Every Tuesday and Friday we give you the scoop on what's happening in and out of the wrestling ring. Every Monday a brand new Book It.

Bob Saget annoys me.

Chairshots
4-30-02

Raw Thoughts
Raw went down a notch or two this week and that isn't a good thing. If you pay attention and can remember previous Raw episodes, then you can see that a formula is developing. Formula for Raw:

#1. Bubba Dances and Steven Richards does a run in. This week they added Jazz to the mix for no logical reason. Why they booked Jazz in a hardcore match is beyond me. Why Chyna can fight men with no problem but Jazz can't even move Bubba without a nut punch is also over my head. At least Steven Richards got the title this week so maybe this storyline can begin to move forward.

#2. Brock Lesnar kills a cruiserweight. This week's victim was Shawn Stasiak. When I saw this match announced on WWF.com before the show I was looking forward to it. I like to see Lesnar beat people up and I don't like Stasiak, so this was kind of a dream pairing. However, there was none of the comedy that usually comes out when the local monster meets the local insane guy. The way Bubba no sold for all of Jazz's moves is the way Lesnar should have treated Stasiak. Then this match would have had comedy and Jazz wouldn't have come across like a wimpy girl.

#3. Undertaker says he's bad and Hogan does some stuff. William Regal was added to the mix this week, but who really wants to see Hogan in the main event? I guess not even the WWF since the match never really got started. Is there any WWF fan that didn't know The Undertaker was going to come in and beat down Hogan? I think not.

#4. Goldust and Booker T do comedy skits. Last week was funny. This week they tried too hard to be funny. Not funny.

#5. The Intercontinental Championship is besmirched. It seems like every week the IC title is defended in the opening hour. This week it was the first match. If the WWF wants to build stars like Jeff Hardy and Eddie Guerrero and get them into the main event mix, then the IC belt should be the main event as often as possible. This should have been the second to last match to show how important the belt is. Better yet, Hogan and Regal could have had an impromptu match earlier in the show. Jeff and Eddie could have closed the show with their match and no one would have complained that the promised main event match didn't happen, as it did last night.

#6 Flair vs. Austin. I like the build up for this feud with Flair finding new ways to inadvertently piss off Austin. It's the one piece of the Raw formula that has yet to get old.

The WWF choosing to not have Big Show on Raw the week after his big heel turn, however, is just bad booking.

Lou Thesz Dies
Lou Thesz, the legendary former multiple time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, has passed away. Thesz had undergone a triple bypass earlier in April and had been recuperating from the surgery.

His wife has these words, "with a full heart and clear head, I can tell all of you Lou died content and with no regrets! Don't mourn - just love what he gave you. He loved and appreciated what you all gave him." I do find it odd that the WWF didn't honor Lou Thesz or Wahoo McDaniel on Raw last night. Both were legends.

Scorpion King Still Rocks
The Scorpion King was again the top film at the box office this weekend in theaters, grossing an estimated $17.6 million for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It now has earned a grand total of $60.8 million in just 10 days.

Don't expect it to be number one at the box office next week as Spider-Man will kick The Scorpion King's butt just as Spider-Man kicks The Scorpion's butt in the comics.

Ratings
The Raw rating dropped this week, just as the show quality did. After doing a 4.8 rating for four consecutive weeks the rating dropped to a 4.4. The Hogan train is running out of fuel rapidly.

Triple H Interview
There is a very funny interview with Triple H at Post-Gazette.com. It's basically rapid-fire questions and quick answers. Here's my favorite segment as an example:
Question: Celebrity you would most like to get in the ring?
Triple H: Bob Saget.
Question: Any particular reason?
Triple H: He annoys the crap out of me.

It's funny perfect for those of us with short attention spans. Go check it out by clicking here.

DDP To Return, That Old Bastard
WWF.com posted a column today about the condition of Diamond Dallas Page. He suffered a neck injury during a match with Hardcore Holly recently and doctors are telling him that he should retire from wrestling. The MRI showed a blockage at the canal around the L-5 and L-6 vertebrae.

Page is expected to get a third opinion (the other two being never wrestle again) from the famous Dr. Lloyd Youngblood (the guy that worked on Austin, Benoit and Rhyno). Realistically, Page might need a half year of rehab, and could possibly need spinal surgery to correct the problem.

"In my mind, it's not over. I'm going to come back. I'm going to get that last part of my run. And I'm really looking forward to it because I know I've turned that corner." Page mentioned that he does not blame Holly for the injury. "Bobby didn't mean to hurt me. Hey, this isn't checkers. You go out there, and you hit hard. I've taken guys out before, too. It just happens. Like I always say, 'fake' is way too strong a word for wrestling. It's not fake, it's fixed, especially if you're working with Hardcore."

Speaking of hardcore, I haven't had a burrito in three hours. I'm outta here for today.

Michael Goodson