LIVE Raw thoughts - October 31, 2011

10:42 - So there's only about 20 minutes left and we have the Triple H update (which will be entirely too long), the JR/Cole bout, and Miz/Cena. A lot of show to pack in for a relatively short time. Anyway, I don't mean to leave you guys hanging, but I'm going to lie down. I have to wake up about an hour earlier than usual tomorrow, so I want to pass out pretty much right after the show ends. If that fails, I'll see about updating my post. But enjoy the rest of the show! And of course, comment below.

10:41 - Good for Zack Ryder. If he's able to maintain this momentum -- and I hope he does -- he's a legitimate self-made Superstar. Again, good for him.

10:13 - I'm a bit surprised they had Big Show beat ADR, especially in such a clean fashion. I enjoyed the CM Punk segment, though. By the way, I couldn't make out the design on Punk's tights earlier, but I think I figured it out: They're spiderwebs. And the black and orange is for Halloween.

10:06 - This is a surprisingly competitive match. And pitting the Big Show and ADR against each other does, to an extent, excuse the Punk/Henry match from earlier in the night. Then again, let's see how the match plays out.

9:48 - A six man feud between Christian, Barrett, and Cody against Sheamus, Kofi, and Bourne could be a lot of fun. However -- and I'm not the first one to say this -- I hate when they kick off a feud for the title by having a challenger beat the champion in a non-title bout. Lacks all originality.

9:34 - I'm glad they did the logical thing and put Sheamus and Beaker in a skit together. So I guess the Muppets are real in this universe?

9:25 - The Muppets stuff was pretty harmless. I'm not sure what the reaction will be overall. But I did laugh at Miss Piggy's "Is she a cowboy or a pirate?" comment. And it's a fair question!

9:15 - I hate when they use the World Heavyweight Champion as fodder to advance the WWE Championship story. If they wanted to put Punk up against an unstoppable monster, how about using Sheamus (and if they wanted to avoid a face/face match, how about a debuting Brodus Clay, who already has a history with ADR)? By the way, will WWE EVER let Punk fight his own battles? First Triple H takes out Nash, and now Mark Henry gets the best of Ricardo. Sheesh.

9:07 - I didn't talk about this at length last week, but I didn't quite care for the manner in which they had Cena pick Rock as his partner. I didn't buy his motivation. Why can he trust Rock more than, say, CM Punk -- who has fought by his side and who has also been at the receiving end of a Miz/Truth beatdown? and what motivation does Rock have to help him? It just didn't make sense to me. And the way it played out, it seemed like Cena was reaching out for Rock's assistance -- and Rock got to look cool and bad ass by telling him no (and then got to look like the hero when he changed his mind and said yes). This did Cena no favors.

Instead, I would have had Cena show a little edge and go on and on about how he has been getting brutally attacked week in and week out, while Rock is out filming movies and having a stunt double do all of the physical work. So to even the odds, he's asking Rock to put his money where his mouth is and fight alongside him. That way Cena and Rock get to team up while still reminding the audience that they're fighting at WrestleMania, and neither person has to look bad at the expense of the other.

8:41 - No pre-Raw discussion today, however I do hope that WWE takes advantage of this opportunity and delivers us something special. Between Halloween and the Muppets -- who, it seems, has quite an audience -- WWE has the chance to do something fun and different. Last time they had that shot, with the walkout, they blew it. I hope they come through this time around.

By the way, I had intended on posting a Top Ten Cases video this weekend. It's got a Halloween theme, but due to the big snow storm that hit us I didn't have a chance to work on it. And plus, I'm not done with the rankings yet. So please bear with me when I post a Halloween-centric list days after Halloween. Thanks, pals.

Come back at 9:00 for my LIVE thoughts.

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Dive Bar Shirt Club: Koz's Mini Bowl

Better late than never, right? It's October 30th and I FINALLY got my Dive Bar t-shirt for the month of October. And with this crazy snow storm hitting us, and it appearing like I won't be able to go out for Halloween (leaving last night's festivities as the only one on my schedule), this is as good a time as any to post the photo and description:

Vintage duckpin bowling is hard to find these days which is why Koz's takes reservations for lanes over the phone. This makes sure kids in the neighborhood are on site for pin setting. They're employed to frantically reset the game before the next ball speeds down the alley. This granddaddy of today's bowling is popular because no matter how you've scored in the past, you will have great improvement over regular bowling. You're a powerful contender when you take on smaller balls and pins and a shorter alley. You'll feel like a giant. This will be an important advantage when you enjoy great lakes of what made Milwaukee famous.

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

Dive Bar Shirt Club T-Shirt Gallery

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Halloween Weekend Begins!

Well, I'm off to the first (and hopefully not last) costume/Halloween party of the weekend. I'll admit, a Friday party makes it a lot more stressful to get everything prepared, but I'll make it work. And thankfully, I'm even able to catch the last American Horror Story before I go.

I won't reveal what I'm dressing as quite yet (although there's a fairly major clue at the top of the page), but I thought you might enjoy taking a look back at my some of my past costumes. What will you be dressing up as? Anyway, enjoy:

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu256/acaseoftheblog/Halloween%20costumes/

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-7

Believe it or not, I actually almost missed this week’s The Vampire Diaries. I didn’t recall seeing a preview following last week’s episode, and I noticed that quite a few shows were airing repeats this week. As such, I took my time getting home from work, even making numerous stops to find the final touches to my Halloween costume. I got home pretty much exactly at 8, and figured I might as well double check to see if it’s on. And lo and behold, it turned out to be a pretty great episode.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-7"....

As speculated from last week’s episode, the ghosts of the characters we’ve seen killed since the beginning of the series all made their grand return. I actually really enjoyed the way they were introduced, jumping from character to character, with each one being confronted by somebody from their past (Bonnie and her grandmother, Stefan and Lexi, and Alaric and Damon with Mason). One thing I didn’t quite get, though. They went out of their way to explain why Lexireturned (Elena was just thinking about her), but why was Mason back? I find it hard to believe that Damon or Stefan were thinking about him, and there’s no reason to believe that Tyler was either. What gives? For what it’s worth, I expected to see Isobel return when Alaric and Damon were at the bar together.

So Mason returned, but we would come to learn it wasn’t for revenge. Instead, he had plans of saving Tyler from the fate he had suffered. There were a few hiccups along the way, as we (and Damon) wondered if Mason could truly be trusted. It turned out he was a man of his word, and he came to discover a cave with hieroglyphics (presumably from the original vampires).

Speaking of reunions, we also saw Damon reunite with Lexi. She attempted to “detox” him in order to rid him of his Ripper ways. I found it interesting that she was able to compel him, though. They seemed to make a big deal out of the fact that the original vampires were capable of compelling fellow vampires – it seemed odd that an ordinary vampire like Lexi could do it. Nonetheless, I thought they did a good job of further establishing their history and how much they care about each other – as well as how far Stefan has gone. Even though you could telegraph it a mile away, I liked how Lexi vanished before she could finish the job, leaving Elena and the viewers wondering if this rehab had any impact on Stefan. By the way, I was glad that Elena echoed the words she had said earlier to Jeremy, about holding onto a ghost, because I was somewhat disappointed that he didn’t call her out on it. I mean, what lengths has Elena gone to in order to keep Stefan? For all Jeremy knew, Anna was back for good.

Remember my disappointment a couple weeks ago regarding the fact that we never got to see the softer side of Vicki? Well, I feel the complete opposite about Anna. During her initial run, I wasn’t immediately sold on Anna, but by the time she was killed, she had really grown on me. And this season alone, I’ve really enjoyed her brief appearances. This episode, however, did an incredible job of genuinely making me care about her, to the point that I really, really wanted her to have a happy ending. They also did a fantastic job of not making Anna unlikable (given her relationship with Jeremy, who’s in a relationship with one of the main characters). When she talked about being all alone, I felt bad for her. It’d be too bad if she’s gone for good, but I was left satisfied with the ending of her story (the reunion with her mother). It’s also pretty cool that Anna’s good bye was the last and most significant, especially given the semi-big characters that returned.

Speaking of Anna and Jeremy, while I understand that Caroline’s allegiance is to her friend and not Jeremy, I found it strange that she couldn’t think of a lie when Bonnie asked about the boyfriend ghost drama. I mean, Jeremy is essentially being haunted by his ex-girlfriend – that’s pretty dramatic in and of itself. Why couldn’t she just leave it at that instead of revealing the kiss? Seemed a bit contrived.

By the way, I forgot to ask this last week, but did Katherine die? I kinda hope not….

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LIVE Raw thoughts - October 24, 2011

11:07 - Another "curveball" by having Johnny Ace stop Miz & Truth from assaulting Cena. I wish they would just out and out show us that he's helping these guys, but they just can't prove it.

11:02 - "The patented waterbottle to the skull." Never thought I'd hear it.

10:50 - Here's another problem with WWE's writing lately: It's all build with no proper payoff. They spent weeks building up Nash and the text situation. Was it directed at Punk? Was he sent by Triple H? Was it about getting the title on Del Rio? All of this time went into this mystery, only to discover that he sent it himself -- something that made absolutely no sense and didn't pay off any of the possibilities. Then there was the Punk/Triple H feud, about whether there was some sort of conspiracy. Again, for weeks they were building up this idea, only to discover, "hey, nope, there's no conspiracy!" So Punk looked like a jerk, and they fought for no reason. Now we have Miz and Truth making all of these random attacks, but who are they with? Are they in cahoots with Nash? With Ace? With Del Rio? And at this point, there have been so many twists and turns -- most of them illogical -- that there wouldn't really be any impact from any revelation.

10:42 - So this whole thing is leading towards Cole vs. JR for the announcing job? What are the chances they just let JR win this thing? Or is it just another opportunity to humiliate JR? At this point, Cole would be better off as a heel manager or authority figure anyway.

PS - that Greatest Rivalries DVD looks f'n AWESOME!

10:29 - By the way, for what it's worth, I don't think it's Melina's fault that Morrison is getting jobbed out. If anything, I think his Twitter rant about how incredible she is did him in. It's really too bad, though. I've often said that Morrison is a truly unique talent. I legitimately believe that there's nobody else like him on the roster.

10:27 - Where is all of this JR/Cole stuff going? And why is it even an issue? Is there anybody out there who wouldn't prefer that the announcers just sit back and call the match? If Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon had announced during this era, how many times would they have wrestled by this point?

10:25 - I'm shocked John Morrison can even bring himself to smile when he comes out at this point.

10:20 - For the most part, I think Beth Phoenix and Natalya have lost more than they've won since turning heel. Especially Nat.

10:12 - Not to sound fanboy-y, but CM Punk nailed it out of the park (while Cena and Triple H both struggled). That was great stuff (and great Back to the Future and Simpsons references). However, the question remains -- if Punk is moving onto a feud with ADR, and Triple H is dealing with Nash, why oh why did Punk eat the pin? Yes, they incorporated the loss into the storyline, but it would have worked even better if Punk's loss was held against him when he wasn't even the one pinned. I really, really hope this means they're back to building up Punk and letting him do what he does best. And for the love of God, keep him as far away from Triple H as possible.

10:01 - You know, that WWE Championship gets a lot of criticism, but damn -- it does look like it would REALLY hurt if you were hit in the face with it.

9:52 - Just think, a year or so ago Dolph Ziggler was having losing feuds with John Morrison and Daniel Bryan. He was jobbing to them on a weekly basis. Now the two of them are losing matches like it's going out of style, while Ziggler is setting the company on fire. What a difference a year makes.

9:44 - I defend John Cena a lot, but I didn't really enjoy that promo either. He was a bit too all over the place, and his mix of humor and intensity didn't work. And he tried to get too many jokes in at once. By the way, I like the black shirt color-scheme, but I'm surprised he debuted it at Vengeance and not at the much bigger event, Survivor Series.

9:41 - That was a pretty damn exciting match. I suspect that Sheamus was supposed to connect in the face with that kick, but I'm glad he didn't try to pin him when it didn't work. Great awareness from Sheamus -- way to think on his feet.

9:30 - Odd observation but I'm disappointed that Christian is spiking his hair again. The flat, slightly messy hair worked well with his heel character. He looks a bit too neat now.

9:25 - This entire show has been action, replay, new action, replay of everything, new action. Seriously, it's not even 9:30 and we've seen TWO replays of something that happened at 9:15.

9:24 - It occurs to me that a couple of weeks ago, Raw had a really fresh and interesting feeling during the walkout. That was interrupted rather prematurely by Vince McMahon. Yet the entire opening half hour of Raw has been devoted to the Triple H/Kevin Nash saga. Has anybody else even appeared on the show?

9:20 - I love how casually security asked, "Does he have a pulse?" Like, was that supposed to insinuate that Nash killed him?

9:14 - So are we supposed to feel bad for Triple H here? He's constantly hitting people with sledgehammers. I kinda felt that was a weak opening segment. I don't want to sound overly anti-Triple H here, but it just felt like it was a lot of rambling. He seemed unfocused and unsure of what to say (which isn't surprising, the script probably dramatically changed mid-promo). And again, do fans have an emotional attachment to the Triple H/Kevin Nash friendship? Everything we've heard about them being close has happened years ago, off camera. Therefore, the betrayal doesn't connect with many fans (myself included).

And is it me, or has ANOTHER CM Punk storyline been absorbed by Triple H? Wasn't Nash supposed to return to put over Punk? Now he's feuding with Triple H, with absolutely no resolution with Punk.

9:07 - The problem with this Triple H/Kevin Nash story is that the two have never been allies on screen. It doesn't resonate the way Triple H/Shawn Michaels and Triple H/X-Pac has.

9:03 - It occurs to me that Kevin Nash has returned, I believe, as many times as Triple H has wrestled this year. I think we can stop pretending that it's this super shocking thing.

8:46 - After a one week reprieve, I'm back! Before getting to our pre-Raw discussion, here's an anecdote. Have you ever gotten really, really stressed and high strung, but really for no reason whatsoever? I feel that way right now. Nobody did anything to me and nothing bad happened, yet I can't help but feel really high strung at the moment. All day, really. I needed to relax a bit, even if it's just psychological, so I stopped by a couple local places to see if I could find one of those relaxation shots (similar to 5 Hour Energy). I couldn't find one, so I thought a beer would help. So now I'm drinking a beer. Thank you, places that don't carry the relaxation shots, you've now driven me to drink (just one beer, though).

Now, onto the pre-Raw discussion. I didn't see last night's show, but it exemplifies what many have been saying for quite some time. Namely, that CM Punk's treatment has been less than stellar. You'll remember, I've defended his storylines quite frequently, nothing that we should wait to see how everything plays out. Yet, in this storyline, he seems like the ONE person who's not being protected -- yet he's the one who should be protected most. Triple H, Miz, R-Truth, Nash, even Johnny Ace....they're all being protected more than Punk. I understand the need to build strong, intriguing heels, but they have a rare opportunity to make a mega star out of Punk, yet they're not presenting him as the star. Triple H came out second (tradtionally -- but not always -- the spot reserved for the bigger star), Punk ate the pin, and the post-match action focused on Nash's attack on Triple H. Pathetic.

On an unrelated note, to prove that things are being booked with no logic whatsoever, how about Miz and Truth helping Del Rio win last night? Are we supposed to forget that they beat the tar out of him last month?

Let's see what happens on tonight's show. Check back in 10 minutes for my LIVE thoughts.

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-6

Has everybody read the first edition of True or False? No? WELL GET TO IT!!!

Last week I voiced my disappointment that we didn’t see the good bye between Matt and Vicki, saying that it deprived us of the opportunity of seeing a softer side of the departed vampire. It’s now clear that this was done deliberately – we weren’t supposed to see a lighter side of Vicki because she’s a dark character.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-6"....

Now, why can Jeremy and Anna touch? And how is Mason back? My guess is that is that something went awry with either Matt or Bonnie’s spells (or perhaps both?) and that brought back these dead characters. But I’ll ask the same question I asked when we discovered that Jeremy was seeing vampires that he loved: Will we see Jenna return as well?

I do enjoy the new dynamic between Stefan and the various characters, particularly Elena. Their interactions are fun and different, with him not wanting anything to happen to her due to Klaus’ orders, and Elena not wanting to give up on him because she loves him. While I do hope they end up together, and I always thought they worked, not much changed with them over the past two years. This is at least fresh.

I’m also glad that they didn’t go overboard with the Damon/Elena stuff. Sure, there was a longing gaze – which may or may not have been done as a continued ruse against Stefan – but for the most part things were pretty innocent and typical. They’ve got plenty of time to tease that relationship, it’s good that they’re pacing themselves.

Big fan of Alaric’s training of Elena (especially his brutal truth assessment of her weaknesses and limitations). I’m curious, though, why they’re so insistent on making Alaric such a mess. Was he supposed to be hung over the morning they were training (hence why he brushed off her greeting)? It seems like they’re going out of their way to make him seem like a wreck. Oh, and the dude-vorce between Alaric and Damon is kinda funny, too. It’s amazing how forgiving everybody is towards Damon. These two were, like, best friends, even though Damon murdered him with his bare hands, not knowing that Alaric would come back to life (by the way, if anybody in Mystic Falls ever offers you a ring, TAKE IT!)

I am slightly disappointed that they’re already creating tension between Jeremy and Bonnie, because it barely feels like we got to enjoy them being happy. In last week’s review I noted that I enjoyed seeing the budding platonic relationship between Matt and Bonnie. I’m now wondering if they are building a romance between them after all (for the second week in a row, their storylines coincided and climaxed together).

On the other hand, for whatever reason, I do like the dissention between Tyler and Caroline. I just find the idea that Tyler is not bad, but feels a connection and loyalty to Klaus because he is his creator intriguing. It’s actually quite reminiscent of the relationships on True Blood. Makers always have a special, intensely close bond with their creations (and vice versa). Suddenly things aren’t so cut and dry as far as allegiances go.

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True or False #1 - With Kevin Sullivan

Welcome to the first edition of True or False, with my very special guest Kevin Sullivan. No, not the Task Master, but he does have quite a storied history with professional wrestling. Kevin accepted a position with World Wrestling Entertainment’s web site, WWE.com, in 1998 and over the next 10 years, split time working with both the web site and WWE Magazine. His most recent position was Director of Content Development for WWE.com. Despite electing to leave the company in 2008, Kevin's contributions to the world of sports-entertainment have continued; he has authored several WWE books, including the 2009 New York Times Bestselling WWE Encyclopedia.

Kevin offers some great insight into professional wrestling and I strongly encourage you to visit his blog and follow him on Twitter. Be sure to also check out the books he's authored, particularly the in depth history of the WWE Championship.

Continue reading "True or False #1 - With Kevin Sullivan"....

1. The WWE Championship will be redesigned by WrestleMania 30....

Kevin Sullivan: True. However, I don’t think wrestling traditionalists will necessarily adore the next version of the WWE Championship either. From a business standpoint, the current “spinner” WWE Championship is a cash cow when it comes to replica sales … that’s because its appearance is so different from all the other titles. With that in mind, you would think the next WWE Championship would also have a unique look. At the end of the day, WWE is a business and the main goal of every business is to make money.

Matt: The easy answer here is "true," since WrestleMania 30 feels like it's so far away, but I really don't think this is a gimme. Consider that they've had actual storyline reasons to replace the belt (like Miz's alteration and CM Punk's promise) and they didn't do it. They also didn't do it when the gaudy design clearly didn't fit the personality of the champion (Triple H, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio). You know what? I'm going to take a risk and say False. If anything, it'll change AT WrestleMania 30, but not before.

2. The "Winged Eagle" design was the best incarnation of the WWE Championship....

Kevin: False. My favorite was the green title that The Iron Sheik passed on to Hulk Hogan. I loved that it had all the champions’ names on it, similar to the Stanley Cup. In reality, though, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question … it’s all about personal preference. That’s what’s so great about sports-entertainment today. For example, some people love the current John Laurinaitis angle, while others hate it. But the best part about the whole thing is that these fans have so much passion about it that they spend hours debating it with friends or online. It’s that passion that’s best for business.

Matt: FALSE! I'm in the minority here, but to me, the "Winged Eagle" championship belt was a little too understated. It always looked dimunitive and small, surely not something that should represent the most prestigious prize of the most successful wrestling organization. It looked smaller than the classic Intercontinental Championship, and it looked like the Big Gold Belt could just eat it up. If I had to pick one design that they should revert back to, it'd be the Undisputed Championship (the larger one, which Brock Lesnar wore). This thing actually had the McMahon family crest on one of the side plates! That's pretty awesome.

3. Cody Rhodes will be the next first-time WWE/World Champion.....

Kevin: True. Although, it’s going to be tough for him to accomplish this while a member of the SmackDown brand. I’m assuming Mark Henry will have a somewhat lengthy reign … hopefully up until WrestleMania, where he defends against Daniel Bryan in a David-versus-Goliath match. But if you’re a Bryan fan, don’t get too excited … I’m never right when trying to predict what WWE will do next.

Matt: A year ago I would have pegged Wade Barrett as the next first-time World Champion -- now that seems like a significant longshot. Once upon a time, guys like Kofi Kingston and John Morrison seemed like possibilities, too. Point being, WWE can be so incredibly stop-and-go when it comes to major pushes, it's tough to say whether Cody will fit this role. I'm going to say true, although it does depend on how the Daniel Bryan/Money in the Bank story plays out.

4. Money in the Bank has surpassed the Royal Rumble as the most prestigious gimmick match in the WWE....

Kevin: False. A few weeks ago, however, I made an argument on Twitter that Money in the Bank was more prestigious, considering every Superstar that has ever cashed in the briefcase has won the title. But I was really just trying to kick off some compelling conversation. In my opinion, the Rumble is slightly more prestigious than the briefcase because it leads to a WrestleMania main event match. In today’s landscape, headlining the biggest pay-per-view of the year has the potential of being more prestigious than the gold.

Matt: Most successful? Yes. Most prestigious? No. I think there are a lot of Superstars who look back and wish they had won a Royal Rumble. Or they fondly remember winning the Royal Rumble. To me, it seems like a career achievement, whereas Money in the Bank is the precipice for their first big push. So, false.

5. Daniel Bryan will lose the Money in the Bank briefcase before WrestleMania 28....

Kevin: False. At least I hope it’s false. I just don’t see a situation where Daniel Bryan loses the briefcase and somehow manages to maintain his momentum. At this point, WWE could really use a strong Daniel Bryan and the briefcase is a good way to keep him strong.

Matt: I waver on this one. I'm going to say false. That's not to say I think Bryan will actually cash it in at WrestleMania. I wouldn't be surprised if they just lost interest in having Bryan walk around with the briefcase and having him cash it in early. But I don't see him losing the briefcase altogether.


I'd like to once again thank Kevin Sullivan for taking the time to participate in the inaugural edition of True or False. This was an exciting "catch" for me, and I hope you enjoyed it. Once again, be sure to visit Kevin's blog and follow him on Twitter. And, of course, buy his books!

And feel free to comment below and let us know whose opinion you agree with!

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No LIVE Raw thoughts tonight

Sorry, but I've got dinner plans tonight, so I won't be able to do a LIVE (taped) review of Raw. If I do catch the tail end, I'll post my streaming thoughts on Twitter.

However, I AM very happy to announce that tomorrow I will be posting the inaugural edition of True or False. And I'm really, really excited about the featured guest. So be sure to visit tomorrow for the first edition!

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-5

When last week’s episode ended with Klaus bringing Stefan back to Mystic Falls, I worried that they might be rushing a storyline that could be stretched out for half of the season. I have to say that I was happily wrong. This was a pretty well thought out and exciting episode that climaxed one central storyline, while setting the season in another direction. And I like where it’s going.

One question about Senior prank week, though: What the hell were they doing in the gym? Covering the floor with cups? Good one?

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-5"....

I enjoyed the “Sophie’s Choice” type situation that Klaus created. We all know that nobody would sacrifice Elena’s life, no matter how dire the situation was. Yet by “killing” Tyler, they were forced to make a decision. If they help Klaus, Elena dies. If they don’t, Tyler dies. The action itself was quite exciting as well. I liked how Elena refused to give up on Stefan, and Stefan’s incredible restraint in attempting to not follow Klaus’ orders. It was effective stuff

I was actually quite impressed with the manner that they set the seeds for Bonnie rescuing Matt, by having them reminisce about their lifeguarding days. I commented on this at the beginning of the season (with Matt and Jeremy) and its true here too, but it’s nice to see some unfamiliar interactions. I’m sure there have been numerous Matt and Bonnie scenes, but none really strike me as particularly memorable. This was the first time I really noticed them sharing special moments together, and it was nice. Actually, there are very few opposite sex relationships on this show that aren’t designed to build up a new relationship, so the idea of two friends – one a girl, the other a girl – just being there for each other is rather refreshing. It’s another reason why I liked Stefan’s friendship with Caroline last year.

I also enjoyed the discussion between Bonnie and Matt at the end. Matt obviously feels like the odd man out – the normal person in this group of vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, and witches – but it’s easy to forget how lucky he is. Caroline is going on and on about how this is their senior year, yet she’ll never grow up in the traditional sense. I also appreciated Matt’s level head in a dire situation. Like I said, he’s able to live a normal life, and it was that regular perspective that helped them. Bonnie’s immediate reaction is “gotta use magic.” Matt brought her down to earth by saying, “you just need CPR.” Damon and Katherine are always fun to watch – it’s great seeing Katherine going crazy about the fact that Damon isn’t crazy about her (I especially liked his line about how he wouldn’t have stupidly gone to rescue her). The added element of Jeremy was icing on the cake.

One thing that disappointed me, though, was that we didn’t actually see the Matt/Vicki good bye scene. Throughout her entire run, Vicki has devious at worse and troubled at best. This was a scene that could have softened her image considerably, but they took the easy route by not showing it.

I do hope this is the end of Matt seeing dead people, though, because it at least makes Jeremy’s story unique. For that matter, why doesn’t Elena see dead people? She was dead for a while and came back. Actually, Jeremy died, too (with his ring on). As did Alaric. What are the rules here?

I especially enjoyed the two mini twists at the end. The first being that Klaus actually needs to keep Elena alive in order to create hybrids (he actually looked pretty clever in figuring that out) and the other being the apparent role reversal in the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle. Regular readers should know that I’m a fan of Stefan and Elena, but I do think it could be fun seeing Damon as the caring, protective one and Stefan as the obnoxious, sarcastic one. Stefan’s behavior in the house was decidedly Damon-esque, while Damon acted very much like Stefan. It was a fun turn.

But, again, I’m rooting for Stefan and Elena.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - October 10, 2011

11:08 - Alright, from a storytelling viewpoint, I understand the booking of Triple H and CM Punk tonight. After a bitter war, CM Punk is one of only three guys to agree to stand by Triple H, and at the end of the show, Triple H saves CM Punk from a beatdown. It's somewhat poetic. However, you just have to have a bad feeling about it. I mean, the night ends with whose music playing? And you have to believe that they're going to revert to the modern day DX formula. If Triple H's team wins, he makes the pin. If his team loses, his partner takes the fall.

I hope I'm wrong.

10:54 - The Miz and R-Truth are back. This is actually a fun development. Although I can't help but wonder why they would put ADR in a situation where he would be a face. But this does perhaps answer what CM Punk will be up to at Vengeance.

10:41 - I do have to say that the show has flown by pretty quickly, though. It's already 10:41? Okay, so assuming that Cena and ADR do face off in a one-on-one match, what becomes of CM Punk for Vengeance? Has he even casually feuded with anybody other than the WWE Champion and Triple H?

10:34 - Odd, but I never noticed how expressive Michael Cole is with his hands when he speaks. That was A LOT of hand movement there.

10:17 - When JR was called to the ring, you just KNEW something bad was going to happen. Do you think he's legitimately being removed from the announce table? Or is this just setting up for a babyface, permanent GM to save his job? If it's the former, man, stop toying with the guy. And really, why are you toying with your product? He's clearly the best at what he does, and the audience loves him. Why keep removing him from the announce table? In a pretty heartless manner, as well.

10:14 - John Cena vs. ADR? Again? Really? Why not just move onto the real Punk vs. ADR feud?

10:03 - On the one hand, I'm glad they're moving Randy Orton into a new (non-World title feud) with Cody Rhodes. That should be a fun feud. But why make it seem like Orton had Henry beat? The one thing Henry has that nobody else does is that Orton can't beat him. And Cody, that "disturbed" laugh was just awkward and terrible.

9:54 - It occurs to me that this is probably an episode of Raw that is potentially a lot of fun for the home viewing audience, but dreadful for those in attendance. That entire segment was almost entirely entrances and videos.

9:49 - Another issue I have with Mark Henry. His promos are much of the same. Yes, 15 years. Yes, you're angry. He's a fresh face and I'm grateful for that (and good for him for making the most of this opportunity). But he's not the highlight of the show.

9:46 - It's too bad this is happening to John Morrison. The guy isn't the total package, but as I've said countless times before, he's unlike anybody else they have on the roster. The things he can do are absolutely remarkable. I don't know if he's being punished for the Melina thing, or for being a jerk to Trish, or maybe if he fell out of favor with a supporter backstage, but they're REALLY missing out on an opportunity here. He's got a great look, and he's an awesome talent. Take advantage of him.

9:39 - I do feel somewhat cheated that we didn't even get a full match with Punk on commentary. In less than an hour, we're back to usual. And for some reason I think Johnny Ace releases Morrison after the match -- and then releases him for real tomorrow.

9:35 - It also strikes me as disappointing that Triple H essentially buried the entire roster in his promo refusing to quit (making himself like great, of course) and all that heat was capitalized by Vince and Johnny Ace for removing him anyway. All of the wrong people benefited from this.

9:32 - So why do they need an Interim General Manager when they already have one -- the Anonymous GM? Why not just reveal that Johnny Ace was the GM the entire time? It would at least connect the dots between the GM sending e-mails, and Johnny Ace sending texts.

9:29 - I'm glad they got this entertaining nonsense out of the ring so that Vince and Triple H could deal with their issues.

9:23 - Okay, my criticism of the opening segment is obvious -- pretty much everything Triple H said. Did he really need to bury the entire roster? Was it necessary for him to say that he could wrestle a literal broomstick and still perform better than most of the guys out there? Yes, this coalition was pretty much led by top heels like Christian, ADR, Dolph Ziggler, and guys like that, but you have to remember that popular faces like Air Boom were involved as well. And they've been relatively vocal, too. Why make them look like a bunch of babies? Honestly, NOBODY came out looking good in that segment. Well, except for Triple H.

Things DID pick up, however, when the rest of the crew came out. One problem with Cena's portion, though: If he really did support Triple H, why not come out and defend the guy when 55 individuals were laying into him and walking out?

I'm glad the segment ended with CM Punk (and not Orton, as I feared after Punk came out) because he really is the person who started it all. It needed to end with him. The eventual booking was clever, though, with Sheamus and John Cena fighting, with Triple H forced to ref, and CM Punk as commentator. Which is, in a word, Incredibly Awesome!

9:08 - I'm glad they took advantage of the opportunity to do a unique opening to Raw. No sound and just an aura of confusion. One thing I would have changed, though. When the camera followed Triple H walking through the halls towards the entrance, I would have shown him hit a switch to play his theme music. Would have been an easy explanation for everybody's music playing throughout the night (since we are to assume the vast majority of backstage personnel walked off as well). I'll get to the actual content of the promo when the segment is over.

8:55 - Raw starts in about 5 minutes. What will be the fallout of the walkout? As you ponder that -- and wait for the show to begin -- read yesterday's post wondering why the protest is restricted to Raw.

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The Walkout: Why was it limited to Raw?

So the big storyline being pushed by WWE right is that 55 Superstars walked out on Raw, and that they refuse to return to the show until Triple H steps down. Until then, they'll presumably only be appearing on Smackdown and at live events (where Triple H has agreed to stay away from). My question is, from a storyline standpoint, why is this protest limited to Raw?

It has been established that Triple H is the COO of WWE. He appears on both Raw and Smackdown, and makes judgments and decrees for both brands. He is not the General Manager of Raw. Further, the "chaos" that seemingly broke the camel's back occurred at Hell in a Cell, when the Miz and R-Truth attacked Air Boom backstage, and then stormed the final moments of the main event. That didn't even happen on Raw, so why protest that program specifically?

I do understand why they can't keep their Superstars off of both shows (how would they fill the time?) but from a storyline perspective, it doesn't quite make sense to me.

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Attic Treasures

Crazy the stuff you find in the attic while cleaning (not fun, by the way). I came across this little nugget, I'd say it's from third grade (based on the cursive writing), titled "Good things about Matt":

"I'm cute. I'm good at baseball. I'm funny and kind. I run fast, I'm a good swimmer. Good at bike riding. I'm good artist. I'm good at basketball and I'm a good boy."

I evidently forgot "humble" and "inflated sense of self-worth."

View the awesomeness (full size):

http://imageshack.us/f/84/img1361m.jpg/

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-4

As a quick aside, one of my readers commented about how Elena was wearing her necklace and thus could not be compelled by Stefan (I noted that I thought Stefan would force her to forget him). I did notice that, however, can’t he just tear the thing off? I mean, even if we’re to assume touching the pendant will harm him (which we know isn’t the case since Damon was holding it), how about the chain?

So it seems that things are beginning to come to a head now. They’re finally addressing Elena and Damon’s closeness, Klaus is about as close as he could possibly be to finding out that Elena is still alive, we learned more about Jeremy’s ability to see his dead girlfriends, and Bonnie is back in town.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-4"....

Starting with the first point, the seemingly innocent flirtation between Elena and Damon is starting to get a lot of attention, particularly from Caroline and Alaric – both of whom are wary of the budding relationship. Speaking of which, I love Alaric, but really, who says “take a beat”? If it wasn’t bad enough that he used that phrase, he actually repeated it several times! And then it was said again, by Damon, at the end of the episode. Yikes! We need more of that bad ass Alaric who strong armed himself onto the founders committee.

Oh yeah, Elena and Damon. Well, in typical Damon fashion, just when things seem like they could happen between him and Elena, he turns to the dark side and goes on an asshole spree. And for some reason, Alaric keeps dying when that happens (I did get a kick out of his “you might want to get that ring checked out” line, though). I will say this, though: They have to be careful how often they have Damon do these unforgivable things, because each time Elena forgives him and it really makes her look like a sucker. I mean, does she not remember that this guy essentially murdered her brother? Without reluctance or provocation, and without realizing that he had his ring on? I recognize that he does some truly heroic and selfless things, but still.

Last week I noted that it would be fun to see Stefan torn between the two loves of his life, but it seems that they’ve nipped that in the bud by telling us right off the bat that his heart still fully belongs to Elena. Although I have to say, is the fact that he’s not in love with Rebecca irrefutable evidence that he’s not with the team? Sure, his questions were a little suspicious, but they weren’t really out of line. If the last time I saw an ex-girlfriend she was running scared from somebody, I’d probably ask about it next time I saw her, too. I do have to say, though, that the idea of Elena, Rebecca, and Katherine all up to something is pretty nifty, too.

Oh, and I still love how Stefan can always tell the difference between Elena and Katherine, but Damon always initially struggles.

We finally got a bit of information as to why Jeremy can see Vicki and Anna. It seems that it’s a dual effort and that both sides need to be actively attempting to communicate with each other. Here’s something to consider, though, when it comes to this Anna vs. Vicki war. Anna mentioned feeling alone, so I take it that she can’t actually see Vicki. My guess is that she feels the darkness, and based on Jeremy’s actions (she can see him even when he can’t see her), she deduces that Vicki is there. Therefore, she assumes that Vicki is the darkness. But is that necessarily a safe assumption? There may be any number of spirits there that none of them can see. So who knows what might be responsible for the darkness (although it could be Vicki. She was always trouble).

So I’m guessing Caroline revealed in an early episode that her dad was gay? Because I don’t recall any reference to that and Damon mentioned it numerous times throughout the episode. Incidentally, isn’t Jack Coleman also playing a gay guy on The Office?

For what it’s worth, the complex nature of Caroline’s relationship with her father was interesting – and I am curious to see what other mind-induced abilities he has. I also liked the “I’m stronger”/”but I’m angrier” fight between Caroline and Damon.

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Uncovered Lost Survey

After one of my co-workers moved across the country, I had the (fun) task of cleaning out his office (as seen in my Birthday Diary). While going through some of the paperwork he had attached to his wall, I came across a Lost survey that was circulated amongst several other co-workers, all of whom watched the series. Based on the questions, I'm guessing that it was sent out after the fifth season premiere. So here, for your enjoyment, are the results of that survey. And I will let you know if I agree or disagree with the masses.

Which death of a character were you saddest about?
Winner: Charlie (9 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Agree, obviously. The other choices were Boone (who received the two other votes), Mr. Eko, Shannon, and Alex (Ben's daughter). This one was an absolute no brainer. Charlie remains one of my favorite deaths in all of television.

Which of the following characters would you most trust to help you if you were in a dangerous situation with them?
Winner: Sayid (7 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Hindsight is a beautiful thing, so I'd have to say I disagree here. The other options were Jack (who received the remaining four votes) and Ben. I would go with Jack.

Which camp would you have sided with? Jack's or Locke's?
Winner: Jack's (9 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
This is a really tough question. I mean, the barracks were really, really comfortable looking.

Do you "trust" any of the following people? Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, None of the above
Winner: None of the above (6 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Call me a sucker, but I trusted Daniel from the get-go. Beard? Tie? Sounds like my style.

In your opinion does Hurley actually see dead people or is he hallucinating?
Winner: Actually sees dead people (8 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
I agree, only because he wasn't the only person who saw dead people. But this question isn't mutually exclusive -- isn't it pretty irrefutable that he did hallucinate his fake former psych ward friend?

Do you think you understand the situation involving Flight 815 at the bottom of the ocean and the other Flight 815 that crashed on the island?
Winner: Widmore staged it (9 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
I'm not going to use hindsight here. If I had more time, I'd go back to my reviews to see what I actually predicted, but I do think I had assumed that it was staged to stop people from trying to find them.

Do you feel there is still a story line concerning the fact that during Season 1 we were lead to believe Walt might be psychic in some way and also that Aaron's birth was of significance?
Winner: Yes, there's still a storyline

Agree or disagree?
It's particularly tough avoiding hindsight here. Liberally speaking, I do think there was a storyline with Aaron's birth -- just not as grand or significant as people assumed. Quite simply, he was a baby born on an island where people die giving birth. Walt, well, we know how that went.

In your mind is there any possibility Jin and/or Michael may have survived the explosion on the freighter?
Winner: No (5 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Disagree! I long argued that Jin survived. My mentality was always that if you didn't see it happen, it didn't happen. They wouldn't imply such a significant death. Michael I always knew died.

So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with their/my thoughts?

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More on Mark Henry

Frequent contributor Kyle left some great comments during my LIVE Raw post, but I thought I'd respond with another post instead of leaving it in the comments section:

First, Mark Henry: People may be exaggerating it. BUT, let me see if I can make the point as to why I, who have never enjoyed Mark Henry's work (he seems like a good guy who works hard, just never liked him) have really liked his current run. #1, it's DIFFERENT than what we've been seeing. Every heel lately is the same. Cowardly, weak heels who aren't in the same league as Cena and Orton. Punk had to essentially turn face to be booked like that. Christian came close but as he went more and more heelish he was less and less in Orton's league, until he only one via a crazy stipulation and trickery. Miz, Truth, Del Rio, all booked as cowardly weak heels. Cena openly said Del Rio sucks and isn't in his league, then proved that to be correct by beating him at Extreme Rules and only losing here due to a triple threat stipulation and Cena being locked out of the cage. Mark Henry, meanwhile, just went out there and kicked Orton's ass, beating him clean. WWE hasn't really done that in a VERY long time. Sure, sometimes heels will beat up Cena or Orton, but that's always through dastardly sneak attacks and usually involve multiple people. In the context of a match, they never get beaten down like this. It's incredibly refreshing to see.

First and foremost, I completely agree on the freshness front. I admire the fact that they've pushed somebody new and, it seems, actually gone through with the push without pulling back. I also commend Mark Henry for taking the ball and running with it. He's definitely made the most of this opportunity, and good for him for that. However, I still don't think he's the highlight of the show, and I think people go a bit overboard with his routine just because it's new and unexpected.

And honestly, there's a bit about this push that frustrates me. Yes, Mark Henry has done a great job with this material, but it's also a push that nobody was really asking for. The fact that they've successfully pushed him shows how "easy" it can be when you book to the talent's strength and actually get behind him. Naturally, Christian couldn't have done the dominant monster bit, but imagine if WWE actually got behind him the way they have Henry. Or how about ADR? Or hell, even CM Punk. Each of those guys have the goods, yet there's been a definite resistance to play to their strengths with the full support of the powers that be.

I certainly don't blame Henry for that, but I can only imagine what others would do with this chance.

As far as why people are saying the WHC is higher on the food chain now, I don't think it is either, BUT, the argument is based on the fact that Orton and Henry actually seem to care about the title. That's what they're fighting over. Meanwhile, on Raw, it's a mess of inside references and lawyer angles and whatever. Punk lost the title to Del Rio and didn't even seem to care. Cena seemed much more concerned with whether or not Del Rio knew what his car was called as opposed to wanting the title (save for a brief promo about how Del Rio doesn't deserve the title because he sucks). There was some crappy buildup to Hell in a Cell, Del Rio won, which was immediately pushed aside for the Miz/Truth angle. And what happens on Raw the next night? It's pretty much ignored save for a few brief mentions. I'll get to this in my next post but we had literally no movement on the WWE title front last night. I don't mean no movement like the World Heavyweight title had, where we're not sure if Orton and Henry will fight again due to the pull apart brawl or not because Henry said he was done with Orton...I mean LITERALLY no movement. Nobody asked for a title shot. Cena didn't demand a rematch or overly seem to care that he lost his title last night. Punk didn't demand another shot. Just...nothing. With the next PPV 3 weeks away. Now the buildup has been cut down to "Hell in a Cell" time because the extra week between the PPVs is gone without even the tiniest bit of movement. At least Henry and Orton act like they care.

I have long felt that those that have held and competed for the World Heavyweight Championship have treated the title with more prestige than those who have fought for the WWE Championship. Edge was completely obsessed with the World Heavyweight Championship. Christian was so desperate to hold the title that he went over the deep end. Same goes for Batista, Undertaker, Kane, Triple H, and most recently Randy Orton. For the most part, these guys were fighting to be the champion -- there was little need to add a super personal aspect to their story. They just wanted the title.

The WWE Championship, on the other hand, has often been treated as a vanity object. Even CM Punk, who did a fantastic job of building the prestige of the title before Money in the Bank, responded with a "eh, oh well" when ADR nabbed the championship from him after SummerSlam.

The Smackdown writers have done a phenomenal job of making the World Heavyweight Championship seem like the most important title in wrestling. WWE, not so much.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - October 3, 2011

11:08 - That was an intriguing ending to Raw. Perhaps deliberately, Triple H's defense was weak and flimsy. He basically blew everybody off. And, thankfully, the writers didn't have the Superstars/Divas/referees back down. They didn't bring up a valid point and just back down when Triple H answered. They challenged him, to the point that Triple H had no option but to blow them off.

What I found odd, though, was that Jerry Lawler was the voice that ultimately tipped the scales. This guy has been getting physically involved at the announce table for years now. How was the Mark Henry situation any different?

The walk out was good, with it happening in segments. And WWE must certainly realize what a valuable asset they have in Jim Ross now. No other personality could have filled that role. Having JR be the last person to walk out was fitting and appropriate, and it hit the right note. There were a lot of nice touches as well, like having the cameramen leave as well.

The question is - where do we go from here? What do you think?

11:03 - Was Michael Cole walking out with the Raw GM Laptop?

10:57 - Let the Internet go crazy that -- gasp -- referee's names were mentioned!!

10:55 - Wade Barrett brings up some good points. Triple H's counterargument was weak. He said himself that when he wasn't the man in charge, he created chaos, but things are different when you're the one making decisions.

10:50 - I didn't notice, are Punk and Cena out there?

10:47 - So the WWE and World Heavyweight Champions came out to their show's music, but the play-by-play guy got his own entrance and theme? Yipes.

10:39 - I say this every week, but "The Great White" is the worst nickname ever. And the fact that they go with "Team Cena" and not "Team Punk" or even "Team Cena & Punk" is rather telling.

10:25 - It's never a good sign when you have to explain the legal mumbo jumbo to your audience. I try not to be overly negative, especially towards the people that Internet fans seem to take aim at, but it truly does amaze me -- and not in a good way -- that the red hot anti-authority CM Punk angle turned into a Triple H power struggle. Who in their right mind thought that was a good idea? Who could have imagined that the story would take that sort of turn.

10:17 - So does anybody remember the New Nexus? There hasn't been a single reference to the fact that CM Punk was the one who brought in Mason Ryan in the first place. Or the fact that they used to team with their opponent, David Otunga. I didn't see Hell in a Cell last night, but did that even come up during Otunga and Punk's backstage segment?

10:11 - Is it a bad sign when they don't even show the WWE Champion's entrance?

10:05 - I still don't really care for CM Punk's ice cream t-shirt. It's just too cutesy for his character. It's something that would work for Cena, but not Punk. Stick to the awesome Best in the World style shirts.

10:02 - This is a complaint Seth Mates (another former WWE writer) always makes, but it's a fair point. If Vince McMahon was removed from his position for his irrational actions -- namely, questionable decisions and firing personnel -- then why hasn't Triple H faced the same consequences?

10:01 - I know they're not scissors, but running with bolt cutters can't possibly be safe.

9:44 - I don't even know what to say about that Kelly Kelly segment. It was not good.

9:33 - It is remarkable how much louder the crowd gets for Vickie the second she begins speaking.

9:26 - I also suspect that Mark Henry is a genuinely good guy, because the former WWE writers on Twitter are constantly singing his praises (to, I believe, an excessive level). One says that he's making the WWE Championship seem secondary to the World Heavyweight Championship. I disagree. Generally speaking, the WHC has always seemingly switched hands less times than the WWE Championship. And, in my opinion, the champion and contenders have all acted like the WHC is a genuine prize as well. Another writer says that having a monster heel champion who can talk is unprecedented. How about Kane last year? The Big Show at various points? Batista? Yeah, there were Yokozunas and Undertakers out there, but c'mon, Mark Henry isn't breaking ground here.

9:22 - So do I need to turn in my IWC card if I say that Mark Henry isn't setting my world on fire? The truth is, we've seen mean, tough, angry Mark Henry countless times before. This is nothing new. The only the different is that he's getting a really, really strong push. And I'm happy for him, and I'm glad we're getting some fresh blood in the main event scene (then again, we DID have that with Christian also). Having said that, I don't think he's the highlight of the show and I don't think he's creating this perception that the World Heavyweight Championship is THE title in wrestling. Sorry.

9:17 - On Twitter I had joked that I wanted to see Drew McIntyre and John Morrison face to see if the bookers could find some way to job them both. Well, McIntyre jobbed to Orton (although gave a stronger showing than I expected) and who's going to do the deed for Mark Henry? Mr. Morrison! Let's see if it's competitive.

9:08 - Drew McIntyre lasted much, much longer than I expected him to. I thought we'd see an RKO immediately to end the match.

9:00 - I didn't notice, but has CM Punk been added to the opening signature yet? I only ask because I did see Mark Henry is on there now. Punk certainly should.

8:18 - As we prepare for the beginning of Raw, how about a pre-show discussion? One of the more talked about happenings from last night's show was Cody Rhodes debuting a redesigned Intercontinental Title. It's almost identical to the classic IC title, except the edges and levels seem a bit more refined, and the main plates seems to have some etchings instead of being a smooth surface. And, of course, it's updated with the new WWE scratch logo. I do wish they had modified it to include a name plate as well, since all of the championships (minus the new tag titles) have them.

It looks pretty damn cool, I must say, although I am surprised by two things: One is that they're using the white strap, only because none of the other titles have used a different color strap since the early days of the Attitude era. And the second is that the Intercontinental title is the one that got the redesign treatment. Sure, most people prefer the classic look (it ranked #5 on my Top Ten Cases list), but was anybody really demanding that this belt get a facelift? Especially when the WWE Championship has been in desperate need for a redesign, and people HAVE been really outspoken about that. Even John Cena, on Twitter, said he wants the belt to get a new look.

On the topic of the WWE Championship, everybody seems to want the Winged Eagle style back. I'm in the minority here, but I never much cared for that belt. I always thought it looked too small and diminutive. When I was younger, I thought the Intercontinental Championship was the more prestigious title because, physically, it looked bigger. And Lord, did it pale in comparison to the Big Gold Belt. Maybe if they increased the size by 25-50% I'd feel different, but overall I think I'd either want them to go back to the Undisputed title or to a new design altogether.

So, what do you think of the "new" Intercontinental Championship and whether the WWE Championship will get a redesign as well?

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