J_Stewart

Sounds familiar Exactly what I'd like to see, although with the Punk - Cena feud picking up a little later than Summerslam and going all the way until Elimination chamber with Rocky costing Cena the title for the build to their 'Mania main event, Cena - Rock, WWE title, World Heavyweight title and possibly 'Taker streak match, 'Mania books itself. As you say though, never going to happen - wouldn't be surprised to see Superman winning clean at MITB and that being the end of it - but it'd be absolute class if it did.

Yeah, pretty bittersweet from that perspective, although I'm pretty sure Tommy Dreamer sold WWE the rights to his name and he's been using it ever since he left, so there's still a possibility. The more CM Punk in WWE the better WWE will be though, so if he has signed a new multi-year deal I'll be absolutely delighted.

That is absolutely sensational. The only way that story could be more Daily Mail is - as you say - they had a black man trying to steal her purse and if they mused on what she'd thought on falling house prices with a not so subtle dig at immigrants. Another fine piece of work from everyone's favourite liberal daily.

After that review it still gets 10/10? Do you do footballer performance reviews for a tabloid paper by any chane?

It was definitely a work, there's no doubting that, but apparently (what I read this morning anyway) he was essentially told to go out and talk about the reasons he was leaving and was given free reign to discuss what he wanted and if and when the producers or Vince felt he was going too far they'd cut him off, which would probably explain why it was cut off just before a story about Vince and the WWE's current stance on bullying was made to look terrible. MVP said on twitter that he thought this could be Punks "Austin 3:16" moment...I very much hope he's right and WWE don't f**k this up, haven't been as excited about something in wrestling since the Nexus debut and Punks promo was much better than that. Quite fancy the Northern Hotel on the 20th, any idea how many it'll hold Dee?

Oh no, I didn't mean the actual concept for the promo itself, the Undertaker one I mentioned before is just one of the examples, was more the content I was referring to, mentioning ROH and Colt Cabana seeing as how the Steen promo is a fairly large talking point on the 'net at the minute. Finally got a chance to see Punks promo there (can't get videos on the server in the office), one of the best I've seen in a long long time. CM Punk is the best thing in mainstream wrestling a present by a mile. Edited to add, that's the 'Taker interview there, wasn't American Badass as I thought, was just before the Taker Vince feud and the Ministry,etc, not exactly the same as it obviously mentions Kane, Paul Bearer, etc, but similar theme until Vince gets involved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlVHJ8srJ0Q&feature=related

I'm also guessing this'll lead to the disbanding of Nexus and is why Mason Ryan has been made to look like a bit of a monster recently for a singles push perhaps. Wonder if Punks promo (if it was indeed a work) has been planned for a while or whether creative were influenced at all by Kevin Steen's promo from BITW the other night?

I watched it last night, would give it a 7/10 for John Malkovich's performance alone, but the whole main cast were also very good, well written comedy with a light -hearted touch as you say. 8/10 for me.

Haven't seen Punks promo yet (it's supposed to be amazing) but I think it's very probably a work in the same way the Undertaker did a shoot-work promo during the heel part of his American-Badass days. Really hope Punk sticks around, he's by far and away the best thing in wrestling at the moment and deserves to be on the biggest stage.

I think that Christian could very easily be one of the top guys in WWE, he has the in-ring ability, he's been over for years and he's certainly got the mic skills, but the way this turn has been booked has been terrible in my opinion. I'm all for a whiny heel, but not at the very start of a turn (especially when he had so much momentum as a face for the last 6 months). If they'd turned Orton and booked it the exact way it has with Christian being treated unfairly and being cheated - even having a Teddy Long heelish turn (injecting some much needed interest to his character) with a "he's a bigger star than you, I want him as Smackdown Champion angle" perhaps to explain the original title switch - it would have worked perfectly, you'd have a heel authority figure and a heel champion cheating to victories with the chasing face being screwed over time and again, however, having a newly turned heel losing unfairly and being treated unfairly by the GM in the way Christian has been just makes him look sympathetic and makes it near impossible to get over as a full fledged heel. While it doesn't make Orton look strong as a face either. Can't help but think it's been handled poorly. Totally agree with the commentary, I'd have Matthews, King and Cole on Raw and Grisham, Booker and cole on Smackdown, they really need to get some continuity so they can build a rapport together, as all the swapping that's been going on has been horrendous.

It's no wonder CM Punk is unhappy, it's been happening for years, but yet more evidence in the 'From the Vault' on Smackdown where even as World Heavyweight Champion he loses clean to John Morrison...can you imagine Cena or Orton doing that job?

Just watching Smackdown, I think Christian, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes might actually be the only 3 guys I give a rats ass about that are on televised wrestling at the moment.

Just finished Meltdown by Ben Elton. Yet another fantastic piece of satire by (in my opinion) the master of the art form, haven't found another author with the ability to write about the topics of the times with as much humour and poignancy as he does. Great piece of fiction about the repercussions of the recession. Strongly recommend it.

Get Linda back in to her wheelchair and I'm on board. YAAAAASSSS, go on Vinnie Mac.

It would be a massively missed opportunity for a further main event and card builder if Cena still has the title at Wrestlemania, although sadly, unless it's Triple H (or a returning face Jericho) or they move Randy Orton back over to Raw, I can't see which face could carry it at present... Massive Zak Ryder push anyone?

Poor wee Billy Dodds is going to be fucking devestated. OOOOOHHHHH YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH

I'd very much like to see that in a month or so time, maybe even put the belt back on Christian through a Rhodes intervention to start it off, that way they'd have a main event feud with previous history and be able to build something seperate with the title.

Cody Rhodes gets better every single week. He's definitely fit for a main-event feud.

I think more people would have known him as one of the major stars in ROH as opposed to 'that jobber that hung around with Raven in TNA' prior to signing with WWE as TNA weren't exactly the internationally known brand they are now in 2004. Regardless of that though, as far as I'm aware, WWE wrestlers aren't contracted as direct employees, but rather 3rd party contractors (or whatever the American variable is, that's why there has always been rumblings about not having an official wrestelers union, etc) which gives WWE certain benefits, with that in mind, as CM Punk created the name he alone is entitled to ownership of the name. Also, it's pretty rare for WWE to continue to push anyone to the level Punk has been unless they work their ass off and have the talent to back it up, so although they may have given him the mic time and titles, it's because he's worked his ass off to deserve it under the name that he himself created. If you're working with someone as a third party, they have no right to ownership over your products or services unless you explicitly say otherwise (wouldn't have thought it'll be wholly different to that in America). I can understand what you're saying about WWE looking out for their best interests (it wasn't me that said they were assholes or whatever the insult was, just backed up Punks case) but it's Punks image that is associated with the name, not the WWE logo, therefore he's got to look out for his own best interests and not giving them ownership of his name is definitely in his best interests.

That would be fair enough if they had given CM Punk a new name at the very start of his tenure on the main roster ala Bryan Danielson / Daniel Bryan, but they didn't, they kept the same name that HE built prior to signing with them and that a large number of people already knew him by. To then try and take ownership of the name that he spent years prior to his affiliation with them building is ridiculous regardless of how much awareness of that name has increased since his WWE tenure. Edited to add: It'd be like you developing computer software, selling it nationally, hooking up with Microsoft as a third party and selling it internationally and them trying to claim ownership. Just because they've grown the brands awareness doesn't give them a right to ownership of the product you developed.

Did they let Russo write the script for last nights Raw? Didn't see it, but it sounds like a two hour train wreck.

Hooch is crazy!!!