thee Reverend Axl Future

Ulf Herman is one of the nicest and funniest guys I ever met in the rasslings, and I honestly believe that his niceness worked against him going farther in the US. If he had been more selfish, there is no reason he could not have been quite successful. - RAF

Several lifetimes ago, Jimmy Snuka was turned from a feared heel to one of the top babyfaces. They need to study their own history. - RAF

My WM booking idea, free! and worth every penny: Daniel Bryan is leading the crowd at the end of the next RAW, and *BONG*, The Undertaker shows up, makes his dramatic way to the ring, hands DB a scroll and points to the WrestleMania sign. Next show we find out that 'Taker has picked Bryan to be his WM opponent IF he remains undefeated until then, giving HHH and Stephanie McMahon full rein to book his matches (maybe just against previous victims of The Streak?). Obviously DB makes it after a hard-fought plucky underdog road, giving the crowd an important match and screwing "The Authority" (ugh) as well as removing Bryan from the championship mishegas. I'd buy a ticket, RAF

I would enjoy Sting coming in before WM in street clothes to promote the network, and get attacked by 3MB. He shows up next as JokerSting and gets overpowered again. He cycles thru his other personas/gimmicks/wardrobes weekly until finally at WM we get SurferSting getting his revenge in the sorbet* match. aaawwwoooo, RAF *a "sorbet match" is a palate cleansing, often nostalgic or comedic match between important bouts, but is still satisfying and entertaining. It is not to be confused with a "popcorn match" which is rejected by the audience and entirely skipable.

A contract for Keibler is cheaper than paying a media consultant to get the equivalent publicity for WWE and the Divas TV show, and therefore increased eyes/buys/ratings/etc. They would make more money from hiring her and that is the bottom line. She left on good terms and is good at the celebrity thang. I need a unicorn Harley Race chaser now, RAF

Y'know, may the Rassling Godz bless Marc Mero for taking that awful Johnny B. Badd gimmick and running with it unabashedly. It really was embarrassing but he tried his darndest. he's a bbaaaaddd man, RAF

Hobo Army's caught the Madness! Possibly also mastered the claw. They're gonna be unstoppable now. Does this fellow hold a rank in the Hobo Army, or is thee HA more of an anarchist collective until Mr. McMahon makes it a benevolent dictatorship? I defer to your booking, sir,,, ten-hup, RAF

The Volcano of Blood match - this is still thrilling. Put this on at a party full of non-fans and watch them shut their yaps. So many good stories, rumors and legends about this, but the best is this: it's just another angle. bless you Raging Bull, RAF

More madness from Hostile City -RAF

it's probably in the giant WWE warehouse space that they store random things in. If you thought Mr. McMahon was effective with a Hobo Army, wait until you see the Legion of Eddie G Clones. viva la raza, RAF

I respectfully disagree with some of your points. Most of the angles/events you mention got over because the outcome mattered and affected the future of the participants aa well as the emotional investment of the viewer. It's up to the WWE to provide reasoning why all match outcomes matter which if filtered through everyone's gimmicks/angles/stipulations. Yes. wins & losses do matter but WHY? It could be money, honor, title defense/opportunity and so on. I think that a straight-faced subtle (two things WWE is bad at) introduction of the money factor would be a huge improvement. Having Jim Ross around would make this so much easier. Don't hammer on it all the time but if it is done well the audience would accept it as it would ease their suspension of disbelief. Applying selective logic to allow us to emotional invest in matches and wrestlers and maintaining a consistent frame of reference to hang all these stories on would be nice. Obviously they never talk about win/loss records except for unbeaten or losing streak gimmicks. W/L stats are counterproductive, particularly win parity booking (slowly, I turned...) - save that for PWI. Since they are the only game in town, they have to be less finicky about moving people from the main event to mid-card to a nice paid vacation, and back again. And for Pete's sake, bring back some jobbers. I know they are a major corporation now, but some thing that used to work will still work. and that's how I see it, RAF

More berry talk, please. I like to think that it was not a spellcheck mistake and some regional carny dialect lingo phrase. mmm, RAF

This is good and true. I do think that of all the WWE superstars that John Cena's gimmick is the closest to his actual personality. - RAF

Nobody is putting those in martinis. Get out more and stop writing message board posts like letters Dear EHDJMV, I respectfully disagree. That Steak Joynt (among others) in Chicago offered them, and I have served them to great effect. In addition, I had an illuminating conversation with Mr. Race about drinking in the lockerroom over Stoli on the rocks (with no garnish). yours truly, RAF

You boys need to get out more: dilly beans & don't doubt thee Handsome One, RAF

Upon further reflection, predicting a RR winner is just wankery, albeit fun wankery. I will just say who I wish would be the last few eliminate and the remaining Winner: Steven Regal, Kevin Sullivan, all three Shield members, CM Punk, Atsushi Onita, Antonio Cesaro, Daniel Bryan and ENZO AMORE. from the heart, RAF p.s. - I may actually venture to the Dark Heart of Square Nerd-dom to watch the event, the Blast Zone known as The Fox & Hound, in Center of Hostile City, yow.

How I wish the Benny Hill music could play throughout the arena during Cena/Orton @ the Royal Rumble like Natural Born Killaz playing during a New Jack match. And as they run a serpentine path throughout the arena, Cena & Orton are themselves chased by Barrett and Layla dressed as bobbies, HFinkel as a ditchdigger, Aksana in a bra and panties (C & O ran thru the Divas locker room), Mae Young's son and The Great Khali ion a lollipop man uniform. Hilarity, fist shaking and a musical number ensue! a mark for Hill's Angels, RAF

He probably stole Brodus Clay's spot. The Yeti! Guys, this is the year. Picture it with the eye in your mind, if you will. The Rhodes Boys are struggling with The Yeti. Reigns just tossed an Uso. Batista is sitting in a corner sucking wind. Ambrose and Rollins are beating down Punk in another corner. The countdown for #30 hits and it's... BUNKHOUSE BUCK! He hits the ring and kicks Goldust in the dick and over the top. He punches Cody in the dick and he goes over the top. He kicks The Yeti in the dick and while he's teetering over the top, Meng pulls him over and Tongan Death Grips him on the floor. Rollins grabs Buck from behind and Ambrose goes to hit him but Buck moves and Ambrose knocks Rollins over the top. Buck kicks Ambrose in the dick and he goes flying over the top. Batista gets up and starts shaking them ropes. Buck starts shaking them fists and then punches Batista in the dick and throws him over the top. Reigns goes for the Superman punch but Buck moves and Meng pulls down the top rope and Reigns goes flying over the top. Punk charges after Buck with a knee but Buck straight punches him in the dick and then kicks him in the head and Punk goes over the top. The Colonel proudly points to the WrestleMania sign. Bunkhouse Buck's going to WrestleMania! SUMMER WINTER OF BUNK 2014! Like this, but needs a Vince's Hobo Army tie-in. I would like to see The Wyatt Family take out a minor RR entrant, just to get DBryan in for an arcane purpose of Bray's twisted mind. OR Bray (with assistance) destroys DB in their match, but Bryan gets into the Rumble at #5 and takes out Rowan & Harper, leaving Batista, Reigns, Cesaro, Del Rio, Big E and DB. I miss the days of the super complex weaving of angles in and around the Rumble that the mighty Pat Patterson used to book. go banana, RAF

Million billion jillion likes/stars/allocades/kowtows. - RAF

I assume that there will be a Wyatt Family v. Usos tag match since none of them are entered into the RR (yet). - RAF

If the concussion were a work, WWE would announce it, I'd think. They're currently sitting on the news. I don't know if they would work a concussion. It's too much of a hot topic. An outside agency could misconstrue it and think they are letting someone work hurt, and the ensuing press release (that it's all pretend) would cast a shadow on their future medical guidelines. I think Cesaro gets a push into the final 8, and Kofi will be there as well (he's always good for a stunt), a returning Sheamus, Batista, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Barrett and Big E (Punk came in early but was screwed by HHH). call me Kreskin, RAF

Bastista, as the heavily hyped returning vet, will come in as a face. He does not need the RR win. The match will be used to set up his next feud: The Shield (they can interfere constantly in his matches with Del Rio in the weeks following the Rumble). I could see them teasing one-on-one with Roman Reigns all the way until WM, which Bastista wins to set up the Shield split. Punk will get screwed by "The Authority" (ugh, that name) to set up his WM match with TripleHHH. DBryan will win.

Don't forget Mr. Olympia and, more tangentially, Steve "Mr. Electricity" Regal. - RAF

Whaaat? Your thought processes are alien to me. The HoF is great. - kidsthesedays, RAF

WWE writes their history retroactively. Whether or not the angle was supposed to last this long/short or end this way, if they establish a scenario like Greggulator outlined above through the media of the announcers and promos, then that is what happened ("canon" as the kids say nowadays). I think that the chant and/or BD's overness always were going to sabotage any sort of turn for him with these modern day anti-hero lovin' crowds. I liked it, RAF