Posted in: Hustle Is Posting Right Now Hustle Is Posting Right Now: Volume 41 ("Bracketology 4" Edition)
By Hustle
Apr 10, 2009 - 8:57:38 PM
High-five, Ro.
"When I'm gone, no one gets on, cause I won't let.. nobody press up and mess up the scene I set.."
This week's intro line is brought to you by the legendary Rakim. What can I say, folks? I have my goals set on high. Anyway, welcome, one and all, to yet another edition of the column that is read by WWE writers before every weekend production meeting.. Hustle Is Posting Right Now. That makes me the conductor of this runaway freight train, and I'm known as Hustle. Good to have you here with me this weekend. I've got a lot of things to discuss here, so, uh, I think it's about that time. Shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!!
We're only a few days removed from WrestleMania 25, and in true IWC fashion, people can't seem to figure out what the fuck they like and don't like. I was going to do this, anyway, but people continue to ask me what my thoughts on the show were, so I'll take this section of my column to give you those thoughts you're requesting. Hey, anything to pad my column a little bit, you know?
- Money In The Bank was pretty decent. It wasn't the greatest edition of the match, but at this point, the participants need to work extra hard to not have spots that are repetitive and boring. There were plenty of innovative spots in this one. I don't know what people are complaining about here, other than the usual "this match sucked because my pick didn't win" response that I'm seeing all over the place. Before Mania every year, we know MitB is going to be in the 15-minute range, and it's going to be a spotfest.. and that's exactly what we get.. every year. To no surprise, Kofi Kingston was the star of the match, even with little actual involvement in things. My favorite spot of the match wasn't even a spot at all, but instead was merely a teased spot. When Mark Henry teased climbing to the top rope so that he could come crashing down on the participants who were standing on the outside.. that was great. A little goes a long way sometimes, folks. I'm surprised that so many people didn't see Punk's victory coming. As soon as he lost the IC Title, you could just about pencil his name in to win the match.
Rating: 7.5
- The "Miss WrestleMania" stuff was incredibly lame, and it had no business being on the WrestleMania card, especially when MorriMiz VS Carlito & Primo had to be bumped to the pre-show "dark match". Look, nobody was expecting the Divas match to be a five-star classic or anything, but what exactly was the point of hyping up the "Divas Of WWE Past" returning to the company if none of their entrances were going to be shown and every participant in the match was going to be ushered out as a Kid Rock groupie? The match itself was garbage, but was to be expected. However, as bad as everyone expected it to be, it may have actually been even worse. Santino can be funny at times, but seriously, his time on TV could be better spent on people that the company is actually serious about pushing. With Tazz leaving the company, make Santino his replacement after the Draft, teaming him with Michael Cole, allowing Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross to reunite. It's either that, or just release the guy already. Santino, I mean. Well, Michael Cole, too, I guess. Seriously.. fuck you, Michael Cole. You're the single most worthless employee in the company. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you, and only you. *ahem* As I was saying.. if Santino isn't going to be pushed as a serious (by "serious", I mean "legit", not "no sense of humor") wrestler, there's no point in him being there with as stacked as the roster is. There are people fighting to even make it on television once a month, and they deserve a time to shine.
Rating: 0.5
- Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat can still go, folks. I've already read a bunch of things from people saying that he should be one of those part-time performers, and I don't know if I'd find myself being against that idea very much, although I know it won't happen. He added anywhere between a star-and-a-half to two whole stars to the Jericho VS Legends match all by himself. It made sense to have him take the majority of the in-ring time for the Legends, and he made his time in the ring extremely worthwhile. As for the shenaniganery with Mickey Rourke after the match, it was definitely to be expected, but it did take away from things a bit. I think Rourke milked the crowd responses a bit too much, but at the same time, Jericho, as the ring veteran, should've ad-libbed something to pull Rourke in and move things along a bit. I didn't hate the post-match stuff, but it definitely could've taken up less time. Jericho probably should've just went to Rourke and talked shit to him until Rourke finally punched him in the face. That would've saved several minutes, but eh, what's done is done.
Rating: 7, mostly due to Steamboat's performance
- I realize that Matt Hardy is boring as shit. I realize that Matt Hardy can't quite get a top-notch reaction from the crowd without having to piggyback on someone else's head. I realize that Matt Hardy is still quite shook over the entire Lita situation. Having realized all of that, is it really necessary for Matt's ring attire to look exactly like Edge's ring attire? Does he think Lita will forget to put her contacts in one day, see him, think he's Edge, and ask to suck him off again? Also, that entrance music of his seriously needs to go. In no way, shape, or form does it match with his character's current direction. He's not of the "tornado slamming" variety anymore. I will say this, though.. the Hardy VS Hardy match wasn't terrible. It wasn't all that great, but at least it wasn't the worst match on the card. It actually told the proper story.. Jeff has things in the palm of his hand, but decides to take another unnecessary risk, only to have it backfire on him and cost him his goal (to win the match). The Twist Of Fate on the chair was pretty sweet, too. Honestly, I think this match suffered more due to it being on such a memorable card. The hype for this match fizzled out tremendously, and it got lost in the shuffle at WrestleMania. It's not the end of the feud, though, so they'll have more chances to get their "moment".
Rating: 7.5
- JBL VS Rey Mysterio was.. well.. it was.. umm.. it was a match. I'm not really sure what more can be said about it. That was quite the interesting way for JBL to retire, though. Although he probably deserves a better send-off than that, there's not much that can be done when he's a heel. It's not like he could have a tearful "goodbye" speech or anything, as the crowd would just end up laughing at the big, badass heel crying like a baby. Speaking of baby.. Rey Mysterio is just as tall as one.. and putting the IC Title on him is a great idea, in my opinion. That guy is able to put on a good match with damn near every member of the roster, and he raises the prestige level of the title almost instantly. This is probably the title he should've won in 2006, instead of the title he actually did win, but again, what's done is done.
Rating: 4.5
- Folks, if you didn't enjoy The Undertaker VS Shawn Michaels, I don't think you have any business watching wrestling. I don't mean that in a "ZOMG HYPERBOLE~!" way, either. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. That was everything I could've asked it to be, and then it was much, much, much more. It kicked 79 different types of ass, with another 150 different types of ass lined up around the corner, waiting to be kicked at its leisure. It's rare that you can watch wrestling at home, and still yell and mark out as if you were in person. This match had me doing just that.. I think I yelled out "OHHHH" or "HOLY SHIT" half a dozen times, at the very least. I started watching the match from my couch, but I literally walked around my entire living room throughout the 32 minutes those two wrestled.. jumping up off the couch, walking to the windows as I shook my head, heading back to the couch, jumping off the couch again, damn near falling to the floor, heading back to the couch, etc. When Taker face planted in front of the cameraman (aka Sim Snuka in disguise), I thought the man was dead. I had to watch it again in slow motion, and when I say he avoided disaster at the last second, I mean the last second. The funny thing about that near-disaster is the fact that Taker was able to come back from it and be a part of the awesomeness that was the rest of the match. People are saying this was one of the greatest matches of all-time, and while it was a really good match, I don't know if I'd go that far. However, from the Taker nose dive until the end of the match, I'd put those several minutes of action against any several minutes from any other match in history. Amazing stuff. Both men deserve the props they've been getting, and it appears that they may have a bit more left in the tank than we originally thought. I hope so, anyway.
Rating: 10
- Other than the fact that John Cena has title gold around his waist once again (Hi, Haters), I was a bit underwhelmed by the triple threat match. It had nothing to do with Cena, Edge, or Big Show, actually, but everything to do with them having to go out and follow Taker/HBK. The match itself was pretty decent, but I spent a good portion of it trying to catch my breath after the previous match, and that made it almost impossible to focus all of my attention to it. When I'm having a hard time paying attention to a John Cena match, you know it must be for a special reason. I did enjoy seeing Cena lift 700+ pounds on his back, though. That never gets old. My only fear now is that Edge's booking will continue down the same path, and he'll cheat to win the title right back.. AGAIN.. and give him yet another title reign that will be hollow and only last a few weeks. He's a transitional champion, folks. He just gets more opportunities to do it than the other transitional champions in wrestling history, that's all. Doesn't matter, though.. whether you were transitional once or ten times, you're still transitional.
Rating: 7.5
- Triple H VS Randy Orton.. where do I even start? It was a mess, and that's putting it mildly. First of all, it suffered from the same problem as the triple threat did.. following the Taker/HBK match was absolutely impossible. The crowd was exhausted after Taker/HBK, and they just weren't quite into the show afterwards, even with, arguably, the two biggest names in the whole company (Triple H and John Cena) still on the card. Secondly, the person who probably needed the victory more ended up being the person who lost. I just don't understand, for the life of me, what the point was in giving Triple H the victory. I've had a few days to think about it, and I've even gone back and watched the match a few more times, but I still don't get it. Triple H wouldn't have looked "weak" if he lost the match, especially with the added stipulation of him losing the title if he was counted out or disqualified. That's a built-in "cop out" right there.. and he still won. It just flabbergasts me how this guy is booked.
Rating: 5
Overall, it was a much better pay-per-view than a lot of people are giving it credit for. Was it the best WrestleMania ever? No, but it seems like some of you are trying to compare it against the all-time greats. Hell, some of you appear completely unable to enjoy shows these days. You just can't sit and take them for what they are.. wrestling events. It's not life or death. If Raw is bad, you complain up and down as if it cost you to lose your home or something. I realize that the IWC has one job, and that is to analyze every little thing.. and as a columnist, my job is to really analyze everything.. but come on, folks, just sit back, take a deep breath, and watch a show. If you liked it, great. If not, it's alright. It's not the end of the world. If you dislike a wrestler, and they win a match, do like Screwface said.. stop yuh bloodclot cryin. Everyone has their "disliked" list, and sure, when the wrestlers on that list win, it's unfortunate, but it's not like I rant and rave that Matt Hardy should've lost and blah blah blah. I accept it for what it is, and I move forward.
Seriously, folks.. if you subtract the battle royal and the 20-second IC Title match, I have the show ranked pretty well, and in my opinion, the Taker/HBK match more than made up for those two matches. Hell, in my opinion, the Taker/HBK match alone made WrestleMania 25 worth the purchase. We're a few days removed from the event, and I don't think I've fully come down from the high of watching that match. A lot of you complaining about the show were stealing it online for free, and yet, you were still complaining as if you spent your electric bill money to order it, and now you'll be sitting in the dark for nothing. I don't smoke weed, but damn, it appears that some of you probably need to do so, just so you can chill out a bit.
On a related-yet-unrelated note, to all of those that are saying the Taker/HBK match "stole the show".. please stop. That is quickly becoming one of my biggest IWC pet peeves. For a match to "steal the show", it needs to be one of those matches that is surprisingly good and came out of nowhere to be a Match Of The Night candidate. That definitely doesn't describe the Taker/HBK match very well, as everyone knew they'd tear the house down. If you're looking for a "show stealer" at Mania, it would have to be the Jericho/Legends match, as we were all shocked at how entertaining Ricky Steamboat made it. For me, personally, the Hardy/Hardy match could almost be a "show stealer", as it was a lot better than I thought it would be. Anyway, it's just annoying to see every good match on every card labeled as a "show stealer". Come on, folks. Some of you are much better than that. The rest of you.. not so much.. but at least some of you are better than that.
Damn you, Shawn Michaels. Damn you, Undertaker. How could you do this to me? How could you go ahead and put on one of the greatest matches I've ever seen when I've already come up with an entire tournament featuring the greatest matches I've ever seen? I've had nearly two dozen people ask me if I plan on redoing the entire tournament now, and I'm somewhat torn on that idea. On one hand, it really was one of the greatest matches I've ever seen, and it would shake things up if it were a part of the tournament. On the other hand, you people have built up some really interesting matchups at this point of the tourney, and I don't want to just snap my fingers and have all of that go to waste. Because I can, I'm going to leave this one up to you folks, as well. I'll list some options, and you will then be free to choose the one I should do. One way or another, I'll post the results of the current round in the tournament, just to get it out of the way. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to restart the tournament, unless the response is overwhelmingly in favor of doing so. Anyway, here are the options:
1. Scrap the current tournament, re-seed everything (including the Taker/HBK match), and start the tournament all over again.
2. Finish the current tournament, and somewhere along the line, do another tournament which includes the Taker/HBK match.
3.
4. Do nothing at all. Finish the current tournament, crown a winner, and just move on.
The problem with this here tournament is that people have loved the idea, and I've had people suggest several ideas for future tournaments, whether it be Greatest Wrestler, Worst Match, Greatest Diva, Greatest Gimmick, etc. Although it's more work for me to do, I have absolutely no problem in doing more tournaments in the future. More work, but more fun for me, as well. I would just need to figure out some sort of a schedule, as I wouldn't want to do these back-to-back-to-back-to-back and just constantly barrage you folks with voting scenario after voting scenario. I'll figure something out, I'm sure. In the meantime, here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen of Hustle Madness, as chosen by you, the readers:
Red Bracket #1 Ric Flair VS Ricky Steamboat (WrestleWar 1989) over #5 Shawn Michaels VS The Undertaker (Badd Blood 1997)
This one is actually surprising, in my opinion. Not because I feel the better match is "going home", but because of the fact that Michaels/Taker didn't get more votes coming off of WrestleMania 25. Flair/Steamboat wins this one by a score of 74-41. I knew, based on it being the more recent match, and because of the Mania classic being fresh on everyone's mind, that the very first Hell In A Cell would get a nice chunk of votes here, but I was damn near expecting it to win the matchup here.
#3 Steve Austin VS The Rock (WrestleMania 17) over #7 The Rock VS Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 18)
In a battle of Rock classics, the Austin/Rock epic wins here by a score of 83-30. As wild of an atmosphere that Rock/Hogan had, the match itself wasn't anything special. That's where Austin/Rock had the major advantage. Not only was the Houston crowd crazy for the entire match, but Austin and Rock actually put on a helluva match. The combination of that, plus the heel turn for Austin, will make this one tough to beat going forward.
Blue Bracket #12 The Undertaker VS Mankind (King Of The Ring 1998) over #1 Ricky Steamboat VS Randy Savage (WrestleMania 3)
Taker/Mankind continues its "Cinderella" run in the tournament, picking up a 58-51 victory here. As great of a match as Steamboat/Savage was, it simply doesn't have the memorable moment that Taker/Mankind had. Hell, Taker/Mankind had more than one all-time moment. Mick Foley nearly died on multiple occasions, and you folks appear to have enjoyed every minute of it. You sick bastards.
#7 Ric Flair VS Terry Funk (Clash Of The Champions 9) over #3 Bret Hart VS British Bulldog (SummerSlam 1992)
"I Quit" wins another close Blue Bracket matchup, this time by the score of 59-51. This one really surprised me, to be quite honest. I seem to have a large amount of readers from the UK, and I figured they'd come out and support their hometown boy a bit more, but a lot of them voted for Flair/Funk, and now look what happened. Davey Boy Smith is out of the tournament. For shame, people.
Purple Bracket #9 Shawn Michaels VS Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 21) over #4 Dudley Boyz VS Edge & Christian VS Hardy Boyz (WrestleMania 17)
The TLC juggernaut has been a very strong contender in this tournament, but it finally met its match in the Michaels/Angle classic from WrestleMania 21. It was another close matchup, with Michaels/Angle pulling it out 61-52. I'm somewhat relieved that one of the TLC matches was eliminated, as it prevented a bracketing flaw that I didn't even notice until it was too late. I shouldn't have had two TLC matches, involving the exact same people, on the same side of the tourney. Now, that's just not something I have to worry about.
#6 Triple H VS Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble 2000) over #10 Ric Flair VS Sting (Clash Of The Champions 1)
Continuing the "close matchup" theme (except in the Red Bracket), the match that was supposed to be Mick Foley's next-to-last wins by a score of 58-54. I've got to admit, I'm a little surprised at the outcome here. Not taking anything away from the HHH/Cactus match, but Flair/Sting was just a picture-perfect way to create a brand new superstar. Sting became "legit" damn near overnight. That kind of thing just doesn't happen anymore, or at least not as often as it probably should.
Orange Bracket #1 Steve Austin VS Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13) over #4 Shawn Michaels VS Razor Ramon (WrestleMania 10)
This wasn't anywhere near as close as I thought it would be, with Austin/Bret taking this one, 79-34. Normally, a Submission Match over a Ladder Match would say a lot about the type of match that my readers prefer, but that Submission Match was more of a hardcore brawl than it was a technical back-and-forth classic, so it just further baffles me as to what you folks like. Austin/Bret, a full dozen years later, still remains fresh and relevant, in my opinion. Damnit, I need to watch that match again sometime soon.
#3 Dudley Boyz VS Edge & Christian VS Hardy Boyz (SummerSlam 2000) over #2 Ric Flair VS Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 24)
The final match of Ric Flair's career put up a valiant effort, but it couldn't beat that TLC juggernaut I keep mentioning. TLC #1 wins by a score of 69-45. This result means that Shawn Michaels will only have one match remaining in the tournament. He came in with a grand total of 13 (counting a Royal Rumble match). Slightly more than 20% of the matches in this tournament have featured Shawn Michaels, ladies and gentlemen. That's crazy, especially when I wouldn't consider myself some sort of huge Shawn Michaels fan or anything. Either way, TLC wins here, and it'll be a helluva matchup for the Orange Bracket final.
With the Sweet Sixteen out of the way, we move to the Elite Eight, and there are some very interesting matchups here, of course. Once again, I feel bad for those of you that have to sit and choose between these matches, as I don't think I'd be able to make some of these decisions. Good luck..
Red #1 Ric Flair VS Ricky Steamboat (WrestleWar 1989)
VS
Red #3 Steve Austin VS The Rock (WrestleMania 17)
Blue #12 The Undertaker VS Mankind (King Of The Ring 1998)
VS
Blue #7 Ric Flair VS Terry Funk (Clash Of The Champions 9)
Purple #9 Shawn Michaels VS Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 21)
VS
Purple #6 Triple H VS Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble 2000)
Orange #1 Steve Austin VS Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
VS
Orange #3 Dudley Boyz VS Edge & Christian VS Hardy Boyz (SummerSlam 2000)
Can "Cinderella" continue to move on by winning the Blue Bracket? We've already lost two #1 seeds, but will we lose any of the other two before the Final Four? Will the only Shawn Michaels match remaining in the tourney continue to.. remain.. in the.. tourney? The answers to these questions are all up to you, the HIPRN readers. Let's get those votes in.
The annual WWE Draft is coming up. I'm sure you folks were aware of that. Originally, I wanted to do a longer section about the Draft here, but with my WrestleMania mini-review and the Sweet Sixteen of Hustle Madness, I felt that having yet another long section would be overkill, so instead, I'll just give the list of ten moves I feel need to happen this Monday (or later in the week, if they're going with the Supplemental Drafts, as in years past). This is in no real particular order, just to let you know..
1. Evan Bourne to Raw - Let's face it.. Bourne's brand of wrestling is exciting, and it needs to be seen by as many people as possible. Moving him to the #1 show is only logical. With as quickly as he's gotten over as a member of ECW, he could become a really big star on the Raw roster. He'll be a nice addition to Raw's upper-midcard, challenging for the IC or US Title (more on that a little later), and even teaming up with someone else on occasion for a run at the newly unified Tag Team Titles. He could even make the occasional appearance as a TV main eventer, and most people wouldn't blink an eye.
2. Rey Mysterio to Smackdown - This move has less to do with Smackdown's Latino viewing audience than the fact that both "main" brands could use a midcard infusion. Sending the IC Champion to Smackdown is a nice start down that road. The Latino audience getting a new Latino star to root for is just the icing on the cake. With a lot of the other moves I'm thinking will take place, I could almost make a case for Mysterio to even be a contender for whatever World Title ends up on the Blue Brand, as he wouldn't have to be facing the biggest (size-wise) guys on the roster more often than not.
3.
4. MVP to Raw - Well, if you're going to send the IC Champ to Smackdown, it only makes sense to send the US Champ to Raw. He's gaining in popularity every week, and he's spent so much time on Smackdown already, so a move to Raw is almost overdue for the guy. There are plenty of guys on the Raw roster that would provide fresh, exciting opponents for MVP, whether it be CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, or people of that nature.
5. William Regal to ECW - In my ECW column a while back, I mentioned this move, and I stand by that still to this day. On Raw or Smackdown, Regal could easily get lost in the shuffle. He's far too talented to deserve that, but it's the truth. As a member of the ECW roster, however, I think he could fit in quite nicely. Right now, Finlay is a great addition for ECW, serving as a teacher of sorts for the younger talent there. Regal could fill that role, as well, and as an added bonus, if Finlay remains on ECW, Regal VS Finlay is a proven winner and would make for a welcome feud.
6. Chris Jericho to Smackdown - Really, there's not a whole lot left for him to accomplish on Raw. His heel run has been absolutely masterful, and he's just about done it all since his return to the company. Having feuded with the Raw roster for so long now, though, he needs something fresh, and a move to Smackdown is just the ticket. New show, new roster, new "hypocritical parasites" in the crowd to turn his nose down to.. what's not to like? Raw's upper-midcard/main event tiers will probably become pretty stocked, and, as in times past, Jericho would probably become some sort of a "whipping boy" for some of the "bigger" names. I'd rather not see that, so Smackdown it is.
7. Mr Kennedy to ECW - This one comes with a bit of an asterisk, as there are early reports that Kennedy's career may be nearing its end. Word from Kennedy himself is that his injured shoulder isn't healing, and he's been told that said shoulder may bother him and cause him to live in pain for the rest of his life. He's scheduled to receive a second opinion on the injury soon, and during that meeting with Dr James Andrews, various options will be discussed, including retirement. If it is decided that he'll continue his career, I think a move to the ECW brand will be perfect for Kennedy. He'd automatically be one of the biggest names on the brand, and he can finally begin to see if he can live up to the "World Champion" hype he's been getting since he debuted. He hasn't proven to be very reliable, in or out of the ring, but a good run on ECW could show those in charge that he can be trusted to make a jump to either Smackdown or Raw in the future.
8. Mark Henry to Smackdown - He's been the monster of the ECW brand for a while now, and he's done quite nicely in that role. However, that can only go so far, and he needs to move on to be a monster on another brand. I actually wouldn't be surprised whatsoever if he ended up on Raw, but I just think he moves back to Smackdown. Smackdown seems to be the home to more of the "slow and methodical" big man wrestler, and I think those words fit Mark Henry quite nicely, no?
9. Umaga to ECW - Well, if ECW loses their "monster", they need someone to fill the role, don't they? Umaga would work out well there, as he seems to already be getting lost on Smackdown. He's an underrated worker, and he could work really well with the younger talent on the ECW brand. He's even shown a bit of a tendency to work stiff, and that fits in with the likes of Tyson Kidd, etc. Hell, Umaga VS Kidd would be really fun to watch, in my opinion. I just feel Umaga is too talented to get rid of, and he needs something to do. This move would allow him to branch out a bit, and to throw his weight around a little bit, for lack of a better term.
10. The Undertaker to Raw - If he's nearing the end of his career, he deserves one more run on Raw. The only problem with moving to Raw is that Smackdown's taped shows work out for the elaborate entrances and "special effects" that he uses a lot. With Raw being live, a lot of that may need to be toned down, but that's not a problem. His entrance is something that is goosebump-inducing, even without all the bells and whistles that post-production, editing, and re-takes can bring to the table. I've seen some folks that feel he should stay on Smackdown, but nobody has given me a reason that's good enough for me to rethink my move here.
11. John Cena to Smackdown - I'm sure you folks are shocked that I'd even have this thought in my head. While I'd definitely keep Cena on Raw if I had my way, I just feel a move to Smackdown would be for the betterment of the company. The early buzz is that Raw is set to become loaded in the Draft, so I wouldn't be shocked to see big name Smackdown main eventers heading to the Red Brand. Obviously, that means some big names on Raw would need to move to Smackdown, and from all the reports we've ever read on the internet, who would be the big name on Raw with the smallest ego, and who would be most likely to accept a move to the "lesser" brand without a problem? Yup, you guessed it.. Cena. Can the company really justify sending their biggest star to their second-tier show? As long as Raw remains stocked, I think they can. Smackdown needs the help, whether it be in the ratings department or just in media buzz, and Cena can provide that.
I didn't list any Divas here, because really, I couldn't care less who moves where. I don't think Beth Phoenix will move, but other than that, it's anybody's guess. Send them all to one brand, for all I care. In fact, that would probably be for the best. There's no need for multiple Divas divisions. Put them all on Smackdown, and let's all just move on with our lives.
Hustle Highlight Of The Week: If you don't already know the pick here, you haven't read this column very well. Without any doubt whatsoever, The Undertaker VS Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania is the HHotW. Even in a week where John Cena became THA CHAMP~! again, it didn't stand a chance to win HHotW thanks to the Taker/HBK match. It was such a good match, it might even become my HHotW next week, just for shits and giggles.
Honorable mentions would be Cena winning the title again, Matt Hardy's Twist Of Fate to beat Jeff Hardy at WrestleMania, the Carlito/Primo/Bourne VS Morrison/Miz/Kidd 6-man from ECW, Mark Henry teasing a top rope spot at WrestleMania, and getting to hear "Basic Thuganomics" once again.
Writer's Note: You know, Randy Orton really deserves better. Not only should he have beaten Triple H at WrestleMania, but he should've gotten a one-on-one rematch somewhere soon afterwards. Now, he gets to team with two men who have absolutely no business being in a pay-per-view main event, as they face Super H, Super Shane, and Super Batista. Could this match be any more unfair looking on paper? The funny thing about that is, with the ridiculous stipulation added (TNA in the house), Orton will probably end up winning the WWE Title at Backlash due to someone else accidentally costing Triple H the match, which will only lead to Orton dropping the title in his first defense, more than likely, as we're headed towards a Hell In A Cell between Orton and Trips, in my opinion.
While I'm on the subject of Triple H.. with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels not making an appearance on Raw (they barely even got a mention), does anybody else think Trips was a little jealous over having other people steal his big "WrestleMania Moment"? He was finally being booked to win a match at WrestleMania, and it was the main event, but nobody gave a shit about the match once the show was over. Sure enough, the next night, all of the focus was back on Triple H's storyline. Yes, I realize that people often get the night off after WrestleMania, and if anybody deserved a night off, it was Taker and Michaels, but it's just a little fishy to me, that's all. I'm not kidding myself by thinking it's out of the realm of possibility.
Writer's Note Part Deux: Last year, I played a very big part in the creation and planning of the 1st Annual LoPForums.com WrestleMania Weekend Wrestling (W)Extravaganza, and it turned out to be a smashing success. This year, the plans were in motion for the 2nd Annual LoPForums.com WrestleMania Weekend Wrestling (W)Extravaganza, but for a variety of reasons, people had to back out of the shindig, so those of us that were still on-board decided to scrap it due to the lack of interest. In retrospect, that was a poor idea on our part, as we should've just went, anyway, and had fun, just in a smaller group. It's rare that we'd all be hanging out in a huge group, anyway, as evidenced by our stay in Orlando for WrestleMania 24. Other than at Mania itself, we probably only hung out as a huge group one one or two occasions. Other than that, we all split up into smaller groups so that those who wanted to shop could shop, those who wanted to be tourists could be tourists, etc. Anyway, the point of all this is simple.. because I like changing the rules from time-to-time, the 2nd Annual LoPForums.com WrestleMania Weekend Wrestling (W)Extravaganza is back on! We'll just pretend this year never happened and stick with the "2nd Annual" part. That's right, ladies and gentlemen.. we're a little less than a year away from WrestleMania 26 in Arizona, and I'm throwing my name in the hat as an attendee. I invite all of you to make the trip to Arizona in March of 2010 for the party. Las Vegas and Los Angeles are both about a 6-hour drive from Phoenix, so, of course, that means just one thing.. road trip, bitches! Early plans are to make road trips to both Vegas and LA during the week, so for members of Team Sleep and Team DownForWhatever, if you're looking for something to do, there you go. Obviously, more information will be coming in the next few weeks/months.
What Hustle Is Listening To Right Now: "Perfectionist" by Asher Roth, Beanie Sigel, & Rock City.. "I Poke Her Face" by Kid Cudi, Kanye West, & Common.. "John Crow" by Jimmy Cliff.. "Stay Up (Viagra)" by 88 Keys & Kanye West.. "Rockin That Thang (Remix)" by The Dream, Ludacris, Fabolous, Juelz Santana, & Rick Ross.. "Killing Fields" by Graveyard Shift.. "Like A Pimp (Remix)" by David Banner, Busta Rhymes, & Twista.. "Rotate (Freestyle)" by Cory Gunz.. "Stuck On You" by Ekolu.. "Slums" by Nappy Roots.. "The Bay" by Zion I.. "Antenna" by Zion I.. "That's That Bone" by Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone.. "Black Gloves" by Young Buck.. "A Week Ago" by Jay-Z & Too Short.. "It's Like That" by Jay-Z & Kid Capri.. "I'm Supposed To Die Tonight" by 50 Cent.. "Sure Shot" by Beastie Boys.. "Waiting In Vain" by Bob Marley.. "Still Spittin" by Ludacris.. "Playa Hate On Me" by Ya Boy.. "Charlene" by Anthony Hamilton.. "Let's Chill" by Guy.. "What It Do" by Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, & 50/50 Twin.. "Give Me One Chance" by Kaipo Kapua.. "Go" by Common.. "Keep Fishin" by Weezer.. "El Scorcho" by Weezer.. "Pimpa's Paradise" by Damian Marley & Black Thought.. "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors.. "Please Don't Go" by Tank.. "Maybe I Deserve" by Tank.. "Kiss On My List" by Hall & Oates.. "Out Of Touch" by Hall & Oates.. "911 Is A Joke" by The Game
Damn, it's a wrap already? This one kinda flew by. Thank you for riding with me yet again. I'm kickin harder than a Kung Fu roundhouse, folks. Next week, not only will I reveal the Final Four of the Hustle Madness tournament (probably), but I'll be back with another HIPRN Original. Keep your peepers peepin for that. My NFL Draft preview is coming along nicely, and I have no idea how much of it I'll put into my column two weeks from now, but I'll put enough of it, that's for sure. I have to go and get my "hurr did" right now (my hair is long enough to be braided at this point, but fuck that, as it's getting hotter out, and the back of my neck/collarbone area will thank me for this decision), so I need to bounce. Until next week, from right next door to your sister, I bid you farewell. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa.
”I'm exceedin expectations, you barely meetin quota.. I give it to em straight, you cut it with baking soda..”
"I don't walk in fear. I walk as fear."
"See, that's the difference between you and I.. you get money, and you get crazy.. I get crazy, and I get money..”
"The same reason y'all could love me is the same reason y'all condemn me.."
Hustle HIPRNFeedback@gmail.com
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PSN: HustleLOP (I finally got MLB 09, so that's another game you can catch me playing if you look hard enough)
