ITVR Episode

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ITVR TOMORROW I PROMISE

Hi guys - directing a play, just finished auditions, just got home and am hitting the sac - but PROMISE will upload ITVR tomorrow evening, perhaps even a bit early so be sure and tune in. Meanwhile I want to offer my Cyber Sunday and MNR reax which I actually typed and thought I had posted yesterday but apparently just hit 'save as draft' in my tiredness.

The basic gyst of it, since at this point I'm too tired to even cut and paste, was that the two shows complimented each other. While there were some logic flaws and goofiness in both, they made sense when put together. I didn't get, for example, HTM not clocking Santino with his signature guitar shot on Sunday, until I saw that he and the other legends were out Monday. I was disappointed that Chris Jericho didn't retain his title, as I feel he's one of the Raw standouts of the past year and deserves a run, but Batista played his part last night sensibly and I can get the ideas of where they're going with things. I even liked the interaction between Randy Orton and Mike Adamle! Between Miz/Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme, and CM Punk/Kofi Kingston vs. Rhodes/Dibiase, I figured whichever match didn't end up on the PPV would go off last night, and indeed - featuring a world tag team title change no less, which means two major WWE title changes in two nights.

The PPV itself punched above its weight, delivering awesome wrestling (especially Matt Hardy vs. Evan Bourne, who followed it up with a stellar match vs. Rey Mysterio, and at LEAST they didn't have Kane interfere in that match itself) ... my only disappointment is in Steve Austin being selected as guest ref on Sunday which made the least sense of any of the options for the Jericho-Batista match. But since they all came out and got involved anyway ... I was PEEVED at them feuding Shawn Michaels with JBL, but the followup on Raw was strong and I see that going places too now. Although I still think Shawn deserves better than a midcard feud, even if it IS upper-midcard, after the year he's had.

More coherence to all those thoughts tomorrow night, though - just wanted to make sure you guys didn't think I'd forgotten you. Here I thought this week would be easier than last but NOOO. At least I had time to POST anyway, just hit the wrong button. Hope you enjoyed the gist of what I had to say though, and tune in tomorrow for more with Ari and I. Take care all - luv to ya mutha! XO

Cyber Sunday

So I know many fans aren't terribly impressed with this PPV, and I'll admit I can understand it - it's being held VERY soon after the last show, with not a whole lot of lead time between it and the next show, Survivor Series, which is routinely a fairly important PPV that starts sowing the seeds for the Royal Rumble-Wrestlemania season. And given it's a tough PPV to sell timing-wise (especially with such a struggling economy right now), the card doesn't feel like it had a whole lot of thought put into it, and whatever personal attachment to this PPV fans might have felt due to them having the power to vote their favourite performers and stips into various matches, has for many been taken away with the pay-per-text voting system.

I for one always enjoyed this PPV because I voted, and was interested to see how my opinions stacked up to those of my fellow fans. As a Canadian who is ineligible to vote (another screwup), and as someone who wouldn't spend a total of $7 or more dollars to vote for each match anyway, this has become, in many ways, just another PPV for me. That said - while my expectations aren't high for this show, it has the potential to be an entertaining little distraction on our way towards the bigger buildup that is about to start next month. Especially given wrestlers usually know when expectations are low, and perform beyond them on those nights. So bearing in mind the potential for this PPV to be either disastrous, or a sleeper hit, let's look at what it's offering us heading into the fall season.

WWE Title Match
Triple H vs. (a) Jeff Hardy, (b) Vladimir Kozlov, (c) a Triple Threat Match vs. both
Stipulation: Choose the Challenger
Well I feel I can fairly confidently say that option B is the least likely option here. While they've been building up Kozlov correctly, and he's come across as a scarier monster heel than many of the men they've tried to push in that position in awhile (thinking Snitsky, Heidenreich, Khali to a certain extent, although he was plenty big and scary), he's still green and comparatively new; his actual MAIN EVENT push should be a ways off. My prediction is the Triple Threat, as we've seen Trips-Hardy a couple times in recent months, and I'm predicting a Triple H retention, with Jeff Hardy as a darkhorse (a) after the reaction to his near-win last month and (b) as he's the only guy other than Triple H guaranteed to be in this match.

World Heavyweight Title Match
Chris Jericho vs. Dave Batista
Stipulation: Choose referee (a) Randy Orton, (b) Shawn Michaels, (c) Steve Austin
Let me put it this way: my WISH would be for Randy Orton in here - he's a returning former world champion whose actions ensured Chris Jericho's involvement in the match where he won the world title; plus he has a history with Batista. That way we don't throw Jericho right back into his feud with Shawn Michaels which I feel is basically over for the time being after their stellar ladder match, and a prime PPV spot isn't given over to a guy who we know will show up, stunner everyone, and disappear for another 6-12 months. However, Shawn Michaels and particularly Austin are the bigger names here and much more fan favourites than Orton. To that end, Shawn Michaels makes the most sense and would be my second choice given he is currently an active wrestler, who has a history with both of the participants. However, when you throw good ole Stone Cold into a mix like this, he almost always gets enough of the mainstream fan vote to win it - depending on how the pay-per-vote system affects this. So look for SCSA to be the special guest ref, and at LEAST hopefully that builds to his rumoured 'one last match' that he wants to have at WM 25. Fighting a talented and experienced pro like Jericho on a stage like that? I'd pay to see it. :)

Undertaker vs. Big Show
Stipulation: Choose (a) Knockout match, (b)I Quit match, (c) Last Man Standing match
I'm figuring, as much as this feud hasn't gone on THAT long, that this is probably the blowoff for it, as fans haven't gotten behind it as much as they otherwise would. I'm thinking that the Knockout match or, outside chance, I Quit match, are the most likely choices here; I can't see any even remotely knowledgeable fans putting these two in a match that would need the amount of time a LMS match would require. I also anticipate Undertaker getting his win back here.

ECW Match
Matt Hardy vs. (a) Evan Bourne, (b) Finlay, (c) Mark Henry
My sentimental favourite here is Evan Bourne because I think he and Hardy could put on a spectacular match. I'm hoping, similarly to the Jericho-Batista match, that the pay-per-vote system leads to mainly smarks voting, because they will create more interesting scenarios than mainstreamers who will only vote for what they know. If there IS a more smarky leaning towards the voting here, look for Bourne to carry it. If it still retains a mainstream flavour, look for it to be Mark Henry again as the biggest name on this list. Regardless - Matt retains. Unless they want to go the Shelton Benjamin route of 3-4 years ago and let the challenger take it, knowing it's a worthy experiment and they can always give Matty back the belt if Bourne or Henry (sorry Finlay) drop the ball.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
Stipulation: Choose (a)Falls Count Anywhere, (b) No Holds Barred, (c) Two-of-Three Falls
Who cares? *pulls hair out of head* Like for real, who cares? As long as this match ISN'T best of three falls, which only the very best and most interesting performers can pull off at the best of times, this is called 'Bathroom Break'. Sigh ... kill this feud already.

Intercontinental Title Match
Santino Marella vs. (a) Roddy Piper, (b) Goldust, (c) Honky Tonk Man
The obvious choice here is Honky, though I know Ari disagrees with me in thinking this would be too early to pull that particular trigger. I'm still going with the obvious though, as that's what WWE so often does. I also said in my last post I wouldn't be surprised if really whoever gets voted in will really just be Charlie Haas in disguise. That would upset me, anyway, and I think alienate those fans devoted enough TO vote (and pay for it!), but they MIGHT be able to pull it off if the genuine article comes out by match's end; that way you have a better match than you might between Santino and Old Guy, but at the same time get the pop of the veteran coming out. Either way this match intrigues me, even though it's meant to be mostly comedy. I'm GUESSING Santino's going to come closer to matching the Honk-a-Meter than that, so regardless I'm predicting he keeps the title. ESPECIALLY if he honestly IS fighting one of the actual three options, who are all basically retired.

William Regal and Layla vs. Jamie Noble and Mickey James OR Miz and Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme OR Rhodes and Dibiase vs. CM Punk and Kofi Kingston for the World Tag Titles
Stipulation: Choose the Tag Teams
As much as I've enjoyed the Regal/Leyla-Noble/James feud, I'm thinking it's going to have to take a PPV back seat to one of the other offerings. My selection here, due to the buildup for it and their being a title involved, is Rhodes/Dibiase-Punk/Kingston. I'm also figuring on a title change here. The challengers have been floundering since losing their respective singles titles, and I think this would be a great way of building back up some heat. Given they've been built up nicely too, Miz-Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme is my darkhorse pick, but I'm also thinking that's a long shot, so go with my original statement.

US Title Match
Shelton Benjamin vs. (a) R-Truth, (b) MVP, (c) Festus
Stipulation: Choose the Opponent
I'm figuring on MVP or R-Truth here, and I'm figuring this one's going to the challenger. I'm rooting for MVP as I think they made him look like an idiot on the last PPV, and they owe him better, but I'm guessing it will be R-Truth as he's the one who's been pushed in recent weeks. Either way, they're both talented men who will put out a good showing with the very skilled Shelton Benjamin. By the way - to show you the level of regard in which this belt is held - this match is being held on the preview card, aired online, and the ONLY match listed here on which you can vote in the old-fashioned, free, 'on the website' manner. Sigh. :P

Divas Halloween Costume Contest
I predict ... huh ... toughie ... I predict ... a lot of T&A. *shrug* Bathroom break the second for me. Ari can enjoy this one. :)

And YOU guys enjoy the show. Back tomorrow with my post game thoughts. Until then, take care everybody! :D

Cyber Sunday Predix

So between my computer being messed up, the busy week, Halloween parties, Ari's schedule, I'm giving up on the ITVR thing for this week - thought I'd still include some comments about Raw and Smackdown this week in this post, and do a second post (to control length) including my Cyber Sunday predictions, and then we'll move on next week, where you'll hear on Wednesday night, as always, our thoughts on the PPV, how we think it's building to Survivor Series, and any other interesting happening in the wrestling world. Since there haven't been that many this week I haven't commented on, I figure this isn't a bad week to do that, and I appreciate your bearing with me these last few days where my most frequent posts have been 'more tomorrow', which never ended up happening. Trust me, I'm glad to be off that roller coaster too, and moving forward with you guys, since we've touched on the main 'real world' news items, to discuss the on-air wrestling product of the past week. Which was crap.

Actually I shouldn't say that - mostly, it was unmemorable; which means, in a PPV week, that it was crap; the shows this week should have been compelling and pushed us forward into tonight's show. I honestly don't remember much about Raw, and I watched pretty darn close to most of it. I get they're building up for a Miz-Morrison vs. DX match for the 3-hour special coming up, and I thought Santino Marella was genius (although I know his segment this week was hit or miss, from the other reactions I've read); it made him look SO creepy, however unintentional that was, and I think it added an interesting element to his character if WWE chose to go with and develop that. But let's think about that; those are the two segments that stood out to me; of them, one built up to an upcoming free show; the other built to the PPV, but towards what is really intended to be a comedy match (in which I wouldn't be at all surprised to see clever mimic Charlie Haas come out in place of whoever the fans vote in - which would be a bad move in terms of building up fan goodwill).

The one other brief segment that stood out in my head - Chris Jericho saying Steve Austin was the special guest ref he was least interested in having officiate his match with Batista at CS -
made no sense to me given (a) his recent history with Shawn Michaels and (b) Shawn's blatant statement that he would do anything in his power to make sure Chris Jericho left the PPV without his belt if he were the ref the fans selected. Illogical, and poor build on a Raw I didn't really have time to watch. Aggravating.

And as for SD, I only have one comment by way of a compliment or a complaint: its big feature bout this week was Triple H vs. Undertaker. Now I know Big Show came out and interfered, as did Vladimir Kozlov; but people. This is a Wrestlemania-level main event match. Much as Triple H and Batista four years ago, these two men should not have so much as exchanged a GLANCE until at least the Royal Rumble. This is a feud which hasn't taken place in years - after hotshotting two major matches that had NEVER happened and deserved a Wrestlemania stage this summer (Triple H-Edge and Batista-John Cena), I'd think the one relatively new and rejuvenated feud left to them should have remained intact. Oh well ... don't save up and build for something that could pop you a rating now I guess.

And I will give them that - by doing this on a taped show, people knew what the main offering would be, and so it would at least boost SD's ratings on their new home, MyNetworkTV, which have suffered a hit. So I "get it", I suppose - doesn't mean I like it. Want a free offering to toss the fans? Have Edge return. Have a high profile roster switch (Cena to SD or such). GIVE Vladimir Kozlov his #1 contender run on free TV and don't throw him a PPV bone just yet - hell, that would kill two birds with one stone. I'm all for adding some bells and whistles for free to your program now and then to remind fans that HEY! That's a valid part of your entertainment package too, and to throw the networks who expect you to deliver ratings a bone. This just seemed WAAAY over the requirements of 'let's pop a rating'. Especially when the first Trips-Taker match in YEARS was mainly used as a backdrop to push a couple of not particularly highly anticipated matches on a not particularly highly anticipated PPV. But I'm getting ahead of myself ... :)

Upload problems

Show=recorded, uploader not cooperating - will be up tomorrow w/o fail. TY for the patience and enjoy your Fridays.

ITVR Update #2

Hey guys - I promised you ITVR by tonight at the latest, and I'm not breaking that promise this time out of disorganization or laziness - but the fact I'm still getting over a slight bout of losing my voice earlier this week - I have my voice back, obviously, or I wouldn't have promised to do the show tonight - but I'm still having coughing spates if ever I talk too long, so I figured since today was a slow news day and it wouldn't be different airing tonight or tomorrow, I'd spare you the hacking into the mic, as well as yes, just how tired Ari and I both are, and we'll put in a higher-energy and better show tomorrow night. I'm the boss, so I can do that! ;) Please tune in then to discuss what has actually been a remarkably fastpaced newsweek in wrestling (despite how slow today was). We will discuss

• Lance Cade's firing
• Ric Flair's un-'retiring' (or talk thereof)
• the crapitude that was Raw
• Cyber Sunday and how we expect it to play out

And I promise the next week will involve more actual posting instead of 'tune in to ITVR', which this week was far too full of. Especially when last week's podcast was REALLY pared down (ie nonexistent), and THIS coming podcast is going up so much later than it normally would. No excuses, but by way of explanation all I can say is I have been VERY busy and a little sick, all at once, which combined with Ari's late work schedule this week which is almost the direct opposite of mine, has wreaked havoc on our schedules in general and our broadcasting in particular, and I appreciate your patience on that front. Next week will be busy too, as I'm wrapping up a teaching placement and running auditions for a play I'm directing, but at LEAST Ari's back to his old schedule, and hopefully with some rest this weekend I'll have more energy and better health to fit my blogging in. :)

Anyway in sum, thanks again for your patience and hey - it beats the semi-annual posting I did at my old blog, and the two-year ITVR hiatus we took LAST time we got busy! ;) Inconsistencies happen and I'm sure all you busy working folks out there understand that. But we'll definitely be here tomorrow night, and beyond, and we hope to see you then, right here, In This Very Ring.

ITVR

No it ain't cancelled - but this is a heads-up it might go up tomorrow night instead of tonight - if it goes up tonight it will be late, like bordering on midnight. Thanks for the patience - this is Ari's last week on this crazy schedule so we'll be back to our normal podcast hour next week.

Such topics for this week's broadcast include - Nick Hogan's release from jail, Ric Flair's possible foreign return to the ring, this week's lacklustre Raw, and the upcoming Cyber Sunday. Hope you'll join us - stay tuned.