TalkWrestlingOnline Community Newsletter #230 - 31/01/10 - Over the top, to the floor

[DC]

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Talk Wrestling Online Community Newsletter
Issue #230 – Jan 31st 2010
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The Editorial

As you read this newsletter, Father Time will have added another year to my soul as I turn 33yrs old today. Also, as you read this, WWE will be getting ready for arguably their second-biggest show of the year behind WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, hence why this edition of the newsletter has been posted earlier than usual.

In the last edition, we advertised for new writers, but I'm sad to say that no-one has stepped up as of yet. We have enough quality writers to put out a respectable publication every two weeks, but, like power-hungry dictators of ficticious lands in mid-eighties generic action fare, I want more. More writers, more columns, more features and more reader satisfaction. If you think you have what it takes to supply this, then get in touch, whether you've been on the boards for five years of for five minutes, all you need is an idea.

While we look to the future, we still have the present to enjoy and, to that end, Inno regales us with his views on the recent TNA changes in Live Wire, Fiona pulls some pearls of wisdom from the forum in Quote/Unquote, TPIB recaps the results with his WWE in Review segment, The Tap Out Chronicle runs down the card for UFC 109, Kam hosts a Royal Rumble Roundtable with and I bring you a review of one of the most surprisingly enjoyable movies I've seen in a long time, Blood and Bone, in Movie Mayhem (with added competition).

Enjoy the issue and I hope the Rumble lives up to the hype,
DC

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Meet The Team
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1) If you could have one guest columnist, anyone in the entire world, write an article for the newsletter, who would it be and what would they be writing about?

DC:I'd bring in Stephen Spielberg and ask him to do a rundown of his ten favourite scenes from his own movies.
Kam: Hmmm. I'd go for Shane McMahon...I'm sure he could provide plenty of interesting reading material!
Laffy: Wrestling wise, I would have to say Paul Heyman, otherwise it would have to be Brian Moore on the passion of Welsh Rugby.
Darkstar: I'd love to have a Stephen Hawking-penned article as he tries to explain his theories so even Jayfunk can understand them.
TPIB: Well, I would have to say Vince McMahon, even though I would like to read a guest column by Paul Heyman. Of course, Vince would be writing about the WWE and wrestling overall.
Inno: Wrestling wise, I'd have to say Paul Heyman... you know you would have to take vast portions of it with a pinch of salt, but dammit, it'd be worth it. Beyond wrestling, I'd say someone like Angus Young.
Fiona: Conan O'Brien. On how he felt by getting screwed over by NBC by losing the Tonight Show job. With a foreword written by Bret Hart.

2) What would be the name of your autobiography?

DC: The Brighter the Light, The Darker the Shadow.
Kam: Inconspicuous
Laffy: The Welsh Woman's Guide to the Rugby Obsessed Fanatic.
Darkstar: Was That It?
TPIB: The CiSH Chronicles. Probably the least read autobiography ever, but that would probably be the name of it.
Inno: Innovations of the Human Body: The real story of the world's first immortal man.
Fiona: "Blood, Sweat and Tears". Maybe copyright infringement, but there's the title of my book.

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Talk Wrestling Online Subscribers
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Thanks to all the Talk Wrestling Online Subscribers:

Anime_Otaku + + briggsy + BRM + Cathal + Chris2K + Darkstar + Dr. Zero + Drake + dsrchris + Fiona + G2G + Gempire + Inno + Jayfunk + Jimmy Redman + JobberJoe + John Hancock + Laffy + Maxximus + Nemesis Enforcer + Omega + Reno + Saz + Shane O Mac + The.Icon + Tommate2k9 + TPIB



Total Subscribers: 27

To find out how you can help support Talk Wrestling Online and become a subscriber see:

* Talk Wrestling Online Subscriber Scheme *

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Fantasy Wrestling League - Win £100!
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The 19th season of the Fantasy Wrestling League (FWL) is now accepting new entries - you have until midnight Monday 1st February to get your entries in! Remember you can change your picks anytime before the FWL starts. There will be a £100 prize on offer for the winner! This will be sent via Paypal to the winner, or if you prefer we can try to arrange a gift voucher of equal value for an online store: Amazon.com/.co.uk, Play.com etc

> Fantasy Wrestling League <

Start date: Monday 1st February 2010 (begins with the WWE Raw show following the Royal Rumble)
End date: Sunday 28th March 2010 (ends with the WrestleMania 26 PPV)

For those that do not know what it is:

What is the FWL? It is basically like fantasy football, but for the WWE. All you have to do is pick a team of 5 wrestlers who you think will do well over the next few months. The better they do (more wins), the more points you get. At the end of the time period whoever has the most points, wins a prize, and its FREE to enter!

It's always good fun - so when you have a few spare minutes, please enter.

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Talk Wrestling Online Stats
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[QUOTE=Kam;918700]MOST ACTIVE THREADS IN THE LAST 14 DAYS:

1. Random News Update Thread [US Scene Forum]

2. Tournament to crown the best Japanese wrestler [International Scene Forum]

3. The TNA Fans [US Scene Forum]

4. TNA Genesis PPV - 17th January 2010 [US Scene Forum]

5. TWOStars Battle Royale 2010 [TWO Stars > Booking and Creative Forum]

6. XTV5:39 Booking Threaaad [TWO Stars > Booking and Creative Forum]

7. Jericho and Hurricane arrested [US Scene Forum]

8. TWOstars comments that don't require their own thread [TWO Stars > Help and Feedback]

9. What do you really miss? [US Scene Forum]

10. TNA iMPACT - 21st January 2010 [US Scene Forum]

MOST ACTIVE MEMBERS IN THE LAST 7 DAYS:

1. John Hancock
2. Jayfunk
3. Jimmy Redman
4. DC
5. The Beltster
6. Omega
7. JobberJoe
8. Darkstar
9. ShaneMcCutcheon
10. JC

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Forum Member's Picks of the Fortnight
(Nimf)
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~Website~ I changed my mind a few times but have settled with letsmakecards.com. I adore the magazine and get it every month, so the webite is like daily heaven for me. They have tips and competitions (which I am yet to win...Sigh). Great for any card makers out there!

~Movie~ Hmm... I don't seem to have sat down to watch a film properly for ages. But I AM planning on watching The Truman Show with the kids soon. An awesome film.

~Album~ I so rarely listen to whole albums, usually just single tracks. The only album in full I have on my phone is Learn To Speak Spanish

~Book~ Instructions For Living Someone Else's Life by Mil Millington. Just started it, but pretty good so far! It's basically a male version of 13 Going On 30 in book form.

~TV Show~ Sons Of Anarchy. Just discovered this show - one episode in and I'm already loving it.

~Videogame~HA! Me, video games? Erm. I more watch than play, so it'd have to be the Spiderman game on the PS3, purely because 3 out of the 5 people in this house are playing through it right now...

~Sporting Moment~ I don't really 'do' sport. I'll throw that one open to the masses - what has been YOUR sporting moment of the fortnight?

~Celebrity Moment~ Not exactly a celeb moment, but a news one - the young lad who did a sponsored bike ride to raise money for Haiti. He's a wee star who hoped to raise £500 and has now raised £200,000. How ace is that? Also, a shout out to my wonderful dad who did a run on Saturday to raise money for SANDS (the Stillbirth And Neonatal Death charity) and made over £600. £500 is enough to get an early detection heartbeat monitor, so one will be bought and inscribed with the names of my brother and sister, Jac and Molly, who died before they were ready to be born.

Real people are far better than celebrities anyway...

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Movie Mayhem
(DC)
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The following review is also available to view on Wrestling101


Trailer/Website

Synopsis

When ex-con Isaiah Bone (Jai White) gets out of prison, he immediately seeks out a room to rent and gets involved in LA's underground fight scene. Along the way, he destroys the area's best fighter, who is under the control of local mob boss, James (Eammon Walker). When Bone refuses James' request to fight on the international circuit, it sets off a powerful battle between the two, amidst some surprising revelations about what drove Bone to get involved with James in the first place.

Review

The above synopsis should be familiar with anyone who has seen A.W.O.L. (also released under the names Wrong Bet and Lionheart), the Jean Claude Van Damme movie released in 1991. Respectable guy, who just so happens to be a great fighter, gets caught up in the underground fighting circuit, battling an array of guys until finally getting the one-on-one contest against the unstoppable killer (in the case of A.W.O.L., Atilla, played rather convincingly and charismatically by Abdel Qissi). This movie's top dog is a guy called Price, played by legitimate 5-time world champion in martial arts and co-creator of Extreme Martial Arts (XMA, a combat sport combining martial arts and gymnastics), Matt Mullins... and yes, he is every bit as good as his resumé reads.

Truth be told, it's a genre unto itself and has managed to endure for decades with pretty much the same plot (noble guy fights for a good cause, the fights are controlled by a crook and the last guy they face is an undefeatable monster who has a habit of seriously injuring or killing his opponents). My personal favourite in this genre is Best of the Best 2 (I don't count the first BotB, mainly because the fighting tournament was legit, even though Dae Han does fall into the undefeatable category), but because the synopsis of these films is quite generic, it's up to the writers, actors, director and fight choreographer to make their version of events stand out from all the rest. In that respect, this movie nails it dead on.

The movie opens with pre-credits scene showing a gang of prisoners, led by the genuinely scary Kimbo Slice (with genuinely scary bushy beard), heading to the prison shower room to take out our hero (after paying off an unseen guard). Now, unless you haven't seen a movie before in your life, you don't need me to tell you that the eight-strong team of hardened cons aren't successful, otherwise we'd have a short movie on our hands. This opening scene is designed specifically to get across exactly how great a fighter Isaiah Bone, and, by extension, Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight and the title character in Spawn, a personal favourite of mine) is. In that regard, it's mission accomplished, because Bone is a bad-ass of the highest order (“You got til the count of five” being just as menacing as old Clint telling folks to vacate his lawn), taking out all eight would-be assassins in less than twenty seconds. It's a pulsating opening that sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

The fight scenes are brutal and realistic (under the watchful eye of Fernando Chien) and most of the characters are more well rounded than this type of film normally gets, despite some of them being stereotypes. The non-fighting dramatic “story forwarding” scenes, which normally drag a film like this down, also shine more than they have any right to.

The main cast are great in their respective roles, with Jai White (bad-ass to the, ahem, bone), Julian Sands (an actor who deserves to star in better movies than he has in the past), Eamonn Walker (who shines here with villainous relish) and Dante Basco (getting most of the best lines) all excelling. The real-world fighters all, unsurprisingly, look the part in what are essentially cameo roles (Bob Sapp comes across as one of the most legitimately terrifying looking men on the planet, while Gina Carano is disturbingly hot when she's pounding the crap out of a hapless female opponent) and Nona Gaye handles the potential love-interest part with aplomb and dignity, even if her character is underused in the grand scheme of things.

The director avoids unnecessary camera cuts during the fights, making them much easier to follow than other movies in the genre and he deserves a lot of credit for resisting the urge that's plagued so many other film-makers. Some well chosen POV shots also add a lot to the fights, really bringing home the blows as they rain down and, in a twist I personally haven't seen before in this way, giving us an indication of how Bone can overcome the fighters he goes against by letting us see what he sees when his opponents are warming up (e.g. what their offence consists of, how they drop an arm, etc). It really adds an interesting perspective and really impressed me.

Whether you enjoy this movie or not is going to depend on whether you enjoy the genre as a whole. If you don't, you may still get something from it, but if you do enjoy fighting movies, then this is one of the best examples in recent memory.

Extras

The extras cover the basic elements you'd expect with a movie on DVD; a trailer, a “making of” doc (that runs 15mins) and a commentary track. All three are decent enough and are worth sitting through. The discussions during the fight scenes are generally quite interesting, letting you in on what went on as they were filmed and you can tell that these guys all get along and had a blast doing the commentary.

Summary

This is an absolutely brilliant example of the underground fighting genre, with some blistering fight scenes (the battles at Tattoo's being my personal favourite) and good-to-great acting from pretty much everyone involved. The director, Ben Ramsey, excels in only his second movie at the helm (even the obligatory montage sequence showing Bone climbing the ranks, training, etc, come across as fresh where, under other directors, they've seemed stale) and I, for one, look forward to seeing what he can come up with in the future.

Michael Jai White seems to be having a renaissance in his career over the last few years and it's great to see him in a role that shows both his action and acting chops. Dante Basco should be one to watch out for in the coming years, as he has a charisma that cannot be taught in any acting school and is a brilliant contrast to the more serious and gravelly-voiced White.

When I was asked to review this film, I had little expectations when I placed it in the DVD player. A director with only one other credit and film sold to me on the strength of the fighters featured in cameo roles didn't scream quality, but it actually stunned me with how impressive every aspect of the film is. The writing, the production values, the script, the direction, the subtle use of the fighter cameos, a great soundtrack and the intelligent use of camera angles (which was helped immensely by having real fighters in the required roles) were all much better than I anticipated.

Blood and Bone deserves a much bigger audience than I fear it's going to get, but hopefully word-of-mouth will help it become a cult classic. I genuinely can't recommend it enough, especially for the last third. Ramsey throws us a curveball that brings a whole new element to proceedings and the last battles are a joy to behold. As a last little gift, a final scene during the credits sees one character get his just desserts.

Movie: 9/10
Extras: 5/10

COMPETITION

For your chance a copy, just answer the below question:

Which film did Michael Jai White appear in previously?

A) Spider-Man
B) The Dark Knight
C) Superman Returns

Just email your answer to the address below along with your name
and address titled 'BLOOD AND BONE COMP' before midnight on 31st
January 2010:


The competition is only available to residents of the UK + ROI over the age of 18.
Winners will be announed on the forums and on our winners page.
Usual competition rules apply.

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Quote, Unquote
(Fiona)
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Not trying to steal Inno’s THUNDER (see what I did there), this week’s Quote/Unquote is also about TNA fans and their unwillingness to accept new ideas. I was browsing through the forum when I came upon this.

A fan that regularly attends the TNA Impact tapings sent out this message: Hey guys. I'm one of the hardcore TNA fans who you see regularly on iMPACT! and TNA PPV. You probably recognize me as the guy who wears a shirt and tie to the shows. I've seen a lot of posts claiming that the biggest thing wrong with TNA right now is us, the loyal fans in the iMPACT! Zone. I'd like to give you a little perspective on things. There is a group of about 12-20 of us who are at every show we can attend (Collectively known as the "Crucial Crew", which is why you see us throw up the 'c' hand signal). And we DO NOT like the direction this company is going. Therefore, we express our displeasure in hopes that management will listen. Why? Because we LOVE TNA, and will not stand idly by while it gets raped by Hogan and his boys. If we were season ticket holders for a sports team, this would be expected, would it not? Last night at Genesis was a major event in the growing war between the TNA loyalists and the Hoganites. I can tell you that very real battle lines are being drawn within the organization, and the conflict will get a lot worse. Again, we LOVE TNA. So when a man who built his career and reputation on WWF Sports Entertainment comes in, changes the things that make TNA unique and basically tells us that the TNA model is broken and that "the smart marks in the front" (read Hogan's IGN interview) don't matter, aren't representative of mainstream America and so should be ignored- Yeah, we're gonna be pissed. Last night was remarkable in that for the first time ever a TNA producer came down into the pit where we stand, grabbed my friend by the shirt and actually threatened to ban us from the building if we didn't stop with the "vulgarity and the negativity". From reports, this heat came directly from "Dixie and Terry who were pissed that we didn't put Morely over during his match with Daniels. Are you kidding? This happened during the Pope v Wolfe match, and totally killed the crowd. If you were wondering why the crowd was so dead during what was a great wrestling match, that's why. Here's the thing though... We've become friends with a lot of the wrestlers, and they all love our energy, enthusiasm and passion, and have and continue to support us. The production crew, who takes heat directly from the top, HATE us, most likely because they are all afraid for their jobs. Also, all of the Bubba Army idiots and other Hogan marks are now in the iMPACT! Zone and act like the complete tools they are. Oh, but THEY don't get scolded like 5-year olds, even though they are the most offensive people there. I saw hundreds of people walk out on the show last night, something i've NEVER seen at a PPV. Things are getting weird. Hopefully, Bischoff and Russo are smart enough to use this tension to create compelling TV, but from my perspective, it seems like TNA is dying right before my eyes. Want some compelling TV? Wait until the entire pit revolts and empties into the ring on live TV. The way things are going, this is not altogether inconceivable. Rest assured, the Crucial Crew will fight to the end for the TNA we know and love! Nodq.com

At first I laughed it off, but it got me thinking. Why would anyone who is so passionate about TNA not want the company to become a major player? Why do TNA fans want to remain in second place, when it’s obvious, that owner Dixie Carter wants to give the WWE a run for its money? With rumours of moving Impact to Monday night in the works, it doesn’t make sense. You can’t start a Monday Night War with what they have going for them now. If changes are coming then it can only mean one thing, better wrestling for all fans TNA and WWE alike, and that’s good news for all.

Lots of TWO members threw their two cents in; let’s see what they had to say.

Originally Posted by Jayfunk He made some valid points, TNA is built on its die hards sure getting new people to watch is good but it is unlikely to replace the die hards who kept TNA alive if you piss them off too much then the dies hard leave and then TNA is died and Hogan wouldn't be able to save that. to a die hard some of the things hogan has change is not needed, some of the things are fine. Some of there changes has made TNA more like WWE (even more like) which is not the direction to go IMHO

If losing 12-20 die hard fans kills TNA, then they shouldn't be in business in the first place.

Originally Posted by Dante Spears I wouldn't mind TNA fans so much if they weren't so bloody convinced that TNA was beating the WWE.

That's crazy talk, oh wait, it's the truth.

Originally Posted by GoldStandard One thing that pisses me off about the TNA crowd is that they're too easy to please... Chants of "This is Awesome" and "This is wrestling" after less than a minute make me feel embarassed to be watching the show. Please Hulk.... Ban the fools in the front row!!

Look at what they're used to watching, of course they're easy to please.

Originally Posted by The Beltster This is the main point I've been trying to make and that the TNA smarks dont seem to be able to grasp. They complain about Hogan and Bischoff but regardless of what they do on air, Hogan will bring awareness to TNA and Bischoff has tons of connections when it comes to TV and literature. They are going to help TNA grow in other ways outside of the on-air product.

Well the problem is Belty, if TNA becomes more popular, then these die hards might actually have to pay to get in. None of them want that.

Originally Posted by Impactplayer With The 6 Sided ring going, TNA fans think that TNA themselves are disbanding what has made them unique amongst the wrestling promotions.

I would have said Russo's crappy booking made them unique, but the whole ring debate has pissed Redman off.

Originally Posted by Jimmy Redman What I dont get is that...its just a ring. ITS JUST THE RING. Its been blown so massively out of proportion by everyone, on both sides. Nobody started watching TNA just because of the ring, nobody kept watching just because of the ring, nobody stopped watching just because of the ring, nobody paid for a PPV or went to a house show just because of the ring. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything. You cant talk about how it was "unique" and "symbolic" and whatever else, but thats crap. ITS JUST THE RING. If WWE changed the colour of their apron, who would give a sh*t? Hell, they changed all of the "unique" TV sets into something uniform when they went HD, did anyone cry about it? I just dont understand all of the TNA fans making such a huge deal out of it. There are much, MUCH more important things to worry about that are "unique" to TNA and they they should never have ditched, like a functioning X-Division. Like great matches. Like great PPVs. Like no Russo. Things that actually MATTER. Not the God damn ring shape.

Of course, it's not the real reason, see below.

Originally Posted by JC Crucial Crew = Living at home with mum, 40 year old virgin.

Hits the nail on the head. WINNER

Originally Posted by Jung I love the concept that "you'd lose the diehards if you go to a 4 sided ring". Well then they aren't really die-hards then are they? More die pretty easily. Those TNA fans need to see the bigger picture. TNA is aimed at millions of people (ideally) not 35 fans who get in free every week and chat "this is awesome" after 5 minutes of a chinlock or "this is wrestling" while Abyss acts like a retarded donkey. They still get their quality wrestling matches whatever shaped ring, so why are they complaining? Judging by the spoilers, the shows sound pretty similar now to what they did 2 months ago, so not much has changed at all, just little things. Not to mention Rome wasn't built in a day. If they can't understand that, then what kind of fans are they?

What, with the hand signals, name and threats of imploding, they're not fans, they're a gang. And a sorry one at that.

Originally Posted by John Hancock Don't forget that Hogan has also; - Made TNA booking non-sensical. - Made story lines too short term with no real eventual pay off. - Made the TV shows too erratic. - He's only pushing old guys instead of the young talent. - He doesn't care about the X-Division. - He's just trying to be like WWE. Damn that Hogan! TNA! TNA! TNA!

Next they'll be saying he's Vince McMahon in disguise.

Originally Posted by MastersGonads The problem for TNA is that they have a core of fans...and thats it! There is never any mainstream crossover for a casual fan to pull from...maybe this due to the fact there on Bravo or there still relatively in comparison to WWE a fledgling company. But I have quite a few people who want to talk wrestling with me, who I wouldnt say are fans. Its a case of people who know what I do, and try to make conversation by talking about 'When I watched it with The Rock' These people still say...'Oh Its The Rumble this weekend' I think I might order it, whereas never have I had someone say...Its TNA Genesis this weekend TNA are always going to be in the WWE's shadow and I cant see them emerging anytime soon...and until then it will still be the core base of fans watching, until they find something better to do...

Something better to do, will never happen. They will stay in the Impact Zone and keep the faith that TNA will stay the way it is forever. Sad really.

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Field Of Play
(Laffy)
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In perhaps one of the best club matches I have seen in a long time, it's a shame that a great game has been overshadowed by 55 seconds of madness. For those of you unaware of the goings on, Leicester played the Ospreys in a "winner takes all, loser fades out of Europe" clash of the titans. For 65 minutes of the game, the match was great fast-flowing rugby, stern defences occasionally turning to butter to let tries in, but for the majority of the match, standing firm and resolute.

Lee Byrne went down injured, the ref declared a blood bin, which meant he could be replaced while his injury was attended to. Byrne was off the pitch for seven minutes before he returned, which is where it gets messy. To reverse a blood bin substitute, you are supposed to let the fourth official know a player is returning and name the person coming off, thus 15 men are only ever on the field of play. For some strange reason, this didn't happen; Byrne ambled on to the field, managed to slow down Ben Youngs and stop a possible try. There were men either side of him who could have tackled Youngs afterwards, but it was the fact there was 16 men on the field that caused the controversy.

Since that match, Byrne has been banned for two weeks, meaning he will miss the England vs Wales match at Twickenham, and Ospreys have been fined 25,000 Euros about £21,683.

Quarterfinal Draw
Munster v Northampton
Biarritz v Ospreys
Toulouse v Stade Français
Leinster v Clermont Auvergne

Other sports news

Football
Manchester United and Aston Villa will contest the Carling Cup final. Villa are seeking their first major trophy since winning the League Cup back in 1996. O’Neil has a great history in the League cup, reaching the League Cup final three times in four years while in charge at Leicester City, winning the trophy in 1997 and 2000 and finishing as runners-up in 1999. He has also won the league cup twice as a player.

American Football
The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts will meet in the Super Bowl after two thrilling conference title games. The Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime to advance to the NFL final for the first time, denying Brett Favre his dream of making yet another Superbowl. Quarterback Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes as Indianapolis rallied from 17-6 down for a 30-17 win over the New York Jets.

Tennis
In the men’s tennis, it was a case of close but not quite close enough. Murray tried his hardest to stay with Federer, but in the end it was not enough. The first set was touch and go for the first 6 games, then Federer stepped up and broke Murray to take the set 6-3. The second was closer, with both men close to breaking serve, but the master was on another level, winning all the major points to take second 6-4.

The third set was one of the best sets of tennis I have seen. Murray broke Federer to go 4-2 up, winning the next game as well to take a 5-2 lead. What happened next was amazing; Federer, surprising even himself, took the next three games to level 5-5. Murray, not giving up, but struggling with a niggling injury to his right thigh, wins the next game to go 6-5 up. Federer wins his service game to love and it's tie-break time.

Cue the most intense mental tiebreak I have ever seen, each player taking the advantage, only to lose it the next point. One of the points had 23 ground strokes and one touch of genius to win. Federer, on match point, almost threw it away by trying an incredible volley which Murray sent right back at him down the line. With the scores tied 11-11, Murray misses the next shot and sends another into the net losing 13-11.

It was a good game and Murray showed he's improved leaps and bounds. Maybe Wimbledon will be the place for his first Grand Slam.

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Wrestling 101 Info Centre
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Latest Wrestling 101 Feature Articles:

> The History of the WWE Royal Rumble



Latest Wrestling 101 Reviews:

> Blood and Bone DVD Review

Latest Wrestling 101 Blogs:

> SSP#20: WWE Release Predictions, Remember Me and More…

> Ruses WWE Raw Review: 25th January 2010

> Fatboy Edge and Current WWE / TNA Thoughts

> CBlog #52- WWE Royal Rumble Predictions, Raw Guest Hosts and WrestleMania 26

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The Tap Out Chronicles
("Dusty Finish")
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February 6, 2010
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Card

Light Heavyweight bout


Middleweight bout


Welterweight bout


Middleweight bout


Welterweight bout


Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

• Lightweight bout: Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz
• Lightweight bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres

Preliminary Card (non-televised)

• Lightweight bout: Phillipe Nover vs. Rob Emerson
• Light Heavyweight bout: Brian Stann vs. Phil Davis
• Heavyweight bout: Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer
• Heavyweight bout: Mostapha Al-turk vs. Rolles Gracie

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This Week in WWE
(TPIB)
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WWE Monday Night RAW January 25, 2010 Results

The 870th edition of Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. One of the stars of the TV series, “Psych” would serve as the Guest Host as actor Dule Hill would be in charge of the final RAW before the Royal Rumble.

Match Results

• Non-Title: D-Generation X def. Legacy by Shawn Michaels pinning Ted DiBiase following Sweet Chin Music.
• Big Show def. MVP by pin following the Showslam.
• Divas Tournament: Semi-Finals: Maryse def. Eve Torres by pin following the French Kiss DDT to advance to the Finals.
• Non-Title: Kofi Kingston (with MVP) def. The Miz by pin following Trouble in Paradise. (During the match, The Miz is distracted by MVP's music, which leads to Kofi Kingston hitting Trouble in Paradise and picking up the win)
• Divas Tournament: Semi-Finals: Gail Kim def. Alicia Fox by pin following the Eat Defeat to advance to the Finals.
• Non-Title: Sheamus def. John Cena by DQ after Randy Orton interferes. (Randy Orton interrupts the match by hitting the RKO on Sheamus. Orton then goes for a DDT on John Cena, but Cena counters with the Attitude Adjustment, leaving both the WWE Champion and #1 Contender laid out)

ECW on Syfy January 26, 20100 Results

The 190th edition of ECW on Syfy came to you from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. Following the 2-on-1 attack perpetrated on him last week, ECW Champion Christian would enlist the help of SmackDown’s “Big Red Machine” Kane to face his attackers, the #1 Contender for the ECW Title, Ezekiel Jackson, and the mentor of “Big Zeke”, William Regal.

Match Results

• Ezekiel Jackson & William Regal def. Christian & Kane by Ezekiel Jackson pinning Christian following Total Domination. (Christian had William Regal set up for the Killswitch in the ring, but Ezekiel Jackson tags himself in and hits Christian with Total Domination en route to winning the match for his team)
• 6-Man Tag: Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, & The Hurricane def. Zack Ryder & The Dudebusters by Yoshi Tatsu pinning Trent Barreta following the Buzzsaw Kick

WWE Superstars January 28, 2010 Results

The 42nd edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH and from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. Chris Masters, Primo, & Chavo Guerrero would face off in a Triple Threat Match with a spot in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match on the line. Plus, Matt Hardy would go one-on-one with The Hart Dynasty’s David Hart Smith and The Bella Twins would face the team of Katie Lea & Jillian.

Match Results

• The Bella Twins def. Jillian & Katie Lea by Nikki Bella rolling up Katie Lea.
• Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Triple Threat: Chris Masters def. Primo & Chavo Guerrero by Chavo Guerrero submitting to the Masterlock; As a result, Chris Masters gains entry into the Royal Rumble Match.
• David Hart Smith (with Natalya & Tyson Kidd) def. Matt Hardy (with The Great Khali) by pin following a big boot. (After the match, The Great Khali came in and cleared the ring of everyone, including his partner, Matt Hardy)

WWE Friday Night SmackDown January 29, 2010 Results

The 545th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. With just two days to go until the Royal Rumble, SmackDown would host two big championship matches as D-Generation X would return to SmackDown to defend the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against CM Punk & Luke Gallows and, in a No DQ Match, Drew McIntyre would defend the Intercontinental Title against former champion John Morrison.

Match Results

• Triple H def. CM Punk (with Serena & Luke Gallows) by DQ after Serena interferes.
• R-Truth def. Chris Jericho by roll-up.
• Intercontinental Championship: No DQ: Drew McIntyre (c) def. John Morrison by pin following the Future Shock on the Intercontinental Title belt to retain.
• Women's Championship: Michelle McCool (c) def. "Piggy James" by roll-up to retain. ("Piggy James" was Layla dressed in a fat suit with Mickie James-style clothes on)
• Shawn Michaels & Rey Mysterio fight to a No Contest after Batista interferes. (Batista interferes in the match by spearing Rey Mysterio and setting Shawn Michaels up for the Batista Bomb.)

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The Live Wire v2.0
(Inno)
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Well, hello. Welcome back into your fortnightly peek into the darkest depths and dusty crevices of my mind… or what passes for one these days after years of misuse and abuse. Oh, those were fun years, but I digress. You’re no doubt here to read about wrestling… or you’re looking for Movie Mayhem and got lost? Either way, you’re my reader now… BWAH hahaha!!!

So by now, you (being a wrasslin’ fan and all) will no doubt have watched the first few hours of Hulk Hogan’s TNA revolution, and/or Vince McMahon’s response to that, or one could say Vince’s absolute stonewall Undertaker-esque no selling of it/removing a few people from the WWE opening sting.

From what I’ve seen unfolding down in Orlando, there’s pros and cons to the whole Hogan/Bischoff era, which I will go through right now.

On the plus side, the gimmicky six-sided ring has died a death. Thankfully. I agree with Hulk when he said that four sides is where pro wrestling happens, which brings me cunningly to another good thing - TNA are actively using Vince McMahon’s dreaded W word - wrestling.

No bad thing, for sure - wrestling it is, and wrestling it always shall be, not stupid sports entertainment phraseology. The thinking behind going back to basics is carried on in the ring. Scott Hall, SyxxPac, and The Nasty Boys all grace our screens once more. I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and slag off these guys. Hall seems clean, if hugely overweight - if he can shed the weight, then a clean Hall is an asset. His timing on the mic and general promo/angle work are still top notch.

SyxxPac - I’m sorry, I absolutely despise that name, he’s either X-Pac or Sean Waltman, so I shall resurrect my X-Puke nickname from the grave for him - has looked decent when in the ring, but I’m just not convinced that he’s totally “with it” all the time.

As for the Nasties… you know what? I’m enjoying them. They know how to work a good, solid tag team match. They have a great grip on tag psychology, and while they may not be great workers - were they ever? - they can carry themselves well, and for my money, don’t look out of place in TNA.

Hogan and Bischoff’s presence has been welcome. Yes, even I am praising Hogan. He’s well aware of his limitation physically, so he’s using his other prime asset - talking. Like him, loathe him or anywhere in between, Hogan on the mic can still hang with the best of them. Using him as an authority figure is a stroke of genius… you telling me Raw or Smackdown wouldn’t be better with Hogan as GM?

Flair has been used very well too. I’m fully aware of the fact he wants to wrestle, perhaps 2 or 3 matches a year? Probably not out of the question for him as a “Special Attraction” of sorts. I like using him as a focal point for a heel… but AJ Styles is not that heel, more on that shortly.

The lack of the TNA “hardcore” fan base at ringside has also been a plus for me. Those brain dead cretins and their desire to chant something smart JUST for the hell of it gets on my nerves. For God’s sake, people - it’s WRESTLING - it’s escapism - buy into it, cheer for the good guy, boo the bad guy… the peeps in the ring and on the screen, THEY’RE the stars, not you dimwits that think you’re clever. Sheesh.

So yes, TNA are making good choices. Sadly, they’re also making some bad ones, but I believe in trying to be positive, so I’m not going to go over the top on them, but I have to mention just a couple.

AJ Styles is NOT a heel. Never. And he’s certainly not the 2nd coming of Ric Flair. For me, that guy has to be The Pope or even Desmond Wolfe. I love AJ Styles in a manly no touching kinda way, but he should be TNA’s version of Sting - the perennial good guy. He’s good at it - don’t fix what ain’t broken just for the sake of it!

The influx of some new guys is pushing some of the other established TNA players down the card. I’m talking about the likes of Daniels, Beer Money, The Pope and the underused Eric Young. Can you honestly tell me that you’d rather watch Orlando Jordan over The Pope? Not the genuine Vatican City Pope, no - I mean the TNA version. Orlando Jordan is a decent, hard working mid card guy. Nothing more. The Pope is TNA’s breakout star in waiting, and needs protecting and promoting.

Are these huge problems? In the short term, not really. TNA can address them, just like they made huge strides forward from the live Impact to the taped editions shown recently. The live show was car crash TV at it’s finest, I carried on watching, purely to see how bizarre and awful it could get, yet the next Impact was a vast improvement.

I firmly believe that Hogan, Bischoff and their plans show some promise. I don’t think they’re ever gonna beat Vince and the WWE, but I do think their presence makes TNA a stronger entity. If they continue to improve and do more things right than wrong, and Vince continues to be apathetic, then we wrestling fans are in for interesting times over the next few months.

Have fun, go mad.

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Royal Rumble Roundtable
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Women's Championship:
Michelle McCool (c) Vs. Mickie James

Cathal: It'll probably be somewhere between the range of horrible to decent, as most women's matches are. The payoff should be James winning but I wouldn't be surprised if McCool won either. Like it matters anyway, I'll go with James.

Da Showstoppa: While I don't agree with the recent storyline about Mickie's weight, I must admit I really do want to see her smack Michelle McCool's head in this Sunday - and isn't that the purpose of an angle. I'm predicting a Mickie James victory here.

G2G: This has been one of the most entertaining Divas feuds in the WWE in a very long time, especially with Layla and Beth Phoenix getting involved. I think Mickie "Piggy" James will win the title tonight. I've really enjoyed McCool's title reign, but I think it maybe Mickie's time to win the title again. I'm expecting a really good match as well, as these two are capable in the ring. WINNER: MICKIE JAMES

Jimmy Redman: CANNOT FREAKING WAIT FOR THIS SH*T. My most anticipated undercard match, predictably. I'm convinced its going to be awesome. Michelle and Layla have buried Mickie for so long, they're gonna be awesome chickensh*t heels about to get theirs and Mickie James is going to be an angry fiery babyface and she's gonna KILL THESE B*TCHES. Anger always, without fail, makes Divas matches better, Michelle and Mickie are good and they had a good match in December, the match itself should be great, and after everything, Mickie is going to beat the sh*t out of Michelle, take her title and get her sweet revenge. It will be a beautiful thing.

Jung: Can't say I'm that bothered about this one. Logic says Mickie James, but it depends if the feud were to continue after Sunday. Either way, pee break match and a Mickie James win for me.

ECW Championship:
Christian (c) Vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Cathal: Not sure what to expect from this, Christian was definitely one of the best performers inside the ring last year so he may be able to get a good match out of Jackson. Christian's had the belt for 6 months which is almost unthinkable in WWE these days so there definitely is a possibility of a title change. Jackson does seem like their type of guy, I'll still go with Christian retaining though.

Da Showstoppa: In my opinion, Christian has outgrown the ECW title and needs to move on to one of the "big two" again. Jackson has the look and the intensity to be a very credible champion and with the conniving William Regal outside the ring, anything can happen. I'm predicting victory for Jackson, and the second title change of the PPV.

G2G: I'm absolutely loving WWE's recent trend of pushing newer stars into title matches, and for me it's great to see Big Zeke in the title picture. Some people think Zeke would make a boring Champion, but with Regal as a mouthpiece and with the opportunity of those two feuding somewhere down the line, then I really would love to see Christian's run as Champion come to an end tonight. WINNER: EZEKIEL JACKSON

Jimmy Redman: Couldnt give a sh*t. Funny note though, I was just on wwe.com and they have a poll on which champion is most likely to lose, and Christian is WAY out in front. So whatever they've done with Zeke, including having him bumping around on ECW, has worked to some degree. But whatever, Christian will hopefully drag something vaguely watchable out of him, he'll retain, life will move on.

Jung: Was mildly depressed after the Homecoming match result considering the talent involved. Ezekiel is basically the new Ahmed Johnson. Christian's a very good worker but I'm not sure if he'll be able to get a decent match out of him, especially when they probably won't get given much time. Christian should win and I'm hoping that's the case.

WWE Championship:
Sheamus (c) Vs. Randy Orton

Cathal: Heel vs. Heel! Crowd will definitely be behind Orton. Build hasn't been great for this but it is difficult to build a heel vs. heel match which would make you question why it has done in the first place. Expecting Sheamus to keep the title, by DQ or something or Legacy accidentally f*cking up something for Orton. Either way, Sheamus will still be champ by the end of the night.

Da Showstoppa: Sheamus. Main eventing WrestleMania? Think about that for a moment. In my opinion (and this is my opinion) Sheamus should not be "the man" on the red side of things. Orton however has been exceptional and is the best heel WWE has had on it's books for ages. From his slithering snakelike motion, to his excellent reactions - Orton is the real deal. Heel V Heel matches are always interesting, but given the mutterings of dissent in the "WWE Universe" (Oh God) An Orton victory is likely to be the desired result.

3/3 for the titles - Yep I see Orton taking this, and headlining Mania.

G2G: Now this is the match I'm really looking forward to tonight. The Celtic Warrior who is the surprise story of the last few months, but probably the worst booked WWE Champion in history going 1 on 1 against The Viper. Normally heel vs heel doesn't work for me, especially at an extremely big PPV like tonight, but I'm really interested to see what happens in this match. I'm hoping Sheamus wins, so he can defend his title at WM26 and cap of a great debut year for him, but I wouldn't be surprised if Orton wins either. WINNER: SHEAMUS

Jimmy Redman: To be honest, I dont really care about this either. Sheamus, he's just..there. When he isnt working with Cena I dont care about him at all. And this is a heel v heel title match on PPV. The mind still boggles. The match could be good, I think it depends if the crowd gets behind Orton, because otherwise they'll kill it with the lack of heat. I assume Sheamus will retain, but Orton winning it certainly isnt out of the question.

Jung: Strange one this as the build has ranged from good to awful and the match could really die based on the crowd reaction. Orton seems the likely choice to be face for the match so it should at least be interesting. Sheamus has shown he's capable, but he's not got over much simply cause he's done incredibly little. He should keep the title, simply cause Orton getting it means the same old matches again and going round in boring circles. A test for Sheamus though, with his 2nd major PPV match.

World Heavyweight Championship:
The Undertaker (c) Vs. Rey Mysterio

Cathal: This should easily be good at the least. Don't care how broken down 'Taker is because it's almost impossible to NOT have a good match with Rey Mysterio. Probably the most obvious result of the night with Undertaker retaining.

Da Showstoppa: A classic "big man V little man" scenario here, ordinarily I would suggest that Rey Rey is more likely to be pressed flat, than hold the WHC belt over his head come Sunday. Rey usually brings his "A" game to the big matches and I see this being an entertaining fight. However I have a suspicion that outside interference (Cough.. Shawn Michaels Cough)may just cost the Deadman. Title change 4 coming up folks.

G2G: Have no interest in this actual match tonight, other than the fact I hope Taker wins so it can set up a huge rematch at WM26 where Taker defends the streak and title against Shawn Michaels. WINNER: THE UNDERTAKER

Jimmy Redman: Now, this is a match. Smackdown rules #59 736, because the go-home show made me so excited for this, almost believing Rey had a snowball's chance of winning. I hope the match is great. They had the first 5 minutes of a great match on Smackdown recently. I just wonder about the condition of Rey and Taker, really, especially since Rey walked through a match with SHAWN MICHAELS on SD. But these two always perform when it matters, so it should be great. Taker will retain.

Jung: Should be a decent contest and the first singles match between these two on PPV. I'd expect Taker to prevail and Batista to probably be involved, but yeah looking forward to this one, potentially the match of the night.

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

Cathal: Always one of the highlights of the year, love the Rumble. Realistically I can only see 4 winners. HHH, HBK, Batista and Cena. I'm gonna go with HHH and we'll get to see him in yet another WM title match. Joy! Heard rumblings about Edge returning here but I don't think it'd be right to have him return in the match only to end up losing.

Da Showstoppa: And so we come to my absolute favourite moment of the wrestling year, the Royal Rumble. As I write this, most of the heavy mob have announced their participation, including Shawn, Hunter, CM Punk, Batista, Big Show and Cena. It's going to be a strong lineup and I could see many outcomes, Michaels needs to win to meet the Deadman (unless he does indeed cost him the WHC) , Batista likewise. A win for "The Game" would certainly kick off the stigma of Hornswaggle - and John Cena could win it because, hell he's John Cena and he wins everything. And (annoyingly) that's my pick. John Cena, because I'd be very surprised that come the big dance in March, that Cena is not in one half of the main event.

G2G: I honestly have no clue which direction WWE will take after Rumble leading into WM26, but it will certainly be interesting when it comes down to the final four. I'll stick my neck out though, and say the winner will be HHH to face Sheamus at Mania. I would've said HBK, but I'm starting to think that he will instead battle Batista at Elimination Chamber to see who will face Taker at Mania. WINNER: HHH

Jimmy Redman: The Rumble! I'm officially now excited for it, even though its almost certainly HBK or HHH winning, and I couldnt care less about either of them. But they've done a good job on TV this week. I look forward to HHH, HBK, Cena and Batista all facing off with each other, especially after Smackdown. I look forward to maybe Edge coming back for Jericho. I look forward to my fantasy booking of Orton trying to take one of Legacy's numbers and enter. I look forward to someone being this year's workhorse survivor. Plus, hell, its the Royal Rumble. Should be good stuff.

Jung: They've done a good job at building the Rumble and presenting it as a major spectacle and event. The rubbish about it being the most star-studded yet is a bit annoying, but the build has been good. My only negative point is that it's the same old guys who are the likely winners. Only Big Show has been presented as a threat, yet hasn't previously one. I'm hoping for HBK as it opens up a lot of potential stuff with HHH and of course sets up The Undertaker match.

Any other comments?

Cathal: This is definitely the second most anticipated show of the year. Love all the little spots do they over the course of the Rumble match and hopefully they have a few good surprise entrants on the show.

G2G: It's without doubt my favourite PPV of the year (just ahead of WrestleMania and Lockdown). I just can't wait to see it tonight, Bring it on!

Jimmy Redman: Its the Rumble guys. I dont care if its 2010, its gonna be fun as hell.

Jung: The PPV doesn't really wet my appetite particularly but it should be a decent event. It's WWE all over really. Nothing particularly bad or stupid, just a lot of very safe, predictable stuff. If they try something spectacular or dangerous that would be great, but I'd imagine that's highly unlikely. Either way it should be a fairly good show with an exciting Rumble and Smackdown title match.

Quiz/Chat (Tonight from 9pm!) | Discussion | Betting | Predictions (Win £20!) | TWO Rumble (Win £10!)

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Final Thoughts
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Thanks once again to all the dedicated staff of the newsletter, without whom, none of this would be brought to you every fortnight. I hope you enjoyed the segments and left the edition entertained and wanting for more. Also, don't forget, we're always looking for additions to the newsletter, so feel free to PM me with any ideas you have, no matter how "out there" they may seem.

I'm off to enjoy the remainder of my birthday and then the Royal Rumble PPV, so if you're doing likewise (watching the Rumble, not enjoying the remainder of my birthday), I hope WWE put forth a show worthy of the name.

Take care and we'll see you back here, same TWO-time, same TWO-channel, with another blistering addition of your favourite online newsletter.

Newsletter Editor: DC

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Contributors
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Thanks to everybody who contributed to this issue of the TWO Newsletter:

• DC
• Kam
• Inno
• TPIB
• Laffy
• Fiona

NEXT EDITION: Sunday 14th February

[DC]

*whistles*

[Nimf]

Another good newsletter! Liked Quote Unquote this time around - the TNA fan is a bit, shall we say, bonkers? Plus Blood And Bone looks pretty good.

[DC]

In next week's newsletter, there's going to be a competition. Tune in for details.

[Omega]

not really feeling the newsletter this time around, ended up skipping most if it.

[Jayfunk]

Jayfunk can understand them

there is a lot of irony there, as i do actually understand a fair bit of Hawking's work, its very interesting although lately have come under alot of things that have questioned if he is right, His hawking radation proving black holes is interesting. i even own the breif history of time. Althought at times i don't try on TWO don't forget for most of my life i have been a geek science is my strongest subject, i might be even able to explain a few things too you big guy

[Omega]

I love the irony of showing you can't eithe take or spot a joke by explaining how clever you are(n't) and try to give some a burn that is all kinds of fail....

[Darkstar]

Jay last time we debated science I beat you remember.
Either way it was a joke fella.

[Jayfunk]

i forgot the in the vacuum bit i remember

[DC]

Originally Posted by Jayfunk there is a lot of irony there, as i do actually understand a fair bit of Hawking's work, its very interesting although lately have come under alot of things that have questioned if he is right, His hawking radation proving black holes is interesting. i even own the breif history of time. Althought at times i don't try on TWO don't forget for most of my life i have been a geek science is my strongest subject, i might be even able to explain a few things too you big guy

Own it, you can't even spell it.

Seriously, though, Jay, every newsletter you end up reacting to a throwaway jokey line from someone and it comes across as you being very insecure in yourself that you need to defend every little jibe.

One thing I would advise, though, is not to "big up" your own intelligence/brain power in a statement riddled with basic errors.

Oh, and this is to everybody, go watch Blood and Bone. You can thank me later.