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WWE Confidential Recap (9.20.03)
Posted by Peter Kostka on Sep 21, 2003, 00:54
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Really the only major thing to talk about this week is the Smackdown Iron Man match this past Thursday. Others more opinionated than me have tossed their thoughts out there, but here are mine: I thought the match was good, but two things really deterred my enjoyment of the whole thing.
1) The commercial breaks really killed any possible flow the match could have gotten into.
2) The first 30 minutes or so really didn�t grab my attention. It was until Angle was down 5-2 that it really kicked into gear. That being said, the last 15-20 minutes or so were better because the psychology was there, Angle desperately trying to come back and Brock using suplexes to �sit on the ball� so to speak.
If I was asked for a rating, I�d probably put it at a solid 7/10 or ***1/2 so.
Also, memo to the Pittsburgh Steelers: SCORE, MOTHERFUCKERS, SCORE against the Bengals, please!!
Let�s get to it.
This Week: The conclusion of the Superstar Graham story, we take a look at the Rock�s new movie and Trish Stratus� new DVD, and much more.
Mean WHOO Gene is your host, per usual. He plugs The Rundown which opens this Friday and mentions RAW will have footage from the premiere, which sends us to our first segment.
Behind the Scenes: The Rundown
The basic plot is that Rock is a bounty hunter that wants to retire, but is sent on one last mission to catch Seann William Scott�s character. Rock says the movie is very character driven, unlike most action movies. He speaks highly of co-star Christopher Walken, calling him the �ultimate bad guy�, but doesn�t want to offer his impression of Walken because it �sucks, really, really sucks.� He also compliments Rosario Dawson, saying �another six months and the Rock will come over and �water your flowers��. He�s kidding, of course. Since he and Seann William Scott are in a �buddy picture�, they hung out a bit before filming began just to find out if there is chemistry and a real vibe between the two. Seann says that he and the Rock have had the best chemistry Seann has ever had in a movie. They share a tender moment, holding hands while Seann marvels at the size of Rock�s���NO, NOT THAT!! His arms, fools! Seann recalls when a terrified Rock had a huge spider on his leg. Rock is a man and admits that spiders give him the willies. Besides, �it was one of the most poisonous spiders out there�. A makeup guy put a rubber spider in Rock�s pocket as a rib, causing him to freak. That man is now doing makeup for the Anna Nicole Show. Rock then takes us to a club in LA where they shot a scene where Rock had to get a Superbowl ring from the Miami Dolphins, leading to a big fight sequence, which, along with all the other fights, was choreographed by Andy Cheng, who also worked on the Scorpion King and both Rush Hour movies, along with a few other Jackie Chan films. Cheng puts kind of a different spin on fight scenes, trying to incorporate different things (an example is the whip fight scene in this movie). He also puts over the director Peter Burg, saying that he�s a �young guy with a fresh take on things.� He also likes the nudie bars. Rock believes in every scene and we see some footage of the film to close. A Rock Bottom is busted out in the club, by the way.
The movie doesn�t look half bad. I�ll probably make the trek out to see it next weekend. 1/1
- Commercials �
WWE Rewind: Lita returns on RAW.
Behind the Scenes II: Trish Stratus: 100% Stratusfaction Guaranteed
As she became more and more successful, Trish knew that a home video would be possible since there is a good story to tell with her. We see a bit of the progression of Trish�s career, from her debut with T&A (not the promo, thank God), to her improvement as a wrestler. Her favorite part of the video is creating all the moments. We go through the creative process, starting with her doing voiceovers. She is very hands-on in the process, helping pick out the cover and the graphics. Part of the DVD is the 10 Most Stratusfying Moments, chosen by the fans. She thought it was neat to see what has transpired in her career so far. We watch Trish and Jericho at the MuchMusic awards, and Trish comments that that footage really captured another side of her, the more silly side. She says everything in the WWE is a team effort, involving a lot of people (well, maybe except where Vince is involved). She plugs the release date (this Tuesday, Sept. 23rd) and we say bye-bye.
Trish wears glasses that are strikingly similar to mine. Just thought I�d point that out. 1.5/2
- Commercials �
Confidential is Brought to You By: Wrestlemania XIX for the Gamecube, YJ Stinger, and Castrol GTX.
Outside the Ropes: Tajiri
Smackdown NUMBAH ONE ANNOUNCER~! Funaki is your host this week. As you�d expect, we�re gonna need the subtitles for this one. Funaki is italicized, and Tajiri is in �quotation marks.�
NUMBAH 1: Considering the current social and economic climate��money��you know what I�m shouting. How does the dollar compare to the yen?
�Personally, I feel that the yen will always be weak because of the stunted Western growth system. I pick dollar!�
NUMBAH 2: Emperor Hirohito, doomed?
�Myself, I�ve always enjoyed a good dictatorship. It�s sad when it�s over.�
NUMBAH 3: Which is better: Pokemon or Dragonball Z?
�Ooh, Pokemon, hands down. You just have to love that Pikachu. Yellow and fluffy, what�s not to love about that?�
NUMBAH 4: Who would win in a fight: Pikachu or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
�Would it be 4 on 1?� (Of course.)
�An interesting question you ask. The Turtles have numbers, but Pikachu can shoot lightning out of his butt.�
NUMBAH 5: Sensei.....Mr. Miyagi......You know, from that movie Karate Kid, that stupid movie from the 80s......
�Remember Elisabeth Shue from that movie?�
I do.
"What a piece of ass!!�
I hear that�I hear that. Mr. Miyagi, has there been a greater sensei?
�Miyagi sucks, obsessed with those stupid trees�instead of Elisabeth Shue.�
NUMBAH 6: Wax on, or wax off?
�That�s a very personal question.�
Do your thing, Buzzsaw, I don�t mind at all.
NUMBAH 7: In The Karate Kid, remember the crane kick Daniel used to finish off Johnny?
�Yeah, Johnny really walked into that one.�
Have you ever considered using the crane?
�No, my feet are like hummingbird � very quick. Stupid American questions.�
NUMBAH 8: Why do Japanese newspapers read up and down?
�This is the correct way to read�everyone else does it wrong.�
Inquiring minds wanted to know.
�Inquiring minds ask some stupid questions.�
NUMBAH 9: Who is the better tag team partner: Ichiro or Hideki Matsui, New York?
�Baseball is for pansies�real men wrestle!�
NUMBAH 10: You often use green mist on your opponents, but the colors of Japan are red and white, like your shirt. *Points to it* Red. White.
�Well, red is also the color of blood and I don�t want my opponent to think I have tuberculosis.�
Hilarious. Just hilarious. This segment proves that we need hosts other than Matthews to make these things work. 2.5/3
- Commercials �
Gene reminds us that Wrestlemania XX tickets go on sale this coming Saturday morning.
From the Vault with the Basham Brothers
Their pick, along with a completely 80s promo, is from Wrestlemania IV:
Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. Strike Force (C) (WWF Tag team title match)
This match is clipped all to hell, so I�ll just skip to the finish where Martel has the Boston Crab locked in on Smash and Tito goes after Fuji, which allows Ax to grab the cane and bop Martel for the pin and Demolition�s first Tag Titles.
I just can�t in good conscience figure out why a 7 minute match was clipped to 30 seconds. Not even hearing the Demolition theme again can garner any points. 2.5/4
- Commercials �
Legendary Look Back: Superstar Billy Graham (part 3)
While in bed one night in December 2001, Graham�s wife heard her husband cough and felt something wet under her. She turned on the light and discovered that Graham was coughing up copious amounts of blood. She took him to the emergency room and found out from the doctor that her husband is dying and there is nothing they could do about it. But about an hour later, the bleeding had stopped. That�s when they found out that Graham�s liver was completely shot and that a transplant was needed. His pastor Brad Baker recalls that Graham was very sluggish and lethargic. He slept a lot more and no one really saw him much. He was told that the odds of finding a donor were very very bad, there are only about 5,000 donors in the US/year and about 18,000 people need liver transplants in that same timeframe. They found out at first that it would probably take five years to get a donor for him. The next September (2002), Graham took a turn for the worse, so it was decided that he needed one now. We see a picture of his old liver, and it ain�t a pretty sight; his gallbladder is completely shriveled and destroyed. The waiting list for donors goes by severity, the people who have a greater chance of dying sooner get priority, the healthier people are next, and it goes from there. On October 18th, they found a donor and went to the Mayo Clinic for the procedure. Graham�s wife thought it was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that someone had to die in order to make her husband well. The donor was a 26 year old woman named Katie Gilroy, who died in a car accident. When he woke up after the surgery, he felt �different�, feeling so good that he stayed up for 36 straight hours and became an advocate of organ donation. He returned to the gym and goes there 7 days a week now. He lifts and it looks like that liver is about to burst out of his body and land on the bench press. He just wanted to show how well someone can recover after getting a transplant. His pastor noticed a change in his spirit from someone who isn�t sure of what�s ahead, to someone who knows what�s ahead. He got over his bitterness and wrote Vince a personal letter to apologize for what he did to him. At Summerslam, he visited the locker room for the first time in 14 years, meeting old friends like Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, Gerry Brisco and Shawn Michaels, and meeting some of the workers like The Dudleys, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg. He greets Linda and embraces Vince for the first time in a while. Graham says that Vince �forgets the past and holds no grudges.� Hmm�..nah, I won�t say anything. Vince pretty much states that since Graham lost and was �squashed�, Vince can forget the past. Vince also says that Graham could have been �the shit� if he got the opportunity. Well, wasn�t he World Champion and selling out the place before he lost to Backlund?
Gene also advocates organ donation. Very nice conclusion to this story. 3.5/5
- Commercials �
12cc�s of Victoria, STAT!!!
It�s RAW magazine shoot time again, and this week it�s Victoria. For her shoot, she chose a medical motif because she used to work at a tissue and organ bank, and also wanted to go to medical school. Her outfit is a lab coat over some oh so sexy lingerie. She says the shoot shows off a sexier side of her other than the �psycho girlfriend� she portrays. She thinks the fans like to know as much about the performers as possible.
And of course, the �.5 Diva rule� applies for this one. I�ve always thought Victoria was cute, but�damn. 4/6
Next week: Nothing announced.
Gene runs down the �remarkably average� Unforgiven card, and we close things out.
So with that, I�m out for another week, see you next week. Until then send me feedback and check out my archives
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