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Post by I am Jack's STD on Dec 20, 2011 18:24:37 GMT -5
I guess I'm going to be "left behind", then, but I don't think there's a single person in that photo who's good enough to lace Mark Henry's boots. I dunno, I think Beth probly has some good boot-lacing ability. Probly could even tie them, too.
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Post by Piccolo on Dec 20, 2011 19:17:08 GMT -5
Now I'm not saying he's the only reason certain things are happening. That looks like it was what you were saying, actually, so what did you really mean to say?
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Post by Summerfest on Dec 20, 2011 20:00:33 GMT -5
Yeah change has happened; that change is that CM Punk is essentially turning into Triple H. Look what has happened since he tried for change: His old buddy Daniel Bryan wins the World Title, Zack Ryder wins US Title after he (and a few others) demanded he be pushed, and his (now ex) girlfriend wins the Diva's Title. So, you think he's responsible for a hard worker actually getting rewarded for it, one of the best technical wrestlers in the world getting a push that is suited to a man of his abilities, and one of the few Divas that know how to put on a good match? Dude really IS a saviour, then. At least WWE didn't hire Colt Cabana like he convinced the fans to support (despite the fact that Colt didn't get over at all on his own back when he actually was in the WWE). You say that like it isn't booking's responsibility to help get people over, rather than throwing them out there to lose and blame them for not getting cheered. I like Punk and all, but it seems to me like he's turning into any other wrestler with power. Now I'm not saying he's the only reason certain things are happening Eh? , but I don't want WWE to turn into anything similar to Ring of Honor or any other indie promotion. I dunno what you mean by that, but if you mean that talented wrestlers get pushes over big ones, then that's not really bad, is it? If I wanted to watch one of them, I would. If only the fans didn't expect/want him to turn face after that shoot promo (you know, the one where he called all of the fans poor/lazy assholes who only use WWE merch to get money). They cheered him because he was going anti-establishment against Vince McMahon while saying that he was going to help get what they wanted. It was more than just that promo.
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Post by Summerfest on Dec 20, 2011 20:59:05 GMT -5
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Post by Danimal on Dec 21, 2011 7:12:47 GMT -5
Not really. CM Punk merely took over the spot held by Cena. Zack Ryder is the U.S. Champion, but giving one midcarder a push does not equal change. We still have to see how Ryder's title reign works out. Will guys like McIntyre, Hawkins, & Reks step up and challenge for the title? Or will Ryder compete in meaningless non-title matches and constantly job to Miz, Del Rio, Barrett, or Kane, and not defend the title until he randomly drops it to the next flavor of the month. Cody Rhodes is the IC Champion. But there is no midcard for him to defend the title against. The entire SmackDown midcard is so far below Rhodes, and Rhodes is so far above midcard level at this point. Yes, Ted DiBiase is getting a good push, and is the most likely candidate for Cody to drop the belt to, but again, Ted is just one midcarder, and he too is far above everyone else. I like that Zach has had a real feud for the belt and they're acting like the belt means something. The midcard belts got degraded for way too long.
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Post by Mayonnaise on Dec 21, 2011 19:23:09 GMT -5
WWE.com thinks it has: Did CM Punk Start a Revolution?[/b][/url] During a live broadcast of Raw on June 27, CM Punk sat cross-legged on the entrance ramp in a vintage “Stone Cold” Steve Austin T-shirt and delivered a monologue that has become the sports-entertainment equivalent of William Wallace’s speech to the war weary Scots at the end of “Braveheart.” A pointed, stirring battle cry that both indicted the enemy and roused the people, the call to arms led legions of WWE fans to unite under one word — change. Frustrated with the direction of an industry he's loved his entire life, The Straight Edge Superstar wanted to see a younger generation take charge and in the weeks since his incendiary rant he fought an uphill battle to make it happen. At WWE TLC, the “change” Punk spoke about finally began to take shape. On that night in Baltimore, not only did Punk successfully defend his WWE Championship in a thrilling main event, but Zack Ryder grabbed the United States Championship and Daniel Bryan won the World Heavyweight Title. Something was stirring in WWE and Punk could feel it. It was an emotion he expressed bluntly on Twitter: CM Punk tweet: My march to Wrestlemania doesn't start after the rumble. It starts today. You're in or you're out. If you're out, you'll be left behind. It's all in the reflexes.Pale and unshaven with a hood yanked over his sleepless eyes, CM Punk may not look like the new face of WWE, but the face is the least distinctive element of this champion’s appearance. What sets The Straight Edge Superstar apart from Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, John Cena and every other well muscled American man that’s carried sports-entertainment’s most coveted title is his alternative appeal — the garage rock aesthetic, the blue jean and black hoodie uniform, the arms as illustrated as the rack in a comic book store. No matter how hard they tried to convince you otherwise, WWE Champions have rarely been cool. Bret Hart’s Michael Jackson-inspired pink leather jackets with military epaulets weren’t cool, Hulk Hogan’s Fu Manchu mustache and wispy golden hair weren’t cool and John Cena’s jean shorts and low tops were definitely not cool. The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin were cool, but in a way that was completely foreign to the average WWE fan. They were action heroes, larger-than-life caricatures that always knew the right thing to say to the bad guy before they offed him. CM Punk is not larger-than-life, but that’s exactly his appeal. He’s as real as it gets. He likes ice cream and Kurt Russell movies. He used to post pictures on his Twitter of oozing cheese pizzas he’d devour entirely, one would assume, by himself. He can dislocate a man’s arm with his bare hands, but that doesn’t stop him from staying up all night reading graphic novels. He’s flawed, frustrated and in love with professional wrestling — the type of guy a WWE fan can relate to. Zack Ryder is much the same. A young Superstar who had early success as Edge's lackey in 2006, he floundered in preliminary matches for the remainder of the decade before building his own fanbase through social media. By urging fans to like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter during his self-produced YouTube show, "Z! True Long Island Story," the kid from the L.I. started what he called the “Ryder Revolution” — a grassroots campaign to get the attention of WWE. What started with a Flip camera in Ryder’s roommate’s bedroom soon became a national phenomenon. Before long, WWE fans were pumping giant foam fists and wearing spiked hair wigs as they cheered Long Island Iced-Z to a United States Title victory over Dolph Ziggler at WWE TLC. Daniel Bryan wins the World Heavyweight Title at WWE TLC.Daniel Bryan may be the most unlikely success story of them all. A humble, 200-pound phenom from Aberdeen, Washington, the submission expert wrestled his way across the globe for a decade, earning repute as one of the world’s greatest technicians in the process. He even locked up with CM Punk in armories on the east coast when the two were standouts on the indies. But, in spite of being trained by Shawn Michaels and William Regal, Bryan never fit the preconception of what a World Champion should be. He’s pale, he doesn’t eat meat, you won’t see him riding in a limo or a leer jet and his shoes probably don’t cost more than your house. Still, at WWE TLC, Daniel Bryan became the World Heavyweight Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pinning Big Show. Suddenly, two competitors who learned their craft in the dingy gymnasiums of the independent wrestling scene were WWE’s top titleholders and a hardworking Broski was right there with them. The following night on Raw, the three Superstars stood triumphantly in the ring with their titles in hand and the WWE Universe completely behind them. Six months removed from Punk’s sermon on the mount, change had come.
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Post by Summerfest on Dec 21, 2011 19:58:47 GMT -5
[/b][/url] During a live broadcast of Raw on June 27, CM Punk sat cross-legged on the entrance ramp in a vintage “Stone Cold” Steve Austin T-shirt and delivered a monologue that has become the sports-entertainment equivalent of William Wallace’s speech to the war weary Scots at the end of “Braveheart.” A pointed, stirring battle cry that both indicted the enemy and roused the people, the call to arms led legions of WWE fans to unite under one word — change. Frustrated with the direction of an industry he's loved his entire life, The Straight Edge Superstar wanted to see a younger generation take charge and in the weeks since his incendiary rant he fought an uphill battle to make it happen. At WWE TLC, the “change” Punk spoke about finally began to take shape. On that night in Baltimore, not only did Punk successfully defend his WWE Championship in a thrilling main event, but Zack Ryder grabbed the United States Championship and Daniel Bryan won the World Heavyweight Title. Something was stirring in WWE and Punk could feel it. It was an emotion he expressed bluntly on Twitter: CM Punk tweet: My march to Wrestlemania doesn't start after the rumble. It starts today. You're in or you're out. If you're out, you'll be left behind. It's all in the reflexes.Pale and unshaven with a hood yanked over his sleepless eyes, CM Punk may not look like the new face of WWE, but the face is the least distinctive element of this champion’s appearance. What sets The Straight Edge Superstar apart from Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, John Cena and every other well muscled American man that’s carried sports-entertainment’s most coveted title is his alternative appeal — the garage rock aesthetic, the blue jean and black hoodie uniform, the arms as illustrated as the rack in a comic book store. No matter how hard they tried to convince you otherwise, WWE Champions have rarely been cool. Bret Hart’s Michael Jackson-inspired pink leather jackets with military epaulets weren’t cool, Hulk Hogan’s Fu Manchu mustache and wispy golden hair weren’t cool and John Cena’s jean shorts and low tops were definitely not cool. The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin were cool, but in a way that was completely foreign to the average WWE fan. They were action heroes, larger-than-life caricatures that always knew the right thing to say to the bad guy before they offed him. CM Punk is not larger-than-life, but that’s exactly his appeal. He’s as real as it gets. He likes ice cream and Kurt Russell movies. He used to post pictures on his Twitter of oozing cheese pizzas he’d devour entirely, one would assume, by himself. He can dislocate a man’s arm with his bare hands, but that doesn’t stop him from staying up all night reading graphic novels. He’s flawed, frustrated and in love with professional wrestling — the type of guy a WWE fan can relate to. Zack Ryder is much the same. A young Superstar who had early success as Edge's lackey in 2006, he floundered in preliminary matches for the remainder of the decade before building his own fanbase through social media. By urging fans to like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter during his self-produced YouTube show, "Z! True Long Island Story," the kid from the L.I. started what he called the “Ryder Revolution” — a grassroots campaign to get the attention of WWE. What started with a Flip camera in Ryder’s roommate’s bedroom soon became a national phenomenon. Before long, WWE fans were pumping giant foam fists and wearing spiked hair wigs as they cheered Long Island Iced-Z to a United States Title victory over Dolph Ziggler at WWE TLC. Daniel Bryan wins the World Heavyweight Title at WWE TLC.Daniel Bryan may be the most unlikely success story of them all. A humble, 200-pound phenom from Aberdeen, Washington, the submission expert wrestled his way across the globe for a decade, earning repute as one of the world’s greatest technicians in the process. He even locked up with CM Punk in armories on the east coast when the two were standouts on the indies. But, in spite of being trained by Shawn Michaels and William Regal, Bryan never fit the preconception of what a World Champion should be. He’s pale, he doesn’t eat meat, you won’t see him riding in a limo or a leer jet and his shoes probably don’t cost more than your house. Still, at WWE TLC, Daniel Bryan became the World Heavyweight Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pinning Big Show. Suddenly, two competitors who learned their craft in the dingy gymnasiums of the independent wrestling scene were WWE’s top titleholders and a hardworking Broski was right there with them. The following night on Raw, the three Superstars stood triumphantly in the ring with their titles in hand and the WWE Universe completely behind them. Six months removed from Punk’s sermon on the mount, change had come. [/quote] I swear to god WWE, you've finally gotten me to be optimistic for the upcoming year, don't you dare go back on this now.
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Post by Djm Doesn't Find You Funny on Dec 21, 2011 20:11:16 GMT -5
Goddammit.
Don't make me believe! Must...try to be...objective...cynical...smarky.
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Post by moneyman20 on Dec 21, 2011 20:13:43 GMT -5
[/b][/url] During a live broadcast of Raw on June 27, CM Punk sat cross-legged on the entrance ramp in a vintage “Stone Cold” Steve Austin T-shirt and delivered a monologue that has become the sports-entertainment equivalent of William Wallace’s speech to the war weary Scots at the end of “Braveheart.” A pointed, stirring battle cry that both indicted the enemy and roused the people, the call to arms led legions of WWE fans to unite under one word — change. Frustrated with the direction of an industry he's loved his entire life, The Straight Edge Superstar wanted to see a younger generation take charge and in the weeks since his incendiary rant he fought an uphill battle to make it happen. At WWE TLC, the “change” Punk spoke about finally began to take shape. On that night in Baltimore, not only did Punk successfully defend his WWE Championship in a thrilling main event, but Zack Ryder grabbed the United States Championship and Daniel Bryan won the World Heavyweight Title. Something was stirring in WWE and Punk could feel it. It was an emotion he expressed bluntly on Twitter: CM Punk tweet: My march to Wrestlemania doesn't start after the rumble. It starts today. You're in or you're out. If you're out, you'll be left behind. It's all in the reflexes.Pale and unshaven with a hood yanked over his sleepless eyes, CM Punk may not look like the new face of WWE, but the face is the least distinctive element of this champion’s appearance. What sets The Straight Edge Superstar apart from Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, John Cena and every other well muscled American man that’s carried sports-entertainment’s most coveted title is his alternative appeal — the garage rock aesthetic, the blue jean and black hoodie uniform, the arms as illustrated as the rack in a comic book store. No matter how hard they tried to convince you otherwise, WWE Champions have rarely been cool. Bret Hart’s Michael Jackson-inspired pink leather jackets with military epaulets weren’t cool, Hulk Hogan’s Fu Manchu mustache and wispy golden hair weren’t cool and John Cena’s jean shorts and low tops were definitely not cool. The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin were cool, but in a way that was completely foreign to the average WWE fan. They were action heroes, larger-than-life caricatures that always knew the right thing to say to the bad guy before they offed him. CM Punk is not larger-than-life, but that’s exactly his appeal. He’s as real as it gets. He likes ice cream and Kurt Russell movies. He used to post pictures on his Twitter of oozing cheese pizzas he’d devour entirely, one would assume, by himself. He can dislocate a man’s arm with his bare hands, but that doesn’t stop him from staying up all night reading graphic novels. He’s flawed, frustrated and in love with professional wrestling — the type of guy a WWE fan can relate to. Zack Ryder is much the same. A young Superstar who had early success as Edge's lackey in 2006, he floundered in preliminary matches for the remainder of the decade before building his own fanbase through social media. By urging fans to like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter during his self-produced YouTube show, "Z! True Long Island Story," the kid from the L.I. started what he called the “Ryder Revolution” — a grassroots campaign to get the attention of WWE. What started with a Flip camera in Ryder’s roommate’s bedroom soon became a national phenomenon. Before long, WWE fans were pumping giant foam fists and wearing spiked hair wigs as they cheered Long Island Iced-Z to a United States Title victory over Dolph Ziggler at WWE TLC. Daniel Bryan wins the World Heavyweight Title at WWE TLC.Daniel Bryan may be the most unlikely success story of them all. A humble, 200-pound phenom from Aberdeen, Washington, the submission expert wrestled his way across the globe for a decade, earning repute as one of the world’s greatest technicians in the process. He even locked up with CM Punk in armories on the east coast when the two were standouts on the indies. But, in spite of being trained by Shawn Michaels and William Regal, Bryan never fit the preconception of what a World Champion should be. He’s pale, he doesn’t eat meat, you won’t see him riding in a limo or a leer jet and his shoes probably don’t cost more than your house. Still, at WWE TLC, Daniel Bryan became the World Heavyweight Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pinning Big Show. Suddenly, two competitors who learned their craft in the dingy gymnasiums of the independent wrestling scene were WWE’s top titleholders and a hardworking Broski was right there with them. The following night on Raw, the three Superstars stood triumphantly in the ring with their titles in hand and the WWE Universe completely behind them. Six months removed from Punk’s sermon on the mount, change had come. [/quote] No turning back now WWE, goddammit. If they turn back on this now I swear that's it. Believe you me, I've never said that before. If you're going to do this, go all the way.
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Post by moneyman20 on Dec 21, 2011 20:17:49 GMT -5
Yeah change has happened; that change is that CM Punk is essentially turning into Triple H. Look what has happened since he tried for change: His old buddy Daniel Bryan wins the World Title, Zack Ryder wins US Title after he (and a few others) demanded he be pushed, and his (now ex) girlfriend wins the Diva's Title. At least WWE didn't hire Colt Cabana like he convinced the fans to support (despite the fact that Colt didn't get over at all on his own back when he actually was in the WWE). I like Punk and all, but it seems to me like he's turning into any other wrestler with power. Now I'm not saying he's the only reason certain things are happening, but I don't want WWE to turn into anything similar to Ring of Honor or any other indie promotion. If I wanted to watch one of them, I would. If only the fans didn't expect/want him to turn face after that shoot promo (you know, the one where he called all of the fans poor/lazy assholes who only use WWE merch to get money). So, he used his newfound power to give guys who've worked their asses off to get to where they are get rewarded? God bless you, CM Punk. Oh, and before you respond to this by saying "But when HHH did this you were all like blah blah blah blah blah" Just remember this, I was happy when HHH got guys like Randy Orton and Batista over because I thought they were talented guys who deserved their spots. Yes, he f***** over Booker T. But for every 1 Booker T, there was Randy Orton and Batista and other talented guys that HHH was high on in the past that he helped get their just rewards. So if you come back with some HHH generalization(Which I know you will), you can count me out.
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Post by Andrew is Good on Dec 21, 2011 20:38:07 GMT -5
I think the change has come. Everyone worked and scratched their way up to the top. The Straight Edge guy on ECW, Miz's NXT rookie and one of Edge's henchmen have made it to the top.
And like, Zack Ryder isn't just some mid carder they gave the push too. Who would have thought that when Zack Ryder did this dumb little youtube show that 40+ weeks later, he'd be the United States Champion, be constantly featured on tv, and have a whole round of merchandise.
Kingston and Bourne are kind of a symbol of a team coming together and not just being two random guys, but actually looking and feeling like a team. Beth Phoenix becoming the wrestling champion and not the model champion. And Cody Rhodes being that second generation star, who while he may not be as big as his father was, has gone off in a completely different direction from he and his brother. He wasn't given that shot because who he was related to, but because he deserved it.
And like, there is a huge difference between CM Punk and John Cena. For one, Punk cares about what goes on around him. Cena doesn't care about anything. Punk has a mission and a goal in his career. Hell, even Big Show showed how passionate he was to be World Champion, where as Cena, he doesn't care, and that's one reason he's getting the hate.
He's also different from Triple H, as to use a metaphor from Mr. Anderson, Triple H is on the top of that mountain and is throwing boulders down, so people can stay off his mountain. Where as Punk is someone who throws ropes down, helping people to get on the top of that mountain (Anderson said Undertaker was like that).
So yeah, it will be good to see if they can keep it in this direction. WWE put out some great tv in 1997, but the ratings were still down, and it took almost a year to get back and start to beat out WCW. So it takes a long term shift.
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Post by thelonewolf527 on Dec 21, 2011 21:48:10 GMT -5
Yeah change has happened; that change is that CM Punk is essentially turning into Triple H. Look what has happened since he tried for change: His old buddy Daniel Bryan wins the World Title, Zack Ryder wins US Title after he (and a few others) demanded he be pushed, and his (now ex) girlfriend wins the Diva's Title. At least WWE didn't hire Colt Cabana like he convinced the fans to support (despite the fact that Colt didn't get over at all on his own back when he actually was in the WWE). I like Punk and all, but it seems to me like he's turning into any other wrestler with power. Now I'm not saying he's the only reason certain things are happening, but I don't want WWE to turn into anything similar to Ring of Honor or any other indie promotion. If I wanted to watch one of them, I would. If only the fans didn't expect/want him to turn face after that shoot promo (you know, the one where he called all of the fans poor/lazy assholes who only use WWE merch to get money). So, he used his newfound power to give guys who've worked their asses off to get to where they are get rewarded? God bless you, CM Punk. Oh, and before you respond to this by saying "But when HHH did this you were all like blah blah blah blah blah" Just remember this, I was happy when HHH got guys like Randy Orton and Batista over because I thought they were talented guys who deserved their spots. Yes, he f***** over Booker T. But for every 1 Booker T, there was Randy Orton and Batista and other talented guys that HHH was high on in the past that he helped get their just rewards. So if you come back with some HHH generalization(Which I know you will), you can count me out. What about Punk burying Del Rio with the whole "People record Raw and fast forward through it just because you're so boring that no one wants to see you" stuff? Look I like Punk and all of the guys involved, but I'm just saying that this "change" Punk is trying to bring about to me seems to be more for himself than it is for the fans.
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Cronant
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 17,556
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Post by Cronant on Dec 21, 2011 21:53:33 GMT -5
Going to call BS here. Cena's character has largely been focused on winning the title, much like Edge's was.
And only now did he intentionally drop out of title contention, and that was for Zack Ryder. Honestly I don't get the "Cena doesn't care", especially since people bitched about him going after ADR and the WWE title. Punk himself focused on Nash and HHH after losing his the first time, instead of ADR.
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Post by moneyman20 on Dec 21, 2011 21:56:48 GMT -5
So, he used his newfound power to give guys who've worked their asses off to get to where they are get rewarded? God bless you, CM Punk. Oh, and before you respond to this by saying "But when HHH did this you were all like blah blah blah blah blah" Just remember this, I was happy when HHH got guys like Randy Orton and Batista over because I thought they were talented guys who deserved their spots. Yes, he f***** over Booker T. But for every 1 Booker T, there was Randy Orton and Batista and other talented guys that HHH was high on in the past that he helped get their just rewards. So if you come back with some HHH generalization(Which I know you will), you can count me out. What about Punk burying Del Rio with the whole "People record Raw and fast forward through it just because you're so boring that no one wants to see you" stuff? Look I like Punk and all of the guys involved, but I'm just saying that this "change" Punk is trying to bring about to me seems to be more for himself than it is for the fans.Zack Ryder is someone who got over with help from the fans. As well as Daniel Bryan. CM Punk(along with John Cena) helped them get to the spot that the fans wanted them to be. So, sure it may benefit him since it may be some of his friends, but the fans wanted them to succeed just as much as Punk did. Whether you want to admit it or not.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Dec 21, 2011 22:17:36 GMT -5
Those pink Michael Jackson-style military jackets kicked ass, and WWE.com knows it.
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Post by Michael Coello on Dec 21, 2011 22:25:36 GMT -5
Those pink Michael Jackson-style military jackets kicked ass, and WWE.com knows it.
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Dec 22, 2011 1:48:30 GMT -5
Fantastic article, I loved it. I hope they're sincere about this movement, because it's about damn time.
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Post by Spankymac is sick of the swiss on Dec 22, 2011 2:40:24 GMT -5
Fantastic article, I loved it. I hope they're sincere about this movement, because it's about damn time. Pretty much. WWE's showing us the future we want to see, now let's just hope they know how to make it stick.
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Phil Parent
El Dandy
Your Favourite Teacher
Posts: 8,508
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Post by Phil Parent on Dec 22, 2011 3:06:37 GMT -5
Awesome article.
They capitalized Revolution. Hmmm....name of the upcoming era? The Revolution Era?
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Post by norsisclouds on Dec 22, 2011 3:29:12 GMT -5
If this happens it will be the end of the IWC as we know it...
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