So many have asked... where is Tito?!?!? I've been somewhat busy lately, working on my Master's thesis paper, working, and I was out of town on Tuesday. Plus, to make matters worse, I went over to a backyard event viewing of the recent WVW event I attended and had a great time and many laughs with those wrestlers. I casually watched RAW, catching bits and pieces of the show, while watching all of the main event between Triple H and Rob Van Dam.

Lots of things are happening out there in the wrestling world, and I'll go topic by topic, organizing it neatly for y'all to enjoy!

Hogan and Roddy Piper GONE from the WWE

Am I crying? No. Does their exodus from the WWE hurt the federation as a whole? No. But the terms of their release are rather strange. With Roddy Piper, I feel it's more of setting an example from his HBO interview for the show "Real Sports". I watched the show last Tuesday, and I didn't find anything shocking about what he said. It sounded to me like he was describing his life in pro wrestling BEFORE he entered the WWE, given that he put up with bastard promoters. Not saying Vince McMahon is a saint at all, but Vince kept bringing Roddy back, even if it was for totally goofy things, such as the Wrestlemania 12 match against Goldust. I'm wondering WHEN that segment with Piper talking was filmed, but that doesn't mean much when Vince McMahon, himself, condoned doing an interview with himself for that show (which me made a total fool out of himself, as usual). Piper did nothing wrong and didn't paint a bad name on the WWE, and wasn't as revealing about the wrestling lifestyle as say Del Wilkes, the former Patriot in the WWE during 1997 and other facts turned up on the show. Maybe Piper did that interview without consent of the WWE? If he did that, I can see Vince's problem. But if he did that BEFORE he entered the WWE, then Piper should sue.

As for Hulk Hogan... It looks like the old power hungry Hogan shows up from time to time, eh? Reasons cited for his departure are regarding his position on Smackdown, his Wrestlemania payoff, and the 6 man tag match on Smackdown, among probably other things. First of all, his position on Smackdown. Are you kidding me? This is a guy who has a very cushy schedule and yet he receives MORE television time than anybody on Smackdown in his feud with Vince McMahon. To say he's getting "lost in the fold" is ridiculous. This Hogan vs. McMahon feud has stretched since March to June. That's a fucking long time! Secondly, the Wrestlemania payoff? That's ridiculous, because that payoff is based on the Pay Per View buys and overall revenue made from the show. It's CLEARLY down from the previous years, which means nobody had a fat bonus from the show.

Hogan is lucky to be back. His excuses last time were stemming from his loss to Brock Lesnar (Hogan wanted to beat him back) and the payoff from the Australian tour. This is the same man who compromised with Eric Bischoff on the fly that Hogan would be the FIRST man to beat Bill Goldberg for the WCW World Title and to end the streak during the summer of 1998. Good thing Hogan decided to retire after his Warrior feud flopped.

Hogan is lucky to be back, and as fans, we're lucky that Vince can actually see through his bullshit and throw him out the door once Hogan's ego for creative control on his character gets out hand. That's one thing Vince is good for these days.....

Crash Holly released by the WWE

I'm getting the blame through the e-mail for his release, which is very unfair. First of all, I'm ONE person. I made some ignorant comments about his title loss to Jerry Lynn back in the day, and once he ranted on me on his audio show, I kept egging him on from then. But was it my fault that he was released? No. Internet fans are a very small fraction of the wrestling fanbase, and my opinions are NOT fact regarding any workers, federations, or wrestlers. It's the WWE's fault why he was released, given that their creative team does not know what to do with wrestlers under 6 feet tall. I personally didn't think his role as a Matt Hardy flunky was a good one at all, especially since the WWE creative doesn't care for giving much good attention to Matt Hardy, anyway, especially when he was Cruiserweight champion. The WWE does NOT care about that division, even though they should, and Crash unfortunately became lost in the fold that the creative team didn't care to look at anyway.

I wish Crash the best. He has the wrestling ability to make some good money on the indy circuit, on NWA-TNA, or even through opening his own wrestling school, which I remember him suggesting that he'd do at one point.

Smackdown

What did I think of this show? Meh, it was a run of the mill Smackdown. This show has really lost its luster after Heyman was demoted. A team of "yes men" have taken over Heyman's position, and ever since then, many wrestlers have been held down and many wrestlers have been wrongly pushed. The absolute worst is the case of Vince McMahon, who has taken over the show with his Hogan vs. Vince storyline, which is now flushed down the toilet since Hogan is now gone from the WWE, again.

How about that Ultimo Dragon? I thought he was good in spots, but kinda sloppy on others. I'm sure he'll improve, given that he had nerves for his first televised appearance and that Shannon Moore may not be used to an opponent like Ultimo. However, I'm very sure he'll put on a barn burner with Rey Mysterio, but you have to wonder if the WWE will remain interested in Ultimo AFTER his feud with Rey-Rey or not.

But I can't say that I'm impressed with Orlando Jordan, whatsoever. He's a great athlete, but a good wrestler, so far from his first match, he is not. I laughed at the Undertaker saluting him after his match. What a goof. I love how the Undertaker will do that from time to time, yet sell NO offense from up and comers. It's the way the WWE is with their hosses with guys like Albert, Big Show, the Acolytes, and the Undertaker. They are booked into a position where they'll work extra stiff on others, act like gods backstage, and will always get the nod on booking because Vince loves their size, disregarding actual talent of a wrestler or effectiveness to win over fans.

It's nice to not know what's going on in the United States Title tournament. I have no idea who is fighting who in the upcoming weeks. Piper was very well received in New York City, as he should. The "Kiss My Ass" club was a bad idea from the get-go, but we must bring it out every so often. Smackdown has lost its magic ever since Vince basically took over the show during the month before Wrestlemania. I bet you that the FBI will either break up or the wrestlers themselves will lose their jobs after finishing their feud with the Undertaker. The APA/Undertaker gave those younger wrestlers absolutely NO rub from their feud, and the FBI is now worthless. Seriously, name what Nunzio, Palumbo, or Stamboli(sp?) can do now?

Not a very good show, overall, and losing Hogan will really screw up the show, given that the program's focus was Vince vs. Mr. America for the longest time now. What a joke.

RAW is ZZZZZZZZZ

I'm seriously happy that I didn't sit down and watch the full show from start to finish. Why would I? The booking was terrible and repetitive, as the Eric Bischoff role of changing the match while they happen has been so overdone. How can you say that these soap opera writers are good when they can't come up with new ideas?

But the main focus of RAW was the final match between Rob Van Dam and Triple H. What a crock of shit. Triple H's weardown wrestling style completely killed the crowd and bored the shite out of me. Leave it to Triple H, the World Champion of the RAW brand for the longest time now, to keep stinking up the show. You'd figure that your champion would honestly be your top draw, the guy who puts the asses in the seats and boosts ratings. Triple H does neither, but hey, he's fucking Stephanie so let's keep him as champion! Great idea! He ended up beating RVD after a clusterfuck finish, and Triple H comes out smelling like a rose while the rest of the RAW brand suffers. Get out while you can, Goldberg!!! Get out!!

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Take care, and thanks for reading!

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