VIDEO: No Internet, No TV, No Hope

See, Matt Hardy, THIS is how you make light of a personal plight. Enjoy....

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The Matt Hardy Suicide Hoax

Shortly after I posted last night's entry, it became apparent that Matt Hardy's "GOODBYE" video was some sort of twisted publicity stunt. What he was trying to get out of it is unknown. Perhaps this was some ill-conceived way of saying he's been "reborn" (a Matt Hardy favorite), or maybe he just wanted to be the center of attention. Whatever the motivation, his actions are absolutely deplorable.

I resisted being overly harsh last night, because I wanted to make sure everything WAS a hoax. Sure, Shane Helms and Matt's sister-in-law indicated it wasn't legitimate, but these are the same people that seemingly refuse to acknowledge (publicly, anyway) that anyone in their crew has a problem. I didn't want to chastise the guy, only to wake up and find out he did kill himself. Well, the video has since been removed and there are newspaper articles indicating that he's just fine.

Listen, I know somebody who has committed suicide. Worst off, Matt Hardy knows countless people that have committed suicide. I have a pretty tasteless sense of humor, and if things are clearly put in the context of comedy, I'm willing to laugh at just about anything. But that wasn't Matt Hardy's intent. He clearly wanted people think that he was going to kill himself last night. For what? What was the intent? To bring more attention to himself and his "brand"? That's sad, disgusting, and pathetic. This guy is EXCEPTIONALLY disturbed.

Honestly, I feel foolish. I don't even like Matt Hardy, but when I saw that video I thought back to the friend I couldn't save, and I just started sending wrestlers messages on Twitter, hoping that they would reach out to Hardy to stop him from doing something so permanent. I became invested in his survival, and when it turned out to be a ruse, I felt embarrassed -- for him and for me.

And while I agree with Shane Helms that he (meaning Shane) shouldn't be bashed for the actions of his friend, I was also a bit taken aback by the nonchalant manner he blew it off. And it made me think, "yes, you can support your friend....and yes, you can refrain from ridiculing him in public....but you don't need to comment on every single one of his actions." And that's a big issue I have with Helms -- he never keeps his mouth shut. Anytime anything happens, instead of not commenting on it, he attempts to "defend" it, and then gets bent out of shape when people judge him for it.

What now? I say we just draw a line in the sand and deprive him of the one thing he fuels himself on -- his fans. And that begins with unfollowing him on Twitter. Please, everybody just do that.

Matt Hardy, you're a sick man. I hope you get the help you need, and then you just disappear forever.

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Troubling Matt Hardy Message

The following video, titled "GOODBYE," was posted on Matt Hardy's YouTube page. I don't think it's entirely appropriate to embed a guy's suicide message on my blog, so I'll just include the link. But here's what it says:

"Goodbye, World....

My time here is

Almost complete....

I only have a few

Hours & minutes....

I loved you all....

Regardless of how

You felt about me....

I'll miss you all....

September 23, 1974 -

August 31, 2011"

http://www.youtube.com/MATTHARDYBRAND

Listen, I've certainly been critical of Matt Hardy. Probably more than most people. But nobody wants to see him take his own life. I sincerely hope that if he is suicidal, that somebody can reach out to him and stop him before he does anything. I really don't want to be posting about his death tomorrow.

God look after you, Matt.

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LIVE Smackdown thoughts

10:05 - A really great match between Orton and Christian, and I can't help but wonder what's in store for Christian next. If nothing else, I think we should all be happy that this feud had Christian headlining Smackdown since WrestleMania and had him winning the World title on two occasions. Not to mention, he's back to being a heel, where his character is far more comfortable. And we got six really great matches.

Overall, WWE did a good job of incorporating the Raw Superstars without having them take over the show. Bravo.

9:58 - Love the continuity of Christian faking the move that originally lost him the championship.

9:56 - Remember how I said the steel cage inherently defies logic? When Christian is climbing up the cage and Orton sprints across the ring to stop him, why doesn't he just walk the same distance (or less) to the door? He can clearly exit the door quicker than Christian can climb the cage. The ONLY explanation is that Orton is the face, and would rather unleash punishment than end the match. But still....

9:55 - Christian.....the first guy smart enough to realize that if you take your feet off the ropes, Orton can't DDT you.

9:47 - So in Booker's eyes John Cena has limited skills but Randy Orton is extraordinary? Sigh. Just sigh.

9:43 - Love the way they're booking Christian in the early goings of this match. They rarely have anybody do the logical thing to win a cage match -- Christian is doing that now.

9:38 - Is it me or did Christian's music play a little early? I say it all the time, but I HATE that Christian (and to a lesser extent, Orton too) has abandoned the multi-colored tights in place of the basic black with the different colored accents. I also wish Christian would bring back his super awesome hooded entrance gear.

9:31 - Why is Triple H coming out of prison in all of his movies?

In all seriousness, that actually doesn't look like a terrible movie.

9:24 - If I were Sheamus, I'd be thinking about how quick I was to rescue John Cena last night when HE was getting double teamed....

9:21 - So is the Great Khali a full blown heel or is he still a reluctant heel? Because if he's a full blown heel, he REALLY needs to abandon the bright red pants that say "Punjabi Playboy." Not very intimidating.

9:13 - That was an effective and passionate promo, and I'll be honest -- I have no idea what the end game is. My gut tells me that we'll be seeing Punk/Nash at Night of Champions, but why tease the "big match" for the sake of promoting the "preliminary match"? The end game SHOULD be Punk/Triple H, but it should be at an event far bigger than Night of Champions.

If Nash really is unable to wrestle, and this was a last resort, I think the smarter move would have been to insert Punk in the title match. It seems rushed, and a waste, to have Punk/Triple H now.

9:05 - I have to say, I liked Triple H's portion of the promo. It ran the risk of getting a little too "corporate" -- do we need to know the inner workings of bands charging people to use their theme music? -- but it came together quite nicely.

9:01 - Why is the General Manager of Smackdown overseeing a contract signing between a Raw Superstar (somebody he has no authority over) and the COO (somebody who outranks him)?

8:57 - Is it me, or is that a nicer than usual table for the contract signing?

8:53 - Well, looks like I owe everyone an apology. Looks like the contract signing will close out the first hour.

8:49 - I love Kelly Kelly, but this seems as good a time as any to duck out for some family time. If AJ were in the ring, maybe I would've stuck it out.

8:42 - My guess is that the Punk/Triple H contract signing ends the show. So with Cena opening the show, and Punk/Triple H closing it, this is what you're in store for with the "re-merged" brands.

8:39 - I've enjoyed the Orton/Christian feud, but I'm not sure I'd refer to it as "balanced."

8:32 - Daniel Bryan's repeated losses have been defend-able. Again, he's been facing champions and top challengers -- guys who SHOULD be winning (my argument, though, is that they should have avoided booking him for those matches in the first place) -- or against guys who "need the victory" more than him (Wade Barrett). But what was the excuse here? Sin Cara isn't even in a feud -- why is he being put over your Money in the Bank winner? Further, the post-match booking (Sin Cara's attack) would have made more sense had Sin Cara lost.

8:26 - I personally preferred the white/gold attire that Sin Cara wore at Money in the Bank. I didn't see Raw last night, but apparently they're acknowledging the lineage of Mistico, when the former Mistico isn't even portraying him anymore. That's curious. This is sure to be a good match, but I'm anxious to see if they'll actually allow Bryan to get the victory. Unlike the past few weeks where he's faced the champion or top challenger, this is somebody at his level -- and somebody who doesn't need the win.

8:17 - This match, while inoffensive, really shows how far Wade Barrett has fallen in the past six months or so. Don't get me wrong, Cena should have won, but the fact that it was so decisive is such a stark contrast to their matches last year.

8:10 - Is Tony Chimmel getting a push or something?

8:07 - WWE needs to hire somebody whose sole job is to check up on wrestlers' Visa issues.

8:04 - Wow, did Booker T just say that John Cena has "limited skills"? Ouch, that's rough.

8:00 - Yes, that's right -- my TV and Internet are back! Since I couldn't do my LIVE Raw thoughts last night (indeed, I didn't even see the show!) I thought I would give Smackdown the stream of conscious treatment. However, I do have family over, so I might have to run in and out. But I'm going to watch the show and update as much as possible!

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VIDEO: Championship Belts, Irene, and a New Feature

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Natural Disaster #2 for the Week

As I noted on my Facebook page earlier this week, I feel like the villain in a disaster movie, constantly assuring people (in a rather headstrong fashion) that everything is going to be okay and that there's nothing to worry about, despite the urgent warnings from far more qualified individuals. I still think this storm will be nothing compared to what they're predicting (in my area anyway), but nonetheless I know that many of my readers live in the tri-state area (as do I), so I urge everybody to be safe and careful this weekend. I know people that have been evacuated from New York City, Hoboken, and the beach, so they clearly anticipate something major.

Please check out http://72hours.org/ to ensure that you are properly prepared! Be safe :)

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REPOST: My interview with Patrick Flueger - September 12, 2005

I thought it might be fun to repost the interviews I did a few years ago with several cast members of The 4400. And now that the show has been canceled, I guess I can be a little more open about my experience with each person. My first opportunity was with Patrick Flueger, who played Shawn Farrell, and I was pretty excited. In addition to it being my first celebrity interview, he was also one of my favorite characters. And to my delight, he actually ended up being a really cool, laid back guy. He was really relaxed and down to earth, which certainly helped me out a lot. The one thing that went wrong was that my recorder stopped working mid-interview, which meant I had to write down what he was saying. That took some of the enjoyment away, because I was suddenly really stressed. Thankfully, he handled the mishap with understanding and class. Here's to continued success, Patrick was a talented guy on the show. Enjoy the interview:

http://insidepulse.com/2005/09/12/42621/

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"Did you feel that???"

Well, I can now say that I've survived my very first earthquake. And, thankfully, it was personally undramatic, which I deeply appreciate. Growing up, my visions of earthquake (other than a hairy fat guy in a blue singlet) were straight out of sensationalist Michael Bay movies. I imagined a huge crack in the ground opening up, and people falling in to their deaths. I'm happy to say my experience was nothing like that (not to minimize anybody who was in a less safe situation).

I was working here in Morristown, NJ and sitting at my desk when the ground and my surroundings most certainly began to shake. Honestly, I thought nothing of it. The feeling wasn't much different than when we get heavy winds hitting the windows. We've also got construction going on downstairs, so it easily could have been the result of some heavy machinery. However, the shaking occurred for too long and at a sustainable rate. Finally, one of the women in the office asked, "Is that an earthquake?" It's as if she just said what we were all thinking. Suddenly we all stood up -- ground still shaking a bit -- and agreed that that's what was happening. We glanced out of our suite and saw that the rest of the building was evacuating, so surely it wasn't just our floor.

When we got outside, and everybody started talking, we learned that DC/Virginia had been hit with a 5.8 scale earthquake. It seemed strange to us that we would feel that, though. When we re-entered the building about 20 minutes later, I checked my Facebook page to realize that people from all parts of the tri-state area (and beyond) had felt the tremors.

I've reached out to family and friends and it appears that everybody is okay. I hope everybody else, as well as their families, are safe as well.

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LIVE Raw thoughts

11:04 - Another fantastic match between Punk and Cena. These two just nail it out of the park every time, whether it's in the ring or behind the mic. I didn't mind the ending, either, because Punk certainly didn't look weak (and he didn't look overly stupid either, by turning his attention from Cena). And the conspiracy story continues.

10:49 - Is it me or is Jerry Lawler kinda being a douche tonight?

10:40 - My guess for the Night of Champions card?

WWE Championship - ADR vs. Punk vs. Cena

World Heavyweight Championship - Orton vs. Henry

United States Championship - Ziggler vs. Swagger

Intercontinental Championship - Rhodes vs. Zeke or Daniels, maybe

Tag Team Championship - Kofi/Bourne vs. Miz/Truth

Divas Championship - Either Kelly vs. Beth again, or Eve/Kelly vs. Beth/Natalya, with the person who gets the pin winning the title, or Kelly vs. Eve vs. Beth vs. Natalya in a four way

What do you think?

10:35 - Smart money could see Miz and Truth challenging Kofi and Bourne for the tag titles at Night of Champions.

10:31 - What the hell was that music during the Social Media Mania blurb? Is John Cena changing his theme?

10:27 - Are Zack Ryder and the NXT Redemption cast the official celebratory crew for Raw now? And aren't Bateman and Titus in a bitter war?

10:17 - The unfortunate thing is, watching this match, McGillicutty and Otunga are really gelling as a tag team. Yet, because Nexus has disbanded, they're so obsolete that nobody notices.

By the way, Lawler's announcing is atrocious during this match. He's as bad as Cole is during a Daniel Bryan match. The stuff he's saying just make no sense.

10:11 - Bold prediction: Kofi and Bourne win the titles tonight. Follow up question, though: If that happens, are Otunga and McGillicutty taken off TV?

10:07 - Kevin Nash was better than he was last week, but he still seemed to lose his focus. He just doesn't seem quite as quick witted. I think part of the problem is that Nash works best when he's an obnoxious smart ass, not when he's bitter and angry. And honestly, I think he's so far detached from the current scene that he truly struggles to come up with a believable argument as to why he's owed something in this day and age. Having said that, Punk ABSOLUTELY saved this segment and made it into something fun. He's pushing all of the right buttons, and he's sure not to give TOO much away (there's plenty of material to still work with). I preferred his performance here over the promo at the beginning of the show.

9:58 - Random observation, but is John Cena the only long term main event star without a million nicknames? Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, Steve Austin, they all have loads of nicknames.

9:52 - The best thing about Alex Riley is his theme music, and they deprived us of that.

9:49 - I'm wondering how this Kelly Kelly/Eve vs. Natalya/Beth feud will play into Night of Champions. The story is clearly building towards a tag match, yet the Divas title needs to be defended at the PPV.

9:37 - By the way, I find it odd that nobody -- none of the announcers or Superstars -- has brought up the fact that the Anonymous Raw General Manager hasn't been heard from in months. I do think they're setting the seeds for a resolution (if they were dropping it completely, they'd stop putting the laptop and podium out there), so I'm sure the reason for their silence is to make sure it's the last thing on our mind when suddenly he returns or he's revealed. But from a storyline perspective, wouldn't any of them (particularly Cole) find it odd that this person who used to be quite chatty is now completely MIA? And wouldnt' they want to know how the Raw GM feels about having the McMahons and Triple H take over the show? Just seems strange that nobody has made mention of this, yet they still go to the trouble of setting up the podium.

9:36 - Between ADR and Mark Henry, how many Superstars are they going to write off with injury angles?

9:22 - I'm guessing John Morrison's winning ways ends here tonight.

9:17 - That was an interesting opening segment. Fun, but not quite as great as I had hoped, considering the talent involved. Part of what made Punk/Cena work so well was that they both left their comfort zone, character wise, in order to mesh with each other. That didn't happen here. None of the three characters "broke character," even when the situation called for it. When Punk arrived, the tone turned more serious and hostile, yet John Cena never left his intense, yet jokey manner of speaking. Del Rio seemed to be ignoring what either of them were saying in order to deliver pre-determined lines (after mentioning several times that Punk doesn't blame Del Rio for cashing in MITB, the first thing Del Rio tells him is to stop whining because he took advantage of an opportunity). And as great as Punk is, he seemed to stagger a bit, most notably when he was silent for several seconds, as if trying to think of the next talking point.

I don't mind that they're giving away Punk/Cena on free TV, since they've already successfully sold two PPVs on the match, but I do think they should have advertised it ahead of time.

8:57 - Only a few minutes until Raw. Check back at nine for my ongoing thoughts throughout the show.

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Blog Post Plug

A really close friend of mine from High School just posted a personal story on her friend's blog, and I thought it warranted a plug here. It's a really great read. On top of being well told and extremely well written, it's a really fascinating read for anybody who is struggling (or has struggled) to find their professional identity. Whether it's through fear, uncertainty, or pressure, many of us find ourselves on a path far different than anything they had anticipated, and that's not always a good thing. Many of us just forge through on this new path, while others, like my friend, try to find a more suitable direction. Anyway, I strongly recommend giving it a read:

http://20-nothings.blogspot.com/2011/08/checking-out-series-your-9-year-old.html

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Top Ten Cases: TV's Best Love Triangles

Whether it's a cartoon, a primetime drama, a daytime soap, or a Saturday morning children's program, chances are the show has featured some sort of "love triangle," where one person is stuck between two potential loves and must ultimately make a decision. When done right, this sordid affair can really make or reinvigorate a series. When done incorrectly, it comes off as forced and tiresome. I'll be honest, while there are a few "absolutes" on this list, I had trouble reaching ten. So I did a bit of an online search for assistance. One "triangle" that made it on multiple lists was Angel/Buffy/Spike. While I'm a huge fan of the series, I can't rightly include it on this list. In my opinion, Buffy was never torn between them and forced to make a choice. She was involved with Angel, and things ended. Years later she became involved with Spike. At no time was she simultaneously with them, and she was never in a position where being with one was an active decision against being with the other.

To me, that would be like saying that Seinfeld, Elaine, and Puddy were a love triangle, because she so happened to have once been involved with both of them. Also, I don't really watch One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl, so those "obvious" options aren't going to appear on the list either. Sorry.

Click here to view the list

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LIVE Raw thoughts

11:08 - While the ending was predictable, I thought it worked. Cena's promo was passionate and decidedly different from CM Punk's (which is good). And it played out in such a way that the fans really rallied behind him. Unfortunately, he flubbed one line, about how ADR will "eventually" need to defend that title, so I'm sure everybody will focus on THAT and not the rest of what he said. It is interesting, though, that they're removing Punk from the WWE Championship picture so quickly. If anything, I'd say give Cena some distance from the gold, until right before WrestleMania so that he can try to reclaim it for his match with Rock. But, let's see how this plays out.

10:49 - Odd that we haven't see John Cena yet. By the way, I predict ADR puts Rey on the injured list again. Cena makes an appearance during the post-match beating.

10:45 - Minor quibble, but I hate how they're now referring to the title as the "Undisputed WWE Championship." It's not undisputed -- that's why there's a World Championship on Smackdown.

10:34 - There's been a lot of discussion on people whose carers have suffered because they won the World Championship too early (Sheamus, John Swagger, and Dolph Ziggler are popular answers). Kofi Kingston is suffering from the opposite problem. Every time he's heavily pushed, they resist pulling the trigger. And each push is less successful because it's harder for the fans to become committed. They really should have just let him break through following his initial Orton feud.

10:30 - So how many different people have cashed in and been victimized by Money in the Bank? Are Edge and Punk the only two? If so, perhaps there's a certain karmic energy around cashing in twice.

10:26 - Swagger brings up a good point about vintage managers having numerous clientele. Now, valets and managers typically only manage one person, unless it's a faction. Back in the day, Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Slick, and several others would manage a variety of people, and at best those people had a loose alliance with each other. There's no reason why that can't exist today.

10:16 - "Vickie Guerrero is in better shape than you, King." He's right. Also, is it me or does JR say, "Let's not forget we have a match to call" in the middle of the announcer bickering?

10:05 - Honest question, is Nash drunk? He's not speaking clearly and he doesn't seem all that quick witted.

10:02 - "I thought he was dead. LOL." That was great.

10:01 - Kevin Nash's mustache is too low. Too far from his nose, too close to his mouth. It's strange looking.

9:56 - Did Kevin Nash write that intro himself?

9:49 - So with Melina gone, is Kelly now the resident flexible Diva?

9:31 - I actually enjoyed the ending of that match. And it's good to see John Morrison win a match since his return. Let's hope he's back on track.

9:21 - I'm not sure how I feel about Truth having a theme music again. The fact that he didn't come out to music set him apart from everybody else -- and it's not as if it wasn't getting a reaction from the crowd. Actually, if they didn't want him coming out to silence, why not just let him rant and rave on the mic when he walks down the aisle?

9:07 - Aside from the Undertaker, I can't imagine somebody looking less natural with the WWE Championship (in its spinner form) than Alberto Del Rio. It's time to replace that belt, and this is coming from somebody who doesn't even mind the design.

8:33 - I'll be back at 9:00 with my Raw thoughts, but I wanted to open things up to a pre-show discussion. A lot of people are unhappy with the ending of last night's PPV (for varying reasons). One of the reasons -- but certainly not the only one -- is that CM Punk, who I honestly believe has a chance of being the next huge, breakaway star, had his reign cut short. So my question is -- if the booking was reversed, would that have been better or worse? In other words, if Cena had pinned Punk under controversial circumstances and "won" the match, only to be attacked and lose the title to Del Rio, would that have been better than what actually happened? Essentially, everything remains the same. The only difference is who won the match and who drops it with the briefcase cash in. Thoughts?

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Introducing....

....my niece! Saturday morning, at about two in the morning, my niece and goddaughter FINALLY made her grand appearance (after a looooooooong labor). This is my brother's first daughter, and the second overall grandchild for my parents. Very exciting news!

Because of the fact that she was born so long after my sister-in-law's water broke, they've kept her in a separate room to eliminate/detect any infections (this is apparently typical practice) so unfortunately we haven't been able to hold her yet. But hopefully we will in the next couple of days.

So, welcome to the world, Emme! This drink's for you!

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Hey, I'm an action figure!

View photos:

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu256/acaseoftheblog/Action%20Figure/

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LIVE Raw thoughts

11:13 - What can I say about that closing segment? Wow. Just wow. I was skeptical when they began heavily involving Triple H, and I was especially nervous when he started in on the war of words, but thankfully they honed it in on Cena, Punk, and the WWE Championship. And I will give WWE an immense amount of credit for the liberties they've allowed Punk, and bravo to Cena, Triple H, and Johnny Ace for being good sports about what has been said about them....to their faces. It was really good stuff, I especially loved when Punk brought up the recent releases. And as I said in a recent post, Cena and Punk bring the best out of each other character wise. They just mesh together so well.

My only issue is that they're burying Cena. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're not treating Punk with kid gloves here -- both Cena and Triple H have called him out on his hypocrisy. But they've also allowed Punk to go on these long, witty, clever, and passionate diatribes that express what so many people feel, and as a result any response is going to come up short. I don't think they're going to turn Cena heel, so they're heading up a dangerous road.

10:54 - Annnnnnnnnnnd where's that new belt Punk promised us?

10:46 - I don't know what the deal with Morrison is right now. Is he still legitimately injured? If so, why bring him back so prematurely just to job him out? And if he's NOT still injured, why job him out period? He's an exceptionally rare talent -- I honestly don't believe anybody can do what he does -- why not take advantage of that?

Actually, I long felt that they should have reunited Morrison and Melina onscreen. As either a heel or face pair, I think their union would have been mutually beneficial. Melina is the talker, Morrison the walker, so to speak.

10:42 - Did Morrison's crotch just land in Truth's knee doing that flip move? OUCH!

10:35 - Really cool segment to promote Cena/Punk at SummerSlam. WWE is really good at presenting itself as a serious athletic competitive sport. It's too bad they don't take advantage of that more often.

10:24 - I just checked the SummerSlam website. Indeed, Sheamus vs. Mark Henry is the only undercard match signed on the card. Why not hold off and have this match at SummerSlam? That may be the plan, but why even tease it? Why not just save the whole thing for this Sunday?

10:17 - "No more splits." Oh, is THAT why Melina was released?

10:13 - Actually, I wouldn't have minded seeing Eve vs. Beth when both were babyfaces. Eve is a supremely underrated Diva.

10:08 - Over in the comment section, Kyle has made some great points regarding JR on commentary. As Kyle states, JR is one of two color commentators, while Michael Cole is the play-by-play man. This is completely backwards and counter productive. I'm not as anti-Cole as most people. Actually, until about WrestleMania, I quite enjoyed Cole (particularly on NXT). So there is a role for him, but it just isn't as the play-by-play announcer. Ross is the voice of reason and the man focused on the action in the ring. Cole is the outspoken blowhard with a severe bias and a chip on his shoulder. Why not switch their roles? To me, it makes no sense that Cole opens the show and introduces two people he hates.

9:58 - Yay! "It's clobberin' time!" is back! By the way, I love the "Cult of Personality" theme, but I fear (just fear) that it doesn't have quite the same effect as Punk's old theme. The rhythm of the music doesn't give the audience a great opportunity to explode with a great pop. Maybe he comes out too early, and would be better off waiting until after the first "Cult of Personality."

9:49 - Has Kofi Kingston EVER beaten the Miz?

9:44 - Ordinarily I would be thrilled that JR is back on the announce table, but at this point I question why. He barely gets in a word, and I wonder if it's because he lost a step. I'm not sure it's because Cole is so abrasive, because he worked quite successfully with Paul Heyman. And JR also worked in a number of three person teams, including most recently with King and Coach.

9:38 - Random observation, but has anybody used the WWE logo on the stage more times than The Miz? Also, have any undercard matches even been signed for SummerSlam? A whole lot of guys don't seem to have matches.

9:11 - I liked the attempt to "hide" the discussion between Cena and Triple H (Cena did particularly well here, talking into his shoulder). Added some nice realism to the scene.

9:06 - I'm guessing that CM Punk has to fight Otunga and/or McGillicutty, to firmly separate him from the Nexus.

8:57 - After being out of commission for a few weeks due to vacation and company softball, I'm back with my Raw thoughts. Check back in about five minutes when the show starts.

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Dive Bar Shirt Club: Smith's Union

Well, I'm back from vacation (great time), and while I was gone I received my August Dive Bar Shirt Club t-shirt. And for the first time since I began my membership, I got a shirt from outside of the continental United States! That's right, I've infiltrated Hawaii! Strangely, the logo refers to the bar as "Smith Union's" while the description calls it "Smith's Union." I decided to go with the latter, because that's what my Internet search seems to prefer.

The oldest bar in Honolulu opened in 1934 on the edge of Chinatown down by the waterfront. It was the heart of the red-light district where big ships came in and unloaded a cargo of merchant seamen and sailors looking for love. Hotel Street was willing with cold beer, hot times and a large side order of sin. Today there are more tourists than longshoremen and respectable art and culture have generally replaced prostitutes and peep shows. But Smith's Union is still a legend all over the world and the perfect place to escape long lines and stupid prices. You can ride high on waves of foarm with the bell from the Mariposa and other weathered relics from a seafaring past. Tall tales grow longer by the minute. You're seduced by the green glow of tiki magic and persistent beat of the tides. Tune up your ukulele for this one. You never know what can happen when you slip between these fringes.

Dive Bar Shirt Club: http://www.divebarshirtclub.com/Default.asp

Dive Bar Shirt Club T-Shirt Gallery

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