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MCNEILL'S TAKE
MCNEILL CLASSIC (5 Yrs. Ago): Friday Funhouse: Too Much Heaven and Learning The Ropes Sep 21, 2007 - 12:19:33 PM
This report was published originally five years ago on PWTorch.com...
He Ain't No Vision, He's The Man: Well, now I've seen everything. It's bad enough that the NWA-TNA production values are stuck in the seventies, but now they're stealing stupid gimmick ideas from the 70's.
In case you missed the NWA-TNA pay-per-view this week, the company has brought in former multi-time WWF Tag Champion 'Road Dogg' Brian James. Care to guess what 'cool' gimmick the company gave him upon his TNA debut? How about Brian Gerard James, otherwise known as Bee Gee James?
Listen, it doesn't matter if New York City's breakin' and everybody's shakin' and he's stayin' alive. You're not going to get someone over as a fan favorite in 2002 with a name like 'Bee Gee'. What the heck's wrong with Brian James, Brian Armstrong, or some other variation of the above?
By the way, I will agree with Jeremy Borash that Wednesday was Don West's best announcing performance with NWA-TNA. Hopefully they can concentrate now on improving the shows he's working.
Speaking of the '70's: Were those actual, honest-to-God tag ropes on Smackdown last night? For those of you who are too young to remember, wrestlers used to not be along to tag into a match unless they were holding on to the tag ropes.
Not that the return of the tag ropes isn't a great idea, but why not use them over on Raw, where there's an actual tag team division?
Hey Now: If you want an indication of just how desperate WWE is going into this weekend, I heard it at 6:30 this morning on the syndicated Howard Stern radio show. Normally, the WWE pays for Stern to do live promos on the Friday before each pay-per-view. Care to guess what's being publicized for Unforgiven?
That's right. The WWE spent its money to plug the possibility of Hot Lesbian Action involving Stephanie McMahon. Oh, they also mentioned The Undertaker's match with Brock Lesnar, too, but Billy and Chuck's showdown with Rosie and Jamal got the bulk of the attention. That can't be good news.
We Get Letters: Who says we don't break any major news in this column? Take it away, Mike!
***
By the way, Just a news nugget for you to break:
I had the distinct honor to spend two hours on Tuesday with Kurt Angle and The Hurricane. (I organized the University of Minnesota Smackdown the Vote.) Those are two of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Anyway, three nuggets came of it.
First, Kurt will not be going to the Olympics. He told a number of people that, as it was the most asked question.
Second, Here is the quote:
Student: When are you gonna let your hair grow back?
Kurt: Vince won't let me, at least not until...Vince won't let me.
Me: Not until the Rattlesnake returns.
Kurt looked at me and rolled his eyes, then muttered, "prick cost me my hair."
Third, Crash Holly sucks. The exchange:
Me: "Hurricane, I love your swinging Neckbreaker off the top rope."
Kurt: :That is a cool move, Last night you had a good match, but you can have a good match with anyone. You even had a good match with Crash last week."
Just some fun facts.
Mike Miller
St. Paul, Minnesota
Torch Newsletter Subscriber
***
And that's it. Have a great weekend!
*** Pat McNeill of Fairfax, Va. has been a Torch columnist since February 2001. His Anaheim Angels might actually make it into the playoffs. His PWTorch.com column runs two or three times a week. His "McNeill Factor" column appears on page seven of the Torch Newsletter. Pat McNeill's first book, 'The Tables All Were Broken', is available from many fine booksellers.
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