Talk Wrestling Online Newsletter *Special Birthday Edition*

[Kam 243]

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All you have to do is register on the TWO Forums (its free), and select “YES” to “Allow Bulletin Board Administrators and Moderators To Send You Email Notices?” in the edit options section of the user control panel.

 

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Talk Wrestling Online Newsletter - Special Edition - June 25th 2003

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Hey All,

 

What can be said? Except HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWO!!! Three years ago, this site was little more than a chatroom and a forum. Now, it's a full-fledged community, with a wide array of some of the most unique, interesting and all round fantastic people in the world today. Kam invested a lot of money into the site, and gave up a lot of time and effort for it. Not for a second do I not thank him or appreciate everything he has done for this site, and me personally.

 

My year has been full of up's and downs. I've lost old friends, made new ones, become Newsletter Editor, found out lies about people, earned a bit more respect, developed a new respect for others, had an internet relationship that is seemingly regretted by both parties, and so much more... only at TWO. It's an experience, I'll tell you that much, and only at TWO could it be possible.

 

With that, as a way, somewhat, to thank Kam, and all of you, we have a special Newsletter just for you guys. I owe it to all of you to make this newsletter one of the best you ever read. So as always, sit back, gather the kids, and enjoy, because this TWO is THREE, baby!!! Let the party begin...

 

To read the full history of TWO, Check out Tonys Timeline:

http://www.talkwrestlingonline.com/Timeline/timeline.shtml

 

- Mitchell Jones

TWO Newsletter Editor

 

http://www.talkwrestlingonline.com/forum

 

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A Word from Kam

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Well TWO finally became THREE today, and I cant believe it. Its been 1095 days since I first started the website and it's just grown and grown. I remember there were nights I would stay up all night working on certain areas of the site (I had university work on top of the site), but I'm so proud of what it has become. Talk Wrestling Online is a COMMUNITY, with people from all ages discussing what they like best - wrestling.

 

I've had so much help from so many people its amazing, I couldn't name them all, but I'm sure they know who they are. Not just that its great to see passionate posts on the forums about the website, it just goes to show how much people care about TWO.

 

I can promise you all that there will be some MAJOR changes to the site over the next few months. The best way to describe them would be to say Talk Wrestling Online will become what it was always suppose to be.

 

To finish off I'd just like to thank everyone that's help made TWO what it is today!

 

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Goldy's Year at TWO

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Hi everyone. Not only are we at Talk Wrestling Online celebrating our third birthday, but I am also celebrating my first whole year at TWO. Yes I know it probably seems much longer to most of you lol! Anyway I thought I would write about what has kept me at TWO and why it has become my online home over the past year.

 

When I first arrived here as many of you will know I never had the luxury of a PC, just an internet television which as you can imagine was pay as you go and very costly. I got the TV as I didn't plan to ever spend long online, all I wanted to do was check up on my beloved UK wrestling scene news and maybe purchase tickets online. How that has all changed!

 

Anyway I stumbled across TWO and found it easy to sign up. So there I was finally a member of a forum, now what? Well, I never thought to say hi, of course we didn't have the introduction forums then like we do now, so I just started posting. I mainly stuck to both the wrestling forums, the UK one I enjoyed, as I still do. Pabster and Adam were always keeping it up to date and I started off posting in there and the US forum. At first it was just the odd post and I remember every time I received an email letting me know I had a reply to a topic I would be quite excited and log straight back in to read them. I was always made to feel welcome, this was during the days of Golduster, long before Goldy and before anyone was to know my gender. That was all down to Sabba Simba, although he wasn't the only one who presumed I was a he!!

 

I am the first to admit that I was useless at posting. In fact when I look back at those posts now I am horrified at how bad they were lol, not so much the content but the fact that I left no spaces, had no sig and not even a profile! The ever helpful Pabster finally sorted me out, as I always presumed that just because I had no PC I wouldn't be able to do the same things as other members. I was so naive. So one of the first things I learnt was "the space bar is your friend"! Needless to say that as bad as my posts were not one person mentioned it, well at least not until I knew DraVen a little better and he decided it was safe to take the mick! Everyone replied to me regardless, which was great. It was all new to me and I really hadn't used my literacy skills since leaving school, several years before!

 

After a few months of posting my views in the wrestling forums, I decided it was time to venture into the other forums. This in itself was a novelty as people who posted in the general chat forum were different from those that posted in the wrestling forums. So I became familiar with the likes of Peter Richards, Sparky, Nicole and Seabass. Now you have to remember that I had no MSN or access to the chat rooms so my only communication with other TWO members was through the forums. I'm pretty sure that this is the reason I have a lovely reputation for spam amongst other things lol, but it's amazing to think that you can become friends with people just through the forums only, another of the beauties of TWO. So that was what happened. I began to interact a lot more in all forums and of course this meant spending so much more time online. You could be guaranteed that after 6pm, which was cheaper rate for me, I would be logging onto TWO for a few hours every evening. Eventually I got brave enough to actually start off threads and was thrilled to bits to receive replies.

 

Anyway by now I was getting along with everyone and I can't write this without mentioning some things that stick out in my mind from the last year. Firstly there's DraVen who I started to take more than a passing interest in, as did he in me. All the flirting ensued, which must of made for hysterical reading for the more sane members amongst you! We were encourageable! Another thing was the "describe the person above you" thread which I totally sucked at. The browser I had took ages to post messages so of course I always ended up posting underneath the wrong person lol! It was all part of the fun though and again no-one bothered, just an example of how nice and fun TWO members are. I also started participating in prediction leagues, which I enjoy doing.

 

After my next phone bill I decided that I would have to get myself a PC before I went bankrupt! So I could now enjoy the TWO experience in full. Being able to join in the chat rooms was great. This opened up a whole new aspect of TWO for me, members who spent time in chat that are well known on the forums, but who don't post as much now became familiar to me. I realised just why they were such well respected members. Russ and his fantastic sense of humour, Verb and his witty ways, Acid Christ and his love for cider, hehe, the lovely Grapple and his amazing tolerance levels... and Colin. Just some of the interesting characters who made the chatroom such fun.

 

After having my PC it was TWO members who once again helped me set up msn, work out word etc and all round helped me become PC savvy. I'm pleased to say that so many members have become great friends online, who I know would go out of their way to help me. So now It's my turn to repay TWO and Kam for everything he does by helping out where ever I can and writing the UK scene column for the newsletter which I enjoy. Who'd have thought that in a year I could become a part of a great community and contribute to the forum I call home.

 

To sum up TWO I would say we are a family, who have our ups and downs, just like any "real" family. The forums are lively, the columns and reviews are always well written, informative and witty and the chatroom can be so much fun. For me though it's the members that make it what it is today. As somebody said in a recent post, TWO is where you can come and everybody knows your name! So before I get too sentimental (bit late for that I think), here's to my next year here and long live TWO and all it's fabulous members!

 

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If Simon met... Vince McMahon

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It's your birthday, we gonna party like it's your birthday! Alloha all, and happy birthday to TWO, 3 years old now! And what better way to celebrate Talkwrestlingonline.com's birthday than to "interview" the man who made wrestling worth complaining about… Vince McMahon. Read on for this birthday special, which truly does reveal all about pro-wrestling's favourite evil promoter.

 

After arriving at the arena hosting WWE's recent PPV Judgment Day, backstage pass in hand (all be it a very good forgery) I was able to walk around looking for the man everyone wants to hear from, Vincent K. McMahon. Obviously since I wasn't meant to be there, finding him was hard, although it did give me a chance to bump into some old friends. Firstly however, I managed to walk past Billy Kidman who was arguing with a road agent. I introduced myself and stopped to chat…

 

Simon: So Billy, what's bothering you?

 

Kidman: This moron here is claiming that my creative input is no good.

 

Simon: What input is it that he's rejecting then?

 

Kidman: Well, in tonight's Brock Lesnar v Big Show match I suggested that instead of Rey Mysterio running in, I run in and F-5 the Big Show. Brock then comes in and we do a staredown. I then F-5 him and leave them both down to finish the match, but it sets up this whole thing that I got revenge on Brock for doing my move at Wrestlemania. I think it'd be a great angle, we could fight at Vengeance to see who gets to keep the Shooting Star Press. The fans would go wild obviously.

 

Simon: Why what a great idea Billy, keep working on that idea man. I better be off…

 

Strangely enough they never used Kidman's idea for the finish. Walking on I started to wonder if we'd even see Kidman on the show in the end… but I had bigger fish to fry. Obviously I stopped to chat to my good friend Matt Hardy, who remembered speaking to me on the phone before the Aberdeen Tour De Force show. What a guy. But it wasn't long 'til I bumped into Shawn Michaels. I couldn't miss the opportunity, so after introducing myself again…

 

HBK: What the hell do you want then kid? Cut the bullshit.

 

Simon: What do you say to accusations that you and your clique friends are playing pass the belt on Raw?

 

HBK: I dunno what you mean… nobody else really deserves the title right now. It's just a co-incidence that clique members are the only ones worthy of such a prestigious title as the Raw belt right now. I mean…ha… can you imagine someone like Booker T being world champion?

 

Simon: Well I'm sure you guys talking to the powers that be, into booking a few more Intercontinental title matches for him will soon sort that out anyway. So who's shot is it next? Surely Nash's?

 

HBK: Well, it all depends on how the next poker game goes… Nash still owes Hunter from our last game… if they even up their bet then I suppose Hunter might give him a go of the title in a few months time. It's Hunters go right now.

 

Simon: Well…

 

The door of the locker room then opens and in comes my good friend HHH accompanied by Nash…

 

HHH: Hey Shawn, what's goin on? Hey… you're that reporter guy… I read that you piece of…

 

Simon: Umm… I'll be off now…

 

After running for a few minutes before eventually losing big nose himself, I accidentally find myself outside a door saying "Vince's office". Once I'd convinced a nearby Brock Lesnar not to steal my lunch money, I managed to sneak in to have a word with Vinnie Mac himself, although only after spouting some major BS so he didn't kick me out

 

Vince: Right ok, I'll give you 5 minutes of my time since you obviously put so much effort into getting through security. Still don't understand how security was so poor…

 

Simon: It was a good forgery though…

 

Vince: No, no, I meant Billy Kidman being able to get into the building. (Buzzes through to his secretary) Marge, take a note please… Billy Kidman to have a new gimmick, a confused wrestler who considers a sex change operation.

 

Simon: Vince, you truly are a genius.

 

Vince: Why thank you. We could have him wear blue and pink trunks, and his music could be all zany and crazy, and he would always like be confused whether he wants to hurt his opponent or not and he could like…

 

Simon: With all due respect Mr. McMahon, I get the point. Moving on to other things. Firstly, your take on the business right now, the roster split and all, and how you see the WWE doing in this kind of shall we say, recession in the wrestling industry at the moment?

 

Vince: Well I do realise there is a kind of recession like you say, and business isn't quite as good as usual. But I believe with the creative direction we are taking the WWE right now, we will soon come out of it.

 

Simon: Does this creative direction involve marketing things such as one-legged wrestlers as entertainment? With respect again Mr. McMahon, don't you think your ideas are sometimes questionable? Why would any casual wrestling fan tune in to say see Mr. One Leg and his good old buddy Mr. America take on Rowdy Roddy Fatpants and Sean O'Job? Or how about Mr. HHH keeping the Raw title glued to his waist fighting opponents who aren't made to look like decent competition whilst defending the title against close friends and family?

 

Vince: I can understand where you are coming from, and there is a minority of fans, who might agree with that, but it's the WWE… and in the WWE anything can happen. And the fans always love what we give them.

 

Simon: That really doesn't answer any of my points. HHH as world champion for so long? Isn't it a bit old now? Isn't it making the Raw product stale for instance?

 

Vince: Now listen here kid, what my daughter wants, she gets. And if she wants her boyfriend, husband, divorcee or whatever that Hunter guy is to be world champion on one of my shows, then she can have it. Next question.

 

Simon: So it's true, you really do care about the business! Here was me thinking you didn't! Which brings me to my next question. Now, Seabass has written in asking, what do you say to those people who say that you always give preferential treatment to the big guys in the business, such as Big Show or Albert… some people suggest that you have an obsession with big workers. Is it why someone like say Rey Mysterio could never be WWE champion?

 

Vince: Well… I think to suggest that I treat big workers any different is a bit harsh to be honest. If you look at the smaller workers on our show, such as that little Spanky kid or Rey Mysterio, then you can see how over they are with the crowd, almost as much as they are with say Big Show or A-Train…

 

Simon: That's not the point though… you will never make these guys world champions will you? Isn't it true that someone without the "superstar look" that you love can never be WWE champion?

 

Vince: What's wrong with being Intercontinental champion?

 

Simon: Agh. Don't get me wrong, I would never want to see that Spanky guy as world champion…

 

Vince: That makes 2 of us.. ahahhaha.

 

Simon: Ahahah.

 

(We both laugh for about 3 minutes at the thought of Spanky being world champion)

 

Simon: Off the record, just out of interest then Vince, why do you have him on the roster, you don't seem to have too many plans for the kid just now?

 

Vince: Off the record… the same reason I sign every guy I have no plans for… to exploit their overness and to make sure no competition can snatch them up… ahahah. And just while we're off the record, I screwed Bret, I'm guilty of dealing with steroids and I'm a total pervert.. aahhahaha

 

Simon: Ahahah

 

(We both laugh again for 3 minutes)

 

Simon: Ah… Mr. McMahon you're brilliant. Back on the record now, how much of a family orientated product would you say the WWE is now after you originally dropped the Val Venis, Godfather etc. gimmicks and really cleaning it up… before then bringing them back. Wouldn't you still say that your product is unpresentable to children?

 

Vince: Well… to be honest I'd let my kids watch it… and if that's the type of thing I let my kids watch then how does it make me a bad parent?

 

Simon: To be fair though Vince, your 2 kids are still working in an industry which is still in principle men in tights pretending to fight each other, and their jobs include determining who wins these fake fights…

 

Vince: Haha, you crack me up kid. I should hire you ya know.

 

Simon: Thanks Mr. McMahon, but I'd rather keep my job at TWO. It means a lot to me. Anyway, back to the question…

 

Vince: Well… we here at the WWE think you people are sick and tired of being treated like children. Surely the era of "morals" and "the parent urges you to be civil and not swear" is surely passe. I hardly think our product is unsuitable for children anyway.

 

Simon: Vince, you have Torie Wilson and Sable kissing in a ring and things like Val Venis flaunting his gimmick as the best "XXX" superstar in the whole world etc. Surely kids might just go up to mommy and ask what puppies are or what Jerry Lawler was talking about at certain points about Molly Holly in an angle as recent as last year. Vince its so in your face! Even little things such as Austin making drinking look cool could be seen as slightly shocking

 

Vince: You want a beer?

 

Simon: Cool!

 

(I start drinking the beer like Austin and ask for more before snapping out of Vince's evil kind of hypnosis)

 

Vince: You aren't one of these bible bashers are you? If you are… this interview is over.

 

Simon: I would have thought if I was you'd have given me a job. No don't worry Vince I left all morals at the door, as required by security before you enter a WWE arena. It's ok. Next question then, perhaps I can get a straight answer out of you here, Peter Knott aka PK (an ex WCW/ECW fan of course) asks what do you say to those ex-WCW or ECW fans who claim you have damaged the wrestling industry by destroying ECW and WCW? Did you take great pleasure in getting rid of them both?

 

Vince: Concerning ECW, no I didn't. ECW killed ECW. It tried to compete with the WWF and it didn't realise that it couldn't play with the big boys, they just didn't have what it takes.

 

Simon: How can you explain the hiring of so many talented ECW stars then? Surely you have to give them credit for having something special about their product… I mean say Tazz… you were pushing the hell out of him for a bit weren't you?

 

Vince: Um… that was a bit of a mix-up in the offices here… I was told about this Tazz guy, and I agreed to everything until I watched one of his matches and saw that he was what… 5' 8"? Come on… he wouldn't look right wearing the belt would he? For starters his shoulders would clash with the colour of the gold on the belt.

 

Simon: I'll come back to that in a second… but what about WCW?

 

Vince: I'll admit nothing satisfied me more than killing WCW, and to WCW fans all I can say is… Business is business. But I'm always willing to bury the past, and that's why I took on so many WCW workers and staff. And I treat them just as well as say someone who has been in the WWE their entire career.

 

Simon: So between you and the Undertaker who picks on ex-WCW stars the most?

 

Vince: Taker doesn't pick on them for goodness sake. He's just trying to help them follow his footsteps. When you see him make say Chuck Palombo look crap in a match its for his own good… its how Taker shows them the ropes.

 

Simon: And he told you this?

 

Vince: Yeah… we were also discussing another title run for him soon, he has some really great ideas for the show you know. It was his idea, its so that the younger guys can get some more airtime with him and they can look good.

 

Simon: Speaking of title runs and wrestlers who shouldn't be anywhere near the title… are you determined to make sure Goldberg ends up with the Raw title no matter how much the fans show their hatred for him?

 

Vince: Goldberg is a phenomenal specimen, and unless anyone halts his progress to the title, I can't see him not ending up as champion

 

Simon: But you're the guy who decides whether anyone stops him…

 

Vince: Not exactly. I trust Hunters judgment too.

 

Simon: Now, a question from Seabass again… Are you really Vince Russo? I see where he's coming from… is it true that you have both never been seen in the same room at the same time?

 

Vince: My booking isn't that bad damnit.

 

Simon: Chris2k would like to know…What are your thoughts on cannibalism, regarding the fact that Viscera ate many of your former-cruiserweights?

 

Vince: Ahaha, That sounds like a great angle… get in contact with that guy, he should be on our writing staff. Man, I can just imagine it now… we can just use Rosey instead of Viscera, and we can have him fight El Midgeto of Mexico at Summerslam, who is defending the honour of his Mexican cruiserweight counterparts… Perfect!

 

Simon: Err… of course. Your favourite WWE show? Which brand do you personally prefer?

 

Vince: Well for me Smackdown has it all. Where else can you see 2 playboy centerfolds in the middle of the ring getting it on. Plus you have a 7-foot tall 500-pound monster in the Big Show along with his massive buddy A-Train. That's entertainment.

 

Simon: Not to mention an Olympic gold medallist in Angle and one of the best technical wrestlers around today in Benoit along with Eddie Guerrero and co.?

 

Vince: Chris Benoit is on Smackdown?

 

Simon: I'm afraid he is Vince, jobbing his heart out for you. How about Benoit? Will he ever become WWE champion? I know he hasn't worked for you his entire career, but surely he deserves it at some point.

 

Vince: Hmm… I'm not sure whether Taker would like that one or not… I need to think about that one.

 

Simon: *Sigh*… Ok… now moving on to my final question, do you ever listen to feedback from anyone who isn't a McMahon, HHH, or Taker?

 

Vince: Of course I do. Austin and Goldberg come up with some really great ideas sometimes too.

 

Simon: Anybody else? What about the fans?

 

Vince: I'm always interested to hear what the fans have to say.

 

Simon: So you can do the opposite from what they want?

 

Vince: Now you're getting the idea. Ever thought about joining our booki… I mean writing staff?

 

Simon: I'm not sure you'd appreciate my ideas Mr. McMahon, but thank you all the same. Now before I go... I'd like to finish off by naming some names and have you make a comment on the names I read out.

 

Vince: Sure

 

Simon: Ok, firstly… Hulk Hogan

 

Vince: Immortal… the franchise I mean.

 

Simon: Mick Foley

 

Vince: Aha, good ol Mick. Crazy!

 

Simon: Billy Gunn?

 

Vince: What can I say… we tried.

 

Simon: Goldberg

 

Vince: Money

 

Simon: Jeff Hardy

 

Vince: Who?

 

Simon: Yeah… I get that a lot. Mae Young

 

Vince: Hilarious, the skits she's in are always my favourites. Ahahaha, remember the one where she gave birth to a hand, ahahah man, that just cracks me up. Wasn't that just great?

 

Simon: No… no it certainly wasn't. If there were a reason for me to support euthanasia, it'd be her. Next, Bret Hart.

 

Vince: Outstanding technical wrestler

 

Simon: Any idea why he's still so bitter whilst you seem willing to bury the hatchet?

 

Vince: I don't know… I mean it's not like I ruined his career or anything. Hopefully Bret will come to his senses and we can be friends again one day.

 

Simon: Indeed. Well cheers for your honesty Mr. McMahon.

 

Vince: No problem. Well I think I'd better get on with my work now, it's been a pleasure son.

 

Simon: Thank you again Mr. McMahon. One last thing…

 

Vince: Yes?

 

Simon: On behalf of TWO, I would just like to tell you… YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!!!

 

 

Happy 3rd Birthday Talkwrestlingonline.com!

 

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When TWO was born...

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June 25th 2000 was the day that Talk Wrestling Online was born. The vision of a young man called Kam from that sprawling modern day metropolis know as High Wycombe finally came to fruition on this fateful day.

 

But what was the wrestling world like back in June 2000? Well bear with me while I provide a brief recap of the goings on around that month and compare them to today's state of play in the wrestling world.

 

June 25th was not only famous for the birth of Talk Wrestling Online; it was also the night of the annual King of the Ring Pay per View. The 2000 King of the Ring was in fact the last tournament in which they actually had 3 rounds on the PPV as in 2001 and 2002 it was just the semi finals and then the final match which was shown on the PPV. The eight competitors for this annual event were Rikishi, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Val Venis, Crash Holly, Bull Buchanon, Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle.

 

In Round one Rikishi beat Chris Benoit by DQ, Val Venis pinned Eddie Guerrero, Crash Holly scored the upset victory over Bull Buchanon and Kurt Angle pinned Chris Jericho.

 

In the Semi finals Rikishi beat Val Venis and Kurt Angle Defeated Crash Holly giving us a King of the Ring 200 final of Rikishi vs. Kurt Angle.

 

Seems hard to believe that Rikishi made it too the final of the King of a Ring tournament doesn't it? Well not really considering in the past such illustrious wrestlers as Mabel, Savio Vega and Jake Roberts have all reached the final.

 

As I'm sure you all know the final match was won by Kurt Angle thus crowning him the King of the Ring for 2000. This was just the start for Kurt Angle as he went onto to become a multi time WWE champion. As for Rikishi well he's still around although most people don't actually know why. You can usually find him being used to put over new talent on Smackdown these days.

 

But what of the other competitors in the King of the Ring 2000 Tournament? Well the only one of the eight who is no longer with the WWE is Bull Buchanon who was finally released after countless failed pushes some months ago. Crash Holly is the latest follower of Mattitude. Val Venis has recently returned after his stint as Chief of Staff Morley. Eddie Guerrero is currently one half of the tag team champions on Smackdown. Chris Jericho of course went on to be the first ever undisputed heavyweight champion and Chris Benoit is still like then waiting for his first run with the main Heavyweight belt. I guess some things never do change.

 

But what of the other matches on the card that night?

 

Well Pat Patterson fought Gerald Briscoe in a Hardcore Evening Gown match, which isn't even worth mentioning. I guess even back then the WWE had a desire to fill PPV's with crap gimmick matches that no one was interested in.

 

X-Pac, Road Dogg & Tori (Remember those guys?) beat the Dudley boys.

 

Edge & Christian beat Too Cool, The Hardy Boyz & Test and Albert in a fatal four-way elimination match to win the Tag Team Titles.

 

The main event was a confusing match pitting HHH, Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon against The Rock, Undertaker and Kane. Now if memory serves me the story was who ever got the pinfall on The Rocks team won the title. Now please don't quote me if I'm wrong as I'm not 100% sure on this but all I know is The Rock Pinned Vince McMahon to win his 5th WWF Championship

 

So there you have it. On the night TWO was born The Rock became champion for the 5th time and Kurt Angle became King of the Ring.

 

Now lets take a look at what was going on in WCW in June 2000:

 

In June 2000 the holder of the WCW Championship belt was none other that 'The Chosen One' Jeff Jarrett. He won the belt from Ric Flair and held it until Booker T beat him the following month. These days of course Jeff is busy running NWA: TNA with his father Jerry, while Booker T is currently feuding with Christian for the Intercontinental Title on RAW.

 

The US Title was held by none other than 'Big Poppa Pump' Scott Steiner who of course nowadays is also on the RAW brand and is currently situated in the mid card with Stacy Keibler as his manager.

 

The Tag Titles were held by Chuck Palumbo and Shawn Stasiak or 'The Perfect Event' as they were known. Stasiak was released by the WWE last year and appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth whereas Palumbo is a member of the FBI faction on Smackdown.

 

The Hardcore Title was held my both The Marmalukes and Eric Bischoff during the month of June 2000. Bischoff is of course the current co GM of RAW and Johnny the Bull is part of the FBI on Smackdown. Big Vito currently works the US Indy scene.

 

Of course back in June 2000 ECW was still going strong also so lets take a quick look into the situation there at the time:

 

The holder of the ECW title for the majority of that year was none other than Justin Credible. The ex Aldo Montoya reached new heights in ECW before it folded and returned for yet another unsuccessful stint in the WWE in 2002. He was released earlier this year and is now making appearances on the Indy circuit as well as on NWA: TNA PPV's.

 

The holder of the ECW TV Title was none other than Rhyno who is now to be found on Smackdown.

 

The Tag Titles were vacant during June 2000 as Lance Storm who was the holder at the time with Justin Credible left for WCW in May 2000 therefore making the titles vacant.

 

So there you have it in June 2000 we had the big three of WWF, WCW and ECW all fighting it out for supremacy. Lets fast-forward three years to compare the scene then to the scene now.

 

Well as I'm sure you are all aware, both WCW and ECW no longer exist. ECW finally collapsed under Paul Heyman's poor financial planning, whereas WCW…. Well this column isn't really the place to debate why WCW crumbled so dramatically but it has and Vince bought his opposition so we are left with just WWF which of course has since become WWE. The only promotion that comes close to the WWE right now is the Jarrett's NWA: TNA but that is a long way off rivalling the WWE. So for the foreseeable future Vince McMahon would seem to be free to do as he pleases without any fears of losing his grip on the wrestling world.

 

As for the next 3 years, well who can tell? If you had told someone back in 2000 that by June 25th 2003 the WWE would be the only mainstream wrestling promotion on National TV and that Eric Bischoff would be one of the most prominent figures on RAW then they would have probably laughed in your face.

 

But then Wrestling is very much like life, you never know what's going to happen next and it is that unpredictability that keeps us all interested (well some of us anyway).

 

Until next time, and here's to another 3 years at TWO

 

HSM

 

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TWO Workers Roundtable Discussion

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**Sat around a round table (hence the name "roundtable discussion"), 10 elite TWO workers sit, staring around at each other, some scoffing cake before it's too late, some staring at Goldy's chest, some simply preparing what to say. As the clock hit's 9pm, the discussion begins**

 

-INTRODUCE YOURSELF-

Cripper : Hello there, I'm crippler, I'm 19 and 6 months and I've been coming to Talk Wrestling Online since early December 2000. I'm now a moderator on the forum, and TWO member of the Year 2002.

Verb : I'm Verb, I'm 21 years and 11 months old, out of all the staff I have been at TWO the longest, and I quit yesterday

Simon : Alloha, Simon, 18 and 10 months, write articles for TWO... whether people read them or not I dunno, but I do, and basically I am a nasty little smark who hates HHH.

Inno : Only here to plug SMASHWRESTLING.COM ; writer of the phenomenally successful, yet headache inducing column The Live Wire. Been here pretty much since the start on and off. 28 and a bit.

Goldy : Hi all, I'm Goldy, I've been at TWO for a year now, I do the UK scene column for the newsletter and I'm 23

Chris2k : Hello everyone *mugs*, I'm Chris2K, and tonight, I shall be playing the part of 'Chris2K: US Forum and PRDZ Forum Leader'. I have been the forum leader of the aforementioned forums for over 3 months, and I run the PPV Prediction League, the Raw and SD Threads, and the TWO Wrestling Awards. I have been at the forums for a year, and was second in TWO Chatroom Member of the Year. I'm 17 in August.

DraVen : I'm DraVen, I'm 15 and 9 months, I've been here since early 2002 and I'm Newsletter Editor, and US Forum Leader.

Russ : On the 8th Day, God said "Let There Be Russ!", and there was, and he was happy with what he saw. I'm one year older than I was last year, I review video games, I moderate forums and chatrooms, and I like walks on the beach and seafood.

 

-HOW YOU FOUND TWO, AND WHAT YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION WAS-

Russ : I was horny, looking for love, found a wrestling chatroom, got biz-zay with Chyna, and stuck around. My first impressions were- "Cor, they're easy around here".

Goldy : I found TWO through a link from the lovely Simon Lilsboy. It's the first forum I could register at and I liked it straightaway

Simon : Hmm... lemme think. I found TWO after my younger brother started using it for news (why, I don't know). He was always in the chatroom, and one day, he said there was a job going as a columnist there. So I wrote to Kam with an example of my work.... and well, he took me on and it went from there. First impressions though, dunno about everyone else... I mainly kept away from the chatrooms at first, but I loved the discussions on the forums

Crippler : I didnt particularly like it. I went in there and bizarrely got ridiculed by people because I liked Benoit. That was the "Hardy mark" days. But I remember Tony giving them a verbal bashing on why Benoit ruled and I thought I'd hang about.

Verb : I found TWO through another site (name escapes me)...I tried to take over the chatrooms (long story)...I nearly did it...TWO Version 1 sucked

Inno : Erm... not sure. I found Smash by accident, ended up working there, got roped into the chat room, met Kam. He felt sorry for me, and made me a mod because I worked for Smash. Loved the forums, yet they despised me. When Smash went belly up for a while, I started putting my column on TWO - I'm still here. Can't get rid of me, no matter how hard you all try!

DraVen : I found it through Smash.. Shah always plugged it on TalkSport so I went there and found out that the chatrooms which I frequented were of TWO, and it was supposedly "bigger and better", so I went there, and stayed there ever since.

Chris2k : I was directed to the TWO chatroom in mid-May by a former associate of mine. From then on, I was pretty much a regular, getting under the mods' skin and generally being around. I first used the La Parka icon, and gained cult status by *struts*ing. I then joined the forums in June 2002. My opinion of most of the TWO people was that they knew a helluva lot more about wrestling than I did and that they were a bunch of friendly people.

Simon : Former associate eh Chris? Very formal. What was this associates name?

Inno : Billy McKenzie?

DraVen : I was always in battles with Alliance Mark and Dirty Streets, and Jess.

Crippler : Oh yes, I remember Dirty Streets. He was the guy that wanted us to guess why he was called Dirty Streets

Inno : Who was the girl that claimed she had given birth the day before she came to the chatroom, she was on a laptop in a maternity ward in Toronto? Yet her IP said she lived in Huddersfield

Russ : That's one big cable.

 

**Everyone laughs**

 

**Just then.. Kam arrives, and everyone shuts up and tucks their shirts in, adjusting their ties and pulling out their Bret Hart scarfs**

 

Everyone : Hi Kam

Verb : Kam sucks.

Russ : Kam's here??!! What did HE add to TWO? When was the last time Kam did a column?

Inno : He's the dot in dot com

 

-WHY YOU STAYED AT TWO-

Russ : Sex, and lots of it.

Inno : Lack of anything else to do.

Verb : Ditto to Inno's comment.

Inno : Gill had just given birth to Shawn, so I was in the house - it passed the time.

Verb : But I'm not dittoing that.

Goldy : People actually replied to me.

Russ : No one cares about Golduster...Then "I'm not male!"...BOOM, here's the most popular member at TWO, Goldy

Simon : I stayed... hmm... why did I stay? I stayed because unlike many TWO columnists in the past, I decided to do more than 1 or 2 pieces per year.

Russ : Simon...Ahem...TWO Video Games Week.

Inno : I do one a week, whether it's welcome or not!!!

Crippler : Just wanting to talk to other people who knew a good bit about wrestling.

DraVen : I came back simply because it was the only place I felt I started to fit in.

Inno : TWO = Hotel California - you can check out anytime you like, but you can't ever leave.

Chris2k: Chris2k: For some reason, I always had, and still do, have the desire to be a chat mod, so I spent the first 6 months trying to get to be one. Then I gave up for a bit and concentrated on the forums, trying to suck up so much by doing the jobs nobody else wanted to, and I eventually ended up being a forum leader. So now I have to stay because Kam beats me with a club.

 

**Suddenly, a herd of Hogan marks can be heard screaming and crying as Singhy strolls in, having just beaten up clueless marks outside. Unaware of what's going on, Singhy is informed, and we continue**

 

Crippler : Introduce yourself and whatnot.

Russ : He's Singhy, he was born in Tokyo, his hobbies include shouting at kids in the street and bursting balloons.

Simon : Its always hard to seem like a right bastard on the forums when Singhy is about .

Crippler : I know.

Simon : I do try though.

Singhy : I also punch fans who shout mark-ish comments.

Russ : Singhy was the kind of kid who would push you about for wearing shoes from What Everyone Wants. They were called "Sportz Xpress". They only cost £10. But they were black, what was wrong with them Singhy??!! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME LIVE?

 

-FORUM OR CHAT AND WHY-

Russ : Chatroom, Forum cybersex is just too slow.

Inno : Erm... take the fifth seeing as I rarely delve into either. I'd say Chatroom in it's golden days though.

Simon : Forum. Definitely. Always guaranteed decent discussions.... usually.

Verb : Originally chatroom, I was a moderator, would have been forum, but I quit yesterday.

Crippler : Forum now.

Russ : Chatroom circa 2001 gets the thumbs up.

Goldy : Forum mainly but I love the chatroom when its busy, cant beat it, even if I do get harrased in PM.

Singhy : It goes in spades, but forum at the moment.

Crippler : Chat used to be great but seriously went down hill and I havent been a regular there since about mid 2001. Forum has been much better for at least the last 18 months.

Russ : It's 2 years since I've been a chatroom mod, I came back from Vegas on the Thursday and I was a mod on Monday.

Chris2k : Depends. On it's day, when there are loads of people around, the chatroom is a great place to be. However, the forum has very strong points, as it allows people to think before they speak and bring a logical argument to the park. The chatroom was good when I first arrived, but it's gone downhill as of late, so the forums are where the party is all like, 'kicking off' so to speak.

Crippler : I think MSN has had a serious affect on the chatrooms, in terms of people going there.

DraVen : I'll go for forums since I never go into the chatrooms.

 

-GOLDY OR CHYNA-

Crippler : Goldy.

Verb : I'm staying out of this question.

DraVen : Goldy (for obvious reasons).

Chris2k : Goldy

Singhy : Never seen any of them...which is the most do-able? I mean that with total respect, of course.

Russ : I've not tried Goldy yet, but Chyna certainly gets the thumbs up from me, that tongue stud is wonderful.

Simon : Goldy, I don't know Chyna.

Singhy : Oooh, differing opinions.

Russ : Chyna has the bust. We're talking Jordan on helium.

Singhy : Chyna it is.

Kam : Leave my wifey out of this.

Chris2k : I don't like Goldy much. She likes gay wrestlers.

 

**Russ decides to go off-topic**

 

Russ : Bradshaw = Billy Gunn = Charlie Haas.

Simon : YES! SOMEONE AGREES ABOUT HAAS. My flatmate always called Team Angle, Team Bum****, claiming Haas and Benjamin were lovers

Russ : I call Simon and his flatmate Team Bum****.

 

**The place erupts in laughter**

 

-MOST ANNOYING PERSON ON TWO, PAST OR PRESENT-

Simon : Sam bird.

DraVen : I say CfB, V-I-N-C-E-N-T or Georgasaurus.

Russ : Colin.

Verb : Georgasaurus or Draven.

Crippler : Vincent, Jack Halewood or Boffo the clown.

Inno : Dean.

Goldy : SCI from chat drives me nuts.

Chris2k : Chatroom - Lightning. God dammit he pisses me off. You just can't get into the guy's head. Forum - V.I.N.C.E.N.T. or AndyfromJarrow. Or anyone who disagrees with my opinion.

Inno : Rob McKay.

Chris2k : Plus anyone who comes in as 'The Undertaker' or 'Rey Mysterio' and claims that they are that very person.

 

-SHOULD RUSS BE KNIGHTED-

Verb : No.

DraVen : No.

Russ : Sir Russ... I like the sound of that.

Simon : No, he shouldnt. Until he gives me a copy of the Wrestlefest Rom.

Singhy : By whom? Burger King?

Goldy : Russ is a god amongst men so yes.

Crippler : Listen to Goldy.

Russ : Note to self - buy Goldy presents.

Chris2k : Yes.

 

-WHAT MAKES TWO DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER SITE-

Russ : Russ.

Verb : It's blue.

Singhy : It has stupid marks to bully.

Inno : It has me - oh wait, that's not that different.

Russ : I can change people's forums posts to read "I suck", and ban people when they refuse to cyber.

Singhy : It has lovely, attractive women like Goldy.

Goldy : It's home. I love the people, topics, banter and chat when its good, and Kam of course.

Chris2k : I'm used to all the people out there, and it's the only place that takes the risk of making me a mod.

Crippler : It's reasonably friendly, lacks the hostility of some other places.

Verb : No-one knows me at TWO.

Goldy : I do.

 

-KAM-

Goldy : Kam is god, easy as.

Russ : Kam is my hero, he's everything I want to be when I grow up.

Simon : Kam is the man. If it weren't for him, I wouldnt be here. I mean on the site.

DraVen : Kam is my illegitimate father.

Russ : Kam is a fantastic lover. So I've heard.

Verb : Kams a nice bloke, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't be here today...well we would be here today, but we wouldn't be at TWO today....but he is still a git.

Goldy : I owe him so much to be honest, bless him.

Inno : Kam's too nice.

Crippler : Kam is a nice guy. I dont really talk to him that much but when I do he is always very friendly. We wouldnt be in this convo if it wasnt for him.

Chris2k : Kam's a nice bloke, always willing to improve something that many people think is good enough already. But he still wants to better his pet cucumber, so we just let him.

Goldy : I wouldn't know any of you lovely peeps if it wasnt for Kam and TWO, *wipes tear*.

 

-THREE WORDS TO SUM UP TWO-

Russ : Is sex cauldron one word or two?

Goldy : Home, friends and discussion.

Chris2k : My. Internet. Home.

Simon : Smarks, Rants and Bitching.

Verb : Women, wrestling and wan...

Crippler : Addictive, Debates, Fun.

Chris2k: ...or Drunk, People, Fighting.

Russ : Video. Games. Section.

DraVen : Community, Family, and Fun.

 

And with that, I'll end by saying cheesily HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWO!!!... and we're done!!!

 

*Everyone stands up and leaves happy enough, except for Kam, who stares down on his creation, laughing evilly as he thinks about the year to come...*

 

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Contributors

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A Word From Kam - Kam

Goldy's Year at TWO - Goldy

If Simon met... Vince McMahon - Simon Lamb

When TWO was born... - HSM

TWO Workers Roundtable Discussion - Mitchell Jones

 

=======================================

 

That's it for this Special Edition. Thank you to everyone who contributed something, no matter how small, and to all of you for reading and making TWO what it is today.

 

Any feedback would be gladly appreciated. Send it, along with any questions or queries, to Mitchell@talkwrestlingonline.com or to any of our contributors.

 

With that in mind, Happy Birthday TWO, and make sure you come along to the Birthday Chat. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

The TWO Newsletter - "Here's to another year!!!"

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[Guest Craig Van Dam]

Enjoyed Simon's interview with Vince McMahon and the round the table discussion good stuff :xyx