LIVE Raw thoughts - October 29, 2012

11:07 - I was a bit off with my Team Foley prediction, but for good reason.  I was right about Ryback and Kofi.  I considered Team Hell No, but the reason I didn't pick them was because I didn't expect them to put Daniel Bryan in such an explicitly babyface role.  And I didn't pick Orton for the same reason I didn't pick ADR.  I didn't think they'd include him in a story that so clearly didn't focus on him.  Truth be told, it's a REALLY stacked main event.  Love it.

11:00 - LOVE that Punk turned and said something to ADR (I think it was "no offense") when he remarked that Survivor Series would be his one year anniversary as WWE Champion.

10:59 - I'm somewhat surprised by ADR, only because I didn't think they'd use him in a position where he's not captain.

10:58 - Love that Punk sold his injuries when Miz shook his hand.  By the way, so far I'm right about Punk's team.  Only one spot left, I guessed Ziggler.

10:56 - That is a pretty sweet looking hoodie.

10:46 - I honestly really don't know what it is, but I just find Alberto Del Rio unbearably boring.  I think I still harbor resentment towards him for getting interjecting in the awesome John Cena/CM Punk feud during the Summer of Punk.

10:38 - One thing I ALWAYS defend WWE for is the charitable and community contributions they make.  To me, it's the ultimate cynical thing to do to criticize them for patting themselves on the back for all of the things they do.  Frankly, they have every right to pat themselves on the back.  There are a lot of things WWE can do to get positive recognition, they certainly don't have to go to the lengths they have gone to this past month.  Honestly, if they reached out to a handful of women that otherwise wouldn't have been motivated to get themselves checked, then this has all been worthwhile.  The donation of $1 million is nothing to sneeze at, either.  Overall, this was a wonderfully done segment.  And I'd hate to tell you, but this segment also exemplified why John Cena is the face of the company.  Few individuals on the roster could have carried themselves the way he did.  Great job to all involved.

10:25 - A fun and entertaining match.  I'm actually a bit surprised that Rhodes Scholars won again.

10:10 - LOVE Rey's Mexican skull attire.  Looks awesome.  And hey, so much for all those stories that from now on, Mysterio/Sin Cara will be wearing the dual sided masks.

10:03 - Didn't love that segment, but I do have to admit that I loved the "Look at me you red headed ginger snap!" line, as well as the "have you ever seen a ginger snap?" retort.  Went out on a high note.

9:57 - Just rename this guy Sheamus Cena.

9:47 - Somewhat strange booking, considering that the rumor is that this is Beth's last Raw.  Why not give AJ a more decisive victory the first time around?  Instead of a fluky roll up, have her hit her flying knee.  Right now it just seems like AJ got a lucky victory, and then suffered a dirty loss.

And if AJ got fired for accusations of possibly favoring a talent, why wouldn't Vickie get in just as much trouble for blatantly treating another talent unfairly?

9:42 - While it's great to see Lawler healthy enough to return to work, I'm going to miss the improved announce teams we've seen in his absence.

9:37 - I feel like 3MB has been defeating CoBro every week since they became a team.

9:34 - If there was ever a time for Zack Ryder to wear his Ghostbusters trunks, it's the episode of Raw that falls right before Halloween.

9:26 - Why is this job interview even happening?  AJ was a Smackdown Diva before her General Manager stint.  Wouldn't logic dictate that she would return to that brand?  And even if she didn't automatically go back to that roster, why go through the humiliation and trouble of working for Vickie when she can just work for Booker?  That's why these "suffering for your job" storylines are flawed when they have two GM's.

9:09 - Why give away another potentially big Champion vs. Champion match without ANY promotion whatsoever?  I'm not saying that Kofi vs. Cesaro will catapult them to 4.0's in the ratings, but it's a waste to give that match away (the first time they've fought, I believe) with NO promotion.  I mean, they literally got the "Up Next" treatment.  What harm can come from giving people a week's notice?

9:06 - Cena's story doesn't seem to add up.  They're wearing the same clothing as the dinner (which happened before AJ was fired), and now he's saying that their conversation happened AFTER she got fired. I don't think Cena's lying, I just think it's crappy writing.

9:04 - I typically defend John Cena, but having him wear his t-shirt at what appears to be a really nice restaurant doesn't exactly endear him to the audience.

8:58 - My guess for Team Foley vs. Team Punk.  Team Foley will be Foley, Ryback, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, and Kofi Kingston.  Team Punk will be Punk, Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, and Damien Sandow.

8:47 - Are the Prime Time Players the first heels to wear pink since the beginning of the month?  Speaking of which, is this the last Raw where they'll be using the pink rope?  Or that Cena will wear his Rise Above Cancer shirt?

And will Daniel Bryan please get a haircut?

8:40 - Is it me, or is AJ looking pretty buff lately?

8:30 - It's not that they've necessarily even done anything wrong with Wade Barrett since his return, but it overall just seems like a disappointment.  WWE seems to run into this trap with their midcard talents -- they either put them in a series of squash matches where nobody is impressed with the victories (oh wow, you beat Yoshi Tatsu?!?!?!) or they're having them come up short against main eventers.  Instead of spontaneously transforming Brodus Clay into a jobber, why not put him in an extended feud with Wade Barrett?  Clay was over enough and had earned enough victories that a loss to Barrett would have put an impressive notch in his belt.  Instead, Barrett has just floundered aimlessly.  He's won much more than he's lost, and he always looks impressive, but without a major storyline he just comes across as an afterthought.

8:27 - Even Randy Orton's walk is boring.

8:25 - Just wanted to let you know that I still have power.

8:15 - One of the better opening segments we've seen the past several weeks.  It really is disappointing to see the ratings take such a hit, because of the past month or so the show really has centered around CM Punk (and I'm grateful that the company, shockingly, hasn't seemed to blame him for the nosedive).  And it sounds like he's finally getting over as a full fledged heel, no matter how weak the storyline was.  I absolutely love the fact that they're doing a high profile classic Survivor Series match (although I hope we see several), and Punk's facial expression when Ryback came down was priceless.  Eager to see which Superstars are picked for each team.  Oh, and this pretty much guarantees Punk makes it a full year with the title!

8:10 - It's kinda sad how CM Punk's "selling intense pain" walk is the same as Mick Foley's ACTUAL walk.

8:01 - Alright friends, I'm in the middle of this intense hurricane right now.  So I'll be providing my LIVE Raw thoughts until I lose power or my cable and/or Internet.  Hopefully I make it the entire night.

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

“How’d you get stuck with Hunter duty?”

“Stefan has a Physics test.”

Another week with the “Mystic Falls” introduction.  Except with each week, it looks like they’re adding new scenes/information as the season’s storyline progresses.  I actually quite like that idea.  Like I said last week, this IS a more clever way of giving your viewers a quick rundown of what’s happening thus far than just a typical “Previously On” clip.

Oh, and BIG NEWS!  My cable provider now once again carries the CW!  That means that this will HOPEFULLY be the last time you guys have to wait nearly a week for me to post these recaps.  I’ll do my best to get these up in a reasonable amount of time going forward.

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CM Punk vs. Ryback: Is Chris Jericho right?

Making the Internet rounds the last couple of days is the fact that Chris Jericho, in a recent interview, stated that he believes that Ryback should defeat CM Punk for the WWE Championship tonight at Hell In A Cell.  In Jericho's view, Punk defeating Ryback doesn't do much for Punk, but Ryback defeating Punk will make Ryback into an instant new star.

I, like most people, believe that CM Punk should absolutely, 100% retain the title tonight.  Yes, they painted themselves in a corner.  They either need to end Punk's nearly year-long title reign or they need to end Ryback's undefeated streak.  And because of the Cell stipulation, there really is no way around one of those things happening.  Ultimately, continuing Punk's reign seems like the more important road to take.

But is there a circumstance that Chris Jericho might be right?  We all agree that WWE needs to bring some new stars into the fold, and this is most certainly a situation where that can happen (and since it's a face challenger, it won't seem fluky like Sheamus' first reign).  In my view, there is only one way that they can put the title on Ryback and have it work, and that's if they're willing to go full throttle.  That means that Ryback destroys Punk tonight.  He then destroys Punk in the rematch.  And then -- and here's the kicker -- he cleanly defeats the Rock at Royal Rumble.  He can lose the title to John Cena or whoever at WrestleMania, but he absolutely must defeat the Rock at the Royal Rumble.  Having Ryback end Punk's year-long title reign, only to hold the title for a couple of months to lose to the Rock doesn't do anybody any good.  Nor does ending Punk's reign, just to have Punk end the undefeated streak a month later (just to lose to Rock a couple months after that).

Basically, whatever road they choose to take, they need to go the distance with it.  Either put the title on Ryback and have him go through the Rock, or have Punk win and continue with the path they decided upon months ago.

For what it's worth, I'm pushing for Punk.

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-2

So I’m not quite sure what to make of the new introduction at the beginning of each episode of The Vampire Diaries.  When it was used last week, I figured it was just a variation of the typical “Previously On…” montage, but when it appeared again this past week, it made me wonder if this was something semi-permanent.  I mean, I don’t particularly mind it – it’s pretty succinct and informative.  I don’t imagine it’ll last more than a few more episodes, though.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - October 22, 2012

11:04 - That was a fine ending that did a nice job of making people want to see the two title matches.  However, it made absolutely no sense that the heels randomly started storming the ring (one by one, of course) when they previously seemed to have little interest in the actual outcome of the match.  The bit at the end, though, with Punk trying to escape and the faces throwing him back in was fun enough.

I still can't get over the AJ thing, though.  She was a bright spot for the show and somebody I think a lot of people enjoyed seeing.  During this pretty unsatisfied era, why would you take away people like and replace them with somebody they hate?

11:00 - Not to be insensitive but is Michael Cole having a stroke?  He literally repeated the "AJ Lee resigns/fraternization/John Cena" line -- almost word for word -- immediately after saying it.

10:56 - "CM Punk demands respect.  Sheamus has earned it."  Well that's odd, I don't remember Sheamus being forced by the announcers and legends to fight John Cena in order to earn their respect.

10:44 - Yeahhhh, they really didn't tell us EXACTLY what Austin said about Sheamus, now did they?

10:37 - If there was one thing I wish we could never see again, it would be that stupid thing they do where they show the live audience watching a segment on the Titan Tron, instead of just showing the viewing audience the segment itself.

10:30 - It's a good thing WWE has Ricardo Rodriguez on payroll.  That way, there's always at least one person in the arena who cares about Alberto Del Rio.

10:27 - Is there any better example than Ryder vs. ADR of the company saying, "this is who you will support, or else"?  If fans cared about or reacted to ADR the way they do Zack Ryder (at his peak), they'd be naming the company after him.

10:23 - Kevin Sullivan (author of the WWE Encyclopedia) made a great point:  If WWE had AJ resign due to rumors that she's fraternizing with the talent, why would they put Vickie Guerrero -- who has hooked up with several WWE Superstars and openly favored them with her authority -- in charge of the show?

10:17 - So we're all giggling about the recently divorced, rumored philanderer John Cena getting picked as the person AJ had an affair with, right?

10:14 - Okay, so Cesaro, Bryan, and Kane all jobbed.  How are they going to manage to have both Punk and Sheamus job tonight if they're facing each other?  I mean, all the champions are jobbing tonight, right?

10:13 - "She's the Managing Supervisor....not the General Manager or Interim General Manager, let's make that clear."  Yes, it's abundantly clear.  Despite the fact that she appears to have all of the responsibilities and authority of the GM.  But the actual title is different, just so that's clear.

9:59 - Relatively realistic options that would have been better than Vickie Guerrero:  Edge, Ric Flair, William Regal, Ted DiBiase, JBL, Road Dogg, Jim Ross, Shawn Michaels, and Batista.

9:42 - Cole just referred to Ziggler and Bryan as the "present and future of WWE."  Which one was which, exactly?

9:23 - Another thing.  Of all the problems Raw has, I can guarantee you that AJ being the General Manager wasn't it.  And placing Vickie Guerrero into that role isn't going to encourage anybody new or old to watch.  I'm just not following the line of thought here.

9:10 - So I was initially disappointed to see AJ step down as GM, because of the fact that she has been such a fun character and this role guaranteed her a central role each and every week.  On the other hand, her character did have to make certain changes when she became GM, so the possibility of her returning to her Geek Chic/Crazy Chick ways made me think it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if she became a wrestler again.  But then things took a nose dive, in my view, when Vickie was given the role of "Managing Supervisor."  First off, what the hell is up with that title?  Is it above or below the title of General Manager?  How do the responsibilities differ?  Is it just a new title for the same job?  If so, why not just make her GM?

And even people who grew tired of AJ had to admit that she was at least a fresh character.  We've already seen Vickie in this role.....and relatively recently, too.  If they were going to go this route, why not put someone fresh or at least monumental in there?  And to be honest, I think people are really souring on Vickie's role as well.  This isn't going to help.

So who do you think this mystery man is?  Which Superstars have they outed as being married?  Orton?  Triple H?  Mysterio?  Big Show?  David Otunga?  So I guess one of those guys?

9:06 - I am not enjoying this development, thus far.

8:58 - I'm going to wait to see how the rest of this promo plays out before commenting.

8:53 - In my view, Justin Gabriel is one of the most under utilized guys on the roster.  So I love seeing him earn an impressive victory.  It's just always frustrating seeing a champion lose cleanly.  It's such a lazy way to build a #1 contender.  Why not put the time in and steadily push Gabriel with several progressively high profile victories, with Cesaro being the end of that journey instead of the beginning?  Oh, and I kinda love the fact that AJ is the end of hour segment going against super stiff competition.  Go AJ!

8:50 - By the way, I'm not sure what to make of that Cena promo.  The guy cares more about being nice and upstanding than winning the WWE Championship?

8:42 - Random observation - I don't like how Punk doesn't wear designs on his shin guards anymore.

8:39 - At least Punk knows the name of the event.  He should keep the title based on that alone.

8:34 - It's never good when your biggest star (or the owner, for that matter) can't get the name right.  It's not Hell in THE Cell, it's Hell in A Cell.

8:25 - As expected, Rhodes/Sandow advanced to the next round, which is fine and good.  I do hope Mysterio/Sin Cara continue teaming together, though.  This tournament reminded me a great deal of the Smackdown Six.  Could be a fun series of feuds.

8:06 - I will say this -- one benefit to Sin Cara teaming with Rey Mysterio is that we've seen him whip out some pretty cool new color combinations for his mask/tights design.

8:02 - I do like the idea of kicking off the show with the tag team match, as it's sure to be a good match and people seem to be invested.  Plus, with Team Hell No essentially being tweeners, it makes sense for either team to advance, thus making the result a bit more unpredictable.

7:43 - After a one week reprieve, I'm back with my LIVE Raw thoughts.  Now, onto a pre-show discussion.  With Raw competing with Monday Night Football, baseball, and the final presidential debate, there's a lot of talk that this show is going to take a nosedive as far as ratings are concerned.  And many people are arguing that WWE shouldn't panic.  While I'm inclined to agree with that sentiment -- you should know by now how I feel about ratings -- I'm not sure I would mind so much if WWE panicked.  Should they do something they can't come back from, like remove the title from Punk?  No, because doing something like that would impact long term plans that have an upside.  But why not do something that WOULD rattle the foundation of the company?  Punk's heel turn didn't give us that summer fling that we were all hoping for, mostly because a lot of people weren't asking for it to happen, and the storyline behind it was so flimsy.  As such, we really haven't seen anything monumental happen since the Summer of Punk, back in the middle of 2011.  A Cena heel turn is unrealistic at this point, so I'm not holding out hope for that.  But they need to do SOMETHING that first hour to prevent people from turning the channel when all of the competition sets in.

What would I do if I was in a position of power?  Frankly, I'd have Dolph Ziggler cash in the Money in the Bank and win the title.  Sheamus' reign, while impressive, doesn't have the epicness of Punk's, so they're not screwing the pooch by cutting the reign short.  Additionally, Sheamus vs. Show is not the selling point of Hell in a Cell, so they can alter that match in a week's notice and not alienate their viewers.  Plus, doing that in the first hour (maybe even first segment) will give the show a special feel, and might encourage people to stick around.

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Turnbuckle Tees: Respect

On Monday, October 8, the Twitter account for Turnbuckle Tees offered a challenge:  Post a tweet encouraging people to follow them, and the funniest/most clever will win a free t-shirt.  I thought carefully and came up with this:

Trying to slam your opponent's head into the turnbuckle but he blocks it with his foot = turnbuckle tease Awesome t-shirts =@TurnbuckleTees

Hilarious, eh?

Well, about 45 minuets later @TurnbuckleTees retweeted my post, and a few seconds after that I received a DM telling me that I had won!  Truth be told, I visit their website on a weekly basis, and I had been considering buying a t-shirt for quite some time.  This was the perfect opportunity to dip my toe in the water and see what the actual product is like, completely free of charge!

Now the tough part, which was deciding which t-shirt to buy.  Much like when I bought my #FACE t-shirt from Barbershop Window, I wanted something that was broad enough that it still looked cool to people who don't watch wrestling, but is a sly wink to fellow fans.  I really liked the CM Punk Cubs inspired t-shirt, but since I'm not from Chicago and don't know much about baseball, I worried that I might get myself stuck in a sports conversation that would quickly have me in over my head.  I also really liked the various cartoon and egg style shirts, but none of them really called out to me.

It ultimately came between the So Damn Sick t-shirt, the I Am The Tag Team Champions t-shirt, and the one I ultimately picked, the Respect t-shirt.  So why did I go with the Respect one?  Well, the first two were a little TOO sly, and I thought I'd have too people asking me what they meant.  I mean, who doesn't understand respect?

Along with that, I've really enjoyed CM Punk this year and wanted to do something to show some support for him.  And while this whole "Respect" storyline has been a bit forced, the shirt is pretty damn cool.  It's a black (Gildan Ultra Cotton) t-shirt with "RESPECT" (almost in the WWF Attitude font style) written messily in white across the front.  Beneath that are the four red Chicago flag stars, with the straight edge X's in front of that.  I quite like the shirt, and will certainly buy another should I like the design and style.

I cannot attest to their typical shipping methods (since, as a contest winner, this was done over e-mail and not through their website), but I was really pleased with the delivery experience.  This all went down late October 8th, and I received the shirt October 15th.  And they even sent me an unprompted status update over the weekend to let me know when I should expect the item to arrive.

Definitely visit their site (link below), but truthfully, as an attire mark, I'm perhaps more interested in communicating with their In-Ring Designs account.  I'm anxiously awaiting the debut of Zack Ryder's Ghostbusters attire.  Bad.  Ass.

Turnbuckle Tees Website:  http://www.turnbuckletees.com/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TurnbuckleTees
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/TurnbuckleTees

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-1

Alright, folks, I’m back with another season of The Vampire Diaries!  However, my reviews for the time being are going to be a little later than usual.  My current cable provider no longer carries the CW, so until they resolve their issues (hug it out!), I’m going to have to wait until the CW website posts the episode.  And while they seem to be pretty prompt about it now (they used to wait a few days), it’s still a bit of a hassle to watch it on my computer.  But I’ll do my best to get these up quickly!  Now, onto the premiere.

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My solo adventure in New York City

So the past few weekends have been a little bit on the tame side.  Many of the plans I've tried to arrange have fallen through at the last minute, or quite simply everybody has been away certain weekends, leaving me with nothing to do.  I was determined to make sure I did SOMETHING fun this weekend, and when my intentions to go to an Oktoberfest celebration fell through, I decided to go on an unplanned adventure in New York City.

While I travel to the city quite frequently, I constantly remark that I don't take advantage of living so close to the city.  Yeah, I'll go there some Friday or Saturday nights to hang out with some friends at some bar, but there's so much more to the city than it's burgeoning social scene.  So I jumped into the car, crossed the bridge, and walked around to see what adventures would befall me.  The weather was perfect -- not so cold that it was uncomfortable, but cold enough that you knew you were outside.  And when I returned home a few hours later, it was with quite a few stories to tell.

The first really noteworthy thing happened while walking down 5th Avenue.  I was approached by a Jamaican guy, who handed me a CD and said, "take this, it's free."  I normally say "not interested" in this situation, but for whatever reason I took it.  He then immediately said, "here, let me sign it for you" and proceeded to add his signature.  He then pointed out his Facebook and MySpace (haha) page before asking my name.  I told him "Matt," and he proceeded to write my name on the CD.  He then says, "Now don't feel pressure to make a donation, but I'll accept whatever you're willing to give."  Knowing I only had 20's in my pocket, I told him I only had change.  He said "that's fine."  I then clarified and said, "Like, only coins."  He then asked how much.  I reached into my pocket and took out a stack of coins, almost all of which were pennies.  He looked at me disgustedly, took the CD back, and walked away.  The two things I found particularly humorous were the fact that (a) he personally signed my name on it, meaning he now has to find a new person named Matt go give the CD to, and (b) the fact that he didn't even say "thank you" or "good bye."  He just took the CD back and walked away disgustedly.

The nerve of me to not give him money for something I never asked for!

Later on, I decided to sit down at one of the tables set up outside the New York Public Library.  I sat down, wrote down some thoughts, and people watched.  A woman sitting a couple of tables ahead of me was feeding the pigeons, and when she left, they clearly expected me to pick up the slack, as they began to swarm around me.  I was a little surprised -- and slightly uncomfortable -- with how many of these came around me, and how close they were.  Honestly, I could just about reach out and grab these things.  It really was a good thing that these things don't freak me out.

One of the true unexpected highlights, however, came when walking past Bryant Park.  For whatever reason, the old-timey looking outdoor carousel really caught my eye.  I don't quite know why.  I think it was just seeing one outside that captured my attention.  So I walked into the park and started walking around.  While walking, I came across Southwest Porch, a very small outdoor bar.  I love outdoor bars, and since the original intention of the day was to attend an Oktoberfest celebration, I thought I would enjoy a beer.  Plus, the place was so small and charming, with only three bars on tap.  There was an empty seat at the bar, and I took it.  I sat down and enjoyed a nice outdoor beer, while observing the park and streets of New York City.  It was quite illuminating and peaceful.

Bryant Park was actually quite cool, to tell you the truth.  They even have ping pong tables set up, where people can play each other.  Pretty neat, I'd like to visit there again before it gets too cold.

Of course, following the beer, I really, really had to pee.  So my new mission became to find a place that I could sneak inside of so that I could use their bathrooms.  My first attempt was at a nearby Duane Reade.  And while I couldn't find a bathroom to use, what did I find?  None other than Jenna Fischer, who you probably know as Pam on The Office.  Well, I'm about 98% certain that was her, anyway.  You know what?  I'm upgrading that to 100%.  It was totally her, no doubt about it (and for those of you wondering, I ended up sneaking into a McDonald's and using their bathroom).

As I walked back towards my car, I saw a giant inflatable pumpkin set up outside Playwright Celtic Pub, and that was enough to allure me inside.  I had a Miller Lite, and as I left, I got the strangest sense of deja vu.  I think I've been to that place before.  In fact, I think that's the place we went to for our office Christmas party, where I accidentally hit one of the bus boys when I was trying to put my arm over somebody's shoulders.  I don't know for sure, but it felt very familiar.

My final story comes when I decided to grab a soft pretzel from a street vendor.  When I reached into my pocket to pull out a $20, it tore as the corner hooked onto my money clip.  I then handed him a clean $20.  The guy very kindly told me to give me the torn $20 instead, so that I wouldn't have to keep it.  I thought that was really cool of him.

So overall, it was a really fun day all by myself in the city.  I hit some sights I've never been to before, and it ended up being a really good time.  There are a few places -- like the bar in Bryant Park -- that I'd like to meet friends at some time.  It seems like a fun, chill place to hang out at for an hour or so on a Saturday afternoon.  It was a cool experience.

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CM Punk "Best In The World" DVD Review

So I got around to viewing the highly acclaimed CM Punk DVD “Best In The World,” and I’m sure it goes without saying that I loved it.  My eyes truly were glued to the television screen.  Now, I don’t do match reviews, so this post will focus solely on the fantastic documentary portion.  Oh, and it’s detailed.  You’ve been warned.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - October 8, 2012

11:09 - That was an interesting episode of Raw.  It was arguably better than the past couple of weeks (which, honestly, I didn't find horrible), but it was very disappointing due to the higher expectations.  When Vince McMahon returns, something huge usually happens.  But it didn't.  It was a very standard episode, with some questionable decisions (Larry King in two segments?  AJ in only one?)  It certainly wasn't anything that would make returning viewers want to stay.  Hell, I'm not sure it would make "on the fence" current viewers want to come back next week.

McMahon vs. Punk was fine, but I wish Punk didn't cower to McMahon.  Not because it made Punk look weak, but because it diminished the impact of when he ran away through the crowd because he was afraid of Ryback.  The decree that Punk must pick his Hell in a Cell opponent -- either Cena or Ryback -- is an interesting notion.  By the way, how far away is Hell in a Cell?  Because Cena still seems awfully immobile.

10:59 - Why has Ted Turner been mentioned no less than 100 times, but AJ only appeared in one segment?

10:50 - They did it.  Kane and Daniel Bryan saved a Larry King segment.

10:41 - I don't know what it is, but I could not be less interested in Layla as a character.

10:32 - Oh, you better bet your ass that I'll be buying the CM Punk "Best in the World" DVD.  I've been looking forward to that thing since it was announced.  Speaking of CM Punk, I decided to go with the Respect t-shirt.  The angle might be flimsy (I'm going to write in detail about that sometime), but the shirt looks pretty cool.

10:22 - I'm not entirely convinced that Santino is more over than Ryder...but they really seem to be forcing that perception due to the fact that they always come out to Santino's theme.

10:17 - Why did that segment just happen?  Surely we could have kicked off a Miz/Kofi feud without involving Larry King.  I mean, Larry King isn't going to bring in outside media interest OR internal fan interest.

10:15 - Loved Kofi nodding his head when Miz said he's had more titles than he's had main events.

10:05 - In some pretty awesome news, I just won a free t-shirt from Turnbuckle Tees!  I'm torn as to which one I should go with.  Any suggestions?

Oh, and who had one month in the "How long would it take to include Lawler's heart attack in a storyline" pool?

9:59 - Say what you will about the frustrating storylines and choppy character development, but these 3 hour Raws HAVE given us some awesome competitive matches.

9:57 - Kinda funny hearing Michael Cole talk about people having to do degrading things but not getting any benefits.

9:52 - This is the new CM Punk hat (using his new GTS lightning bolt logo):
http://shop.wwe.com/CM-Punk-GTS-Baseball-Cap/W04606,default,pd.html
THIS is how I would have designed his t-shirt.  I would have made it a white/black ringer t-shirt (like his old Chicago Best in the World one), with the GTS logo on the center, with the black and yellow stripes along the sides.  That would've looked a lot cooler, I think.

9:44 - Daniel Bryan needs to get a haircut.  His crazy beard looks a lot cooler with the shaved head.

9:42 - By the way, it looks like WWE IS allowing their heels to wear pink now.  Dolph and Vickie are both sporting pink wrist bands.  And ADR is wearing that dreadful black scarf.

9:34 - When Tyson Kidd was already in the ring, set to go up against Cesaro, I thought we were going to see a basic squash.  I am pleasantly surprised by the highly competitive match we got.  Cesaro won clean -- as he should -- but Tyson had a lot of opportunities to showcase his talents.  Fun match.

9:28 - Larry King on Raw?  Really?  It's not that this has been a bad show, but it's certainly not the show I would have presented if I had a feeling that a lot of returning viewers might be tuning in.

9:23 - Why is this the first time we're seeing AJ?

9:17 - While I stand by the fact that Sheamus vs. Barrett was a needless risk, that was about as great a showing as you could have asked for.  It was a really good match and highly competitive (and it wasn't as if Tensai saved Barrett from losing, either).  That was a pretty rough landing when Sheamus was thrown out of the ring, though.

9:04 - By the way, this is a no win scenario for Wade Barrett.  I doubt he's going to win, and if he does, it's not going to be cleanly.  For whatever reason, Barrett hasn't had an opportunity to establish this bare knuckle fighter character, so jobbing him to the World Champion (needlessly) is an unnecessary hindrance.

9:03 - Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett?  Am I the only one who would rather see THAT match than Sheamus vs. Big Show (and certainly more than Sheamus vs. ADR!)

8:52 - I forget if I mentioned this last week, but I like the Mysterio/Sin Cara half and half masks.  Oh, and thank goodness Rey is FINALLY starting to make his tops the same material as his pants.

8:49 - I'm guessing we see Sin Cara/Mysterio vs. Rhodes Scholars in the finals.  As tweeners, Kane and Bryan are open to facing either team, which makes things a little less predictable.

8:39 - To tell you the truth, I'm mildly disappointed that we didn't get an actual State of the WWE Address.  There ARE issues with the company that need to be dealt with, and while not to that extent, I thought we'd get McMahon giving the "we won't insult your intelligence" speech.  Having said that, it was a good and effective exchange between Punk and McMahon, with Punk really laying on the insults (and thankfully avoiding instances where he's shown to be right, and thus becomes sympathetic).  But why continually knock down Punk?  Why constantly tell him he's not at the level of other legends?  That's not something they would've done to Triple H when he was the top heel.  I am intrigued to see what will happen in the Punk vs. McMahon match, though.  And I LOVED Heyman in the background saying, "Don't do it."

8:29 - I'm sure it'll grow on me, but I'm not a huge fan of the new CM Punk t-shirt.

8:26 - I do wish that the entire roster was in the ring or on the ramp.  Let's see if that happens.

8:19 - So I noted what a bad idea I thought it was having John Cena open the show since he's a sign of what made them tune out in the first place.  Yet, the first two matches featured Ryback and Brodus Clay.  While the segments themselves were overall weak (particularly the Truth/Brodus one), I do wonder if it was their intent to try to introduce the returning audience to their newer characters.

Also, I LOVE the fact that McMahon is appearing at 8:30 and not the top of the hour.  I mentioned this once before, but I think at least a small part of the reason why the ratings are so low is because viewers have been programmed to check the show out at the top of the hour, because that's when something big will happen.  If they don't like what they see then, they'll tune out until the next hour.  People need to be programmed to think that anything major can happen at any time.  Make fans be afraid of missing the show at 8:43 or 9:18, because something huge could happen.

8:06 - That opening -- at least the beginning part -- was the worst thing they could've done.  Cena making goat noises?  Cena making fun of Antonio's nipples?  Yes, he picked things up a bit with the Punk stuff, but the anti-Punk sentiment (even from a kayfabe standpoint) is so flimsy that it wasn't enough, in my opinion, to pick things up.

7:56 - Just saw that they're having John Cena open the show.  This is a TERRIBLE idea.  The announcement of Vince McMahon's presence is sure to bring in a bunch of the fans they've lost.  Having them tune in and immediately see John Cena is the last thing they need.

7:49 - Alright, so Raw begins in about 10 minutes and I'm actually looking quite forward to the show.  We have Vince McMahon returning with a State of the WWE Address, and when Vince is on TV, things typically happen.  I'm also really curious to see what he'll actually announce.  I WOULD say that it's to officially end the brand extension, but I honestly don't see that happening.  The brand extension literally only exists in two ways:  the physical championship belts, and the GM's.  And I don't see them getting rid of either (particularly under such short notice, for a show like Hell in a Cell.  But I honestly do have an inkling that he'll make SOME sort of big announcement.  And while most people will attribute this to panic mode, I think it's great.  Following the Nexus and the Summer of Punk, the viewers were really left with nothing monumental over the summer, and the company is paying the price.  Something big and unexpected is what this company -- and this show -- needs.

Oh, and CM Punk is FINALLY debuting a new t-shirt.  It's about darn time!!  Here's hoping it's a cool one.

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Summer of Excitement Review - [a case of the summer]

So the Summer of Excitement may have ended a few weeks ago, but I've put together this video that looks back at each activity of the last 13 weeks (sorry, it took a little longer than expected to complete).  Enjoy, and relive the weddings, bachelor parties, reunions, ghost cars, and skydiving that made up the Summer of Excitement!

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My Birthday Weekend!

Well my birthday was nearly a week ago and I've been meaning to talk about what I did over the weekend, but this is really the first opportunity I've had to write about it.  So let's get to it.

The morning started off touching enough.  When I finally got home from work (after a dreadful commute, thank you Route 287), I was surprised with several cards and snacks from some of my very generous friends from work.  That most certainly put a smile on my face.  Then they took me out for lunch, too (and treated me)!  Work alone made the day feel special enough.  However, the real treat (is that the right word?) happened at the end of the day when I received a phone call at my desk.  It was a coworker from the other side of the building, telling me that I have to see something at his neighbor's desk.  I walk over and see three of my friends suspiciously standing outside his desk.  As I passed by, I saw a Smirnoff Ice standing on the desk.  I turn to them and ask, "Am I being Iced?"  And, indeed, I got Iced.  So there, right in the office (shhh), I got down on one knee and chugged myself a Smirnoff Ice.  Quite an experience.  But really, don't tell anybody.

Perhaps the most exciting portion of the birthday weekend came the following day, however.  Saturday was our firm's 2nd Annual Inter-Office Softball Tournament.  If you recall, last year my office won....and we intended on retaining the championship this year.  By the way, I had the responsibility of bringing the trophy over to the game, so I had it Friday night (my birthday).  I think it goes without saying that I filled it up with beer and drank out of it.  I just had to.

Anyway, back to the tournament.  To call it thrilling would be an understatement.  We got a first round bye, and had to face one of the teams we decimated last year in the second round.  Well, they must have REALLY upped their game, because they fought us tooth in nail.  In fact, we had to go into extra innings!  And the stressful manner in which this was done was to have somebody automatically at second base, and the first team to score wins (home team, of course, has an opportunity to tie).  Amazingly, we ended up getting the win!  In the next round, we once again went to extra innings and once again took home the victory!  We made it to the tournament finals!

Things were running a little late, however, and the team meeting us in the finals (the same team that gave us a real run for our money in the first round) asked us if we wanted to make this game "winner takes all."  We most certainly turned that down, as it was a double elimination tournament and we had nothing to gain from that deal.  However, I'm thrilled to say that it was a moot point, as we won by just one run, which was earned in the final inning of the game.  It was a truly exhilarating game, and a really great time overall.  Last year most of our games ended via mercy rule.....I gotta say, sometimes that's more fun.  I was stressed the hell out that entire tournament.  But we won, so I can look back at the day lovingly.

Sunday was another active day, as I participated (for the 17th year, believe it or not) in the Volunteer Center Bike Tour.  It was only 10 miles, but there are lots of hills.  Oh, and I had just played 3 games of softball the day before!  Suffice it to say, I was exhausted by the end of the day.  But I did get a photo with that TD Bank mascot (what is he, exactly?  An ATM?), which will be posted in the appropriate Photobucket album.

Overall, a great weekend spent with some really special people.  Thanks to all that contributed to the great time.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - October 1, 2012

11:15 - While the champion (or any champion) should rarely be pinned, how crazy is it that the Tag Team Champions beat the WWE Champion?  On a typical night, the #1 Contender is usually beating the tag champs on his own.  So it was slightly refreshing.  And, as JR noted, Punk was left alone and thus his loss was a little "unfair."  But how many nights have we seen the tag champs closing Raw and/or Smackdown?  It's great seeing that championship a main focus again.  And you gotta love seeing Punk as the clear star of the show.  Plus, the continued re-emergence of crazy AJ.  This show had some low-lows, but it wasn't outright terrible.  I think it was Scott Keith who noted that these 3 hour Raws are GREAT 2 hour shows, and he's right.  Don't get me wrong, they're getting better with this 3 hour formula (remember when they used to bombard us with those stupid Tout videos from people watching the show?) with longer matches and such, but they still haven't mastered it.

10:47 - You know, for somebody who hates him so much, AJ sure has a lot of CM Punk posters in her office...

10:44 - How often do we hear these reports that WWE is high on Kofi Kingston (and why shouldn't they be?) only to job him out to a main eventer?  There are A LOT of dull characters at the top of the card, and ADR is one of the worst offenders.

10:29 - This segment, while technically very good, exemplified what is so bothersome about this CM Punk "respect" storyline.  In storyline terms, what more does CM Punk have to do to earn respect and to be called "The Best"?  He's had one of the longest title reigns in over 2 decades.  He's fought every challenger that's come his way.  He's cleanly beat guys like Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Alberto Del Rio, Miz, and loads of others.  He's consistently had the match of the night. And this whole "in order to be the best, you need to accept Cena's challenge and kick his ass" mentality is both flawed and proves Punk's point.  CM Punk is the WWE Champion -- shouldn't that mean more than beating John Cena?  And on top of that, as Punk noted, he HAS beaten John Cena.  On more than one occasion.  Just last month, people were telling Punk, "In order to be the best, you need to accept John Cena's challenge and beat him," and Punk did.  And they're now saying it AGAIN.  And when JR goes on at the announce table and says "you need to earn the distinction of being the best," what more DOES Punk have to do?  It's so forced and nonsensical.  If they insisted on going the respect route, they should have had everybody pay respect to Punk, and for it to not be enough for him.  Then HE looks like the jerk.  Right now, he DOES look disrespected.

10:17 - Can CM Punk please stop feuding with announcers?

10:13 - Nope, I guess not.  Incidentally, on this night of all new t-shirts, the one guy who REALLY needs a new one (Punk) still doesn't have one.  I still prefer the "Best In The World" ringer t-shirt, anyway.

10:08 - Am I naive in thinking that, with the Jerry Lawler ordeal being so fresh in everybody's mind, that WWE will actually "protect" and pay respect to their announcers and, as such, this JR Appreciation Night thing will be played straight?

10:01 - I will say this about the 3 hour Raws....we're definitely getting a lot more long matches.  And those longer matches have been pretty high quality.

9:54 - Alright, Cole has done a pretty effective job announcing the past few weeks....but did he really just ask Cody Rhodes how he and Sandow came up with he name "Rhodes Scholars"?

9:31 - Natalya must REALLY be evaluating her status in the company if they put an exiting Beth Phoenix over her.

9:19 - I credit Cole and Ross for covering for Ryback for finishing with the clothesline, and I commend Ryback for not attempting the slam a third time, but that still didn't go off very well.

9:11 - That was a dreadful segment.  It seems like WWE is taking every criticism people have towards John Cena and attributing it towards Sheamus.  You're now building a World Heavyweight Championship match by having your champion say that the challenger has B.O. and bad breath?

9:04 - I touched upon this back in my piece about entrance attire, but Sheamus is somebody who would benefit astronomically by appearing every now and again in street clothes.  He's now in John Cena territory, where no matter the scenario or circumstance, Sheamus comes out with his trunks, boots, wrist tape, and t-shirt.  What do we know about his character?  Is he the t-shirt and jeans type of person?  Tie and vest?  I mean, the fact that Miz comes out in a suit teaches us something about him and his personality and character.

8:55 - Now, just imagine they had built up Miz with victories such as these before feeding him to Ryback?

8:51 - New t-shirt appearances #2 and #3, Zack Ryder's pretty cool "Ssssicckkk" and Miz's weak "Haters Love Me."  Wondering if these two are fighting just so that they can show off their new shirts.

8:49 - Speaking of new t-shirts, Kane and Daniel Bryan have two pretty cool ones.  Check 'em out:
http://shop.wwe.com/Daniel-Bryan-Kane-%22Hugging-Is-All-The-Rage%22-Authentic-T-Shirt/W04599,default,pd.html?dwvar_W04599_color=Light%20Grey&start=2&cgid=superstar-current-danielbryan
http://shop.wwe.com/Daniel-Bryan-Kane-Hell-No-Authentic-T-Shirt/W04597,default,pd.html?dwvar_W04597_color=Red&start=1&cgid=superstar-current-danielbryan

8:44 - Antonio Cesaro making short work of Brodus Clay?  Tensai getting beat decisively by Ryback?  My, how the mighty have fallen.  Not necessarily a criticism, since equally new guys like Cesaro and Ryback benefited, but it's still surprising to see guys like Brodus and Tensai essentially getting squashed.

8:36 - I didn't catch Smackdown on Friday, but I am very intrigued by the Tag Team Championship tournament.  It's reminiscent of of the old Smackdown Six days.

8:23 - The dual Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara gear is kinda awesome.

8:18 - I kinda like the idea of putting all of the best parts of Raw into one segment.  And Daniel Bryan screaming "I JUST CAME OUT HERE TO APOLOGIZE!" is brilliant.

8:13 - New t-shirt appearance #1 - Dolph Ziggler's bright blue "Stealing the Show."

8:12 - Hey, they did remember that AJ isn't allowed to attack anybody!

8:06 - Unfortunately, Punk is once again sporting that stupid looking chinless beard.

8:04 - By the way, if you've been following Twitter today, it sounds like a lot of new t-shirts are debuting today.  Ziggler, Ryder, and Miz have already posted photos.  By the way, I appreciate Punk wearing the hoodies lately.  Separates him from the t-shirt crew.

7:47 - Pop Quiz:  How do you make arguably uninteresting characters like Sheamus and the Big Show even less interesting?  Why, put them in a live debate, of course!

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