BATTLES

14 it shall remain, entries are officially closed.

OK everyone, I'm in Australia so hopefully I've used the time-zone converter correctly to figure out the best time. But I've set the draft for this coming Thursday the 23rd at 9PM Eastern. Sorry for the late notice. The more people who can make the draft the better, but that time's obviously not going to work out for everyone. If you don't think you will be able to make the draft, you can pre-rank your players before hand.

We're at 13 teams right now, so we need either one more or three more. Starr, if you know two people that are interested, tell them both to join up and I'm sure we'll be able to find someone to fill out the league. Off the top of my head I think Essa left a comment saying he'd join but hasn't signed up yet so maybe I should give him a buzz.

If anyone has any questions feel free to reply here or through the league message board on Yahoo.

I can confirm that nobody in our league has any players yet (Y)

The season is 11 days away now, so I will try and have a confirmed date for everyone over the next few day. Stay tuned folks.

Has anyone got any preferences for when the draft should be?

I'm reluctant to confirm a date when only one person has suggested when they would be available. But I guess if nobody replies, then Starr, the draft will definitely suit your schedule as you're the only one that's replied (Y)

Just in case anyone's looking at this thread and wondering if it's worth joining or up and running .. The league is up and running, we just need at least three more people to join before we decide on draft details.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I've changed the scoring to H2H now with just your basic categories:

Points, rebounds, steals, assists, blocks, turnovers, 3Ps made, FG%, FT%.

Seven teams have joined up so far, so hopefully we get a few more over the next few days and then we can start looking at a time to organize a draft.

Well it seems like there's more than enough interest, so I've set up a league. I went with Yahoo, as that seemed the more popular choice. We'll try and organize a live draft if we can. I'd say 16 teams is probably a good number in terms of how deep the draft will be.

Here are the details to join:

the ID# is 46051 and the Password is headbangers.

If anyone has any suggestions about certain rules or scoring or anything like that (Y)

So by my count, that's about 7 people so far.

Two questions:

1. ESPN or Yahoo?

2. Can we organize a live draft?

What's Yahoo like? I wouldn't mind giving that a try ..

Let's do this thang.

On the ESPN site the average league has 10 teams, so I think that would be a good minimum. With 10 teams the draft is very shallow, you end up with some very good players left when it comes to drafting your bench. So if more people are interested, higher than 10 would be ideal .. but it can definitely work with 10. We've got 5 people here so far, I'm sure there are at least another 5 people on EWB who follow NBA

Does anyone have a preference on which site we could organize it through? The only one I have used is ESPN, which is pretty good.

So I just saw the fantasy hockey thread, has there been an EWB NBA league before? Would there be people interested in one?

.. I haven't given any real thought as to how it would work, but just thought I'd throw it out there.

Arcade Fire

Birthday Party

Can

Dinosaur Jr.

Echo & The Bunnymen

Futureheads

Gang of Four

Howling Bells

Iggy Pop

Joy Division

Kings of Leon

Les Savy Fav

My Bloody Valentine

New York Dolls

Oasis

Public Image Ltd.

Queens of the Stoneage

Raconteurs

Sonic Youth

Television

-

Velvet Underground

White Stripes

X-Ray Specks

You Am I

-

... most of my favourite bands seem to start with the same letter.

Somewhat off topic now, but this is the first time I've seen PIL mentioned on EWB.

PIL > Sex Pistols

The first two PIL albums (Metal box particularly) are among the finest albums of all time. The bass on that bad boy is fucking insane.

The later, 80s style, dance-esque PIL does suck hard though.

Best Stripes album in a long time. It crosses over so many genres and it just plain fucking rules. I love the spoken word shit of Rag & Bone, I love the bagpipes and Meg's vocals on St. Andrew ... fuck, I love it all.

Bone Broke has that awesome, grungy early Stripes vibe. I'm Slowly Turning Into You & 300 MPH etc. are also really, really good.

As some have mentioned, Ziggy Stardust is a must have.

Definitely hit these

- The Stooges

- Velvet Underground

- MC5

I don't think anyone's mentioned the New York Dolls, they're worth a look for sure. Like The Rolling Stones, but a fuck load cooler.

If you're open minded and want to try something a bit different, check out the following:

- Captain Beefheart

- Suicide

- Television

Nah, Stingray's dead all right.

WWE Backlash Preview – April 24th, 2005

The superstars of RAW invade the Verizon Wireless Arena as WWE Backlash hits Manchester, New Hampshire! “The Game” looks to recapture the World Heavyweight championship while “Mr Money In The Bank” Edge sets out to kill Hulkamania once and for all. With three titles on the line and seven huge matches, this promises to be a night that will not be forgotten any time soon.

Prediction Contest:

1. The result of the 7 matches

2. Which match will open the show?

3. Which match will receive the highest EWR match quality?

4. Which match will receive the highest EWR crowd reaction?

5. Who will be the "mystery opponent?"

The winner will get a prize of sorts that will be revealed at a later date. I'd be surprised to see more than one or two people to predict, so I'd say your chances of winning would be quite high!

Major Injury Update

April 22nd, 2005

Just two days before the Backlash Pay-Per-View this Sunday, a RAW superstar scheduled to compete on the card has been ruled out of the event due to a hand injury. Rhyno was scheduled compete in a fatal four way match to determine the number one contender to the Intercontinental championship. It is expected that the match will remain as a fatal four way, with the fourth participant now a “mystery opponent” that will not be named prior to the event.

The injury is said to be relatively minor, however it could become worse and possibly keep Rhyno on the sidelines for a much longer period of time if he competes this Sunday. He should only miss a week or two of action, returning to the ring in early May.

United States Title: Orlando Jordan vs Matt Hardy

Hardy makes a big comeback as the finish nears, scoring several long two counts and almost getting the win on several occasions. Hardy then looks for the Twist of Fate but Jordan shoves it off before rolling Hardy up in a pinning combination and grabbing hold of is opponent’s tights for leverage to get the three count. Jordan quickly takes his US title from ringside and heads to the back as a frustrated Matt Hardy looks on from the ring.

Winner: Orlando Jordan via pinfall @ 8:25

Overall Rating: 66%

Crowd Reaction: 72%

Match Quality: 76%

Shawn Michaels makes his way to the ring and gets on the mike. HBK says that he was planning to coming down here to challenge Kurt Angle to a rubber match to determine who truly was the better man. However, with Angle now on RAW, he’s had to make a change of plans. HBK says that he’s now officially challenging whoever is WWE champion after tonight’s show to a title match.

Segment Rating: 82%

Big Show vs Mark Jingrack

Jingrack struggles to land hardly any offence throughout the match as Big Show simply overpowers his much smaller opponent. Show dominates throughout the match before going on to hit the Chokeslam, pulling out the win in convincing fashion.

Winner: Big Show via pinfall @ 03:47

Overall Rating: 64%

Crowd Reaction: 74%

Match Quality: 78%

Chavo Guererro is questioned by Josh Matthews about his intentions in “scouting” cruiserweight champion Paul London in recent weeks. Chavo says that he simply wanted to get a closer look at London, who Chavo proclaims one of the greatest cruiserweight champions of all time. Chavo says that London is an amazing athlete before going on to “respectfully” challenge London to a cruiserweight title match, saying that it would be an honour to compete against such a talented champion. Matthews looks puzzled at Chavo’s comments as Michael Cole says “I don’t know what Chavo’s up to her, but I ain’t buying it.”

Segment Rating: 69%

2 Cold Scorpio vs Kenzo Suzuki

Scorpio makes his debut, strutting down to the ring. The newcomer controls the match, adding in a few little dance steps here and there to the delight of the fans. Scorpio levels Suzuki with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker late in the match before signalling to go up top for the 450 splash. Scorpio goes up top and scores with the 450 before making the cover for the three count, signalling a win and successful debut for the former “Flash Funk.”

Winner: 2 Cold Scorpio via pinfall @ 5:24

Overall Rating: 62%

Crowd Reaction: 65%

Match Quality: 75%

Eddie Guererro and Rey Mysterio make their way to the ring. Eddie says that last week their match was ruined by The Islanders. Eddie says that last week was his chance to prove something to himself in wrestling his partner and friend Rey Mysterio, but that The Islanders took that chance away from him. He says that we all saw how tough they can be when they’re attacking two men in the middle of a match but he wants to see what they can do in a fair fight. Eddie then calls The Islanders out to the ring immediately. He gets his wish as the Islanders stomp down to the ring. Eddie throws the mike down before he and Rey slide out of the ring and meet The Islanders on the runway. A brawl breaks out between the two teams, before Teddy Long comes out. Long instructs the two teams to step away from each other. He says that if they really want to go at it, they can do it in the ring next week on SmackDown! when Eddie and Rey defend the titles against The Islanders.

Segment Rating: 83%

Booker T vs Carlito

Booker gets on the mike before the match and tells whoever the “mystery attacker” is to be a man and reveal themselves so he can give them the ass whooping they deserve. Carlito interrupts and says that Booker is out here whining like a little girl and that .. that’s not cool. Carlito starts chewing his apple and goes to spit in Booker’s face, but Booker nails Carlito with a right hand to get the match underway. Late in the match Booker is about to nail the Scissors Kick when suddenly a mysterious figure appears on the titantron. In a muffled voice, the mystery man tells Booker to be patient, as he will be coming to SmackDown! soon. This distraction allows Carlito to sneak in a roll up from behind and get the three count for the win.

Winner: Carlito via pinfall @ 7:14

Overall Rating: 75%

Crowd Reaction: 86%

Match Quality: 80%

WWE champion John Cena is warming up for his upcoming WWE title match against The Undertaker when he is approached by Josh Matthews. “John Cena .. can you defeat The Undertaker tonight here in Madison Square Garden and walk out as WWE champion?” After a lengthy pause, an intense Cena says that everyone knows that Undertaker is a legend. Everyone knows that he’s one intimidating son of a bitch. But John Cena is the WWE champion. He didn’t get this *points to belt* for nothing, and he isn’t going to back down from anyone. “But to answer your question Josh .. can I beat the Deadman? .. We’re about to find out.” Cena then walks off as we go to a commercial.

Segment Rating: 88%

WWE Title: John Cena © vs The Undertaker

Late in the match Cena looks for the five knuckle shuffle, but Taker reaches up and grabs Cena by the throat before making it to his feet and hitting a thunderous Chokeslam. Taker makes the cover but Cena kicks out before three. Taker then signals for the Tombstone before dragging Cena up and putting him over his shoulder. Cena slides off of the back however and shoves Taker. Taker turns around and walks right into an FU, as Chris Jericho steps through the curtain! Cena is too spent to make the cover, both he and Taker are left lying on the mat as Jericho is nearing the ring. The fans cheer Jericho at first, but as he takes a chair from ringside and slides into the ring the cheers turn into a quiet state of confusion. As Taker and Cena make it to their feet, Jericho proceeds to level both men with steel chair shots to the skull! The ref calls for the bell, ruling the match a no contest!

Winner: No Contest through interference @ 12:52

Overall Rating: 72%

Crowd Reaction: 89%

Match Quality: 65%

As the fans boo Chris Jericho he continues to strike both Cena and Taker with multiple chair shots. Y2J then takes a mike and proclaims that SmackDown! .. is .. Jericho. He says that things are going to change on Thursday nights now that Y2J is here. Jericho says that SmackDown! has been nothing but crap without Y2J, but he is here to save the blue brand. He finishes by proclaiming to be the biggest name in all of professional wrestling and that SmackDown! is going to revolve entirely around Y .. 2 .. J!

Segment Rating: 97%

Show Stats:

Overall Rating: 75

TV Rating: 6.04

Attendance: 8,023

SmackDown! Preview

April 21st, 2005

SmackDown! comes to you this Thursday night from Madison Square Garden with a colossal main event. The WWE title will be on the line when John Cena squares off with “The Deadman” himself, The Undertaker. Can Cena get the job done and walk out of New York City as WWE champion? Or will darkness reign supreme on SmackDown!?

Eddie Guererro and Rey Mysterio’s one on one contest last week was ruined by interference from Rosey and Jamal – The Islanders. How will the WWE Tag Team champions respond this Thursday night?

Booker T suffered a heinous assault from a mystery attacker last week on SmackDown! The good news is that Booker has recovered, suffering only minor injuries and will be ready to compete in a rematch from two weeks ago with Carlito. The bad news is that at this stage nobody has a clue as to who the mystery man targeting Booker T is. Hopefully some clues will be revealed on SmackDown!

Chavo Guererro has been paying very close attention to the Cruiserweight champion Paul London over the last few weeks. Is Chavo merely scouting the competition, or is there more to the story? We’ll hear from Chavo this Thursday night and find out.

Plus, Orlando Jordan defends the United States title against Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho makes his return to SmackDown! and we see the debut of 2 Cold Scorpio! All this and more coming to you on SmackDown! this Thursday night, only on UPN!

I think New Zealand could be the dark horse. They showed potential over here in Australia.

I wish they'd just leave the World Cup as an 8 team competition.

Come on .. we all know that Scotland, Bermuda, Canada etc. aren't going to be in the finals are they.

Kurt Angle vs The Hurricane

Eric Bischoff announces the newest draft pick to kick off the show – Olympic gold medallist and former WWE champion Kurt Angle! Angle storms down to the ring with an intense demeanour and immediately takes Hurricane down as the bell rings. Despite a valiant effort from Hurricane, Angle is simply on fire and convincingly controls the match. Angle goes on to make Hurricane tap to the Ankle Lock for the victory. After the bell rings Angle refuses to let go of the hold at first before eventually letting go and taking a mike from ring side.

Winner: Kurt Angle via submission @ 3:15

Overall Rating: 82%

Crowd Reaction: 83%

Match Quality: 82%

Angle says that he’s looking for some real competition, not some loser in a cape who thinks he’s a super-hero. Angle makes an open challenge for anybody to face him in a match at Backlash. After a short wait the challenge is answered by .. Chris Benoit! An intense stare down follows as the segment comes to a close.

Segment Rating: 89%

JBL is standing by with Todd Grisham, who mentions JBL’s altercation with Kane last week. Grisham suggests that JBL was afraid of Kane, which sets Layfield off on a rant about he isn’t afraid of anyone, especially Kane. JBL says that he is a wrestling god, and gods do not fear anyone. Eric Bischoff steps into shot and says that it’s great that JBL isn’t afraid of Kane, because he’s added a match to the card for Backlash – Kane vs JBL. Bischoff smiles and walks off, as JBL appears to be less then impressed with that piece of news.

Segment Rating: 81%

The Dudley Boyz & Charlie Haas vs Shelton Benjamin, William Regal & Tajiri

Regal and Tajiri come out fired up and establish an advantage over the Dudleyz in the early going, before Haas gets involved and turns the tide of the match. As the finish nears, The Dudleyz and Regal and Tajiri brawl around ringside, leaving it down to Benjamin and Haas. Benjamin looks for a super kick, but Haas blocks and rolls Benjamin up in a small package. Haas grabs hold of the ropes for leverage and gets the three count, picking up a cheap victory over the IC champion.

Winners: The Dudley Boyz & Charlie Haas via pinfall @ 8:04

Overall Rating: 76%

Crowd Reaction: 74%

Match Quality: 79%

Kane vs Steven Richards

Kane dominates right from the get go and hits a series of power moves. He sets up for the Chokeslam when JBL runs in and attacks from behind. The ref calls for the bell and rules the match in favor of Kane as a result of a disqualification as Kane and JBL brawl in the ring. The brawl soon works its way out of the ring and up the runway as officials step in to try and break things up. The officials have little luck at first but eventually they manage to separate the two.

Winner: Kane via disqualification through interference @ 2:28

Overall Rating: 71%

Crowd Reaction: 73%

Match Quality: 82%

Hollywood Hulk Hogan is standing by in the back ready to cut a promo. Hogan says that Edge has been talking the talk for the last few weeks about how he is going to end Hogan’s career, how he’s going to kill Hulkamania, how Hogan’s too old and all the rest. Hogan says that he’s heard it all before, brother. Hogan says that Edge had better take his vitamins and say his prayers because at Backlash we’re going to see if Edge really has what it takes. He finishes by asking “Edge, what’cha gonna do this Sunday when Hulkamania runs wild on you, and this broken down, washed up old man kicks your ass?!”

Segment Rating: 96%

Chris Jericho makes his way down to the ring for the Hi-Lite Reel, with himself as this week’s guest. Y2J mentions the announcement he had promised earlier in the week. He goes on to reveal that he is the latest superstar to be drafted to the SmackDown! brand and that this would be the final Hi-Lite Reel on RAW. Before Jericho can continue he is interrupted by Christian and Tomko. Christian sarcastically expresses his disappointment in the news that Jericho will be leaving to SmackDown! He goes on to challenge Jericho to an impromptu match, so he can beat Jericho’s ass once more, just like good old times, before he runs off to SmackDown! Y2J agrees to the match, saying that he’s sure he’s got one more Christian ass kicking left in him.

Segment Rating: 82%

Christian vs Chris Jericho

Late in the match Jericho hits the Lionsault and makes the cover, but Tomko steps up onto the apron and distracts the referee. Y2J sees whats happening and dropkicks Tomko off of the apron but the distraction allows Christian to set up for the Unprettier. Y2J struggles out of it however and looks for an irish whip. Christian reverses the whip and Y2J comes back off of the ropes with schoolboy rollup, which he turns into the Walls of Jericho. Christian struggles to reach the ropes for some time, but Jericho drags him back into the middle of the ring and Christian taps out.

Winner: Chris Jericho via submission @ 10:10

Overall Rating: 89%

Crowd Reaction: 87%

Match Quality: 92%

Rene Dupree enters Eric Bischoff’s office and begins complaining about Rhyno. Dupree says that Rhyno ruined his fresh start on RAW and he wanted revenge, say, in a match at Backlash. Bischoff says that Dupree isn’t the only member of the RAW roster that’s spoken to him about a match at Backlash this week, so he is going to do the following. It will be a fatal four-way match between Dupree, Rhyno, Christian & The Hurricane. The winner will become the number one contender to the Intercontinental title. Dupree is pleased and shakes Bischoff’s hand before leaving.

Segment Rating: 70%

Batista & Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs Triple H, Ric Flair & Edge

Batista and Hogan are impressive early on, but as the match wears on the numbers advantage starts to work in favour of their opponents. Late in the match Batista sets HHH up for the powerbomb, when Edge nails Batista from behind with a low-blow. HHH sets Batista up for the Pedigree but Hogan comes out of nowhere and clotheslines “The Game.” Flair distracts the referee as Edge comes into the ring with Batista’s world title and takes out Hogan with a belt shot the back of the head. This allows HHH to hit Hogan with the Pedigree. HHH makes the cover and gets the three count, with Batista coming to make the save just a second late. The trio of Edge, Flair & HHH are quick to head back up the ramp, content with their win over Hogan and Batista. Stare down between the two teams as RAW goes off the air, with JR hyping Backlash this Sunday.

Winners: Triple H, Ric Flair & Edge via pinfall @ 12:53

Overall Rating: 84%

Crowd Reaction: 92%

Match Quality: 68%

Show Stats:

Overall Rating: 82

TV Rating: 5.56

Attendance: 8044

Monday Night RAW Preview

April 18th, 2005

It’s the last stop before Backlash this Monday night as the RAW brand hits Madison Square Garden with one hell of a show lined up! A huge main event sees World Heavyweight champion Batista teaming up with the Immortal Hollywood Hulk Hogan in a two on three-handicap match against Triple H, Ric Flair and Edge. Just six days away from Backlash, you can guarantee that both teams will be looking to gain some momentum going into their respective matches this Sunday.

Chris Jericho has announced a very special guest on the Hi-Lite Reel this week – himself! “Y2J” has promised a big announcement to be made during the show. What does the “King of the world” have in store for us this Monday night?

Last week saw the return of one of the most decorated tag teams in WWE history – The Dudley Boyz. The duo made an impact upon their return, viciously assaulting the tag team champions. William Regal and Tajiri have agreed to put the tag team titles on the line against Bubba and D-Von at Backlash, hoping to gain some revenge in the process of retaining their titles. The two teams will also be in competition on RAW as Regal and Tajiri team up with Shelton Benjamin to face The Dudleyz and Charlie Haas in six man tag action.

Also scheduled for RAW, the draft lottery continues. Who will be the fourth superstar to make the transfer from SmackDown! to RAW? The only way to find out is to tune in on Spike TV this Monday night.

All this and more coming to you LIVE this Monday night on RAW, only on Spike TV!

Drug Problems Hit WWE Locker Room

April 16th, 2005

Big news out of Stamford this week, as it has been revealed that two active WWE superstars are currently battling serious drug and alcohol addiction. Billy Kidman recently came clean to officials about a growing cocaine addiction. It has been decided that Kidman will be taken off of the road to begin rehabilitation, which reportedly will be paid for out of McMahon’s pocket. Kidman was scheduled to become an integral part of the cruiserweight division in coming months.

The other superstar to speak with management about personal problems over the weekend is Ric Flair. Flair has reportedly been hitting the bottle at an alarming rate in recent months, largely due to some growing problems in his personal life. After meeting with Vince McMahon, the owner of WWE insisted that Flair take some time off of the road to deal with his personal problems, and to consider entering rehab. Flair was strongly against both ideas however and insisted that he stay part of the product. He did agree to cut back on house show appearances for the time being however, meaning Flair will work a lighter schedule from now on. Officials will be paying close attention to "Naitch" over the next few weeks.

Quite a bit late, but I just discovered this thread. This was up there with the worst hottest 100's in recent years in my opinion. It seems to be getting worse and worse each year.

The fact that there was not even ONE song from You Am I, The Drones, Wolf & Cub or The Sleepy Jackson makes me hate the current state of Australian music.