Rise and Fall of WCW Review

I finally got a chance to watch the documentary part on the WWE’s new DVD release “The Rise and Fall of WCW” and I wanted to share my thoughts on it without trying to give an exhaustive and comprehensive review of the whole thing. This DVD set has been highly anticipated ever since the WWE put out the “Rise and Fall of ECW” a few years back. Obviously, WCW had a much richer history than ECW and I’m sure fans were expecting a really great set chronicling the history of the company. And since WCW fought the WWE tooth and nail through the mid to late 1990’s, one had to wonder if there would be any revisionist history and would the documentary try to take any cheap shots or try to really bury their former rival. So the question is, did the set meet expectations?

For the most part, “The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a very good and well produced documentary, but I think it fell short of being something truly special. All of the documentaries that the WWE makes are a good watch in my opinion, but some stand out as being better than others. I feel this documentary was a notch below the ECW one and I believe it could have been more in depth. The documentary only clocked in at about 1 hour 45 minutes and I think it could have been much longer and more comprehensive. With that said, some areas of the history of the company were well documented and overall it was a nice stroll down memory lane.

The beginning of the documentary part was very good and the viewer was able to gain a good sense of how WCW was built up from the territory days. You were able to see how things slowly morphed from Jim Crockett Promotions to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and then finally to WCW. It was obvious how much talent was present throughout the 70’s and 80’s and you got a very good look at how WCW was instrumental in creating the “big time” wrestling event and also how they helped to shape Pay Per Views. The documentary made you realize just how big things were back then for the company and the sky seemed to be the limit. Many of the people interviewed made reference to the 6:05 pm to 8:05 pm time slot on Saturday nights and how that became required viewing for fans back in the day. I was pleased to hear this myself because even though I don’t have sharp memories of things, I know I used to tune into TBS and watch when I was a little kid. I can remember being mesmerized by the athletic skill of the wrestlers and the larger than life personalities of guys like Sting. And even though I did not have an appreciation for the talents of a legend like Ric Flair at the time, those shows did seem like a big time thing and something special for a kid.

After a really good telling of how WCW slowly grew into a phenomenon, the main theme (from my perspective at least) of the documentary was introduced, which was no matter how good things looked for WCW on the surface, there was always trouble brewing behind the scenes that threatened the company. The first of these problems was that the company tried to expand too much too fast, and even though the money was pouring in, the company could not keep up with expenses. So after failed partnerships with Ted Turner and even Vince McMahon, Jim Crockett was forced to sell the entire company and operations to Turner and allow him to take over. Once Turner got his hands into things, it was only the beginning of the major problem which plagued WCW: people with no knowledge of the product screwing things up and then later allowing the “inmates to run the asylum” even when you had smart enough people in power positions.

In the early 1990’s, WCW had a wealth of talent with the likes of Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, the Steiners, Vader, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, and the list could go on and on. But sadly, extremely bad decisions and bad management held the company back. The people who gained control of the booking just could not find a way to gain any momentum at the best and didn’t know what the hell they were doing at the worst. The morale of the performers slowly started to disappear and the fun vanished. Many wrestlers just saw dollars and a paycheck and the ship was not righted until Eric Bischoff came along.

Bischoff was mostly portrayed in a positive light for what he did with WCW, and rightly so. He was a very smart and creative business man and he had enough sense to listen to other people and also channel Ted Turner’s money effectively. I don’t need to go into detail about how WCW was able to lure away WWE stars like Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage. The WWE made these guys into stars and when they came to WCW, the company was legitimized and people took notice. The NWO was then formed and WCW took off like a rocket. The company dominated in the ratings for almost 2 years and WCW seemed to be unstoppable. They featured cruiserweights like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Dean Malenko, and these performers gave fans an exciting style that the WWE was not offering. Goldberg also hit the scene during this period and his rise to stardom only helped WCW along.

So, things were great for the company until the same old problems as before crept up. Bischoff and other management people within WCW started to become arrogant and cocky. They really had no longer term vision and they only cared about the ratings and doing whatever it took to beat the WWE. Bischoff foolishly thought that he could actually put Vince McMahon out of business. On top of that, the wrestlers were getting huge contracts and too much creative control. The hiring of Vince Russo, who was pretty much killed in this documentary, was the beginning of the end. As many people probably know, Russo slung every stupid idea that he could against the wall until nothing stuck anymore. We got to see the infamous “finger poke of doom”, Jeff Jarrett laying down for Hulk Hogan, and David Arquette: WCW World Champion, among other things. Truly, things just spiraled out of control and the company was forced to fold under the weight of horrible decision making and the amount of money that was being lost.

All in all, this was a solid timeline of events which did show the rise and fall of the company. In my opinion, I would say that the facts are pretty much accurate, but you can never assume that you are getting the full story. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the story. I think this could have easily been a more comprehensive documentary and should have clocked in at about 3 hours. WWE could have spent more time talking about how Ric Flair and the Horsemen carried the company in the mid to late 1980’s and how they were able to develop more and more big events. I would have also liked to have seen more about the feuds that bridged the gap from the early 90’s until the NWO came along. Even through the bad management, WCW had a great in-ring product and it would have been nice to see some of those feuds highlighted. I admit to being a big mark for the NWO, so I would have liked seeing a more comprehensive look at how the faction evolved and then how it basically devolved into a farce and a joke which hurt the product. A greater examination of the cruiserweight division should have been included in my opinion. And lastly, I believe the documentary should have discussed the major angle that WCW tried which pitted the “New Blood” against the “Millionaires Club”. This storyline was not even mentioned and I feel it should have been talked about along with more information about the final months of the company’s existence.

“The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a good documentary, but it could have been better. Maybe the brevity of the whole thing is just yet another “jab” that Vince McMahon likes to do sometimes. For a wrestling junkie, this documentary was not as big of a “fix” as it should have been. I haven’t gotten around to watching the matches yet, but there appears to be some really good stuff on it. I am sure the earlier matches from the late 80’s and early 90’s will be better than the later material, but that is to be expected. With all that being said, I do recommend a purchase of this set. While it may not be perfect, I feel that it does deserve a place in your wrestling DVD library.

The Game’s Quick Hits:

Monday Night RAWind: I thought that Monday Night Raw this week was much better than last week’s offering. There seemed to be a little more focus on building toward the Breaking Point PPV and it was nice to see a greater emphasis on in-ring action as opposed to pointless and stupid backstage segments and “comedy” bits. Now this makes sense since Dusty Rhodes was the guest host. I have to admit…I like Dusty and always was a fan of the “common man” shtick and there is no question that Dusty could talk on the mic and bring it to ya. The opening segment involving Dusty, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes, which set up the main event title match between Orton and Cody Rhodes with Dusty in his corner and John Cena as the referee, was infinitely better than last week’s DX birthday celebration for Vince McMahon. In fact, I think it was a good move to keep DX in the back with Dusty this week and only have them do a little harmless merchandise schilling. Yes, I did laugh at the Shockmaster segment which featured Arn Anderson doing the Shockmaster’s voice. I thought it was fairly funny and saved the segments as a whole. As for the “main event” itself, I was cool with it being a bait and switch.

After the opening segment, I figured that either Orton would just decide to attack Cena and make the match a no contest (and then Legacy would come help) or Orton and Rhodes would just stop the match mid-stream and go after Cena. So, I was pleasantly surprised that they had Dusty do the heel turn right away and Legacy went right after Cena. DX made the predictable save, but Dusty knocking out Triple H with his cowboy boot and then eating an RKO at the end for his troubles was a nice touch. This ending worked because Legacy was able to get their heat back from Cena and DX and the fact that Cody wanted to beat the hell out of Orton for dropping Dusty but whimped out will be effective down the road. At this point, Rhodes and Dibiase continue to look like puppets and totally under Orton’s control. So when they do turn and stand up to him, it will hopefully be a major break for the two and the audience will get behind them. Maybe the whole ending segment was not perfect, but I thought it worked.

The action involving the divas was not that exciting, but at least it was good to see an immediate payoff for a change and a greater focus on some wrestling. Beth Phoenix won a 6 diva battle royal early in the evening and then got a shot at Divas Champion Mickie James later in the night. Beth was booked to look like a beast again and it was pretty effective. The dead crowd did not help the match and the sudden win by Mickie off of a DDT seemed uninspiring to me. I actually would have liked to see Beth win the title. It would have been a surprise and they could have immediately cemented Beth as a dominant bad ass again. I have no idea what the longer term build is now since Gail Kim keeps losing, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

I thought they did the logical move of having Chris Jericho vs. MVP and Big Show vs. Mark Henry to try and build the Unified Tag Team Championship match coming up at Breaking Point. They needed to do something since this match was just thrown together, and opting for some matches instead of pointless bantering or brawling was nice to see. Jericho and MVP put on a good match and Show vs. Henry was a slow and plodding snooze fest as one would predict. But both matches did their job of trying to prove that MVP and Henry are capable of hanging with JeriShow.

The fatal four way match for the United States Championship was also a nice little affair that featured some good action and allowed the contenders to be showcased. Again, I think a sudden title change would have been awesome to see, but maybe they are saving that for Smackdown this week, when I fully expect Rey Mysterio to drop the Intercontinental Title to Dolph Ziggler. The match did a great job of making Kofi Kingston the plucky “underdog” champion who works hard and finds a way to persevere and win. I was glad to see The Miz in there trying to be a sneaky heel and also glad that Carlito, not Miz, was the one who took the pinfall. I still think The Miz needs to complete his quest and win the U.S. Title in the near future.

And finally, the Chavo Guerrero and Hornswoggle angle has just moved into being stupid and absurd. It was funny the first 2 or 3 times, but now it is total crap and I want it off my TV. And speaking of stupid…why in the hell is Bob Barker hosting Raw next week? That makes absolutely NO sense for the last Raw before a PPV.

ECW Thoughts: I didn’t get a chance to catch ECW live as it aired, so I am only able to discuss the results. I am seeing that Sheamus defeated Goldust in a no count out, no disqualification match. These two have meshed together surprisingly well in the ring and the matches have been pretty good. Sheamus going over is obviously the right result and hopefully he will get a chance to move onto a new feud. I think Sheamus has the potential to be a player down the road, as long as they don’t start putting him into stupid matches or involving him with Hornswoggle. Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov squashed two jobbers and then tried to beat them down more along with William Regal before Christian and Tommy Dreamer made the save. This set up a tag team match for next week between Christian and Dreamer and Jackson and Kozlov. I will be very interested in this match to see how Jackson and Kozlov can hang. The feud between Christian and Regal is heating up nicely, so hopefully it continues. Shelton Benjamin defeated Zack Ryder last night as well. I am hoping that Benjamin is somehow able to break out of the mid card and move up the ladder again. Of course he needs to either get on Raw or Smackdown to have a shot at a secondary title or maybe he can somehow challenge Regal if he takes the belt from Christian down the line. I think Benjamin has been working hard to improve and I would like to see him get a bigger push.

- Reports today are saying that PG Ricky Rubio backed out of an agreement that was in place to bring him to the NBA and the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Minnesota had reached an agreement with Rubio’s agent and his Spanish pro team, but then Rubio came to the Wolves and told them he would prefer to stay in Spain for 2 more years to better prepare himself for the NBA. I don’t know, but this could start smelling fishy. Who knows, maybe in 2 years he decides that he still wants to stay in Europe and tries to squeeze as much money out of Minnesota as he can. Timberwolves president David Kahn is saying that the team was always willing to wait a year or two to bring Rubio over and Rubio is on record saying he has a desire to play for Minnesota, so Kahn had better hope Rubio still has that desire in 2011. As everyone knows however, a lot can change in 2 years, so I’m sure we will have to deal with this in the news for a while to come.

- Brace yourself Canada and get some extra security at those nightclubs because Adam “Pacman” Jones has just agreed to a 1 year contract with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This was the next best option for Jones after the Dallas Cowboys released him in February and no NFL team even bothered to invite him to training camp. My short and sweet opinion on this guy? He is a total idiot. Here is another young player (still only 25) who is trying to flush his career and talents down the toilet due to stupid behavior. Since Jones was drafted in 2005, he has been arrested 6 times and involved in 12 instances that required police intervention. That is just plain stupid and it is amazing this guy is still getting opportunities out there. I am all for second chances, but Jones refuses to stay out of trouble and try to better himself. But that is what happens when you are an athlete and you have talent. If you can still play and a team has a need for what you can do, you will most likely get another shot. Maybe Jones can finally realize this might be his last shot to get to the NFL or else he will be stuck in Canada the rest of his career.

- Quick NFL notes: Patriots QB Tom Brady tested his throwing arm and shoulder in practice on Tuesday and showed no ill effects. Seems like the whole injury “scare” is now overblown and people in New England can breathe easy…Oakland Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha is expected to be sidelined about two weeks with a chipped bone in his left wrist. Asomugha is arguably Oakland’s best player and this kind of injury could very well limit how effective he would be in bump-and-run coverage this year. The Raiders didn’t need any more bad news since they will still be terrible this season…New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora returned to practice on Tuesday after going AWOL on Monday and giving no reason on why he did. This is just a strange occurrence and there is obviously more to this story and I want to hear it…Bengals rookie OL Andre Smith will be out a few weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. This looks like a case of bad karma to me after Cincinnati tried to lowball Smith with his rookie contract. I read that they have a weight clause in it though, so maybe Smith reported to the team not in the greatest of shape. No matter how you slice it though, it is typical Bungles…

- U.S. Open Update: Women’s #1 seed Dinara Safina barely survived and avoided becoming the first #1 seed to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open by beating 147th-ranked Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. As I stated before, I have no idea what in the hell they do to get these rankings but Safina should not be a #1 seed at these majors. It is one thing to rack up points at smaller events, but the major tournaments are where the best come through and she has proven nothing yet. The only upset of note on the second day was women’s #11 seed and former world #1 Ana Ivanovic losing in 3 sets.

Sunday Wrap Up

Just have some random thoughts going from Sunday, so let’s get to it!

The Game’s Quick Hits

- Heath “If ya Got ‘em” Slocum drained a 21-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to finish at 9-under par and win The Barclays by one shot over PGA heavyweights Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, and Steve Stricker. The shocking win by Slocum vaulted him from 124th in the FedEx Cup standings to 3rd and got the playoffs off to a riveting start. I watched coverage of the entire final round and thoroughly had a great time. As I stated yesterday, Tiger lurking near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday makes for great TV and there was certainly drama to be had. I predicted that Woods would not win the tournament yesterday and even though I was right, he tried damn hard to make me eat those words. That is one reason why Tiger makes things exciting even if you are only a casual fan of golf. Even though he might not be playing his best, he always finds a way to keep grinding and scoring and then by the end of the tournament, he is always right there at the end. Once Stricker and Slocum both found a fairway bunker with their drives on 18, I thought for sure there was going to be a 5 way playoff. But I have to give Slocum major credit for rising to the occasion and draining a huge pressure packed putt.

If you watched the final round, Tiger actually should have won the event and just could not make enough happen at the end. He had a cruel lip-out from under 3 feet on the 3rd hole which cost him a shot and then he shockingly missed a birdie that was within 10 feet on the 18th. Draining either one of those would have gotten him into a playoff and both would have given him the win outright. You could also blame his play on the par 5’s, where he was only able to birdie one of them. Or just blame his slow start and poor putting in the first two rounds. However you slice it, it is just amazing how Tiger’s “mediocre” game can be better than other player’s best efforts. There was a huge pack of players trying to get the lead on Sunday and the tournament went right down to the wire. I really appreciate the drama that is created and the skill of the players. I realize golf is not for everyone, but when the best players in the world are playing, I honestly believe that spending a Sunday afternoon watching a golf tournament is some of the best time that you can spend as a sports fan.

- According to a report on the Detroit Free Press’s website, several University of Michigan football players alleged that the program has been violating NCAA rules limiting the amount of time they can spend on training and practice sessions. The players claim that the amount of time they are asked to put in by the program is mandatory and greatly exceeds the limits. Of course, Coach Rich Rodriguez and the University deny this and say there is nothing for them to self-report. In my estimation, I would have to believe these players because there is no reason to talk if it wasn’t true. They must have a bone to pick with the football program and what they are asked to do and I would have no trouble believing that Rodriguez and his coaching staff are pushing these players to the limit and beyond. Football at the University of Michigan is an institution and the program has been down in recent years. The pressure on Rodriguez to produce results is immense and I guess he thinks more practice and workouts will bring better results. That is generally true, but the NCAA sets limits so the kids aren’t run into the ground and they need to be followed. I’m sure it would be hard for the NCAA to really come down on the University for this, but Michigan had better be careful. And in fact, it seems as if they will at least give the appearance that they are. It was reported later on Sunday that the University would be looking into the allegations of the players. I guess we will have to wait and see if anything comes of that and also if this increased workload on the players helps because Michigan will struggle to get to 7 wins and be bowl eligible.

- Reports indicate that free agent LW Alex Tanguay has agreed to a 1 year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A division rival getting a good player like this is definitely not good news for the Capitals. Tanguay is still young at 29 and has been a very consistent scorer, logging 580 points in 659 games played. He was limited by a separated shoulder last year but still got 41 pts in 50 gms. Tanguay will join Vincent Lacavalier, Martin St. Louis, and rising star Steven Stamkos on a team that is starting to look up. If the Lightning can get some solid goaltending, they will start to be a force in the Southeast Division. I still expect the Caps to be the class of the division this year, but a healthy Tampa Bay lineup will make it tough for the Caps to take any game against them easy this year.

- Let’s take a trip around the NFL and look at some of the news from Sunday: The Cincinnati Bengals finally signed top draft pick, offensive lineman Andre Smith. The #6 pick in the draft and the Bengals had been unable to work out an agreement due to the fact that Cincinnati tried to pay Smith less than the #7 pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey of the Raiders. You see, this is why the Bengals can never get to the next level. They needed help on the offensive line and they tried to be cheapskates with Smith. I actually side with Smith on this one because the sliding salary scale for draft picks is what it is, so I blame the Bengals on this. The signing now leaves that idiot Michael Crabtree as the only unsigned 1st round draft pick…

There is still no word on the severity of the injury to Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, who left Saturday’s preseason game with a leg injury and is undergoing medical tests. As if there would be any surprise, the Chiefs and their fans are now very concerned as the team seems to be staring at another disappointing season. I am looking forward to the Ravens crushing the Chiefs come week 1…

The Patriots are still being tight-lipped on the severity of Tom Brady’s shoulder injury, but they could have given everyone a clue by the surprise release of QB Kevin O’Connell. O’Connell was the front runner to be Brady’s backup and it seems really strange that the team would cut him after Brady went down. So obviously, the speculation is now that Brady’s shoulder may not be too bad…And in other Patriots news, it is being reported that LB Tedy Bruschi will announce his retirement tomorrow. That is fairly surprising, so I can only assume he believes that his body or mind is not up for the grind of an entire season. I give the guy a ton of credit for coming back after his heart problems and wish him well since he seems like he was a class act…

And now time for your daily dose of Michael Vick news…today it seems offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg came out and told the media that Vick will not disrupt the flow of the offense and that he will help the Eagles and not be a distraction. Well if you ask me, I will believe it when I see it. If anything, the media will try to make this into a big story, so sooner or later, Vick will have to produce on the field and as I stated before, the Eagles need to define a role and package of plays for Vick and stick to it.

- And finally, just want to send out congratulations to Chula Vista, CA for defeating Chinese Taipei 6-3 to win the 2009 Little League World Series. This is always a fun event to check out every year and the California team was damn impressive, hitting a LLWS record 19 home runs during the tournament.

Vick the Slick

No really major stories out there in the sports world or beyond for that matter, so I thought I would share a few thoughts about Michael "Ron Mexico" Vick. Once Vick was conditionally reinstated to the NFL by commissioner Roger Goodell, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before some team out there took the plunge and signed him. However, it seemed to be a pretty big surprise that the team who took the chance was the Philadelphia Eagles. Although they never formally said they were not interested, speculation did not follow the Eagles and it was an intriguing signing indeed.

Immediately after Vick signed, there was pretty much outrage in Philadelphia. Philly has some of the most passionate and vocal fans in the world and hey, they even booed Santa Claus, so the reaction was loud as expected. I hear initial reaction was about 75-25 against the signing. From my perspective though, I have no problem with them signing Vick.

Now make no mistake...I do not condone in any way what Michael Vick did. I am a dog lover and I have 2 dogs myself, so I feel that his actions were disgusting and reprehensible. However, this is why we have a legal and justice system in America, even if it seems to be broken sometimes. For the crimes that Vick committed, he pretty much got a full sentence. He did not catch a break because he was an athlete and his life as he knew it was pretty much destroyed. The man paid his debt to society and he did his time. With that, he has every right to try and pick up the pieces and try to rebuild his life.

Of course after the news broke, there were tons of people complaining and even some small protest groups that were outraged. Those people are entitled to their opinions, but I think that some of their anger and frustration is misplaced. I thought people for the most part are willing to give others a second chance in America. I also thought that the prison system is supposed to rehabilitate people and offer them a chance to come back to society as changed people who can then productively contribute to this great country. Michael Vick has every right to go back to his profession, which is an NFL player.

I think people are pissed that he is able to come back and make millions of dollars. Well guess what...tough. Vick should not be expected to come back to society and then go be a janitor and disappear. He was a football player and should be allowed to go back to that. In our society, athletes are paid huge amounts of money because they bring in huge amounts of money and people want to be entertained and that's how it is. Protest athlete's salaries in general if you want to protest something then.

I have also heard that this sets a bad example for children. Now how is that? The man paid the price for his actions and served his time. Now if you believe that he did not pay enough of a price, then that is fine. But if that is the case, then you should be angry at the justice system and go protest that. Try to change things so that Vick would have had a longer sentence. Again, all he is doing is going back to his profession and is asking for a second chance. If your child made a mistake, would you want society to make them an outcast and not give them another chance? I don't think so. If you want to teach your children, then make it clear that what Michael Vick did was disgusting and wrong and not something you would want them to do. But then also make it clear that Vick paid the price for what he did and now he has a second chance to do the right thing this time and that is what should be done if you make a mistake.

So the bottom line here is that Vick should be given a shot to make amends for his actions. If he can use his celebrity status to now do good for animal rights and continue to show genuine remorse for his actions, then it will be a good story in the end. But if you want to waste your time hating on the man just because he is going back to football and making money again, then I think you are trying to twist things too much. Be mad and disgusted at what he did. Don't cheer for him. Don't support the Eagles or give them your money if needs be. But make sure you have a clear sense of logic when you think about it. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I just choose to not blatantly hate on the man for the sake of trying to complain or be mad about something. He should at least be given a shot to make amends and if he doesn't, then I will be right there with the people who feel the outrage.

The Game's Quick Hits

- Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger left practice yesterday after injuring his ankle, although it does not appear to be serious. Not serious...damn, that sucks LOL. Sorry, I do not wish an injury on anyone, but when you are a Ravens fan, it is hard not to wish a little ill to a hated divisional rival, especially Pittsburgh.

- The Bills finally signed their first round pick DE Aaron Maybin. This now leaves OT Andre Smith of the Bengals and WR Michael Crabtree of the 49ers as the only unsigned first round picks. The Bengals troubles are to be expected, but what the hell is up with Crabtree? I'll tell you what it is...more of the same with WRs wanting to be divas. Crabtree is pissed that WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, who went #7 to the Raiders, is getting more money than he is. Well guess what Mike, tough crap. You went #10 and you should only get #10 money. Since the #9 and #11 picks are now signed, Crabtree looks to be boxed in. I say stop complaining and get your ass signed and be happy that you are on a better team and getting the opportunity to play football for a living.

- Chad "Don't call me Johnson" Ochocinco kicked a PAT in the Bengals' 7-6 preseason win over the Patriots last night. He had some good form and it was interesting to see. Let's hope that he can shut his mouth though and stay focused this year because Cincy needs all the help they can get and Ochocinco still has some juice left if he can tone down the "diva" I believe.

- Tiger Woods has committed to play in next week's The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup playoff event. Knowing how competitive Tiger is and how much he must be stewing about what happened at the PGA Championship, I would not be surprised if he dusted everyone else and cruised to winning the FedEx Cup.

- About 2/3 of the way through the "Greatest Stars of the 90's" DVD from WWE. It is a pretty good set but not one of their elite level collections. The documentary part was well done as always and it was a nice trip down memory lane. The 1st half of the matches was pretty good, highlighted by Bret vs. Owen at Wrestlemania 10. I recommend the set all in all.

- And finally, "The Rise and Fall of WCW" is on pre-order and I am looking forward to getting it. I will be very interested in seeing the documentary part and then read up on how much revisionist history might be in it. It is about time WWE put out a good set on WCW and I will enjoy seeing some of the classic matches. I have always been a bigger fan of WWE, but make no mistake, WCW did have some magic going when the NWO was getting hot back in the day.