Random Notes 11/6

Chris Jericho will 'save_us' for sure on the November 19th Raw. It's the Raw immediately after the Survivor Series.

Shawn Michaels can't use the 'Sweet Shin Music' in his match with Randy Orton at the Survivor Series... that's the stipulation... wow.

Junior Fatu was released by TNA because he wanted more money than he was making and TNA wasn't impressed with his work.

Kelly Kelly is going to get a major push... or at least as major a push as a WWE Diva can get.

Tomko is pushing for TNA to do IMPACT at the Tokyo Dome in... Tokyo.

Scott Hall is going to be on IMPACT this Thursday... I haven't been this excited since D-Generation X appeared on Raw last night.

Finally, it's cold out.

Post-Raw Notes

Wow! D-Generation X and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin?!? Somebody pinch me! Is it 1998 or something? Are we leading up to Wrestlemania 15? Because I could have sworn I just bought tickets for Wrestlemania 24!

I figured that D-X would open the show with something funny... they did! I figured Steve Austin would give somebody a stunner and drink a beer and offer that somebody a beer and stun them and spray them with beer and drink a beer and give the finger and stun that somebody in no particular order... he did! Wow!

I know that the WWE and the USA Network are looking to boost ratings and I know it's November sweeps... so of course the WWE is going to go with the formula that works... which is D-X crotch chop and a Stone Cold Stunner. I would have preferred a compelling story and a A+ match, but that's just me.

I hope they got their ratings... actually, I hope they didn't. I don't want anymore D-Generation X... for the love of heck... these guys are old!!!! D-X was supposed to be young and hip... not old and un-hip. I'm not trying to knock Hunter or Michaels. It's just that they should be doing different things. I hate rehashing things from the past.

And Steve Austin... either come back and wrestle and be around every week or retire and don't. I get sick of seeing you every other month... not that I don't want to see you, but I just can't get excited if I know I'll see you every other month. It's like seeing my grandma... except better... but still...

The audience's pop for both Austin and Mick Foley is getting less and less enthusiastic. This isn't going to fly for the WWE much longer. Stop focusing on the past and work on the present and the future. Steve Austin and Mick Foley are not the future.

So, that was Raw in a nutshell.

Highlight of Raw was the video tribute to The Fabulous Moolah which I have to admit was a little better than my blog dedicated to her... I'm kidding... it was much better than my blog dedicated to her.

Random Pre-Raw Notes

Chris Jericho was a guest on Opie and Anthony and got in a pretty heated argument with Jim Norton. Norton was 'poking fun' at Christopher Reeve - because I guess it's pretty funny to make fun of a paraplegic - and Jericho got angry and stated that he considered himself to be friends with Reeve post-mortem.

Christian Cage is booked to work a match with Booker T in Booker's PWA promotion. I take this as another sign that Booker is showing up in TNA. However, I think this move helps make TNA look more and more like WCW and less and less like the WWE. If you recall, and if you're reading a wrestling blog you have to recall, WCW signed wrestlers for shock value alone and to keep each episode of Monday Nitro fresh. It got to a point where Bryan Adams - rest his soul - was supposed to be a big surprise. Andrew Martin, Junior Fatu, and now Booker T.... seems like a very unstable locker room and roster to me. I wonder how A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels and all the other top-notch talent that are getting buried to make room for these 'proven starts' are feeling right now? I bet Jeff Jarrett doesn't have the happiest locker room at the moment.

I really hope there are no traditional Survivor Series matches at the Survivor Series because I hate traditional Survivor Series matches. I despised Survivor Series 2006 for that very reason... and also because the main event was Greg Batista challenging Booker T for the World Heavyweight Title with the stipulation being that if Greg Batista lost, he would never receive another title shot so long as Booker T was champion ever again. I feel as though that is always the case with Greg Batista whenever he isn't the World Heavyweight Champion. I don't want to bash Greg Batista because he has grown on me over the last few months. After seeing him live last Tuesday 10/30, I realized that he is a superstar and that he is a good worker and that he is a draw and that he is going to carry the WWE for the next decade. I think he is quite capable of it also. Working with The Undertaker is only going to make him better. His character just needs a better edge.

Speaking of Edge, I can't wait to see him again. He's still one of my favorites and the WWE has been missing him. He's a good heel when he isn't trying so hard, and he's a horrible face when he is trying hard. The problem with Edge is he tries to hard with his character. I still love him though... platoniclly.

I'm not not not excited to see Steve Austin tonight on Raw. I'm not not not excited to see D-Generation X tonight on Raw. I am excited to see Santino Marella (Morella?) tonight on Raw. I am excited to see Jeff Hardy team with Rey Mysterio tonight. I am excited to see Ken Kennedy on Raw tonight. There is still allot of work to be done, but I think WWE is going to be on the upswing soon enough.

I have allot of feelings on TNA, but that's The Kidd's department, so I'll give him the opportunity to comment on it.

As far as Outside Interference is concerned, we're going to be starting a few regular weekly columns. One will be a 'rumor mill column,' and another will be a 'spy vs. spy,' 'head to head,' 'opinion vs. opinion' match up between The Kidd and myself. Most importantly, we're preparing a list of the best 25 professional wrestlers of the last twenty years.

I have nothing else to say... and that's the bottom line... because Seannie Wan said so....

Mo' Steroids... Mo' Problems...

D.H. Smith has etched his and his father's name into history forever with his suspension. Never before have a father and a son both been suspended by the same promotion for failing a drug test of steroids.

Wow. Uhmmm... well, he seemed like he was going to be boring. I'm sure he'll get another chance somewhere down the road. Or maybe not. Maybe he can just mosey on down to Florida and sign up with TNA wrestling. They can find time for him if they drop just one segment of Kurt Angle's backstage antics. You know what? I'll leave TNA up to the Kidd. I don't want to bash it because I actually kind of enjoy it. I will say this: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling doesn't seem to know what direction it is going in. WWE doesn't seem to know either, but the WWE isn't on the brink of bankruptcy.

Also, 'The Masterpiece' Chris Masters has been suspended. I am really not not not into 'The Masterpiece.' He's boring. Helloooooo!!! It's 2007... you're going to tell me your finisher is a full-nelson? OK, guy. Good luck with that. Also, good luck being buried on the Smackdown roster. The Kidd informed me that he was booked against The Undertaker in Europe and he wasn't selling an arm injury so The Undertaker worked him stiff so that he would sell it. Then he got hurt because Taker worked him stiff. Now, he fails a drug test. Oh boy... this dude is going to be on TNA in no time.

Maybe someone should start a promotion that implores steroid abuse? D.H. Smith, Chris Masters, 'The Punisher' Andrew 'Test' Martin, Joey Mercury... these are all names that could get a promotion started. I guess it's a bad idea.

I'm looking forward to Raw tomorrow. I haven't seen D-generation X since... 1998... wait... I mean I haven't seen them in 10 months. Oh boy. Oh and Stone Cold! I haven't seen that guy since... well, I saw him at Cyber Sunday. For the love of all that is holy... This is why I love WWE OnDemand. It's all entertainment.

In case The Kidd fails to mention it, Samoa Joe is getting buried like The Undertaker in a buried alive match... except I have a feeling he will not return to fight Kane... actually maybe he will. Maybe Jarrett will bury him and he'll end up in the WWE against Kane. He hasn't signed a contract extension with TNA yet. Maybe he is looking to flirt with Vince McMahon a little? I guess we'll see.

Ok, I have nothing else to say tonight. Let me know what you think of the new layout... or don't. I don't care either way! Happy Sunday!

The Fabulous Moolah

She's dead. She died yesterday. I'm not sure how and I'm not trying to make light of her death by being uninformed about it. I just heard it and I figured I'd report it.

I'm sure there will be mention of it on Monday. Uhhh... it sucks that people die? I guess... She was a great women's wrestler... probably the greatest ever?

I'm really not trying to make light of her death... I just don't have anything to say about her. I am glad that the WWE stopped with the Moolah/Mae Young angle. It was gross.

I guess I didn't do the Fabulous Moolah justice. Well, it wasn't from lack of effort. Although, I did no research or preparation. I kind of just blogged off the top of my head. So I guess I didn't put any effort into a proper eulogy.

Fuck it. Life moves on.

The Fabulous Moolah
???? - 2007

The Rainbow Haired Warrior

The Kidd and myself attended the taping of Smackdown and the live ECW show at the Nassau Coliseum this past Tuesday. I won't bother with posting results of the matches because A. there were no matches worth mentioning relating to spoilers and B. if you haven't noticed yet, I am more concerned with the bigger picture... the business side of promotions... the direction of promotions... not so much the day-to-day matches that a promotion books.

The most important thing I saw at the Nassau Coliseum was a video package dedicated to Jeff Hardy while the cameras were off. Immediately following the video package was a video promotion for Wrestlemania 24. I've been saying for about a week and a half now that Jeff Hardy is going to receive a monster push. I was very surprised he was booked to lose to Ken Kennedy at Cyber Sunday. However, I still believe he is going to receive what I call 'The Wrestlemania Main Event Push.' This is a push for a mid-card wrestler that begins around Survivor Series, proceeds with a Royal Rumble win, and ends with a victory at Wrestlemania for the title. Batista received this push. Steve Austin received this push. Shawn Michaels received this push. I am certain Jeff Hardy is going to main event Wrestlemania 24.

Maybe Vince McMahon's original plan was a John Cena/Triple H rematch... yawn... or something along those lines. The WWE needs a fresh main-event guy and Jeff Hardy is that guy. He has been getting bigger pops that Shawn Michaels on recent Raw episodes and he is the most exciting in-ring performer on the roster. Granted, his microphone skills are non-existent, but his ability in the ring is what fans identify with and I think in today's wrestling environment, that's a beautiful thing. He is centimeters away from main-event ability. All he needs is a thoughtful push by Vince and the other powers-that-be.

I think the video package of Jeff Hardy highlights set to a rocking-yet-mellow dramatic song was a little test of the crowd. The cameras weren't rolling. I think the WWE was seeing just how popular Jeff Hardy is in the difficult wrestling environment of Long Island.

I guess we'll see.

Also, concerning the Y2Joke on us. The new date for the second-coming is November 19th. save_us.x29 was the next clue. On October 29th, a new video proclaimed 'Launch - 19.' November 19th is the Raw after the Survivor Series. I guess he's showing up there. I hope so for Vince's sake, because I'm beginning to really not care.

For Me, Cyber Sunday Is a Special Time...

... a time when I, the professional professional wrestling fan, get to choose what matches and stipulations I want to see. Would I like to see 'The Legend Killer' defend the WWE Championship against the 'Heart-Break Kid,' or perhaps 'The Rainbow-Haired Warrior,' or even Mr. Kennedy? It's my choice to choose.

I make it sound much more interesting than it actually is. It's like voting for the President. It's pretty obvious who is going to win and your vote doesn't really count. I voted for Mr. Kennedy. Why? Because Shawn Michaels is old and Jeff Hardy needs a little more prepping before he is a main event guy. Mr. Kennedy isn't exactly a main event guy either, but he's pretty close and he is always working a good match... always. Of course, everybody wanted to see Shawn Michaels wrestle Randy Orton. The finish was lame... and I'm noticing allot of lame count out/disqualification finishes over the last 4 or 5 PPVs.

In actuality, Cyber Sunday is not a special time. It's a waste of time... and it's a waste of money. However, the Kidd and myself are compelled and obligated to view each and every PPV in order to keep you, the loyal fans and readers of Outside Interference, up to date on the happenings of Professional Wrestling and Sports Entertainment.

We wanted to see Chris Jericho return. I was suspicious about the countdown I previously posted about, but I had to take the chance. It would have been a brilliant build-up to his return. Y2J with a secret website counting down to his 2nd Coming at Cyber Sunday. The whole thing would have been very... 'computery.' (By the way, I have trademarked the term 'computery' and I own it. If someone wants to use it, I must get paid.)

The Batista/Undertaker match was pretty good... not excellent, not stellar, not super-duper... but above average. It was definitely NOT as good as the hype surrounding it... but rarely do matches live up to the hype in the WWE anymore. The Ken Kennedy/Jeff Hardy match was pretty good also... just pretty good. The best match of the night was hands down Triple H/Umaga. I like Umaga. Normally I hate 'monster heels,' and I really don't like Umaga's whole image, but I think he works a good match and he's not afraid to take any bumps. He's going to have a long career - barring any serious injury - and, although he'll never be a top guy in a promotion, he'll always be in the upper-echelon... sort of like Kane. Heck, I would go so far as to say that Umaga is 'the next Kane.' Actually, it would be pretty cool if good ol' J.R. started calling him that. Maybe Lillian Garcia could introduce him like that also.

'Making his way down to the ring... from the isle of Samoa... 'The Next Kane,' Umaga...'

Maybe it won't work... but it's better than 'The Rainbow-Haired Warrior' by gum.

So, two things before I sign off...

1. Chris Jericho should return on RAW tonight. The video promo says 'save_us.x29.' With X being the roman numeral for 10, and 10 meaning the 10th month of the year, and the 10th month of the year being October, October being this month, and the 29 meaning the 29th day of October, and today being the 29th, I am assuming he shows up tonight. If he doesn't, I'm giving up on seeing him anytime soon. I refuse to get my hopes up anymore.

2. I hate bashing the WWE. I really do. It is a promotion that has brought me years and years of entertainment. I grew up watching it and I refused to grow up because of it. I love it. I admit I will bash it once in awhile, much like I did in this blog. However, I am going to go out on a positive note concerning Vince McMahon and his promotion. I will list them...

Ken Kennedy: He is an entertaining wrestler with both promos and in-ring ability. He has a bright future.
Jeff Hardy: The more I think about it, the more he appears to be the next Shawn Michaels. Look for him to receive a gigantic push and as of now I'd make him the favorite to win the Royal Rumble.
Umaga: See above.
John Cena: Love him or hate him... I personally don't mind him, but I don't like his being the top guy... he is the top guy. The fans love him for the most part. Now, if you hate him, you're most likely a well-educated pro-wrestling fan. If you love him, you're probably a 'mark.' But, it is good to have a charismatic top guy. He sells and somebody that sells is good for the pro-wrestling industry. It keeps it all going. I'll wager that ratings go down for the duration of his injury and absence. He's young, he's strong, he has great microphone skills, he has the look, and he's charismatic. Whatever! The point of this blog isn't to argue John Cena. You can hate him and I won't defend it. My point is that he is good for business.

I totally went off the subject. The subject was Cyber Sunday. Overall, it sucked and was disappointing. It was nothing special.