1. Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder match: Sin Cara vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

As expected, the opener was one of the ladder matches. Much like last year’s Smackdown Money in the Bank match, this was given a lot of time and turned out great. Everyone brawls at the start until Barrett, Kane, and Sheamus are left in the ring. Kane double clotheslines the two heels and sends them outside, but Bryan kicks a ladder into Kane’s face. Slater and Gabriel team up to hit Sin Cara with a ladder, but Gabriel kicks Slater and climbs a ladder himself. Bryan missile dropkicks Gabriel off the ladder and Rhodes climbs up. Sheamus tries to powerbomb Rhodes but Rhodes escapes and hits Slater with his rebound kick. Kane clotheslines Sheamus to the floor, sends Barrett into a ladder in the corner, throws a ladder onto Barrett and Sheamus on the outside, and gives Slater a sidewalk slam. Cara hits Kane with an enzuigiri before Bryan hits a suicide dive to the floor, followed by separate dives from Slater and Gabriel as well as a high cross body from Cara off the top to Sheamus on the floor. Cara follows with a missile dropkick to Slater, an enzuigiri to Gabriel, and a Spanish Fly off the top turnbuckle to Bryan. Barrett hits Cara with a ladder and bridges the ladder from the apron to the Spanish announce table. Barrett goes for a clothesline but misses and hits the ring post. Sheamus hits Cara with the Brogue kick and then powerbombs him off the apron through the bridged ladder. Cara was tended to by officials and had to leave the match. Sheamus hits everyone with a ladder before Kane punches him and sends him to the floor before tossing the ladder on top of him.

Bryan and Rhodes align to attack Kane but quickly go at each other with punches. Kane hits both of them with a ladder and goes to climb it, but is attacked by Slater, Gabriel, and Barrett. Rhodes and Bryan separately try to climb but are attacked by the former Corre members. The trio then have a standoff before Slater and Gabriel attack Barrett and both try to climb the ladder. Rhodes shoves the ladder over and hits the Cross Rhodes on Slater and Barrett. Sheamus knocks Rhodes off a ladder and gives him the Irish curse backbreaker before starting to climb. Bryan tries to pull him off by his leg and then climbs over him, but Sheamus steps off the ladder with Bryan in an electric chair position, which allows Kane to come off the top rope with a crazy doomsday device clothesline. Sheamus bridges another ladder from the middle turnbuckle to a lower rung of a standing ladder. Kane chokeslams Rhodes and Gabriel before climbing the ladder, but Bryan goes to stop him. Bryan dives off the ladder onto Kane and is caught, but Bryan turns it around into a DDT. Bryan then fights with Slater atop the ladder and Slater gives him a neckbreaker off the ladder. Slater climbs again but is pulled off by Barrett, who then stomps him in the corner and crotches him on the top rope. Barrett and Sheamus then use a ladder to fling Slater off the top rope onto Kane on the floor.

Sheamus hits Barrett with a Brogue kick before he clotheslines Gabriel and drops him face first on a horizontal ladder in the corner. Sheamus climbs a ladder but ends up trading shots with Kane at the top. Kane eventually chokeslams Sheamus off the ladder onto the bridged ladder set up earlier by Sheamus. Rhodes catches Kane with the rebound kick and Barrett hits Kane with the Wasteland. Gabriel then hits a 450 splash to Kane off a horizontal ladder that was resting on the top rope. Scary spot. Barrett then gives Gabriel a Wasteland over the top rope to the floor and hits Slater with a pumphandle slam. He goes to climb, but Rhodes pulls him down and clotheslines him to the floor. Rhodes and Bryan fight at the top of a ladder as Barrett climbs up the other side, but Bryan is able to knock Rhodes to the mat and prevent Barrett from getting the case. Barrett teases a Wasteland off of the ladder, but Bryan fights out with the ELBOWS OF DEATH which he was known for on the independent scene. Bryan is able to fight off Barrett and send him to the mat, and then he unhooks the case for the win. Very surprising finish that got a huge reaction from the Chicago crowd, as not only was Bryan very over, but no one really expected him to win going in. Absolutely the right call with that finish. The match itself was awesome and had a lot of really nice spots while keeping a consistent theme of everybody constantly going for the win. Everyone really got to shine and this was a tremendous opener. Fun stuff all around. Match Time: 24:33     Match Rating: 8/10

2. Divas Championship match: Kelly Kelly© vs. Brie Bella

This was just here to cool down the crowd after the hot opener. Brie taunts Kelly at the start, but Kelly slaps her, hits a Thesz press with some punches, and a head scissors. Kelly takes out both Bella twins on the floor, but Brie tosses her out when she comes into the ring. Brie hits some punches, hangs up Kelly on the ropes, and presses her knees to her back. Brie then tosses Kelly to the mat and applies a weird head wrench submission with Kelly’s arm behind her head. Kelly fights out with a jawbreaker, slams Brie’s face in the mat, and then hits a clothesline followed by a neckbreaker for 2. Brie attempts a backslide but Kelly hits a bulldog before getting the win shortly after with the K2. Typical Diva fare with some botched spots and a lot of screaming. At least it was short. Match Time: 4:49     Match Rating: 2/10

3. Mark Henry vs. The Big Show

While this was certainly no classic, it was definitely more enjoyable than it had any right to be. Henry opens with punches, but Show fires back and hits a diving shoulder block before they move to the outside. Show clotheslines Henry on the floor and sends him over the steps, but Henry dropkicks the steps into Show’s knee. Back in the ring, Henry hits a kick to the face and slams Show’s knee on the mat before applying a single leg Boston crab. Show gets the ropes and kicks Henry off, but Henry hits a clothesline in the corner. Show hits a kick and a diving shoulder block off the top turnbuckle, but Henry escapes the chokeslam and hits the World’s Strongest Slam for 2. Henry then hits a second WSS and then connects with 2 back to back running splashes for the win. After the match Henry wraps a chair around Show’s leg and hits a Vader Bomb onto it, leading to Show being tended to by trainers and carted off. Injury angle was well done and the match was fine. They kept things short and moved at a pretty solid pace for 2 big guys. They also continued to build up Henry strongly. Match Time: 5:59     Match Rating: 4/10

4. Raw Money in the Bank Ladder match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne vs. R-Truth vs. Alex Riley vs. The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

While not quite as good as its Smackdown predecessor, this was still an extremely good, action-packed match, though it could have used a little more time. All 8 men have ladders in their hands at the opening bell, and they immediately begin the attack on Del Rio, who is sent to the floor and ends up buried under a pile of ladders thrown at him by the other participants. Rey is tossed onto the pile of ladders as well while R-Truth and Miz square off in the ring only for Swagger to hit both men with a ladder. Kofi and Bourne fight on a small ladder before they use it to hit Swagger and R-Truth. Rey hits Swagger with a head scissors to the floor and Del Rio crotches R-Truth on a ladder before kicking him in the face. Riley climbs a small ladder, but steps off and dives onto Swagger and Miz on the floor. R-Truth does a dive over the ropes as well and Rey and Kofi follow with simultaneous dives off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Bourne then climbs a ladder near the entrance ramp and does a crazy shooting star press to everyone on the floor. Bourne climbs a ladder in the ring and fights with Miz at the top, only for Del Rio to shove the ladder over. Miz took a bad fall, landing horribly on his leg, and was helped to the back by trainers (this looked pretty legit). Rey and Del Rio fight and Del Rio goes to climb, but R-Truth pulls him off the ladder. R-Truth and Del Rio then climb on opposite sides, but Rey and Bourne climb over them, knock them off, and hit simultaneous hurricanranas off the ladder to the heels. Kofi climbs, but Swagger pulls him off with the ankle lock.

Riley climbs up and fights with Swagger, but R-Truth pushes the ladder over. R-Truth puts a ladder in the corner horizontally, and then kicks it into Rey’s gut when Rey winds up in the corner. Kofi then hits a Boom Drop off the horizontal ladder to R-Truth and hits Riley with a kick. Rey dives onto Kofi and R-Truth stands on the end of a ladder near the apron to send the other end into Swagger’s face (think like a seesaw). However, while R-Truth is leaning through the ropes, Rey catches him with a 619. Riley and Rey fight at the top of a ladder while Bourne sets up a ladder himself, and soon all seven men end up fighting atop various ladders in a huge brawl. Del Rio gets sent into a ladder in the corner and Bourne is sent all the way to the floor when his ladder is pushed over. Eventually only Swagger and Kofi are left fighting at the top, but the ladder tips over and both crash to the mat. Miz then returns, limping down the entrance ramp, and goes to climb a ladder. After he gets about halfway up, Rey gives him a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder. Rey climbs and tries fend off Del Rio by kicking him and hitting him in the face with the briefcase. Del Rio then unmasks Rey and shoves him onto another ladder. However, Rey uses both hands to cover his face, so his ladder falls over because he wasn’t holding on to it. His ladder also crashes into Del Rio’s and they both fall over, but Del Rio sets his ladder back up and climbs up to get the case for the win. Very frenetic, chaotic match that was definitely the more dangerous of the two MITB matches. Like the first one, everyone continuously was going for the win, which created a lot of suspense. It could have used just a few more minutes but this was extremely enjoyable and featured tons of craziness. Match Time: 15:58     Match Rating: 7.5/10

5. World Heavyweight Championship match: Randy Orton© vs. Christian

The stipulations here were that if Orton got disqualified, or if the referee “makes a bad call”, then Christian will automatically win the title. While not quite up to par with some of their previous matches, this was another strong PPV encounter from these two. Christian slides a chair in the ring at the start to tempt Orton, but Orton tosses it out. Christian shoves him, but Orton unloads on him with punches, attacks him in the corner, and follows with a back body drop and knee drop. Christian slaps Orton, but Orton hits a kick and avoids a Christian dive to the floor. Orton tosses Christian into the steps, but misses a kick and gets his neck snapped over the top rope by Christian. Christian hits a diving twisting uppercut off the top and hits a back elbow. Christian stands on Orton’s back on the ropes before he slides outside and hits him in the face. Christian wrenches Orton’s head, but Orton gets up, avoids a charging Christian in the corner, and rolls him up for 2. Christian hits a spinebuster for 2 and goes for the Killswitch, Orton tries to counter with a back suplex, and Christian backflips out of it only for Orton to clothesline him to the floor. Christian misses a dive and counters the RKO, but Orton counters a dive form Christian with a jackknife cover. Orton hits a Thesz press with some punches, but Christian counters the spike DDT and heads up top, only for Orton to dropkick him in midair. Christian shoves Orton off the top and hits a diving head butt for 2 before both guys counter each other’s finishers. Orton hits some clotheslines, but Christian counters the RKO and hits the Killswitch for a near fall. Orton avoids a spear from Christian and hits a gutwrench neckbreaker for 2, then hits a snap powerslam followed by a spike DDT. Orton readies for the RKO, but Christian crawls to the corner and spits in his face. Orton then unloads on Christian with punches and low blows him right in front of the ref for the DQ, so Christian wins the title. After the match Orton beats the crap out of Christian and RKOs him on the Spanish announce table. The table didn’t break so Orton turned around during his retreat to give him another one, and again the table didn’t break. The match had awesome storytelling with Christian continuously antagonizing Orton before he finally sent him over the edge with the ultimate disrespect, spitting in his face. Although a bit short for a world title match, there was also a lot of very good back and forth action and false finishes. It will be interesting to see how this angle will continue and this PPV was very successful in reviving interest in Smackdown. Match Time: 12:20     Match Rating: 7/10

6. WWE Championship match: John Cena© vs. CM Punk

This was it, after some epic buildup and a ridiculous amount of speculation and anticipation, it was time for the main event. The crowd was more than ready for this thing as they had been chanting Punk’s name all night, long before this match was due to take place. As expected, they were almost universally in favor of Punk and booed the hell out of Cena. It was a One Night Stand 2006-esque atmosphere. Simply put, this was a masterpiece. The opening bell rang at about 10:12 EST, so you knew these guys were getting enough time for an adequate blowoff. They start off with a lot of chain wrestling after a lock up, with Punk applying a headlock and Cena applying a chin lock after a snapmare. Cena catches Punk in a fujiwara armbar and twists Punk’s arm, then hits a shoulder block and they lock up again. Cena hits another shoulder block but Punk comes back with a hip toss, a headlock, and a shoulder block of his own before both guys tease their finishers. Punk kicks Cena in the corner, but Cena hits a one handed bulldog and applies a reverse headlock. Punk hits some punches, but Cena hits a clothesline and applies a side headlock. Punk escapes the hold with a back suplex and gets a near fall after whipping Cena into the corner. Cena hits some punches and a fisherman’s suplex for 2, but Punk counters the Attitude Adjustment and hits a DDT for 2. Punk works over Cena with a head scissors and Cena gets up, only for Punk to toss him outside. Punk picks Cena up, hangs his head over the apron, and hits a diving knee drop off the top rope to the back of Cena’s head. Cena avoids a charging Punk in the corner and pulls his leg, but Punk kicks him off and catches him in a chin lock.

Cena gets up and hits some punches, but Punk kicks him in the corner and hits a cross body that doesn’t look pretty as Cena didn’t quite catch him right. While standing on the apron, Cena suplexes Punk over the ropes all the way to the floor. Cena scores a near fall back in the ring with a snap fisherman’s suplex and tries a slam that Punk escapes, but Cena picks Punk up and powerslams him for 2. Cena hits some more punches, and Punk comes back with some of his own, only for Cena to catch him in an abdominal stretch. Punk breaks the hold by clawing Cena’s face and hits a hip toss before both guys clothesline each other. Cena hits his shoulder blocks, but Punk backflips out of the side slam attempt and rolls Cena up for 2. Punk misses the running knee in the corner and Cena hits the side slam, but Punk kicks Cena in the head when he goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Punk does a suicide dive through the ropes onto Cena on the floor, but misses a springboard clothesline back in the ring and eats the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena goes for the AA, but Punk lands on his feet and hits a few short kicks for a near fall. Punk goes for the Go to Sleep, but Cena counters and hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. Punk counters the AA again, hangs up Cena in the ropes, hits 2 back to back running knee strikes, and a bulldog. Punk then hits a springboard clothesline for 2 and hits 3 kicks to the chest, but he misses on the 4th attempt and Cena catches him in the STF. Punk is able to get to the ropes and scores a near fall off a roundhouse kick. Punk goes for a cross body off the top, Cena rolls through and goes for the AA, Punk counters and goes for the GTS, but Cena counters and locks in the STF again.

Punk struggles, but is able to counter out of the hold and transition into the Anaconda Vise. Cena is eventually able to get up and give Punk the AA, but Punk kicks out! Cena heads up top and goes for the diving Famouser, but Punk powerbombs him in midair for 2. Punk goes for the GTS again but Cena gets the ropes and snaps Punk’s neck over them. Cena goes back up top and hits the diving Famouser for 2. Cena waits for Punk to get up and hits a second AA, but PUNK KICKS OUT AGAIN. Cena then sets Punk up on the top turnbuckle and teases a top rope AA, but Punk escapes it with the DANIEL BRYAN ELBOWS OF DEATH and hits a top rope Frankensteiner. Punk hits the running knee in the corner and goes for the GTS, but catches Cena in the ribs and Cena falls to the floor. As Punk goes to roll Cena back inside, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis come out on the ramp. Cena catches Punk in the STF back in the ring, and Vince calls for the bell to be rung as he comes down the ramp with Laurinaitis, trying to replicate the Montreal Screwjob. Cena sees what’s happening and immediately breaks the hold, leaves the ring, and decks Laurinaitis before telling Vince that he won’t let it end that way. Just as Cena comes back inside, Punk hits the GTS for the win! Vince then grabs a headset from the announce table and orders for Alberto Del Rio to come down to cash in his briefcase. Punk jaws with Vince as Del Rio comes to the ring, but Punk immediately levels him with a roundhouse kick to the head before Del Rio can cash in. Punk then taunts Vince as he escapes through the crowd with the championship. The PPV closes with Punk making his way through the concourse with the title intact. This was an extraordinary match, the best that John Cena has ever had and an easy match of the year candidate. The storytelling and the drama were at primarily uncharted territories for WWE. The way that they had this red hot crowd hanging on every move was simply magical. This is a match that you can show to everyone you know to explain why you love professional wrestling. The execution of everything involved in the match and post-match was astounding. I can’t wait to see how they follow this up and this match is a MUST SEE. Match Time: 33:44     Match Rating: 10/10

Overall PPV Rating: 9.25/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit. I am from Orange, CT and am a huge fan of pro wrestling. I mostly follow WWE and TNA but I also watch the smaller promotions such as ROH and DGUSA. I have been a lifelong WWE fan and have become a TNA fan over the past few years. Aside from wrestling, I also really love baseball and football and follow many other sports such as hockey and MMA. I have written for www.sportsgrumblings.com for three years.

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“I love pushing my body to the limit and training as hard as I possibly can,” the 31-year-old said. “I love the results that come with hard work and the inspiration I provide to others. Working out is may passion, my love and my life.”

Going back to her childhood, Karlin has always been into athletics. Soccer, swimming and ice skating were the humble beginnings that eventually led to being named All-State in field hockey and lacrosse and an All-American in high school field hockey. “It was during high school when I was 16 that I first started weight training,” said Karlin. Her first trainer, Steve Hess, went on to become the strength and conditioning coach of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, a position he still holds today.

After being recruited by several Division 1 colleges for both field hockey and lacrosse, Karlin played lacrosse her freshman year. “Initially my time spent in the gym was with the intent of being the best athlete I could posibly be on the playing field,” she recalled. “Quickly though, I realized that weight training and the accompanying fitness lifestyle was my true passion.” Karlin eventually transferred to Santa Clara University, where she graduated with honors and was awarded both Magna Cum Larder and Phi Betta Kappa and received a B.S. in Psychology.

After college, Karlin’s love of the gym and weight training only intensified. “Hardly a day has gone by in the past 16 years that I haven’t stepped foot in a gym,” she says matter of factly. Although she had laid the foundation for quite some time, Karlin did not begin competing until 2008.

Before turning pro, she was a top-level national NPC competitor and donned the posing suit four times her first year on the circuit. This year, Karlin competed in the Arnold Classic Amateur Invitational and professional debut at the WBFF World Championships, an organization run by Paul Dillet. “I was thrilled to be part of a federation founded by a bodybuilder where the athletes have more individuality,” she said. “I am very proud of my hard work and level of conditioning and feel that as an athlete I am more appreciated and valued by the WBBF. I am thankful that I have found a home with them and confident that I will continue to make then federation proud.”

Karlin’s trainer and friends gave her the nickname ‘Supergirl’ because of her strong work ethic in an out of the gym. “I tend to bring a unique look to the figure stage and no matter where I place, it’s evident that the work went into my preparation,” she said.

Operating her own business as a personal trainer and competing may be one of her loves, but Karlin’s four-year-old daughter is her life. “She is why I wake up and breathe in and out everyday,” she says proudly. “My love for her could get me through the toughest of days and I would do anything for her. She is my greatest inspiration and biggest fan. She already knows how to perform quarter turns and has her own clear heels!”

A future champion herself, no doubt.

Contest History:

Colorado Mountain States Bodybuilding and Figure Championships (2008)

Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding and figure Championships (2008)

U.S.A Championships (2008)

National Championships (2008)

Arnold Classic Amateur Invitational (2009)

WBFF World Championships (2009)

Photos by Simon Lau

Emelianenko, known globally as Fedor, will make his premium television debut this Fall when his first fight under the new agreement airs live on SHOWTIME®. Up until now, Emelianenko’s live fights have aired exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States.

“I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level,” said the 33-year-old Emelianenko.  During his nine year professional fight career, which included a four and a half year stay with the world’s former top MMA promotion, the now defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship, the Russian native has faced and defeated all comers.

In his last effort, the 6-foot, 235-pound Emelianenko decimated the number two ranked heavyweight at the time Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski with a single punch in the first round (3:14) of the main event of Affliction:  “Day of Reckoning” at Anaheim, California’s Honda Center on January 24.

“STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world,” continued Emelianenko.  “I am prepared to fight any of them.”

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts fight promoter of over 25 years.  “Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.”

“With the addition of Fedor and STRIKEFORCE’s new relationship with M-1 Global, SHOWTIME is now the home of the best pound-for-pound male and female fighters in the world,” said Ken Hershman, Senior VP and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “The Aug. 15 Carano-Cyborg matchup on SHOWTIME will clearly determine the best female mixed martial artist on the planet.  Then, come this Fall, our subscribers again will witness history when the universally recognized best male fighter—Fedor Emelianenko—joins the already long list of world-class athletes on the STRIKEFORCE roster, and for the first time ever plies his skills live on SHOWTIME.”

Hershman continued: “We are better positioned now than ever before to deliver on our promise to televise the top fighters in mixed martial arts today.”

“I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, President of M-1 Global. “We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.”

Though his official professional record is 30-1, Emelianenko is considered undefeated.  The only blemish on his record is a December 22, 2000 fight that was stopped after 17 seconds and declared a TKO in favor of his opponent, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, due to a cut Emelianenko sustained in the opening seconds of the matchup in Osaka, Japan.

Amongst those on Emelianenko’s list of impressive conquests are former PRIDE Heavyweight Champions Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic as well as former UFC Heavyweight Champions Kevin “The Monster” Randleman and Tim Sylvia, whom Emelianenko submitted with a rear naked choke only 36 seconds into their main event showdown at Affliction:  “Banned” on July 19, 2008.

Despite his extensive experience, Emelianenko’s debut under the new STRIKEFORCE-M-1 venture will, interestingly enough, mark his first start in a cage.  To date, all of his bouts have taken place in a ring.

After co-promoting two events live on SHOWTIME in 2007 and 2008, STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

About M-1 Global

M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995.
Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

If your team had the opportunity to acquire a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who is also a nine-time Pro Bowler and sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, there wouldn’t be many scenarios where you would want to turn that offer down. Especially when heading into training camp, your quarterback situation is not settled, and the two battling it out for the job are not exactly headed to Canton unless they buy a ticket.

So what would make anyone say that Brett Favre to the Jets wouldn’t end in confetti being blown into the Tampa Bay night sky come February? Before we start booking the flight to Disneyland, it will make more sense once it is broken down.

While Favre is obviously on a decline, he did have a very productive season in 2007. Leading the Packers to the NFC Championship Game, he may have thrown his worst pass of the year on his last attempt, which snuffed out a Super Bowl berth for the Pack and sent the Giants en route to Arizona. During the regular season, Favre threw for 4,155 yards with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, good enough for a 66.5 completion percentage. He has been a tough out and has started all 16 games in each season dating back to 1993. His leadership skills have never been questioned – for the most part – and playing with that little kid grin has made him the face of the NFL for quite some time.

The Mississippi native will turn 39 in October and has been on the bubble of retiring for two years now. Even in Green Bay where he can walk on water, Favre began to wear out his welcome by taking forever to make up his mind. When he finally held his emotional press conference during the offseason and walked away gracefully, the story seemed to have a great ending. His number four jersey was going to be retired by the organization during the Packers’ home opener on a Monday night versus the Vikings.

But Favre couldn’t let go. Give him credit for being such a gamer, but take some of it away for selfishness. He began to bad mouth the Packers front office by saying that they made him rush his decision, which he now regrets. Regardless of what Favre claims, he is his own man and could have told them that he wanted to think about it a little more. By flip-flopping his decision, Favre is throwing a monkey wrench in not only the Packers’ plans, but also that has trickled down to possible teams vying for his services.

Alex Rodgers was anointed Favre’s successor on more than one occasion, and that still is not written in stone. Green Bay seems to be saying all the right things that it is the youngster’s job, but if Favre shows up to training camp, how could they seriously sell that to anyone? That’s where the Jets come in.

According to NFL sources, the two teams that figure to be involved in trade talks with the Packers are the Jets and Buccaneers. Eric Mangini, the third year head coach of the Jets, is not very informative during his daily press conferences, and usually refutes something like this. But his sheepish grin in tiptoeing around questions about the quarterback spoke volumes once he didn’t say anything that the team wasn’t looking to make a deal.

“We still keep that internal,” said Mangini. “That’s been consistent, too. Mike’s (general manager Tannenbaum) the combination guy. He likes to talk different combinations.”

Draw your own conclusions from that, but if you know Mangini at all, he is not a giggly-type, by any stretch of the imagination. He was openly laughing when asked abut Favre and could have put the entire matter to rest. Could that be part of his plan to push his two signal callers, Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens – in their head-to-head battle for the top spot?

“The bottom line is that sooner or later the organization has to make a decision one way or the other,” Pennington said. “I hope it’s sooner than later. I think for our team to be able to move on and accomplish the things we need to accomplish, the things that coach Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum want to get accomplished, we have to make a decision and the sooner the better.”

The nine-year veteran is absolutely correct, and seems even more determined to prove to his naysayers that he is the right man for the job – even if that group includes Favre. Hypothetically speaking, for the Jets to bring Favre in, reports are that Green Bay wants at least a first round draft choice. That is a lot to give up for someone who may only play one year, even if that person is Favre.

Working with that scenario, Pennington would become an ex-Jet via trade or being waived with Favre in the fold. Unless he delivers a Super Bowl ring, how much is it really worth? You would lose an important draft pick, your 32 year-old quarterback that has been successful and then possibly have to start all over in 2009.

Older quarterbacks that have left their long-time team for greener pastures have mixed results. For every Joe Montana – who was traded from San Francisco and led Kansas City to the 1993 AFC Championship Game the following year – there have been situations like Joe Namath’s, who didn’t want to hang it up even though he was obviously through. Broadway Joe forced a trade from the Jets to the Rams and limped away from the game in 1977 after throwing five picks in only four starts.

Which Joe will Favre be compared to when he ultimately decides that he is going to take his rightful place next to the other greats in Ohio? If it is the latter of the two, the Jets will have undone a smart football move made 31 years ago.

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