Today I have for you an exclusive. My contacts in Channel 4 sent me this information concerning this year's Big Brother. What you are about to read is a transcript of a Diary Room session Cameron had last night. It was thought that Channel 4 would show this in their recap programme this evening, but they decided against it. I have seen the footage and can tell you that it is one hundred percent genuine.
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Saturday, December 31, 2005
Is Big Brother Past It's Sell-By Date?
In the year 2000, Channel 4 introduced a revolutionary form of entertainment on an unsuspecting nation in the form of the reality game show, Big Brother.
The Best & Worst of WWE in 2005
With the end of the year fast approaching, and we in Britain only getting best of shows for the remainder of the year, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the five best and five worst things about WWE this past year. Starting with the worst, and beginning with 5, and working our way up to 1;
RIP Eddie Guerrero
There are times in life when you begin to wonder just why certain things happen to certain people, especially when bad things happen to good people. You ask yourself why these kind of things happen.
At 7.30 this evening, I heard the news that Eddie Guerrero had passed away. To say I am in shock right now would bean understatement. At the time I heard the news, I was watching Batman Begins on DVD, a birthday present from my brother Mark, and when my brother Paul told me, I didn’t believe it at first. I told him to log onto the WWE website. It was true. Eddie was gone.
Over the past couple of hours I’ve read tons of stories from fans and those in the business about their encounters with Eddie. Well, I don’t have such a story, mine is more of a close but no cigar kind of thing.
At 7.30 this evening, I heard the news that Eddie Guerrero had passed away. To say I am in shock right now would bean understatement. At the time I heard the news, I was watching Batman Begins on DVD, a birthday present from my brother Mark, and when my brother Paul told me, I didn’t believe it at first. I told him to log onto the WWE website. It was true. Eddie was gone.
Over the past couple of hours I’ve read tons of stories from fans and those in the business about their encounters with Eddie. Well, I don’t have such a story, mine is more of a close but no cigar kind of thing.
1PW A Cruel Twist of Fate Preview
This coming Saturday, October 1st, 1 Pro Wrestling will be holding their first ever show, “A Cruel Twist Of Fate”, at the Doncaster Dome in South Yorkshire. It’s the first of many “super shows” that are being held over the coming months, with stars being gathered from both Britain and America.
The name of the show actually comes from a wrestler who, because of the machinations of one Vincent K. McMahon, had to pull out of the show. Matt Hardy was originally scheduled to be a part of the main event, but instead of flying over here to entertain us Brits, he decided to take out some of his pent-up aggression on a certain two-timing Canadian.
Some writers will probably be critical that the card is stacked with American talent, that the promoters, 1 Up Games, are trying to pander to the internet smart marks too much, but when you look at the card in a little more detail, you’ll see that although some of the internet’s darlings will be on the show, there’s also something for the more casual fan, the type of person who doesn’t spend almost every waking moment over analysing every move in a Pro Wrestling NOAH match.
The name of the show actually comes from a wrestler who, because of the machinations of one Vincent K. McMahon, had to pull out of the show. Matt Hardy was originally scheduled to be a part of the main event, but instead of flying over here to entertain us Brits, he decided to take out some of his pent-up aggression on a certain two-timing Canadian.
Some writers will probably be critical that the card is stacked with American talent, that the promoters, 1 Up Games, are trying to pander to the internet smart marks too much, but when you look at the card in a little more detail, you’ll see that although some of the internet’s darlings will be on the show, there’s also something for the more casual fan, the type of person who doesn’t spend almost every waking moment over analysing every move in a Pro Wrestling NOAH match.
9th September
The first Random Ramblings in a while, so here goes;
It’s nice to see another Brit finally make it onto the main WWE roster. Paul Burchill blew everyone away with his performances here in Britain. It’s hard to believe at times that he’s only three years into his professional career, and it’s been only six months since he first set foot in America on a developmental deal.
And it’s kind of weird for me seeing someone wrestling for the largest promotion in the world that I’ve actually met. I had the opportunity to meet with Paul a year ago, at the World Association of Wrestling’s tenth anniversary show. Paul is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He only played a small part in the show, but made a point of shaking everyone’s hand before he left at the end. A damn nice bloke, and I’ll be watching his career with a great deal of interest.
It’s nice to see another Brit finally make it onto the main WWE roster. Paul Burchill blew everyone away with his performances here in Britain. It’s hard to believe at times that he’s only three years into his professional career, and it’s been only six months since he first set foot in America on a developmental deal.
And it’s kind of weird for me seeing someone wrestling for the largest promotion in the world that I’ve actually met. I had the opportunity to meet with Paul a year ago, at the World Association of Wrestling’s tenth anniversary show. Paul is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He only played a small part in the show, but made a point of shaking everyone’s hand before he left at the end. A damn nice bloke, and I’ll be watching his career with a great deal of interest.
The Two Sheds Review 5th Anniversary Special
This edition is a very special edition of The Two Sheds Review. Having written a few successful columns for a few wrestling fanzines here in Britain, it was on July 28th, 2000, that The Two Sheds Review made it’s debut on the internet, in The Wrasslin’ Analysis newsletter, read by under two hundred people. Since then, The Two Sheds Review has appeared on over fifty websites and newsletters, and in that time, I’ve received feedback from countries as far a field as the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan!
So to commemorate the fifth birthday of the Two Sheds Review, I thought I’d take a look back at my life as a wrestling fan and journalist, and bring you, the reader, the ten most pivotal moments during that time, moments that have affected me a great deal, and some which may have affected you as well.
So to commemorate the fifth birthday of the Two Sheds Review, I thought I’d take a look back at my life as a wrestling fan and journalist, and bring you, the reader, the ten most pivotal moments during that time, moments that have affected me a great deal, and some which may have affected you as well.
13th July
Ever felt like you’ve been conned?
Remember a guy called Brian Heffron? Remember a while back, how at the end of ECW’s One Night Stand, JBL came into the ring and literally battered the hell out of Heffron? Remember those photos that appeared on the Internet? Remember the countless interviews we read about how pissed off everyone was at JBL for what he did? Remember how Tracey Smothers challenged JBL to a shoot fight? Remember how Heffron said he was considering legal action against JBL and the WWE?
Remember what happened next?
Remember a guy called Matt Hardy? Remember a few months back when news broke that his girlfriend, Amy Dumas, had been having an affair with one his best friends, Adam Copeland? Remember how Matt was released from the WWE because he went public about the whole situation on his website? Remember how sorry we felt for the guy, and how much we all hated and despised Adam & Amy? Remember all those interviews in magazines and on websites about how much Matt hated WWE for what they did to him?
Remember what happened next?
Remember a guy called Brian Heffron? Remember a while back, how at the end of ECW’s One Night Stand, JBL came into the ring and literally battered the hell out of Heffron? Remember those photos that appeared on the Internet? Remember the countless interviews we read about how pissed off everyone was at JBL for what he did? Remember how Tracey Smothers challenged JBL to a shoot fight? Remember how Heffron said he was considering legal action against JBL and the WWE?
Remember what happened next?
Remember a guy called Matt Hardy? Remember a few months back when news broke that his girlfriend, Amy Dumas, had been having an affair with one his best friends, Adam Copeland? Remember how Matt was released from the WWE because he went public about the whole situation on his website? Remember how sorry we felt for the guy, and how much we all hated and despised Adam & Amy? Remember all those interviews in magazines and on websites about how much Matt hated WWE for what they did to him?
Remember what happened next?
When Art Imitates Life
Watching the final segments of Raw this past Tuesday, I wondered if Matt Hardy was watching the show. I felt nothing for sympathy for Matt as Lita turned on Kane and sided with Edge as he won the Gold Rush tournament. I wondered how Matt was feeling as the show closed, with Lita kissing Edge on the stage as a groggy Kane looked on from the ring.
This isn't the first time WWE have used real life events to increase ratings. Those of us who have been watching the WWE for years remember Sgt. Slaughter's pledge of allegiance to "the brave Iraqi nation" as allied troops were dying in the Middle-East.
This isn't the first time WWE have used real life events to increase ratings. Those of us who have been watching the WWE for years remember Sgt. Slaughter's pledge of allegiance to "the brave Iraqi nation" as allied troops were dying in the Middle-East.
The Demise of Celebrity Wrestling
When I first heard that ITV were planning a show called Celebrity Wrestling, I was very intrigued by the idea. I first heard of this from Ricky Knight, after the show's producers contacted WAW asking Ricky and Saraya if they were interested in taking part in the show.
As you can imagine, Ricky & Saraya were very interested in the show, and when they told me of the show, and what they knew of the format - two wrestlers training two teams of celebrities as they competed against each other - I had visions of a British version of the WWE's Tough Enough series, with Ricky & Saraya training their respective teams in the skills of professional wrestling, with the winner of the contest competing in a proper professional wrestling match against a proper professional wrestler, perhaps even working on the circuit for a while. But then Ricky & Saraya were given more details about the format of the show, and decided to give it a wide berth.
As you can imagine, Ricky & Saraya were very interested in the show, and when they told me of the show, and what they knew of the format - two wrestlers training two teams of celebrities as they competed against each other - I had visions of a British version of the WWE's Tough Enough series, with Ricky & Saraya training their respective teams in the skills of professional wrestling, with the winner of the contest competing in a proper professional wrestling match against a proper professional wrestler, perhaps even working on the circuit for a while. But then Ricky & Saraya were given more details about the format of the show, and decided to give it a wide berth.
RIP Chris Candido
It's difficult to know how to begin this column. When I woke up this morning and logged onto the Internet, I was probably as shocked as the rest of you when I found out that Chris Candido was dead.
Like most of you, the first two words that came into my head were "f***ing hell". The guy was only 33 years old, the same age as me. I thought at first that this could be a cruel joke played by some sick f**k, like the story that someone put out a couple of years back that Leon "Vader" White had died. But a check on Google's news service made me soon realize that this was no joke.
So just why did Chris die? This may be sound a bit harsh, but given his past problems with drugs, when I first heard the news I thought that he had overdosed or something. But apparently this all goes back to TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view last Sunday. While competing in a tag-team match, Candido was on the receiving end of a Sonny Siaki drop-kick. Siaki landed awkwardly on Candido's leg, and the scene afterwards brought back memories of the infamous moment in WCW when Sid Vicious broke his leg.
Like most of you, the first two words that came into my head were "f***ing hell". The guy was only 33 years old, the same age as me. I thought at first that this could be a cruel joke played by some sick f**k, like the story that someone put out a couple of years back that Leon "Vader" White had died. But a check on Google's news service made me soon realize that this was no joke.
So just why did Chris die? This may be sound a bit harsh, but given his past problems with drugs, when I first heard the news I thought that he had overdosed or something. But apparently this all goes back to TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view last Sunday. While competing in a tag-team match, Candido was on the receiving end of a Sonny Siaki drop-kick. Siaki landed awkwardly on Candido's leg, and the scene afterwards brought back memories of the infamous moment in WCW when Sid Vicious broke his leg.
25th April
This past week on Raw we had another example of just how powerful the Internet can be with regards to the professional wrestling industry. Or rather, just how powerful the New York Internet wrestling community is.
We all remember the reception they gave Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 20, just days after the news broke that he was quitting the WWE to pursue a career in the NFL. The WWE had no plans to announce Lesnar's departure on air, but were forced to quickly backtrack when the Madison Square Garden crowd turned on Lesnar.
It was the same last Monday. The situation between Matt Hardy, Amy "Lita" Dumas and Adam "Edge" Copeland has been played out very publicly across the Internet, so at times it feels like anyone with access to a computer has become a part of the situation. So was it really any surprise that the MSG faithful turned on Lita last Monday?
We all remember the reception they gave Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 20, just days after the news broke that he was quitting the WWE to pursue a career in the NFL. The WWE had no plans to announce Lesnar's departure on air, but were forced to quickly backtrack when the Madison Square Garden crowd turned on Lesnar.
It was the same last Monday. The situation between Matt Hardy, Amy "Lita" Dumas and Adam "Edge" Copeland has been played out very publicly across the Internet, so at times it feels like anyone with access to a computer has become a part of the situation. So was it really any surprise that the MSG faithful turned on Lita last Monday?
26th March
It's been a while since I've written one of these regular columns, so with Wrestlemania 21 fast approaching, now seemed the right time to express some opinions on a few things.
A couple of weeks ago on Raw, we aging wrestling fans were taken back a few years, with a Rockers reunion between Marty Janetty and Shawn Michaels, and the appearance of Jake "The Snake" Roberts on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel, as he became another of Randy Orton's victims on his Legend Killer tour.
It was the Snake Man's appearance that seemed to get everyone talking the most, and it also made me realize that a lot of people who follow the wrestling business can be rather two-faced at times.
A couple of weeks ago on Raw, we aging wrestling fans were taken back a few years, with a Rockers reunion between Marty Janetty and Shawn Michaels, and the appearance of Jake "The Snake" Roberts on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel, as he became another of Randy Orton's victims on his Legend Killer tour.
It was the Snake Man's appearance that seemed to get everyone talking the most, and it also made me realize that a lot of people who follow the wrestling business can be rather two-faced at times.
18th February
While going through some old wrestling videos this week, I chanced upon a copy of the 1996 Survivor Series, and given the news that came out of the WWE concerning a now former WWE superstar, it got me thinking.
On that November night back in '96, a new young superstar made his debut, and was branded the future of the company. The young Rocky Maivia seemed to have it all, and was pushed to the moon, defeating a certain Hunter Hearst Helmsley to win the Intercontinental title soon after his debut. The only problem was that the fans weren't buying what Rocky was selling. At a time when an anti-hero such as Steve Austin was flipping the bird to everyone in sight, and a certain faction was tearing the house down in WCW, Rocky Maivia's character made the fans reach for the proverbial sick bags. The instructions he was getting from the booking team - "you just can't smile enough", would have gotten him over ten years previously, but not in the mid-nineties.
On that November night back in '96, a new young superstar made his debut, and was branded the future of the company. The young Rocky Maivia seemed to have it all, and was pushed to the moon, defeating a certain Hunter Hearst Helmsley to win the Intercontinental title soon after his debut. The only problem was that the fans weren't buying what Rocky was selling. At a time when an anti-hero such as Steve Austin was flipping the bird to everyone in sight, and a certain faction was tearing the house down in WCW, Rocky Maivia's character made the fans reach for the proverbial sick bags. The instructions he was getting from the booking team - "you just can't smile enough", would have gotten him over ten years previously, but not in the mid-nineties.
25th January
The other day, during a quiet moment, I found myself just wondering what was the biggest mistake a professional wrestling booker has ever made. There's been some good examples over the past few years, such as Kensuke Sasaki's recent IWGP title victory, or the Katie Vick saga, or the Al Wilson/Dawn Marie romance. But I quickly dismissed all of these and went back to April 25th, 2000, and a night in the history of World Championship Wrestling that will always send a shudder through the spines of wrestling fans.
Does anyone remember the film Ready To Rumble? Sadly, this wasn't a biography of legendary boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer. This was a film, sponsored by the once mighty WCW and starring David Arquette as a nerdish wrestling fan intent on helping his hero regain the World title.
Now that you've heard the name of David Arquette you'll know what I'm about to write about. But please, read on.
Does anyone remember the film Ready To Rumble? Sadly, this wasn't a biography of legendary boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer. This was a film, sponsored by the once mighty WCW and starring David Arquette as a nerdish wrestling fan intent on helping his hero regain the World title.
Now that you've heard the name of David Arquette you'll know what I'm about to write about. But please, read on.
18th January
A year ago, Randy Orton was being hailed as the next big thing in the wrestling business. As the former next big thing, Brock Lesnar, was on his way out of the wrestling business, Orton was the shining light of Evolution, the top young star on the Raw brand, and at the beginning of a program with Mick Foley that would catapult him to the next level.
One year on, and Orton is a former Intercontinental and World Heavyweight Champion, and the number one contender to Triple H's crown. But for me, he's no longer the legend killer.
Like a lot of people a year ago, I was impressed with everything that Orton did. He carried himself well in the ring, had great matches with everyone he faced, and was one of the best talkers in the WWE. He was spitting in the face of tradition, taking himself to the next level. Indeed, he really was a killer of legends.
When Orton defeated Chris Benoit for the World title at Summerslam last August, everyone knew he was heading towards a main event showdown with his mentor and Evolution leader, Triple H. But just a day after defeating Benoit, Orton's Evolution buddies turned him face, and three weeks later, he was an ex-World Champion.
It had been rumoured for ages that an Orton/Triple H feud would headline Wrestlemania 21 in Los Angeles. We all thought that the rivalry between the two would last quite a long time, that Triple H's jealousy of his young team-mate would be a brooding one, that the affair would last up to six months, with Orton dumping Triple H out of Evolution, replacing him as leader, then facing his former mentor at the big one. But the creatives apparently had other ideas.
Orton played the role of the legend killer to perfection. He was the heel we loved to hate. There was no doubt that he would end up with the World title around his waist. We just thought that his title reign would be measured in months rather than weeks.
Since he joined the baby-face ranks last year, Orton just seems to have lost his edge a little. He's still a great wrestler, capable of putting on good matches with everyone he faces, but now he seems to have entered the generic baby-face mode. He is no longer the legend killer. He is still capable of talking a good fight, but there's something about the man that just seems a little bland these days.
I don't think I'm the only one that thinks that perhaps the wrong member of Evolution was turned face the day after Summerslam. It would have been a lot better if Orton had remained a heel, and had set his sights on killing the legend of Triple H.
You only have to look at how Edge's career has gone in the past few months. He's gone from generic baby-face to the heel obsessed with winning the World title, getting crazier by the week as he continues to fail.
In their rush to find the new Stone Cold or Rock, the WWE creatives may have bombed by turning Randy Orton so quickly after Summerslam. The WWE seriously needs another breakout star, but at the moment, it looks like Orton isn't the man.
One year on, and Orton is a former Intercontinental and World Heavyweight Champion, and the number one contender to Triple H's crown. But for me, he's no longer the legend killer.
Like a lot of people a year ago, I was impressed with everything that Orton did. He carried himself well in the ring, had great matches with everyone he faced, and was one of the best talkers in the WWE. He was spitting in the face of tradition, taking himself to the next level. Indeed, he really was a killer of legends.
When Orton defeated Chris Benoit for the World title at Summerslam last August, everyone knew he was heading towards a main event showdown with his mentor and Evolution leader, Triple H. But just a day after defeating Benoit, Orton's Evolution buddies turned him face, and three weeks later, he was an ex-World Champion.
It had been rumoured for ages that an Orton/Triple H feud would headline Wrestlemania 21 in Los Angeles. We all thought that the rivalry between the two would last quite a long time, that Triple H's jealousy of his young team-mate would be a brooding one, that the affair would last up to six months, with Orton dumping Triple H out of Evolution, replacing him as leader, then facing his former mentor at the big one. But the creatives apparently had other ideas.
Orton played the role of the legend killer to perfection. He was the heel we loved to hate. There was no doubt that he would end up with the World title around his waist. We just thought that his title reign would be measured in months rather than weeks.
Since he joined the baby-face ranks last year, Orton just seems to have lost his edge a little. He's still a great wrestler, capable of putting on good matches with everyone he faces, but now he seems to have entered the generic baby-face mode. He is no longer the legend killer. He is still capable of talking a good fight, but there's something about the man that just seems a little bland these days.
I don't think I'm the only one that thinks that perhaps the wrong member of Evolution was turned face the day after Summerslam. It would have been a lot better if Orton had remained a heel, and had set his sights on killing the legend of Triple H.
You only have to look at how Edge's career has gone in the past few months. He's gone from generic baby-face to the heel obsessed with winning the World title, getting crazier by the week as he continues to fail.
In their rush to find the new Stone Cold or Rock, the WWE creatives may have bombed by turning Randy Orton so quickly after Summerslam. The WWE seriously needs another breakout star, but at the moment, it looks like Orton isn't the man.
11th January
Those of you reading this in Britain will know of Alex Shane's recent FWA title victory over Doug Williams and British Uprising III. However, although I'm sure Alex will make a fine FWA British Champion, from a story line perspective, did he really earn his title shot?
Alex had just come off a long feud with Steve Corino. During that time he also suffered losses to the rookie, Aviv Maayan, before losing the big payoff match with Corino. Alex said in a telephone interview on Blake Norton's Bagpipe Report show on The Wrestling Channel that he didn't know if he was going to get a shot at Doug's title because of his loss to Corino. Yet come November 13th, Alex was crowned the new FWA British Champion.
Late last year Booker T lost a thrilling best-of-five series with John Cena, and lost the WWE US title in the process. After his loss to Cena, Booker was thrust into a story line where he challenged John Bradshaw Layfield for the WWE title. At the time I wondered why Booker was challenging for the title when he had just lost to Cena. If he couldn't defeat Smackdown's secondary champion, why did he deserve a crack at Smackdown's main man?
Alex had just come off a long feud with Steve Corino. During that time he also suffered losses to the rookie, Aviv Maayan, before losing the big payoff match with Corino. Alex said in a telephone interview on Blake Norton's Bagpipe Report show on The Wrestling Channel that he didn't know if he was going to get a shot at Doug's title because of his loss to Corino. Yet come November 13th, Alex was crowned the new FWA British Champion.
Late last year Booker T lost a thrilling best-of-five series with John Cena, and lost the WWE US title in the process. After his loss to Cena, Booker was thrust into a story line where he challenged John Bradshaw Layfield for the WWE title. At the time I wondered why Booker was challenging for the title when he had just lost to Cena. If he couldn't defeat Smackdown's secondary champion, why did he deserve a crack at Smackdown's main man?
Sunday, December 18, 2005
WWE Armageddon 2005 - TV Review
It’s that time of the month again, as WWE present their last pay-per-view of 2005, with the Smackdown brand presenting Armageddon.
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