OORick
You and what army? 
Posts 2104
Registered 12-27-2001 Location - The Birthplace of Aviation Member Is OnlineMood: Foo'd
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| posted on 9-5-2011 at 08:08 PM |
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OOfficial Ratings/Discussion Thread for: RAW (September 5, 2011)
OO Nation: All discussion pertaining to RAW (airing September 5, 2011) should be done in this thread. It will remain pinned at the top of the
Current Events section for the remainder of the week. In discussing the program, we'd love it if you shared your numerical rating for
the show (from a low of 0.0 to a high of 5.0, in any increment of one-tenth of a point). For full details on the ratings scale and how to join in on
this informal "Battle of the Brands," please be sure to check out the OOfficial
Guidelines for TV Ratings/Discussion Threads.
Tonight on RAW: the Age of the "Supershow" continues, as Triple H's vision for fan-pleasing means that RAW will now host guests from
SmackDown every week... the gimmick was conceived of due to declining ratings, and the prospects of additional declines as Monday Night Football
returns and threatens to steal the eyeballs of casual male viewers in the ever-important 18-34 demographic... the last 3 years, RAW's average
rating for September has been -- on average -- 0.3 ratings points lower than its average rating for August... that is particularly distressing this
year, as RAW's average August rating was 3.1 (completing RAW's least-watched summer since 1997), and can't afford to lose another
10% of their audience... last week's "supershow" didn't do much to change the overall ratings big picture: the show did a 3.2 rating,
but lost viewers (0.2 ratings points worth) from the first hour to the second hour, which is always a bad sign...
Alberto del Rio has settled his visa issues, and will be back on TV this week, which means John Cena won't be "orphaned" as he was on last
week's shows... the WWE Title feud between del Rio and Cena could really use some extra oomph, given that so much of the title picture's
momentum had come from CM Punk, and now, there's no Punk in sight, and Cena's claim to the belt stems from winning a #1 Contender's
Match (in crooked fashion, thanks to Johnny Funkhauser and Kevin Nash), and not from any really compelling personal issue with del Rio... so that
needs to change, and we'll see how they handle it now that Alberto's back in the country...
Heading into the "Night of Champions" PPV, the WWE Title feud is being semi-over-shadowed by a feud with no champions in it (unless you acknowledge
HHH as a champion ass-kisser, like CM Punk does)... the drama between Punk and HHH will now be paid off at the upcoming PPV, with Kevin Nash still
involved in the story (despite having to be pulled from a match vs. Punk due to medical issues)... but what'll be worth keeping an eye on
tonight will be exactly how much drama there will be, and how much we'll care about it... after a floptastic Punk/Nash promo two weeks ago, a
Punk/HHH promo seemed to fall flat last week, which is a decided change of pace from all pre-SummerSlam mic work involving Punk... I think
that's because of a couple reasons:
(1) CM Punk (the character) no longer has a genuinely compelling motivation now that he's no longer involved in chasing the WWE Title... his
goal of being acknowledged as the best wrestler in the world has been completely ignored in favor of vague personal animosity against Nash (which
makes some sense, since Nash had a direct hand in costing him his title) and HHH (which is more forced, since Nash's medical issues meant
rushing ahead to the HHH/Punk match instead of letting the Nash/Johnny Ace/texting story play out).
(2) Without the title aspirations giving Punk a concrete and tangible goal, he's tried to over emphasize the intangible goal of "making this
fun again." And that's where his rhetoric starts to fall flat, because if that's his goal, he should be MAKING THIS FUN AGAIN. Not
TALKING ABOUT making this fun again. Does beating HHH in a wrestling match accomplish the goal of making this fun again? Nope. Back when Punk's
insider references were about tangible things (like Vince's out-of-touchery, or the firings of talented performers) and were side bars to his
bigger goal (of winning the WWE Title), he had a perfect mix of elements that resonated with all fans. Now? Not so much.
(3) There could also be a bit of the "Ronnie Dobbs" Effect here. For those who have not dedicated all 4 seasons of "Mr. Show" to memory, Ronnie
Dobbs was a recurring character in skits, and was the most-arrested man in the history of "Cops." But his mostly-harmless misdemeanory turned him
into a beloved celebrity who could no longer get arrested because police and the public found his antics so entertaining. Punk -- by his own admission
-- is a Microphone Terrorist, tossing pipebombs all over the place; now that we've all gotten accustomed to his antics, even EMBRACED the
antics, he might feel like his promos will lose effect if he doesn't keep upping the ante. Which, as outlined above, seems to be playing the
"making this fun" card (in the absence of a more tangible goal), which is more of a felony crime than a misdemeanor, and will tend to keep smarks
entertained (but at the expense of the more average fans who are too young/stupid to realize that WWE had stopped being fun).
(4) I love the unscripted promos, but the past 2 weeks we saw the dangers they pose. First, the Nash promo tanked because Nash simply wasn't up
to the task. But last week, the Punk/HHH promo should have been pure gold, and it just missed the target... and the only reason why is because it
ended up being two guys having monologues, instead of anything resembling a dialogue. They weren't arguing with each other; they were arguing AT
each other. Like a heavyweight boxing match, both were lobbing big bombs, but none of them seemed to connect because Punk wasn't really
interested in responding to what HHH said, and HHH was even less interested in responding directly to Punk. They each presented what they thought were
adequate "burns" on the other guy, but at the end of the promo there was absolutely zero increase in the reasons why they're fighting... so
maybe some kind of half-page summary/bullet points would be a good idea for all future unscripted promo so that both guys understand the PURPOSE of
the promo and can work towards accomplishing that, instead of what happened the past two weeks...
So all that said: I think this is an easily fixable problem... Punk and HHH are too good on the stick to not recognize last week's problems and
address them, and the reasons why they're fighting can still be created in a compelling way now that they've had a week to re-plot things
upon finding out about Nash's unavailability... if you can create intriguing drama out of all the moving parts (not ust Punk/HHH, but also Nash,
Ace, maybe even Steph), then that has a direct effect on Punk's character by (hopefully) giving him a more concrete motivation for getting
distracted by fighting semi-retired guys instead of chasing the title...
[Side note: if they REALLY wanted this to make sense, then you have to give Punk's "make this fun again" motive some real teeth... beating HHH
doesn't make things fun again, but how about adding a stip where if Punk wins, he gains some sort of decision making power that would allow him
to make things fun? Like the power to make a single hiring/firing of his choice? Or the power to book and entire TV show/PPV? Now THAT would get
interesting...]
I realize I have gone on at length about Punk/HHH, but hey, what are these previews for if not to give me an outlet for all the expert insights I have
that don't get turned into main page columns? As for the rest of RAW, there is nothing official announced, but you can expect a focus on the
usual suspects: US Champ Dolph Ziggler is not only dealing with defending his title, but also with his manager (Vickie Guerrero) trying to expand her
stable (against his wishes); both of these matters seem to involve Jack Swagger... the new tag champs, Air Boom, are looking for new opponents now
that they've banished NotNexus to the land of wind and ghosts; Miz and R-Truth worked together again last week (to attack Punk), and remain the
most obvious choice for a PPV tag title match that could rule the universe... and one of these weeks, we have to assume Beth Phoenix/Natalya will do
something about Kelly Kelly being women's champion, because this whole "standing around looking like the very barbie dolls they claim to hate"
thing is getting old...
Beyond that, the wild cards will be the guests from SmackDown and how much of the show they take up: I can see WWE running Mark Henry out there again
tonight to keep heat on him heading into his PPV title shot... Sheamus would benefit from RAW exposure as he gains babyface momentum... in 4 hours
worth of "supershows" last week, IC Champ Cody Rhodes got zero exposure, so the sooner they have him attempt to be interesting, the better, what
with him being a champion and needing an opponent for "Night of Champions"... if/how they use Sin Cara tonight could be interesting, too, given that
he turned heel last week; well, the Fake Sin Cara turned heel last week, as the Original Sin Cara has still not been seen on TV since his suspension
expired (and in storyline terms, his absence was caused by Mark Henry in the MitB Ladder Match)...
That is all. End Communication.
The flOOr is yours, OO Nation. Let your voice be heard and your thoughts on Brand Supremacy be known. Don't wait till after 11pm to post,
either. Pre-show previewing and prognosticating is certainly welcome. So discuss, debate, and rate!
"He's from Mars, Officer; whiskey does not affect alien beings."
-- Venus Flytrap speaking on The Rick
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knuckleballschwartz
Showstopper 
Posts 724
Registered 5-24-2006 Member Is Offline Mood: on strike
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| posted on 9-5-2011 at 09:14 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by OORick
the new tag champs, Air Boom, are looking for new opponents now that they've banished NotNexus to the land of wind and ghosts; Miz and R-Truth
worked together again last week (to attack Punk), and remain the most obvious choice for a PPV tag title match that could rule the universe... and one
of these weeks, we have to assume Beth Phoenix/Natalya will do something about Kelly Kelly being women's champion, because this whole "standing
around looking like the very barbie dolls they claim to hate" thing is getting old...
If I were booking all of this would start to spiral into the punk/HHH story because I'd have Claudio/Hero come in and decimate AirBoom after
they themselves saw off Miz/R-Truth (and pledge allegiance to some sort of indy making-it-fun again faction led by punk) and Beth/Natalya destroy the
divas division for the reasons already explained by them with a sideswipe at the WWE hierarchy for enabling the situation (and a shoot reveal of
Beth's relationship with Punk)....but then I like factions (and fantasy booking) and I'm sure WWE will allow all these angles to continue
to stagnate in isolation.
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bochogy
ButtViper
Posts 6
Registered 9-5-2011 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 9-5-2011 at 10:20 PM |
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I concur on the analysis made. It appeared like CM Punk's role has gone from being an instant high to a hard to maintain one. But this happened
due to the latter "over-talking promos" that WWE has been doing.
CM Punk started on a talking mode, and it was great, but the follow-up hasn't contained too much substance on what's happening. He had a
good touch with the Cena feud. Cena has been a very easy target for CM because Cena is truly un-talented as I still believe up to now, and it's
easier to raise issues. However, the current feud that WWE is trying to present seemed to go beyond what is "reality" that they're trying to
portray. It has become a "personal thoughts" discussion in the ring and the only way that CM gets to have some little punch is when he talks about
Stephanie and some rhetoric where he will try to dig into family issues. At first, it was entertainment, but I guess such script is hard to last long.
I guess CM has to be more creative on what he could further do that could be more pleasing to the fans.
Yes, his speech on the last super show had high notes, but there are scripts where people who "listen well" will appreciate, but there are speeches
that when you just hear a part of it, you get to appreciate all bits of it. I'm not saying that CM punk sucked on his speech, but I think he
could still make all people believe in him, instead of letting everyone try to understand every piece of what he is saying. Now, given that he
mentioned that he wants to have change - that sounded "super hero" like and he has to back it up with something that won't make him sound
super hero or he might end up being like a Cena.
I agree that CM Punk and WWE could still make something good out of it. CM proved for quite a time that he's not the kind of guy that "gets his
power" from the crowd because he speaks his mind. I can listen all I want to his speeches, and I believe in him, but he has to make it more general
for the "business".
[Edited on 9-5-2011 by bochogy]
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Paddlefoot
Posts 1977
Registered 1-19-2008 Location Circus Of Gay Member Is Offline Mood: F'd N Da A
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 01:33 AM |
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Firing a rambling incoherent over-the-hill drunk is actually kind of a good way to start a program.
GW Bush read Camus because "everyone has to read a book written by a killer whale" - General JC Christian
I downloaded the soundtrack to "Song of the South," and it's 45 minutes of whipcracks, women pleading "please, no," and people screaming.
- the esteemed Dr. Mobute
When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir? - John Maynard Keynes
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Chris Is Good517
Posts 10711
Registered 1-10-2002 Location Little Rock, AR Member Is OnlineMood: punchy
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:13 AM |
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Well, I appreciate them letting me know that Punk is going to job at the ppv before I wasted any money on it
Gee, I wish I was still alive- LuckyLopez R.I.P.
Bachmann: "I haven't had a gaffe... when it comes to the best Republican who take
on Barack Obama and not have any clunker in my record to be able to take him on, it's me."
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Total Nonstop Assplay
And I am AWESOME
Posts 130
Registered 6-28-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Tacos
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:19 AM |
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My feelings on this are that HHH loses and resigns followed by Johnny Ace being made the new COO and then Nash coming in with the Kings of Wrestling
as the new NWO that they have been teasing online. HHH and Punk are then forced to set aside their differences to combat the new threat. Granted that
is somewhat of a crackpot theory vut I feel like it would be a good payoff and good entrance for the Kings of Wrestling.
Mess with the best die like the rest
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Cherokee Jack
Fella 
Posts 325
Registered 2-24-2009 Location New Orleans, LA Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:22 AM |
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God, I really really hope I'm not setting myself up for heartbreak...
But is it just me, or does this feel like the beginning of a legit Zack Ryder push?
I'm Cherokee Jack!
2010 OO Fantasy Football Champion!
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Total Nonstop Assplay
And I am AWESOME
Posts 130
Registered 6-28-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Tacos
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:34 AM |
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That video was the biggest push he has received so far. Hopefully it.continues.
Mess with the best die like the rest
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Chris Is Good517
Posts 10711
Registered 1-10-2002 Location Little Rock, AR Member Is OnlineMood: punchy
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:36 AM |
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Reminder that creative couldn't come up with anything for Low-Ki, but Raw just gave five minutes to Heath Slater vs. Randy Orton
Gee, I wish I was still alive- LuckyLopez R.I.P.
Bachmann: "I haven't had a gaffe... when it comes to the best Republican who take
on Barack Obama and not have any clunker in my record to be able to take him on, it's me."
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Total Nonstop Assplay
And I am AWESOME
Posts 130
Registered 6-28-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Tacos
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 03:00 AM |
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But Heath Slater IS the one man southern rock band.
Mess with the best die like the rest
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williamssl
Steers and Queers 
Posts 4317
Registered 1-11-2004 Location Hippieville Member Is OnlineMood: Fuck USC
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 04:22 AM |
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"I put my hands on you. I thought friends could do that."
Don't Mess With Texas
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Eric Weddle
rOOkie
Posts 43
Registered 3-10-2011 Location San Diego CA Member Is Offline Mood: Charged Up
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 04:49 AM |
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Watched raw while doing our fantasy football draft and while maryland versus miami was also going on.The big screen had RAW and the 2 smaller
tv's had the game. As if Maryland unis werent distracting enough. I was shrieking like a little girl when I saw the Zack Ryder video. Just made
Raw awesome I could care less what else happened. I figured CM OVERRATED did something very annoying and average that had Internet Nerds proclaim how
awesome he is.
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mooseheadjack
Posts 9714
Registered 5-13-2002 Location Making a list..... Member Is Offline Mood: naughty? nice?
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 04:55 AM |
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you mean sort of like squealing like a little girl when internet sensation Zack Ryder came on tv?
- The History of the OOWF: Archives at: www.oowfwrestling.com
- And Moose, seriously, shut the fuck up. - DSop
- Fuck you Moose. The worst part about it is that you are right. I fucking hate when you're right. - Metallikid
- 2008 World Series Champions Philadelphia Phillies
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Eric Weddle
rOOkie
Posts 43
Registered 3-10-2011 Location San Diego CA Member Is Offline Mood: Charged Up
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 05:07 AM |
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I have never made no secrets that I am a nerd for Zack Ryder, in other nerd news MVP proclaimed I was his favroite standup comic on Twitter.
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Tuff Daddy Cool
And I am AWESOME
Posts 165
Registered 10-23-2007 Location Funkytown Member Is Offline Mood: I'm fancy.
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 06:06 AM |
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Here's the Zack Ryder video package from WWE.com. WWWYKI.
http://vids.wwe.com/13168/raw-zack-ryder-woo-woo-woos-the
(It comes on after the awful Light Strike ad)
[Edited on 9-6-2011 by Tuff Daddy Cool]
One way or the other, the world will be black and blue.
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knuckleballschwartz
Showstopper
Posts 724
Registered 5-24-2006 Member Is Offline Mood: on strike
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 06:58 AM |
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Great Rider signs in the crowd tonight too.
I particularly liked "Bro-hio" and the 4 sign "like me on facebook, follow me on twitter etc etc" combo.
Re CM Punk/HHH the new stips pleased me given my concerns about how they get the storyline out of the match with punk winning.
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punkerhardcore
The Man 
Posts 5058
Registered 7-15-2005 Member Is OnlineMood: Lickable
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 07:50 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Chris Is Good517
Reminder that creative couldn't come up with anything for Low-Ki, but Raw just gave five minutes to Heath Slater vs. Randy Orton
Well to be fair, they could have also had Ki job to Orton, that doesn't really take much thought. Since they're supposedly serious about
rebuilding the tag division, they should've kept Slater and Gabriel together. Both haven't really done a damn thing since splitting up.
Why was Del Rio's schtick tonight of interrupting guys who haven't been on TV in months?
The Zack Ryder thing was great. Not that tagging with Lawler is any huge deal, but the video package they put together could be. I didn't
think they'd ever show a single second of the YouTube show on Raw or Smackdown, so that's some pretty good promotion for him.
Is everyone mad here?
Of course they are, and you are too... otherwise, you wouldn't have come here.
Come participate in the Career Deadpool 2012! All suggestions/discussions are
welcome.
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gobbledygooker
Sister Act 2 
Posts 6069
Registered 12-17-2002 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood: Opus Eponymous
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 12:29 PM |
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Ricardo Rodriguez's facial expressions during those Del Rio backstage segments were some of the best parts of the show.
So Cena beats the odds and takes out two guys and winds up victorious. Haven't seen that in, what, a couple of months? What a fresh product.
Anyone who lets their hair grow below their ears to where I can't see their ears means they don't wash. If they don't wash, they
stink, and if they stink, I don't want the son-of-a-bitch around me.
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Thom
The Great One 
Posts 3660
Registered 1-14-2003 Location Amazingville Member Is Offline Mood: Awesome
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 01:43 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by punkerhardcore
The Zack Ryder thing was great. Not that tagging with Lawler is any huge deal, but the video package they put together could be. I didn't
think they'd ever show a single second of the YouTube show on Raw or Smackdown, so that's some pretty good promotion for him.
Oh, yeah![/machismo]
Actually, I'm surprised at a few of the things that got included, such as..
"I can draw money!"
"Nobody pushes Zack Ryder!"
"I do all the JOBS."
"I'm trying to get over!"
Here's hoping it's not just a "cheap" way to get more WWE.com hits.
"I'm actually not wearing pants, and that's how I watch NXT every single week." - CM Punk
http://www.myspace.com/bassmantar
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Frank Lloyd Wright
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1034
Registered 10-2-2007 Location Fallingwater Member Is Offline Mood: Megalomaniac
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:30 PM |
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So we are getting the WWE Network in 2012??? Why not, if the University of Texas can have the Longhorn Network. Hell...the WWE has 1% of the total
assets of UT. Seriously though, the ramifications of this could be huge. Does anyone know anything about this, or was I the only one who saw the
commercial?
I have two ambitions in life: one is to drink every pub dry, the other is to sleep with every woman on earth -- Oliver Reed
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williamssl
Steers and Queers
Posts 4317
Registered 1-11-2004 Location Hippieville Member Is OnlineMood: Fuck USC
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:37 PM |
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No dq screams outside interference. I smell another Nash run in.
Don't Mess With Texas
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Frank Lloyd Wright
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1034
Registered 10-2-2007 Location Fallingwater Member Is Offline Mood: Megalomaniac
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 02:53 PM |
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Trips is losing his match with Punk. When he put his position as COO of the WWE on the line, it's the perfect excuse for him to get back to
full time action in the ring. If it keeps him from making anymore movies, I'm all for it!
I have two ambitions in life: one is to drink every pub dry, the other is to sleep with every woman on earth -- Oliver Reed
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gobbledygooker
Sister Act 2
Posts 6069
Registered 12-17-2002 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood: Opus Eponymous
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 03:01 PM |
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I just came to the realization that Truth/Miz were once again the most entertaining part of the show. By a wide margin.
Anyone who lets their hair grow below their ears to where I can't see their ears means they don't wash. If they don't wash, they
stink, and if they stink, I don't want the son-of-a-bitch around me.
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C.MontgomeryPunk
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1700
Registered 1-6-2010 Member Is Offline Mood: ButtViper-y
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 05:02 PM |
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I just came to the realization that I don't like wrestling anymore. I watch it more out of habit and liking individual wrestlers much more than
the overall product. This show was the drizzling shits from top to bottom.
Punk is lame shit who comes off terribly when he just walks away from a downed Nash given how Nash has attacked him the last few weeks. Why
couldn't he start kicking him in the head? And is his "pipe bomb" just spouting off insider shit to please the internet? He's an
absolutely horrid face and there is no edge to his character whatsoever.
I think I might just pretend that I haven't watched the wwe since the TLC PPV, just like in my mind Lost ended with the season three finale.
There was enough closure, tying up storylines, emotional ride with the cliff hanger end that leaves fans wanting more.
I remember Eddie Guerrero.
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Jumbie
And I am AWESOME
Posts 105
Registered 9-22-2010 Member Is Offline Mood: Hopeful
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| posted on 9-6-2011 at 05:32 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by williamssl
"I put my hands on you. I thought friends could do that."
-Sung by Heath Slater, the one man (southern) rock band, and available now on i-tunes.
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