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Highspots Shoot Interview with Mike Awesome

This was filmed in 2003

It runs at one hour and twenty-nine minutes long.

The interview is filmed at his home in Tampa, FL after he wrestled at a local show. The interview started at 1am.



Awesome said he got started in wrestling through his cousin, Horace Hogan. Awesome himself is not related to Hulk Hogan but said that he and Horace decided to go through with training, although Awesome ended up training before him and at different schools.


He said that he was a fan of wrestling growing up in Tampa. His friend's dad would take them to the shows and cheer for the heels just to get the kids upset. He was a fan of Dusty Rhodes and Jack Brisco at the time.


He said he was hitting the gym hard for a year before he started to train as a wrestler. Someone came up to him with a number for Steve Keirn's wrestling school that he got off of the TV. At the time, Awesome was taking classes at a Junior College and working in construction. Awesome said both of his parents supported his decision to train as a wrestler.


Awesome said his training was "old school." His biggest memory was the first day of orientation. Awesome went into the ring and took a body slam as did a few others and the next day, half of the class did not show up. Awesome said that Keirn was slamming them hard too. Jimmy Del Ray also helped train them. Awesome said that only two people finished training when he started: Dennis Knight (Mideon) and himself. He also said that Al Greene came in a month afterwards and trained with them. He also trained for about a year until he had his first match.


When asked, Awesome said that Keirn did not smarten him up to the business at first. He said that Lou Perez was the one who finally did smarten him up.


He used the Mike Awesome name in his very first match. He started out wrestling in 1989 ding independents in Florida. In 1990, he went to USWA for three months and maxed out all of his credit cards as he made no money so he went home to go back to college while wrestling on the independents. He was wrestling for free as the guy would buy them beers instead and Awesome was the champ. At that time, an agent named Billy Mack was looking for a guy to go to Japan as Al Greene backed out as he signed with WCW, and Mack asked Awesome, who agreed to go.


Back to Memphis, Awesome said it was nuts. He said the fans were "hicks" and "toothless people" who would try to fight you.


Awesome talks about the culture shock he got when he went to Asia. At first, he toured in South Korea. He worked for FMW in Japan. Awesome said that the guys do not speak English but know the names of the holds. He also said that kayfabe was big over there and as a whole, the company was young.


He wrestled as J. The Gladiator in Japan. Awesome said that the fans cannot correctly pronounce the name but call him "Gradji" for short. Awesome says that he knows enough Japanese to get buy in Japan. He said that after staying there a few years, they warmed up to him as you have to earn respect over there at first.


When asked about Onita, Awesome says that he saved his wrestling career and if it wasn't for him, he'd be an accountant, which is what he was studying to be in college. He puts him over for putting the hardcore genre to the mainstream in Japan.


Awesome talks about once match he was in where the ring was floating in a pool and two sides were surrounded in barbed wire as the other two had water mines. He said the president of the company came through with a diagram of the ring and said that the bombs in the water could really hurt you bad and not to land on the bombs when tossed in the water. He also said there was a rescue swimmer who would take them back to shore when they got tossed into the water.


He then talks about how the traditional wrestling companies in Japan did not respect the FMW promotion at all, thinking it was indeed garbage wrestling. Awesome then notes how those companies have now used table spots and others in their matches.


On Hayabusa, Awesome said the other Japanese guys would torment him as he was just starting out. Awesome tells one story when the other guys stripped him down and put a bottle rocket near his ass and lit the wick.


Awesome talks about splitting a ball joint in his elbow while performing a tope in Japan. His rehab should have been close to a year but he rushed back in five months as the company wanted him back. Awesome said he never reinjured it though.


He met Sabu and the Sheik in Japan. Awesome talks about how the Sheik recently passed away then said how he was mean and rough back in the day but developed a friendship with him during the bus rides in FMW and said he was a nice man. They rode on the "Gaijin" bus with the rest of the Japanese heels as FMW was big on Kayfabe.


When asked about doing a tryout match for the WWF, Awesome said that he had a knee brace on because of a hurt knee and wrapped it up in tape as he did not want to get the job but also did not want to tank but by making it look like his knee was in bad shape it would shy the WWF away from signing him as he wanted to stay in Japan. He said that Jake Roberts told him to come back when his knee got fixed.


He talks about his brief time spent in ECW during 1993-1994. Sabu said that he should give it a shot and Awesome did not want to do it as he was home during his time off but Awesome said that Sabu is a great motivator and he decided to go to Philly. Awesome said that he was shocked at how easy the American fans were pleased.


Initially, Awesome said that Paul Heyman would talk you up like you were a million bucks. Overall he said that he is alright then adds how he doesn't like to talk bad about anyone.


Awesome talks about the spot of him hitting JT Smith with a tope that remained in the opening credits for years. He originally thought that he killed him at first the way his back bent over then lunged to the ground and asked if he was okay and he was then Awesome got up and yelled as the fans went nuts.


When asked about first meeting Masato Tanaka in Japan, Awesome said he was a young boy and got the shit kicked out of him on a regular basis but you could see just how talented he was. He puts over his toughness and how he would never complain, no matter how hard you would hit him.


He talks about the change in style when Onita was no longer in charge of FMW. He wasn't feeling obligated to be there as the office changed and the matches did too. He did say he was trying to topping himself by doing crazy moves. He said that he learned a lot of top rope stuff by watching Damien 666, who was on tour with them. Awesome said he wanted to pattern himself after that style when watching it at first.


Awesome said that Heyman offered him a job in the airport at Tokyo. He did not accept at first but Heyman told him that he had a job whenever he wanted. Heyman then brought over Masato Tanaka and Heyman wanted Awesome to put him over.


He said that he and Tanaka had a hard-hitting match that he never ended up getting paid for that. A year later, Awesome said that Heyman wanted him to sign a contract but Awesome refused unless he got paid for that PPV match against Tanaka and he still refused. Awesome said Heyman begged him to work for ECW and wound up hurting his knee, did a tour of FMW and broke his ankle then after two weeks worked for ECW and blew out his other knee taking a leg lariat over the top rope and told Balls Mahoney to roll him into the ring and pin him because he couldn't do anything. He sat home for a year then worked for All-Japan Pro Wrestling then came home as Heyman told him that he wanted to make Awesome his champion and to sign a five-year contract.


Awesome talks about the three-way match in which he became the ECW Champion. He said that only himself, Heyman, Tanaka, Taz, and the referee knew he was going over. Awesome talks about how Tanaka was being groomed for the spot. Speaking on the match, he said once they got the dead weight out of there(Taz) he and Tanaka tore it up. When asked about the technique of tricking the "smarks," Awesome laughed and said that he liked it but it shocked the locker room. He then said a month or so later, Justin Credible came up to him a little bit upset as Heyman promised him that he would be the next champion.


He is asked about his match against Spike Dudley at the "Guilty as Charged" PPV. Awesome says that Spike is a nut and that he put the match together but Spike came up and wanted Awesome to powerbomb through stacked tables.


Now, Awesome is asked about leaving ECW as Champion to sign with WCW. He said that he was not under contract at the time and while driving to the show, he was thinking how he has not been paid in a few weeks and left his job in Japan for this as he could barely make his mortgage payments. He called his cousin Horace, who told him that he was crazy for working without getting paid then turned around and went back home. He then spoke with Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff and signed a contract with WCW. Awesome spoke about how Heyman wanted to bring lawyers into it but at the end of the day, he was not under contract to ECW so he was within his legal rights to leave and sign elsewhere. Awesome then talks about how while it is cool to be the champion it doesnt mean everything as being able to provide for your family is number one. And when he was not getting paid, he was unable to provide so he left. He also said that other promises that were made to him never came to fruition.


On dropping the belt to Taz, Awesome said that he was not even allowed in the locker room and got a paper faxed to him by Heyman's attorney saying they had a hotel room for him (which they never did but Awesome did not want it anyway), and did not want him in the dressing room and they would lay the match out. Awesome says this was all conducted by the lawyers. Despite all of this, Awesome said the atmosphere was great with everyone chanting "You Sold Out" at him. He knew he was not selling out and just providing for his family but the only thing he did not like was that he wrestled Taz instead of someone like Rhino, who he trusted and could have a good match with. Awesome said if you watch the match, he put his hand up to protect himself.


His first night in WCW, there was an injunction and he was not even allowed to be in the arena. His lawyers hammered it out and he got to wrestle there after a few days.


Originally, the plan was for him to be used like he was in ECW. However, none of the top guys wanted to do the stuff that he did and names guys like DDP and Lex Luger and how they were only out there for themselves and not the company. He then said it all fell apart for him at Bash at the Beach 2000 when Hogan refused to lay down for Jeff Jarrett and fired Horace Hogan right off the bat and thought he was too close to Hogan and he became the "Fat Chick Thriller" which did not get over at all. Despite saying that wrestling is all just a work, he felt bad having to make fat jokes at the expense of the girl "Heidi."


The Fat Chick gimmick died when Russo one day approached Awesome backstage and noticed his hair and style and wanted to make him an 80's guy but instead became the 70's guy. He said it was lame but sometimes it was fun for him.


As a person, Awesome did not have a problem with Russo but was unhappy with the gimmicks he stuck him with.


On the WWE buying out WCW, Awesome said that he thought things were turning around for him in WCW as they paired him up with Lance Storm then they got bought out and were unsure of what was happening. e met with Jim Ross who told him that Heyman put him over and had no personal issues with him and he got hired by the WWE.


Awesome recalls the first day of the WCW guys being in the WWE locker room was intense. He said that if you did not play the politics, the WWE guys would bury you. Awesome said that he knew the atmosphere but the young guys did not know you were supposed to shake the Undertaker's hand and stuff like that so they all got heat on them for really nothing at all, which Awesome calls ridiculous. Awesome even recalls Booker T finishing his match and left the arena afterwards to get some food, which is what they all did in WCW, but the next day Booker got heat for not sticking around and shaking hands with Steve Austin.


Speaking about the politics in the WWE, Awesome said he knew right away when Heyman came up to shake his hand and was smiling and knew right away that Heyman was going to fuck him over. He also said that he did not fully realize how political the WWE actually was until he left the company.


He said that while Taz was a "total jerkoff" in ECW, but a humble guy in the WWE. Awesome says that you won't last in the WWE if you act the way that Taz did in ECW.


On winning the Hardcore Championship, Awesome said that it didnt matter as he kept jobbing at house shows and how he was booked like an afterthought until they found someone else.


When asked about working with Edge & Christian, Awesome said he had some ideas with them but they did not want to take his moves (powerbombs off of the ladder through a table), citing the fact that there jobs were safe as the reason.


Awesome blew his knee out while wrestling the Big Show when he got caught coming off of the top with  chokeslam. He said that he felt pressured to return early and did after six months, when it was a ten month recovery time, and he came back and was not ready then got cut shortly after that. Awesome said that he kept getting called by the WWE at home while he was recovering. On what reason they gave him for the release, Awesome said he did not get one but saw the writing on the wall. When Johnny Ace called him to tell him he was fired, Awesome told him that he was relieved. He said he would not have quit and is not the type to quit when things do not go your way.


When asked if he had any enemies in the WWE and if that was why he got let go, Awesome said that it could have been part of it and having Heyman in the office was not going to help but he was not wrestling his style of matches and he came back too quickly from injury, which he thinks was the main reasons.


He said he is happy to be back in Japan and his knees feel fine. He is going back in two weeks to tour All Japan for the third time. When asked if he had heard about the financial troubles of All Japan, Awesome said that the Great Muta wants to bring in his guys and its just a changing of the guard.


His biggest friend in wrestling is Sabu. He also is a friend with Shawn Stasiak, who he said is going to become a chiropractor and leave wrestling. He also said that Horace is trying to be a physical trainer.


They go back and ask him about the time he wrestled Vampiro in WCW when a fan dived on his back. Awesome said the guy dove and grabbed him but was able to shove him off and hit him only once but accidentally hit some of the security guards as they were dragging away the fan.


Awesome then tells a crazy story while in Japan. He said that the mafia will sit in the front and you are not supposed to go near them but Sabu was wrestling Tiger Jeet Singh and ended up fighting near the mafia guys and wound up fighting one of them. They almost had a riot as the mafia guys brawled with Sabu up to the dressing room and Awesome peeked out of the certain and saw Sabu getting hurt and ran out and hit a few guys. After things settled, they had to lock all of the Americans in the locker rooms for a few hours as they had to calm things over with the mafia, who wanted to kill them. Eventually, it all got taken care of and smoothed over.


He talks about Vampiro claiming he injured him in WCW and how that was a crock of shit and when he saw him backstage at a MLW show, Vampiro would not leave him alone and Awesome said he just wanted him to stop talking.


He talks about how he played a rib,as a rookie, on Mark Starr, who would constantly brag about how he was never ribbed and pulled a ton of them on others. One night, Starr passed out after a night of drinking so Awesome ran up to his room and got his clippers then shaved his eyebrows off and wrote on his face with markers.


Awesome closes by thanking the fans for their support.


Final Thoughts: Solid Interview. Awesome seemed like a really good guy too. He did not have an agenda but was willing to shoot straight and that is really all I want out of an interview.

It's a shame that Heyman bad-mouthed him the way he did when Awesome left the company. Awesome was completely justified in leaving for WCW and smart for not signing a contract with Heyman to begin with. Like he said, he left a job in Japan that provided for his family to work in America then was not being paid what he should have been. The fact that the ECW guys and the PWInsider.com guys blame Awesome for screwing over ECW is laughable.

Overall, I recommend this interview. Its also another example of how badly the ECW guys were getting fucked over by Heyman and a nice glimpse into the career of Awesome, who spent a lot more time in Japan than I realized.


The interview is available on Highspots.com for $9.99

http://www.highspots.com/p/14015.html

Comments

  1. So no shitting in a bag/hat/food story?

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  2. The goddamn handshakes again! Get over yourselves, WWE.


    As always, Awesome (pun intended) job, Bayless!

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  3. In Japan, they apparently prefer sticking bottle rockets up your ass

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  4. Awesome really is a guy that I feel nothing but sympathy for. He was a really talented guy who ends up remembered for only one thing.

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  5. Thrilling fatties?

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  6. Agree.


    Heyman and all the ECW guys made him out to look like an asshole for leaving. On top of that, Heyman tried to get sympathy for himself for Awesome leaving, when he was the reason he left.


    Heyman is an unbelievable shitbag of a person. That does not get said enough, IMO

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  7. Finally, someone with a little class.

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  8. With the new deal, I'm betting Night of Champions ends in some form of double-DQ or countout forcing a Hell in a Cell match.

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  9. I'm surprised that Brock wasn't signed to a pro-rated deal in the first place. Given the volatile nature of the booking, it would've made sense to pay him that way instead.

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  10. All you needed was to add that Brock was a "lazy f*ck"

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  11. I was for the split from beginning to end, and felt it was a mistake to end it.

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  12. Very possible. And you can see the Cell rematch for ONLY... $9.99!!!

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  13. LOL. I loved his reaction to that. You know how to get him going.

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  14. The more i read things like this, the more i dislike Paul Heyman. I always felt ECW was overrated anyway.

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  15. AFC:
    Broncos
    Colts
    Patriots
    Ravens
    Chiefs
    Texans

    NFC:
    Seahawks
    Cowboys
    Saints
    Lions
    Packers
    Panthers

    Superb Owl: Seahawks over Colts

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  16. AFC Division Winners: Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Broncos
    AFC Wild Card: Ravens, Chargers

    NFC Division Winners: Eagles, Packers, Saints, Seahawks
    NFC Wild Card: Cowboys, Bears

    Super Bowl: Steelers over Saints

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  17. Wow, he really didn't bash anyone that didn't completely deserve it. Lost a little respect for Heyman after reading this.

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  18. It gets more guys TV time and prevents overexposure of other guys. Plus, they can bring up some NXT guys immediately to help fill out each roster.

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  19. This is great booking I formulated. Cena wins the title back by using brass knuckles by blinding Lesner. Lesner then makes his comeback at #1 at the rumble and shows his dominance and challenges Cena at Wrestlemania. But Brock wants to feast on Cena early, so the management books the six pack challenge with Brick on the bubble. One guy gets eliminated and Brick is released from the bubble and destroys all the wrestlers and Cena runs away. He'll in the Cell at Mania 31 and Cena uses steel chairs and stuff, but in the end f5 - new champ. Brick is now a face, who is challenged by a heel Roman Reigns and his brother, Luther.

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  20. There's only one way Night of Champions is going to end. In disappointment.

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  21. Brick vs. Ceba! ONE NIGHT ONLY!

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  22. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:06 AM

    And on RAW Cena will show the world his mean streak by...DRINKING OUT OF THE MILK CARTON!!!

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  23. So Brock becomes a Bubble Boy? Maybe have him defeat Reigns in a game of Trivial Pursuit for a shot at the title?

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  24. Just like Danny Tanner!

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  25. The Dr. of Thuganomics drinks outta whatever he wants. WORD LIFE!

    *cut to close up of Cena holding up a WORD LIFE tiny towel.*

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  26. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:10 AM

    AA off the second rope like he used on Lashley?
    Dusty Rhodes using the Weaver lock?

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  27. Adam "Colorado" CurrySeptember 4, 2014 at 11:10 AM

    Another Buffaloinan? Nice.


    I think a #1 draft pick is more likely than 8-8. Oh, and they already traded that pick to the Browns.

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  28. Nope. The bubble isn't a real bubble. You see in a six pack challenge match using old fashioned tag rules, two men start in the ring - for men are on the turnbuckles -- but being six pack challenge means that Cena is taking on six guys - and there are only room for two in the ring and four on the ring posts, therefore Brock has to sit in the bubble until someone is pinned - so Brock can take a corner.

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  29. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:12 AM

    AND he drank milk that was one day after the recommended expiration date.

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  30. I thought it was hilarious that Danny had a day of the week where he cleaned his cleaning products.

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  31. Another prediction, the Cowboys defense will be even worse this season.

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  32. Me too


    Plus, everyone who wokred for everyone tells the lies Heyman told them and all of the lies are similar in structure too, leading me to believe that they are all just about true.

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  33. Yeah, 35 PPG allowed seems about right with that team

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  34. Adam "Colorado" CurrySeptember 4, 2014 at 11:14 AM

    AFC: Patriots, Ravens, Colts, Broncos, (WC:) Chargers, Bengals
    NFC: Cowboys, Packers, Saints, 49ers (WC): Seahaws, Eagles


    SB: SF over NE.

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  35. Hey smart phones are hard to use.

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  36. Nobody puts Brockie in a corner!

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  37. Well he agrees to it because he wins the match and f5's six guys and Cena runs away.

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  38. Another one was:
    Joey: Jess, it's finally happened... He's cleaning liquid soap...
    Danny: "Don't be crazy I'm just cleaning my rubber globes
    Joey: "Danny there's no shame in therapy. "

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  39. Please make sure to leave Dock and Meekin off of said schedule. Thanks in advance!

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  40. Also the Bella twin feud would work so much better if Nikki dyed her hair blonde and Brie changed her name to Cheese. And Mongo McMichaels was Nikki's manager.

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  41. Late-era Boy Meets World with fat-ish Topanga and Amazonian redhead. Not the best days for the show.

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  42. Just stop trying to make the forum happen. The forum is never going to happen.

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  43. Haven't watched enough to have an expert opinion but what I've seen has been okay-solid to sometimes great.

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  44. He's just a little jobbed out, he's still good, he's still good!

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  45. I mean seriously WWE writers - you can have that one for free. I won't tell you guys that this feud is really a plot for the Bella sisters to take over the WWE.

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  46. The last thing anyone needs is a review of Total Divas that takes longer to read than just watching Total Divas. And the last thing that needs is another 800 words from that persons boyfriend on how they feel about Total Divas. If you want to be a writer great. If your entire article is built around your boyfriends opinions. Keep that shit on his blog for no one to read.

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  47. Smart phones, stupid people.


    Modern society, ladies and gents!

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  48. *SPOILER*

    No one is good enough.

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  49. Fail for trying to leech off his great comment.

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  50. Is this a bad time to ask for an opportunity to contribute a weekly column?

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  51. HATE the later seasons. I really don't like any season after Mr. Turner was gone.
    The red head was insufferable and Shawn's sudden girlfriend and how they treated her like she was so important was awful too.

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  52. SHEIKY BABY!


    Please let the lessons involve Persian clubs.

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  53. In an ideal world, Panthers over Broncos in the SB. In the real world, Seahawks win LOL.

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  54. FWIW I skip more stuff than I read these days. I'll catch up on Raw/NXT/SD, Daily Update, Dock's Japanese stuff and Scott's Mailbag.

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  55. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:21 AM

    If anything Nikki should go full Miley Cyrus with her look in a desperate attempt to stop looking like her sister and get all the attenshunz.

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  56. I didn't like that they turned Eric from a kind of moron into a full fledged idiot.

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  57. If you want to get the belt off Brock without him actually losing, why not have him do something so heinous that even Triple H must strip him of the belt? Brock can win the match but have a Daniel Bryan appearance on the show, maybe as a special guest commentator for the main event. The show ends with Bryan, in a halo due to "neck surgery," stealing Brock's thunder by "yessing" the crowd. The next night Daniel, still in a halo, and Brie open the show with a promo. Brock and Heyman interrupt. Heyman can't control Brock, he grabs Bryan by the halo and tosses him out of the ring. Brie, being a Bella, slaps Brock. Heyman tries to intervene but is tossed aside and Brock grabs Brie, cut to a "we are experiencing technical difficulties" screen, cut back and Brie is out cold in the ring with the idea being Brock just F5ed her. Everybody rushes the ring, Cena tries to have another go at Brock and chaos ensues. The show ends with Hunter stripping Brock of the belt and suspending him indefinitely. Brock goes away for a few months and can come back for Mania to feud with Bryan, with or without involvement of the belt.

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  58. Brie and Nikki need to do this on Raw: http://youtu.be/vJhq9eq_eJg

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  59. Redhead Rachel was a babe.


    Also, we've had references to Saved by The Bell, Full House and Boy Meets World today. I'm gonna have to work in something from Family Matters by the end of the day.

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  60. Cena/Hogan/Henry/Swagger vs Rusev/Cesaro/Dallas/Sheamus in a Survivor Series match, perhaps?

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  61. ugh. no. Brock's a monster, and if done right, when he loses the belt it'll be to some major heat and could really make someone.


    Cena/Lesnar at WM following the Rocky storyline could be money. They could use Lesnar to put over someone else in a big way.


    Having him stripped of the title will just negate all the great work done to build him up, from Taker's streak ending to Cena being destroyed at Summerslam.

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  62. that would require WWE writers to plan things out.

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  63. I would enjoy a confirmation that CoolRapistBret is no longer invoked in BoD Raw and if he is, then I would like to be removed from it and have no involvement with anything that guy does. Thank you.

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  64. That wacky religious guy seriously ruined my whole day.

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  65. The Rollins story is hardly news, but as of right now he is arguably the top heel. That's discounting several authority figures and non-/rarely-active wrestlers, but that's about the best you can hope for nowadays.

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  66. I agree with you. But Jesus still loves you and died on the cross for you. Don't believe me - it is in the bible with is the breath of God - and because the bible says it is God breathed then it must be from God and God promises all eternal life if they give their hearts to Jesus.

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  67. Also how Eric and Cory were suddenly at the same year in college, when they were at least two years apart in age.

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  68. AFC: Division Winners: Patriots, Bengals, Colts, Broncos, Wildcards: Chiefs, Jets
    NFC: Division Winners: Eagles, Packers, Saints, 49ers, Wildcards: Seahawks, Lions


    Super Bowl: 49ers over Broncos

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  69. I like the curbstomp a lot, but it's a waste of his crazy cat-person reflexes to have him punch/kick most of the match.

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  70. They do plan things out. People just bitch about any long term storyline because it doesn't push the darling of the month.

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  71. By what means is Ambrose the most interesting?

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  72. Holy shit...Clearly I my 2 minutes of looking weren't in detail enough...

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  73. Botchamania: JEEEESUSSS!!!

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  74. That was the ECW fan mentality at work too.

    "Fuck your family, work in ECW for peanuts (or not even peanuts) because it's HARDCORE!"

    Every single ECW star that jumped to WCW or WWF probably made more money in two months than they were paid in an entire year in ECW.

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  75. You can say it, Rollins is a sexy, sexy man.

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  76. Nah, not an A A modification.

    A whole new move. Like Kenta when he bust out the BURNING HAMMER the first time.

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  77. 1- Eric needed an extra year to get accepted into college
    2- Eric is incredibly dumb, so it's believable that his schedule was a lot slower.

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  78. He has deleted his account thus no longer part of the show

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  79. I'm Catholic and this offended me.

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  80. That's what Jef does, what the fuck do you do?

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  81. Even TNA officials are adopting the "EVERYTHING IS FINE!" stance:

    http://rajah.com/node/43082

    TNA management has been telling wrestlers not to worry about the current TV negotiations and that TNA will still be on television next year.

    There is some concern amongst talent about TNA not scheduling any new live events, since many of them are on a per-event deal.

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  82. Yeah, she was the hottest thing to ever come out of TGIF. Jodie Sweetin would be right there had she not been doing meth by the gallon.

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  83. This would be as good a time as any for Cena to bust out a Piledriver. Old-school death move. Remember Punk's against Cena?

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  84. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:35 AM

    So...we should let it play out and see where it goes?

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  85. Great recap as ever BB.

    It saddens me that someone as talented - and, seemingly, decent - as Awesome got fucked over so royally so consistently. When he debuted in WCW, I remember being legitimately excited - and the first month or two of his tenure was actually pretty promising. He was an ideal hire, really, in that he gave The New Blood an edge it was sorely lacking; here was a huge, menacing guy who could believably run roughshod over established big guns, but was youngish and fresh. He was also a monster heel doing monster heel things, in a stable largely comprised of cruiserweights and career midcarders who weren't suitably experienced, over or credible to dominate those they were pitted against. His misuse was tragic, and the perfect counter to those dweebs who *still* defend Russo - anyone who thought the Fat Chick Thriller/That 70s Guy gimmicks could do anything but kill a guy's heat and killer reputation is not only a fucking idiot, but insane...

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  86. Good to know. Thanks for the info.

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  87. Don't you speak of Topanga with that tone.

    ReplyDelete
  88. I hate that towel more than I should hate any inanimate object.

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  89. It's the best route. Less stress!

    ReplyDelete
  90. If the math for carbon dating is even just 20% off, then the earth is as only as old as the Bible claims, not millions of years..

    (80% of 4.54 billion = 6,500)

    Wait...what...6,500 isn't 80% of four and a half billion

    ReplyDelete
  91. I like how they fill in the bonus time after Attitude Era RAW with PPV matches that the show was leading up to.

    ReplyDelete
  92. The Brock Rocker.


    It'd be the 2nd time Cena has had to name a move after Brock.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Funny how they actually had a "Topanga feels fat" episode. Interesting that they even acknowledged it.

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  94. HHH: Boy that Seth Rollins. Look at him. Great body, great hair, great wrestler, humongous nose. Kinda reminds me of myself when I was his age



    Vince: Indeed. And unlike you hopefully his spunk contains enough XY chromosomes that he doesn't end up with three daughters


    HHH: Dad...


    Vince: Three granddaughters, Paul! Three granddaughters! You're killing me heir.


    HHH: Great wordplay dad.

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  95. If this leads to Brock doing a Road Warrior no-sell, then turning Cena into an even bloodier mess, BUY!

    ReplyDelete
  96. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    But without complaining the internet geeks would get all explodey.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:42 AM

    So if Shane comes back to the fold does that mean Vince will Kill HHH and his family?

    ReplyDelete
  98. Can he play awesome in the regular season too? 'Cause I have him as my starting QB in my fantasy league.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Yeah I wonder what the feeling is from Vince since Shane went to do his own thing

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  100. They don't have enough guys for that anymore.

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  101. I think it would help, the problem is suggesting that the Friday Night show is on par with Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  102. That's probably being generous to ECW as far as yearly compensation goes.

    ReplyDelete
  103. I feel like upvoting this would be a bad move.

    ReplyDelete
  104. AFC:
    East: New England
    North: Baltimore
    South: Indy
    West: Denver
    Wild Cards: Cincy, Kansas City
    AFC Championship: Patriots over Broncos

    NFC:
    East: Philly
    North: Green Bay
    South: New Orleans
    West: Seattle
    Wild Cards: San Francisco, Arizona
    NFC Championship: Seahawks over Packers

    Super Bowl XLIX: Seahawks over Patriots

    ReplyDelete
  105. With additional scheduled dates, it sounds like they should change his name to Brock More-ner!? Am I correct?!

    ReplyDelete
  106. Does Shane have a son?

    ReplyDelete
  107. Rougeau was always great. Oulette pretty good too when he was given anything decent to do.

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  108. As do I.


    The team is already turning on the coaches, as did I last season. Marrone is an ancient thinking loser that can't speak well. EJ is not starting caliber. The defense lost 2 major parts, along with Pettine. I think it's going to be rough.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarSeptember 4, 2014 at 11:53 AM

    *throws tomato*

    ReplyDelete
  110. Yes, there was an opening to a Mania....16 maybe? With Vince, Shane, and Shane's newborn boy. Kind of a cool moment, then Shane left and now we have Steph and fuck everything.

    ReplyDelete
  111. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/vince-russo-questions-triple-h-170500884.html

    I.... absolutely agree with him.

    All i know is I went from "Must watch RAW no matter what" to "Do what I can to avoid flipping it on for a second and get frustrated by whatever I see"

    ReplyDelete
  112. *throws a second tomato*

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  113. "Then they do a six pack challenge match where it features Brock, Cena and five other guys"


    So...a seven-pack challenge?

    ReplyDelete
  114. Was that WM XX? I think it was the whole 'it all begins again' thing. I think the kid's called Declan, but I'm not sure.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Yeah maybe, I really have no recollection of which Mania it was, I just thought it was cool, I had huge hopes for the Shane era.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Can you imagine how sloppy that shit would look? Like him trying to do the huricanrana, he'll just look like he's botching it

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  117. I predict Washington at least wins three games

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  118. Hopefully it means HHH is in charge of some things but Shane get sole control of the direction of the company.
    Steph is worthless.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Just looked it up, he's got 3 sons which is perfect I guess

    ReplyDelete
  120. On the leaked RAW script: Needs more Bret Hart (with ponytail)

    ReplyDelete
  121. a little? well then you should check out candido's shoot, it's amazing with what that scumbag (heyman) gets away with in the eyes of a lot of people just because he's a great promo guy.

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  122. Maybe the fact that he was a nice guy is what held him back. So many top stars were assholes and that helped them make it to the main event.

    ReplyDelete
  123. ECW was Nirvana. Awesome in it's time, but not that great in retrospect.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Adam "Colorado" CurrySeptember 4, 2014 at 12:07 PM

    If either Manuel or Watkins are still healthy by week 4 I'll be shocked.

    ReplyDelete
  125. With just a little encouragement.

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  126. Someone needs to name their finisher "Undertaker Handshake".

    ReplyDelete
  127. I know! I remember seeing an interview with Shawn Michaels and how he rolls his eyes in annoyance at the handshake thing. Even Brock finds it stupid when he writes about it in his book.

    ReplyDelete
  128. It can end careers prematurely!!!

    ReplyDelete
  129. And if they don't execute their finisher properly, they must lay down for a month.

    ReplyDelete
  130. He should move in with his sister to do a Brady Bunch type reality show.

    ReplyDelete
  131. Exactly.


    He is a complete piece of shit and people fawn all over him yet bitch when someone like Hogan or HHH holds people back when in reality, Heyman held more people back by fucking them over on their pay.

    ReplyDelete
  132. At the time, ECW was great. Watching it back, it doesn't hold up very well.

    ReplyDelete
  133. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:12 PM

    I was looking at THIS:

    http://cdn.straightfromthea.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/lark-voorhies-2012-4.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  134. I get the impression that the smooth-talking, con-man character Paul Heyman plays to perfection on TV is not all that different than Paul Heyman the person.

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  135. Wrestling fans are marks. They're more concerned with Hogan/HHH holding people back from top spots on the card than withholding people's paychecks. They'd rather see a guy with a championship belt than a paycheck.

    Think about it: fans were angrier about Triple H "holding back" RVD in WWE in the early 2000s than they were about RVD breaking his ass for little pay in ECW because at least he was one of the top stars.

    ReplyDelete
  136. It really is so dumb. If I remember, it was something that the Warrior hated, too.

    ReplyDelete
  137. At that time, sure, but its been over a decade since ECW went out of business and when we learned of Heyman's antics.

    ReplyDelete
  138. Assuming no major injuries, I think the Pats make the Super Bowl. Denver may be better but their schedule is just brutal, and the Pats will get home field throughout the playoffs since the AFC East is a joke yet again.


    In the era of parity, I still think the Pats deserve a ton of credit for having double digit wins every single year...that's damn near impossible to do. But it shouldn't be ignored that the AFC East has been awful for most of this run.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Not in RVD's case. RVD sat out most of the last few months of ECW shows (except for a surprise appearance at Guilty As Charged 2000, the last PPV) because Heyman wouldn't pay him. It was one of the big signs that ECW wasn't long for this world.

    Besides that, plenty of wrestlers were pretty open about not being paid by Heyman (Awesome included, hence his jump to WCW).

    ReplyDelete
  140. One of the cool things about the live feed- which I don't watch very often, anyway- is the little clips they show from the vault to fill time to the top of the hour. You may see a clip from a DVD, or something like Flair being revealed as the consortium.

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  141. Great points. In fact, they may not have came out and said that, but they hinted at it.

    ReplyDelete
  142. I hated that they dropped Turner. I know- well, I assume- they wanted to focus on the kids, and Feeny was the students' moral compass as it were, but the early episodes showed there was room for Turner, too.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Only if the person who uses it is always shown wearing a suit in backstage vignettes as well as in his TitanTron video, which will of course depict him walking through various airports.

    ReplyDelete
  144. The lies he told his talent are all out there now and have been. We know the elaborate excuses he came up with.

    ReplyDelete
  145. Wasn't there a story from Meltzer a while back that basically said HHH had to pull Rollins aside and tell him he was about to blow his chance? If that's true, Hunter has probably seen Rollins's attitude improve (or whatever the issue was), and he wants to help him, now. That's actually pretty cool.

    ReplyDelete
  146. I don't go to all of them.

    ReplyDelete
  147. When Lax gets to #2, I'm still a man of my word.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Interesting how that happened, Shane has 3 sons, Steph has 2 daughters.

    ReplyDelete
  149. Oh I agree, we have many more facts now. That's indisputable.

    But RVD's lack of being paid by Heyman at the end of ECW was definitely common knowledge. In fact, they were probably angrier at RVD for not showing up than at Heyman for not paying him, because that's how marks think. And then they were even madder about RVD being "buried" by Hunter, though I'm sure RVD didn't mind being paid thousands of dollars to be "buried" over being given IOUs in ECW.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Unfortunately, I would have to agree with you

    ReplyDelete
  151. ....or perhaps it's the first day of the NFL season

    ReplyDelete
  152. Should be nice to clean sweat off with though.

    ReplyDelete
  153. What a heel Danny was!

    ReplyDelete
  154. Meltzer has been clinging on to the "Shield is getting punished" ever since last summer.

    ReplyDelete
  155. I'm still waiting for The Shield to be de-pushed.

    ReplyDelete
  156. Just learned that Summer Rae played for the Lingerie Football League in 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  157. Same, each show was in its own little world.

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  158. Which was a huge mistake.

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  159. Yeah, that would be fine as well.

    ReplyDelete
  160. It was a joke. Wash off that sandy tampon, it'll be okay.

    ReplyDelete
  161. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:43 PM

    A McMahon reality show has potential to be creepy.

    ReplyDelete
  162. Looked like a popsicle stick in underwear.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Lyle "Chip" ChippersonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:44 PM

    tsss tss thats a good one

    ReplyDelete
  164. I'm all for the backlash as well, leads to more entertaining crowds.

    ReplyDelete
  165. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:45 PM

    Three out of two falls!

    ReplyDelete
  166. I'd lick that popsicle.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Heyman admits as much.

    ReplyDelete
  168. We honestly should know better than to comment in the QOTD thread. If we keep commenting, they keep posting them. Regardless of how off pointless they are.

    ReplyDelete
  169. I'd lick the gargantuan nose right off that popsicle.

    ReplyDelete
  170. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:51 PM

    TGGI

    ReplyDelete
  171. I'd say yes, yes it is.

    ReplyDelete
  172. Yeah, I'm nit sure about the forums.

    ReplyDelete
  173. Denver d. Philadelphia. I think the new defensive holding rules are going to hurt Seattle and San Francisco...

    ReplyDelete
  174. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:53 PM

    Seems like a pretty popular QOTD to me

    ReplyDelete
  175. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:53 PM

    I worked out with a guy from Buffalo (who looked suspiciously like Thurman Thomas). He used to talk about how the Bills had the highest winning percentage in the 80's or something like that and the other cats used to clown him for the Super Bowl losses.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:53 PM

    You should!

    ReplyDelete
  177. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:53 PM

    ...ew.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Like Steph, Triple wake up in bed, but Vince is already up and shooting roids into his own butt.

    ReplyDelete
  179. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:54 PM

    It's hard to undo the Pick-Six machine known as Tony Romo.

    ReplyDelete
  180. And yet here we are......again.

    ReplyDelete
  181. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:55 PM

    What's the over/under on Eli keeping his job?

    ReplyDelete
  182. Yeah....perhaps that was too far.

    ReplyDelete
  183. That would be a hilarious court case.

    ReplyDelete
  184. Guess I'll never post my PWO reviews then.....

    ReplyDelete
  185. If Vince believes in his own blood...Shane's 3 can copulate with Steph's 3 and make some new McMahons.

    ReplyDelete
  186. Has he really been "clinging" to it, Vince? ;)


    And also, they did get depushed last summer after the series against Bryan/Kane/Orton was over, at least for a few months. Weren't even on the July PPV or Summerslam if I recall correctly.

    ReplyDelete

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