Despite their claims, TNA is not active competition to the WWE. It's a fact. Are they growing? Slowly, but yes. However, watching an episode of any WWE show (even ECW) then hitting up Impact will immediately showcase an inferior product. I have been watching Impact more regularly lately, and I've gathered five things (in random order) that makes the experience somewhat difficult for me.
1) Crowd reaction
Now I realize this is hardly TNA's fault, but the crowd reaction really does seem to hurt the product. The smallest aerial spot will ignite a 'TNA!' chant, and well-known names will be cheered simply for name recognition. I'm pretty sure that of Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Booker T, Kevin Nash, Sting, AJ Styles, Scott Steiner, Tomko, and Samoa Joe, there should be one heel, but you can't tell from the crowd. Everyone gets cheered. Of course, I remember the days in which WCW piped in 'Goldberg' chants, so I guess this may be the lesser of two evils.
2) Inconsistency
The problem with my inconsistent viewership of Impact is that I am constantly wondering who's on which side of what. The Team Angle/Christian Coalition thing had me scratching my head, Tomko's allegiance baffled me, and just what is up with Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe? Sting is supposed to be this holier-than-thou bitter veteran, yet still high fives the fans on his way to and from the ring. Everyone loves the swerve, but you really need to keep some kind of consistency if you're going to make them mean something.
3) Gimmicks
First and foremost, leave Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt out of this category. They have both taken what could be awful gimmicks and have run with them. I'm talking about Shiek Abdul Bashir (Shawn Davari) who is holding the X Division Title as his hostage (yes, Mike Tenay really said that). I'm talking about Christopher Daniels being 'fired' and returning as the masked Curry Man. I'm talking about the imminent arrival of Suicide, a character based on the amnesia-based video game character. There seem to be a million bad gimmicks out there, and TNA is slowly but surely trying to go through them all. At least Matt Morgan isn't stuttering. That's a plus.
4) Don West
As the voice of the product, a commentator's voice is the most-heard noise on a show. You'd think that with responsibility, one would find a set of somewhat pleasant voices to be heard for the product. WWE has its teams of Jim Ross, Tazz, Matt Striker, Todd Grisham, Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole, none of whom are hard on the ears. TNA has its longtime team of Mike Tenay and Don West. While Mike Tenay is certainly a capable commentator (as well as a walking encyclopedia of wrestling knowledge), Don West yells. And yells. And yells. I would probably be welcoming on TNA programming if West wasn't screaming at me for both hours. TNA also falls into the old WCW trap of having two play-by-play guys and no color commentators. Surely there's someone who can provide analysis - maybe someone like Scott D'Amore or James Mitchell or even Raven to take the spot. Just please, PLEASE, get rid of West.
5) Crazy-ass matches
If you think about it from a business standpoint, the weekly, free TV shows are there to allow a storyline to unfold and build to a turning point/climactic moment at a PPV, in which the viewer has to pay. It is at these PPVs that the highest quality matches should be on display. This includes gimmick matches, that don't (or shouldn't) appear regularly. Such is not the case with TNA, though. Every episode of Impact usually has at least one crazy stipulation match, be it a object-on-a-pole or a ladder match, or some hard-to-define stipulation that TNA is so renowned for. Most of these matches would likely be heavy PPV draws had the fans not become so used to them from episodes of Impact. WCW did the same thing in its closing days, desperate to get a quick ratings jump. So put on quality matches on Impact, and save the special stuff for the PPVs. If you can even get storylines going consistently, you might get a better fanbase.
So there you go - five things that make watching Impact a chore for me most weeks. There's potential there, which is why I tune in at least every other week. it just needs a lot of fine-tuning to make it.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
TNA Impact (the game)
One of the joys of your masked hero hitting a birthday is that some things he wasn't expecting to get end up obtainable. With an increase of cash in the wallet and a trip to Best Buy, I came home the owner of Midway's mildly anticipated TNA Impact for my PS3. As Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 doesn't come out for another two months, I hoped that this game would cover my wrestling game jitters that usually pop up this time of the year.
If you've seen the commercials (and if you ever watch Impact, I can't imagine that you haven't), you know that the game is pretty. But the question is - how is the rest of it? I can say with confidence that it isn't bad. In fact, in the one day that I've owned it, I've had a pretty good time with it.
Before I get into it, let me just say that there are two great systems of wrestling games out there - the Smackdown system and the No Mercy system. Impact is not either of those, and I'm going to try to limit the comparisons to them as best I can. Fortunately, though, Impact is also no WCW Mayhem or Nitro.
The game is the first installment of what could very well be a strong franchise for TNA games. While the game lacks a certain polish and is limited in features, it provides solid groundwork that can be built greatly upon. After all, before there was No Mercy there was WCW vs. the World (go pick that one up for PS1 and enjoy). Impact balances between its strengths and weaknesses, and in the end, I think it leans into the good. So let's take a look at the game's strengths.
As said before, the game is pretty. The characters are beautifully rendered and each move with nice animation. The only animation I found myself questioning was Rhino's charge to the ring, which made him look like he had a stick jammed somewhere uncomfortable. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal (in his Black Machismo attire) look especially excellent. The moves flow beautifully, and with a system that allows multiple reverses, the animation is near seamless. The Orlando Impact Zone looks exactly as it should and the crowd is fine.
I'm about 20% into the story mode and the voice-over work I've heard is excellent. Of course, besides generic characters, I've only heard James Storm, Kevin Nash and Jay Lethal, but all their lines are well done. The game's tutorial videos are voiced over by Lethal, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, and the only one that was rough to listen to was Styles, but that wasn't because of the voice acting. That's how he actually talks.
The story mode, thus far, has also been enjoyable. Of course, the basic premise is pretty cheesy (involving amnesia of all things) but it's easy to dismiss that aspect and think of it as a guy working his way up the ranks. In fact, why they didn't just take it that direction is beyond me. Anyway, the early stages have your character outside of the company fighting independent wrestlers (created wrestlers, much like in Day of Reckoning) which is a nice touch. Also nice (and frustrating) is that when you finally fight a TNA wrestler, they are substantially tougher than the indie guys. From what I've played, I can say that there have been better story modes (Here Comes the Pain) as well as worse (Wrestlemania XIX).
The game control itself is pretty solid, though does have a bit of a learning curve. Your four face buttons are punch, kick, grapple and action (roll out of the ring, climb turnbuckle), with the two top buttons for strong attacks and reverses, then the triggers being used for running and...uh...I honestly can't remember what the other one does. The strong button is more of a modifier button to be used in combination with the others. With the grapple button, it allows a tie-up, which can be pulled into a submission using the action button. This also will perform the finisher, if the IMPACT meter for your character fills. All finishers (that I have seen thus far) are done from a front grapple. Overall, it's a lot of combinations, but once you get down what you're doing, it's good fun.
The downside to the controls is that it seems that each control has one move associated to it, which severely limits your character's repertoire. My created guy will use tons of neckbreakers and DDTs before I have done enough damage to get the pin. Each character shares certain moves, which limits the individuality, save taunts and finishers. My biggest complaint, though, is the control for kicking out of a pin attempt - as in I can't kick out of pin attempts. If someone tries to pin me, I'm done. Every time. I'm working on it.
Other standard wrestling game features appear, but are limited in their expanse. The create-a-wrestler is quite disappointing, especially since the story mode requires that you use a created character. The only bio information for your character is the name - things like hometown, weight and height are missing. The costume selection is extremely limited and the colors range from bland to ugly. The face customization isn't too bad but the inability to adjust the scale of any of the body is greatly missed. In fact, two of the three available body sizes seem to make your character look out of shape. The 'athletic' build in particular has a bit of a gut and slight love handles. There is no cruiserweight-style body for those lucha-libre fans. The move selection, at my point, is horribly limited as all but the default moves must be unlocked by getting style points in matches. If nothing else, if gives a reason to keep playing exhibition matches after the story's done.
The other thing lacking here is game modes. While TNA prides itself on its ridiculous amount of stipulation matches, the game only has one-on-one, free-for-all (fatal four way), tag match and the Ultimate X Match (with 2 or 3 participants). No Six Sides of Steel, King of the Mountain, or even standard battle royal. Hopefully in future installments the other TNA staples will be added to the mix.
Finally, the roster. Of the characters initially available, most all of TNA is represented. Main eventers like Sting, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Booker T, and AJ Styles are present, as are the X-Divisioners like Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Shark Boy and Jay Lethal. I haven't unlocked them yet, but I know Kevin Nash is in the game and Petey Williams' finisher is unlockable, so I figure he is too. Brother Devon is initially playable, but Brother Ray isn't so I assume he too is unlockable. Even the rank and file is represented with the likes of James Storm, Robert Roode and Scott Steiner. It's really a good representation of TNA's talent. However, the biggest hole in the roster is the lack of the Knockouts. With the division really becoming the shining point of TNA, the lack of the likes of Gail Kim, Awesome Kong and even ODB is damaging.
Overall, I have to say I enjoy the game and even with what it's lacking, there's a lot to be enjoyed. In future installments, I hope to see defendable titles, better move sets, an expanded create-a-wrestler and others, but for what this one is, I'm not disappointed (as my expectations were pretty low to begin with). If nothing else, the bonus features on my PS3 copy gives five matches (two of which are recent exclusives) with past and present TNA talent including Jeff Jarrett, Brian Christopher (Grand Master Sexay), Scott Hall, Ron Killings (R-Truth), six current X-Divisioners in a six-man free-for-all and the entire Knockouts roster in a gauntlet match.
Not a bad buy, if you have the money to spend. If not, then save it and wait for Smackdown.
If you've seen the commercials (and if you ever watch Impact, I can't imagine that you haven't), you know that the game is pretty. But the question is - how is the rest of it? I can say with confidence that it isn't bad. In fact, in the one day that I've owned it, I've had a pretty good time with it.
Before I get into it, let me just say that there are two great systems of wrestling games out there - the Smackdown system and the No Mercy system. Impact is not either of those, and I'm going to try to limit the comparisons to them as best I can. Fortunately, though, Impact is also no WCW Mayhem or Nitro.
The game is the first installment of what could very well be a strong franchise for TNA games. While the game lacks a certain polish and is limited in features, it provides solid groundwork that can be built greatly upon. After all, before there was No Mercy there was WCW vs. the World (go pick that one up for PS1 and enjoy). Impact balances between its strengths and weaknesses, and in the end, I think it leans into the good. So let's take a look at the game's strengths.
As said before, the game is pretty. The characters are beautifully rendered and each move with nice animation. The only animation I found myself questioning was Rhino's charge to the ring, which made him look like he had a stick jammed somewhere uncomfortable. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal (in his Black Machismo attire) look especially excellent. The moves flow beautifully, and with a system that allows multiple reverses, the animation is near seamless. The Orlando Impact Zone looks exactly as it should and the crowd is fine.
I'm about 20% into the story mode and the voice-over work I've heard is excellent. Of course, besides generic characters, I've only heard James Storm, Kevin Nash and Jay Lethal, but all their lines are well done. The game's tutorial videos are voiced over by Lethal, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, and the only one that was rough to listen to was Styles, but that wasn't because of the voice acting. That's how he actually talks.
The story mode, thus far, has also been enjoyable. Of course, the basic premise is pretty cheesy (involving amnesia of all things) but it's easy to dismiss that aspect and think of it as a guy working his way up the ranks. In fact, why they didn't just take it that direction is beyond me. Anyway, the early stages have your character outside of the company fighting independent wrestlers (created wrestlers, much like in Day of Reckoning) which is a nice touch. Also nice (and frustrating) is that when you finally fight a TNA wrestler, they are substantially tougher than the indie guys. From what I've played, I can say that there have been better story modes (Here Comes the Pain) as well as worse (Wrestlemania XIX).
The game control itself is pretty solid, though does have a bit of a learning curve. Your four face buttons are punch, kick, grapple and action (roll out of the ring, climb turnbuckle), with the two top buttons for strong attacks and reverses, then the triggers being used for running and...uh...I honestly can't remember what the other one does. The strong button is more of a modifier button to be used in combination with the others. With the grapple button, it allows a tie-up, which can be pulled into a submission using the action button. This also will perform the finisher, if the IMPACT meter for your character fills. All finishers (that I have seen thus far) are done from a front grapple. Overall, it's a lot of combinations, but once you get down what you're doing, it's good fun.
The downside to the controls is that it seems that each control has one move associated to it, which severely limits your character's repertoire. My created guy will use tons of neckbreakers and DDTs before I have done enough damage to get the pin. Each character shares certain moves, which limits the individuality, save taunts and finishers. My biggest complaint, though, is the control for kicking out of a pin attempt - as in I can't kick out of pin attempts. If someone tries to pin me, I'm done. Every time. I'm working on it.
Other standard wrestling game features appear, but are limited in their expanse. The create-a-wrestler is quite disappointing, especially since the story mode requires that you use a created character. The only bio information for your character is the name - things like hometown, weight and height are missing. The costume selection is extremely limited and the colors range from bland to ugly. The face customization isn't too bad but the inability to adjust the scale of any of the body is greatly missed. In fact, two of the three available body sizes seem to make your character look out of shape. The 'athletic' build in particular has a bit of a gut and slight love handles. There is no cruiserweight-style body for those lucha-libre fans. The move selection, at my point, is horribly limited as all but the default moves must be unlocked by getting style points in matches. If nothing else, if gives a reason to keep playing exhibition matches after the story's done.
The other thing lacking here is game modes. While TNA prides itself on its ridiculous amount of stipulation matches, the game only has one-on-one, free-for-all (fatal four way), tag match and the Ultimate X Match (with 2 or 3 participants). No Six Sides of Steel, King of the Mountain, or even standard battle royal. Hopefully in future installments the other TNA staples will be added to the mix.
Finally, the roster. Of the characters initially available, most all of TNA is represented. Main eventers like Sting, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Booker T, and AJ Styles are present, as are the X-Divisioners like Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Shark Boy and Jay Lethal. I haven't unlocked them yet, but I know Kevin Nash is in the game and Petey Williams' finisher is unlockable, so I figure he is too. Brother Devon is initially playable, but Brother Ray isn't so I assume he too is unlockable. Even the rank and file is represented with the likes of James Storm, Robert Roode and Scott Steiner. It's really a good representation of TNA's talent. However, the biggest hole in the roster is the lack of the Knockouts. With the division really becoming the shining point of TNA, the lack of the likes of Gail Kim, Awesome Kong and even ODB is damaging.
Overall, I have to say I enjoy the game and even with what it's lacking, there's a lot to be enjoyed. In future installments, I hope to see defendable titles, better move sets, an expanded create-a-wrestler and others, but for what this one is, I'm not disappointed (as my expectations were pretty low to begin with). If nothing else, the bonus features on my PS3 copy gives five matches (two of which are recent exclusives) with past and present TNA talent including Jeff Jarrett, Brian Christopher (Grand Master Sexay), Scott Hall, Ron Killings (R-Truth), six current X-Divisioners in a six-man free-for-all and the entire Knockouts roster in a gauntlet match.
Not a bad buy, if you have the money to spend. If not, then save it and wait for Smackdown.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
If It's On a Wrestling News Site, It Must Be True
There are rumors going around the internets that MVP has a good deal of backstage heat for some reason or another. Given the previous stories we've all heard about backstage heat, especially all those about CM Punk and the track record they've had, my pick to win the WWE Championship scramble at Unforgiven this Sunday is...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
An ongoing "thing" is born
I try to be polite when talking about the form of entertainment I oh, so enjoy. Since the mid-90s, these performers have given me countless hours (really, I don't want to count them) of entertainment, and I appreciate that. I really do.
But sometimes as I watch, something so ridiculous, so bone-headed, so just 'WTF' happens that I have to scratch my head and question the thought process that allowed it to happen. Fortunately for me, I have found what will throw up a flag anytime I comment on such a moment:
Shame on you if you don't know who this guy is. If you see him pop up, you know that I've seen something that I think is, for lack of a better term, flipping loopy.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Championship scramble - bit of a mess?
The owner of this blog, myself and several others make it something of a habit to get the WWE PPVs every month (only when there's a twofer in a month will we skip one), so it is quite likely that we will be sitting down for Unforgiven in about a week and a half. Looking towards that, it's probably best that I start getting excited about the newfangled 'Championship Scramble' matches. Apparently WWE has so much confidence in them, it's giving us three of them - one for each brand's title. Now I may be wrong, but it seems like the novelty may have worn thin by the time we get to the third match (likely the one for CM Punk's World Heavyweight title).
The Championship Scramble - an 'Adamle Original' from Raw GM Mike Adamle - is a 20 minute, five man match in which two participants begin with a new one entering the ring every five minutes. Any time a pinfall or submission is scored, that person becomes something of an unofficial, interim champion (pretty much 'it') until another is scored. When the 20 minutes are up, the person who is 'it' becomes the champion. And no, that will not inflate any of the title histories. WWE has gone out of their way to make sure everyone knows that only the winner will be officially champion.
So when Adamle announced the match, he gave the opponents for CM Punk, and it read like a usual suspects list: John Cena, Batista, Kane and JBL. Nothing really new there - the Raw upper card and usual contenders. Then, John Cena went down with an injury and the spot became the return match for Rey Mysterio - who is off-camera in the makings of a feud with Kane. The change has put Batista in something of a spot as he becomes the only person who does not have an ongoing feud (though they've used his past friendship with Mysterio to build some tension between him and Kane). The original would have had JBL vs. Punk, Cena vs. Batista, and Kane with the tension of a returning Mysterio. Personally, I would have given Chris Jericho the open spot and had Batista vs. Kane with Jericho having the tension of Shawn Michaels, taking the feud into No Mercy. But who am I to second guess?
So with Raw's big match set, Smackdown quickly announced that they too would have a Championship Scramble. Once the qualifying matches were done, Triple H's opponents were set as Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, MVP and The Brian Kendrick. To me, this is the more exciting match as you have younger talent with flashier styles. It's also exciting to see the likes of Benjamin and Kendrick in a title match. Both have been shining for quite some time and this is really a chance for them to show that they belong in the next level. Of course, much to my chagrin, this setup pretty much assures that Triple H will leave still champion. I'm not by any means a Triple H hater - on the contrary, I think he's one of the best (if not the best) talents in the company -but can you really see any of the others taking the title at this point? And no, I don't think Jeff Hardy has proved himself again yet - missing WrestleMania because of a drug suspension is going to take a while.
Finally, last night ECW announced that they too would have a Scramble, and this time it seemed like they just drew names out of a hat for the shot at Mark Henry. Matt Hardy was a given, of course, but the other three were the Miz, Chavo Guerrero and Finlay. The Miz I'm fine with - he's really come a long way since in his eight month tag title reign, but it seems like a crime to not include his partner John Morrison, who is the stronger talent of the two. Chavo Guerrero has been embroiled in a Smackdown storyline for months and seems out of place compared to the man he beat to get in - Tommy Dreamer - who would have a better reason to go after Mark Henry, aside from the ECW Championship. As for Finlay, he's been feuding with Mike Knox - a feud that I hope wasn't ended when Finlay got into this match. If I had to pick anyone from the roster to fill Finlay's spot, I'd say toss in one of the new talents - Evan Bourne or Ricky Ortiz - or someone the fans can get behind like Super Crazy.
So of the three matches, the one that's balanced and exciting is also predictable, and the others just aren't getting my interest going. Will they be good? I hope so. I'm cutting in a part of the PPV cost, after all.
The Championship Scramble - an 'Adamle Original' from Raw GM Mike Adamle - is a 20 minute, five man match in which two participants begin with a new one entering the ring every five minutes. Any time a pinfall or submission is scored, that person becomes something of an unofficial, interim champion (pretty much 'it') until another is scored. When the 20 minutes are up, the person who is 'it' becomes the champion. And no, that will not inflate any of the title histories. WWE has gone out of their way to make sure everyone knows that only the winner will be officially champion.
So when Adamle announced the match, he gave the opponents for CM Punk, and it read like a usual suspects list: John Cena, Batista, Kane and JBL. Nothing really new there - the Raw upper card and usual contenders. Then, John Cena went down with an injury and the spot became the return match for Rey Mysterio - who is off-camera in the makings of a feud with Kane. The change has put Batista in something of a spot as he becomes the only person who does not have an ongoing feud (though they've used his past friendship with Mysterio to build some tension between him and Kane). The original would have had JBL vs. Punk, Cena vs. Batista, and Kane with the tension of a returning Mysterio. Personally, I would have given Chris Jericho the open spot and had Batista vs. Kane with Jericho having the tension of Shawn Michaels, taking the feud into No Mercy. But who am I to second guess?
So with Raw's big match set, Smackdown quickly announced that they too would have a Championship Scramble. Once the qualifying matches were done, Triple H's opponents were set as Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, MVP and The Brian Kendrick. To me, this is the more exciting match as you have younger talent with flashier styles. It's also exciting to see the likes of Benjamin and Kendrick in a title match. Both have been shining for quite some time and this is really a chance for them to show that they belong in the next level. Of course, much to my chagrin, this setup pretty much assures that Triple H will leave still champion. I'm not by any means a Triple H hater - on the contrary, I think he's one of the best (if not the best) talents in the company -but can you really see any of the others taking the title at this point? And no, I don't think Jeff Hardy has proved himself again yet - missing WrestleMania because of a drug suspension is going to take a while.
Finally, last night ECW announced that they too would have a Scramble, and this time it seemed like they just drew names out of a hat for the shot at Mark Henry. Matt Hardy was a given, of course, but the other three were the Miz, Chavo Guerrero and Finlay. The Miz I'm fine with - he's really come a long way since in his eight month tag title reign, but it seems like a crime to not include his partner John Morrison, who is the stronger talent of the two. Chavo Guerrero has been embroiled in a Smackdown storyline for months and seems out of place compared to the man he beat to get in - Tommy Dreamer - who would have a better reason to go after Mark Henry, aside from the ECW Championship. As for Finlay, he's been feuding with Mike Knox - a feud that I hope wasn't ended when Finlay got into this match. If I had to pick anyone from the roster to fill Finlay's spot, I'd say toss in one of the new talents - Evan Bourne or Ricky Ortiz - or someone the fans can get behind like Super Crazy.
So of the three matches, the one that's balanced and exciting is also predictable, and the others just aren't getting my interest going. Will they be good? I hope so. I'm cutting in a part of the PPV cost, after all.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Another Seven Bite the Dust
WWE has released six more names as of yesterday.
Shannon Moore and Domino were on my list. Nunzio should have been, but I forgot about him.
Braden Walker used to be "Wildcat" Chris Harris in TNA. Aside from Monty Brown, Harris was the only "home grown" TNA star to jump ship to WWE. After signing his contract back in January, he was invisible for six months until popping up in ECW. He was released after just two televised matches.
James Curtis was a jobber in ECW, but back when he was KC James he was one of Michelle McCool's "Teacher's Pets" along with Idol Stevens. After that tag team went nowhere, he went back to OVW. He eventually found his way to ECW, where he never won a match.
The story going around was that Big Daddy V was sent home and told to lose some weight. Apparently, WWE saw being a 900+ lb. bucket of jiggly man goo in suspenders as not healthy. I'm guessing the efforts to trim up didn't go so well. Along with Trevor Murdoch, he was a wasted draft pick as he got released before even making an appearance on the show he was drafted to.
And finally, famous referee Nick Patrick got the sack as well. I have no idea why, but I can't say as I remember seeing him on television recently.
Shannon Moore and Domino were on my list. Nunzio should have been, but I forgot about him.
Braden Walker used to be "Wildcat" Chris Harris in TNA. Aside from Monty Brown, Harris was the only "home grown" TNA star to jump ship to WWE. After signing his contract back in January, he was invisible for six months until popping up in ECW. He was released after just two televised matches.
James Curtis was a jobber in ECW, but back when he was KC James he was one of Michelle McCool's "Teacher's Pets" along with Idol Stevens. After that tag team went nowhere, he went back to OVW. He eventually found his way to ECW, where he never won a match.
The story going around was that Big Daddy V was sent home and told to lose some weight. Apparently, WWE saw being a 900+ lb. bucket of jiggly man goo in suspenders as not healthy. I'm guessing the efforts to trim up didn't go so well. Along with Trevor Murdoch, he was a wasted draft pick as he got released before even making an appearance on the show he was drafted to.
And finally, famous referee Nick Patrick got the sack as well. I have no idea why, but I can't say as I remember seeing him on television recently.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Just a Thought...
One champion (CM Punk) and five challengers (JBL, Batista, Cena, Kane, Jericho).
If it weren't for the fact that they've already had two of them this year, I'd say we've got the makings of an Elimination Chamber on our hands.
Better judgment says they won't go for it, but you never know.
UPDATE: On second thought, I just learned that there's going to be a Hell In A Cell match at Summerslam. Given that both structures would have to hang over the ring, it's logistically impossible for both to happen on the same night.
If it weren't for the fact that they've already had two of them this year, I'd say we've got the makings of an Elimination Chamber on our hands.
Better judgment says they won't go for it, but you never know.
UPDATE: On second thought, I just learned that there's going to be a Hell In A Cell match at Summerslam. Given that both structures would have to hang over the ring, it's logistically impossible for both to happen on the same night.
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