I'm getting ''To be the man'' as soon as I get to New York. I should have it completely read by August 20th.

Zentile Wrote: I'm getting ''To be the man'' as soon as I get to New York. I should have it completely read by August 20th.

Cool! When you get done with it, give us all the juicy bits. Especially with him commenting on Mick Foley.


GD

ghostdragon Wrote: Zentile Wrote: I'm getting ''To be the man'' as soon as I get to New York. I should have it completely read by August 20th. Cool! When you get done with it, give us all the juicy bits. Especially with him commenting on Mick Foley. GD

Not only Foley, but Bret Hart, and others. In fact, if you go to brethart.com, he gives his opinions on Flair's book.
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Bret Hart has posted comments to his official website on Ric Flair's new book:
A small portion of the article:

Yes, I did make some unflattering comments about Flair and Hogan back in the early 90’s. I then rethought what I’d said and in the interest of doing business with them, for the greater good of the business, I made a sincere effort to apologize to both of them, publicly and privately. They each shook my hand and told me not to worry about it and that it wasn’t an issue, but when I got to WCW I was never given any kind of a chance and whether either one
or both of them was behind it I’ll probably never know, other than hearsay. Now, years later, Hogan and Flair have both spoken inaccurately about me and have tried to debunk and minimize my contributions to a business that I was
born into and have devoted my life to with deep passion and dedication. Wrestling wasn’t just a job for me, it was the only way of life I knew long before either Hogan or Flair laced up a pair of boots and took their first wrestling
lesson to see what it was like.
Never, in all my life, have I ever been so infuriated by ridiculous statements made about me. Perhaps they were purposely designed to get my response and sell more books, who knows. Who cares? Flair talks about how I could be the president of my own fan club. All I can say is, he’s one to talk! Self promotion was an intricate key to any wrestler making it in the business. He convinced a legion of fans that he was the best in the business - and there’s nothing wrong with that. He even convinced himself. But his peers, the guys who worked with him night after night, know better. How could any fan know what kind of a worker Ric Flair really is without actually working with him?

Official WWE Smackdown Preview 07/15/04: Feel The Steel:
Thanks to WWE.com:

WWE Champion JBL must honor a contractual obligation this Thursday night, as he defends the title against former title-holder Eddie Guerrero. This match, however, will not be held under normal circumstances. Rather, both JBL and Guerrero will be locked in the confines of a 15-foot steel cage.

Speaking of titles, what will become of the United States Championship? the last we saw, General Manager Kurt Angle stripped John Cena of the prestigious title. Whose waist will it go around next? Watch SmackDown! as this story develops.

In addition, the WWE Tag Team Championship switched hands last week, as the upstart duo of Paul London and Billy Kidman pried the titles away from the Dudleys. After the match, the former champs congratulated London and Kidman. Are we looking at a new-look Bubba Ray and D-Von? Watch SmackDown! to find out.


Confirmed Matches For Thursday's SmackDown!
The following matches are confirmed for Thursday’s edition of WWE SmackDown!:

Rey Misterio & Spike Dudley vs. Chavo Guerrero & Jamie Noble

Handicap Match
John Cena vs. Booker T, Kenzo Suzuki, & Rene Dupree

Paul London vs. D-Von Dudley

Steel Cage Match
John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Eddie Guerrero

Can anyone please tell me which PPVs are held by both RAW and SmackDown! brands!? I know that Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania and Summerslam are, but I was wondering if there were any others... is Survivor Series held by the two brands?

DamRho Wrote: Can anyone please tell me which PPVs are held by both RAW and SmackDown! brands!? I know that Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania and Summerslam are, but I was wondering if there were any others... is Survivor Series held by the two brands?

Here are the PPVs for this year..

Both Brand PPVS
Royal Rumble
WrestleMania
Summerslam
Survivor Series

RAW PPVs
Backlash
Bad Blood
Vengeance
Halloween Havoc
Armageddon

SmackDown! PPVs
No Way Out
Judgment Day
Great American Bash
Unforgiven
No Mercy

Anyways, SmackDown! is gonna be a damn good show this week. the cruiser tag match, London Vs D-von Dudley, and the cage match! all should be great matches!

14 PPV's!!! Geeeeeeez. That's one every month with two more thrown' in. With so many ppv's there isin't enough time given to develop personnas and feuds. They need to kill at least half that number.


GD

ghostdragon Wrote: 14 PPV's!!! Geeeeeeez. That's one every month with two more thrown' in. With so many ppv's there isin't enough time given to develop personnas and feuds. They need to kill at least half that number. GD

I agree, they need to go back to 1 a month again. I mean these last couple of month we had Bad Blood,Great American Bash, and Vengeance 2/3 weeks a part. now they may be from different brands, but when say...SmackDown! has a PPV, Raw won't start building towards their next PPV till after the SD! PPV is over. I mean Vengeance only has 2 FUCKIN WEEKS of build-up which is pretty Pathetic. Hopfully next year we go back to 1 a month again.

Actually, it wouldn't disappoint me if the WWE went back to only the main ppvs, like Rumble, Mania, Survivor Series, Summerslam, KOTR, and maybe Halloween Havoc (October) and Armageddon to end out the year. Too many damn ppvs, not enough quality to the shows.

As for SD this week, I read the spoilers and it's going to be mediocre at best. I'm still going to watch for the cage match, but my boycott of SD will continue. I'll maybe catch the odd Taker segment, but SD is just too shitty. Raw is much more enjoyable at the moment.

Well for me, I'd take anything thats happening on SmackDown! than to see another Eugene main-event again.

Yeah, hopefully that was a one time thing. I like the Eugene character but it is getting ridiculous.

Oh please god make it so Jamie Noble and Chavo Guerrero win the tag team match agaisnt Mysterio and Dudley! Something tells me they wont, though.
Please WWE, make Jamie Noble the cruiserweight champion again!

I hate what the WWE did with the Eugene character. At first I was a supporter, I thought it was funny, but that was before the Triple H match. Now I see what it really is: a pathetic, shameless, attempt to get viewers. I found it amusing when he was first introduced, with him beating minor wrestlers, and even Kane. I heard that the WWE created him to show that Eugene was a hero, just like other mentally challenged people. Well it sure doesn't look like that now. He's a cronie of Evolution, he get's manipulated and beat up on a regular basis now, and they are overexposing him up the yinyang. The only message I'm getting from Eugene now is that "If you manipulate mentally challenged people enough, you have you're own personal slave". It's an absolute travesty of sports entertainment, and nothing can get rid of the egg on WWE's face for pulling a stunt like this. If WWE wanted to draw viewers, how bout they show actual wrestling, and not the soap opera we're treated to every time we watch it.

WARNING: A spoiler below for SmackDown! Not all, just the main one.
















In a Steel Cage Match, John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero hit a frog splash off the top of the steel cage, but was too hurt to cover him initially and Bradshaw kicked out. The finish of the match saw both men battling atop the cage. El Gran Luchadore came out and grabbed Guerrero's leg, allowing Bradshaw to reach the floor for the victory. El Gran Luchadore tried to get out of the cage but it was locked shut. He climbed back up the cage but was attacked by Guerrero. When Guerrero yanked at his mask, it was Kurt Angle under the mask.

That sounds like a very entertaining match. I am actually looking forward to SD this week.

sub-zeromasta Wrote: El Gran Luchadore came out and grabbed Guerrero's leg, allowing Bradshaw to reach the floor for the victory. El Gran Luchadore tried to get out of the cage but it was locked shut. He climbed back up the cage but was attacked by Guerrero. When Guerrero yanked at his mask, it was Kurt Angle under the mask.

El Grande Luchadore?!?!?! ROFLOL!!!! OMG!!! That's funny!! Oh I have to watch SD just to see that!


GD

NoObSaIbOt777 Wrote: I hate what the WWE did with the Eugene character. At first I was a supporter, I thought it was funny, but that was before the Triple H match. Now I see what it really is: a pathetic, shameless, attempt to get viewers. I found it amusing when he was first introduced, with him beating minor wrestlers, and even Kane. I heard that the WWE created him to show that Eugene was a hero, just like other mentally challenged people. Well it sure doesn't look like that now. He's a cronie of Evolution, he get's manipulated and beat up on a regular basis now, and they are overexposing him up the yinyang. The only message I'm getting from Eugene now is that "If you manipulate mentally challenged people enough, you have you're own personal slave". It's an absolute travesty of sports entertainment, and nothing can get rid of the egg on WWE's face for pulling a stunt like this. If WWE wanted to draw viewers, how bout they show actual wrestling, and not the soap opera we're treated to every time we watch it.

Yup. I agree with everything you said. The Eugene thing is getting really old fast. Just like 2 years ago with the stupid Zach Gowen crap. WWE goes from a one-legged gimp with a whiney ego to a retard who is way too retarded. It's time they stop with the disabled and go with the abled or at least some what abled.

Zentile, if anyone should be cruiserweight champ it's Mysterio, or Ultimo when/if he returns to WWE.

Eugene is top tier, so forget the haters . The Cena handicap sounds interesting. And Ultimo should get the Cruiser belt sometime, but WWE wont do shit with him. Instead we get to watch TYSON TOMKO!! "droooll !O$T()*$T($W*T"....if anyones retarded it's that ink poisoned bitch.

sub-zeromasta Wrote: WARNING: A spoiler below for SmackDown! Not all, just the main one. In a Steel Cage Match, John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero hit a frog splash off the top of the steel cage, but was too hurt to cover him initially and Bradshaw kicked out. The finish of the match saw both men battling atop the cage. El Gran Luchadore came out and grabbed Guerrero's leg, allowing Bradshaw to reach the floor for the victory. El Gran Luchadore tried to get out of the cage but it was locked shut. He climbed back up the cage but was attacked by Guerrero. When Guerrero yanked at his mask, it was Kurt Angle under the mask. That sounds like a very entertaining match. I am actually looking forward to SD this week.

Great ending to what will be a great match. Looks like Angle is back as an In-ring performer now which is GREAT news. Hopfully Eddie/Angle II at Summerslam is much better than their WrestleMania match. I thought it was kind of disapointing IMO.

And I'am OK with JBL retaining the title. hes been on a roll latly. hes pretty funny and cuts promos really well. hes not that great of a wrestler but he makes up for it with his charater and promos. and besides, it is rumored to be JBL Vs Undertaker for the WWE title at Summerslam. If it takes JBL holding the title to Summerslam so Undertaker can win it. I'am all for it.

Oh, and did anyone read Bret hart's recent column where he responded to Ric Flair's Book? Damn, that was a good read(pretty long to). Hart freakin blasted flair all over the place. He was talking about how hes overated, how flair uses the same style in every match and there was some other interesting stuff in there to.

My favorite part was the last few lines of the column..

In the infamous words of Dick Cheney, go f**k yourself Ric and be glad
that someone like me doesn’t shove your head squarely up your ass someday.

that was awesome!

olympic_Hero Wrote: Oh, and did anyone read Bret hart's recent column where he responded to Ric Flair's Book? Damn, that was a good read(pretty long to). Hart freakin blasted flair all over the place. He was talking about how hes overated, how flair uses the same style in every match and there was some other interesting stuff in there to. My favorite part was the last few lines of the column.. In the infamous words of Dick Cheney, go f**k yourself Ric and be glad that someone like me doesn’t shove your head squarely up your ass someday. that was awesome!

I already didn't like Ric Flair for what I saw but if what Bret states is true then I really hate Ric Flair... He's far more retarded than Eugene, he should retire; when you have guys in the RAW roster like Rhyno who I haven't seen in TV for ages now why the hell do I keep seing an old man who looks pinkish and doesn't even know how to speak 3 words in a row without choking in his own drool?! The "woo" is funny though... lol

Yeah, Ric Flair sorta looks like a fish now, but IMO, he's still awsome and one of my favourites on the RAW roster.


I do agree that Mysterio deserves the cruiserweight title right now, and when Ultimo comes back, he should win it sometime aswell. But I think Noble's being treated like shit by the WWE, and he shouldn't be getting this treatment. Same thing with Akio and Sakoda. If I were either one of them, I'd be putting the pressure on the WWE. Because seriously, they're losing every single match they have on VELOCITY, for Christ's sake. Akio, with the help of Sakoda lost to Spike Dudley?! Akio got his ass kicked by Nunzio!?
It's just way too stupid. Some of those cruiserweights on Velocity need to start taking some attitute.

Zentile Wrote: Yeah, Ric Flair sorta looks like a fish now, but IMO, he's still awsome and one of my favourites on the RAW roster. I do agree that Mysterio deserves the cruiserweight title right now, and when Ultimo comes back, he should win it sometime aswell. But I think Noble's being treated like shit by the WWE, and he shouldn't be getting this treatment. Same thing with Akio and Sakoda. If I were either one of them, I'd be putting the pressure on the WWE. Because seriously, they're losing every single match they have on VELOCITY, for Christ's sake. Akio, with the help of Sakoda lost to Spike Dudley?! Akio got his ass kicked by Nunzio!? It's just way too stupid. Some of those cruiserweights on Velocity need to start taking some attitute.

Nunzio is a great cruiserweight, and so is Spike but I agree that Akio is being treated like shit, he lost every single match this year except for the last 6-man cruiserweight match...

Before I post some news, I want to run this by you: Suppose WWE does eventually make a Undertaker vs. Mordecai match, who do you think would win? Take that following points into consideration while you decide:

Undertaker:
----------
* 13 year veteran of WWE
* Loyal fan/cult following
* More popular/liked by his peers backstage, lockerroom leader
* Ready for retirement soon
* Hell even veterans make mistakes

Mordecai:
--------
* Not as big a fanbase
* Rookie mistakes, green in the ring
* Not as liked backstage, tends to keep to himself, loner
* Still has his whole career ahead fo him

Let me know what you guys think. I for one think Taker would kick Mordecai's ass all over the ring. Taker took out one Underfaker, he wouldn't hesitate twice to take out a Taker wanna-be.
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Latest Backstage News On SummerSlam Card & Matches:

It is still expected that the top Smackdown matches for Summerslam will be John Bradshaw Layfield vs. The Undertaker for the WWE Title and Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero. Word is that WWE views Bradshaw as a long term champion and that he could keep the WWE Title past Summerslam as long as 'Taker has no problems in putting him over.

As for RAW, a Chris Benoit vs. Triple H World Title match seems likely, possibly with Eugene as the special ref. A Edge vs. Randy Orton rematch for the Intercontinental Title is also an option.


Rico Return Update, Angle's In-Ring Return; Taker:

- Rico most likely won’t be returning until late September or October as he is currently in rehab for a torn hamstring.

- Kurt Angle keeps inching closer to an in-ring return as last Friday, Angle told Rove Live Radio in Australia that he is hoping to be back in the ring for the “Return of the Deadman” Smackdown brand tour of Australia in late August. He said that the tour should be changed to “Return of the Olympic Hero” and went on to say how the WWE wrestlers like touring Australia because of the WrestleMania-like crowds.

- Nobody backstage thinks that the Undertaker will put over John Bradshaw Layfield at Summerslam. 'Taker, JBL, and Eddie Guerrero are expected to face each other in a three way for the WWE Title.

See this is the reason WWE needs better writers. They can't allow Taker to put Layfield over cause if they do, all the focus will be on Taker's return. No one wan'ts to see him return only to loose. If anything they should at least have someone interfere in the match and attacks Taker so it doesn't make him come off as weak.


GD

ghostdragon Wrote: See this is the reason WWE needs better writers. They can't allow Taker to put Layfield over cause if they do, all the focus will be on Taker's return. No one wan'ts to see him return only to loose. If anything they should at least have someone interfere in the match and attacks Taker so it doesn't make him come off as weak. GD

Exactlly.