OO Column: Crashing the Boards (Pro Wrestling News, Analysis, and Commentary... WWE, WWF, WCW, ECW, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Trish Stratus, Lita, Stacy Keibler, Divas, RAW, SmackDown, WrestleMania

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Marking for Marks — Which Metal Band Was Jesus In? —
Raven, Schmaven! Maven, Who Cares? — Tell Steiner
About the Rabbits, George — Russian Lesbians — Please,
Surprise Us! — Raw... is... Pants! — Kayfabe, Jazz, DeMott,
Ricky Morton, Nathan Jones — Eric Bischoff and More!!!
January 31, 2003

by YOU, The OO Readers
Compiled by Jeb Lund from the OO Message Boards

[Editor's Note: Crashing the Boards is back, bigger, fitter and juicier than ever — ready to pound your chest with the righteous and harmonious fist. Stand back! There were, in no uncertain terms, a truckload of excellent posts to choose from. Many, almost epic in their scope and length, were put aside. This was done as much for space as it was readability. Many of these posts ranged from the first to the second person, used past, present, future and conditional tenses: to print them would have meant riddling them with [bracketed] words while making so many unmarked changes that the poster's intent might have been altered by me. This isn't my forum: it's yours. So, for safety's sake, when I'm in doubt, I don't print it. What's left, though, is ruthlessly aggressive, with meat-eating tastefulness and metal-shredding probity. The cogency of it all makes ya sweat sweat sweat! Read and enjoy. Ungh!]

In Spite of Our Programming, We Love That Vanilla Midget
We've all heard stories about it over the years. We've even seen it once or twice. Triple H and HBK and the infamous Clique hug at Madison Square Garden. Bret Hart spitting in Vince's face after Montreal. A tearful Jeff Jarrett on the Owen Hart tribute show. And who will ever forget the "Was that a shoot or a work?" altercation involving Hogan/Russo/Jarrett at one of the last WCW ppvs? Yep, there have been plenty of moments in wrestling where somebody has broken character.

Last night, I saw one of the most shocking breaches of character ever... and it didn't come from any of the wrestlers. It was the fans.

I'm disillusioned with marks. They take up the good seats at live events; they act like the Undertaker riding a motorcycle out to the ring is the next best thing to sex, and they chant "you suck" at a guy who not only won the Olympics with a broken neck but also tried out to play for the Steelers. The Boston crowd, dead as they were, took a step towards changing my mind last night — twice.

The first time was during the Steiner-Triple H match. I don't think it was as horrible as Scott Keith and some other internet writers are making it out to be. But it was pretty awful nonetheless. The marks in the crowd knew how bad this was. More than just knowing how bad this was, they detested it. And they found their voice, and they jeered it. They openly booed Scott Steiner, the babyface. And it wasn't out of any real desire to cheer Triple H, as some of the marks are known from time to time to do. They booed because they knew what they were watching was total crap, and for once, instead of taking it and waiting for the next match, they decided to let it be known that they weren't happy with it. Needless to say, I was impressed.

Fast forward about twenty-five, thirty minutes. The crowd, who had been dead until they got sick of Scott Steiner's Jackie Gayda impression, was on fire for the second half of the Angle-Benoit match. After Kurt won, there was some sort of commercial or backstage segment or something... I really can't be bothered to remember right now. When they cut back to the ring, Benoit was rising to his feet, and the marks were cheering. Not just cheering... they were giving him a standing ovation. The marks — the fools who have been trained to pop for spots involving tables and eyebrows and beer and guys weighing 300+ pounds — were giving Chris Benoit, long heralded the most underappreciated wrestler on the planet, a standing O.

It's time for Vince McMahon to face the facts. The Boston crowd broke character. They quit being Vince's zombie puppets, and they rose to their feet and applauded a man whose performance they enjoyed and appreciated. I no longer think marks are stupid. I still think they're ignorant, but they aren't stupid. They broke character, they found their voice, and they said: "We don't want to see anymore of Scott Steiner. But we like Chris Benoit. In our eyes, Chris Benoit has arrived."

The question is... will Vince listen? I'm scared that we all already know the answer.
— Chris Is Good517

Is anyone one else really worried or depressed by Vince's apparent rekindled love for the big men? Does Vince think that just because he started a cruiser division and hired Mysterio that it justifies giving huge pushes to every big man on his roster lately?

The last four guys in the rumble were some of the biggest guys in the WWE: Kane, Brock, Taker and Batista. Would it have been so hard to have Jericho last a little longer and have HBK run in with those five in the ring? He could have kept those 4 monsters at bay with punches and kicks and eliminated Jericho. Result: HBK looks way more dangerous, and Jericho looks more impressive, considering his company. But no, I suspect Vince was really getting off on the visual of those giants in the ring.

Who else got good pushes during the Rumble itself? A-Train and Rikishi and Jamal and Rosey come to mind. Who else had big matches last night? Big Show, Steiner and Triple H. Who got a long promo? Nathan Jones.

You want to know what the most telling thing of all was to me? No one cared. Do you know who had the best match of the night? Angle and Benoit. Who got a standing ovation? Chris Benoit, a former cruiserweight.

God I hope Vince noticed that.
— Milky

Vickie's Theme. Clue: It's Not Called "Grotesque Over-Acting Face"
Ok, we all know it starts out, "I think I've lost my mind." Well, apparently, the folks in the publicity office didn't listen to the rest of the song. It's two women singing about the uneasiness of their first lesbian encounter. Something about Victoria that you aren't telling us, WWE?
— Shastar

Actually, if you watched Confidential or Heat, then they did know what it was about about. They even mentioned that the name of the group that sings it [Tatu] is a Russian euphemism for lesbians.
— Jyri Erik

Some Girl Thinks That Moderate Use of High-Spots Is Good
I don't think that having Brock use the Shooting Star Press once or twice a year would be a bad thing. It wouldn't wreck his body to have him use it once in a blue moon. For example, look at Kurt Angle. Everyone expects great technical/mat wrestling from him, and that's what he gives us. Every once in a while, though, he'll pull out a moonsault and do it better than anyone else in the business. It's breathtaking to watch him do it, but we also don't expect it in every match.

Brock could so the same with the SSP (I've seen a clip of it, and like Angle's moonsault, he does it better than any other SSP that I've seen). Someone on the "predictions for WrestleMania" thread suggested having Brock use it after having Angle kick out of the F-5. I think it's a great idea.
— Alana

Scott Steiner Doesn't Explode But Sort of Burbles Like a Kettle!
What amazes me is that everyone is so surprised that Steiner sucks. It's not exactly breaking news. He's a big steroid freak with a modicum of talent against beady eyes, a stupid beard, and an 8-catchphrase-per-promo quota to meet. Anyone who watched WCW understood this. Guess what else? You're all waiting for Goldberg to come back, and as soon as he wrestles a match, you'll all remember that he sucks too. Just because a guy hasn't been on TV for a while doesn't mean we should miss him.
— Andy

The sad part is, Steiner used to be one of the best. I seem to remember a Steiners v. Hart Foundation match that was considered to be one of the best of the 1990s, and that was mainly because of the efforts of Bret and Scott. Then at some point, someone convinced him that bigger was better, so he started juicing up, crew-cut his head and let his offensive arsenal deteriorate. Now, he's just an overly muscled-up shell of himself, just waiting for a collapse.
— Shastar

[Andy] mentioned how Steiner pulled a Buff Bagwell. I said he would out-Buff Marcus Bagwell about a week before the Royal Rumble. Much to Steiner's credit he did not disappoint me. But, the greatest injustice of all is that unlike the Buff Daddy, Chumpzilla wasn't fired the next day. When crap like this happens, it gives me no hope for the future. Even Justin Credible deserves a job more than this ass clown.
— Slade

"Sure, it'd be memorable, but I hear his interpretation sucks...."
Ya know, nothing says the new, cutting-edge faction of rasslin' like the Rock and Roll Express. I'd like to attend just one [TNA] taping to actually see Ricky Morton "playing Ricky Morton."
— Eli

Pretty soon all riot police will be asking Japanese wrestlers to quell disturbances with their "Poison Mist."
First of all, this in-character 24/7 thing is simply a rumor. I don't believe it one bit. The fact is that Vince has been allowing reporters backstage lately, something he's never done in the past. If anything, WWE policy is becoming more accessible.

When I first started watching wrestling as a kid, the first thing my dad said was: "Why do watch that crap, it's fake?" Years later, when I started watching again, he tried the same thing. This time however, being a little older and rebellious, I told him to watch it with me. I showed him Mick Foley in Hell in the Cell and a TLC match. I explained that wrestlers usually live out their last years as cripples because of the bumps they once took. I asked him how fake he thought the pain was. He had nothing to say, and to this day he actually sometimes asks what's new in the WWE.

Admitting that wrestling is fake is the only way to make it palatable for the mainstream. It's also impossible to go back into the darkness now. How do you keep lying when the truth has come out?

The fact of the matter is that the greatest angles and storylines of the modern era have all come from moments that you couldn't have with kayfabe in effect. It was the nWo, the Monday Night Wars, Montreal and Austin/McMahon that made wrestling huge. And yet these couldn't have happened unless you admitted to ownership, backstage politics and creative teams. And this is what made me start watching again. I wouldn't trade those moments for the world!

You can eliminate Al Wilson, necrophilia and the extreme soap-opera from wrestling without pulling the wool over the fans' eyes. There's a genuine difference. It's called good and bad storytelling.

In my opinion, the logistics of why one wrestler gets pushed over another and inner workings of the business fascinate me. It's what makes the WWE unique and compelling compared to mainstream sports, if not more frustrating.

The breaking of kayfabe changed wrestling forever. Wrestling evolved into something altogether better and more modern. The fact is you can't un-evolve. You either change or you become extinct.
— Milky

"Who needs Raven when I have a handful of shiny nickels right here?"
Raven had an interesting feud with D'Lo Brown. D'Lo looked like a winner by the end, and now D'Lo is a midcard race whiner. Raven had a sweet angle on Heat, with the whole "Masterpiece" thing that mirrored the storyline behind se7en. I really wanted to know how he was going to complete his Masterpiece. Who were his victims going to be? He could have effectively pushed 2 or 3 wrestlers with that angle. The innovation ("innovation" in a sense that Raven connected his character to the villain in se7en, not necessarily a completely new idea) behind the angle was better, or at least on par, with the other angles running on Raw. How can you not react when Raven snaps someone's fingers to "save" the person? It's realistically sick enough to cause a reaction, but not ridiculously sick like the necrophilia angle.

Then they forced him to dump that, to cut his hair and wear trunks [...] then [fired] him? Whaaattttt...? Raven made the "jobber show," Heat, interesting for me. I watched Heat more than Raw in the past few months. I don't know. It just seems like such a waste. It's as if the WWE wants someone to compete with their organization just to get better. Oh well. There's always Smackdown!
— d0r

Bill DeMott: Cuddle Bear
I find it kind of amusing that I know a few people who had watched Tough Enough but wouldn't really consider themselves to be wrestling fans. They're more fans of "reality TV." They may catch bits and pieces of a Raw or Smackdown! here or there, but don't watch regularly. The amusing bit to me is that they all like Demott, and the argument in this thread is that he's washed up and no one likes him. Too bad the people I know don't watch wrestling regularly; maybe a Demott following might develop. For the record, I've always liked the guy, especially back in his Hugh Morrus days.
— angstboy

Jazz. I'm sorry. She's not very funny. There's no joke here.
Yeah, I get that she's always had a beef with Trish. Fine. I get the beatdown on her.... But shouldn't she have been targeting Victoria?

Item 1: Steven Richards was "with" Jazz when she got injured. Now he's "with" Victoria. Shouldn't Jazz be pissed that Victoria stole her guy?
Item 2: Jazz kept saying "I'm the best." Well, then, shouldn't she be going after Victoria, the champ?

Maybe I'm just thinking too much here, but it seems like it would have made more sense for Jazz to beat down Victoria, and have Trish make the save. Then, Jazz could still feud with Trish, while they could use the save as another piece of Victoria's craze, as she'd be confused as to why Trish helped her.
— Thom

Jericho's New Promo: With pants like these, call me "Mesmero — The Baffling Checkered Super Hero!" Now, watch my languid dance!
Ordinarily I'd say that the Jericho/Test feud is just something for Jericho to kill time with until he and HBK pick up full-steam for WrestleMania, but something about Jericho's reaction to "hitting" Stacy made me stop and think.

I would have thought that Y2J would have acted smug about the chairshot, or at least insisted that the ref count out Test to finish the match. Instead, he acted obviously upset about it. Why? It seems out of character for him. The only explanation I can come up with is that this is the start of a face turn for Jericho. It makes sense — with the Horsemen (or whatever they're calling this Flair-HHH-Batista-Orton alliance) making their presence known, Raw is going to need some big-time faces for them to square off against, besides Scott Steiner. A face Chris Jericho would work pretty well in the current Raw environment. Sure, there's always Kane and RVD, but neither of them had a really successful feud with HHH.
— Alana

I think [Jericho's dismay is] just to plant the seeds for an eventual Jericho face turn. He'll stay heel until WrestleMania, and after he wins or loses to HBK, they'll do the whole "I respect you" — "No, I respect you," and he'll be babyface after that.
— Chris Is Good517

The Beast From The East Meets God-Boy From The West (w/Poison!)
Okay, I am not going to just rag on one's religious beliefs here, but am I the only one tired of seeing Shawn Michaels and his smarmy God shirts? Prayer Warrior? WTF is that? Wasn't that a Dokken song in the late 80's?
— mooseheadjack

Why does it bother you? I honestly didn't even notice what his T-shirt said. And the song was, "Dream Warriors."
— Laner

I'm no Christian, but I'd rather him wear the god shirts than those tight Daisy Duke shorts he wore when he would guest referee.
— salmonjunkie

I like how Jericho kind of keeps that whole rock-star image going with his clothes being really out there and bright and crazy. It's almost an homage to the 1980s, when rock stars looked like friggin' rock stars. Maybe Jericho can be Poison v. Michaels' Stryper?
— gobbledygooker

Surprise Us, Please. Here's a Fiver. Do It Twice.
The WWE has gotten "surprising" us confused with "shocking" us. They are turning away from things new and unexpected and veering towards things horrifying and terrible, usually involving dead people. The problem seems to be that the brain trust at the WWE (and I use the term loosely) has become too self-aware, too "smart" for their own good. They feel that by creating some kind of buzz around the product like there was circa 1998-1999 that interest in the product will spike, when in fact the opposite is true. What they fail to realize is that "any" buzz is not "good" buzz. Rather than going to our friends at the proverbial water cooler and talking about how the wrestling show we saw the night before was fresh and exciting with a "what's going to happen next" vibe about it, we're going to our friends and either talking about how horrible and depraved wrestling has become, or worse yet, we're not talking about it at all. (Yet, strangely enough, we watch most every week, waiting for the other shoe to drop.)

The writers try to surprise us with revolting storylines and weak character development, when what we want to be surprised at is what happens in the ring. Male soap-opera or not, this is still wrestling dammit, and I'll be a hell of a lot more entertained by seeing Jeff Hardy go over Triple H, rather than [seeing] Triple H [come] up with the shocking revelation that Hardy molested small animals.

...[The ring is] where the surprise needs to [happen], not at a funeral home.
— markout

I love being surprised.... But when telling a story or at least attempting to, a twist ending only works when you can honestly believe it — or at the least be fooled into accepting it. When you start to do things just to shock or surprise an audience, you end up building plot holes that either go unexplained in order to move forward, or have to be dealt with. And dealing with the details can break a story down and stop all momentum that might have been caused by the twist.

Would it have been a good surprise to see Austin on the Raw X show? No. Because for all people want to deny it, all signs pointed to the idea that he was going to be there. How about about the next night's Raw? No, because once again people had been given the sense that Austin was going to be Bischoff's big surprise. And regardless if some would have been shocked by it, from a storyline perspective you gain nothing but having Austin back. There's no idea of what Austin is going to be doing, other then the fact he is back. By building him up, the WWE allows themselves the time to not only pop the crowd by bringing back Austin, but [also to make] it memorable and the start of something big. Much like where the tease is more important than the strip in a striptease, when a wrestler returns or debuts, it is usually better to hype people up for the return.

You can do all types of things to shock or surprise people, but the shock is just one aspect. This is a biggie for debuts. For instance, when Brock Lesnar came out and destroyed a group of guys, it was a surprise. But then they had to (and did so very well, I should add) build him up. When John Cena got a near-win against Angle, and then a win against Jericho the WWE was in a tough spot. They had to either push Cena to the moon before he was a proven draw, or revert and de-push him. By choosing to de-push Cena, the WWE ended up with a guy not so over, and who had to get the stink of being a Jobber To the Stars off of him. But if you look at the slow burn build-up we got with Rey Mysterio, and now with O'Haire and Nathan Jones, these are characters who people believe they "know" and have interest in. Not only we will be surprised to see them in a ring, but we will be interested to see what these characters do.

Now the one surprise that works the best is a title change. It gives you a pop, and at the very least sets up a rematch for the next week or PPV where the title can go back to the guy who had it in the first place. But once again it's no so much the surprise that is important, but rather the follow up. See, when Jeff Hardy won the IC title from Triple H, it did very well. When Triple H got the title back, it didn't kill Hardy. What killed off the momentum Jeff had was that it was a 2 week program with nowhere believable to go. The title win was a surprise because Jeff Hardy was the underdog. It was a "How did he manage to beat Triple H?" thing and not a "Yes, he beat him" type thing. So yes a title change can work, but only if the follow-up is more than the obvious.

The last thing that can surprise fans is an angle. And here is where it gets tricky. See, the WWE has tried things like HLA and the Katie Vick angle only to receive a kick in the nuts from the critics. And here is really where the twist has to be believable, because if it is not, the shock goes to crap. As bad as the Katie Vick angle was, if it had been RVD being the cold-blue lover, the angle might have gotten over (RVD could use the excuse that he wasn't low... if you catch my drift). But the WWE took Kane, a character with a well-defined gimmick and history, and shot that down the toilet. On the flip side you have shocks that Steve Austin once brought to the table. The BANG 3:16, beer truck, zamboni 3:16, and the skit where he paged Rocky were all classic. Not only because they were different and were not expected but also because they fit the characters involved and progressed the story.

I'm all for being surprised, but only if it is well done and not just for shock value only. I admit the WWE does miss chances to logically surprise us, but if the follow up can't be as good as the surprise, then I'd rather they not surprise me.
— bigfatgoalie

Battling Metaphysical Robots
A coworker walked by the TV in the staff lounge and Stevie Richards (during his RTC days) was locking up with Road Dogg. I swear, she asked me, "Why is that Jehova's Witness beating up that Hare Krishna?"
— Dead Snoopy

Are they ruining the reputation of — Eric Bischoff?
Although he has not, as Vince would point out, turned Raw upside-down, Eric Bischoff has done a fine job with the character he portrays on TV. Despite the fears of certain internet pundits (ahem, CRZ, ahem), as the general manager of Raw, Sleazy-E has been a model of consistency and believability, even though his show itself has been very up and down in those categories. For all the anger and resentment hurled at Raw in the last year for its booking and writing practices, none of it can be blamed on Bischoff. He is after all only an actor.

In fact, the most positive thing I can think to say about Bischoff is this: while no one else will take blame for the huge errors in judgment made by the Raw creative team, Eric is the only guy willing to take the flack, even though they had nothing to do with him. As he is the GM of Raw, Bischoff has been the fall guy, absorbing all the ire of casual fans and the occasional shot from the talent. It was upon Bischoff, not a McMahon, that HBK took out his frustrations "as a wrestling fan." And just as Vince used the Montreal screwjob to create "Mr. McMahon," Eric has used Raw's worst moments to make himself a distinct face on a crowded roster. He plays the sleazy asshole very well.

Where Eric has been most instrumental, however, has been in adding to the legitimacy of the Brand split. First of all, his actual experience in running WCW lends credibility to his role as GM. It is much more realistic to have Bisch running Raw, than an ex-wrestler like Foley or Flair. The casual fan who knows of Bishoff's role in WCW is far more willing to buy his power and business savvy than that of a former hardcore legend or steroid burn-out. It also helps that he's not a McMahon. Not only are we thus spared the soapy family storylines of years past, we also buy his tension with Steph and Vince far more, as we know he's not flesh and blood.

Although this may prove to be far too soon to speculate, Vince would be wise to let old vendetta's be and keep Eric as Raw GM. However, if he does not, here's two things I would suggest he do with his former enemy:

1. Have Eric and Shane band together and bring about a second WCW invasion. The truth is, this would probably be a waste of time. As much as WCW deserves a better end than the failed Invasion, it may be better to let it stay dead. Both smart fans and casual fans would be very bitter and unwelcoming to a reincarnated WCW. For smart fans, the resentment of seeing the storyline of their dreams squandered and wasted the first time would be too tough to forgive. For casual fans, well, why should they care any more this time?

2. If he must go, have Bischoff manage either Goldberg, Steiner or Kevin Nash. He can, after all, be a very effective mouthpiece (see the nWo). It would be important that this client be a returning ex-WCW star, however. I say this because there are already two great managers on either show right now, and three would be too many. The only reason that a wrestler would logically align themselves with Eric instead of Flair or Heyman is because they have a history. Goldberg and Nash fit the bill perfectly. Bischoff could also be a face or a heel, depending what his relationship with Vince McMahon is at the time.

In the end, hopefully No Way Out will not be the end of the road for Eric Bischoff. Hopefully, it will be the start of even greater things for himself and his brand.
— Milky

Bischoff has been doing quite well with the role that he has been given, that of a heel authority figure. His problem is twofold. First, he is only a perceived authority figure, which makes whatever evil deeds that he may perpetrate lack the "sizzle" of his misdeeds when he was VP of WCW and an on-air personality. The second problem is that he has no true foil. The evil heel promoter thing only works if you have some kind of rebel, á la Steve Austin, who refuses to play ball and constantly ruins the evil leader's nefarious plans. Instead his acts seem to affect face and heel alike, and he is equally likely to get in the face of Bubba Dudley as he is to yell at HHH. That of course makes the problem worse when HHH completely disregards his authority, thus making him seem like a second-tier heel, which nullifies the effectiveness of being an evil heel promoter.

What they could do better is have Bischoff in some way align himself with the HHH/Flair contingent and provide the rebellious foil to make the angle work. This [rebel] may ultimately be one Steve Austin, who can pull it off but would be tired in doing so (since that is all he ever seems to do well as a face). Perhaps this would be the chance to elevate some of the Midcard-4-Life Posse that seems to dwell incessantly on Raw. Just a thought....
— markout

Keep Eric Bischoff in his current role, for the simple reason that he is, with the exception of Chris Jericho, the best heel on Raw. Having him in the GM role creates tension not only between Raw and Smackdown!, but between himself and Vince. That tension is a good thing; it's the stuff that feuds are made of, and it keeps us entertained.

Why bring in Shane? He apparently gets along well with Steph now, if her cell phone "conversation" with him on Smackdown! recently is any indication. What's the point of competing Raw and Smackdown! brands if both of their GMs get along? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Sure, Steph or Shane could play the heel role and continue the competition of the separate brands, but why rehash yet another stale McMahon family feud?

Bischoff thrown into the mix with Vince, Steph, and Shane is a hell of a lot more fun than just the McMahons. The former feud is more entertaining because we all know that its roots (WCW vs. WWF) are very real. It's more believable than the constant "I'm on your side/now I hate you" flip-flopping of allegiances among the McMahons.

Bringing Shane into the mix would be interesting, but I don't know how to do so without making him the GM (any criticisms that I make regarding WWE are along the lines of quality control rather than fantasy booking, something that I'm not very good at). The only suggestion I can come up with is to remove Chief Morley and give his role to Shane. That could make for some interesting television.

I say keep Sleazy E on television. We can't fault him for the quality of programming — that falls squarely on the shoulders of the creative team. Bischoff has played his role and played it well, and I hope he continues to do so.
— Alana

Uses for Nathan Jones (Besides Hardy Killer)
Since they are playing up his jail stint, they should make it so his character still has the jailhouse mentality. He can pay off refs, lead a stable; and, hell, why not give him a prag? He could steal Shannon Moore away from Matt Hardy.
— mallrat

Give Him the Book Already
Two things:
1. Eric Bischoff has done fine in his role, much better than Flair ever did (and as a lifelong Flair mark, I hate to say that).
2. Bisch could do so much better in his role if he were allowed to have some true control. Stay with me on this one....

The thing that made Bisch so great as a character in WCW was his believability. Now, call this a factor of the false brand split if you like, but we all know he's a puppet to HHH, Steph, Brian G and Vince. Who actually thinks Bisch sits in and crafts any of the stuff we see now? What I'd love — and what would really boost who Bisch is as a moving piston in Raw — is Bisch as the old Mr. McMahon. Not just in character, but as an integral piece of Raw.

As good as E has been, he always seems desperate. He always seems second. He never seems to be truly in control of his environment. Think back to the great, and hell, even the not-so-great WCW days.... Bisch was the man that held the ball. He never seemed like he was throwing a handful of crap at a wall to see what stuck. That was mostly Russo's role.

He needs an aura of control, to the point where we don't talk about HHH or Steph as booker, and no-one mentions Brian G as writer. Give E the helm, temper him with the "staff," but give him true control of the creative direction of Raw. Or if you don't like that, settle for a false idol. A shell. A guy who jobs well, but ultimately jobs. And settle for a Raw that never gets above a 4.5 rating because, ultimately, it is sub-par storytelling.
— Wooderson

This Week's Stats
Most Frequent Subject: Austin, Rumble, Steiner, Jericho.
Most Spammer-Like Poster: Too numerous to mention
Most Encouraging News: A moderator is added; OO gets some women posters, like Alana and *makena, who make a positive impact — although drunk postings from men about "cuddling" may be a problem in the future.
Most Discouraging News: Spammers view the addition of a moderator as some sort of challenge. Flashes of genius ensue.
Poster Most In Need of Banishing, an E-Mail Bomb or Repeated Kickings in the Ass: Too numerous to mention, but they probably all share one or two ISP addresses.

E-MAIL THE EDITOR
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RAW SATIRE: G-Rilla is Here!

NXT RECAP: Is This Really Necessary?

RAW RECAP: The Soul Crushing Finale

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Christian to the Rescue (Again)

RAW SATIRE: Miz's Addition by Subtraction Theatre

NXT RECAP: Johnny Curtis?!? Really?!?

RAW RECAP: Phoning it In

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Hasta la Vista, Vickie

RAW SATIRE: Scandal in the Tag Ranks

NXT RECAP: What the What?!?

RAW RECAP: Silence is Golden

OO: What I'll Remember About Chris Benoit

NEWS CENTRAL: All Updates About Benoit Tragedy