M-A-G
12-22-2004, 03:28 PM
Jesus, this has been a while. So anyway, 2004 was a year of highs and lows and joy and heartache not just in the realm of wrestling. We ended up with four more years of Bush, Martha Stewart and Scott Peterson were two new additions to America's prison system, and we lost more loved ones than I care to list here. It was hard on me as well for person reasons in my life but none more so than the world of wrestling. For 2004 was the year I called it quits. 2004 was finally enough to make say, "F</>uck wrestling". I'm not in any mood or frame of mind to discuss why (I'd be here all week and I'm sure you've got other things to do) but just be assured that it's going to take a lot to even get me to consider watching anything remotely wrestling-related.
So why am I here? Well, despite my leave of absence from the fandom of the sport I am still aware of the events of 2004. So in the spirit of the end of the year and sheer boredom, I have composed two top ten lists for which you guys can dispute, complain at, or use as inspiration to compile your own. The first is a list of the top ten matches of the year. Note that I use a 5 star scale going up in increments of 1/2 a star and your mileage may vary. The second is a list of the 10 biggest wrestling-related news items of the year. Again, I compiled them in a manner that I felt showcased their signifance. Your mileage may vary. That's why these are discussion forums. Let us begin.
Top Ten Matches of the Year:
10. WWE Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero: No Way Out 2004: Mind you that I don't particulary care for this match, it's just on here by default. While nothing more than an extended squash and set-up for Lesnar/Goldberg, the heat and psychology in this one in undeniable. Sucks that they spent almost the entire match just burying Guerrero and how he didn't have a chance and then they back it with him needing Goldberg to save his ass. Well look who's still with the company numbnuts! ***1/2
9. Chris Jericho vs. Christian: WrestleMania 20: Maybe not as good as some of the other stuff in the year but hey, try to find the same storyline dynamics that this one had. Lord knows I followed the storyline like a middle-aged woman follows "One Life to Live". Lack of memorable spots and the screw-job ending knocks this one down a few notches but good enough to back to again and again. ***1/2
8. Hell in a Cell: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels: Bad Blood 2004: The match that should've been the finale between the two (Thank you very much Taboo Tuesday). While it had all the right amount of blood and brutality and quality storytelling, it just felt a few steps below what they had done in the past and good Lord was it long. It ranks above Brock/Taker but below HHH/Jericho in the list of great Cell matches so that should offer some perspective. ***1/2
7. World Heavyweight Title: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels: Raw broadcast: I forget which Raw this was on but I think I have the tape of it and I'm pretty sure it was after Backlash but before Bad Blood of this year. Anyway, no real story to it other than Shawn wanting the title which is why it's ranked this low but it had enough good content for a plain old quality wrestling match. ****
6. The Rock and Mick Foley vs. Evolution: WrestleMania 20: For a match that was 98% punching and kicking, it sure didn't stop the fans from loving every minute of it. From the old school "double face-in-peril" styles to the awesome exchanges between Flair and The Rock to the, ahem, drama of Orton and Foley, this one was just great. Not spectacular or anything due to the fact that it was a handicap match and it did have Orton and Batista. ****
5. Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley: Backlash 2004: I didn't know what to expect from this one and quite frankly I didn't care. Foley was on the verge of killing off his own legacy and Orton, well, is Orton. Needlessly to say they cranked it up to a level of brutality we hadn't seen in the WWE in quite a while and Foley showed he could still carry dead weight when he's in the right mood and shape. And Orton + thumbacks = crazy. He earned my respect with this match. He still sucks though. ****
4. Cage Match: Triple X vs. America's Most Wanted: Turning Point: I'm going to come right out and say it. I don't like TNA, I don't choose to follow it, and I hope it goes down in an undramatic fashion and gets forgotten. I stumbled upon a copy of this PPV and I was reluctant to watch it after the abomination that was Victory Road. While I admit there was some better stuff than the previous month's offering, this match stood out the most. It was all sorts of crazy and had a real storyline dynamic aside from the usual "I do a move, you flip around a lot, set up the next spot" motif from TNA. While not perfect (Elix Skipper's hurricanrana for instance) it hit all the right spots to get a good enough rating. ****1/2
3. World Heavyweight Title: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H: Backlash 2004: I rolled my eyes when they announced this rematch. Shawn getting another title shot? The chance of Benoit losing in his hometown? ANOTHER triple threat match? I had to be shown. It delivered in spades. While not filled with the same flow or drama as the original, there was enough quality to warrant it as memorable with everyone putting forth a grade effort and the right man going over. ****1/2
2. WWE Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle: WrestleMania 20: Who'd of thought that two of the IWC's golden boys would be headlining the granddaddy of them all much less with Guerrero as champion. As a confrontation, it wasn't all that great but as a match, damn it was good. (For those confused, great confrontation: Rock/Hogan; great match: Lesnar/Angle). Shame that it would be last high point of the year for both men as Guerrero jobbed out to John Bradshaw Layfield in the summer and Kurt was forced to take a long hiatus from active duty due to health risks. ****1/2
1. World Heavyweight Title: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit: WrestleMania 20: OK, seriously. Try to find a fault in this one. Everything came out crisp and entertaining and dramatic. The story was well told leading up to the right finish as Chris Benoit earned what many felt he had deserved for so long. And to think the guy was just coming off from SmackDown! after an A-Train feud. *****
Ten Biggest News Items of the Year:
10. 2004: The Year in Releases: Not much to say here. We saw a shocking array of WWE talent let go as the year went by most notable in the month of November. While the reasons may have varied and most weren't really adding much to the bottom line, it showed that things weren't all right in McMahonland. Those released included Sable, Jamie Noble, Linda Miles, Nidia, Jazz, Jacqueline, Gail Kim, Rico, Johnny the Bull, Rodney Mack, Billy Gunn, Test, and A-Train.
9. Randy Orton Becomes the Youngest World Heavyweight Champion: OK, so he's not the youngest World Champion ever, I'm strictly talking the belt that's surgically attached to Triple H. A cult favorite and graduate of the 2002 class of rookies, Orton had spent the majority of his WWE career either injured or part of the heel stable of Evolution. Alongside Flair, Batista, and Triple H, Orton rode roughshot throughout the Raw roster, upsetting Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and even Rob Van Dam to win the Intercontinental Title and held it for 7 months throughout 2004. The feud with Mick Foley would be Orton's ticket to the top of the Raw roster to culminate all of the accomplishments. On an edition of Raw, Randy Orton survived a 20 man battle royal, last eliminating Chris Jericho, to earn a title shot against Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004. Despite being heatless and thrown together and with Orton in no position near ready for main event status, the young man was able to score a decisive victory over Benoit and thus capture the World Heavyweight Title. Orton would successfully defend the title against Benoit the following night but it turned sour for the new champion as his former Evolution buddies beat him down and kicked him out of the group thus kicking off a rather sudden and failed face turn leading to his defeat at Unforgiven 2004. Since then, Orton has filled in the role of 'rebellious baby face on a mission' in the absence of Steve Austin and still kept it rolling with the big wins, upsetting Ric Flair in a steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday and leading his team to victory against Triple H's team at Survivor Series.
8. WWE Expands It's Yearly PPV Amount: Use to be a time when PPV was limited to the big 4 and whatever WCW was offering. Then the 'in' thing was monthly PPVs. With the roster split in effect, the WWE had decided to implement brand-exclusive PPVs throughout 2003 and continue through 2004. However, things were shaken up quite a bit when the company made the move to hold 2 PPVs in a given month and thus disrupt the schedule and PPV assignments that had been somewhat established the previous year. Through this act, the month of June saw Raw's offering of Bad Blood and SmackDown!'s edition of the Great American Bash despite holding Judgment Day a month earlier. July's Vengeance thus showcased Raw talent despite Vengeance 2003 being SmackDown! exclusive. SmackDown! would then wait until October to once again earn a brand exclusive PPV although that month also saw the Raw exclusive Taboo Tuesday offering. And with New Year's Revolution up and coming and the talk of ECW on a PPV event, one might imagine even more PPV events being introduced in the coming year.
7. WWE Promotes Taboo Tuesday, The Interactive PPV: This certainly took guts. Taboo Tuesday would a night where the fans would be in control. Votes would be cast to decide who would challenge for Triple H's World Heavyweight Title, who would challenge for Chris Jericho's Intercontinental Title, and most importantly, what sort of sexy clothes the Raw Divas would wear for a battle royal. It was all on the shoulders of us, the fans. While poor in execution and ringwork, the idea itself was enough to mark it as memorable. Fans got to see Randy Orton finally face Ric Flair in a cage match, Gene Snitsky demolish Kane in a steel chain match, Shawn Michaels challenge Triple H, Coach in a dress, and Divas in school girl outfits. Bad results, great concept.
6. The WWE Rosters Get Shaken Up: Vince McMahon arrived on Raw the night after WrestleMania to announce that things were going to get shaken up and we as fans were to receive new feuds and new stars. His idea: a draft lottery in which talent from both Raw and SmackDown! would be up for grabs leaving both shows with new rosters to exploit. The picks were held the following week on Raw, moderated by Mr. McMahon and performed by General Managers Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman. As to who got the better deal is arguable but sure enough things were shaken up pretty badly as it eventually led to Heyman quitting as GM, Booker T and the Dudley Boys getting sent to SmackDown! in favor of getting Triple H, and Edge making his first appearance on Raw in almost 2 years. Also worthy of note would be the singles careers of former tag specialists Rene Dupree and Shelton Benjamin. Dupree would kick-off his SmackDown! career with a major feud with John Cena for the U.S. Heavyweight Title and find a new companion in Kenzo Suzuki while Shelton Benjamin upset Triple H his first night on the Raw roster and eventually defeating Chris Jericho for his first major singles title, the Intercontinental Championship.
5. Big Names Say Adios: One could argue that the major shake-up in the main events came from the departures of 3 of the WWE's major players in the year. Bill Goldberg decided to commit himself to his contracted days and leave after WrestleMania 20. Goldberg cited several creative mishaps leading up to his departure. Brock Lesnar chose to depart the WWE in favor of trying out his skills in the National Football League. While making the cut for the Vikings and playing a few scrimmage games, the former WWE Champion was disposed of in late summer leaving Lesnar unemployed again. And Stone Cold Steve Austin was unable to come to terms for a new contract with the WWE and thus agreed to part ways. Austin would later be accused of yet another assault on a female associate but there were also some talk of him doing some work in Japan.
4. WrestleMania 20 Arrives: No question one of the most anticipated cards in the company's history leaving the WWE with the task of living up to expectations. The near 5 hour event was able to claim its spot as one of the highest grossing WrestleManias if not PPVs ever as it showcased some of the most memorable moments and matches ever. The WWE took advantage of the stage to attempt to elevate some new faces (Christian, Randy Orton, Batista, Chris Benoit, etc.) and give fans a nostalgic feel by eminating from Madison Square Garden and offering thanks to fans.
3. John Cena and Triple H Enter Hollywood: Not alot needs to be said but its nice of the WWE to try to take advantage of the star power of each man. Triple H's project "Blade: Trinity" was released earlier this month and earned a respectable number 2 slot on the top earnings list while Cena's offering should be due in 2005. One can only hope that this triggers a new resurgance of interest in wrestling to get things going again.
2. Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero Get Elevated: Well, sort of. WrestleMania 20 finally saw the culmination of the near score-long careers of both of these sympathetic favorites as Guerrero became the fifth man to successfully defend the WWE Championship at the WWE's biggest show and Chris Benoit became a two-time World Champion by going over two of the biggest names in the main event. And even though the summer saw the rapid decline of both men, that moment alone overshadows everything.
1. NWA-TNA Threatens to Become a Major Player: Scoring a TV deal with a major cable network, signing some expensive former WCW talent, leaping to 3 hour monthly pay-per-views? Not bad for a second-rate WCW knock-off that had been struggling for two years. While doing horribly financially and depending on their own stubborn booking, TNA was able to hold its own and become an alternative to the WWE. While I don't personally recommend it, I can't deny the leaps of advancement the company made in 2004.
And there you go. Questions? Complaints? Disputes? Corrections? Let's hear it. I know you've got lists of your own and I know there's some stuff up there you don't agree with so come on over. And if you think the match list is too Raw exclusive, whatever. You tell me how many **** matches you're going to get out of friggin' Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, JBL, The Bashams, Jesus, and Carlito Carribbean Crap. Until some other time, I'm out of here.
So why am I here? Well, despite my leave of absence from the fandom of the sport I am still aware of the events of 2004. So in the spirit of the end of the year and sheer boredom, I have composed two top ten lists for which you guys can dispute, complain at, or use as inspiration to compile your own. The first is a list of the top ten matches of the year. Note that I use a 5 star scale going up in increments of 1/2 a star and your mileage may vary. The second is a list of the 10 biggest wrestling-related news items of the year. Again, I compiled them in a manner that I felt showcased their signifance. Your mileage may vary. That's why these are discussion forums. Let us begin.
Top Ten Matches of the Year:
10. WWE Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero: No Way Out 2004: Mind you that I don't particulary care for this match, it's just on here by default. While nothing more than an extended squash and set-up for Lesnar/Goldberg, the heat and psychology in this one in undeniable. Sucks that they spent almost the entire match just burying Guerrero and how he didn't have a chance and then they back it with him needing Goldberg to save his ass. Well look who's still with the company numbnuts! ***1/2
9. Chris Jericho vs. Christian: WrestleMania 20: Maybe not as good as some of the other stuff in the year but hey, try to find the same storyline dynamics that this one had. Lord knows I followed the storyline like a middle-aged woman follows "One Life to Live". Lack of memorable spots and the screw-job ending knocks this one down a few notches but good enough to back to again and again. ***1/2
8. Hell in a Cell: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels: Bad Blood 2004: The match that should've been the finale between the two (Thank you very much Taboo Tuesday). While it had all the right amount of blood and brutality and quality storytelling, it just felt a few steps below what they had done in the past and good Lord was it long. It ranks above Brock/Taker but below HHH/Jericho in the list of great Cell matches so that should offer some perspective. ***1/2
7. World Heavyweight Title: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels: Raw broadcast: I forget which Raw this was on but I think I have the tape of it and I'm pretty sure it was after Backlash but before Bad Blood of this year. Anyway, no real story to it other than Shawn wanting the title which is why it's ranked this low but it had enough good content for a plain old quality wrestling match. ****
6. The Rock and Mick Foley vs. Evolution: WrestleMania 20: For a match that was 98% punching and kicking, it sure didn't stop the fans from loving every minute of it. From the old school "double face-in-peril" styles to the awesome exchanges between Flair and The Rock to the, ahem, drama of Orton and Foley, this one was just great. Not spectacular or anything due to the fact that it was a handicap match and it did have Orton and Batista. ****
5. Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley: Backlash 2004: I didn't know what to expect from this one and quite frankly I didn't care. Foley was on the verge of killing off his own legacy and Orton, well, is Orton. Needlessly to say they cranked it up to a level of brutality we hadn't seen in the WWE in quite a while and Foley showed he could still carry dead weight when he's in the right mood and shape. And Orton + thumbacks = crazy. He earned my respect with this match. He still sucks though. ****
4. Cage Match: Triple X vs. America's Most Wanted: Turning Point: I'm going to come right out and say it. I don't like TNA, I don't choose to follow it, and I hope it goes down in an undramatic fashion and gets forgotten. I stumbled upon a copy of this PPV and I was reluctant to watch it after the abomination that was Victory Road. While I admit there was some better stuff than the previous month's offering, this match stood out the most. It was all sorts of crazy and had a real storyline dynamic aside from the usual "I do a move, you flip around a lot, set up the next spot" motif from TNA. While not perfect (Elix Skipper's hurricanrana for instance) it hit all the right spots to get a good enough rating. ****1/2
3. World Heavyweight Title: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H: Backlash 2004: I rolled my eyes when they announced this rematch. Shawn getting another title shot? The chance of Benoit losing in his hometown? ANOTHER triple threat match? I had to be shown. It delivered in spades. While not filled with the same flow or drama as the original, there was enough quality to warrant it as memorable with everyone putting forth a grade effort and the right man going over. ****1/2
2. WWE Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle: WrestleMania 20: Who'd of thought that two of the IWC's golden boys would be headlining the granddaddy of them all much less with Guerrero as champion. As a confrontation, it wasn't all that great but as a match, damn it was good. (For those confused, great confrontation: Rock/Hogan; great match: Lesnar/Angle). Shame that it would be last high point of the year for both men as Guerrero jobbed out to John Bradshaw Layfield in the summer and Kurt was forced to take a long hiatus from active duty due to health risks. ****1/2
1. World Heavyweight Title: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit: WrestleMania 20: OK, seriously. Try to find a fault in this one. Everything came out crisp and entertaining and dramatic. The story was well told leading up to the right finish as Chris Benoit earned what many felt he had deserved for so long. And to think the guy was just coming off from SmackDown! after an A-Train feud. *****
Ten Biggest News Items of the Year:
10. 2004: The Year in Releases: Not much to say here. We saw a shocking array of WWE talent let go as the year went by most notable in the month of November. While the reasons may have varied and most weren't really adding much to the bottom line, it showed that things weren't all right in McMahonland. Those released included Sable, Jamie Noble, Linda Miles, Nidia, Jazz, Jacqueline, Gail Kim, Rico, Johnny the Bull, Rodney Mack, Billy Gunn, Test, and A-Train.
9. Randy Orton Becomes the Youngest World Heavyweight Champion: OK, so he's not the youngest World Champion ever, I'm strictly talking the belt that's surgically attached to Triple H. A cult favorite and graduate of the 2002 class of rookies, Orton had spent the majority of his WWE career either injured or part of the heel stable of Evolution. Alongside Flair, Batista, and Triple H, Orton rode roughshot throughout the Raw roster, upsetting Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and even Rob Van Dam to win the Intercontinental Title and held it for 7 months throughout 2004. The feud with Mick Foley would be Orton's ticket to the top of the Raw roster to culminate all of the accomplishments. On an edition of Raw, Randy Orton survived a 20 man battle royal, last eliminating Chris Jericho, to earn a title shot against Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004. Despite being heatless and thrown together and with Orton in no position near ready for main event status, the young man was able to score a decisive victory over Benoit and thus capture the World Heavyweight Title. Orton would successfully defend the title against Benoit the following night but it turned sour for the new champion as his former Evolution buddies beat him down and kicked him out of the group thus kicking off a rather sudden and failed face turn leading to his defeat at Unforgiven 2004. Since then, Orton has filled in the role of 'rebellious baby face on a mission' in the absence of Steve Austin and still kept it rolling with the big wins, upsetting Ric Flair in a steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday and leading his team to victory against Triple H's team at Survivor Series.
8. WWE Expands It's Yearly PPV Amount: Use to be a time when PPV was limited to the big 4 and whatever WCW was offering. Then the 'in' thing was monthly PPVs. With the roster split in effect, the WWE had decided to implement brand-exclusive PPVs throughout 2003 and continue through 2004. However, things were shaken up quite a bit when the company made the move to hold 2 PPVs in a given month and thus disrupt the schedule and PPV assignments that had been somewhat established the previous year. Through this act, the month of June saw Raw's offering of Bad Blood and SmackDown!'s edition of the Great American Bash despite holding Judgment Day a month earlier. July's Vengeance thus showcased Raw talent despite Vengeance 2003 being SmackDown! exclusive. SmackDown! would then wait until October to once again earn a brand exclusive PPV although that month also saw the Raw exclusive Taboo Tuesday offering. And with New Year's Revolution up and coming and the talk of ECW on a PPV event, one might imagine even more PPV events being introduced in the coming year.
7. WWE Promotes Taboo Tuesday, The Interactive PPV: This certainly took guts. Taboo Tuesday would a night where the fans would be in control. Votes would be cast to decide who would challenge for Triple H's World Heavyweight Title, who would challenge for Chris Jericho's Intercontinental Title, and most importantly, what sort of sexy clothes the Raw Divas would wear for a battle royal. It was all on the shoulders of us, the fans. While poor in execution and ringwork, the idea itself was enough to mark it as memorable. Fans got to see Randy Orton finally face Ric Flair in a cage match, Gene Snitsky demolish Kane in a steel chain match, Shawn Michaels challenge Triple H, Coach in a dress, and Divas in school girl outfits. Bad results, great concept.
6. The WWE Rosters Get Shaken Up: Vince McMahon arrived on Raw the night after WrestleMania to announce that things were going to get shaken up and we as fans were to receive new feuds and new stars. His idea: a draft lottery in which talent from both Raw and SmackDown! would be up for grabs leaving both shows with new rosters to exploit. The picks were held the following week on Raw, moderated by Mr. McMahon and performed by General Managers Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman. As to who got the better deal is arguable but sure enough things were shaken up pretty badly as it eventually led to Heyman quitting as GM, Booker T and the Dudley Boys getting sent to SmackDown! in favor of getting Triple H, and Edge making his first appearance on Raw in almost 2 years. Also worthy of note would be the singles careers of former tag specialists Rene Dupree and Shelton Benjamin. Dupree would kick-off his SmackDown! career with a major feud with John Cena for the U.S. Heavyweight Title and find a new companion in Kenzo Suzuki while Shelton Benjamin upset Triple H his first night on the Raw roster and eventually defeating Chris Jericho for his first major singles title, the Intercontinental Championship.
5. Big Names Say Adios: One could argue that the major shake-up in the main events came from the departures of 3 of the WWE's major players in the year. Bill Goldberg decided to commit himself to his contracted days and leave after WrestleMania 20. Goldberg cited several creative mishaps leading up to his departure. Brock Lesnar chose to depart the WWE in favor of trying out his skills in the National Football League. While making the cut for the Vikings and playing a few scrimmage games, the former WWE Champion was disposed of in late summer leaving Lesnar unemployed again. And Stone Cold Steve Austin was unable to come to terms for a new contract with the WWE and thus agreed to part ways. Austin would later be accused of yet another assault on a female associate but there were also some talk of him doing some work in Japan.
4. WrestleMania 20 Arrives: No question one of the most anticipated cards in the company's history leaving the WWE with the task of living up to expectations. The near 5 hour event was able to claim its spot as one of the highest grossing WrestleManias if not PPVs ever as it showcased some of the most memorable moments and matches ever. The WWE took advantage of the stage to attempt to elevate some new faces (Christian, Randy Orton, Batista, Chris Benoit, etc.) and give fans a nostalgic feel by eminating from Madison Square Garden and offering thanks to fans.
3. John Cena and Triple H Enter Hollywood: Not alot needs to be said but its nice of the WWE to try to take advantage of the star power of each man. Triple H's project "Blade: Trinity" was released earlier this month and earned a respectable number 2 slot on the top earnings list while Cena's offering should be due in 2005. One can only hope that this triggers a new resurgance of interest in wrestling to get things going again.
2. Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero Get Elevated: Well, sort of. WrestleMania 20 finally saw the culmination of the near score-long careers of both of these sympathetic favorites as Guerrero became the fifth man to successfully defend the WWE Championship at the WWE's biggest show and Chris Benoit became a two-time World Champion by going over two of the biggest names in the main event. And even though the summer saw the rapid decline of both men, that moment alone overshadows everything.
1. NWA-TNA Threatens to Become a Major Player: Scoring a TV deal with a major cable network, signing some expensive former WCW talent, leaping to 3 hour monthly pay-per-views? Not bad for a second-rate WCW knock-off that had been struggling for two years. While doing horribly financially and depending on their own stubborn booking, TNA was able to hold its own and become an alternative to the WWE. While I don't personally recommend it, I can't deny the leaps of advancement the company made in 2004.
And there you go. Questions? Complaints? Disputes? Corrections? Let's hear it. I know you've got lists of your own and I know there's some stuff up there you don't agree with so come on over. And if you think the match list is too Raw exclusive, whatever. You tell me how many **** matches you're going to get out of friggin' Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, JBL, The Bashams, Jesus, and Carlito Carribbean Crap. Until some other time, I'm out of here.