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BoD Daily Update

RAW Ratings Down

RAW dropped down from 3.97 million viewers last week to 3.82 million this week. Here are the hourly numbers:

8pm: 3.90 million
9pm: 3.95 million
10pm: 3.63 million

Credit F4WOnline.com



Grantland Article on TNA

http://grantland.com/features/tna-professional-wrestling-dixie-carter-jeff-jarrett-wwe/



Who Has Been Playing the Bunny on RAW?

Sami Zayn has been playing the bunny on RAW recently. However, it is not expected that he will be revealed as the bunny. There has been talk that Darren Young will in fact be revealed as the bunny.

Credit Wrestling Inc

Comments

  1. TJ: I think I'm done with Jim Cornett's podcast. I love listening to him talk about wrestling, but FFS, with the politics and religion. On last week's show, I finally stopped forwarding through at about 20 minutes b/c he was going on and on about the debate between Ken Hamm and Bill Nye, which he has gone on and on about previously. Jim, we get it...you hate religion and hate republicans.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Six months from now when Dixie Carter is running shows in TNA's rented office space and every match is her versus a stuffed animal: "THE COMPANY IS PROFITABLE."

    Then, the stuffed animal is released.

    ReplyDelete
  3. #BUNNYZAYN IS TRENDING, MAGGLE!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Russo: "I mean, they rate fake wrestling matches on a star system. The matches are fake! They are not real!”


    Oh, shit! People had better stop rating movies, then!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's Cornette with no time constraints. It's not like you didn't know what was in store for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There has been talk that Darren Young will in fact be revealed as the bunny.

    Then have Darren Young play the bunny!

    RAW dropped down from 3.97 million viewers last week to 3.82 million this week.

    Couldn't have happened to a better show.

    ReplyDelete
  7. He's talking about that debate now? Didn't that happen months ago?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Where do they rate movies on a star system?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Close to every newspaper and movie guide in history. More
    than use thumbs.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So the first two hours of RAW go up ... then down in hour three? Hmmm.


    It reminds me of what Daniel Bryan said once ... nobody in the locker room wants to go last, the position they all want to be on is at the end of hour two.

    ReplyDelete
  11. "Russo says he’s writing a book about his time with TNA. It’s titled Total Nonstop Agony."

    Oh, gooooood. Another me me me whine. This dozy cow Dixie.

    ReplyDelete
  12. All I know are Siskel and Ebert, and I ain't never saw no fancy stars outta them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Democrats should have Cornette cut promos for them.

    ReplyDelete
  14. If you say so. I am not much of a movie peson.

    ReplyDelete
  15. His Podcast is terrible.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Well... Some Dixie Carter solo performances in her offices COULD be profitable.... If... ya know...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Why use two thumbs when you can use 5 STARS?!


    "MINUS TWO THUMBS!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Darren Young is coming back... AND HE'S HOPPIN' MAD!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yeah, they get used fairly regularly in critics' circles. Although I'm beginning to see letter grades, of all frigging things, slowly becoming more prominent. Because apparently critics need a wider array of critical judgment, yet most are unable to specify the difference between a B and a B-.

    ReplyDelete
  20. That's so weird and ridiculous. You have Darren Young sitting backstage doing nothing, but you are thinking of ultimately having him play the bunny.....and yet you put Zayn in the suit. Huh?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Are you a music person? Television? Legitimate theatre? Hell, do you like ANY form of entertainment outside wrestling? What bout cars? Restaurants? Seriously.... HOW the HELL did you manage to get this far in life without seeing a star rating for anything?

    ReplyDelete
  22. WWE should be thankful they only lost as many viewers as they did. That episode of Raw was absolutely horrible.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Ebert used stars on his website, for christ sakes.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Go read any Ebert review on his website. They ALL have star ratings.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What's worse is, if the bunny head accidentally falls off, you're kind of pigeonholed into debuting Zayn that way, which is...I mean, fuck, that'd just be the worst possible way to debut him short of having him be the son of Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Darren Young has been out injured

    ReplyDelete
  27. Who do you think he is, the ShockMaster?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Paul Meekin would like a word with him.

    ReplyDelete
  29. He even emailed Meekin about it

    ReplyDelete
  30. The gimmick won't probably last long.


    HARE today, gone tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Any further breakdown on if the "Halftime Stunt" pulled off?

    ReplyDelete
  32. That explains why the bunny is more charismatic than Adam Rose.

    ReplyDelete
  33. That whole exchange reminded me of one of my favorite moments from The Larry Sanders Show when Hank is consoling Bruno Kirby who just got bumped from the show:


    Hank: "It's okay. Everyone gets bumped."
    Kirby: "It's disrespectful. I'm a professional actor. I was in the Godfather."
    Hank: "You weren't in the Godfather."
    Kirby: "I was in Godfather 2!"
    Hank: "Oh. I don't know. I only saw Godfather 3."

    ReplyDelete
  34. http://kevinsullivanbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/sm.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  35. Well, there is precedent.

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  36. The bunny actually seems to have more of a character than Rose.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Okay, that makes a little more sense.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Geeze, lots of pent up agression by several people here. YOU DO NOT DISRESPECT THE STAR RATINGZ!! MIGHT AS WELL SLAP THEIR MOMMA!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I think he's just asking how he's gone through life not seeing star ratings used.

    ReplyDelete
  40. It's not aggression. It's providing information and clarity.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Ahhh I didn't know that.


    Well, here's hoping he recovers soon.


    That said, on the subject of Young, I do go back-and-forth on whether WWE was wrong not to try and capitalize on all the press they got when Young came out. On the one hand, he could be used as a positive example as (correct me if I'm wrong) wrestling's first gay babyface. On the other hand, many would probably condemn it as exploitative -- and knowing how "creative" writes things (or doesn't), it probably would have been.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hey now, let's play it by ear.

    ReplyDelete
  43. If they don't use stars they use a letter grade, which translates to a scale of 0-12 or (F to A+). Star ratings for movies run zero to 5 stars, usually with half star increments, for a scale of 0-10. It's either the preference of the reviewer or the preferred format of their publication, but in any event they are not only common but pretty much the standard. The same goes for TV shows, music, books, video games...

    Russo's comments on star ratings was the most ignorant thing I've ever seen or heard from him.

    ReplyDelete
  44. It got PTP on TV once, I think... and they got the biggest reaction they've ever had. Nothing huge, but good for them... and then nothing.


    They should have just been babyfaces after that... and not acknowledge coming out.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Yeah, and he's been talking about it for a while off and on.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Just ignore VJ. He gets off on his misunderstanding of normal human communication.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Yep, they totally did the right thing by doing nothing. I hear so much complaining about WWE patting themselves on the back and hyping themselves as awesome, there would have just been more of that kind of backlash. Glad they didn't acklowledge it at all, that's how it should be.

    ReplyDelete
  48. The Love-Matic Grampa!September 17, 2014 at 9:34 AM

    Rabbit puns? Man, that really bugs me.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Some people just aren't very good at being right... then they try and cover... which makes things more wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Well, there's the "For christ sakes", and there's the "HOW the HELL". Just seems a bit extreme. Plus the non stop protests about Tommy Hall's WCW recaps using letter grades. Just seems like a touchy subject for lots.

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  51. This is a fair point and it's been tolerable for me up until recently.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I was about to say it jumped the shark, but you saved it for 1 more post, good job. NOW it will jump the shark. Let's quite while ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Do you listen to Talk'n Shop?

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  54. Well, I know there are folks that are glad you're here to defend them. You are a regular savior of the defenseless.

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  55. Not even sure where you're going with this. Anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  56. You're mistaking befuddlement for aggression.

    By the way, thank you for your continual reminders about how you're better at reacting to things than anyone else here. It truly is an essential service. God bless you, sir. The comment section of the Blog of Doom is greater for your being here.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Aaaaaaand this was my official "giving up on WCW" moment. I had been growing increasingly irritated/bored with WCW's direction since the fallout from Starrcade 97. Being a total Sting mark, I loved the title win here, and was just pissed that it went back to DDP, the ONE guy in the company I didn't want as champion. It was a total kick in the balls from a company that had no real direction.

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  58. *passive agreessive alert! Passive agressive alert!!*

    ReplyDelete
  59. That DDP vs Sting match I still remember watching live at the time and thought it was awesome. It's on the 1st best of NITRO Set and Its Worth Checking out

    ReplyDelete
  60. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 17, 2014 at 9:43 AM

    Only if it ends with the other Knockouts showing up for a meeting that Dixie totally forgot about.

    ReplyDelete
  61. And they can order a pizza, but have no money to pay for it... And hell, with TNA's current financial state, that could TOTALLY happen... BOOK IT!

    ReplyDelete
  62. I make up to $90 an hour working from my home. My story is that I quit working at Walmart

    work online and with a little effort I easily bring in around $40h to $86h… Someone was good to me by sharing this link with me, so now i am hoping i could help someone else out there by sharing this link...,,

    Try it, you won't regret it!..GOOGLEHOTJOBS/2014/4/21......,,,..

    ReplyDelete
  63. Wow great use of zayn Vince *slow clap*

    ReplyDelete
  64. I.......DONT........CARE

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  65. How is this different than Cm Punk being one of Cena's "Gangsters" at WM 22? Relax.

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  66. I continue to marvel at your powers of perception! Truly there is a better outlet for your gifts.

    Perhaps on Sundays, in lieu of church, Scott should grant you a morning column where we all can find guidance in your words, misspelled as they may be. I foresee centuries of debate over the proper spelling of "Agressive" or "Agreesive," though I am thankful to have witnessed the precise moment when we stopped spelling it as "Aggressive."

    Though, I don't feel Sundays is quite enough. I submit that you should found and become the principal volunteer at a BoD Community Centre. Outside of a nightly outreach program, you could really heat things up on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6PM with a Tex Mex cooking class. Blessed be your burritos. We shall fart the stench of purity!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Zayn is a blue chip prospect rotting away in nxt. Put someother bum under the bunny suit. Its offensive to me as a fan of his

    ReplyDelete
  68. Amaze-balls, sir. Amaze-balls.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 17, 2014 at 9:53 AM

    So when do they start ripping off old Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd Skits?

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  70. You just sound like a whiny emo teen who's just saying "pfff... you're no better than me"... Anyway. Relax.

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  71. He's just filling a costume, temporarily. Jeez.

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  72. So they might be bailing on the network, they bailed on building to ppv, and they were telling people to watch football but switch back over at half time? Yikes

    ReplyDelete
  73. But HOW do I relax?! I NEED VINCE JORDAN'S GUIDANCE! HELP ME, OH VINCE!

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  74. Yeah, Lance Storm mentioned his hatred of that on Twitter. Something like "So you're encouraging me to switch channels, so i can know for sure when Half time is? "

    ReplyDelete
  75. The WWE has had a horrible 2014.

    I really don't know how anyone could defend them as being successful this year

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  76. Just stop. For your own good, I beg you to stop. This is making you look extremely bad.

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  77. Not this is breaking any newZ but Russo is an idiot. The fact that a match is choreographed is all the more reason to rate it. I would find someone rating real fights to be stranger.

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  78. It's the best the product has ever been

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  79. Thing is, it's impossible to compare to other years due to the Network. I do wonder how the numbers would have compared, had they not changed business models. Like WM's official buyrate for example.

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  80. Probably would have done 1.5 million buys. Then the other ppvs woukd average about 500k

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  81. NO! VINCE HATH FORSAKEN ME! HOW SHALT I BE PERCEIVED IN THE EYES OF HIS FOLLOWERS?! I WILL RUE THIS DAY THAT I LOST THE FAVOUR OF VINCE JORDAN AND HIS MANY DISCIPLES!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Quarter stars or gtfo

    ReplyDelete
  83. Can someone tell me why this whole series isn't on Netflix or hbogo

    ReplyDelete
  84. Ice skating, gymnastics, and even boxing all use ratings based on their performance and nobody seems to have problems with that. So do movies, restaurants, everything sold on Amazon... anything can be measured on its quality.

    Like I can give Russo MINUS FIVE STARS for writing ability.

    ReplyDelete
  85. They should give CJ Parker that role as Ricky "The Recycle Bin" Droese

    ReplyDelete
  86. Be careful. The anti smark crowd runs deep

    ReplyDelete
  87. I bought the entire thing on DVD for a ridiculously cheap amount a few years ago. Soooooooooooo good.

    ReplyDelete
  88. So had the nWo Wolfpack completely disbanded at this point? Or were they still sorta acknowledging its existence?

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  89. That could be the dumbest thing he's ever said

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  90. Bailing on the Network? Says who?

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  91. There was some report last week that hinted at it because of their plans to sell the tape library, its only hearsay at this point.

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  92. Next week's rating should be up because its post-NOC, but I always say that a rating from week to week should be evaluated based on the quality of the previous show.

    ReplyDelete
  93. you think being a homosexual is a disease you have to rehab from? It's 2014 man, time to open your mind a little.

    ReplyDelete
  94. I saw it first run for the most part and watched it all twice on Netflix. I've only seen the first season on DVD for sale. Goddamnit I want the full Larry Sanders show library. I'd put it right there with senfield and curb

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  95. But those 3 sports have more fixed outcomes than Pro Wrestling has. AMIRITE!!! *rimshot*

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  96. Bunny rhymes with Funny!!!!


    #ISEEWHATYOUDIDTHERE!

    ReplyDelete
  97. Still gobsmacked over the Russo comments--and it's been a full day since I read the article!

    I've never really read Russo's Bio to see how he got into the business. Something about being a video store clerk, the WWF magazine, etc. I'm just amazed that he got as far as he did, having such disdain for the business itself.

    I can understand a current fan, or one from the last 20 years, for whom wrestling is primarily a TV product. I of course found wrestling at a time when--even as a youngster I understood--the TV show was a tool to entice you to attend local live events. It's probably why I felt such a disconnect with WCW when Turner bought it, because over time they no longer felt like a wrestling promotion, rather a TV show about wrestling.

    What about Vince Russo? Getting into the business when he did, he had to have developed his attraction to it in the late 80's, right? Was it really just fast forwarding through Coliseum home videos, jerking off to Miss Elizabeth or something?

    I really really really hope everyone sees by now that the man should never be let anywhere near the business again.

    ReplyDelete
  98. I do wonder how much the Cena/Brock SummerSlam match would have done though. They did a great job hyping it as a big fight, would have surely done more than the 200K disappointment of 2013.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:05 AM

    Well, definitely boxing and gymnastics!

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  100. Maybe when you're gay you hit a rehab every few months to get your ass less stretched out?

    ReplyDelete
  101. They should reveal that Vince McMahon has been in the bunny suit.

    "IT WAS ME! IT WAS ME ALLLLLL ALONG!!!"

    ReplyDelete
  102. Just ask canadiens Jamie Sale and David Pelletier how legit it is! Damn 2002 russian judges!

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  103. My local newspaper has a guy that does letter grades. That tells me nothing.

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  104. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    But selling the tape library was a misinterpretation of what was happening, too. They were switching distributors to Warner Bros, not selling off their best asset.

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  105. It's up there, but almost everything he says these days is stupid so it's had to rate what's the dumbest.

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  106. So deep, so deep, put her ass to sleep.

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  107. Let's not let facts get in the way of our cries that the sky is falling!

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  108. Gangster CM Punk ruled

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  109. Russo somehow went from a writer in the WWF to become insane and a mark for himself.

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  110. Has Lance Storm ever liked anything ever in his life? He seems like such a miserable person

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  111. Well he does like to be serious for the occasional minute.

    ReplyDelete
  112. They're not selling the tape library, only considering changing distributors. WWE has invested millions in the tape library and it has made them a ton of dough. It isn't going anywhere.

    The WWE *can't* get rid of the Network. PPV is a dying model and has been for the past 10 years.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:08 AM

    It used to be on Netflix, I watched the whole series there a couple of years ago while I was unemployed. No idea why they took it off, though.


    Netflix doesn't seem to have a very good relationship with shows that were on HBO.

    ReplyDelete
  114. I'm guessing no one thinks that except for you.

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  115. *throws giant, steroid injected tomato*.


    (and yes, simpsons)

    ReplyDelete
  116. He likes CALGARY.......


    .....


    ......


    ALBERTA, CANADA.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:10 AM

    ...or if he was healthy, Ric Flair.

    ReplyDelete
  118. damn you, i laughed. but you suck and all.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:10 AM

    Sorry, it's my stock in trade.

    ReplyDelete
  120. I remember my parents being so proud when I got 5 stars in Math on my report card!

    ReplyDelete
  121. Ay caramba! Don't have a cow man! If you have a problem with it you can eat my shorts!

    ReplyDelete
  122. I just shake my head when Russo says this in every shoot. And that people have hired him for 2 decades.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:12 AM

    Adding Ric Flair to Adam Rose's party posse might be the greatest idea that will never come to fruition. The old guy bopping along with a drink in his hand while everyone else ignores him would be comedy GOLD, MAGGLE!

    ReplyDelete
  124. They should have it be Adam Rose to really fuck with the fans

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  125. PPV is still a perfectly viable business model. What's "dying"/struggling are the businesses that put their shit on PPV.

    Funny how around Wrestlemania time or when the UFC puts on a mega-card, there's no talk of PPV dying. When Battleground shits the bed or when UFC 171 falls apart and the main event becomes a two-fight champion vs. a debuting challenger, THEN we hear "PPV is dying, the network is the way of the future, etc."

    Bullshit. Put on a product people will pay to see and people will pay to see that product. Simple as that.

    ReplyDelete
  126. I've always said that Flair would be perfect in that crew, as his entire adult life has indeed been "PARTY TIME, ALL THE TIME".

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  127. That's like a Vince Russo booked angle.

    ReplyDelete
  128. I think it's more of the fact that WWE is conditioning their audience that each individual PPV is worth $9.99. So I doubt anyone would go back to the full price. WWE has made sure of that. There's no going back for them.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Having Flair "woo!" a ton during the entrance and such would redeem elements of the gimmick.

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  130. Sting/Page had another great match on Nitro almost exactly a year earlier, one of few defenses Sting actually made of his post-Hogan title reign. I think it actually had the same finish too, where Sting blocks the Cutter and turns it into a SDD.

    ReplyDelete
  131. That would still make more sense than the AJ/Paige feud

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  132. Exactly. Battleground was an insanely bad ppv. Same with the last ufc show Dana broke down about. What's broken is the creative process of the wwe and the ufc is just overreaching and having awful luck (with a thin roster)

    ReplyDelete
  133. Cornette's podcast has always been so disappointing. He just rambles about mundane stuff, politics like you say, and tries to sell shit and his appearances for most of the show.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I think someone, thankfully, had the foresight to realize that there was no way the WWE could tackle "gay wrestler" without it, eventually, becoming ABSURDLY offensive, so they just left it alone.

    ReplyDelete
  135. I'm sure WWE will just blame the fans for the rating and how we don't appreciate their stories. Nevermind the awful product or their blatant insistence for fans not to tune back in until the MNF game was at halftime.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Wwe fuckes them selves by putting on awful ppvs for years and years.

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  137. Yeah, but if the surprise is that it's a black guy, sticking a pale, lanky white dude in there will throw everyone off the scent!

    ReplyDelete
  138. I think they're pretty much back to their hardcore fanbase, right? For me, I just cared about Brock and Chael, and both are gone, plus on top of that, Silva and GSP are gone for at least a while too. And I just don't care that much about Jones, he's dominant, and he beats everyone? Ok then. No need to buy the next fight, he'll just win.

    ReplyDelete
  139. To be fair, only ONE person has hired him in the last decade.


    It is pretty amazing that Dixie basically hired the worst people possible to book TNA, given that otherwise she appears to be a bright, hard-working woman who loves the business. I don't watch TNA much- I just don't have the time- but it does appear that she came off well in that article.


    I'm also still amazed at how badly Bully Ray botched that move. How did he protect Mae Young and not Dixie? Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  140. You're a bit off here -- Russo got involved in wrestling because he LOVED wrestling. He still claims he LOVES wrestling. He was a big WWF fan ever before he worked for them. So much so that he's sort of like us in the sense where he became increasingly intrigued by the backstage shennigans than the in-ring product and became a failed dirtsheet writer before he even started.

    But for whatever reason, Russo is the rare wrestling fan that doesn't seem to actually care about what most wrestling fans care about, the in-ring product. He thinks that wacky skits, plot twists, "shoots", and all that crap are more important to the story. As seen in his comments in the Grantland article, he actually seems to disdain people who enjoy wrestling because of, you know, wrestling.

    It really is mind-boggling how someone could claim to be such a big fan of pro wrestling (or claim to be) and not care about what the central premise of the entire show. Hence why he doesn't like Mexican or Japanese wrestlers because they "can't tell a story."

    ReplyDelete
  141. Well, yeah. The WWE's in a unique position of their own creation. I was just rebutting Vince's favorite defensive talking point presented as fact.

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  142. A little perspective on WCW 1999: I was at this show, the crowd was big and the fans were jacked, it seemed like the real deal and the DDP-Sting match was great...WCW came back in October I believe with Thunder....the product had obviously deteriorated and there were maybe 3,000 fans at best compared to the 11,500 for this show. Before the October Thunder went on air, David Penzer said something like "for you fans up high, if you want to be on TV, why don't you move down to such and such section"

    ReplyDelete
  143. CruelConnectionNumber2September 17, 2014 at 10:19 AM

    R.I.P. WCW Cruiserweight Division. IMO, Rey winning the title here is the official death of the WCW Cruiserweight Title. It will never be worthwhile again. He barely defends it, it gets passed to LENNY LANE in late August or so. Vacated, passed around to joke comedy cruiserweights, Oklahoma, Madusa, Disco, and dies.

    ReplyDelete
  144. Or....hear me out on this....


    The Bunny is the Gobbledy Gooker?


    Heh?! Heh?!

    ReplyDelete
  145. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:21 AM

    No no no, the bunny was driving the Hummer. Probably while getting one. Creepy bastard.

    ReplyDelete
  146. CruelConnectionNumber2September 17, 2014 at 10:23 AM

    Ah, they were already running test shows for TNA.

    ReplyDelete
  147. "How like life, they fucked up, I give it to them." - Robin Williams.

    ReplyDelete
  148. The Bunny was behind GTV?!?!!


    Gold!

    ReplyDelete
  149. Except that the PPV business is dying. An increasing amount of people illegally stream PPV events, and that number isn't going to get any smaller. 10 years ago it wasn't common knowledge, now anybody who knows how to work Google can find a PPV livestream in minutes. Look at what happened to the music business once people found out there was much cheaper ways to get their music. It still is in the toilet and swirling the bowl lower and lower every year.

    Obviously WrestleMania/Royal Rumble/SummerSlam, UFC Mega-cards, and Boxing mega-cards still draw buys because they're huge events that only happen a few times a year. But the PPV model can no longer support 12 wrestling PPVs a year because it's impossible for the WWE of today to put on 12 can't-miss shows on a year.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:26 AM

    Does anyone have a year-by-year breakdown of how many overall PPV buys WWE records in a given year, dating back to when they started the monthly shows? Hell, even before.


    That would be a fairly interesting graph, to me, anyway...

    ReplyDelete
  151. WrestleMania's the last few years made a killing on PPV

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  152. Didn't Vince almost hire him in the early 2000s before backing out when either Russo wanted full control/the rest of the writing staff revolted or something?


    If the HHH article was any indication, Grantland makes sure its wrestling subjects come off well in its articles. She also appears to be loyal and stubborn (not uncommon), such that, if you're her guy/gal, you're her guy/gal for life. It may be apocryphal, but during one stretch of "fire Russo!" chants a few years back, it just made her more determined to keep him.

    ReplyDelete
  153. Something about people being smark and the IWC being dumb

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  154. I have always been shocked at how there was still a base of 100k to 150k people who bought every single WWE PPV, regardless of quality. Must be lots of rich people out there.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:28 AM

    Cool, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  156. 1998/1999 was insane for the WWF. their B PPVs still got huge buyrates, plus they were selling out nearly every house show CHA-CHING!!!

    ReplyDelete
  157. Its weird to say this, but TNA started going down hill when they got rid of Jeff Jarrett.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:29 AM

    Ugh, that's going to require me to do math... not really what I was looking for.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Nonetheless, we should try and rate them. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Hell, 90,000 people bought ECW December to Dismember.

    ReplyDelete
  161. I think he was hired as an advisor around 2002, and I remember his big idea being a big faction almost entirely comprised of non wrestlers. Just a bunch of big names that couldn't work a match anymore. Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  162. You never heard the phrase "four star review"?

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  163. Precisely. Plus about 100K ordered Battleground, right? Even the markiest of marks should have seen a mile away that nothing would be settled, with the Hell in a Cell PPV coming up like 3 weeks later. They still bought it though.

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  164. I've seen one clip of that entire series, and it was Jim Carrey cursing at Gary Shandling's character while they're off the air.

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  165. There's us (the viewers) all *knowing* they're going to do an angle at halftime, and by gawd coming right out and saying it!

    Vince is killing the business. He doesn't see it--it's in the tiniest increments, death of a thousand cuts--but I tell you WWE's current mindset is killing the business. They had to try the Network because PPV was rapidly dying off. But a big part of WWE PPV dying are these damn 3 hour RAWs. So fine--shift the revenue stream. Now though you're slowly eroding the fanbase due to poor quality TV. Why poor quality? Because they don't have the writing ability to construct a compelling 3 hour show every week. Worse than that, they now have pretty much given up on hour 3, accepting that the ratings drop still gives USA a decent return on its investment. Now they pull this halftime stunt, and the ratings reflect a viewer base that is learning to not even bother to watch the entire show. Watch the beginning, come back for the top of hour 2, skip hour 3 entirely. And the fans will learn that. And that the best RAW to watch is the one the night after the PPV. And that really the only one worth watching is the one the night after WrestleMania. And each week, month, year we see fewer and fewer wrestling fans even watching because they no longer connect to the product. Ratings will drop, USA will pay less, WWE stock will drop, WWE will cut costs, product quality will suffer, turning away even more viewers... it's a slow death spiral, and WWE's only plan to avoid it seems to be to find that next Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Rock or John Cena.

    Ask Dixie Carter how well that's worked out...

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  166. So we have a Dougie gimmick account now

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  167. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:34 AM

    You should definitely check out more. Just a fantastic deconstruction of late night in the early-90s, with a great cast.

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  168. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:34 AM

    What is the best Cornette podcast? Don't really wanna listen to all of them, especially if, as a lot of people are saying, they aren't that great.

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  169. Considering there are at least 10 bars in the smallest of towns, I'm sure a good percentage of the 100k orders have to be bars or get togethers that order the PPV no matter which one it is.

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  170. Sting and DDP had another VERY good, yet forgotten, match on the 3/23/98 edition of Nitro (as mentioned by Buster Abbott) and it was just as good, if not better, than the match from this night.

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  171. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:36 AM

    This Blog is getting WAY too meta for its own good.

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  172. It's weird to say this, but schlim schlam vamoose caboose.

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  173. And even in 2006, that base number was closer to 225k-275k for B-shows.

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  174. This seems to be the person behind the Cultstatus and Farva fake accounts

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  175. Instead of letting Zayn wrestle on RAW they put him in a bunny suit. He's been in NXT for over a year now. Call him up already!

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  176. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:39 AM

    That's not much of a surprise, I guess.

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  177. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:39 AM

    He's going to be working Raws for a bit, isn't he? Now's the chance for him to grab the brass ring.

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  178. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:39 AM

    Going for a job interview in a few hours for a government traineeship, dream scenario is that it's actually like Parks and Rec.

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  179. Can't say I've ever seen star ratings for a boxing match. In a legit fight, it's either a good fight, or it isn't. There isn't much of an in between.

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  180. The problem with that is that he is going to be working the RAWs under the NXT banner.

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  181. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:41 AM

    So what? He's still at the Raw show, in front of Raw's live event and television audience. The color of the TitanTron doesn't change where he is.

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  182. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:42 AM

    Someone should start rating Russo's rants on a negative star system/

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  183. But he'll only be working NXT guys and has just begun a feud in NXT against Neville which means he'll be in NXT for even longer. I think it would be cool if every PPV had an NXT title defense or NXT match, though.

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  184. That's when you know you've arrived.

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  185. I didn't mean star ratings, I meant that there are judges at ringside evaluating the boxers' performance in the event it has to go to scorecards. It's not rating on the overall quality of the matchup, but it's still rating the competitors' performances.

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  186. I'm actually with Jordan on this one (for once), who cares if Zayn was in a bunny suit? He won't be revealed as the bunny on TV. He was around during tapings the last couple weeks, so he got paid. He'll eventually be called up, and only THEN will he be truly ruined, you guys.


    Truly ruined.


    Seriously. Stay in the bunny suit as long as you can, Sami.

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  187. Yeah, but even then it's just... one guy was better than the other so he gets a 10... he's not graded on performance. He could be shit, just better than the other guy and get a 10 for the round.

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  188. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:45 AM

    The exposure to a larger audience is what matters, and a feud with a guy like Neville, possibly getting some air time on USA Monday nights, should do wonders for both of them.


    I don't think the weight of the opportunity they have is lessened by the banners on the Tron.

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  189. Not really that weird. He at least understood wrestling, even if his interpretation was a bit sloppy ("Of course fans wants to see me as champ again!") Dixie Carter doesn't understand wrestling.

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  190. I think there's actually a 4,5 hour long one on youtube. Pretty much covers everything in history. I actually did listen to it all as background noise.

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  191. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:45 AM

    He'll be fine as long as he doesn't win the IC Title.

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