Post by Triple Kelly on Dec 24, 2006 23:06:27 GMT -5
I leave at about noon and get to Augusta at 5:30pm because the Mapquest directions were TOO good. I figured that *I* must be the idiot because for what felt like 2 hours, I'm driving through a paved road of absolutely NOTHING. A paved road with houses about half a mile apart from each other. If my car broke down in the middle of the street or a tire blows out, I would starve to death very shortly and no one would know because my cell phone has no signal for that time. I'd never been so scared in my life. Suddenly I'm wondering why the hell I'm going to this PPV in the first place. Then I remember I'm a complete moron with a fabulous car that does great gas mileage. I finally find I-20 East and get on it and all is well from then on.
I'm in AUGUSTA!!! I MADE IT AND I DIDN'T GET LOST AND KIDNAPPED BY DELIVERANCE-FOLK!! So before I forget, I fill up on gas at the Shell station while it's still light outside. On the way to the arena, I pass the local cinema and see "THE MARINE" is still playing, according to the marquee. I'm sure at that very moment Vince McMahon holds the ECW roster at gunpoint in the theater forcing them to pay full admission price and watch the movie right before the PPV. Punker is hooked up to the ”Clockwork Orange" apparatus. Balls Mahoney is crying for his mom and sucking his thumb curled up in the fetal position in the aisle while Sandman's liver goes into shock from the amount of beers he downs in order to enjoy the movie watching experience. RVD and Sabu…..well you know what they’re doing.
I park in the parking lot right across from the arena and am about....6th or 7th in line roughly. I meet a bunch of great fans that chat with me for the next 2 hours about certain wrestlers, matches, and thoughts on the future of the company while one fan regales me with a tale of when he met Sandman and Balls at Denny’s in North or South Carolina. Sandman was drunk out of his mind as Balls was nagging him. Picture that image and try not laughing.
I see Konga Dave across the way (who is THE nicest guy btw) and introduce myself from the forum and we chat for a few minutes and take a pic together. I go back in line for the next 15 minutes while everyone is yelling "LET US IN YOU rear canalS!!!" or words similar. Good thing I brought my oversized New York Yankees hoodie. After what seems like an eternity and another Bush administration, they let us in and I circle the place about 2 or 3 times before I find the arena floor and am helped to my seat (section 7, third row, back to the cameras) by the oh so loverly SS EVENT SECURITY (more on them in a moment). I get my digital camera ready for some shots and am told by one of them that I can't take pictures. "What??? This is bullcrap!" But I comply and put the camera in my purse for now because I don’t wanna get thrown out before the show even starts. Apparently they told the same thing to everyone else around me until a nice looking guy from the WWE crew comes out to talk to some people in the front row. We all tell him that SS Event Security said we can't take pics. He looks at us funny and says, "What??? Who told you that?" Without missing a beat, we all point angry fingers at the one guy and WWE crew guy says, "You can take as many pictures as you want!!!" I happily get my camera back out and await the action.
I take note of the signs around the arena, "HEYMAN SOLD OUT", "OWEN HART DIED FOR YOUR SINS" one side, other side says "GET DRUNK", "JOEY STYLES IS MY HOMEBOY", and a few others in favor of CM Punk that immediately get confiscated by SS Security.
Finally video packages and montages are shown for about 5 or 6 minutes but it feels like 20. All great moments from the WWE and vintage ECW, making me melancholy for the past. No Marine trailers, thank God but a See No Evil or two rears its ugly Kane-like head later on. I look behind me and see Big Van Godz(!!!) and his gal Sam. BVG is dressed like the Blue Meanie completely with blue hair, daisy dukes and his belly hanging out; I'm impressed. With the beard he vaguely looks like the kid playing Randy Savage from the "Be a Man, Hulk!" Youtube video. We all shake hands as the first match of Stevie Richards vs. Rene Dupree gets underway. Stevie is VERY over and Rene is completely over as a heel, yelling insults to the crowd. A guy in my section is yelling about Rene wrestling with a boner. I shouldn’t be laughing at it but I am and I'm loving it. The match is great and everyone is clearly into it. Easily the best match of the night NOT televised.
The PPV officially begins with the "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" song. A shame they couldn't clear Weird Al's "Dare To Be Stupid" for the theme of the PPV because the next 2 hours and 18 minutes definitely lived up to that title (couldn't ya see Sandman, Punk, Balls, and RVD in Devo suits? Come on, try it).
Hardyz vs. MNM is the first televised match. Everyone is LOVING the Hardyz. I've never been a big fan of them but seeing them live and doing their moves was pretty dang cool so they're officially all right in my book. MNM comes out, Melina does her trademark split and I yell, "CLOSE YOUR LEGS, YOU'RE STINKING UP THE ARENA!!" making the two guys next to me from Columbia, SC laugh. Match is great the first 10 minutes. The near falls are making everyone go crazy. BVG starts a "She's Got Herpes" chant which catches on and makes me laugh badly. Melina gives a “very funny, you hugers” look. The fans are screaming at Nitro and Mercury something to the effect of, “You suck!!”, to which they yell back defiantly, “NO WE DON’T!!!” Well now that we’ve cleared THAT up…
Next 15 minutes are lagging. I'm yelling, "WRAP IT UP!!" They're not listening to me and it's getting frustrating. The usual "distract the stupid ref" tactics go on and "I'm running on my way to hit you-OH MY GOD I ACCIDENTLY HIT MY VALET" stuff. Somebody get pinned and move on, PLEASE!!! Melina stays down on the floor and holds her nose. Matt and Jeff put Joey and Johnny on top of each other, making the crowd laugh themselves silly (Taz: It’s an MNM sandwich…with no peanut butter!). Finally they get pinned and everyone is happy. Go Hardyz!
Matt Striker vs. Balls Mahoney is next. Matt comes to the ring wearing a sleeveless pink cardigan and his wrestling tights with his own face on the ass. Ummmm......eh, nevermind. He says he doesn't want any bad language, to which the ENTIRE arena including me replies, "hug YOU, MATT!!" That's really showing him, it is. And no hair pulling (*eye roll*) and no moves off the top rope. No moves off the top rope? Who does he think he is, Bill Watts?? He does his usual condescending promo til Balls comes out and everyone clearly loves him. Match is a dud. Rest holds galore and Balls shouldn’t be allowed to actually wrestle. Give him some weapons, dammit! Finally Balls pins Matt and everyone is thrilled it’s over.
The screen shows Sabu’s injury backstage. Very hearty “BULLcrap” chants begin and I’m with them all the way.
I'm confused. Who are these guys coming to the ring??? These two strangers cut a promo in the ring while Godz and I yell out, “WHO ARE YOU???! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???!!” Then FBI comes to the ring with Trinity. She’s practically naked and I could see her cooch and wasn’t even looking. But she seems like a nice person so I have no problem with her. Crowd is dead for the match completely. The two guys next to me get ejected by SS Security for mistaken identity in throwing a crumpled dollar bill at Trinity. Security huging sucks at this place, as the arena was filled with signs at the start of the show and now have mostly been confiscated.
Daivari comes out with Khali and cuts a promo in Farsi. And l gotta say, seeing Khali on tv is one thing. Seeing him live is totally another. The man is the size of an office building. And the crowd was popping for him!! Well at least part of my section was. Tommy comes out and needless to say how much he’s loved. EC-Dub chants for him throughout the match. The ref ejects Khali from the ring area. Match isn’t bad….but it isn’t great either. But we’re all loving Tommy and rooting for him. I scream “WIN ONE FOR NEW YORK, TOMMYYYY!!” I’d love to think he heard me but it won’t matter in two minutes. Tommy is getting beat but then makes a comeback, only to be pinned when Daivari uses the tights. LAME!!! hugING LAME!!! Tommy chases Daivari behind the entrance only to be slammed on the steel ramp on his back by Khali. A few officials gather around as Tommy seems to be legit injured. Tommy has sacrificed his body for the entertainment of the fans and will most likely have problems and lasting pains the rest of his life. This breaks my heart. Tommy tries to stand as the fans cheer on but he doesn’t make it and has to crawl away. *sigh*
Kelly Squared comes out with Mike Knox. Everyone boos their heads off. Ariel and Kevin Thorn make their way to the ring and there’s boos for him but pops for Ariel. Her ass is in my face the whole time. She keeps bending over so no one in my section forgets she has an ass. In the words of Tom Servo in Space Mutiny, “She’s presenting like a Mandrill!” And btw, I don’t think she wiped last time she used the toilet. The match is horrid and the crowd is dead until Ariel shows her ass to each section. The two drunk guys behind me keep going on about how they wanna hug her. I’m praying the cage falls from the ceiling and kills me so I don’t have to hear them anymore. Kelly Squared tries to make the tag to Mike but he walks away, leaving Kelly to get pinned by Ariel and they continue to assault her after. My genuine disdain for Kelly Squared is well known. Yet for the first time…..I feel sorry for her. Yes you read that right. I FEEL SORRY FOR KELLY SQUARED.
Suddenly, The Sandman’s music hits and he appears on the other side of the arena. Everyone is going NUTS. The batteries in my camera run down as The Sandman opens his beer and pounds the can against his forehead. I hate digital huging cameras. Sandman makes his way to the ring and woops the crap outta Kevin Thorn; we’re all loving it. Sandman is the most over person of the night not participating in a match, which is a damn shame cause I was looking forward to him caning Sparky Plugg’s ass. Whoever decided to cancel that match in favor of this mixed tag, I hate you and hope you go to Hell very soon. Have a nice day.
Michael Cole appears on the screen to plug Armageddon. Everyone is booing their lungs out. It’s great.
Paul Heyman's theme hits and I mark like a teenage schoolgirl. He comes into the ring with his security guys and I start kow towing to him because I'm a huge DORK. People yell “you sold out!” and “you suck!” Hmmph. He cuts his promo and I’m in awe of the Psycho Yuppie of Scarsdale. I finally get to see my idol of wrestling managers live and in person (I have a strong bias for fellow New Yorkers and especially those also from Westchester County). Unbeknownst to me, he will be canned the next day. Just my luck.
The cage starts lowering and the people in the front row are panicking. It looks like it’s gonna come down and squash them. Thankfully that does not happen.
The entrances take up roughly another ninety minutes it seems. If the fans could vote for the winner of the match, Punk would win by a landslide, avalanche and volcanic eruption. My ears were ringing from the deafening shouts of love and approval for the young CM Punk. He gets to his pod and starts chatting with the fans at ringside. Seems like a super cool guy. I flash him a devil horn sign and he flashes it right back. Then he looks back at me and we exchange smiles. Yes, the man is SUPER. ;D Bryan Alvarez said a few weeks ago on The Bryan and Vinny Show that Lashley will most likely win the ECW world title and I’m hoping to God he’s wrong.
The match gets off to a promising start and everyone is clearly into it, with Punk and RVD being the clear cut favorites. Once they’re eliminated, Big Show is now the favorite. The fans in my section yell gay remarks at Test, he’s NOT pleased. Chants of “Let’s go, Big Show” fill the arena when it’s just him and Lashley. Show’s barbed wire baseball bat gets stuck in the bars of the cage and reveals it’s completely plastic. *sigh* They didn’t even try.
During the match, our section was standing on our feet and SS Security repeatedly orders us to sit down. SS Security tells me to tell Godz to sit down, I feel like a damn narc doing that but I don't want him to get thrown out. I think now he wishes I would’ve let that happen.
Big Show is pinned and Lashley is the new ECW World Champion. In the words of Jim Cornette, “Jesus Christ, I wanna puke”. 95% of this capacity crowd wants Lashley tarred and feathered. Godz is yelling at Lashley, Lash blows kisses to Godz and wants Godz to be his little white blue boy ring rat for the evening (Note to Godz: I tease because I love ya ;D). Lash leaves the ring with the belt and the pyrotechnics are so loud that Beethoven and Helen Keller could hear em. Big Show is disappointed but everyone in the arena chants, “Thank you, Big Show” Paul hugs Show for like a minute or more (and when I say "hug", I mean an actual hug, that's not a filter for the other word, thank GOD) as the chants continue. Then Show gives the fans a wave as he leaves the ring and another as he’s on the ramp. And at 2:20, that’s all folks.
Outside the arena, I meet up with Konga Dave, Godz and Sam. We all chat a bit about the PPV, McMahon and what the company will be like after his death. Godz and I do impressions of Vince that include, “YYYOOOOUUUU’RRRRREEE FFFFFIIIIIRRRREEEDDDD!!” and “I’m feeling narly tonight, NARLY!!” Godz likes the “product of my semen” line. A fight between a group of rednecks and punks breaks out on the concrete. We all quickly move away and watch. I’m ready to hit the ground in case one of them comes out with an AK-47. And since this is Georgia where anyone can get gun license (even *I* have one), it’s very likely. Godz and Sam depart and I say goodbye to them. I decide to go to the back of arena and see if anyone comes out.
It’s a small crowd and SS security goes off on anyone who takes one step forward in the general direction of all the tractor-trailers and buses. Then THE SANDMAN comes walking out with his little wheelie suitcase and goes behind the wall on the other side of the street to chat with the fans while SS Security guards him like he’s the President of the United States. The man is hilarious. I could’ve listened to him for hours. I get a few snapshots in as someone asks him, “What do you think of Paul Heyman?” He throws his hands up and shrugs. “I don’t give a hug about him”, or words to the effect. “I’ll fight him in a match, I don’t care”. Then Sandman splits and I wait around awhile if anyone else comes out. Mostly they all get in their cars and are too ashamed to show their faces. So after 30 minutes, I walk to my car and head back to Atlanta.
Final Thoughts (and aren’t you glad?): The PPV was too short, the matches were badly booked and mostly suffered due to the lame and retarded elimination of Sabu from the main event entirely, Sandman only showing for a cameo appearance and Punk being eliminated from winning the title in favor of Bobby Lashley. Those two factors could’ve changed the PPV from “worst ever” (there are about 10 other candidates on that list) to “Not great but good”. The energy and enthusiasm from the fans (a great amount of which didn’t show up on the tv) was amazing and contagious. I loved every moment of it and thankful I got to experience it.
I'm in AUGUSTA!!! I MADE IT AND I DIDN'T GET LOST AND KIDNAPPED BY DELIVERANCE-FOLK!! So before I forget, I fill up on gas at the Shell station while it's still light outside. On the way to the arena, I pass the local cinema and see "THE MARINE" is still playing, according to the marquee. I'm sure at that very moment Vince McMahon holds the ECW roster at gunpoint in the theater forcing them to pay full admission price and watch the movie right before the PPV. Punker is hooked up to the ”Clockwork Orange" apparatus. Balls Mahoney is crying for his mom and sucking his thumb curled up in the fetal position in the aisle while Sandman's liver goes into shock from the amount of beers he downs in order to enjoy the movie watching experience. RVD and Sabu…..well you know what they’re doing.
I park in the parking lot right across from the arena and am about....6th or 7th in line roughly. I meet a bunch of great fans that chat with me for the next 2 hours about certain wrestlers, matches, and thoughts on the future of the company while one fan regales me with a tale of when he met Sandman and Balls at Denny’s in North or South Carolina. Sandman was drunk out of his mind as Balls was nagging him. Picture that image and try not laughing.
I see Konga Dave across the way (who is THE nicest guy btw) and introduce myself from the forum and we chat for a few minutes and take a pic together. I go back in line for the next 15 minutes while everyone is yelling "LET US IN YOU rear canalS!!!" or words similar. Good thing I brought my oversized New York Yankees hoodie. After what seems like an eternity and another Bush administration, they let us in and I circle the place about 2 or 3 times before I find the arena floor and am helped to my seat (section 7, third row, back to the cameras) by the oh so loverly SS EVENT SECURITY (more on them in a moment). I get my digital camera ready for some shots and am told by one of them that I can't take pictures. "What??? This is bullcrap!" But I comply and put the camera in my purse for now because I don’t wanna get thrown out before the show even starts. Apparently they told the same thing to everyone else around me until a nice looking guy from the WWE crew comes out to talk to some people in the front row. We all tell him that SS Event Security said we can't take pics. He looks at us funny and says, "What??? Who told you that?" Without missing a beat, we all point angry fingers at the one guy and WWE crew guy says, "You can take as many pictures as you want!!!" I happily get my camera back out and await the action.
I take note of the signs around the arena, "HEYMAN SOLD OUT", "OWEN HART DIED FOR YOUR SINS" one side, other side says "GET DRUNK", "JOEY STYLES IS MY HOMEBOY", and a few others in favor of CM Punk that immediately get confiscated by SS Security.
Finally video packages and montages are shown for about 5 or 6 minutes but it feels like 20. All great moments from the WWE and vintage ECW, making me melancholy for the past. No Marine trailers, thank God but a See No Evil or two rears its ugly Kane-like head later on. I look behind me and see Big Van Godz(!!!) and his gal Sam. BVG is dressed like the Blue Meanie completely with blue hair, daisy dukes and his belly hanging out; I'm impressed. With the beard he vaguely looks like the kid playing Randy Savage from the "Be a Man, Hulk!" Youtube video. We all shake hands as the first match of Stevie Richards vs. Rene Dupree gets underway. Stevie is VERY over and Rene is completely over as a heel, yelling insults to the crowd. A guy in my section is yelling about Rene wrestling with a boner. I shouldn’t be laughing at it but I am and I'm loving it. The match is great and everyone is clearly into it. Easily the best match of the night NOT televised.
The PPV officially begins with the "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" song. A shame they couldn't clear Weird Al's "Dare To Be Stupid" for the theme of the PPV because the next 2 hours and 18 minutes definitely lived up to that title (couldn't ya see Sandman, Punk, Balls, and RVD in Devo suits? Come on, try it).
Hardyz vs. MNM is the first televised match. Everyone is LOVING the Hardyz. I've never been a big fan of them but seeing them live and doing their moves was pretty dang cool so they're officially all right in my book. MNM comes out, Melina does her trademark split and I yell, "CLOSE YOUR LEGS, YOU'RE STINKING UP THE ARENA!!" making the two guys next to me from Columbia, SC laugh. Match is great the first 10 minutes. The near falls are making everyone go crazy. BVG starts a "She's Got Herpes" chant which catches on and makes me laugh badly. Melina gives a “very funny, you hugers” look. The fans are screaming at Nitro and Mercury something to the effect of, “You suck!!”, to which they yell back defiantly, “NO WE DON’T!!!” Well now that we’ve cleared THAT up…
Next 15 minutes are lagging. I'm yelling, "WRAP IT UP!!" They're not listening to me and it's getting frustrating. The usual "distract the stupid ref" tactics go on and "I'm running on my way to hit you-OH MY GOD I ACCIDENTLY HIT MY VALET" stuff. Somebody get pinned and move on, PLEASE!!! Melina stays down on the floor and holds her nose. Matt and Jeff put Joey and Johnny on top of each other, making the crowd laugh themselves silly (Taz: It’s an MNM sandwich…with no peanut butter!). Finally they get pinned and everyone is happy. Go Hardyz!
Matt Striker vs. Balls Mahoney is next. Matt comes to the ring wearing a sleeveless pink cardigan and his wrestling tights with his own face on the ass. Ummmm......eh, nevermind. He says he doesn't want any bad language, to which the ENTIRE arena including me replies, "hug YOU, MATT!!" That's really showing him, it is. And no hair pulling (*eye roll*) and no moves off the top rope. No moves off the top rope? Who does he think he is, Bill Watts?? He does his usual condescending promo til Balls comes out and everyone clearly loves him. Match is a dud. Rest holds galore and Balls shouldn’t be allowed to actually wrestle. Give him some weapons, dammit! Finally Balls pins Matt and everyone is thrilled it’s over.
The screen shows Sabu’s injury backstage. Very hearty “BULLcrap” chants begin and I’m with them all the way.
I'm confused. Who are these guys coming to the ring??? These two strangers cut a promo in the ring while Godz and I yell out, “WHO ARE YOU???! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???!!” Then FBI comes to the ring with Trinity. She’s practically naked and I could see her cooch and wasn’t even looking. But she seems like a nice person so I have no problem with her. Crowd is dead for the match completely. The two guys next to me get ejected by SS Security for mistaken identity in throwing a crumpled dollar bill at Trinity. Security huging sucks at this place, as the arena was filled with signs at the start of the show and now have mostly been confiscated.
Daivari comes out with Khali and cuts a promo in Farsi. And l gotta say, seeing Khali on tv is one thing. Seeing him live is totally another. The man is the size of an office building. And the crowd was popping for him!! Well at least part of my section was. Tommy comes out and needless to say how much he’s loved. EC-Dub chants for him throughout the match. The ref ejects Khali from the ring area. Match isn’t bad….but it isn’t great either. But we’re all loving Tommy and rooting for him. I scream “WIN ONE FOR NEW YORK, TOMMYYYY!!” I’d love to think he heard me but it won’t matter in two minutes. Tommy is getting beat but then makes a comeback, only to be pinned when Daivari uses the tights. LAME!!! hugING LAME!!! Tommy chases Daivari behind the entrance only to be slammed on the steel ramp on his back by Khali. A few officials gather around as Tommy seems to be legit injured. Tommy has sacrificed his body for the entertainment of the fans and will most likely have problems and lasting pains the rest of his life. This breaks my heart. Tommy tries to stand as the fans cheer on but he doesn’t make it and has to crawl away. *sigh*
Kelly Squared comes out with Mike Knox. Everyone boos their heads off. Ariel and Kevin Thorn make their way to the ring and there’s boos for him but pops for Ariel. Her ass is in my face the whole time. She keeps bending over so no one in my section forgets she has an ass. In the words of Tom Servo in Space Mutiny, “She’s presenting like a Mandrill!” And btw, I don’t think she wiped last time she used the toilet. The match is horrid and the crowd is dead until Ariel shows her ass to each section. The two drunk guys behind me keep going on about how they wanna hug her. I’m praying the cage falls from the ceiling and kills me so I don’t have to hear them anymore. Kelly Squared tries to make the tag to Mike but he walks away, leaving Kelly to get pinned by Ariel and they continue to assault her after. My genuine disdain for Kelly Squared is well known. Yet for the first time…..I feel sorry for her. Yes you read that right. I FEEL SORRY FOR KELLY SQUARED.
Suddenly, The Sandman’s music hits and he appears on the other side of the arena. Everyone is going NUTS. The batteries in my camera run down as The Sandman opens his beer and pounds the can against his forehead. I hate digital huging cameras. Sandman makes his way to the ring and woops the crap outta Kevin Thorn; we’re all loving it. Sandman is the most over person of the night not participating in a match, which is a damn shame cause I was looking forward to him caning Sparky Plugg’s ass. Whoever decided to cancel that match in favor of this mixed tag, I hate you and hope you go to Hell very soon. Have a nice day.
Michael Cole appears on the screen to plug Armageddon. Everyone is booing their lungs out. It’s great.
Paul Heyman's theme hits and I mark like a teenage schoolgirl. He comes into the ring with his security guys and I start kow towing to him because I'm a huge DORK. People yell “you sold out!” and “you suck!” Hmmph. He cuts his promo and I’m in awe of the Psycho Yuppie of Scarsdale. I finally get to see my idol of wrestling managers live and in person (I have a strong bias for fellow New Yorkers and especially those also from Westchester County). Unbeknownst to me, he will be canned the next day. Just my luck.
The cage starts lowering and the people in the front row are panicking. It looks like it’s gonna come down and squash them. Thankfully that does not happen.
The entrances take up roughly another ninety minutes it seems. If the fans could vote for the winner of the match, Punk would win by a landslide, avalanche and volcanic eruption. My ears were ringing from the deafening shouts of love and approval for the young CM Punk. He gets to his pod and starts chatting with the fans at ringside. Seems like a super cool guy. I flash him a devil horn sign and he flashes it right back. Then he looks back at me and we exchange smiles. Yes, the man is SUPER. ;D Bryan Alvarez said a few weeks ago on The Bryan and Vinny Show that Lashley will most likely win the ECW world title and I’m hoping to God he’s wrong.
The match gets off to a promising start and everyone is clearly into it, with Punk and RVD being the clear cut favorites. Once they’re eliminated, Big Show is now the favorite. The fans in my section yell gay remarks at Test, he’s NOT pleased. Chants of “Let’s go, Big Show” fill the arena when it’s just him and Lashley. Show’s barbed wire baseball bat gets stuck in the bars of the cage and reveals it’s completely plastic. *sigh* They didn’t even try.
During the match, our section was standing on our feet and SS Security repeatedly orders us to sit down. SS Security tells me to tell Godz to sit down, I feel like a damn narc doing that but I don't want him to get thrown out. I think now he wishes I would’ve let that happen.
Big Show is pinned and Lashley is the new ECW World Champion. In the words of Jim Cornette, “Jesus Christ, I wanna puke”. 95% of this capacity crowd wants Lashley tarred and feathered. Godz is yelling at Lashley, Lash blows kisses to Godz and wants Godz to be his little white blue boy ring rat for the evening (Note to Godz: I tease because I love ya ;D). Lash leaves the ring with the belt and the pyrotechnics are so loud that Beethoven and Helen Keller could hear em. Big Show is disappointed but everyone in the arena chants, “Thank you, Big Show” Paul hugs Show for like a minute or more (and when I say "hug", I mean an actual hug, that's not a filter for the other word, thank GOD) as the chants continue. Then Show gives the fans a wave as he leaves the ring and another as he’s on the ramp. And at 2:20, that’s all folks.
Outside the arena, I meet up with Konga Dave, Godz and Sam. We all chat a bit about the PPV, McMahon and what the company will be like after his death. Godz and I do impressions of Vince that include, “YYYOOOOUUUU’RRRRREEE FFFFFIIIIIRRRREEEDDDD!!” and “I’m feeling narly tonight, NARLY!!” Godz likes the “product of my semen” line. A fight between a group of rednecks and punks breaks out on the concrete. We all quickly move away and watch. I’m ready to hit the ground in case one of them comes out with an AK-47. And since this is Georgia where anyone can get gun license (even *I* have one), it’s very likely. Godz and Sam depart and I say goodbye to them. I decide to go to the back of arena and see if anyone comes out.
It’s a small crowd and SS security goes off on anyone who takes one step forward in the general direction of all the tractor-trailers and buses. Then THE SANDMAN comes walking out with his little wheelie suitcase and goes behind the wall on the other side of the street to chat with the fans while SS Security guards him like he’s the President of the United States. The man is hilarious. I could’ve listened to him for hours. I get a few snapshots in as someone asks him, “What do you think of Paul Heyman?” He throws his hands up and shrugs. “I don’t give a hug about him”, or words to the effect. “I’ll fight him in a match, I don’t care”. Then Sandman splits and I wait around awhile if anyone else comes out. Mostly they all get in their cars and are too ashamed to show their faces. So after 30 minutes, I walk to my car and head back to Atlanta.
Final Thoughts (and aren’t you glad?): The PPV was too short, the matches were badly booked and mostly suffered due to the lame and retarded elimination of Sabu from the main event entirely, Sandman only showing for a cameo appearance and Punk being eliminated from winning the title in favor of Bobby Lashley. Those two factors could’ve changed the PPV from “worst ever” (there are about 10 other candidates on that list) to “Not great but good”. The energy and enthusiasm from the fans (a great amount of which didn’t show up on the tv) was amazing and contagious. I loved every moment of it and thankful I got to experience it.