Hey all. Welcome to another edition of "...And Marking Out." I'm not going to speak on the Monday night shows this week, mainly because (a) I haven't had time to watch them on tape yet and, (b) I want to talk about some other things this week.

Leftovers

A few readers have written and asked about my pen name. "Why Drop?" "What's Drop mean?" Even Ian Challis called me THE Drop in a Scaia-esk sort of way. As I mentioned in my last column, it has a lot to do with an old arcade game and a Green Bay Packer wide receiver. So, without further ado, here goes the explanation:

If you remember an arcade game called The Main Event, then you're probably in my generation. Growing up, my friends and I played this game religiously. We would literally trek all the way to the suburbs of Baltimore to play this game for hours on end, spending our allowances to the point where I had personally advanced myself my allowance for about three months. What was not to like about The Main Event? It was (to the best of my recollection) the first big time arcade wrestling game complete with knock-offs of then-popular wrestlers like Hogan and Macho Man and the graphics kicked some serious butt. The game had an "announcer" who called all the action and high spots complete with over-the-top enthusiasm like "FIGURE FOUR LEG LOCK!" and "DROPKICK!" remember when the dropkick was a high spot?

Being the 9th grade marks that we were, my friends and I would also wrestle each other. My favorite move was the dropkick, which I would perform while yelling "DROPKICK" just like the voice of The Main Event (I can not believe I'm writing this). One of my friends who I had known since kindergarten began calling me Dropkick. I hated it. I abhorred it. So of course, it stuck. In fact, every time this particular friend gave someone, anyone a nickname, it stuck. I was doomed to be Dropkick forever, but no. Eventually, it shortened to just Drop and I grew to like it in a School House Rock-Verb-I get my thing in action-kind of way. And I've been Drop ever since. What does this have to do with Green Bay and the Packers? Well, that long time friend happens to be Antonio Freeman, wide receiver for said team.

So, here I am , 14 years later, still enjoying wrestling, still being called Drop, no longer yelling "DROPKICK", but still gettin' my thing in action. VERB, that's what's happenin'! But enough about me (for now at least) and onto the column at hand:

Laughing Over Spilled Beer

A couple of days ago over on the EZBoard, I posted a poll where I asked the question: Who do YOU mark out for? My goal was to get people to share their thoughts on why they like the wrestlers they do. I was inspired by Carnevale's admission last week in his Top Ten Bits of being a Big Show mark and finally realizing it. IMO, being a mark for a wrestler simply means enjoying that wrestler and his/her actions and promos in a 9th grade kind of way and having NO SHAME about it. You turn up the sound on the television. You jump up and down. You laugh out loud. You spill beer. You secretly wish you were that wrestler or had some aspect of his/her personality. It's why all those college kids love Austin. All he does is drink tons of beer, kick people's asses, and defy authority. For their perspective, what's NOT to like?

So this week, instead of 10 things I think I think, I give to you my own self-admitted mark list of wreslters followed by some views of some EZBoard residents.

10 Wrestler's I'm a Mark For and Why (in three sentences or less, as if you care)

1. The Rock. He has the look. Charisma. Athleticism. The best promos since Ric Flair in his prime. What's not to like? Plus he works hard to improve. He's only going to get better, guys! I find 99.9% of what he does funny. I know, ...sue me, already.

2. Kurt Angle. He makes it look waaaay too easy. All of the Rock's attributes mentioned above. Hysterical promos. His saying Triple H should "change his name to Triple W for "Waaa, Waaa, Waaa" was priceless. I think I woke my neighbors that night.

3. Triple H. His consistently high intensity level is astounding. There is no one more intense than he is. His entrance is one of the top three in wrestling. Plus, you have to give props to a guy who is committed to showcase a new move at almost every PPV. Best heel period. Who do you hate more?

4. Chris Benoit. His wrestling speaks for itself. And now, HE speaks for himself. He has an intensity level that is extremely close to Hunter's if not higher "...and that's just... the way... it is! Prove me wrong!!" Try. I dare you.

5. Lance Storm. "If I can be serious for a moment..." 'Nuff said.

6. Eddy Guerrero. You know when I realized I was an Eddy mark? Since he hasn't been on WWF TV. I miss him. Greatly. Whether belittling Chyna or doing his usual dickish, heelish things, the man is to mark-out for.

7. Rob Van Dam. The Van-Daminator. Wow. WhaddaMOVE. A high spot that is always a mark-out moment for sure.

8. Jeff Hardy. Sells like he's being slowly murdered. Flies like Superman. Lands like the Greatest American Hero. I hear the music and automatically start to bounce with him. A sure sign if ever there was one.

9. Chris Jericho. The Y2J countdown is also one of the top three entrances in wrestling, especially on television. The way they make it look as though he has appeared from thin air after his name splits and reassembles is a marvel in television production. His promos and matches aren't bad either. Although sometimes...

10. Dudley Boyz. I mark out for all of their spots. At the October SmackDown! taping in B-More, I was embarrassing. I shouted "WHASSSSUPPPP" so loud I thought I heard myself on tape. Their spots just have the crowd totally engaged. More than that, the crowd anxiously awaits each spot much like a formulaic Austin match.

So those are my choices, in no particular order, really. But, that's enough of my opinions (for now at least). Let's see some EZBoard feedback:

RossB: The Cat: Cat rules but I think he hasn't been used well enough in WCW. I, unlike just about everyone on the 'net, like watching him wrestle. His stupid dancing before every move is funny to watch.

Reis: Chris Jericho.

1. The man is simply a god in the ring. Sure, sometimes he f**ks up a Lionsault or repeats a spot or does something of that manner to get smarks angry at him. But whether you like it or not, his year-long feud with Chris Benoit, plus his feud with Triple H culminiating in one of the best matches I've ever seen, shows that Jericho is one of the best damn technical wrestlers in the Fed. And yes, I know that Benoit has the damned gimmick of being the best technical wrestler in the world, but Jericho has shown that he can be Benoit's equal in the ring.

2. The man is unselfish as hell. Week after week, month after month, this guy puts over everybody else - Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Triple H, X-Pac, Rock, Kane, you name it. I'd bet that you were to take those five names, Jericho had a losing record against all of them. He deserves a run with the World title, just because he puts the interests of the company and the glory of others over his own glory. He went nearly a year without holding gold for a meaningful period of time (February 2001-January 2001), and should be pushed to the moon as a reward for his sheer effort.

3. The guy, like Benoit, can carry almost anybody to a spectacular match. Out of the six names I mentioned, Jericho fought ***+ matches with all of them on a regular basis throughout the year except for Kane. Not just anybody can do that. Benoit & Triple H are probably the only other guys who can pull that feat off consistently.

So the next time I hear someone talkin' trash about MY MAN JERICHO, they're gonna have to answer to me.

KrisMacca80: Hardy Boyz ~ cuz I'm a girl and I'm allowed to ;) Seriously, though, I'm just amazed because they get by purely on what they do in the ring. Spots get blown, but they still put on entertaining matches. I think it's kind of unfortunate they're not breaking up yet -- Jeff could be in the IC title hunt in a year and Matt could go for LH -- if they ever decide to do anything with that division! What's up with that? I'd think a LH title makes more sense than the European title (doesn't "Intercontinental" already cover Europe?). But that's another thread I'm sure...

Daki 1: Tajiri - How can you NOT love this guy in the ring? He has the movesets of a mat wreslters and a high flyer. But for me, what makes me mark out is his intensity in the ring. Everything from his crops to his into the ropes hand-spring elbow just makes me LOVE the match that much more. Now I hear he has signed a letter of intent with the WWF....I am SUCH A HAPPY MARK!!!! Now my ultimate mark out moment can happen..... *fade to dream like state*

Rip Carbuncle: Dennis "Mideon" Knight: God amongst men. Say what you want about his ability, but he has the versatility to play an evil cowboy, a hog farmer, a bodyguard, a gothic seer and a streaker all in the course of 8 years. Guaranteed markout... and even more so on the rare occasions where he actually WINS.

I apologize to anyone who posted and feels left out. The column was getting waaay long and I'm getting waaay tired. I will make this an ongoing part of "..And Marking Out" from now on. So if you have a wrestler or a moment in wrestling that you're marking out for, drop me a line (no pun intended) at drinkingbeersandmarkingout@yahoo.com.

Oh yeah, you can send feedback/hatemail there, too!

Until next time: Drink beers. Mark Out. Care less.

I'm out.

Drop
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