[quote name='JaytheGamefan']The women's tag match commentary ruled.
(Melina comes out)Adamle - I’ll let Mickie represent me any time!
Cole - That’s Melina , Mike.
Foley - I hope Melina doesn’t cost me another job.
(Mickie comes out)Adamle - That’s what I was talking about.
Cole - You’ve got ESP.
Foley - It could be me and Adamle - YES!
Cole - There’s a new piece on WWE.com about diva prom stories.
Adamle - What are you talking about?!
Cole - I don’t know.
Lawler - Cole, are we calling this?
Cole - I think so, but I don’t know if it matters.
Adamle - There’s a DQ…
J.R. - What’s that mean?
Adamle - Dis-qualif-ication![/QUOTE]
LOL I wish I had been there to hear that exchange.
Jeff going to SD! and Matt going to ECW popped into my mind earlier, but I seriously didn't think they'd go with it.
Soon as Taker jobs out to Edge, they should build an Edge vs Jeff fued. Even better, have Taker win it then build towards Jeff Vs Taker at Mania where Jeff ends his streak
So Kennedy had a brief, but utterly worthless trip through Raw. least now they got someone to feed to Edge besides Underfaker. And Trips on SD! is not going to last. AT ALL.
Wonder how many ppl it'll take to get him back on Raw
Yea, what a way to turn a good thing into something incredibly stupid.
I half expected Vince to come up saying the money had been stolen, and the next few months be dedicated to who stole the 500k. The perpetrator to be revealed as Super Crazy, when questioned, he claims he stole it "so he can buy lots of tacos and burritos."
Or the Michael Hayes version, Cryme Tyme stole it because they ran out of fried chicken & watermelon.
Oh come on, you could see the piece of the set that was angled to fall over! Sheesh.
"Paul...Paul..." Yeah, sure Vince. We know it's real because you called him by his real name. I guess they decided to pick up the "someone tried to kill Vince" thing one year later? Still, I love that wacky out-of-nowhere shit, so I applaud the ending.
What would have made that segment at the end amazing: Vince slowly regaining consciousness and crying out for someone to get back his money.
[quote name='thater']They had to come up with some crazy way to stop this Million Dollar Mania.[/quote]
I thought the same thing. I wonder if they're gonna try to turn this into a "Who tried to bump off Vince?" storyline since they obviously didn't get the chance to do it last year.
Also, did anyone else notice that he referred to Trips by his real name Paul?
Wow, looks like I was 3/3 on my predictions. ECW gets shat upon, of course. Big Show takes the ECW title, and either the titles are switching shows, or Cena wins and Edge retains.
I've got to ask though, isn't one GM in a wheelchair enough?
Wow. That was actually kinda cool. It was totally believable until the big part of the stage fell. I figure Trips will pull some sort of "Cena, if you lose, you go to Smackdown in my place" crap.
Great show , but what the heck was that? Seriously. It's obvious that Vince falls, then the display fell which his the walkway before it could even touch Vince. Other than that I couldn't tell what exactly wasn't going on. It all looked like a hammy 'Taker segment.
I loved the draft picks. Some of them I saw coming, but definitely not Triple H on Smackdown. I thought Triple H didn't work Tuesdays. I actually want to watch WWE TV now. Not ECW of course. Tonight is the night that ECW really dies. Also, what was up with Jeff in that match?
Aside from the Vince goes BOOM part deux ending, with its Shenmue-quality acting and B-movie special effects, I really dug this show (and I loved that segment because it was so bad it was good). The draft picks felt significant tonight, even if it does lead to some temporary confusion as to the status of Raw getting a top belt.
Kennedy going to SD is a fantastic move, as he's done nothing on Raw and could finally be back on track on SD. Jeff going to SD is a good move, as he's lost some steam on Raw, and could be in the main event scene again on SD (although with Hunter there, I don't see him being THE top guy there like he could be if Hunter wasn't there). Rey going to Raw is a good choice match-wise, as Rey's exhausted his list of foes on SD, but he has been SD's biggest Latino market draw since Eddie's death, so his moving to Raw will likely hurt SD's Latino viewership a great deal.
Matt Hardy going to ECW is...something. I'd have preferred it if he and Jeff went back to teaming as the Hardys on SD since Matt's done nothing with the U.S. belt, and now has far less to work with by just being on ECW (and possibly guest appearances on SD until the Raw/ECW tapings start up). Umaga going to SD is a good move, as he's done very little of note on Raw in a long time, and could be revived on SD. J.R. going to SD is a step down for him, and one he was clearly not prepared for, but he and Mick had fantastic chemistry tonight, and a change in broadcast partners could work well for him.
Cole going to Raw seems like yet another attempt for WWE to try and replace J.R., but that's failed every other time they've tried it, so I hope they just let Cole be Cole - one problem with that is Cole is such a geek on-air that he has no credibility - even on the B show, let alone on the A show. They'll definitely have to do some rebuilding for him unless they just plan on trading J.R. back to Raw after a little while.
Punk going to Raw is a fantastic step up for him, and since HHH is on SD (for the time being), I actually have some faith that he could be pushed as the WWE Champion via the MITB case. ECW definitely got the shaft tonight, as they lost not only their champion, but their top homegrown guy, and only got Matt Hardy. If there's a supplemental draft (one wasn't announced tonight), I'd like to see JBL go to ECW, as there's nothing for him to do on Raw, and he'd work well as the champ of the C show at this stage in his career.
The commentary teams were an entertaining mish-mash tonight, with the women's tag having a ton of great stuff in it, and it was fascinating to hear Foley stay in character while trying to console J.R. after he was demoted by the company. While I don't think they'll get J.R. to quit with this (if he could stick around after that Dr. Hiney skit, he'll probably stick around through this), if they wanted to make him come off bad via the trade, they failed, as he was constantly acting as the glue that held this show together. Adamle being Adamle also ruled tonight, as did Khali yelling at the phone. Vince teasing Dwayne Johnson, then plugging the Rock's DVD was an interesting piece of business as well.
Match-wise, this show was lean on good ones, but Edge-Cena was fine, although it did make Edge look bad since Cena was able to dominate him so easily at times (at least Edge's ULTIMATE OPPORTUNIST character got a chance to shine with the draft pick battle royal), and Miz/Morrison vs. the Hardys had its moments.
The HBK-Jericho stuff tonight was good - I loved the video packages (especially the first one), and HBK's return got a big pop. Not a fan of WWE not announcing an IC Title match for the PPV, as it IS supposed to be a show where all the titles are defended, and if they actually announce HBK-Jericho on either ECW or SD, the ability for this well-built match to draw will be nixed as they'll have had too little time to advertise it.
The Vince stuff at the end...ugh. Horrid acting, and we JUST SAW THIS SHIT a year ago, and it took up all the air time for shows. The only big difference now is that we know Vince is alive (since he spoke and moved)- great, so now we get the mystery of WHODUNNIT and probably Vince in a wheelchair for a few months, leading to nothing that makes money. Well, at least the draft felt significant this time around.
The NoC PPV felt completely worthless tonight, despite being the show's password, and having some of its results now hold the future of some brands in its hands. It was completely overshadowed by the giveaway, the draft, and the big angle at the end.
I'm excited about Hunter not being able to kill Raw anymore, but now he can just do the same thing to SD, plus, the last time he was drafted to SD, he was traded back to Raw for THREE WRESTLERS. Given that he's now WWE Champion, it'll probably take the entire ECW roster, plus stars that people care about, to get his character back on Raw.
Also, with him being on SD, that still nixes Jeff or Kennedy (as a face presently) being THE man on SD, so his move really just solves some problems and creates more. It doesn't help that he's beaten two of the bigger-named SD draft picks over the past year in Jeff Hardy and Umaga, which gives him two fewer opponents to face.
Password - Night of Champions
Signage - Cena hearts the unicorns.
Marry Me Jeff Hardy
My Mom Loves John Cena
Guy in ROH Shirt in Front Row
Chuck Norris can see John Cena
Foley - I don’t think Mark Henry got all of that Vader bomb.
Vince - Crystal, what’s the password?
Crystal - Night of Champions (barely audible)
Vince - Sorry, Crystal, you’re wrong! Get me another contestant…well, since Kelly says you won, you won.
(during the draft ticker)Foley - Come on, big money, big money…!
Vince - I’m not only in the mood to give away $100, I WANNA GIVE AWAY A BIG MAIN EVENT, TOO! The world heavyweight champion, Edge, versus the former WWE Champion, John Cena!
Vince - Samira, what’s the password?
Samira - Do you want the password?
Vince - Yes…
Samira - NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS!
Adamle - Hardcore Holly and Cory Rhodes…Cody Rhodes…representing Raw!
Jericho - Another tremendous ovation, but I didn’t expect much from you, because you’ve been brainwashed into believing that Shawn Michaels is a decent human being, and you should be ashamed of yourselves for that! I continue to tell the truth, and you continue to throw trash on me. HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE THAT!? I’m right about Michaels, and it won’t be long before he turns on you, and long before he turned on me, he’s been lying to his best friends for years - let’s look at the evidence. (clip airs of the Barbershop incident, him super kicking Diesel in ’94, super kicking Hogan in ‘05, super kicking Cena in ’07, and faking the injury/super kicking Batista in ’08) Lies. Deception. Betrayal. Selfishness. Ego - that’s what Michaels is all about, and yet you continue to cheer him - is that what you’re all about too? You chant HBK…(fans chant HBK) Pathetic. Fine, chant it all you want, because you’re not allowed to cheer for me anymore, because I’m an honest man, a good-hearted person. There’s only one other human being who’s like me - the young man who helped me lay out HHH and John Cena, the man who didn’t wait for HBK to turn on him - Lance Cade. Lance, you were HBK’s student in his school, right? The greatest student.
Cade - Yes - I was the greatest athlete in Shawn Michaels‘ wrestling academy. I knew that once I made it big, Shawn was gonna pretend to be my friend and he’d turn his back on me, just like every other person in his past. Unlike Shawn, Chris, you’re a man - someone I can trust. HBK isn’t gonna get the chance to turn his back on me, because I’m not gonna give him that chance. Chris, all these people may not appreciate you, but I do.
Jericho - Thank you, Lance. As far as NoC goes, I don’t have an opponent. I’d love to face Michaels, but he’s in no condition to do so because two weeks ago, I gave HBK a taste of his own medicine. (clip airs of HBK going through the Jeritron) The worst is yet to come…(HBK comes out, gets Jerichowned again)
Vickie - EXCUSE ME! CUT THE MUSIC! (fans boo very loudly) Gentlemen, I originally had Hawkins and Ryder to face you tonight, so SD could secure another draft pick, but recent developments have made me change my mind, so I have another team to face you. (Hardys come out)
Cole - Morrison defiles the property of Finlay…I can’t even talk about it on television.
Tazz - Cole, you ever been called the shaman of sexy?
Cole - Women don’t usually talk to me.
Lawler - Flair’s given away his share of money, hasn’t he?
J.R. - Yeah, like the night he ordered 117 kamikazes
(crowd cheers for Flair forever)Vince - THAT’S ALMOST AS BIG AS THE RECEPTION I GOT TONIGHT.
J.R. - Yeah, right…
Flair - WOOOOO!
Roberts - The following is an announcers-only draft pick match! The only people eligible are announcers, commentators, and interviewers.
(Melina comes out)Adamle - I’ll let Mickie represent me any time!
Cole - That’s Melina , Mike.
Foley - I hope Melina doesn’t cost me another job.
(Mickie comes out)Adamle - That’s what I was talking about.
Cole - You’ve got ESP.
Foley - It could be me and Adamle - YES!
Cole - There’s a new piece on WWE.com about diva prom stories. King, there’s something in it you might be interested in - high school yearbooks!
Adamle - What are you talking about?!
Cole - I don’t know.
Lawler - Cole, are we calling this?
Cole - I think so, but I don’t know if it matters.
Adamle - There’s a DQ…
J.R. - What’s that mean?
Adamle - Dis-qualif-ication!
Robets - This is a double DQ - both Raw and SD will get a draft pick.
(after J.R. is drafted to SD and Cole goes to Raw)Cole - I’ve called all but 2 SD shows in 10 years.
Lawler - I don’t know what to say…
Mick - Well, J.R., what do you think? I know it’s tough on you - you’re an institution on Raw.
J.R. - I guess it’s time to escape the institution. Let’s go to Mr. McMahon.
Vince - The Great Khali is starring in the number 1movie, Get Smart.
Khali - Get Smart is..
Vince - You’re not the only star of it, Dwayne Johnson, better known as THE ROCK is also in it…and here’s his DVD set - 3 discs.
Vince - Are you sure you dialed the right number!? Who’s this?
Guy - Wrong Number.
Khali - NUMBA CALU!
J.R. - The movie’s called Get Smart, but it doesn’t mean…
Lawler - Someone needs to hit Khali with a clue stick.
Vince - The Great Khali is wondering if you’re watching Raw. What’s the password?
Guy - Night of Champions. Hold on.(Khali yells at phone)
Vince - The Great Khali is talking to the phone.
Lilian - This is a Raw versus SmackDown draft pick match - here is the world heavyweight champion, Edge!
J.R. - That was one of the longest introductions in WWE history.
(on Edge-Cena)Foley - This is a historic match - the WWE Title has changed hands four times in matches involving these two men.
J.R. - I’m not sure why I’m calling this Raw versus SmackDown match, as yours truly isn’t a part of Raw anymore, but nonetheless, we’ll forge ahead.
Foley - Perhaps you and I can make our own history together on SD, J.R.
Foley - Cena could go to Friday Night SmackDown.
J.R. - Anything can happen in WWE - I certainly didn’t think I’d be leaving Raw, but be that as it may…
Foley - In the past few weeks, I’ve made some joking references to announcing with you, not joking at the partnership, but just that it would never happen. I almost wish I’d have gone to your table, though.
Adamle - ECW shut out in the draft so far…
Tazz - No, we got Matt Hardy - U.S. champion.
Foley - Hey Mike, I’m your broadcast partner. I’ve been through Hell in a Cell, and broadcasting with you might be my greatest challenge. Yeah!
Adamle - Yes! People say Dreamer doesn’t have much left in the tank, but I disagree.
Adamle - Six million people have registered to win McMahon’s millions tonight.
Foley - Mike, a mutual friend of ours, Miss December 1982, Charlotte Kemp, is coming to Friday night.
Adamle - How do you know her?
Foley - …certain circles…
Tazz - Hey guys, THERE’S A MATCH GOING ON! What the hell! ECW needs a draft pick.
(SD gets pick)Foley - It’s not been a good night for ECW.
Adamle - UMAGA! THE SAMOAN BULLDOG COMING TO SMACKDOWN!
Tazz - BULLDOZER! BULLDOZER!
Adamle - I’m loving this - I’m getting ribbed over and over tonight. It’s beautiful.
Foley - UMAGA IS SENDING A MESSAGE! (he kills Delaney and Dreamer)
Foley - J.R., I know this is a big change, but I hope in time, you’ll grow to appreciate it.
Tazz - It’s like a reunion for us, Cole. You and I calling a JBL match.
Cole - I thought I got rid of this guy when he went to Raw after leaving the SD broadcast table.
Tazz - Mr. McMahon’s giving away his millions, and this guy, JBL’s got tons of millions.
Cole - Tons of millions…
Adamle - Guys, before I get my pink slip…
Cole - If you stop announcing, you won’t get your pink slip…
Adamle - I just wanted to say JAMAICAN ME CRAZY…
Tazz - JBL with a kind of million dollar dream move on. Kofi’s gotta get out of this - hate to be captain obvious here.
Tazz - I’d love to see JBL in the land of extreme - it could happen!
Tazz - How about the guy who Mr. McMahon called to give him $100,000, and he said wrong numbah - WHAT AN IDIOT!
Tazz - Raw gets another draft pick - it’s like the little league team with the stacked team with all the kids. WE NEED SOME KIDS!
Cole - THE ECW CHAMPION KANE IS BRINGING THE ECW TITLE TO MONDAY NIGHT!
Tazz - I DON’T BELIEVE THIS! Kane can bring the ECW Title to Raw?
Cole - Yes, just like how Matt Hardy can bring the U.S. title to ECW.
Tazz - Thanks, I know that Cole.
Vince - Hello, who’s this?
Vanessa - Vanessa - I’M AT THE SHOW!
Tazz - What an all-star battle royal - Raw’s got HHH, Cena, Batista, Kane, and CM Punk. ECW’s got guys like the Miz, Morrison, Matt Hardy, Chavo, and Shelton Benjamin. Smackdown’s got Khali, Big Show, Edge, Jeff Hardy, and MVP.
Tazz - The newest addition of Raw, Batista, helps out the other newest addition to Raw, Kane.
(after Matt gets eliminated)Tazz - Well, I guess I’ll let you guys call this - I’m done now.
(after a replay of the Batista/Edge head smash)Tazz - That’s skull-on-skull there.
J.R. - With no helmets.
J.R. - Kane with a rear naked choke on Big Show.
J.R. - The Big Show rapidly becoming the alpha male of this matchup! OR IS HE!?
J.R. - SmackDown gets two draft picks!
Tazz - I’m sure one will be an ECW guy, too!
J.R. - THE WWE CHAMPION IS GOING TO FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN! JUST SIX DAYS BEFORE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS!
Vince - Only one thing can top that, let’s cap the evening off by giving away a half a million dollars! Here we go!
Vince - CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE WON HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!
Guy - I LOVE YOU VINCE!
Vince - YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU TOO!(stage falls out from under Vince, goes boom, lighting rig falls)
HHH - WE’VE GOTTA GET HIM OUT OF HERE! BEFORE IT FALLS MORE!
HHH - YOU OKAY!? YOU’RE GONNA BE ALL RIGHT!
Okay, that's it. I missed some of those great lines from Raw (Adamle's "I just want to say..." bit), and am going to download it just to watch it. Plus, the commentary was just incredible.
i rather enjoyed raw and the majority of the drafts were good. shocked to see batista and kane moving to raw, as well as jeff hardy and triple h moving to SD. i agree with all who have said this does nothing to help hardy as he still has to break the ceiling that is hunter.
i also agree saying i wont be shocked at all if hunter adds some stipulation to the match that if he beats cena, cena takes his place.
question: is there going to be another supplemental draft this year?
i didnt touch on the mcmahon thing cause it was stupid. only surprising part was when shawn michaels came out and was screaming, thats just cause even when characters broke character i was still surprised to see them pull an "injured" superstar out to check on him
I believed it to be legit. My DVR actually cut out right when the stage collapsed. I hopped on WWE.com and noticed the wording of the stopping the giveaway for the forseeable future and realized it was an angle.. watching the video, it was pretty awesomely done.
I wonder why all the sites are running it at a legit injury though..
Oh, and seriously, WTF at the draft?
Vince spoiled Trips going to Smackdown when the fan said Triple H would win at NoC, and he said "Well, that's one person's opinion". It's pretty much a given that Cena will wear the strap, we'll be subject to a Batista/Cena fued with Rey Mysterio and Jericho chasing the gold, while Edge and Triple H run the show through the fall, with Hardy interrupting every now and then.
In a ratings slump, how does it make sense to take off the lead voice of Raw and put on a sub-par announcer? Sigh. If only SmackDown was live, that'd be the show to watch. Raw's the new SmackDown.
Scorch, announcers have never really played a part in the ratings, so J.R. going to SD, in and of itself, probably won't hurt Raw's ratings. If Cena wins this Sunday, it's a pretty weak way to get the belt back on Cena, as there is zero heat for this feud, but that would solve the problem of SD having both the world heavyweight and WWE Titles.
For the first time in a long time, SD feels significant, to the point of seeming like the A show - or at least equal to Raw. It's good to have a feeling that WWE cares about SD again, and of course, they'll always care about Raw - hopefully this leads to another period like early '07 where both Raw and SD put on excellent shows on a regular basis.
West coast perspective:
I've still got half an hour to go, but having read the thread I've got issues.
1. JR and the King split up again? Hopefully this is for Foley's good, as I HEAR he's been struggling. I don't watch Smackdown, so I don't know. Maybe this is a sign that Mick's permanent, and is learning from the master. Oh, and whoever commented about Lawler quitting: No, Corey Macklin has put Memphis Wrestling on hiaitus, they haven't run shows in months; they quit running TV reruns a month ago. Lawler quitting means he's got NOTHING to do.
2. Jeff to SD, and Matt to ECW... OK, so they have faith in both of them as singles. Plus, since there's no damn difference between SD and ECW, there's more opportunity for tag team love. But, I just lost another reason to watch Raw.
3. They moved HHH to SD once before, in the first draft (or maybe the second). "General Manager" Kurt Angle traded him back the next day in exchange for 3 other people (which IIRC included Booker T). I could see HHH finding a way back over.
4. I'm not convinced of the foregone conclusions as far as Sunday Night (Edge retains, Cena wins, etc). They COULD reverse things, and have the titles switch brands. I don't see why they would, but hell, they did it 3 years ago (or was it 2) in the move that GAVE Raw the stupid spinny belt. (edit: Mr E beat me to it as I was composing.)
4a: The US Title doesn't matter, as it's being contended between SD/ECW.
4b: Yeah, Kane will lose; we can't have him on Raw holding any of the top titles, even if it's from the "C-level" show. WWE CHAMPION, ONE NGHT ONLY!
5. While I hate to see him go, Kennedy didn't get a chance to do shit on Raw; may he do better back on SD.
6. Honestly, Punk to Raw was a yawner. He holds the briefcase, he'll end up going wherever he's needed. How's Edge on SD again? Oh, yeah.
Final: Raw doesn't gain anything in terms of making me want to watch; punk's a plus, but JR and Hardy's departure and Kane, Batista and Cole's arrival are negatives. I'll go back to reading this thread and deciding from there. And finding ROH on P2P; maybe I can find something to get into.
[quote name='Purple Flames']I thought the same thing. I wonder if they're gonna try to turn this into a "Who tried to bump off Vince?" storyline[/QUOTE]
Rikishi did it.
Surprising stuff tonight. Guess Triple H doesn't like the Spinner anymore?
I know there's a lot of stuff to comment on and I skipped through quite a bit, but didn't anyone else see that head bump Batista took? Shit was sick, wouldn't have happened if the guy wasn't such an idiot. On top of that, Kane hit Batista on the way down when he got thrown over the ropes. Provided much laughter over here.
I'm pretty sure I'm unique here in that I only watch Smackdown, not Raw or ECW. I'm not sure what I'm going to watch at this point (definitely not ECW).
Raw
+Mysterio
+Punk
-Cole
-Batista
eh-Kane
Smackdown
+Jeff Hardy
+JR
+Kennedy -HHH
eh-Umaga
ECW
Buh-bye, Matt. See ya when get moved again (hopefully soon). Enjoy your inevitable ECW title win.
If it were just Cole or Batista going to Raw I'd easily switch to that show. But both of them, that's just annoying. HHH on SD, though, that's an automatic drop for me, even though they pick up JR and Kennedy. Assuming these all stick I'm done with SD and not sure I'll watch Raw, Cole is just unbelievably irritating. Plus, this just confirms that JR is thismuchcloser to retirement. This might be the first time in over 12 years that I stop watching all WWE programming.
[quote name='Ugamer_X']I know there's a lot of stuff to comment on and I skipped through quite a bit, but didn't anyone else see that head bump Batista took? Shit was sick, wouldn't have happened if the guy wasn't such an idiot. On top of that, Kane hit Batista on the way down when he got thrown over the ropes. Provided much laughter over here.[/QUOTE]
I saw that, he was down in the corner looking legitimately dazed for a long time. I wonder if it's going to affect the outcome of the Edge/Batista title match. If it turns out that he has a moderate to severe concussion, any possible win by Batista could be out the window which makes a Cena victory that much more likely. Furthermore, it would send the spinner belt back to SD with Cena.
JR's reaction was apparently very legit, and he almost quit the company on the spot:
As many of you know, I was “drafted” to Smackdown Monday night in the “random lottery”. Obviously that means I will be leaving Monday Night Raw and my long time partner Jerry Lawler.
I am not happy about this surprise development.
I also contemplated calling it a career Monday night and not going to Houston to tape SD.
After speaking with my wife and thinking on this matter until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, I have decided to do the right thing for the fans who care and the talent who care and begin my new assignment.
It has been explained to me that the WWE’s Smackdown tenure on My Network is a high priority within the corporation. Allegedly, my presence is needed in that effort.
Many are speculating about when I learned of this development…the same time those of you were watching at home. I should have detected something with the demeanor of certain individuals either thru their plastic, poker faces or the perceived smirk that I thought I might have seen on some of their faces during the day.
As far as going to Connecticut each week to do Smackdown post production, that’s not going to happen. Either Mick Foley can handle it or the WWE can install a DSL line in my home to facilitate the work.
I will miss working with the King as the wrestling biz is one in which a guy can count his legit friends on one hand…even after a 30 plus year career. King has been like a brother to me….albeit an “older brother”. We will remain friends no matter that our team has been corporately imploded.
I believe that I have been strongly loyal to the WWE no matter the hands that were dealt to me over the years. In my tenure there I have earned a good living of which I am thankful. I will fulfill my commitments that I have made because unlike many in the business, my word is still my bond.
I can’t predict how long my Smackdown tenure will be, but I can promise that no matter how long or short it is that I will do my utmost best while sitting at ringside. I am not the kind of man who will “phone in” a damn thing.
My sincere thanks to all of you who have supported me on RAW over the years. I hope I was able to provide you a memory or two. Hopefully, we can create new memories now on Smackdown.
Based on my professional experiences, I look at each broadcast as potentially my last, which helps keep me motivated. So with that said we begin another chapter in my crazy life in the unpredictable world of ‘rasslin.
I still plan on attending RAW in my home market of OKC next Monday and I hear that tickets are still available. Any one have any extras?
[quote name='Ugamer_X']I know there's a lot of stuff to comment on and I skipped through quite a bit, but didn't anyone else see that head bump Batista took? Shit was sick, wouldn't have happened if the guy wasn't such an idiot.[/QUOTE]
Wasn't necessarily Batista's fault. The way that was set up made it appear that Batista was supposed to spear Edge coming out of the corner (to play off how Edge had been spearing everyone shortly before that happened).
[quote name='Iron Clad Burrito']3. They moved HHH to SD once before, in the first draft (or maybe the second). "General Manager" Kurt Angle traded him back the next day in exchange for 3 other people (which IIRC included Booker T). I could see HHH finding a way back over.[/quote]
Technically, it was both drafts where he went to SD. In 02, when he lost the Undisputed title, SD drafted him, then went to Raw during the summer due to a "loophole". Then there was the 2nd one in 04 where he never even showed up on SD(& SD got Booker T & the Dudley Boyz).
As for this one, maybe he really is going to SD? There's not much left on Raw for him and SD would give him a new roster to beat.
Kinda shocked that the announcers got switched. I guess Raw will feel like SD back in '99 & most of '00, when King was doing color commentary before Tazz took over. I'm guessing they moved Cole to Raw, since J.R. still has not renewed his contract and his current one expires this fall. It's easier to explain on a lesser show than their flagship show.
As for the ECW champ & CM Punk drafted to Raw, remember that they are going to start taping ECW during Raw events. So expect some "talent exchange" announcement soon like they did with SD.
[quote name='JaytheGamefan']Well, he did step on it last week after throwing it down onto the mat like he didn't care about it...
[/QUOTE]
I didn't notice, was he using the old "traditional" belt or was the spinner belt he had broken?
wow. jr looked visually upset last night and cole just looked confused before he was switched to raw, i for one can't say im all that happy about him switching shows since i never watch SD.
other note, found this on LOP:
-- Internally, there are number of people hoping that Triple H somehow doesn't get "traded back" to Raw. A lot of people believe that if he stays away from the brand, it will open up opportunities for other wrestler to break through on Raw. As long as he stays there, it pretty much goes without saying that he'll always be involved in the top storylines, thus blocking the younger wrestlers from breaking through considering that he is very over, not to mention the most powerful talent in the company.
It's crazy that in some ways, pro wrestling is still so secretive that something as big as the WWE's biggest announcer can be switched around like that without him knowing.
[quote name='Mr. E']It\'s obvious Batista is going to win the belt as it would open up feuds with John Cena and Randy Orton and freshen up the main event. Meanwhile, JR and Triple H being moved to Smackdown levels the playing field between the two shows. Losing Punk is going to definitely hurt ECW.[/QUOTE]
Batista winning the belt wouldn't make much sense, as no one is buying the show for his match, and he's hurt, and Undertaker is the one planned to win the belt from Edge (which, story-wise, is what should happen), since 'Taker's planned to come back during the Vickie/Edge wedding, leading to him winning the title back on PPV (probably Summerslam, since it's the biggest show, and it'll be the blowoff to the longest-running angle on SD this year). Of the two major world title matches, Cena beating HHH makes more sense, as that match has more history behind it, but is still a fairly cold match (partly due to how everything on this PPV has seemed secondary to the draft/giveaway/VINCEGOESBOOM! stuff).
Kudos to J.R. for being honest about his feelings - I wasn't surprised to see yet another petty shot being taken at him by WWE (especially after that horrid Dr. Hiney sketch that was incredibly insulting to him), but I do look forward to hearing him call matches with Mick on the "wrestling" brand. They were excellent together last night, and the idea of hearing that team every week is exciting to me. I love the little shot he took at Cole "phoning it in" via a DSL line each week.
tangerine, the belt he threw down and stepped on last week was the non-spinning "spinner" belt.
[quote name='JaytheGamefan'] I love the little shot he took at Cole "phoning it in" via a DSL line each week.[/quote]
That wasn't a shot at Cole.
Since Smackdown isn't live, they do post-production touchup in Connecticut.
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New JR blog, who wants to bet Vince called him?
Changes in one’s life take some adjusting to especially at my stage of the game. This week I received an unexpected change in my professional address. Within hours of writing an emotional blog, I am positively moving on. I am going to do all I can to make Smackdown the best program the WWE produces. Working side by side with Mick Foley should be fun. It will be entertaining I assure you. Mick is a great friend and a man I greatly respect. The Smackdown roster is loaded with exceptional talent and the WWE wants the brand to grow and I intend to do all that I can in my role to facilitate that growth.
The abruptness of the “trade” shocked me. I most likely responded in a non professional way in the eyes of some fans. That’s their prerogative and each has the right to their opinion, As do I. Not to be cliche, but wrestling has been great to my family and me. I owe it to the business to “man up” and to kick ass on Smackdown. That’s my plan. My emotions are what they are and I will not apologize for my candor or honesty. My feathers were ruffled…poor me. I still bring bona fide passion to every broadcast and fully expect to deliver come show time. As I write this I am in the midst of some travel delays, but I will definitely be in Houston and will be looking forward to “business picking up”. I will practice what I have preached and feel that after sleeping on this major change all things happen for a reason. Life is good. My tank has been re-fueled. Let’s have some fun. For those of you that were offended by my earlier rant I apologize. For those that think “old J.R.” can’t get the job done, I suggest you sit back and watch. I wish my good pal The King and Michael Cole great success but my professional priority is to help Smackdown kick ass. In more ways than one, “the game is on”.
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
Scorch and Sporadic posted what I was going to post. All I have to say is: oh man, oh man. It was very apparent Jim Ross was not pleased last night. If Jim Ross is pissed, I can just imagine how big of a tantrum Triple H must have thrown in Vince's office.
One good thing to notice: WWE seems to be seriously worried about Smackdown's change to My Network television, which is an inferior channel. Their worries would explain Jim Ross's and Triple H's show change. They are two, big name talents WWE feels will help Smackdown's chances at surviving the change. One has to wonder if WWE will send John Cena over to Smackdown if Smackdown's situation deteriorates severely.
off my show kthx
