Who says football is a young man’s game? Antonin Panenka, the man who invented the ‘dink’ penalty and became a European champion with Czechoslovakia in 1976, wants to put his boots back on and return to the sawdust of the arena at the grand old age of 59.
“I have physical problems,” he said.
“My head tells me to take up football again but my body says no.”
However, he remains defiant and said his wish for his 60th birthday is that “Bohemka [his old club, now called Bohemians 1905] find themselves in a beautiful new stadium and that I can get back to playing football again.”
If Panenka did return to the professional game, he would eclipse Stanley Matthews, who played his final game for Stoke City in 1965 at the age of 50.
He’d also usurp John Ryan, the owner of Doncaster Rovers who brought himself on as a substitute in the last minute of a game in 2003 aged 52 years and 11 months.
Had another real good night on my PBA Experience league last night (Scorpion pattern). I was rolling a uerethane ball (wanted something that would grab early, but wouldn't dive on the back end) targeting the 1st arrow with my ball going out to the 2-3 board. I was locked in for the first 2 games (276-278). In the last game, I went through the nose in the 2nd frame, and left the 3-4-6-7-10 (covered 3). Followed the split up with a spare and a four bagger. The lanes broke down around the 8th and 9th frame. I switched to a weaker ball in the 10th frame, and struck out for a 221 game and a 775 series.
Among the runners and riders for the job of Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police are:
Bob Quick, the head of the specialist unit which carried out the raid on Damien Green
Acting commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, who authorised the raid
The head of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Ken Jones, who is fiercely supportive of the way the Met have behaved.
I wrote some time ago that the way to decide which candidate is suitable is to ask them to list in order the public's concerns and match their answers to a survey of the public. Clearly these three are miles off target and should be rejected.
Unfortunately the position is in the gift of the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith.
Much as I'd love to see a change of government at the next General Election, I'm of the real impression that the Conservatives are beginning to 'blow it' and are in danger of slipping back into the sleazy and ineffective ways that characterised the Major government from late 1992 onwards.
In our desire to play party politics and give this corrupt government a good kicking, we must not lose sight of the fact that the arrest of Damian Green followed breaches of security in a department that deals with some of Government's most confidential information - the leaking of 20 top secret documents (and those were only the ones known about) - including those on terrorism.
No-one is above the law and the police must be allowed to carry out their statutory investigation without fear or favour.
In this country we have an independent police service. What's important here is that politicians do not interfere with the natural course of an investigation.
The very important principle, and one that is being conveniently being overlooked here, is that MPs - apart from when they are speaking in the chamber and dealing with constituents' correspondence - are as subject to the law as the rest of us. If the police decide not to take action against an MP which they would against an ordinary citizen, then that would be discriminatory.
People would rightly say: "Well, we are not living in a police state but a state where people, because they have been elected to parliament, have certain exemptions from the law". That can't ever be allowed to be the case. MP's are subject to the same laws as the rest of us and must accept this.
The Metropolitan Police Service does not participate in political games, but serves to protect the constitutional order and safety of the individual, Society and the Government within the bounds of he law. Cross the line - whoever you are - and you must expect to get your collar felt!
I'm on holiday this week and I've turned my blog over to a few guests who are posting there thoughts about how social media will develop in 2009. Today it's the turn of consultant Amanda Rose.
It has been quite a few years since I created a wish list. When I was a kid, there was always something specific that I wanted. One year it was a Wrinkles Dog, the next it was a bike, until eventually my parents told me I'd have to start saving for that car myself. As an adult, I find that the things desirable to me now can't be measured in a physical sense. Social media was only a buzz word a few years ago, yet now it has now become an integral part of my day. I rely heavily on social media tools for how I communicate, manage my time, get information and connect with others; so naturally I find myself wishing for a few basic changes in the way we all use it. Instead of rhyming off a checklist of obvious improvements Twitter can make in 2009, I thought I'd identify five areas that always get me tweeting 'why?'
Learn online etiquette. Maybe I didn't get the memo, but last time I checked, having a profile on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn didn't mean you had signed up to a dating service. Not a week goes by without having a friend request or message from a random who wants to 'network' or 'get to know me'. Perhaps I should be flattered, but I know from conversations with others that this happens a lot. The connections we make through social media has a direct impact on how much we trust or want to share information. I wish that people would put more value into their relationships on social networking sites and not treat it like a school popularity contest.
Sort out communication overload. Emails, tweets, texts, wikis, IMs, newsfeeds, video messages and the list continues. Inevitably, with all these new and exciting ways to communicate it is easy to get overwhelmed. Instead of saving time or streamlining your life, it can quickly become a huge time-sink and create unnecessary work. Someday it would be fantastic if all the website inboxes I'm given could be connected into one central service like Gmail where I could sort, delete and search without signing in. We are headed in that direction with the movement towards open source and news aggregation services like Friend Feed, but frankly it still hasn't solved my problems. In the meantime, I wish people would think about how their communication affects others. If you write an email, keep it concise and don't twitter or send me a text to say you sent it - that only adds to the noise.
Connect the news. One of the most interesting things about the growth of social media is how it has changed the way people discover news. Like it or not, traditional media will have to embrace the role that emerging technologies are playing in the development of stories. People are hungry for instant, transparent perspectives; although this is still found in organic ways, scattered all over the web and ultimately difficult to source. Big media continues to feel threatened by what has been dubbed 'citizen journalism'. I've had conversations with journalists about the impact of sites like Twitter breaking news first and they all believe that social media creates more opportunities, not less. I wish this opinion was shared by all media industries so that we can find a way to bring together multiple sources of news, so everyone benefits.
Make it look pretty and have more fun. I don't think there are any excuses for having a bad looking website anymore. There is an endless array of free image libraries, software, and other tools online. Yet I still see blogs and social media sites stick to the same old routine. Next year, it would be fantastic to see a bit more collaboration, experimentation with colours and graphics or something which inspires me to use it.
Go mainstream. The common talking point for social media is whether or not it has reached mainstream status. Sure, there are a few sites which boast a high number of dedicated and regular users; but I wish that emerging sites could get beyond the early adopter crowd and really integrate into the mainstream. There are all these incredible features that I'd really like to be able to share with my sister, my best friend in Canada, or even my Grandmother if only they were in my network. Okay, maybe getting Grandma Reta online is a bit of a stretch even for 2009. She still won't go near a computer since that time I told her to put her hand on the mouse.
I think it will be a lot easier to convince people of the power of social media when they are using it on their mobile. Imagine reviewing your hotel stay on TripAdvisor while waiting to check-out or using a service like Rummble to search for the nearest sushi restaurant, which happens to be recommended by someone you know. You might even decide to share your experience by uploading a photo instantly to Flickr or switching on Qik and livestreaming to your network. Next year, I can't wait to see the vision of many of these sites come to fruition as a wider demographic starts to recognise social media the way that I do: useful.
Amanda Rose is an independent communications and events consultant.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 05:14 AM EST [UCW Brand]
UCW's International Warfare From the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England
*Show opens with a pyro display as the Universal Championship Wrestling Theme is played*
A video montage from the last show, is played on the big screen tron. You see Ric Flair announce that if the Generation of Domination lost (last week) to Taz and his mystery partners, that Killings and Jordan would defend their Universal Tag Titles against Taz's partners and Lashley would face Taz in a submission match, both at the upcoming Starrcade ppv on Sunday December 28. You see Eddie Guerrero announce that he and a mystery partner will face Money Inc (here tonight), Ultimo Dragon makes a triumphant return, Natalya Neidhart wins a non-title match against Layla, Mr Kennedy pins Sabu, in Carlito's Cabana, RVD challenges the Great Muta, to a 30 minute Iron Man Match at Starrcade, then is attacked by Carlito. You see Chris Benoit successfully defend his North American Title against Chris Masters, Shane Douglas successfully defend his Universal Heavyweight Title against Umaga (when Sabu mistakingly kicked Umaga), Great Muta announces a match (for tonight) against Mr Kennedy, for an attack from the previous show, then Taz and America's Most Wanted, defeat GoD. A video promo of Taz is now played (leading to his upcoming submission match with Bobby Lashley at Starrcade)
Ric Flair's theme plays. ANNOUNCER : Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the GM, "Nature Boy" Ric Flar!(Flair comes to the ring.) RIC : WOOOO! Hello everyone and welcome to the Manchester Arena, here in beautiful Manchester, England! (English crowd gives huge ovation.) We have a tremendous show for you guys tonight, including a Universal Hardcore match as a result of last week's Carlito's Cabana capped off by England's own "King" William Regal taking on Chris Benoit to determine the #1 contender to face the Universal Heavyweight Champion at Starrcade, whomever that may be, after next weeks title match, live here on International Warfare! So get ready England, as Universal Championship Wrestling now takes you to war!!! WOOOO!!!!! Fades to commercial.
Backstage with Hulk Hogan HULK : Chris Benoit, congratulations on your successful title defense, here last week, but in tonight's main event, you face "Lord" William Regal for the chance at a Universal Title match at Starrcade. BENOIT : Being North American Champion is a great accomplishment, but being the Universal Champion is even greater. Tonight Regal, in front of your own people, I will come one step closer, when I release "Toothless Aggression" on you and show merry old England just why they call me "The Rabid Wolverine"!!!
MICHAEL COLE : Hello wrestling fans and welcome to International Warfare! This week as the GM said, from Manchester, England! As always, I'm joined at the broadcast table by my partner, Taz. TAZ : Hello everybody! COLE : We have a great show for you fans tonight! TAZ : And we're kicking things off with tag team action.
(The Worlds Greatest Tag Team vs Jesse & Festus) "Biscuits and Gravy!" blares throughout the arena. ANNOUNCER : This is our opening contest of the evening and is set for 1 fall. First, coming to the ring at 545 lbs, from North Carolina, Jesse and Festus! Their opponents, at a total combined weight of 498 lbs, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, The Worlds Greatest Tag Team! The bell rings, as Festus morphs into a wild man He attacks Haas. He hits him with several open handed slaps, then whips him into the ropes for a back elbow. He quickly armbars Haas and tags in Jesse, who comes in, putting a couple boots to Charlie's ribs. He scoops him up for a side breaker, then drills him with a few right hands to the face. He runs into the ropes and comes back with a twisting, flying back elbow on Haas. Haas comes back and makes the tag. Shelton comes in with a couple dropkicks to Jesse, then whips him into a corner and runs in after him, with a Stinger splash. Shelton tags out. Haas comes in and atomic drops Jesse into Benjamins arms for an exploder suplex. Charlie goes for a vertical suplex, but Jesse counters, floating over, then hits a german suplex. He tags in Festus. Festus runs the ropes and comes back with a stiff clothesline. As Haas gets up, Festus runs the ropes again, hitting a flying shoulder block. Festus runs the ropes again, jumping up and into a seated senton on Haas, he goes for the pin, but Shelton runs in to make the save. Charlie recovers to hit a Total Haastility, Anle Slam, on Festus. He tags Benjamin, then drapes Festus's throat and arms over the top rope and holds his legs, as Benjamin runs the ropes, leapfrogging Haas, to land on Festus's's lower back. Shelton whips him into the ropes for a backdrop, but sets too early, and Festus gives him a boot then tags out. Jesse comes in and immediately gets hit with Shelton's Paydirt, leaping reverse STO. He tags in Haas and they hit their finisher, the World's Greatest Finisher, as Benjamin superkicks Jesse back into Charlie's arms for a bridgeing German suplex for the 1, 2, 3. ANNOUNCER : In 9:42, your winners are The World's Greatest Tag Team! Fades to commercial.
Backstage (Jazz is in Ric Flair's office) JAZZ : Ric, you know as well as I do, that if it wasn't for Awesome Kong, I would be the Universal Womens Champion right now. I feel I should get a rematch at Starrcade! RIC : Well Kong has come to me, with reasons why she should get the match, but as I know you'd love nothing more than to get your hands on her, how about right here tonight, Jazz vs Kong, with the winner getting the title match at Starrcade? JAZZ : Sounds great! And tonight, England will find out just why I'm "The Baddest B*tch"!!!
TAZ : Wow Cole! Jazz vs Awesome Kong, right here tonight! COLE : Things are heating up for Starrcade on Sunday, December 28. Right now though Taz, we're gonna see the Great Muta vs Mr Kennedy. TAZ : As you know Cole, a couple weeks ago, Kennedy attacked Muta during an interview. COLE : And you knew Muta wasn't just gonna take that, so that brings us right here, right now!
(Mr Kennedy vs The Great Muta) Mr Kennedy enters the ring as the house mic drops from the ceiling. KENNEDY : Ladies and gentlemen, weighing in tonight at a slim, trim 243 lbs and hailing from that great city of Green Bay, Wisconsin! MISTTEERRR KENNNEEDDDYY!!! (He climbs up to the middle rope) KENNNEEDDDYY!!! ANNOUNCER : His opponent, coming to the ring at 244 lbs, from the Land of the Rising Sun, the Pearl of the Orient, the Great Muta! Muta climbs up on the middle turnbuckle, facing the audience, as he grabs his throat, then sprays green mist from his mouth. The bell rings and they lock up. Muta gains control with a headlock takedown. After a couple minutes, Kennedy gets up to his feet, then shoots Muta off, into the ropes. Kennedy goes down from a shoulder block. Muta runs the ropes again, But Kennedy gets up and catches him coming back, with a knee in the stomach, cutting Muta for a flip. As Muta is on the mat, Kennedy drives several knees into his arm, then locks in an armbar. Muta gets to his feet, powering Kennedy back into a corner, and drives a couple shoulders into his midsection. After several knife-edge chops, Muta whips Kennedy into the ropes for a jumping spin kick to the chest. He runs into the ropes and comes back with a Flashing Elbow, snap corkscrew elbow drop, on Kennedy. Muta taunts the English crowd, then hits a vertical suplex, followed by a leg grapevine, as he begins working on a leg. Muta lets him up, then whips him into a corner and follows him in with a cartwheel into a back elbow, but Kennedy pulls the ref in between them, as Muta crashes back into them. Muta quickly brings Kennedy out of the corner with a bulldog and covers for the pin, but the ref is down. Muta goes over to help the ref back up, as Kennedy rolls out of the ring and gets a steel chair. He slides it in, then climbs back in. As Muta turns around, Kennedy hits his Mic Check, reverse STO, driving Muta face first into the chair. He pushes the chair out of the ring and hooks a leg, as the ref comes over to count 1, 2, 3. ANNOUNCER : In 17:37, your winner is Mr Kennedy! Fades to commercial.
Backstage HULK : RVD, At Starrcade, Muta has agreed to a 30 minute Iron Man Match with you, but a little later, here tonight, you face Carlito for the Universal Hardcore Championship. RVD : Carlito, last week, you attacked me from behind. That's not very hardcore, if you ask me. But tonight, you won't get the chance to attack me from behind! Tonight I'm gonna take that title from around your waist! Then to show the Great Muta a little appreciation for granting me another match, I'm gonna make our Iron Man Match at Starrcade, a title match! (He points to himself with both hands) I'm R-V-D, the Whole F'N Show!!!
COLE : What a great match that's gonna be Taz! TAZ : I agree. As you know though Cole, at our Halloween Havoc pay-per-view, Awesome Kong interfered in the Universal Womens Title Match, between Jazz and champion, Natalya Neidhart (video of the interference is shown). COLE : Then right here a couple weeks ago, Jazz attacked Kong, as she was on her way down to the ring, here on International Warfare (video of this attack is also played). As you saw, Jazz left her laying in a pool of her own blood. TAZ : Right now, 1 of these 2 women is about to become #1 contender for Natalya's title at Starrcade!
(Jazz vs Awesome Kong) ANNOUNCER : This match is set for 1 fall and will determine who faces Natalya at Starrcade, for the Universal Womens Title. First, coming to the ring at 148 lbs, from New Orleans, Loisiana, "The Female Phenom" Jazz! Her opponent, making her way down the aisle, at 275 lbs, from Japan, Awesome Kong! They lock up and Jazz quickly gets the advantage. She shows her power, whipping Kong into the ropes for a scoop powerslam, then hits a gutwrench suplex. She then goes to work on a leg, with a grapevine. Kong finally strugles free with a couple well placed kicks and rolls to the outside to rethink her gameplan. She gets back in, ducking a running clothesline, as Jazz continues running the ropes. As she comes back, Kong catches her with a clothesline of her own. She picks Jazz up in an Accordian Rack, over the shoulders bow and arrow rack, and stretches her, almost touching her feet to her head. After a minute or so, she drops her. She picks her up for a gorilla press slam, followed by an Awesome Bomb, sitout powerbomb, for the pin, but Jazz kicks out. She goes for an Implant Buster, double underhook lifting facebuster, but Jazz counters, by turning it into a back brop. She picks Kong up in a front facelock, then hits her Jazz Stinger, sitout facebuster, to the shock of the crowd. She rolls Kong over for the pin, but she kicks out. Jazz gets her up, but Kong quickly hits her with a spinning backfist, almost taking her head off. Kong then goes out to the top rop and hits an Awesome Press, diving splash. The bell rings. ANNOUNCER : The 15 minute time limit has expired, thus the refferee has determined this match was a time limit draw! Fades to commercial.
(In the ring for Carlito's Cabana.) CARLITO : Welcome everyone to Carlito's Cabana (English crowd gives huge heat, with a rousing round of boo's). Relaxing on the beach, with a nice tropical drink (he holds up a fuity colored drink with a tiny umbrella in it.), now that's cool! Tonight, Carlito has some guests that are almost as cool. ALMOST! Please welcome Armando Estrada and his men, Umaga and Sabu! (All 3 come to the ring.) CARLITO : Welcome guys. Armando, at Halloween Havoc, Umaga came close to winning the Universal Title in that wild Barbed Wire match. Then right here last week, Umaga came close once again, but things just didn't go his way. ESTRADA : Last week, My Umaga had things well under control. Sabu, you only had 1 job to do, after losing your match. But you couldn't even get that right! (Sabu is getting visibly upset.) You cost us the title! In fact, what good are you to us anyway? NONE!!! So that's why, as of tonight, you've been replaced! (Sabu takes his turban off and throws it to the mat.) Sabu draws back to hit Estrada, but Umaga grabs his arm, spins him around, and nails him with a Samoan Spike, thumb thrust to the throat. Manu runs down to the ring and climbs to the top rope. Umaga whips Sabu into the ropes for a gorilla press into a Samoan Drop, then moves, as Manu hits a Samoan Splash from the top rope. ESTRADA : I give you the New Samoan Swat Team! (They pose over Sabu.) Fades to commercial.
Backstage HULK : Ric Flair, after the time limit draw, between Awesome Kong and Jazz, who will face Natalya? RIC : Hulk, big man, that was a great match, wasn't it? I think the only fair thing to do, in fact, is to make the Universal Womens Title Match at Starrcade, a Triple Threat Match. Natalya Neidhart vs Awesome Kong vs Jazz. WOOOO!!!!!
COLE : There you have it fans! A Triple Threat Match for the Universal Womens Title. TAZ : Natalya's odds on remaining champion, just went down. Right now though Cole, we're gonna take a special look at a new superstar, who will debut right here, next week! Let's take a look.
COLE : Big Van Vader debuts right here next week, but now, lets go to the ring.
(Money Inc vs Eddie Guerrero and ? ) ANNOUNCER : This match is set for 1 fall. First coming to the ring at a combined weight of 558 lbs, from Atlanta, Georgia, Bill Goldberg! His partner, from Omaha, Nebraska, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase! Together, they are Money Incorporated! Their opponents, at a total combined weight of 443 lbs, from El Paso, Texas, "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero! His partner, also from El Paso, Texas, Chavo Guerrero! Together, they are Los Guerreros! Eddie and Goldberg start out. Goldberg takes control early, inserting his power. He hits several slams, including a side slam and a forward running powerslam. Eddie comes back with a couple knife edge chops in the coprner, followed by a snap suplex, before tagging in Chavo. Chavo comes in with several European uppercuts, then runs the ropes, dropkicking Goldberg's knee. He and Eddie tag in & out several times, as they cut the ring off and work on his leg. Chavo has a single leg Boston Crab locked in, but Goldberg powers back up to his 1 foot, and as Chavo's holding his other leg, Goldberg hits an enziguiri kick to the head. He tags in Dibiase. Ted comes in and hits a gutwrench suplex, then climbs to the 2nd rope for a backwards falling elbow drop. He taunts Eddie, then hits a vertical suplex, followed by a piledriver. He stands over Chavo and executes a delayed falling fist drop. He whips Chavo into the ropes for a clothesline, but Guerrero ducks and comes back, hitting a huricannrana. He tags in Eddie, who slingshots himself in with a Hilo, senton, on Dibiase. He brings Ted to a corner, then climbs up, sitting on the top turnbuckle, going for a Tornado DDT, but Dibise picks him up and brings him out of the corner with an inverted atomic drop. He follows it up with a short arm clothesline. He front facelocks Eddie and nails a vertical suplex, then tags in Goldberg. Goldberg comes in, runs the ropes, and nails Eddie with a spear. He lifts him up in a delayed vertical suplex position for his Jackhammer, powerslam suplex, but Eddie counters, floating over, down Goldberg's back, then executes his 3 Amigos, triple rolling vertical suplexes. Dibiase runs in, but Eddie kicks him in the stomach, then hits a 3 Amigos on him. While Eddie is suplexing Ted, Chavo comes in and sits Goldberg up on the top turnbuckle. Eddie tosses Dibiase out, then climbs to the top, in an adjacent corner. Chavo hits a superplex, then rolls out of the way, as Eddie nails a frog splash and hooks Goldberg's leg for the 1, 2, 3. ANNOUNCER : In 14:11, your winners are Los Guerreros! Fades to commercial.
Backstage HULK : Natalya (comes in with her dad), what do you think of Flair's decission, to make your title defense at Starrcade, a Triple Threat Match? NATALYA : I don't appreciate it at all Hogan! The rules for tonight's match was, the winner gets a shot. But neither of them could get the job done! Now as much as I'd love to get my hands on Kong, for what she did to me at Halloween Havoc, neither of them deserve a title shot! But so be it. Come Starrcade, I'll show both of you, why I'm "Nattie By Nature"!!!
TAZ : Strong words from Natalya right there. But now we're gonna change pace, a little bit. COLE : It's time for the Universal Hardcore Title Match.
(Carlito Colon(C) vs RVD) ANNOUNCER : This next match is set for 1 fall and is for the Universal Hardcore Championship!
First, coming to the ring at 237 lbs, from Battle Creek, Michigan, "The Whole F'N Show" Rob Van Dam! His opponent, at 220 lbs, from San Juan, Peurto Rico, the Universal Hardcore Champion, Carlito Colon! Carlito takes control with a fireman's carry, into an armbar. After several minutes, Carlito pulls him up, then whips him into the ropes for a dropkick, followed by an elbow drop, springing back from the ropes. He goes for a vertical suplex, but RVD counters with a sitout facebuster. RVD hits a snap suplex, followed by a powerbomb. He runs the ropes and comes back, hitting a Rolling Thunder, senton, then continues rolling back up, leapings onto the middle rope, and nails a springboard moonsault. He covers for the pin, but Carlito kicks out, then rolls out of the ring. RVD follows him out, but Carlito whips him into the steel ring steps. Then he scoops him up and drops him, throat first, across the steel ringside barricade. Carlito gets a chair and nails RVD with it, several times, in the head. RVD is busted open. They brawl up and down the aisles. They battle back to ringside, where RVD hits a legsweep. He front face locks Carlito, then lifts him into a vertical suplex position and brops him stomach first, onto the steel ringside barricade. As he's draped over it, RVD leaps onto the ring apron, then jumps off, hitting a corkscrew legdrop across Carlito's back. He tosses Carlito over the barricade, into the front row, then climbs back into the ring and slingshots himself onto the top rope, and hits a flying body press on Carlito, in the crowd. He brings Carlito back over and pulls a metal trash can from under the ring. RVD smacks Carlito in the head with it, then tosses it into the ring. He rolls a now, bloody Carlito back into the ring, then goes and gets a chair. As he's climbing back through the ropes, Carlito catches him with a swinging neckbreaker, then follows it up with a Back Cracker, double knee back breaker. Carlito then places the trash can in a corner, in between the top and middle turnbuckle. He goes to whip RVD into the trash can, but RVD reverses it, sending Carlito crashing into it. RVD quickly tosses Carlito the chair, then hits a Van Daminator, spinning heel kick to the chair, causing it to bounce off Carlito's face. Carlito falls to the mat in a seated position in the corner. RVD pulls the trash can from between the turnbuckles, then slides it down, over Carlito's torso. He quickly goes to an adjacent corner, leaps to the top rope, then hits a Van Terminator, corner to corner missle dropkick, to the trash can. He takes the trash can off, then brings Carlito to the middle of the ring. He picks him up, then smacks him in the head with the chair, sending him to the mat. He goes out to the top rope and nails a 5 Star Frog Splash for the 1, 2, 3. ANNOUNCER : In 17:28, your winner and new Universal Hardcore Champion is Rob Van Dam! Fades to commercial.
Backstage HULK : William Regal (Comes in with Layla), in just a few moments, you face Chris Benoit to determine the challenger for the Universal Title at Starrcade. REGAL : Right here in merry old England, I will earn that right. I will go on to be UCW's 1st English Universal Champion! These people know, Benoit is not even in my league! But I'll gladly give him a good thrashing! Get ready sunshine, here I come!!!
COLE : This is gonna be a tremendous match, Taz! TAZ : You have 2 of the greatest scientific wrestlers of all time. What a main event, right here on International Warfare!
(Chris Benoit vs William Regal) ANNOUNCER : This is our main event of the evening and is a non-title match. It will determine who will go on to Starrcade, to challenge for the Universal Heavyweight Title. First, being brought to the ring by Layla, at 244 lbs, from Blackpool, England, "King" William Regal! (Huge pop from the English crowd) His opponent, coming to the ring at 232 lbs, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the North American Champion, "The Crippler" Chris Benoit!(Comes to the ring, uncharacteristically, to a round of boo's) The match starts with Regal taking the early control, working on Benoit's back. He hits a German suplex, then turns Chris onto his stomach and grabs both of his arms, while putting a foot in his back, as he locks in a surfboard. Benoit powers up to his feet, gets free, then backs Regal into a corner with several knife edge chops. Benoit whips him into the opposite corner and follows him in with a running clothesline. He whips Regal into the ropes for a stiff back elbow. He sets Regal for a vertical suplex, but regal floats over and nails a Regal Plex, bridging leg hook belly to back suplex, for the pin, but Chris kicks out. He hits a Regal Bomb, double underhook powerbomb, and follows it up, locking in a Regal Stretch, arm trap cross-legged STF. Benoit gets to the ropes for the break. Regal whips Benoit into the ropes for a clothesline, but Benoit ducks, gets behind him, then hits his Tri-fecta, triple rolling German suplexes. He goes out to the top rope, but is distracted by Layla, long enough to allow Regal to come over and punch him in the stomach, causing him to crotch himself on the top turnbuckle. Regal quickly climbs up in front of him and hits a double underhook suplex off the top rope. As Benoit slowly raises up to his knees, Regal runs the ropes and comes back nailing a high knee strike to the side of Benoit's head. He covers and hooks a leg for the 1, 2, 3. (The crowd goes wild!) ANNOUNCER : In 19:28, your winner and new #1 contender is "King" William Regal!
Britney will be performing on Ellen this Thursday CLICK HERE
Britney's MTV documentary "For the Record' got unreal ratings CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to see Britney's magazine covers over the years
Man who dresses in the Penn State Nittany Lion costume arrested for DUI. Steely McBeam needs to step his game up. CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY
Local man accused of taking pictures in men's bathrooms CLICK HERE
Steelers fall from 1st to 3rd in overall local sports branding. Pens rank 8th behind only the Detroit Red Wings as best hockey brand CLICK HERE
KDKA's Ross Guidotti reports on the first day if hunting season from Washington County. Redneck fun and games CLICK HERE FOR REPORT
Willie Parker likes to listen to Garth Brooks and Phil Collins. Phil Collins helped him get through a rough plane ride back from New England CLICK HERE
George Bush has a sit down with ABC's Charlie Gibson and real talks everyone on the Iraq War, the economy, and Obama's win CLICK HERE
Krista Villareal is leaving WPXI's weather team. Mike LaPoint will replace her on the morning news CLICK HERE
Guess who Ryan Seacrest has performing this year on Rockin New Years Eve? HINT: They all suck for the most part CLICK HERE
Mall Santa robbed at knifepoint at Clearview Mall in Center Township, Butler County CLICK HERE
Wow, you'll be surprised at how tough some people are when you're outnumbered 4 to 1. John Cena didn't stand a chance and Chris Jericho thought he really done something big. I mean are you serious, Randy Orton did the most damage with that ddt on the concrete. The walls of Jericho was just a waste of time, Cena's brain had already been scrambled on the pavement. I gurantee he got a concussion, because thats what Randy Orton does best to his opponents. They might wanna do something about him, because he is ending careers quicker than they are planned. And as for Manu and Cody Rhodes, what happened when Batista nearly put Manu through the ring with a Batista Bomb. Cody Rhodes didn't move an inch, but he did alot when it was 4 on 1 tonight on Raw. Way to Go Cody.... ( Being Sarcastic )
American Muslims Justify, Equivocate Mumbai Massacre [UPDATED, Bumped]
Samir Khan emerges from his parents' house in Charlotte, NC
Our nemesis Samir Khan [aka, "inshallahshaheed"] over at the "Ignored Puzzle Pieces of Knowledge" is talking about the Mumbai massacre over at this blog. I don't think long time readers will be shocked that he offers no words of condemnation. Only equivocation and justification.
The crux of his argument is the same used by Salafist extremists of his ilk in their routine justification of al Qaeda and Taliban attacks on civilians: okay, so, you people kill innocent Muslims all the time. Classic equivocation.
Among other names, Bangkok is often referred to as "The City of Angels" and Thailand "The Land of Smiles", but traversing the city's streets this evening, I would be hard-pressed to identify the angels in this political crisis or find much to smile about.
Police refuse to use force against the increasingly provocative PAD
The yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) occupied Bangkok's two international airports last week in an attempt to bring down the democratically-elected government, preferrably by provoking the police and ultimately triggering a coup d'etat.
They have grievances relating to the legacy bequeathed by deposed Prime Minister Thaksin to the current Prime Minister Somchai that would resonate with any human rights researcher: a lack of respect for the rule of law, a lack of transparency and complete impunity for roughly 1,500 extrajudicial executions in the 2003 'War on Drugs'.
The peaceful expression of these grievances is normally a right that Amnesty International would seek to defend and protect - and even organise. But the PAD has become increasingly provocative and confrontational in its tactics and rhetoric.
On the other side are the gray-clad police, who have refused to use force a
