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Submitted by Hustle on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 5:00 AM EST
 Good lookin out for the graphics work, Noc "Your simple words just don't move me.. you're minor, I'm major.. you all up in the game and don't deserve to be a player.. don't make me have to call your name out.." Prodigy of The Infamous Mobb Deep brings us today's intro line, although I changed a small part of it to match me better. Welcome back to The HIPE, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your HIPEmaster for this journey.. I'm the Charles Hamilton of this column-writing shit.. my name is Hustle, and I am definitely in the building. I know you want this to get rolling, and I think it's about that time. Shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!! Well, because Raw was last night, it's time for my thoughts on the show. As always, this isn't a full review or anything, but it's just what I felt was worthy of discussing after watching it all. Here goes..  - I don't quite understand why, but I enjoyed hearing the Manchester crowd chanting and cheering for Randy Orton while Orton was going back-and-forth on the mic with Batista. Even Batista took notice of it by looking out into the crowd almost mid-sentence during an especially loud "R-K-O" chant. Their promo duel itself was weak, with their "I'm better than you", "No I'm better than you" exchange, but I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering when Batista is on the mic. - I understand that William Regal was wrestling in his hometown, but damn, it seems like a huge waste of time in giving Santino the Intercontinental Title for that long, only to have him lose the belt long before he approached the levels of Honk-A-Perfect-Mountie. My friend, however, brought up a good point while we were watching the show.. with all the talk about The Honky Tonk Man, it's quite fitting that Santino lost the IC Title in just about the same way that Honky lost his.. in an absolute squash match. Perhaps we'll be finding out in the next day or two that Santino failed a drug test or something. Perhaps we'll be finding out in the next day or two that Santino is the next roster cut. Perhaps nothing will come of this, and it was just someone losing a title. We shall see. Either way, congratulations to William Regal for the title victory. He's earned it for seeking help with his personal problems and following through with that help (take the hint, Jeff Hardy). - You know, if Rey Mysterio is actually injured again (it sure seemed like more than good selling on his part), it might be time for homeboy to hang up the boots. It seems like he's been injured half a dozen times in the last few years, which is a real shame. I'm not a huge fan of his or anything, but I do like watching him as long as he isn't beating down 7-foot tall monsters, but if he's that injury prone, it might be best to just walk away before he gets something seriously injured. - Way, way, way, way, way, way too much heavy breathing involved in the Randy Orton/Manu/Cody Rhodes backstage segment. It really wouldn't have helped the "wrestling is gay" stereotype if a non-fan had stumbled across that. - The main event was decent, but not up to the previous standards Jericho and Michaels had set for themselves. It didn't seem like the live crowd was as into the match as they could've/should've been, either. It helped Jericho in his "lucky wins" streak, and it sets up the Michaels/JBL feud nicely, so I don't have too much to complain about, but I was just hoping for more from their match, especially because it was a Last Man Standing Match. I love matches with that stipulation. Alright, let's move away from Raw, and let's open up the feedbag to hear what you folks would like to know about. My people, I present to you yet again.. Ask Hustle.. What is your favorite memory of Halloween? (John Doe) Were you paying attention to your calendar when you asked me this question, or are you just a really big fan of this particular holiday? I got this question from you on November 4th, four days after Halloween was over. Weirdo. You know, Halloween isn't a holiday that I've ever looked at as all that special. Sure, as a kid, I'd go out and get a bunch of candy, but it's not like any one year stuck out more than the others. I did like the candy, though, but even then, a lot of it would go to waste because I got far too much of it to eat before it started going bad. Besides, I usually had school the next day, anyway, so it's not like I could stay out late. One particular year sticks out a bit, I suppose, but it came later in life. Of course, it sticks out because of how bad the night was, but it still sticks out. It was probably five or six years ago, if I remember correctly. I went out with my girlfriend at the time, as well as a few friends, and we decided to hit up Waikiki (it's world famous, but Wiki it if you feel the need to). This island has a huge problem with overcrowding, as there are about a million (a milli a milli a milli a milli a milli..) people on this particular rock. Anyway, it seemed as if half of those people were driving in Waikiki on that particular night, while the other half were walking up and down Kalakaua Avenue, which would be the closest thing we have to "Main Street". We sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for a long time, and it took us a good two hours or so to get down a single stretch of road that was no more than two miles. People had their windows rolled down and their stereos playing loudly. It was a party atmosphere, even though we were stuck in automobiles. We got down the road a bit before we noticed there was some drunk asshole causing a commotion on the sidewalk. We couldn't hear anything other than his yelling, but there was a few people talking him, and they appeared to be telling him to leave someone alone. The drunk guy then wandered out into traffic, got right next to our car, and started dancing for no real reason. Sure, there was music blasting, but his dancing wasn't quite matching up to what was playing. We were half laughing and half cautiously watching the guy when he jumps up and starts dancing on the hood of my friend's car. It took us a few seconds because we were absolutely stunned that the guy was doing this, but eventually my friend and I had to get out of the car. When Al Kuhawlick saw us coming, he did the smart thing and moved away to bother other people. He wouldn't have stood a chance in hell if he was sober, but damn, as lit as he was, we would've made sure that his body was never found. You don't want no problems, problems. Eventually, traffic was moving a bit better, but it was still what would be considered "stop-and-go". As we were all singing along to something (I don't remember what it was, but based on the cast of characters that night, I'm guessing it was something stupid like a TV show theme song, etc), the stereo suddenly shut off. I guess we were too into the moment, because we didn't really think much about it. We just turned the stereo back on, cranked it back up, and started singing again. After a minute or two, the stereo cut off again. Then, the engine cut off. Uh-oh. Once the car was started up again, we made sure not to turn on the stereo at all, just to see if we could figure out if that was the source of the problem. We got to the next traffic light, first in line, and the engine cut off again. This time, however, it wouldn't come back on. Uh-oh part deux. My friend had to call her dad while the rest of us had to direct traffic and get her car pushed off to the side of the road and into the parking lot of the Honolulu Zoo, which was right there in view. I kid you not, but the EXACT SECOND that we got out of the car and started to push, the skies opened up and it began to rain. I don't just mean a little drizzle, either. I'm talking about the type of pouring rain that chills you to the bone. Now we had to push this big-ass car the length of a football field.. in the pouring rain.. while none of us were dressed for such a rainy occasion. After nearly being run over by a Dodge pickup truck, I finally was able to help get the car into the zoo parking lot. Our night was over much earlier than any of us had hoped it would be. It was over before it started, actually. We hadn't even gotten a chance to actually go anywhere or do anything. Oh, and as a final note on the night, I stepped in dog shit when I got dropped back off at home by my friend's dad. There's a little grass patch by the front gate to this apartment building, and when I stepped to the side to move out of a wheelchair-bound woman's way, I stepped into the patch and *splat* doo-doo on my shoe-shoe. Now it's your time to get enjoyment out of my pain and suffering. That just wasn't my night. At all. What's your favorite live wrestling moment ever? (Zuma) I think it would be difficult for a moment to top the "I'm sorry, I love you" part of the Ric Flair VS Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 24, but because I've already went on about that, I'll list a few more of my favorite moments from this year (all my other live wrestling moments were house shows, which don't even come close to matching up). In no particular order, here we go: - The moment that we, the LoP crew, all had our tickets scanned and we stepped past the turnstiles. That's when it finally hit me that I was actually going to be watching WrestleMania live and in-person. I can't speak for any of the other LoP-ers about when their "sinking in" moment was, but that was definitely mine. Looking around and seeing all of the other fans and the wide-eyed looks on their faces was fun. We obviously weren't the only first-time WrestleMania attendees in the stadium that afternoon. - Being only a few feet behind Mark Briscoe when he dove off the balcony onto Milo Beasley, who was atop a table below, at RoH's Supercard Of Honor 3 show the night before Mania. That was nuts. Mark Briscoe may be legitimately crazy, but that just makes people love him more. That entire match (especially Jimmy Jacobs' reversal of the Springboard Doomsday Device into the End Time) was great, but that particular moment stands out for me. - Do I even need to say that getting to see John Cena was a favorite moment of mine? Does that count as me saying it? Did that? Either way, yes, that was definitely a favorite moment of mine, and the only thing that could've made it better was if he came to the ring to his normal entrance music. Don't get me wrong.. Jones High School's Marching Band (shouts out to the Tigers) did a really good job performing his song, but it just wasn't the same as if the song itself was playing. - Having September's Column Of The Month winner (congratulations, bro), CoLd, heckle Erick Stevens at the RoH show, only to have Stevens' brawling win him over, forcing him to yell out an apology and to take back calling him a "bitch" earlier in the night. That may have been the most humorous moment of the entire weekend. - Hearing the opening riff of Triple H's entrance music. If you've been reading my columns, you'll know I'm not the biggest fan of the guy or anything, but hearing his music live for the first time had me all sorts of hyped up for the Triple Threat Match, and I was already hyped for it. That was an electric moment, although as a non-fan, that electricity went down from that moment on. Ha. - Any moment of the Dragon Gate 6-Man that main evented Supercard Of Honor 3. Any of it. From the announcement that it was time to the main event, all the way through the lights coming back on in the building as everyone filed out to end the show, and everything in between. If you've never watched one of these DG 6-man tags, whether it's in person or otherwise, you're really missing out. I know a few people that don't enjoy watching an entire DG card because of how fast-paced and high-flying everything turns out, but if they're just watching a match or two, they absolutely love it. - The Undertaker's entrance. It's been said thousands of times throughout the course of history, but I'll say it one more time.. being there in person for that man's entrance is beyond words. Of course, it being WrestleMania just made it that much more theatrical. We had good seats (for $250+, they fucking well better have been good seats), and from where we were sitting, the fire in Taker's entrance felt as if it was mere feet away from us. It was HOT. The entire entrance just gave me chills (or "chicken skin", as we call it here). The company does an amazing job of working with that character and making him believable (for lack of a better word) in that role of his. Honestly, the entire week (most of the LoP'ers stayed for longer than just Mania Weekend) was unforgettable, whether we were watching live wrestling, doing regular "tourist" shit all around Orlando, or just hanging out. To anyone on the fence about whether or not to head to Houston and attend WrestleMania 25, I strongly suggest you make the trip. It's worth it. Besides, you'll get to hang out with me, which is a prize worth more than gold.  That's me, standing outside of the Citrus Bowl before we all made our way into the stadium for Mania. No real reason for me to post that picture other than the fact that I felt like it. What are some of your favorite things about Ring Of Honor? (Terrance) The fact that they're something different when I don't necessarily need to get caught up in a lot of talking, crazy characters, and other assorted shenaniganery that comes with the "Big Two" companies. Sure, they have things like that, as well, but their main focus has always been on the actual in-ring product, and I appreciate that. It's best that I know where to turn if I want more of a wrestling-based product, and I also know where to turn if I want an entertainment-based product. I also like the more intimate atmosphere of an RoH show. Don't get me wrong.. there's nothing wrong with a show in front of 75,000 people. Nothing at all. However, there are times when I'd prefer a smaller show, in front of 1,500 fans or less. It helps you feel more like you're a part of the action, and it's easier to focus on things. A lot of people make fun of RoH for not having an entire football stadium full of people for their shows, but those are usually the same people who bitch and moan when they attend WWE events because they're too "crowded". If you want specific wrestlers that I like, we can go that route, as well. My favorites on the current RoH roster would be Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black, Nigel McGuinness, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Kevin Steen, El Generico, Necro Butcher, and Kenny King. There are others that I enjoy who are more part-time members of the roster, but I decided to just focus on the people who are there on a more regular basis for the sake of time and space in this column. - I've mentioned Bryan Danielson numerous times in my columns. The guy simply knows how to have a really good match with anybody he gets into the ring with. I may not have as much exposure as some people to wrestling that takes place in Japan, Mexico, and anywhere else outside of this country, but from what I have seen and from what I do know, Danielson's "Best In The World" nickname may actually be the truth. Some people say that he isn't big enough or tan enough to be a star in the "big leagues". As far as being big enough, he's the same height or bigger than people like Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, Chris Jericho (when he doesn't have those lifts in his boots), Jamie Noble, Santino Marella, Paul London, Carlito, Primo, The Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, Finlay, and Chavo Guerrero. Clearly, it's not like he'd be a midget walking into the WWE locker room or anything. As far as being tan enough, well, I think it's a tad strange for a guy to pay that much attention to another guy's tan. That's all I'm going to say about that. He'd work out quite nicely in TitanLand. - Tyler Black, as I've mentioned before and will more-than-likely mention again, is the absolute future of pro wrestling. For him to be as good as he is, and to only be 22 years old in doing so, is just insane. One of the better tag team wrestlers in this country already, he's already held tag team gold a total of six times in five different companies. He's also growing as a singles wrestler, having come close to winning the RoH World Title already. It's truly scary to think about how good he'll be in a year or two. Hell, it's truly scary to think about how good he'll be in a month or two. - A lot of people dislike Nigel McGuinness for various reasons, but I'm not one of those people. His heel turn has been a very nice piece of work, and I'll say it again.. if John Cena is to ever turn heel, it needs to be done in a similar way to Nigel. Nigel didn't just come out and attack a random face wrestler for his heel turn. He turned heel on the fans that turned on him, and then went from there. His promos thereafter were all ripping apart the hypocrites in the RoH fan base and shooting holes in their "logic" for turning on him. It was really well done, and it made me like him even more because he was absolutely right. A large portion of the RoH fans were full of shit, and he called them on it. I applaud him for that. - The Briscoes are my favorite tag team going today, and they're probably towards the top of my all-time list, as well. One of the most important things that a tag team needs to be successful is chemistry, of course, and it's hard to have more of a chemistry than a team of brothers. Jay is the more well-rounded of the two, while Mark is the more high-flying of the two. Together, they're able to bring some of the better tag team action that I've seen in all my years of watching wrestling. Their double-team moves are like pieces of art. If Vince McMahon actually gave a rat's ass about tag team wrestling, I'd say that these guys belong working for him, as well. - Kevin Steen & El Generico (or "Kel Steenerico", as they have been dubbed by various groups of fans) are another fun team to watch. Steen's character with Generico has always been fun. Former LoPForums poster Dr Funkenstein said it best when he compared Steen to the character Wayne Arnold on "The Wonder Years" in that he always likes to torture and beat up his "younger brother" (or "friend", in Generico's case), but if anyone else were to beat the little guy up, he'd be the first person there to hand out a retaliatory ass-whooping. Steen is also the loud obnoxious guy to Generico's silent ways. They work so well together, both in the ring and doing promos. Do you have any kids? (Bonny) Not that I know of.  Hmm.. nah, that couldn't be. Could it? Oh, fuck. What do you think about the idea of teaming Mike Knox and Snitsky together? (HOV) Honestly, I think Knox is too good to be brought down by teaming with Snitsky. As a member of a tag team, Knox might be able to get more TV time than he would as a singles wrestler on a loaded Raw roster, but I wouldn't want him to be anywhere near the Black Hole Of Suck. Knox makes a better "hoss" character than Snitsky does, has a better finisher (by far), and doesn't look as bad in HD (no homo). That works for me. If you're going to put Knox with a tag partner that has a similar style, you might as well put him in there with Kane. For one, Kane has experience being in tag teams with fellow "big man" workers, having done it with The Undertaker, as well as with Big Show. Second of all, Kane's going to need something to do on Raw now that his feud with Rey Mysterio is coming to an end. He wants pain and destruction so badly, so it would make sense to get him in a team with Knox, who destroys people week in and week out with that awesome finisher of his. Let them go after CM Punk & Kofi Kingston for a while. It would be fun to see the young, exciting, athletic team face up against CM Punk & Kofi Kingston. Alright, that was a bad joke. Really bad. Seriously, though, I wouldn't mind seeing a Punk/Kingston VS Kane/Knox feud. What's your favorite food? (Cassandra) Ah, food.. a subject near and dear to my heart. I could sit here and give you an entire long list of things that I enjoy, and you know what? None of them would be very healthy. However, I simply couldn't care any less what people have to say to that. I like what I like, just like each and every one of you likes what you like. Haters wanna hate, though, and people with nothing better to do with their lives wanna sit there at their computers and bitch, whine, and complain. It's just the way of life. I don't like it when people need to pretend they're something that they really aren't. I know people that are afraid to tell people what their favorite food is, out of fear those people will look at them funny, or ridicule them. Fuuuuuck a hater. My favorite food is Korean BBQ chicken. Really, it's not even close. A local Korean BBQ restaurant named Soon's makes it better than any restaurant I've ever tried it at, although my ex-girlfriend's mother made it even better than Soon's did. I should give my ex a call just to see if I can get my hands on her.. ..mom's BBQ chicken recipe. Unless, of course, you want to cook something for me, Cassandra. I'm open to that idea, as well. In 20 words or less, what do you wish to achieve by writing wrestling columns? (Martinez) Hustle: Changing lives, one person at a time. Writer's Note: This is going to be the exact same Writer's Note that I posted yesterday, but I need to make sure everyone gets a chance to see it. I'll probably end up posting this for the next several days, at the very least. On the front page of LoP, some of you may have noticed that only my most recent edition of the HIPE is posted. It's not that the others are gone, it's just to make sure the other columnists get their shine, as well. Do not worry, loyal readers. The rest of the HIPE columns, as well as all of my main page HIPRN columns, are located at the following (just click the link, of course): Click Here For The HIPE & HIPRN Archives What Hustle Is Listening To Right Now: "Theories Of Wine" by Charles Hamilton.. "Brazilian Crying Season" by Charles Hamilton.. "Ambitions Of Musicians" by Charles Hamilton.. "Get Em Up" by Ace Hood.. "All Bets On Ace" by Ace Hood Damn, another apology for this column going up a little late. A lot of distractions today, let's just put it that way, but I got the column posted nonetheless. I don't let things get in the way of my thug thizzle, nah'mean? Believe The HIPE. It's real. I need to get out of here already so that I can get to work on tomorrow's column (I stays on my grind, people), so, I'll be back.. same Hustle time, same Hustle page.. with another banger. Until then, from a block away from Soon's, I bid you farewell. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa. "I'm exceedin expectations, you barely meeting quota.. I give it to em straight, you cut it with baking soda.." Hustle HIPRNFeedback@gmail.com 
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