similarly a counterweight in a totally different style. He's authoritative, cerebral, calling matches like us nerds would write announcers in our random e-feds. Like Excalibur, he knows all the moves, all the history. And he's got such an announcer's voice too. It pairs brilliantly as the straight man to Bryce's super-fan.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Future Endeavors 6/11 Power Poll: Tough Enough to the Top

TE winner and top of the power poll
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Bro Rocca, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:

1. Andy Leavine (Last week: NR)
2. R-Truth (1)
3. Christian (5)
4. Randy Orton (3)
5. Alex Riley (2)
6. John Cena (NR)
7. Booker T (NR)
8. The Miz (NR)
9. Daniel Bryan (6)
10. Sin Cara (8)

And now, my ballot:

1. Andy Leavine - I know I didn't watch Tough Enough, but hey, this is as good a consolation prize for him getting slapped and Stunnered in his first action as an official WWE wrestler.

2. Christian - He finally turned heel, keeping Sheamus from winning the World Championship and walloping Randy Orton with it after the match. Big waves for a guy who's been the focus of Smackdown for the better part of two months now.

3. YAMATO - He made it out of the weekend as the Open the Freedom Gate Champion, which given how infrequent title switches happen in DGUSA may not be impressive, but then again, he did defeat the English Jumping Bean PAC.

4. R-Truth - Despite the inappropriate wardrobe choice, he was again on fire Monday. My favorite was when he accused Obama of wanting to throw him off a boat. Must be stumping for Republican support.

5. Booker T - NOSTALGIA!

6. Alex Riley - Three weeks, and his push isn't derailed. They just might be serious about him.

7. John Cena - Stock John Ce... wait, wrong wrestler for a stock ranking. Okay.

8. The Miz - Yes, I did vote for all the members in the main event tag match on RAW. Why do you ask?

9. Johnny Gargano - He traded wins with Austin Aries, getting the win in the stable war over him. Also, he's the whole shebang.

10. Evan Bourne - DIRECT BENEFICIARY OF NOSTALGIA!

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Booker T and the Case of Unmitigated Nostalgia

Spinaroonis in stereo
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, Booker T got back into a WWE ring for the first time since the Royal Rumble and the first time in a singles match in what, five years? He defeated Jack Swagger after the All-American American American American American American American American American American got himself intentionally counted out, but the result of the match really was immaterial to me. The fact that he wrestled again is what counts here. Well, that and that he and Evan Bourne did a Spinarooni in the middle of the ring after the match. That was pretty cool.

I guess I'm just glad to see Book back in WWE. OF all the guys that went to TNA, Booker to me seemed like the guy who fit in the least. I don't care if you think he's annoying on commentary on Smackdown, I love it. And I loved seeing him in the ring Monday. SUCKA!

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Instant Feedback: R-Truth, You Probably Shouldn't Wear That

Full disclosure: I thought the opening segment to RAW, which was really the closing segment to Tough Enough bleeding into RAW in something surreal, was entertaining as hell. I thought Truf's rambling was hilarious. I liked what I saw from Miz and Alex Riley. Cena was... Cena. It was clusterfucky, and reminiscent of 1999-2000 in a weird but good way. I dug it.

That being said, whose fucking idea was it to have R-Truth wear a Confederate soldier's uniform? There's edgy, and there's stupid. While I didn't have a problem with it, it's stupid to tempt outcry like that. Then again, it did lead to a really good main event with some really good moments, like Miz jaw-jacking with Austin, Riley getting a really loud chant followed by the most nuclear hot tag for Cena that I've ever heard in my life. The finish was... well yeah, it was fanservice. At the same time, they did it a couple of weeks ago with Bret Hart. A bit more creativity needed from WWE Creative... haha, yeah right.

I was pretty baffled though... why the fuck would the RAW GM give Austin his job right after undermining his decision? Christ, these writers were in rare form tonight. Ugh.

Anyway, outside of the main angle, this was an all-over-the-place RAW. There were good spots, like the wrestling, Punk's pre-match promo and Booker T (!) wrestling in a singles match for the first time in like five years in WWE. It was pretty nice too. Plus, they continue to build the Jack Swagger/Evan Bourne feud nicely. It's also always good to see Zack Ryder on RAW, even when he's jobbing, and Dolph Ziggler on commentary was really, really pointed and fit well. Seriously, talking about the US Championship like it's important? Tommy likey.

However, the bullshit parity booking reared its ugly head again, with a mini-program between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio wrapping up neatly in two weeks. We got two great matches out of it yeah. I'm not complaining about that. But would it kill them to use two of their strongest characters in something more than trading wins with no other storyline advancement? Weak. Then you have Alberto del Rio, who's usually on point. I got excited when I saw him, but then he rolled out Ricardo Rodriguez as a dimestore Big Show. No. People say feuds with Big Show are momentum killers. However, is it the act of feuding with Show, or is it that Creative doesn't give a shit with Show, since they know he's probably just going be in a tag filler match or wrestle in a celebrity match at WrestleMania, and thus his endgame is really, really unimportant. I don't know.

Mixed bag tonight, the very definition. Next week's a three hour RAW though, so you know it'll be heavy on the wrestling. At least we have that going for us.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!