Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread **Spoilers Possible** [Archive] - Page 35

molson

03-27-2020, 02:13 PM

The news is starting to come out about Mania now because it's already been taped.

Health-wise, the show isn't any different than any of the other shows they or AEW have done the last few weeks. I think everyone that has pulled out of Mania also hasn't been wrestling the last few weeks anyway (Reigns, Edge, Owens). Sounds like Goldberg pulled out but then they talked him into coming back.

I guess it didn't really make a difference if they ran a show called "Wrestlemania" if they were going to continue doing wrestling on other shows. Meltzer wrote something about Vince just wanting to get it over with so they can start fresh with different storylines down the road. I could see them going on a hiatus from wrestling after Mania airs. AEW seems like it will keep going through.

Miz showed up to the Mania tapings sick right after posting photos of himself in a small hottub with John Morrison and Zach Ryder. That pissed some people off I guess. There's always that guy.

Meanwhile the WWE is selling this shirt:

WrestleMania 36 "I Wasn't There" Authentic T-Shirt - WWE US (https://shop.wwe.com/wrestlemania-36-i-wasnt-there-authentic-t-shirt/010F2745B0.html?dwvar_010F2745B0_color=black)

RainMaker

03-27-2020, 02:26 PM

Isn't Reigns-Goldberg and Edge-Orton the two biggest matches of the show?

molson

03-27-2020, 04:01 PM

Isn't Reigns-Goldberg and Edge-Orton the two biggest matches of the show?

Yup, and those guys (and Owens) have been promoting those matches on TV, but a lot of that stuff might have been taped weeks ago before things escalated further.

I think the biggest matches ended up being Brock/Drew, Goldberg/Braun, Cena/Wyatt and Undertaker/Styles. But who knows, it looks like there's not a lot of leaks aside from which guys worked and which didn't.

Maple Leafs

03-28-2020, 08:55 PM

According to Meltzer, the reports about Edge, Owens and a few others were false, and they did their matches.

Reigns and Miz didn't.

JonInMiddleGA

04-04-2020, 07:21 PM

Wrestlemania Night 1 so far: the good news is that everybody is trying hard

The bad news is that the limitations of empty arenas are simply too much to overcome for any length of time.

Toddzilla

04-04-2020, 08:31 PM

Wrestlemania Night 1 so far: the good news is that everybody is trying hard

The bad news is that the limitations of empty arenas are simply too much to overcome for any length of time.

KO and Seth Rollins: Hold my beer...

Toddzilla

04-04-2020, 09:01 PM

THAT was probably the greatest thing I've ever seen in professional wrestling.

JonInMiddleGA

04-04-2020, 09:10 PM

JonInMiddleGA

04-04-2020, 09:12 PM

KO and Seth Rollins: Hold my beer...

But is it better than Black vs Steen ten years ago in ROH? For me, not really. That doesn't make it bad, but it doesn't redeem the overall show for me.
The false finish here was the moment when I declared the booking of the show the Achilles Heel.

Toddzilla

04-04-2020, 09:17 PM

FTR, I'm on the pro side of the Taker-AJ segment. I don't like "cinematic wrestling" but I'm not sure anyone has ever done a more polished take on it than what we saw tonight. The creative for Broken Matt Hardy was superior but the lighting choices alone made this the new standard for presentation.And it sets a *very* high bar for the Cena-Fiend match tomorrow.

JonInMiddleGA

04-04-2020, 09:21 PM

#BROKEN Matt Hardy
@MATTHARDYBRAND
·
23m
My twitter feed exploded.

Thanks for all the love, folks.. I’m truly honored. Cinematic matches 100% work with the right characters, scenario & fanbase - I envisioned them as a new branch of pro wrestling years ago.

Much like TLC did, The #BROKEN Universe will leave its mark.

IlliniCub

04-05-2020, 12:39 AM

FTR, I'm on the pro side of the Taker-AJ segment. I don't like "cinematic wrestling" but I'm not sure anyone has ever done a more polished take on it than what we saw tonight. The creative for Broken Matt Hardy was superior but the lighting choices alone made this the new standard for presentation. It was also a great way to mask Undertakers shortcomings due to age. Undertaker got to look good instead of old and overexposed. I liked it.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2020, 01:49 AM

It was also a great way to mask Undertakers shortcomings due to age. Undertaker got to look good instead of old and overexposed. I liked it.

I am 100% certain that what we got was considerably better than anything that could have taken place in a traditional match in-ring.

Would I rather the spot have been used for a regular roster member? Most likely. But if they're determined to bring him back & use him, better what they did than most other options.

JonInMiddleGA

04-05-2020, 09:22 PM

Legit possibility that the Vince puppet is the best WWE moment not involving an injury comeback since AJ Styles debuted. That it occurred in the middle of the worst moment since the birth of a hand almost seems appropriate somehow.

RainMaker

04-06-2020, 01:11 AM

The "match" or whatever was weird. I won't knock it because I think wrestling in an empty arena sucks. Doing weird shit is fine.

Toddzilla

04-06-2020, 09:22 AM

It would have been excellent as a lead-up skit to build for their match. In place of an actual match, however, it was hot garbage.

Mota

04-06-2020, 01:12 PM

I hated it. I also hated the title match (but I liked the result). Lesnar and McIntyre made John Cena and his 5 moves of doom look like Dean Malenko. I mean, they only did finishers. It was terrible.
Remember when Lesnar did a Shooting Star Press? That seems so long ago. Now he only has two moves, German Suplex and F5.
I actually liked the Edge / Randy Orton match, and I know a lot of people hated that one. It was obviously too long, but they really made it feel like two guys that hated each other and weren't going to give up.

JonInMiddleGA

04-06-2020, 02:07 PM

I hated it. I also hated the title match (but I liked the result). Lesnar and McIntyre made John Cena and his 5 moves of doom look like Dean Malenko. I mean, they only did finishers. It was terrible.

Perhaps the biggest damning thing for their booking history was the fact that they had to run their top two titles in matches that lasted less than 10 minutes combined.

Remember when Lesnar did a Shooting Star Press?

Although in fairness on that specific one, the last time he did one he injured himself (that's actually talked about in the espn article on him that went up over the weekend).

I actually liked the Edge / Randy Orton match, and I know a lot of people hated that one. It was obviously too long, but they really made it feel like two guys that hated each other and weren't going to give up.

yeah, I didn't hate it, aside from going about 10 minutes too long.

JonInMiddleGA

04-06-2020, 02:13 PM

Interesting to see who worked on the most talked about matches of the weekend (at least if you believe Melzer)

Michael Hayes & Trips, with significant input/help from Jeremy Borash
Wyatt & Prichard, with input from Cena.

No word on who worked on Edge/Orton

IlliniCub

04-06-2020, 03:50 PM

When Lesnar wants to go he can go. He can bring it and might have had a very different looking match under different circumstances. Lensnar is credible. Goldberg on the other hand, think of the kayfabe behind this. Washed up former WCW champion can still defeat top talent in the company. If they want to bring him in as a nostalgia act sometimes, fine. Putting the title on him was stupid IMO.

RainMaker

04-06-2020, 05:24 PM

I hate how everyone kicks out of the F5 now. I get it at Wrestlemania kicking out of one. But they've just killed that move over the years. Didn't Roman kick out of like 7 of them?

Stop ruining everyone's finisher.

Maple Leafs

04-06-2020, 09:15 PM

I hate how everyone kicks out of the F5 now. I get it at Wrestlemania kicking out of one. But they've just killed that move over the years. Didn't Roman kick out of like 7 of them?
After they protected it for a full year, with nobody ever kicking out, because they wanted a big pop for when Roman did it. Then he did, and it got zero reaction, because everyone knows that big PPV matches have to have a half-dozen finishers for two-counts.

I don't even mind it anymore, but it would be nice if we could stop getting the big dramatic closeup of the guy looking absolutely stunned that somebody kicked out of his finisher. Dude, don't you watch your own matches, this happens every time.

Edit: Hate to say it, but we can blame the Undertaker/HBK matches for this trend.

Mota

04-07-2020, 07:59 PM

After they protected it for a full year, with nobody ever kicking out, because they wanted a big pop for when Roman did it. Then he did, and it got zero reaction, because everyone knows that big PPV matches have to have a half-dozen finishers for two-counts.

I don't even mind it anymore, but it would be nice if we could stop getting the big dramatic closeup of the guy looking absolutely stunned that somebody kicked out of his finisher. Dude, don't you watch your own matches, this happens every time.

Edit: Hate to say it, but we can blame the Undertaker/HBK matches for this trend.

I preferred the "studied" wrestlers who countered the finishers and barely blocked it many times, and the wrestlers had to work hard to get their finishers, to wear them down to open up the opportunity, and when they did it was almost always the end. To do a match with only finishers is just lazy.

Goldberg did 3 spears for his first 3 moves this weekend. You don't start with your finisher, at that point it might as well be an arm bar or a head lock.

Comey

04-08-2020, 06:29 AM

Reading some stuff on Wyatt/Cena makes me want to see it. It sounds like something that a well-run eFed would try, like the Funhouse can be some sort of multiverse. The whole thing, I guess, was a total deconstruction of Cena’s character over the years. I find that kind of risk-taking fascinating.

I get some not liking that, and while I don’t watch anything these days, this sort of thing makes me love Wyatt as a creator. And props to Cena, who time and time again has been willing to go along with things. More than anyone else who got huge and then part-time, he has been for what’s best for business.

Goldberg was on the other end of the spectrum there.

I’m sure there are many people who don’t like the match/segment. But the fWo writer in me from twenty years ago is marking out hard. I gotta watch it now.

Toddzilla

04-11-2020, 05:39 PM

yeah, I didn't hate it, aside from going about 30 minutes too long.
fixed

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2020, 01:47 PM

An interesting mix of names reportedly released by the WWE today. Cultaholic list was the first one I saw so here ya go

https://cultaholic.com/posts/update-complete-list-of-wwe-talent-released-today?fbclid=IwAR1IqnG9hBfwFEde2IHDtc0Nq2x6czIYlkW03KAE4ws5siS9jbK3chE2Z9w

- Drake Maverick (James Curtin)
- Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers)
- Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra)
- Luke Gallows (Drew Hankinson)
- Heath Slater (Heath Miller)
- Aiden English (Matthew Rehwoldt)
- Eric Young (Jeremy Fritz)
- EC3 (Michael Hutter)
- Lio Rush (Lionel Green)
- Kurt Angle
- Sarah Logan (Sarah Rowe)
- Mike Chioda

The likes of PWinsider, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful and Alex McCarthy of Talksport are also reporting that the following names have been let go. However, WWE haven't confirmed anything relating to the following names at the time of writing:

- Dave (Fit) Finlay
- Lance Storm
- Mike Rotunda
- Shane (Hurricane) Helms
- Scott Armstrong
- Pat Buck
- Sarah Stock
- Shawn Davari
- Billy Kidman

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2020, 02:23 PM

Per various Tweets, add Erick Rowan, Primo, Epico, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanelis all to that list above

edit to add: Also Rusev, No Way Jose, and Zack Ryder

RainMaker

04-15-2020, 05:09 PM

Wow, I guess they were sort of due on a lot of those guys. They seemed to be hoarding talent just to keep them from AEW.

The Rusev one is bizarre. Guy always seemed over with the crowds and seems like genuine guy. Just donated $20k to WWE staff that was out of work over this.

Ryder is weird because he's been there forever. Same with Slater.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2020, 05:34 PM

Setting aside the issues of paychecks, relationships, etc, thinking solely about "who could make good use of someone" ...

I'd ike Rusev to NWA - a program with Aldis would not be bad. And probably gives the NWA a valid person to swap the title onto

I'd go with Hawkins/Ryder going a Best Friends-esque tour with NJPW and then send them to ROH (where they're already pals with the booker)

I'd also send EC3 to NWA as well, though maybe ROH is his 2nd best landing point

RainMaker

04-15-2020, 05:53 PM

I feel like Ryder would be a guy that just does random indy shows and promotions around the country for awhile. He's probably fairly well off and would get a decent pop from any indy crowd.

Rusev to NWA would be great, but I don't see how they could afford him. He'd fit into AEW well because the company could use another big body and his personality would shine there.

I still think his wife is signed long term and I believe he's shown interest in getting into movies. So maybe he's just a guy who moves on from wrestling or does one off appearances.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2020, 06:07 PM

molson

04-15-2020, 07:01 PM

Can the smaller promotions survive without live events, potentially until next year? Or beyond? I guess it's not like a regular sports league, they probably don't have to pay anyone and can just pause and hope for the best down the road.

I also wonder of the impact on the TV contracts of AEW and WWE. Obviously WWE played some politics to keep a live show going, I guess that satisfies the contracts and they still get paid. But if ratings are down, maybe the networks cancel or want to re-negotiate. Same with AEW, whatever their deal is.

Scarecrow

04-16-2020, 01:01 PM

RIP: Howard Finkel

Howard Finkel dies: Legendary WWE announcer dies at 69 (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/04/16/howard-finkel-dies-legendary-wwe-announcer-dies-69/5144297002/)

JonInMiddleGA

04-16-2020, 04:42 PM

Can the smaller promotions survive without live events, potentially until next year? Or beyond? I guess it's not like a regular sports league, they probably don't have to pay anyone and can just pause and hope for the best down the road.

Not sure they'll be much different than most businesses suffering through the shutdown. I figure maybe 1/3rd to 1/2 tops reopen.

I also wonder of the impact on the TV contracts of AEW and WWE. Obviously WWE played some politics to keep a live show going, I guess that satisfies the contracts and they still get paid. But if ratings are down, maybe the networks cancel or want to re-negotiate. Same with AEW, whatever their deal is.

Eh the ratings are fairly stable for AEW at this point. They're rather lackluster as programming goes but that seems to be enough to satisfy TNT so I sense mostly {shrugs] about it.

RainMaker

04-16-2020, 04:59 PM

AEW probably feels pretty good about signing that TV deal when they did. I thought at the time it was a little early considering the massive money being thrown around for live content, but turns out they did well.

I would think the tiny promotions would survive. They likely don't have people on contract and just pay a per show basis for talent. They'd just go into hiatus for awhile.

The ones that seem to be hurt would be ROH, Impact, and other small outlets that have contracted wrestlers but no big TV deal (I think the smaller Japanese companies).

Also independent wrestlers who made a living traveling the country doing shows. If this goes on for a long time, will we see a lot of this talent move on to other ventures? Will this lead to a mass exodus of talent in the indies?

JonInMiddleGA

04-16-2020, 05:12 PM

I would think the tiny promotions would survive. They likely don't have people on contract and just pay a per show basis for talent. They'd just go into hiatus for awhile.

I don't think the consumer economy will be around to support them to justify a return. Might see a show or two before they call it quits, but that's my expectation (same expectation I have for most small restaurants)

The ones that seem to be hurt would be ROH, Impact, and other small outlets that have contracted wrestlers but no big TV deal (I think the smaller Japanese companies).

I think it's a mixed bag in that tier. ROH exists largely as a loss leader for their owners, could go on indefinitely. Impact certainly remains on shaky ground,I guess MLW fits in that same tier kinda. NWA? Closer to ROH in terms of their situation I think.

Also independent wrestlers who made a living traveling the country doing shows. If this goes on for a long time, will we see a lot of this talent move on to other ventures? Will this lead to a mass exodus of talent in the indies?

Going to be a different landscape for sure. Certainly some on the edges will be looking for something different, though how much viable talent is even left on strictly indy deals is questionable at this point IMO. Most probably already have day jobs anyway. The comparison I see for the already somewhat limited number of guys might be rock bands that were just barely managing to avoid day jobs as it was. I expect a significant rollback in the number of bands in that tier, as they go back to day jobs if possible, dropping back to music being a strictly weekend / part-time hobby.

RainMaker

04-16-2020, 05:39 PM

I wonder if NWA is in a better position because it never relied much on the crowd. They could probably pipe in some too in production.

I will say that wrestling in empty arena sucks. Just no atmosphere. Nothing feels special.

JonInMiddleGA

04-16-2020, 07:07 PM

I will say that wrestling in empty arena sucks. Just no atmosphere. Nothing feels special.

I have no real desire to watch empty arena matches at this point.

I do - sincerely - respect the effort that various companies, workers, production crews, one & all made in producing that product. They tried.

In the end, it simply feels so off that it doesn't entertain me to watch.

albionmoonlight

04-16-2020, 07:38 PM

I have no real desire to watch empty arena matches at this point.

I do - sincerely - respect the effort that various companies, workers, production crews, one & all made in producing that product. They tried.

In the end, it simply feels so off that it doesn't entertain me to watch.

Agree 100%.

They worked their asses off to try and make it work.

But it turns out that the crowd is essential.

albionmoonlight

04-16-2020, 08:38 PM

Howard Finkle passed away :-(

JonInMiddleGA

04-19-2020, 08:00 AM

Those who are fans of Botchamania should check out / keep an eye on the creator's Twitter (@maffewgregg). Vimeo is forcing him out because he "creates too much traffic" ... unless he'd like to pay them $10k annually.

His traffic? Averages 17.5k views per video there.

If that's "too much traffic" then, honestly, how does Vimeo even exist?

JonInMiddleGA

05-10-2020, 05:29 PM

Jeff Hardy curtain jerking on the MITB preshow.

I ain't sure that's exactly something I ever figured to be typing.

JonInMiddleGA

05-10-2020, 08:32 PM

IlliniCub

05-11-2020, 12:38 AM

And before 930p, MitB is over.

That was weird, certainly. But not nearly as awful as I feared.
Okay, aside from the two sorta murders.

It was never going to be "good"in any traditional sense, that was out the window. But it wasn't godawful.

And was significantly better than either night of Mania. I almost would have rather they just had a normal match on the roof. Yeah it was fun and the cameos were cool, but it just doesn't feel like wrestling. I'm kind of old school in that I'm not a huge fan of the pre-taped stuff anyway the way they are presenting it. I find it to be over edited. I appreciate the effort during this time, but in the regular matches I shouldn't be spotting cuts like it was a film. I say roll the tape and let them go mistakes and all.

JonInMiddleGA

05-11-2020, 02:40 AM

I almost would have rather they just had a normal match on the roof. Yeah it was fun and the cameos were cool, but it just doesn't feel like wrestling. I'm kind of old school in that I'm not a huge fan of the pre-taped stuff anyway the way they are presenting it. I find it to be over edited. I appreciate the effort during this time, but in the regular matches I shouldn't be spotting cuts like it was a film. I say roll the tape and let them go mistakes and all.

Someone tweeted something that I can't shake now that I've thought of it this way: the weakest part of MitB was the rooftop. The silliness that got them up there was more entertaining to watch, was the better part of the "match" overall.

I've been pretty steadfast in my verdict that "the no fans stuff simply doesn't work" and I really don't feel like that's changed for me. Even the best stuff -- Rollins v McIntyre at MitB for example -- leaves me feeling like "that would have been a good bit better if there was a crowd to play off of".

Just stop would be my preference at this point as a viewer ... but if the choices for this particular event was "do what they did" or "just do it traditionally", I feel like what they did was the better of two bad options. Or at least the more worth watching for me.

*full disclosure: I only watched it at all because the kid is home and is more inclined to bother logging into the Network. We watched mostly because of the trainwreck potential the match had, so anything short of mocking it mercilessly is a case of exceeding expectations.

JonInMiddleGA

05-11-2020, 09:51 PM

Aaaand Seth Rollins has apparently screwed Becky Lynch out of her title

RainMaker

05-11-2020, 10:24 PM

I guess if there is a time to take off a year, it would be now.

stevew

05-12-2020, 12:08 AM

Wrestling with no fan reactions is really awkward to watch.

JonInMiddleGA

05-14-2020, 01:45 AM

Jim Cornette discussing watching Tamina work for the first time

"She's supposed to be Jimmy Snuka's daughter, right? I suspect the milkman."

RainMaker

05-14-2020, 04:41 AM

Crazy thing is she has been with the company for a decade and is still terrible.

JonInMiddleGA

05-14-2020, 12:37 PM

Crazy thing is she has been with the company for a decade and is still terrible.

His question was whether she's ever attended a single training class, there or elsewhere.

RainMaker

05-14-2020, 05:35 PM

Did AEW have a small crowd? It seemed like it and despite it sounding like only 20-30 people, it made a huge difference. I need some kind of noise.

SirFozzie

05-14-2020, 06:21 PM

it's the other wrestlers

JonInMiddleGA

05-28-2020, 08:07 PM

Great random thing that some Cornette discussion made me think about.

All the now-familiar counter counter counter spots we see today, there really isn't enough in-the-moment reaction to it. You might see the frustration at the end of the sequence during the pose down that often follows but there really isn't enough visible/audible frustration as the sequence plays out.

RainMaker

05-28-2020, 08:32 PM

Speaking of Cornette, he broke down during the Owen episode in the most Cornette way possible. Just a quick string of expletives.

Streamable - free video publishing (https://streamable.com/s5xjmc)

JonInMiddleGA

05-28-2020, 08:40 PM

Speaking of Cornette, he broke down during the Owen episode in the most Cornette way possible. Just a quick string of expletives.

I'm kind of in the Bryan Alvarez camp on the Vice stuff. It's well done, but it's about the farthest thing from what I want to put myself through watching in the current climate. I simply ain't willing to put myself through the downer of the Owen ep nor the Benoit ep, not right now, maybe not ever.

RainMaker

05-28-2020, 08:44 PM

I'm kind of in the Bryan Alvarez camp on the Vice stuff. It's well done, but it's about the farthest thing from what I want to put myself through watching in the current climate. I simply ain't willing to put myself through the downer of the Owen ep nor the Benoit ep, not right now, maybe not ever.

Benoit one was a bummer and just re-hashed what we all knew. Owen was better because it came from Martha's perspective.

The show is a downer although they have some fun episodes like New Jack and the Brawl for All this season. I still can't believe the promos New Jack would cut down South.

IlliniCub

05-28-2020, 08:44 PM

I'm kind of in the Bryan Alvarez camp on the Vice stuff. It's well done, but it's about the farthest thing from what I want to put myself through watching in the current climate. I simply ain't willing to put myself through the downer of the Owen ep nor the Benoit ep, not right now, maybe not ever. I will say this, while obviously very emotional and sad, the Owen episode was amazing because it was the first time I really heard Martha and his children's perspective. I've long listened to the Hart family run down Martha and I really felt she came across well in the doc. She explained her motivations for everything and it made sense to me. I feel the other Harts almost felt like their loyalty to Pro wrestling was greater than their loyalty to Owen.

Maple Leafs

05-28-2020, 09:56 PM

All the now-familiar counter counter counter spots we see today, there really isn't enough in-the-moment reaction to it. You might see the frustration at the end of the sequence during the pose down that often follows but there really isn't enough visible/audible frustration as the sequence plays out.
Yeah but they have to save all their frustration so they can look absolutely amazed beyond comprehension that somebody just kicked out of their finisher for the 14th PPV match in a row.

CU Tiger

05-29-2020, 03:45 PM

JonInMiddleGA

05-29-2020, 03:51 PM

You should at least listen to the post show discussion podcast Conrad Thompson does with the creators of DSotR.
Its distributed through his Jim Ross show. Very insightful and behidn the scenes story on how the sausage is made

Just so there's no mistake: I respect the quality of the work they're doing, me not watching is strictly a matter of my own emotional state.

miami_fan

06-11-2020, 07:06 PM

I was looking at some clips of Mr Wrestling II on youtube and ended up getting into some Mid South clips. I was shocked to see the bumps that "old" Bill Watts was still taking at an advanced age. Then, I checked Wiki and based on his date of birth, "old" Bill Watts was in the advanced age range of 44-48 in the clips that I saw.

Perspective.

JonInMiddleGA

06-14-2020, 09:34 PM

Post-match reports say that Edge suffered a torn tricep during the filming of his match with Orton for Backlash.

That's just some shit luck right there

JonInMiddleGA

06-17-2020, 07:47 PM

Watching the first New Japan empty house show

Umm ... yeah.

It actually impacts the in-ring segments less than everything else, in part because Japanese crowds are typically quiet for a lot of the match anyway. As shows go, it feels off in other places though.

Their commentary set-up was comical. Three person Japanese announce team arranged as Person-Large TV-Person. The person on the TV is actually on the opposite side of the room, and watching the other two try to figure out how to interact with the TV screen was awkward.

JonInMiddleGA

06-17-2020, 08:15 PM

Also, I'll note that most of the NJPW roster seems to have gained 7-15 pounds.

Very few seem to be immune to the Covid 15.

edit to add: Ishii vs Despe was G1 caliber. Heavier or not, that was first rate.

RainMaker

06-17-2020, 09:13 PM

How do you get the NJPW events? I can't take much WWE and AEW is stale without a crowd.

JonInMiddleGA

06-17-2020, 09:15 PM

How do you get the NJPW events? I can't take much WWE and AEW is stale without a crowd.

Kid still has his NJPWWorld subscription active

We more than get our $ worth from it over the course of the year, tho this year is certainly not nearly the usual value obviously.

JonInMiddleGA

06-21-2020, 09:04 PM

Suzuki vs Nagata saw more bombs landed than WWII.

That NJ Cup match was just absurdly classic NJPW. Not bad at all for two guys that combine to be 104 years old.

It ain't a match for everybody, but if strike for strike is your style, that was a good 'un.

RainMaker

06-22-2020, 01:37 AM

So apparently Vince is running NXT which is why it sucks.now.

JonInMiddleGA

06-24-2020, 12:52 AM

Night ... whatever it is at this point ... Sho vs Shingo in the NJ Cup was a solid 4* match

Good storytelling in the looooong-term promotion sense.

Mota

06-24-2020, 06:39 AM

Night ... whatever it is at this point ... Sho vs Shingo in the NJ Cup was a solid 4* match

Good storytelling in the looooong-term promotion sense.

Obviously I'm behind on my NJPW, I thought Sho and Yo were lower midcarders in the tag team scene.

JonInMiddleGA

06-24-2020, 09:32 AM

Obviously I'm behind on my NJPW, I thought Sho and Yo were lower midcarders in the tag team scene.

Both get singles chances now & again in tournament action. This New Japan Cup that's underway is a pretty thin field honestly, so anyone who is in country & on the active roster is probably in it.

That match was almost certainly the best match of Sho's career to date, and I suspect it's probably dangerously close to his ceiling for capability.

RainMaker

06-26-2020, 01:56 PM

I never thought I'd say this but I kind of dig the Orange Cassidy character. They've actually kind of made it work.

Maple Leafs

06-27-2020, 08:17 PM

I never thought I'd say this but I kind of dig the Orange Cassidy character. They've actually kind of made it work.
The dude is fantastic. It's one of those things where I heard about him way before I ever saw him and figured I'd hate the gimmick, but he's so perfect at it. The PPV match with whatever Neville's called now was brilliant.

No idea if it can actually be more than a midcard act, but it's one of the best midcard acts I've ever seen.

JonInMiddleGA

07-02-2020, 06:53 PM

Tonight (i.e. Friday night Japan time), the semi finals of the New Japan Cup will air live on BS Asahi.

If I'm reading the translations correctly, this will mark the first time in 34 years that NJPW has aired live in primetime on regular Japanese television.

That's just kinda crazy to think about, given the number of hours we get weekly in the U.S.

JonInMiddleGA

07-12-2020, 04:46 AM

I'll avoid the outright spoiler and just say that I'm pretty sure NOBODY expected the surprise debut at NJPW Dominion tonight.

I'm also not sure more than two dozen people on the planet cared.

Either tonight's moves work better than I expect or it may be the beginning of the end for Gedo with the book.

Toddzilla

07-13-2020, 11:23 AM

I DID NOT see that coming.

JonInMiddleGA

07-13-2020, 03:24 PM

On a lesser note from Dominion, I'm amazed at the free pass that's been given to the tag title match by the IWC.

For as bad as I thought the main event was, I felt like that tag match was one of the least interesting, least watchable matches I've seen in NJPW in several years of pretty steady viewing.

And given the participants -- Tanahashi+Ibushi vs Taichi+ZSJ -- that's stupifying. It was just ... poor.

Tied to that, perhaps, was earlier in the show Okada worked the strangest match I've ever seen him work. To the point that I seriously question whether he's healthy atm or if he's got an extended layoff coming. His offense was so soft, his lifts were glaringly assisted to the point of being obvious, everything in that match screamed "he's not healthy" to me.

Dominion was IMO simply not good at all.

molson

07-20-2020, 11:07 AM

I checked the Wikipedia page for last night's WWE Extreme Rules event, just to take a quick peak at what's going on in that company. I kind of find it interesting when I drift away from wrestling for a while and peak back just to see who's getting pushed, who the champions are now, etc. And this match result looked intriguing:

"Seth Rollins defeated Rey Mysterio Eye for an Eye match. The match could only be won when one competitor extracted an eye of their opponent"

Now that is a serious stipulation. So I had to watch the match finish, and well, Rollins did win fair and square.

Streamable Video (https://streamable.com/vwzip9)

I didn't catch this on the video, but, reddit always has you covered with relevant screen shots on stuff like this.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/432363524472438814/734564016936059000/EdVBQwVXsAImhS9.png

RainMaker

08-03-2020, 10:08 PM

Turned on the last 15 minutes of Raw and I have no idea what that was.

JonInMiddleGA

08-03-2020, 11:09 PM

Turned on the last 15 minutes of Raw and I have no idea what that was.

It'd been rumored for a good bit of the day. It's an ersatz fight club, run by Shane, with basically "realistic" brief no holds barred "fights" between various members of the roster. It's purportedly "somewhere backstage" at the Performance Center in an area with "limited access".

It's being reported as "something Vince wanted to have" but with little instruction to its structure or function. That bit fits well with the all-day rumors that the tapings today were "chaos".

Toddzilla

08-04-2020, 11:43 AM

It was flaming horseshit. If you're gonna try a "worked shoot" program, at least make it somewhat realistic. That it was framed as being a "real fight" made the pulled punches, jump cuts, and other nonsense so much more jarring. I guess in a world where no one has ever seen the UFC or any MMA at all, it may have been a curiosity, but omg what an abortion.

RainMaker

08-04-2020, 12:44 PM

It'd been rumored for a good bit of the day. It's an ersatz fight club, run by Shane, with basically "realistic" brief no holds barred "fights" between various members of the roster. It's purportedly "somewhere backstage" at the Performance Center in an area with "limited access".

It's being reported as "something Vince wanted to have" but with little instruction to its structure or function. That bit fits well with the all-day rumors that the tapings today were "chaos".

Imagine not tuning in to WWE for months and that's all I saw. I guess they had strippers or pole dancers too. Dolph Ziggler of all people was beating the crap out of someone. It made no sense.

RainMaker

08-04-2020, 12:47 PM

Also isn't what they were doing just Chikara?

Carman Bulldog

08-04-2020, 05:05 PM

PilotMan

08-04-2020, 05:09 PM

Worse than Brawl for All?*

*To be fair, as much as the concept gets shit on today, I kind of enjoyed watching Bodacious Bart Gunn knock guys silly. If "Hands of Stone" Ronnie Garvin is World Championship material, you would think they could have done something better with the man with the real hands of stone. Instead they just had Butterbean kill him off.

I just read an article about this. They killed Gunn, because Steve Williams was supposed to win, JR had been pimping him as unbeatable, and they were pissed when Gunn beat him, because they had already paid Williams the winners purse, and had to pay Gunn when he won too. So they buried him.

CU Tiger

08-04-2020, 08:14 PM

I just read an article about this. They killed Gunn, because Steve Williams was supposed to win, JR had been pimping him as unbeatable, and they were pissed when Gunn beat him, because they had already paid Williams the winners purse, and had to pay Gunn when he won too. So they buried him.

Watch the dark side of the ring episode on it and thr podcast was eye opening

albionmoonlight

08-05-2020, 10:19 AM

Apparently Marty Jannety talked on facebook this morning to killing someone when he was 13 and the guy tried to molest him. He did this unprompted in the context of complaining about a falling out with his girlfriend.

JonInMiddleGA

08-05-2020, 10:25 AM

CU Tiger

08-05-2020, 10:55 AM

I feel like Marty has a history of some tall tales though, right?
I man hasnt he claimed some crazy stuff before

CU Tiger

08-05-2020, 10:56 AM

Dola and surprised no mention of AEW losing slots to NBA

Toddzilla

08-05-2020, 11:49 AM

He confessed to multiple murders - the specific one in his post was just the "first"

albionmoonlight

08-05-2020, 12:17 PM

I feel like Marty has a history of some tall tales though, right?
I man hasnt he claimed some crazy stuff before

Yeah. I figure "Marty is a serial killer" and "Marty felt like trending on social media for a morning" are both equally likely.

And, as always, it could be both.

molson

08-05-2020, 01:19 PM

CU Tiger

08-05-2020, 02:52 PM

I don't believe the murder story, but I do take it as a legit threat against his girlfriend.

Edit: "I've killed people before" is a means to intimidate her, and once you're willing to go even that far, you're a domestic abuser already.

But that's not how it reads at all.
That's the story people are trying to fabricate.

He said, thats when I decided to never be hurt again. And told his GF since you hurt me, Im gone Im not going to hang around and be hurt. Nowhere did he threaten her, the way I read it.

JonInMiddleGA

08-05-2020, 06:08 PM

Nowhere did he threaten her, the way I read it.

But in 2020, in wrestling, there's really no control over the woke joke culture.

RainMaker

08-06-2020, 12:23 PM

I feel like Marty has a history of some tall tales though, right?
I man hasnt he claimed some crazy stuff before

I think a lot of older wrestlers like that are always "on". They love telling tall tales and this is likely another one. Pretty dumb to boast about on Facebook but with his history of substance abuse, this isn't surprising.

RainMaker

08-06-2020, 12:25 PM

Well nevermind, he's sticking to the story. Not the brightest bulb.

Marty Jannetty Claims Self-Defense In Bizarre Killing Confession (https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/06/marty-jannetty-self-defense-killing-bowling-alley-brick/)

RainMaker

08-06-2020, 12:41 PM

Watch the dark side of the ring episode on it and thr podcast was eye opening

That episode showed just how good real pro boxers are, even if they look like Butterbean. Gunn is lucky he didn't get killed.

I did amateur boxing when I was younger and we would have some low level pros come to spar before events. They would whoop our fucking asses, it was insane. Even guys in their 40's.

JonInMiddleGA

08-09-2020, 11:05 PM

Rest in peace

Former WWE wrestler James Harris, known in the ring as Kamala, dies at age 70 (https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/29630500/former-wwe-wrestler-james-harris-known-ring-kamala-dies-age-70?fbclid=IwAR3BwXEWpbmOrzltvdm19P_xEQ91onjFh5ynqmhPEq2gv46VuijAsOrj_2s)

cartman

08-09-2020, 11:10 PM

He fought for a while with World Class Championship Wrestling. Evidently he'd been in pretty poor health the past few years.

JonInMiddleGA

08-10-2020, 12:05 AM

He fought for a while with World Class Championship Wrestling. Evidently he'd been in pretty poor health the past few years.

Yeah, starting with the amputations and then downhill from there. Hard life, from nearly start to finish.

JonInMiddleGA

08-16-2020, 07:26 PM

Former ROH champion and indy staple Xavier passes away at 43 (https://cultaholic.com/posts/former-roh-champion-john-xavier-jirus-passes-away?fbclid=IwAR3PuueHBh2-KgG1pFttoJnmGlXEVHWL1wJ-DMqmTtWKPS6Cy2g9a537jDI) :(

Cause of death unreported thus far

RainMaker

08-17-2020, 04:23 PM

That's a name from the past. He was part of those early ROH days that was loaded with talent.

miami_fan

08-18-2020, 03:36 PM

I don't know if anyone has kept up with this story but HOLY CRAP...

WWE star Sonya Deville on stalking suspect: â€˜He was there to hurt me.â€™ (https://www.tampabay.com/sports/pro-wrestling/2020/08/18/wwe-star-sonya-deville-on-stalking-suspect-he-was-there-to-hurt-me/)

miami_fan

08-22-2020, 04:29 PM

There is going to be wrestling... on a Saturday... on a Turner channel... with Tony Schiavone on the call? All that is missing is a Braves game afterwards that started at 8:05 and you now know what my tv viewing habits were from say 1985 until like 1990.

JonInMiddleGA

08-22-2020, 09:57 PM

molson

08-25-2020, 02:01 PM

RainMaker

08-25-2020, 02:07 PM

Pretty unusual to see almost universal praise for a show but that's what I'm reading for tonight's NXT Takeover. Hard to believe that they've reached #30.

And I've read enough to have the strong impression that I was wrong about Pat McAfee, seeing phrases like "that wasn't just good 'for a football player', it was good period" a lot. Learning that he was hands-on trained by Rip Rogers makes that make a little more sense to me. It seems McAfee may be more serious about this transition that I expected.

Yeah, I was reading that he's been training hard since he started with WWE as an announcer. So it makes sense that he'd look better than most celebrities. He's a big guy and a natural heel on the mic, so if he can do anything in the ring, that's a nice find for the company.

Thunderdome is a little distracting but much better than the empty arena.

Mota

08-25-2020, 02:11 PM

The WWE Thunderdome setup with virtual fans in an arena was a pretty fun idea, but of course some wrestling fans had to fuck it up with photos and videos of KKK members, Chris Benoit, and an Islamic terrorist beheading.

I've been to WWE house shows, and I see what kind of person that shows up. Not a refined crowd, to say the least. So unfortunately it does not surprise me that if you give them a camera, some fans will do something stupid with it.

JonInMiddleGA

08-28-2020, 10:29 AM

This one hurts :(

Rest in peace Bullet

Bullet Bob Armstrong Passes Away (https://www.ringsidenews.com/2020/08/27/bullet-bob-armstrong-passes-away/)

SirFozzie

08-28-2020, 02:03 PM

The Masked Assassin finally got him? (He was known as the Flame then)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thQTGvHdlv4

molson

08-28-2020, 02:10 PM

I'm fascinated by these guys that wrestle matches into their late 70s. It's not really "wrestling" I guess, but they get in there, throw some punches. Dory Funk Jr. was still pretty active up until 2018 at age 77, I guess he's finally done now. Mil Mascaras was still going until last year, also age 77. Jerry Lawler still going at 69, and he still looks decent from some clips I've seen.

JonInMiddleGA

09-01-2020, 03:49 PM

Jerry Lawler RTs and notes that it's 30 years to the day since Eddie Gilbert ran over him with a car (video clip is in the link)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1300757385183662081

BYU 14

09-01-2020, 03:58 PM

This one hurts :(

Rest in peace Bullet

Bullet Bob Armstrong Passes Away (https://www.ringsidenews.com/2020/08/27/bullet-bob-armstrong-passes-away/)

Georgia mainstay, saw him a couple of times at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta

JonInMiddleGA

09-01-2020, 05:04 PM

Georgia mainstay, saw him a couple of times at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta

Yep, the Bell was itself a mainstay in the territory era. Municipal Auditorium in both Atlanta & Columbus. Combine those three venues and you have probably 80-90 percent of the biggest matches pre-Omni days.

JonInMiddleGA

09-09-2020, 03:00 PM

G1 blocks revealed last night

A Block: Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Yujiro Takahashi, Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Jay White.

B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, Zack Sabre Jr., Juice Robinson, KENTA.

No first-timers, no juniors, and a really top heavy A Block

Starts 9/18, ends Sun 10/18

Toddzilla

09-09-2020, 03:33 PM

We need to have a contest - predict the records and the result of the final

JonInMiddleGA

09-09-2020, 03:48 PM

We need to have a contest - predict the records and the result of the final

I'll have to find the site (or have my kid give it to me, as usual) but there's a pretty good one each year, already formatted, and gives daily updates by email (IIRC)

JonInMiddleGA

09-14-2020, 01:10 PM

re: G1 picks contest. Here's the link
403 - Forbidden (https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/g130pickem/)

And at that link -- which is where you enter via google form, there's also links to a couple of cheatsheets that help you keep track of points, etc (but you do have to enter the picks into their form afterwards)

Toddzilla

09-14-2020, 08:48 PM

holy crap, that's a lot of picking...

JonInMiddleGA

09-14-2020, 09:05 PM

holy crap, that's a lot of picking...

Yeah, it is not for the fainthearted.

That's also why I suggested something that was already organized for the purpose (me & da kid have done this one 2-3 years now) rather than trying to gin up one ourselves.

JonInMiddleGA

09-20-2020, 12:47 AM

Idle thought for a couple days now, I'll just throw it here in case I turn out to be long-term correct.

I wondered whether Yuji Nagata might end up reactivating Seigi-gun ("a branch of New Japan Seikigun ("regular army") that seeks justice") if, as I suspect, a number of NJPW stables are going to split, regroup, etc. over the next year.

If so, does it turn into a sort of Bullet Club Hunters v2.0?

(I'm leaning more in that direction after Shingo's night 1 postmatch comment about how he'll dismantle BC if he has to in order to stop their shenanigans)

RainMaker

09-22-2020, 06:30 PM

Am I the only one who enjoys them dumping the early tag matches?

JonInMiddleGA

09-22-2020, 06:41 PM

Am I the only one who enjoys them dumping the early tag matches?

It makes for an easier watch, though it hurts their opportunity to tell stories, establish matches, heighten tensions and so forth.

For health reasons -- physical moreso than viral -- I can live with the change but I do think it diminishes the night / next night a bit.

RainMaker

09-22-2020, 07:54 PM

Agree on that. For me, I just couldn't watch it all so was always skipping the matches (or watching in the background). And as someone who doesn't follow it as closely as others, it got a little confusing. I can see them going back next year but I do kind of like these lean shows.

I'm also someone who likes the 2 hour NXT PPVs and old 1 hour shows they put on.

miami_fan

09-23-2020, 09:47 AM

Joe Laurinaitis, known as WWE's Road Warrior Animal, dies at 60 (https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/29951572/joe-laurinaitis-known-wwe-road-warrior-animal-dies-60)

NobodyHere

09-23-2020, 10:15 AM

Big fan of LoD as a kid.

BYU 14

09-23-2020, 02:50 PM

Damn, totally sucks, they are arguably the most iconic pair (With respect to the Rock and Roll and Midnight Express) of all time.

RainMaker

09-23-2020, 03:47 PM

Loved them as a kid too. Helped they were billed from Chicago.

JonInMiddleGA

09-29-2020, 02:25 AM

Well here's an unforeseen development
At a meeting of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s parent company Bushiroad’s board of directors today September 29, 2020, a change was announced in NJPW’s directorship. This change will take effect at the beginning of NJPW’s 50th year of trading on October 23rd.

Outgoing President/CEO

Harold Meij

New NJPW President/CEO (as of October 23)

Takami Ohbari (current NJPW of America CEO)

Change in NJPW Directorship | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING (https://www.njpw1972.com/81590?fbclid=IwAR3Olpu3jsZsrXqmoYA8_ZYuix7Q-GJKsZs7Pf-bN3Fo91a4TVrWnm4ImYM)

edit to add: And, thus far, nobody seems to have a clue wtf is going on, or more specifically, WHY it's going on

JonInMiddleGA

10-05-2020, 09:51 AM

Saw this floating around Twitter this morning. I gotta admit, I hadn't thought about it but it does seem to check out

Damian Priest is older now than Shawn Michaels was when he came out of retirement for his Jesus run

miami_fan

10-09-2020, 06:55 PM

A future episode of Dark Side of the Ring?

Ex-WWE Star Alberto Del Rio Charged with Kidnapping, Sexual Assault (https://www.tmz.com/2020/10/09/alberto-del-rio-charged-kidnapping-sexual-assault-wwe/)

JonInMiddleGA

10-18-2020, 01:39 PM

Another G1 Climax is now in the books. Next up - after a combo juniors and tag league tournament - another 2-day WrestleKingdom on Jan 4 & 5, 2021.

By the way, my predictions finished tied for 259th place, out of 638 entrants.
Only 9% of entrants picked the eventual winner correctly.

JonInMiddleGA

11-28-2020, 09:23 PM

via Twitter, Jimmy Rave announces that his left arm had to be amputated earlier this week.

An untreated infection turned into a life-threatening situation apparently.

Just ... damn :(

JonInMiddleGA

12-02-2020, 08:05 PM

Kid turned on AEW out of morbid curiosity / boredom.

Dear Lord, this is significantly worse than I realized.

And Ol' Jr barely makes sense half the time.

This is actually worse than WCW, with less talent top to bottom.

JonInMiddleGA

12-02-2020, 08:08 PM

LOL, cause I made that WCW reference about 60 seconds BEFORE tonight's big surprise reveal.

JonInMiddleGA

12-02-2020, 09:05 PM

And it went downhill from there.

Nonsensical.

Not in the sense of bad execution for the main, but from a larger strategy standpoint.

IlliniCub

12-02-2020, 10:05 PM

JonInMiddleGA

12-02-2020, 10:16 PM

I generally like AEW maybe slightly better than WWE on a good day, the highs in AEW seem higher and it doesn't seem as sanitized and formulaic. However with that said I haven't watched new wrestling other than the WWE monthly ppvs ( which have been disappointing) in months. JR has been pretty annoying lately and has basically morphed into the reincarnation of his mentor Cowboy Bill Watts, I have pretty much given up on his weekly podcast, however I do enjoy the weekly podcasts of Arn, Bischoff, and Bruce Prichard.

At this point JR is unlistenable for me. It borders on elder abuse to put him on the air, and has for quite some time now.

I have such low expectations for anything WWE-related aside from NXT that it could be on (though isn't aside from occasional PPVs if the kid is home) & I'll be blissfully ignoring it until / unless there's a shocking decent to good 5-10 minutes.

AEW is strictly highlights only for me, and 99% of those are MJF promos. A weak roster overall for its size, the worst women's roster this side of ROH, and no sign of adult leadership anywhere in the organization.

RainMaker

12-03-2020, 05:02 PM

And it went downhill from there.

Nonsensical.

Not in the sense of bad execution for the main, but from a larger strategy standpoint.

I don't know if it's a bad move but I thought it was interesting. First time I've really been surprised by something.

For those who missed the ending:

Streamable Video (https://streamable.com/zqdowc)

JR is brutal, I feel bad. Schiavone is surprisingly good.

JonInMiddleGA

12-03-2020, 05:42 PM

Schiavone is surprisingly good.

I'd say he's more sneaky-bad, as in it's not as glaringly obvious as JR.

Case in point, his mention that Hobbs (?) once broke Edelman's collarbone playing HS football. Thing is, there's a 7 year age difference between the two so either they had some interesting age rules in California at the time orrrrrrr ...

The worst part of the commentary comes when Excalibur -- the only member of the crew that might actually know or care about anyone on the roster under the age of 40 -- falls into "sit back and let them talk" mode. He's the one person who might say something interesting, useful, insightful, or accurate but he fades into the background for stretches :/

RainMaker

12-03-2020, 05:47 PM

Schiavone at least sounds like he is interested. JR feels like he's just there. His "outrage" feels fake and I don't know if he's disinterested or just too old to do it. Did laugh at the "Bullshit" call by Schiavone.

Then again I have incredibly low standards for announcers. WWE is terrible outside of a couple folks and Josh Matthews is unlistenable.

RainMaker

12-03-2020, 07:06 PM

Also, you didn't like the angle last night?

JonInMiddleGA

12-03-2020, 07:24 PM

Also, you didn't like the angle last night?

I think they handled what they chose to do reasonably well (hard for Callis and the others to bungle something that straightforward really) ... that they chose to do it with a company that has so precious little talent on their roster mystifies me.

As for their other big moment, I mean I get the coolness of the nostalgia moment and all but at the end of the day, the most talked about thing on the show (by far) has been the signing of a 61 year old man to a multi-year deal. When you're already getting a reputation for being The Ghost of WCW, not sure making a (hopefully) retiree a focal point makes much sense.

Carman Bulldog

12-03-2020, 08:00 PM

I don't know if the Winnipeg connection between Jericho and Omega (and Don Callis) should be overlooked here. All three are very close. As far as I understand it, Callis and Omega go way back, in that Callis gave Omega his first break in the business and saw something in Omega early on and helped with his development.

The friendship between Callis and Jericho also goes way back to the early 90's and I believe it was Callis that first really put Jericho and Omega together and also helped coordinate Jericho coming into NJPW to wrestle with Omega. I believe Omega and/or Jericho also factored into Callis getting a color commentary job with NJPW.

That all said, it seems as if all three have a ton of respect for each other and I could see a discussion between them about all working together to play a major role in the part of a new company.

Of course, there is the whole issue of Callis' role as Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President. I don't know if this means that we'll see Callis jumping ship whenever his contract at Impact expires or whether it means Impact will have a very open working relationship with AEW (or maybe I'm just completely out to lunch on all of this speculation). I know AEW may not want to be associated with the taint that is Impact/TNA.

Callis would certainly help AEW as far as experience in running a business, booking, etc. He helped book and run several independents throughout his career and I'm sure the experience at Impact would carryover (and with that said, apparently the booking and storylines at Impact have been pretty good as of late... nobody watching notwithstanding).

I think I'm most surprised by the fact that it took almost two years for this all to come to fruition. But yeah... called it?

RainMaker

12-04-2020, 03:34 PM

I think they handled what they chose to do reasonably well (hard for Callis and the others to bungle something that straightforward really) ... that they chose to do it with a company that has so precious little talent on their roster mystifies me.

As for their other big moment, I mean I get the coolness of the nostalgia moment and all but at the end of the day, the most talked about thing on the show (by far) has been the signing of a 61 year old man to a multi-year deal. When you're already getting a reputation for being The Ghost of WCW, not sure making a (hopefully) retiree a focal point makes much sense.

It seems like Tony Kahn is in the "rising tide lifts all boats" mentality of wrestling. Will be interesting to see if he is correct.

Looked up the roster on Impact since I haven't thought about that company in awhile. The North are supposedly a really good tag team. Moose can work. And they have Gallows and Anderson if they want to do a BC thing. But the cupboard is pretty dry. The women seem decent and could help. Wonder if this is a way to bulk up both rosters on the cheap till they can get back to traveling. Little like the old days of swapping regional talent.

As for Sting, it was a cool moment and he looks good. But I have no interest in seeing him wrestle. His debut got a lot of views on YouTube and they sold a ton of t-shirts, so maybe they know what they're doing. Little surprised they did it on a night of another major storyline. Just felt like too much for one night.

AlexB

12-04-2020, 03:57 PM

Just watched the clip of Sting - I’m guessing they were going for intimidating, but to me he looked like a lost old man wondering what was going on...

RainMaker

12-04-2020, 04:40 PM

Just watched the clip of Sting - I’m guessing they were going for intimidating, but to me he looked like a lost old man wondering what was going on...

Well he is old. I really hope they aren't going to do a lot with him. If he's there to help get someone like Darby or Team Taz over, that's cool. But I really don't want this to become old TNA.

Toddzilla

12-08-2020, 01:58 PM

The way Sting looked at one side of Darby's face for a bit, then looked at the other tells me they've got something in mind already for those two.

RainMaker

12-08-2020, 02:27 PM

Darby unfortunately needs about 4 inches and 40 pounds.

JonInMiddleGA

12-08-2020, 03:01 PM

Kid watched (and therefore I watched) the NXT WarGames show on demand last night (he was studying for finals Sunday night).

On the whole, honestly, not bad. Not sure anything on the whole show was Great (or even Very Good) but nothing comically awful.

Dakota Kai doing the Great Sasuke spot was fun

Ciampa vs Thatcher delivered, and that was a pretty high bar of expectations for me

Lumis vs Grimes was better than I expected, but good grief I couldn't get past the Jimmy Garvin resemblance Grimes has now.

Leon Ruff = Cheesburger for me and I really never got completely past that. He's just a guy, probably filling a spot that would have gone to Lio Rush otherwise.

Priest has to feel like "one that got away" for his previous employers, one of the few I've seen who has actually improved from being Performance Center'ed.

How they can't figure out something more to do with Theory than this kinda feels like the other end of the Perf. Ctr spectrum.

In the main, I commend the way they avoided feeling like Cole & McAfee had to be involved in the pin. Dunne & O'Reilly were both damned good throughout, Dunne still being so relatively young (27) is just insane.

McAfee has already reached the point of being in the discussion of being among the best (not _the_ best, just in the upper echelon) of other-sport imports. Green, raw, you have to pick ways to let him look good but the athleticism and willingness to work to be respectable is obvious. I dunno what you do with him after this but there has to be something, he's too good on the mic not to be useful.

RainMaker

12-08-2020, 03:34 PM

That Ember Moon move off the top rope was quite insane. Looked like one of the most brutal moves I've seen hit on someone in a long time.

Lot of risks in the show and seems like some injuries came out of it. But NXT doesn't put on many big shows so they do go all out.

Give me O'Reilly and Dunne in a feud please.

McAfee is great. I saw a comment that he makes a great heel because he seems like someone you'd be annoyed with off camera (bit like The Miz). Most heels are "cool" and you can't help cheering for them. He's just obnoxious. At some point he deserves to be on the main roster. Not really as a wrestler, but heading up a stable.

This was a great show even though I have such little interest in NXT these days. Just nothing storyline wise that I like.

RainMaker

12-08-2020, 03:35 PM

Here is the Ember Moon move. Camera work and sound made it look so brutal. Never had much interest in her but that is a really great finisher.

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ember Moon with an all time great Eclipse <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WarGames?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WarGames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NXTTakeOver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NXTTakeOver</a> <a href="https://t.co/tPYVRILfMe">pic.twitter.com/tPYVRILfMe</a></p>— Bui Club (@BuiClub) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuiClub/status/1335747928573366272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

JonInMiddleGA

12-11-2020, 05:34 AM

Hiromu vs Desperado was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Done so freakin well.

dubb93

12-26-2020, 07:56 PM

Sad news that Brodie Lee aka Luke Harper passed away. Apparently he had been battling a non covid lung condition and passed away at the Mayo Clinic per his wife on Twitter.

I always thought he could be one of the top dogs in Japan had he been able to go that route.

molson

12-26-2020, 08:33 PM

Meltzer said a month or two back that his absence was a "state secret" that he only got half-answers on. Apparently there were other similar reports on twitter. Lee was very active on twitter himself but was silent since around October. Sounds like it was something he was struggling with for a while that was successfully kept under wraps.

molson

12-27-2020, 04:50 PM

The conspiracy theorists are of course saying he died of COVID.

I don't think it's fair to question the family and accuse them of being liars over this.

But it does raise an interesting moral issue that could come up in another context. If a visible pro athlete dies of COVID, does the public deserve to know that, accounting for medical privacy concerns? When we're working through how to try to keep society going, balancing and mitigating risks, making a lot of it up as we go - are we entitled to know the real costs of the decisions on an individual level? Or is it enough that an athlete is simply another anonymous count in the COVID death toll, and that's all the information we can ethically have?

miami_fan

12-27-2020, 07:01 PM

I don't know why we would be any more or less entitled to know about an athlete dying of COVID as opposed to say CTE.

dubb93

12-27-2020, 11:35 PM

If it was COVID how would we ever know honestly?

EDIT: I guess my point is we have no right to know any of this unless the person or family decides we do.

Maple Leafs

12-29-2020, 08:58 PM

Sad news that Brodie Lee aka Luke Harper passed away.
Awful news. He and I had exchanged DMs a few years back; he was a diehard Leafs fan. Seemed like a solid guy, and definitely knew his hockey. Heartbroken for his two young kids.

JonInMiddleGA

12-30-2020, 12:14 AM

Cash Wheeler puts paid to wrestling "journalist" and the Covid story.
Believe what you will but this is more than ample for me.

https://twitter.com/CashWheelerFTR/status/1344111568066408449/photo/1

edit to clarify: Wheeler reposted that on Twitter, it's from the (now) widow's Instagram account.

RainMaker

12-30-2020, 12:22 AM

From all the tributes it seems he was a real good guy who everyone liked.

miami_fan

01-05-2021, 09:50 AM

Seeing Goldberg making an appearance last night and challenging Drew McIntyre to a match has me wondering. What is the status of that deal the WWE had with Saudi Arabia? This seems like one of those matches they would have had in that alternate universe.

JonInMiddleGA

01-05-2021, 11:04 AM

If you're not a regular NJPW follower this might lose a lot of its impact but, mercy me.

Not only did Jay White work almost certainly the best match of his career last night but he followed it up with the best promo of his life. I don't know what it actually means in real-life terms but holy hell what a promo from the standpoint of his character.

https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1346496991228874752

Toddzilla

01-05-2021, 07:59 PM

wow

molson

01-05-2021, 09:18 PM

Metlzer's newsletter had a few more tidbits on Brodie Lee.

He had been in the hospital since October, just a week or two after his last match. He was on a podcast right before that saying he couldn't finish one of his normal Peloton workouts.

He tested negative for COVID over and over again, which frustrated everyone. Because at least then, they'd know what they were dealing with. Both lungs just shut down and his system was quickly too far gone for a transplant.

They felt pretty early on that it was a terminal situation. His wife told the locker room most of this. That actually didn't leak, aside from an ominous hint here and there.

And there's a lot of stuff about him personally. Meltzer is great at these obits. There was one about Danny Hodge in the same newsletter. Just pages and pages of history.

Brodie Lee was a super wrestling nerd and actually had a podcast about one of the Wrestling Observer podcasts about 15 years ago. He communicated frequently with Meltzer, but Meltzer told him it wasn't a great idea for them to go to hockey games together and stuff. It also got into the whole decision making process about leaving the WWE. He was over 40 with a family, and was torn between the stable WWE paycheck and the desire to go out on his own. But he seemed like a guy that didn't have anger at anyone involved with the situation, he just tried to figure out his best path.

JonInMiddleGA

01-25-2021, 11:25 AM

miami_fan

01-25-2021, 03:50 PM

So it is now the WWECock?

I'll see myself out.

RainMaker

01-25-2021, 04:25 PM

Ugh :(

Because you know they aren't going to hold the line on price. And because you know the amount of content will rapidly decline.

Peacock Becomes WWE Network Exclusive U.S. Streaming Distributor - Variety (https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/wwe-network-peacock-exclusively-streaming-1234890954/)

I also can't imagine they are going to keep the entire library of stuff on Peacock. For me it's not a big deal since I don't subscribe to WWE Network but I do get Peacock free with Comcast cable.

Mota

01-28-2021, 09:22 AM

Carman Bulldog

01-28-2021, 02:11 PM

As a Canadian who subscribes with a US account, I'm not very happy. The Canadian WWE Network is a TV channel which is great for live PPV's, but bad for watching any older shows. You can also go to the WWE Network through a web page, but you can't use the App on any devices.
So it looks like I'll have to cancel my account and VPN a new account from a different country, not sure which one yet. My son only watches the PPV's so he doesn't care, but I enjoy watching old WCW and ECW stuff, and I'm often months behind on my WWE viewing, so it's bad for me.

I was previously in the same position, although cancelled my account about two years ago. I believe I also had an American account, but what I was able to do was sideload the App on my Smart TV. It managed to work without any sort of VPN.

JonInMiddleGA

01-28-2021, 02:12 PM

A rough read, but if you want to know more about what happened to Jon Huber/Brodie Lee (though there's still no medical explanation for the cause), here it is

https://cultaholic.com/posts/amanda-huber-details-brodie-lee-s-final-months?fbclid=IwAR0MsANduh4m2SEHWHi9Wlct8rzAgO0Os0Eu7XlcNc-GFiOc42OIOjPWIs8

RainMaker

01-28-2021, 06:05 PM

BYU 14

01-28-2021, 08:20 PM

Man, that was brutal to read, so sudden and still no real explanation :(

JonInMiddleGA

01-31-2021, 10:31 PM

From twitter ... Current 24/7 Champ @Rosenbergradio
has reigned as a champion in @WWE for more combined time than Dusty Rhodes, Jake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, Vader, Jim Duggan, and
JerryLawler
.

JonInMiddleGA

02-03-2021, 09:47 PM

KENTA just showed up on AEW.

Unclear how much "the forbidden door" is actually open so far.

Honestly, I hope it's a very small crack. Too much chocolate in my peanut butter / peanut butter in my chocolate if they throw it too far open.

SirFozzie

02-03-2021, 10:41 PM

Tony said the forbidden door is open in the post show on the youtube./

JonInMiddleGA

02-03-2021, 10:58 PM

Tony said the forbidden door is open in the post show on the youtube./

But that's Greatest Nitro In The History of Nitros (Until The Next Nitro) Tony, so I think the jury remains out pending some more official word.

Plus we're still hearing that a not-particularly-noteworthy-sized TV deal is coming for NJPW any day now, so how much crossover can be done coherently still seems questionable.

I make no bones about it: I think very much is likely bad for both companies, as well as for the workers (unless there's just ridiculous sized pay bumps involved).

Prime example: I think MJF is head & shoulders above any U.S. young talent in promo skill, literally the only highlight worth watching on AEW for me often as not ... but I also don't know how he'd translate to the NJPW audience. El Phantasmo is over like rover as a heel there with a lot of similar traits BUT he's not as dependent on snappy word play as MJF.

If you want a reverse version, I'm not sure that promo Hiromu (who has been fantastic lately) ever makes sense to an American audience either. In a Japanese context Hiromu is amazing, but in another context it'd all seem 1000x too goofy.

RainMaker

02-04-2021, 03:10 PM

Plus we're still hearing that a not-particularly-noteworthy-sized TV deal is coming for NJPW any day now, so how much crossover can be done coherently still seems questionable.

Is this the TV deal we've been waiting on? Because.....ehhh

NJPW announces deal with The Roku Channel (https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/njpw-announces-deal-roku-channel-332256?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

miami_fan

02-05-2021, 12:27 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We're saddened by the loss of "Hacksaw" Butch Reed, age 66. Reed was a former world tag team champion who left his mark in rings throughout the WWF, WCW, Mid-South Wrestling, and countless other places. PWI sends our collective condolences to Reed's many fans and loved ones. <a href="https://t.co/fQzl5Hsv5V">pic.twitter.com/fQzl5Hsv5V</a></p>— PWI (@OfficialPWI) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1357744770353922051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

My very first memory of Butch Reed was him beating Ric Flair as Bruce Reed in the overtime of a time limit draw on the Championship Wrestling from Florida TV show. I can't find that clip but this one right here next on the list. Yes it was a bit problematic then and in 2021. Yes, a special appearance from the heels David and Kerry Von Erich. But that flying shoulder block followed the military press slam finisher? Ten year old me was trying to press everybody over my head lol. I see a few pics of him from Mid South and WWE. This was Butch Reed for me.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/90fpaMhxjDc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

RIP Butch Reed

JonInMiddleGA

02-05-2021, 01:12 PM

He was a solid worker for his era, a good heat machine to have on the roster.

Rest in peace

molson

02-05-2021, 01:14 PM

I only knew him in the WWF (as a midcard heel), and I kind of liked him even though I was a young mark, because he was cool and never really did anything particularly dastardly - well, until he and the One Man Gang ended Billy Graham's career.

molson

02-09-2021, 04:47 PM

Nia Jax with a unique selling of Lana's offense (need volume to appreciate)

WWE Monday Night Raw | USA | Clippit (https://www.clippituser.tv/c/prdzpg)

molson

02-12-2021, 06:27 PM

So the mother of Lauren Boebert - nutty Colorado representative, who met her husband when he exposed himself to a bunch of teen girls at a bowling alley - claims that Boebert's father is Stan Lane, who is also Boebert's mother's first cousin. Which I believe makes Boebert her own second cousin.

I'm just going to assume that's true. And want to point out that this is the era of Stan Lane we're talking about here.

The Most Fabulous Music Video of All-Time! - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7R_BTjxjkA&feature=youtu.be)

JonInMiddleGA

02-12-2021, 06:58 PM

Carman Bulldog

02-13-2021, 09:35 AM

molson

02-13-2021, 01:19 PM

I've always been impartial to this video being the most Fabulous music video ever...

The Fabulous Ones: Getting Swole - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLsQE1z0yPg)

Definitely nothing homoerotic going on there.

Good lord, there are SO many of these. I just watched one where they were sipping wine in a bubble bath. And another where they were hitchhiking shirtless on the freeway to try to get downtown because "that's where the girls are".

JonInMiddleGA

02-13-2021, 01:47 PM

Good lord, there are SO many of these.

Let's not forget one of the classics, as The Thrillseekers were introduced to Smoky Mountain Wrestling fans ... complete with a soundtrack Danger Danger

The Thrillseekers will Rock America ! - YouTube (https://youtu.be/zoidl4m0zP4)

molson

02-13-2021, 01:55 PM

I'm surprised AEW hasn't done a parody of these. Unless I missed one.

BYU 14

02-13-2021, 01:59 PM

I've always been impartial to this video being the most Fabulous music video ever...

The Fabulous Ones: Getting Swole - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLsQE1z0yPg)

Definitely nothing homoerotic going on there.

Billy Squier thanks them for making this look like an exercise in toxic masculinity

Billy Squier "Rock Me Tonite" - YouTube (https://youtu.be/fR0j7sModCI)

BYU 14

02-13-2021, 02:00 PM

I'm surprised AEW hasn't done a parody of these. Unless I missed one.

Check out Sammy Guevara's vlogs on youtube, he comes close LOL

Toddzilla

03-04-2021, 08:36 PM

Who will be the big "hall-of-fame worthy" shocking AEW surprise this Sunday? TK confirmed it's happenening Put your guesses below in spoiler tags.

1. Tessa Blanchard
2. Christian
3. Cesaro
4. Kurt Angle
5. Renee (Young) Paquette

Wight said they were from "the world of pro-wrestling" or something to that effect, but definitely didn't say "wrestler"

JonInMiddleGA

03-04-2021, 08:44 PM

I'm surprised AEW hasn't done a parody of these. Unless I missed one.

That ground kinda got covered by WWE with Southpaw Wrestling

miami_fan

03-05-2021, 07:06 AM

Legendary Wrestling Promoter Jim Crockett Jr. Dies at Age 76 | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2934447-legendary-wrestling-promoter-jim-crockett-jr-dies-at-age-76)

molson

03-07-2021, 11:54 PM

I love when live wrestling goes hilariously wrong.

Streamable Video (https://streamable.com/momat6)

JonInMiddleGA

03-08-2021, 10:23 AM

I love when live wrestling goes hilariously wrong.

Streamable Video (https://streamable.com/momat6)

The post-match press conference where they try to turn this all into an intentional Wile E. Coyote thing (with Omega as WEC) is arguably just as funny.

RainMaker

03-08-2021, 01:24 PM

AEW is starting to feel like old TNA a bit.

JonInMiddleGA

03-08-2021, 01:48 PM

AEW is starting to feel like old TNA a bit.

Why would you say that Captain Charisma?

LOL

RainMaker

03-08-2021, 07:07 PM

That main event was pretty embarrassing. If you're going to do a deathmatch, do a deathmatch. Otherwise let one of the best wrestlers in the world do his thing. Not sure if TNA ever did anything that goofy but it sure felt like Russo WCW with the run-ins.

Then you have the new signings which I don't think move the dial at all. Jericho made sense to add credibility. Moxley was a top star in WWE. But after that, it's been bad.

Sting I guess can sell merchandise but I don't care to see him wrestle at 60. Rusev is a joke now who was somehow booked worse than he was in WWE. Has anyone cared about the Big Show in the last decade? And while I like Christian in the ring, he's 47 and not much of a draw anymore.

This is TNA stuff. Sign over-the-hill or unused WWE talent which forces their own talent to the background. And just like TNA, none of it will impact the ratings.

RainMaker

03-08-2021, 07:08 PM

Also I'm tired of the cinematic match shit. It was kind of fun when Matt Hardy did it in TNA. I understood them using it for Wrestlemania last year to hide the Undertakers shortcomings. But if I want to watch a shitty action movie, I'll watch a shitty action movie.

And I can't take much more of JR.

molson

03-09-2021, 12:14 AM

Maybe they should try this kind of death match. Apparently a real thing.

http://i.redd.it/9ouzw0iqyxl61.jpg

AlexB

03-09-2021, 02:02 PM

WTF were you actually googling for when you found that :eek: :D

SirFozzie

03-10-2021, 12:01 AM

If you want to see what a exploding Barbed Wire match SHOULD look like..

FMW - Combat Toyoda vs. Megumi Kudo (No-Rope Electrified Barbwire Deathmatch) - YouTube (https://youtu.be/BSdMiVV_fnQ)

molson

03-10-2021, 11:19 AM

WTF were you actually googling for when you found that :eek: :D

Hey, that's between me and my ISP, pal!

SirFozzie

03-17-2021, 09:46 PM

We had a lights out match to end tonight's dynamite that was a match of the year candidate.

It's like the women saw the fart of the explosion after the main event of Revolution, and said "Boys, let us show you how it's done"

Mota

03-18-2021, 02:59 PM

That was a brutal match! Wow. Britt just kept bleeding and bleeding. It's on Youtube if anybody is looking for it.

Toddzilla

03-18-2021, 03:06 PM

I had middling expectations going in, especially as the hype on the internet grew (the match was supposedly taped last week) but I found myself captivated by the match like I haven't in a long time. I remember Taryen Terrell (?) and Gail Kim having what was at the time a rather violent match ("for women")in TNA a while ago and thinking it was nice to see them work outside of what was expected from women's wrestling. I don't know if the not-exploding deathmatch ending had something to do with needing to over-deliver, but Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker delivered in a massive way.

Compare the picture of Britt Baker covered in blood with the picture of Braun Strowman covered in green slime.

RainMaker

03-18-2021, 03:32 PM

How is MJF only 24 years old and that good on the mic?

JonInMiddleGA

03-18-2021, 04:08 PM

How is MJF only 24 years old and that good on the mic?

Sometimes people ARE just born to do certain things. He's one of those cases.

JonInMiddleGA

03-21-2021, 04:03 AM

Oh Lawd. Ospreay and Priestly and NJPW have opened a shitstorm of controversy on the interwebz tonight.

I'll be vague here in case someone is gonna watch a replay in full but I just want some consistency: either tonight's actions AND their 1v1 match in 2020 are okay _or_ neither are okay, pick either option as you will but just be consistent.

BYU 14

03-21-2021, 10:55 AM

How is MJF only 24 years old and that good on the mic?

Not only that he can work too. If you can find it watch his first match with Jungle Boy. They both did an amazing job of psychology and selling a story, versus the over the top spot fests that many on the AEW roster feel is good wrestling.

miami_fan

03-27-2021, 08:37 PM

WWE's Road Dogg Hospitalized After Suffering Heart Attack, Wife Says (https://www.tmz.com/2021/03/27/wwe-wrestler-road-dogg-hospitalized-heart-attack-wife-tracy/)

molson

03-28-2021, 12:36 AM

So NBC employees are looking through the entire WWE catalog and removing offensive content. I wonder what will be left.

miami_fan

03-28-2021, 07:32 AM

Any reference to PUPPIES! will be gone for sure.:lol:

dubb93

03-28-2021, 07:39 AM

So NBC employees are looking through the entire WWE catalog and removing offensive content. I wonder what will be left.

Yea, this one pisses me off. Already decided I won’t be moving my sub over. I also heard that there is no way around commercials on peacock. Is that true as well?

Toddzilla

03-28-2021, 10:44 AM

I, for one, am very angry that I won't be able to hear Vince drop an N-bomb anymore.

molson

03-28-2021, 12:19 PM

Yea, this one pisses me off. Already decided I won’t be moving my sub over. I also heard that there is no way around commercials on peacock. Is that true as well?

I haven't subscribed yet, but I thought there were three tiers - free but limited, paid with ads, and paid without ads. Though at the highest tier you'd still have the normal WWE Network ads that have always been there.

Mota

03-29-2021, 10:38 AM

I read somewhere that the Peacock edits will also be incorporated into the regular WWE Network for all non-US people. That's joyful.

RainMaker

03-30-2021, 01:50 PM

Not a fan of the new IWGP Championship.

RainMaker

03-30-2021, 04:20 PM

Not only that he can work too. If you can find it watch his first match with Jungle Boy. They both did an amazing job of psychology and selling a story, versus the over the top spot fests that many on the AEW roster feel is good wrestling.

Saw a recent interview with him where he mentioned how he wants to be like Piper. Not necessarily personality, but in only wrestling when his character has a reason to. He won't be wrestling weekly in 6-man tags and dropping jobbers.

Thought that was wise since so many wrestlers either burn themselves out physically or get boring to fans by wrestling every week. It was a huge deal when Piper fought.

BYU 14

03-30-2021, 06:52 PM

He is definitely a throwback and it is refreshing as hell!

Toddzilla

03-30-2021, 09:04 PM

Not a fan of the new IWGP Championship.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I know a gold plated Divas Championship Title when I see it 🙌🏾 <a href="https://t.co/L4313KvYE4">https://t.co/L4313KvYE4</a></p>— Swolenko: Big Swole® (@SwoleWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/SwoleWorld/status/1376889142018244613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

RainMaker

04-02-2021, 04:13 PM

I finally listened to some Fozzy in full and I might get killed for this, but they aren't terrible. A nu-metal vibe to it.

JonInMiddleGA

04-02-2021, 06:52 PM

I finally listened to some Fozzy in full and I might get killed for this, but they aren't terrible. A nu-metal vibe to it.

Glad you could catch up ;)

The evolution of the band since it's initial introduction as a cover band has been dramatic.

With Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo) handling most of the creativity, it's capable of being on par with virtually anyone. The rest of the band (tho treated at times a bit like hired guns more than seems fair IMO) are also quite credible.

The transition started back in 2005, with the third album ("All That Remains") of all originals, which provided the first real glimpse of what they
could do. "Enemy" was a solid lead single. By 2017-18 and the 7th album, a trio of hits solidified them as being one of the better bands currently on the rock scene.

The 8th album appears to have been delayed by Covid (the release of it, not the creation of it) with only the intended lead single dropped so far. How the rest of the album sounds remains a mystery so far

miami_fan

04-10-2021, 04:30 PM

What is the plan if say a torrential downpour occurs on the first night of Wrestlemania in a open air football stadium?

molson

04-10-2021, 05:18 PM

What is the plan if say a torrential downpour occurs on the first night of Wrestlemania in a open air football stadium?

I wonder if they can bring the Undertaker in last minute to do an entrance.

RainMaker

04-10-2021, 10:38 PM

I really hate the 2 night deal. Just doesn't make it feel special.

miami_fan

04-11-2021, 01:42 PM

What is the plan if say a torrential downpour occurs on the first night of Wrestlemania in a open air football stadium?

This might be relevant again today.

Racer

04-11-2021, 07:08 PM

I really hate the 2 night deal. Just doesn't make it feel special.

I think it's better then having a 6 or 7 hour one day show like they were doing the years prior 2020 at least.

Having a one night show that lasts around 3 hours would be best though I think.

JonInMiddleGA

04-15-2021, 01:57 PM

WWE has come to terms on the release of Samoa Joe, Chelsea Green, Tucker, Kalisto, Bo Dallas and Wesley Blake.

I cannot fathom releasing Joe considering how good his commentary work had been.

edit to add: Peyton Royce and Billie Kay also added to the list

RainMaker

04-15-2021, 03:16 PM

I think it's better then having a 6 or 7 hour one day show like they were doing the years prior 2020 at least.

Having a one night show that lasts around 3 hours would be best though I think.

I agree. I guess the 2 nights just makes it feel like two normal PPVs instead of one big one. Just loses the luster.

I don't see a problem with just having one 4 hour show. The issue seems to be that a lot of wrestlers wouldn't appear at the show but that's fine. It's Wrestlemania, not a participation trophy. Pack 4 hours of the best wrestling you can into one show.

RainMaker

04-15-2021, 03:30 PM

I cannot fathom releasing Joe considering how good his commentary work had been.

edit to add: Peyton Royce and Billie Kay also added to the list

I guess I could see Peyton wanting to go to AEW with Spears. No clue why you would dump Joe. He is a natural in commentary and with a mic.

Flasch186

04-16-2021, 06:28 AM

WOW, AEW just got so much better I may start watching again. I'm certain they'll pick up the Iconics and Joe.

Toddzilla

04-16-2021, 03:46 PM

I'm certain they'll pick up the Iconics and Joe.Why? I don't think any of them would fit, particularly the IIconics.

RainMaker

04-16-2021, 03:58 PM

Joe would be perfect. They need more serious faces.

RainMaker

04-26-2021, 02:45 PM

The Swann-Omega match was kind of a dud. Expected much more out of those two. Not sure if Swann got hurt but he was worthless at the end.

Atocep

05-03-2021, 01:36 PM

It's a random comment, but I was shocked to see that Jim Cornette is only 59, which means he was 25 or 26 when I first started watching wrestling and he was managing the Midnight Express.

RainMaker

05-03-2021, 02:43 PM

Dark Side of the Ring is back this week.

BYU 14

05-03-2021, 04:14 PM

Dark Side of the Ring is back this week.

Watching the 1st episode about Pillman is up on youtube, watched it last night, what a disturbed and fascinating individual.

Edit to add link
https://youtu.be/NS25e3DZAU0

JonInMiddleGA

05-14-2021, 08:42 PM

One of the most compelling characters the business has seen in several decades. And quite likely the last person who legit scared me when I met him.

Rest in peace.

ECW Original New Jack Passes Away - Wrestling Inc. (https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2021/05/ecw-original-new-jack-passes-away/)

BYU 14

05-14-2021, 09:07 PM

Oh damn, he was definitely one of a kind and took years off his own life to entertain the fans. Sucks, R.I.P

PilotMan

05-14-2021, 10:46 PM

I just watched his DS Episode. It was disturbing in so many ways.

Check out the first comment on this article on a page I follow.

https://www.facebook.com/prowrestlingstories/posts/1750877221767092

JonInMiddleGA

05-15-2021, 12:04 AM

Check out the first comment on this article on a page I follow.

https://www.facebook.com/prowrestlingstories/posts/1750877221767092

Among other things he was a heat machine.

Mota

05-15-2021, 12:28 PM