Charro!

From George's last album Symphonica, Some of my personal favorites by George: George Michael was IMO and still is, very underrated as a vocalist & songwriter and it's sad when somebody passes, like with Prince & David Bowie most recently it makes you really respect & admire their artistry. I think George was somebody who could even gone on to bigger & better things because he had the talent to do so. I wouldn't say he would ever have replaced Freddie, but George & Queen would have been a really cool combination. R.I.P. George Michael

I think "Blackberry Way" is The Move's best song. I'd say the induction is more for Jeff Lynne himself, since he's worked with a who's who of rock music - George, Paul & Ringo (even John too posthumously), Brian Wilson, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Del Shannon et al. Del was going to be a Wilbury after The Big O passed away, but sadly committed suicide. ELO as a band have some great songs though, "Out of the Blue" is often cited as their tour de force, but there's some other great tracks which never really get cited by critics when discussing their music. It's usually "All over the World" & "Mr Blue Sky" but songs like "Wishing", "The Diary of Horace Wimp", "Shine A Little Love" among others which deserve their due too. Some rarities by Jeff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWYQcimjUEQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaWa9f_Coao Jeff's disco record~!

Finished watching TLC yesterday, I also watched it in parts. The main event was definitely the best match on the show, it's a pleasant surprise to see how well AJ's fitting in at WWE and he's solidified himself as legitimate star now. His promo work has come on leaps & bounds too. Only downside of the match was Ellsworth interference, but when you think about it it made sense. James helped AJ win the match so he gets his title shot. They should go with Ambrose/Ellsworth now, not sure whether a one night only title win for James Ellsworth would be beneficial now, if he was still a babyface then maybe a Mikey Whipwreck-esque world title win would be have been cool. But again is he really no longer as a 'face as Deano was getting little to no crowd reaction, AJ was getting more of a babyface reaction. I like AJ's heel schtick so I wouldn't turn him, Ambrose I think with his 'crazy' gimmick works better as a heel. Have him do his Loose Cannon 2.0 and push the PG envelope boundaries. Get him to work shoot beat the hell out of James and then have AJ make the save (if you're doing a Demolition/Power of Pain double turn type scenario). I'd have actually put Ambrose with the Wyatt's ahead of Orton, but I think he fits in well with them too. Nikki/Carmella was OK, Becky vs Alexa would have been better without the table stipulation. I'd keep Bliss as a heel for sure, Becky's better as a 'face. Miz/Dolph was very good. The Miz is arguably the best heel on the SmackDown! roster & his character isn't stale IMO, adding Maryse has been a really good choice. I think she could get more involved in his matches and I don't know if she's still an active wrestler but if they do plan on turning Alexa Bliss babyface, I'd have Maryse win the women's title and the Miz beat AJ (if they turn AJ babyface too) for the world title. I think Miz's heel schtick is very old school and I definitely like the idea of him having his own stable. As he one got the approval of the Nature Boy, maybe create a Horsemen-esque stable. I'd bring in Bobby Roode from NXT in the Tully role, Scott Dawson as Arn & Samoa Joe in the Barry/Sid role. Maybe interchange a few pieces of the puzzle but I think that would be a strong stable. Back to TLC, tag team was good. I like Orton in the Wyatt family, I'd have him dress more like a Wyatt family member though, maybe wrestle in a t-shirt/jeans combo ala Dean Ambrose so he fits in more. Kalisto v Baron was good too. I think Kalisto destroying himself for little to no reaction wasn't so good. That's a big thing I noticed. You've got the guy & girls really busting their asses out there and only on the big spots do they get a reaction. I'd re-educate the audience more and lessen up the amount of big bumps they take because you're not going to see the likes of Dolph, Ambrose et al have 20-25+ year careers because of the amount of bumps they take. I have a renewed respect for the talent who go all out to entertain us all & I'd like to see the non-fan audience be more receptive to the fact that they put themselves on the line every time they step into the ring. I really dislike the 'fake' stigma attached to pro-wrestling/sports entertainment. It's pre-determined yes, but nothing about it is fake. I think the Strong style-lite aspect of the product has a detrimental as it's almost a game of one upmanship, even Sasha, Charlotte et al are working a similar style now and I think down the line you are in a danger of shortening careers. I'd have them ease up on the hard shots, do more mat work, less emphasis on high flying big spots & powerful impact moves. As when you see that in every match like Dolph, Kalisto et al bumping all over the place it's like a case of 'Seen it' and it lessens the impact. One big OMG! spot per show is fine, even then it can be overkill. I think they went too far with chairshots in the Attitude Era which is why they cut them down and the Hardcore matches aren't really a factor because they were overkill too. For the TLC PPV I'd just have the main be the showstopping match, Bliss/Lynch didn't need the tables gimmick, Corbin beating Kalisto minus the chairs would have just been as impactful, because of the David v Goliath aspect. So you're cutting injury risk(s) by not doing too much. That would nullify the action some what, but a forgotten aspect of pro-wrestling is the storytelling aspect. Back in the day wrestlers didn't need to throw themselves around the ring, or jump off ladders etc. In hindsight some of the old school matches might be antiquated but Steamboat/Savage still stands up with any match of today. Granted there was high spots, but aspects of the match are mat based too. Same with Liger/Pillman which I watched today on the network. That match would fit in on today's WWE programming and doesn't look a bit out of place. Again, yeah there were high spots, but no one was risking themselves too much and the big bumps did get a big crowd reaction because they told a story. So really it's just re-educating the fans and working a more safer/smarter style. Today's WWE is more influenced by Ring of Honor & the Strong Style than it's more traditional origins. There used to be talk of the WWF(WWE) & WCW style, but now I think there isn't a WWE style that needs to be learned since it's evolved into a hybrid of Strong Style-lite Puroresu and Ring of Honor with the false finishes spots, they work much more stiff than ever before. Bret said the art of wrestling is to look like it really hurts when it doesn't. They need to bring that aspect back to prolong careers and cut down the injury list. But to conclude, a thumbs up for TLC, but I think some matches didn't need the additional stips.

Does anyone know which Nitro has that really fun tag between the Outsiders vs I think, the Stenier brothers maybe?, where they have a real close match and the Steniers (although for some reason I'm thinking Ric Flair was involved so maybe it was against two of the Horsemen?) who almost beat Hall & Nash for the belts. The crowd were super into too IIRC. I have a vague recollection of the match which seems to be from a late 1996-1997 time frame. In hindsight it might not be so good but at the time it was a great tag match.

Yep those were the ones I heard were missing. I assume it's mostly/if not all of the big non-PPV cards/events listed on here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ECW_supercards_and_pay-per-view_events#1992. These are what I'd definitely be interested in seeing too. Although if I'm correct, some of these shows were broken up and shown over consecutive weeks on ECW TV like the Cyberslam 96 for example. Earlier Eastern championship wrestling (pre Paul E) has some novelty value and I'd like to see some of the big events from 1993 like the Funker v Eddie Gilbert.

The Goldust, Truth & Booker episode of Table for 3 is worth checking out, probably my favorite episode so far. I also enjoyed the Show/Kane/Mark episode too. Agreed they need to be longer, but maybe because they are short it makes them more accessible. For example if they were like a 1hr-2hr long I think unless it's a fun group of guys/girls it would drag on. But some like the two I mentioned and the Horsemen one would definitely benefit from being a lot longer than 20 minutes.

OK thanks. Also does anyone know if there's a WWE app for the Virgin Media TiVo box?. I know it's available for the normal TiVos. Had a look online for the UK version, but it doesn't mention it, so I assume it's not possible.

Is the entire ECW library really on the network, as I've heard some shows are missing?. I'd like to check out some of the more notable earlier shows, I think I have some on VHS & DVD but the network makes it so easy just to click on a show and it comes up instantly instead of hunting thru DVDs etc. As for new content - Wrestling Challenge, Superstars, WCW Thunder, WCW Worldwide, WCW Pro among others. Maybe if he gets back in their good graces, Hulks Rock & Wrestlin will be back. I'd also like to see a new Legends roundtable series as I'm assuming its a show they could produce fairly cheaply and get a great panel of guests together for it too.

So I've been watching this on the network and I maybe in the minority here but I kinda like it. Best episode so far is when Noelle hangs out with Becky Lynch and when she's trained by Becky & Sasha. Are there any new episodes coming up as there's only 5 so far. Haven't looked for spoilers, but I'm assuming Noelle hasn't been signed up by the WWE (as of yet anyway).

Badda bing, badda boom, luckiest guy in the room How ya doin'!

Anyone else notice the similarity between the enhancement talent guy who faced Braun and soccer manager Alex McCleish?

If the match had a faint "Fight Forever" chant that would have been the icing on the cake. Props to Matt & Jeff for the FINAL DELETION~!. It was legit TNA's best bit of TV for a long time.

Haven't visited for a while so just saw this and it's John's newer one. Now reading Willie Nelson's autobiography.

Good question. Ric Flair would be top of my list. He had charisma, very good talker and good in-ring too. I think with any big draw you need a solid supporting cast around them so you'd have to have a Harley to put him up against (if Flair worked 'face). Dusty's another good choice, but again he would have to be put up against the right heel. But really what worked say in the 70's, even the 90's doesn't necessarily mean it will translate well today. Say a young Flair came up thru the NXT ranks onto the main roster he could be criticised for the OTT bumps, the OTT promo style etc. Another name which comes to mind from the old school is Gorgeous George. I mean James Brown, Muhammad Ali all borrowed from him and I think his gimmick would translate well that he'd be a fixture on late night talk shows and such. Bruno was super over but I think his strong point was his in-ring work. He's the equivalent of say a Cesaro today. Harley's an interesting one because whilst he isn't somebody you could build a company around as the #1 guy because he does have the flamboyance of a Flair or Dusty, but he's definitely an important corner stone. Superstar's a given really because he's been emulated already by Hogan, Jesse & Big Poppa Pump.

Yea, I heard that recently. Thing is, the Vault was apparently temperature controlled (due to the nature of the tapes in there). So if they haven't taken that into account and there's older tapes which haven't been digitized then they could have inadvertently ruined some of the master tapes in there. Although that would be dependent on the current state of the tape(s) themselves. As an example, I think the BBC had an issue with some of their master recordings of TV shows a while back and they had to preserve them to digital quickly before losing them. It's been rumored/speculated that if Prince does have a will it may say to destroy all the Vault recordings, but I think that although they are songs which he believed weren't up to his quality standards of the time, or fit in with the theme(s) of certain albums there are some songs in it which I'm sure avid collectors will snap up once available commercially and the Vault is really his life's work and legacy. Prince was a 110% dedicated to his craft and I think that fact needs to be documented and celebrated. I don't think they should flood the market with product, but bring out the original configuration of the Dream Factory, a Purple Rain set with the original orchestral score and outtakes of the time period, UTCM with bonus tracks (outtakes/12inch mixes/B-sides), a Crystal Ball Vol II where his fans vote for the songs to be included and keep that continuing, but at a manageable pace. Plus they can release deluxe/super deluxe editions of almost every album, especially the Warner Bros albums and then the NPG label albums. I'm sure there's concerts, music videos, documentary style footage etc. so Prince's estate have a great opportunity to put out some awesome stuff for his fans. It's just that it needs to be done in the right way and I would try and involve the fanbase as much as possible too because they are more familiar with the unreleased songs already and know which will appeal to a more mainstream audience.

Finished Burt Reynolds autobiography recently some fun stories in there about his career in Hollywood, especially the stuff about Bette Davis & Joan Crawford. I'd recommend it. Now finishing reading John Lydon's book. It's a bit over the place as it's interspersed with John's thoughts about things after each chapter but in general it's a good read, although it skews a bit more heavily towards PiL than the Sex Pistols.

Although they aren't as mainstream as his other hits, Prince had the Xpectation album [NPG Music Club release] with all songs on the album beginning with the letter X: Xhalation Xcogitate Xemplify Xpectation Xotica Xogenous Xpand Xosphere Xpedition For Y there's Young & Beautiful from the One Nite Alone NPG Music club release and for Z, Zannalee from Chaos & Disorder. A to Z of Prince courtesy of his great fansite P, list was made in 2005 so some of his newer music isn't included. It also includes songs he wrote for other artists (The Time, Vanity 6, The Family et al)

Chyna's passing is sad on many levels. She never got her due for being a trailblazer for women's wrestling. She went up against the guys and held her own. First and to date only woman to hold the Intercontinental title, first woman to enter the Royal Rumble, one of the founding members of D-Generation-X and as it's been said, behind Austin & Rock, she was a huge part of the Attitude Era. Her story seemed to sadly be one of always looking for acceptance, she entered a male dominated world and managed to succeed against the odds. I remember reading in her book she talked about having to change her appearance to look more feminine as he had some nasty comments about her look and to go from that unnecessary horribleness she sadly had to deal with to then becoming a sex symbol and a Playboy centerfold was another achievement in as much as those who put her down no doubt probably bought the Playboy she was in. How her life unraveled, from being at the top to going into tailspin is especially sad. Not to point fingers or pass any judgement, but if the relationship between Hunter & Steph never happened, I wonder whether Chyna would have continued to go on to even bigger things in the WWE and branch out into action movies. I was sad to hear that her personal life was in turmoil and was happier to read she was getting her life together in Japan and I remember watching her videos and seeing her happy. Whilst I don't think she'd have got another run, somewhere down the line I think they could have mended fences between Stephanie & Trips and we'd have seen her in the Hall of Fame. She paved the way for the likes of Beth Phoenix, Kong has paid tribute to her on Twitter and it changed fans mindsets in the fact that a woman can be just as a tough as any man. Reading Cactus post on Facebook about how she was kind to his daughter and how they met up again was emotionally and it was heartening to see that Jerry, Debra, Vince Russo among others were still cool with her and it's sad that no one could really reach out to her and help her when she was having personal issues again. I'm hoping WWE are respectful of Chyna in terms of not being too overly praiseworthy over her importance because that would come across as wrong for those who know the story behind their fallout. What I'd like to see is guys like Road Dogg, HBK, Cactus, Lawler, Vince, Shane O, even Hunter say a few words in tribute and a nice video package. Chyna should definitely be the next ladies HOF inductee, she truly deserves the accolade. It's sad to talk about anyone in hindsight but her career could have been even more successful and I think reading/hearing stories since, behind the Chyna persona, Joanie Laurer was down to earth, kind & caring and I'm hoping that aspect is focused upon more often instead of somebody who was dealing with deep personal issues and become somebody that was in no way of representative of who she really was. If there's any solace to this story, I really hope she's at peace now. It's such a terrible shame though that like what happened with Warrior before he passed she didn't get closure with what happened with Hunter & Stephanie. Chyna will always be the 9th Wonder of the World and I hope her place in pro-wrestling history will now be documented and a spotlight shone on her which will be rightly deserved. R.I.P. Joanie Laurer

I don't know why, but Prince's passing has really hit home for me, even more so than Michael Jackson's. Maybe because it was such a massive shock as he looked ageless and was doing the Piano & a Microphone concerts to great reviews. I was and still am a huge, huge fan of his music. I haven't really been able to listen to "Purple Rain" in full or any of his slower songs, especially "Sometimes it Snows in April". Just the happier uptempo songs like "Alphabet St", "Raspberry Beret" etc. I think he was a true definition of the word genius, his music spanned so many different genres, he brought people of all colors together and his concerts & after shows are legendary. He was an electrifying on stage performer, could sing any style, he even rapped!, multi instrumentalist, plus he had an effortless cool that no one else could really replicate. He also played homage to the legends before him too - Jimi, Sly, Stevie, James, George C the list goes on. There was and will only be one Prince Rogers Nelson. Like Michael Jackson, he was an enigma, a trailblazer, an originator, a creator, an inspiration to countless artists and like Michael he also had a very loyal fanbase which loved & respected him and I believe from what I've read since he's passed, the love was reciprocated. At one time he even competed against himself when he had Vanity 6, The Time and made the whole Minneapolis sound mainstream with 1999. There's so many what if-s and maybes in retrospect, one of the biggest what if questions is would Prince have been a bigger star if he made Purple Rain 2.0 instead of ATWIAD?, I like to think that Around... was a creative expression so he could branch into a different type of genres like Wendy & Lisa introduced him too, as IMO ATWIAD is very Beatles/Joni Mitchell-esque. Prince has left us with an amazing musical legacy and if Warner Brothers opens the mythical vault then his music will continue to entertain & inspire generations for many years to come. R.I.P. Prince Rogers Nelson, gone way too soon but never ever forgotten

I'm gonna go with Jeff, but I like Roy a lot too. Both are very, very interlinked with each other & were in the Idle Race (if I'm correct), definitely in the Move which eventually transitioned into E.L.O. Wizzard were a top Glam Rock band and Roy wrote one of the better novelty Christmas records "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" too. Jeff Lynne gets my vote because of the fact he's a totally underrated songwriter, worked with Brian Wilson, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Ringo, George Harrison, Bob Dylan and of course was a TRAVELLING WILBURY~!. Jeff's heavily influenced by The Beatles which is interwoven with his work for ELO (Horace Wimp is one good example) and it all went full circle when he produced "Free As A Bird". I'd actually like to see the original ELO reunite with Roy Wood, Bev Bevan et al. I know some of the guys at one point broke off to form Violinski too which had a hit with "Clog Dance".

They should have had Deano turn up to that spiritual retreat in character, instead he was kinda mute and like it's been said he only said a few words. Anyone else think Eva Marie is probably the most likeable character on this show?. She's buying into her character & focusing on getting better in the ring etc and seems to listen to the trainers which makes a good impression to not only WWE management but to the fans who'll see that yea she's not the greatest wrestler but atleast she's trying. I thought the whole Paige/Foxy/Dustin thing was cool and whilst almost everything else on this show is kayfabed, I have a feeling that was a legit thing because you could see he was legit super nervous when talking to his folks. Good for him for being true to himself and coming out. Although WWE must have vetted him to the max before letting Paige & Alicia meet up with him because I'd imagine they must get some wacko fans. But yea, episode 10 was kinda fun, you had the whole Spiritual stuff with D-Bry, Brie, Ambrose & Renee et al, Eva trying to be coerced into the whole Red & Gold thing but staying solo, Mandy jumping aboard the Neidhart family vacation (looks like they will be showing that next episode) and the Paige/Foxy thing with Dustin.

Great win for Liverpool mid week, but personally I'd have rather they won the Capital One cup instead. Klopp needs a big clear out in the summer and I'd start first of all with the defense. Jon Flanagan is probably the best guy they've got at the back. Giving Mignolet a big contract seems in hindsight to be a mistake, he made some good saves at the Cup final but the goal he let in he should have easily kept out. Somebody like Manuel Neuer would be great for Liverpool but I don't think he'll leave Bayern. Up front, might be a surprise for some fans but if a big offer came in for Sturridge I'd sell him. Mainly because he's injury prone and with the money they could generate from his sale they could sign a top international striker. I think they should have pulled all the stops out to keep Luis Suarez since I think with someone like Jurgen Klopp in charge he could have built a superb team around Luis & be challenging for the top 4, even the title again. Right now, Liverpool are treading water & there are glimpses of potential greatness, like the great performance against City, but they have to be consistent. They are kinda reminiscent of Kevin Keegan's Newcastle in his first reign with the Toon, great going forward, but can't defend for toffee. As for the Premiership title this season, outside of Liverpool, I'd actually like to see Leicester City win as it would break up the monotony of one of the big four winning it (Arsenal, City, Man U & Chelsea). Next season will be fun with Jose potentially at Man United and Pep definitely at Man City so they can re-live that rivalry again. Hopefully they'll give Klopp a lot of money to spend wisely in the summer and bring in some of his old friends from Dortmund like Mat Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, Marco Reus & if he wasn't with Bayern Robert Lewandowski. One of the guys I see definitely leaving is Christian Benteke. Balotelli is currently on loan with Milan so it makes you wonder whether he'll flourish under Jurgen Klopp or if they'll ship him out in the Summer to AC on a permanent deal too.

Really sad news, the video of him getting out his wheelchair & walking again is one which is both truly inspiring & also very emotional at the same time. Hayabusa was definitely one of my favourite wrestlers, he had a super cool gimmick The Phoenix with the mask, the cool theme music & was also a great wrestler & high flyer. It's a huge shame that he had the tragic in-ring accident which ended his in-ring career and I also think he could have been a even bigger name outside of FMW and should be been a star on a grander stage in the WWE and/or WCW. Imagine how awesome matches against Rey, Eddie, Dean Malenko, Y2J during WCW's cruiserweight heyday would have been, but at least Hayabusa has a legacy of great matches against the Gladiator Mike Awesome, Masato Tanaka & Atsushi Onita among others. RIP Eiji Ezaki

Apart from the The Two Escobars, has there been another one on soccer?. There's tons of subject matter that could fill an entire 30 for 30 series on their own- Sir Alex and his Man Utd dynasty, Eric Cantona, Liverpool's run of success in the 70's/80s, Brian Clough & Peter Taylor, '66 World Cup, Gazza, Sir Bobby Robson, Malcolm Allison among others. Maybe ESPN should make soccer documentaries exclusive for the UK audience. Maybe ones about Cloughie and the bigger characters in soccer would translate well over to the US audience too.