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My Mum is out of hospital! Now it’s a case of rest and hoping she’ll recover as well as she can. Thank you to those who took the time to send best wishes to me and my family during this hard time.

Well to be fair, I don't go to BBQs with Hansen or Animal. But I think that you hit the point square on the head - the gaijin of the '10s are not the gaijin of the '80s. I don't know when the Ribera jacket became the big "thing" amongst the gaijin, but it was a status symbol, not something that one "earned". Back then, the Japanese promotions were huge money laundering fronts for the yakuza, and it was important for the wrestlers to be seen with the high ranking yakuza, and for the yakuza to be seen with them. This led to the infamous "Sponsor Dinners" at various restaurants, one of which was Ribera. The gaijin got the jackets because they were provided by the steakhouse at the behest of the yakuza. When you only had two major companies, it was a helluva lot harder to get a jacket, and when you did, it meant something. But, back in the '90s when you started having indy groups pop up in Japan, you started having more foreigners going over, and you had jackets handed out left and right. These days, you actually have indy groups in Japan that will book gaijin as long as they pay their own way over - and these guys all go to Ribera to get the jacket, because they want the same status. But it isn't the same. So yeah, Karl Anderson isn't Stan Hansen. But he also isn't wearing the fucking jacket and acting like he is. I've talked about this on the old board before, but there are multiple point of views here, and going too far in any direction makes the philosophy seem ridiculous. The scorn against a "shoot job" comes from the idea that unless 100% of your income comes from wrestling, then you are not a pro wrestler. This is rooted in the idea that you cannot call yourself a "professional" unless you make your living from wrestling. THIS concept has been bastardized, where guys just lowered their standards of living, because they weren't able to make enough money. This is why you have guys that live in their parent's basements (or that shack up with the "Rat-o-the-week") mocking the guys that have jobs outside of the business - because they "live off wrestling" and the guy with a real job just cannot manage to do it. On the other side of things, an overwhelming problem in the business is that there are too many wrestlers, and not enough professionals. Wrestling is supposed to be fun, because it is just guys going out there and entertaining folks. To get into wrestling you have to love it, and you have to want to be good at it. However, at some point you have to realize that it is a business, and that it takes some level of commitment. Yes, there is no guarantee of success if you throw yourself 100% into wrestling (or anything else for that matter). However, you cannot argue that there isn't a significant time commitment required. It isn't any different than if you play football at a Division 1 school, or you play the oboe at Julliard. What you get out of it is directionally proportional to what you put into it. At some point you have to focus time and energy into what you are practicing, and you have to take it seriously. It doesn't mean you cannot have fun doing it, but you have to make an actual commitment. So honestly, there needs to be a happy medium, and priorities need to be determined. If your dream is to make a living as a professional wrestler, then maybe don't have a wife & kids that you need to support? If you want to advance your career as a professional wrestler, you may not be able to advance your 9-5 career. You can either spend your nights in the gym training, or you can go out drinking with your buddies. It is all about priorities and choices. Hell no you cannot give a guy shit for choosing to put food on his family's table rather than working a match. At the same time, you cannot expect a booker/matchmaker/promoter to constantly deal with a guy that calls-off/no-shows/cannot make towns. You just cannot have your cake and eat it too. You have to make choices. Personally - I did a lot of things that, if I had to do it all over, maybe I wouldn't do them exactly the same way. Yes, I missed weddings/birthdays/anniversaries/gradations because I had a booking - but I knew it was my choice, and that if I wanted to be a success, that missing those things were the price. The guys in the WWE don't get a Monday night off because it was their wife's birthday. NBA players aren't allowed to miss a game because it is Christmas. Guys working at Target don't get off the day after Thanksgiving. I viewed wrestling as a job, and that the sacrifices I made were investments in my career. I didn't know how things were gonna turn out for me, but I just felt that I had to go as "all-in" as I could, while also living to make it to the next town. Everything took a backseat to my passion - wrestling. Did it all work out for me in the end? No, of course not. I was divorced once, and lost another good woman over the business. I am 35 with no kids. I have arthritis in my shoulders and neck. I have a ton of scars. I do not have a lot of close friends, because I sacrificed time with people that were important to me to make a town. I've lived out of my car, and I've mooched off of family & friends when I couldn't pay bills (and totally didn't deserve it). I have no retirement fund, and a ton of student loan debt. But I am glad that I made my choices, and I understand that what I have now is because of what I did then. Some guys don't get that.

To be fair, real life fucking blows and should be undermined as much as possible. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna pay my bills. But only because lights and internet help me in undermining reality.

I never knew that the Road Warriors helped start Zubaz, and were/are part-owners. It also makes the line in the LOD DVD make more sense, when Animal was talking about how Paul Ellering was legitimently their Manager - as he would take care of investing all of their money for them. So, in short, Animal made a sh*t ton of money and got to wrestle a style where 95% of the match involved him kicking the crap out of guys; his finishing move involved picking a guy up on his shoulders while his partner had to take the painful landing off of the top rope, and now his son is a millionaire NFL player. He also made Ribera jackets a popular thing before they ever were a thing. Anyone short of that is a mark.

That HBO gimmick screams my childhood. I get borderline teary eyed.

I don't know if this has been posted already, but this fake Tony Schiavone Twitter account is hilarious: https://twitter.com/SchiavoneTony

You have no idea how much this pains me to point this out, but it turns out The Boz was 25 years ahead of his time:

She made a minor swipe at him never winning a ring (he hears much worse than that at every Away game) and he responded by calling her ugly. I know you're around a lot of men on here, all day, but in the real world that's not something most women respond positively to.

Somewhere, Teddy Hart is looking on in envy. I demand a match between Daniel Bryan with an army of goats and Teddy Hart with his trained cats immediately if not sooner. The great thing about Teddy's wrestling cats is that no matter how many moonsaults they do, they'll always land on their feet.

But he smoked pot! Death penalty!

If they treated him like a heel, it wouldn't have the same effect. There is something pretty interesting going on here. Renee Young, who is on camera maybe 5 minutes an episode, is basically the voice of the audience. The regular guys on commentary just comment on whatever the heels are doing, without really passing judgement. The only person who seems to see that these people are crazy, and/or assholes is Renee Young. I noticed how the commentators just ignored Bo being a huge tool, and didn't even really aknowledge Tyler's behavior being ridiculous. But, any time Renee talks to them, her facial expressions make it very apparent that these dudes are assholes. That is putting a lot of faith in the audience, which WWE rarely does, but it seems to be working.

For me, the definitive RW match would be the very first match on TV you every saw them in, preferably squashing some jobbers, and the second best RW match would be the first live match you ever saw them (hopefully coming out to Iron Man), destroying some previously protected mid-level babyface team. Now that I am ""smart"" (yes, two sets of quotes (the second set is for extra regret)) I really don't need to ever see another match of theirs but, manoman back in the day they really shook things up, and their charisma & presence remain undiluted. I supposed for a specific match I would choose one of those War Games matches if that's not cheating, but I would really just like a tape (see, I am old) of just the RW's first TV match in each and every promotion they were in as well as the post-match promo. snackin' & dinin', RAF

Even the health risks are overstated considering the effects of playing baseball for 162 games a year can be worse. Pitching is one of the worst things you can do to your shoulder, and how many players retire with bad joints and ligaments due to the game. Steroids are dangerous when they are abused but with proper supervision they can be relatively safe and even help players recover from serious injuries. There is a reason they are prescribed by legit doctors to help with recovery from diseases. The dangerous effects happen when you have to go some shady underground lab that only cares about the money. If the MLB can't remove them from the game they should seriously look into allowing them with strict supervisions from doctors. This would help level the playing field, and may help keep the players healthier. Of course this would never happen in our lifetimes but if MLB were serious about leveling the playing field this seems like the only option. Otherwise there will always be incentive to use.

I find that site oddly comforting. Like, whatever happens, however badly I fail...just totally tank in life and career...there's always the option to just turn off completely and sink right in there...and apparently it's not so bad if you got nothing left. Like, if the worst it could get is being a gross Walmart dude shoveling cheez whiz down and watching judge Judy and walking aorund with some weird pet or creepy collectibles...it's kind of like saying the worst it could get as a mouse is being a mouse in a cage being fed crack and cake until explodes. Like, the other healthier mice...were they that much more fulfilled? Did they make the mouse world that much better? It's kind of liberating...like instead of seeing life as this tightrope you have to walk suspended over a rocky canyon where failure = death, it's like you have to walk a tightrope suspended over a canyon of cheap dvds and processed snack food. It's still tense and intense because all your success and dreams are at stake. But If you fall...you eat little white powder donuts and listen to Journey guilt free until you die. Like that's your punishment for failure. I mean, I intend to make a major difference in the cultural life of this planet...but, you know...there's a decent chance at this point that I won't...and that other thing could work too.

Blue Wolf couldn't lace Scott Norton's boots... While I'm thinking about it, I don't think Norton could lace his own boots with those arms of his. But, yeah, pictures. This team right here... these guys? Lost. To Inoki and Sakaguchi. Guess who got the W. And Gotch training a young Maeda: Lastly, Baba going TO THE EXTREME on Gypsy Joe:

The absolute classic of these? The HBO openings. Especially the extended ones http://youtu.be/QK8huHlyMrc

Now you're a mark for electric light. Pathetic.

Only if they propose to put your name in Japanese on the back, but really put Fat Spanish Waiter instead.

Becoming a wrestler seems like the absolute worst thing you could do if you love wrestling.

I'm still shocked that people are missing the boat with what they've been doing with Cena for YEARS. He is not there to be the Superman, white-meat babyface. That is not his function and that is not how he is usually booked. People who complain about Cena playing that role are being worked. Cena has been used as a way to split crowd reaction and generate controversy or excitement with the bigger crowds they run PPVs for. They even mention it on commentary ALL THE TIME how Cena is the most Controversial champion in history. He's there so you can throw faces or heels at him and still get good, strong reactions regardless. In order to keep the crowd split, his character has to stay the same. And for good reason, there is a lot of money in it. Cena matches seem like a big deal almost every time out specially because they expect the "smart" fans to boo him and the kids/women/unjaded to cheer him. If you don't think that reaction is planned and cultivated very carefully then you are deluding yourself. Cena is the greatest "tweener" of all time.

How am I the only person who liked this? Laughed my ass off. Then again, going by the above post, maybe that classifies me as racist? I'd like the NSA to know I'm not though. I remember about 13 years ago, a black man asked me for the time, and I told him.

They'll just end up using the GAORA TV Title as the new belt. Maybe we'll get a wacky combination of all three!

Jesus Christ no wonder they wont put him on the main television shows. Incredibly, of all the God awful gear Hero has wrestled in, that is probably in the running for the worst.

[clueless American]Is he any good? Better than Suarez?[/clueless American] not me, I swear!

Just start juicing already Hero.

I think the Roadies vs. The Fabs in Memphis might've been their best match that I have seen.

This is a basic problem with wrestling heel/face logic. Every time someone turns face (apparently with the exception of Dolph Ziggler) they gain some superpowers or super-ability-to-kick-out. Especially the top babyfaces. They've been Supermen for a long time. You become a face, you get some kind fo Hulk-up powerup. Turning face is like taking a PED. Meanwhile the heels are fallible, and so have to work harder and be more cunning. But given this, wouldn't "turning face" be the ultimate heel move? You suddenly get this huge advantage you didn't have before (super-heart?). I think that's why a lot of smarks cheer heels. There's a way in which the Faces, if they are kayfabe-conscious, are pulling off a scam that makes them the ultimate heels...and a heel who doesn't exploit that becomes somehow enobled by not taking the easy way out. I know it's mixing kayfabe logic and non-kayfabe logic...but it's hard not to nowadays when guys like Cena and Punk want their character to be an extension of their backstage image. I was thinking something like this the other day when I was watching Chuck Klosterman talk about his new book, which is about evil in popular culture. Part of it is about why people feel drawn to villains. One thing he pointed out was that actors always say the villain roles are more "interesting" but he thinks what they really mean is that those characters are more real. They are flawed and human. I think this absolutely applies to wrestling. The traditional super hero character (Cena or Hogan being the obvious examples) aren't real human beings. We're not perfectly moral and we don't always do the right thing. We're complicated. Randy Savage was fascinating, a ball of energy and neuroses and excitement. CM Punk is thoughtful and principled and stubborn. They're great characters, in a way that Hogan and Cena are not.

You REALLY have to be bad to get called out as a jobber on some of these episodes.

FUN-SUCKER!

UNLESS THEY HAD A GUN!

If I remember correctly he had Saul pass something to the kid or at least that was implied.

The great thing about the HBO one, other than the fact that it usually meant that MIDNIGHT MADNESS was about to come on, is how rooted it is in the real world compared to the others. Instead of phantasmagoric galactic nonsense just spewing random colors and lights, it tells a story (sort of) of something that actually happened. HBO or Echostar or whoever shot a satellite up into orbit, and that moment...happening way above all those little people and lights in the below, changed television. So We see an object that represents something that is essential to what HBO is...a satellite. That's what that giant HBO stands for. The moment that they put that first satellite in orbit and fired it up. It starts in the real world and never really leaves it...Yes, it's an exaggeration, a mythology. But it's rooted in a real moment that defined this company and changed the cultural landscape. It's quasi-historical and filled with pride. It says: "We put this thing up there in space and now we have a chance to do something amazing...show you boobs on DREAM ON while your parents are at work."

People do realize the like feature is just a way of Big Brothering a bunch of data together so you can see who liked shitty things making The Great Purge that much easier right? Who needs racial profiling when you can build the full psych profile.

If I ever have kids, then they have kids, I'll be able to tell those kids about the great Brady Quinn VS Charlie Whitehurst pre-season showdown.

Brady Quinn just threw a TD pass. I feel like there should be the confetti like at the end of the Super Bowl

That superkick sell was the tremendous. Sorry about your damn face.

Teenage, babyfaced Haku with Baba and company! Spoilered for size:

And Unite Here represents the Culinary Workers Union or as they're known to them: Unite Here local 226

I've never gotten a ton of heat for my regular job getting in the way, but I HAVE gotten heat for choosing important life events like weddings or what have you. It doesn't happen much anymore, simple because most people that know me, know that I give no fucks. Fortunately, most of the circle I run with do not have that mentality, because they themselves are trying to make a living. Oddly enough, it's more young guys in the business that I meet that think this way.

He's a mark for his family.

It's August. Let him hope before that hope dies a horrible death in October. And oh yeah....hey, guys...I found the board.

Like "Here's the new Horseman Paul Roma!" NECKBREAKER DIE "Just kidding it was Rick Rude"

Scott Hall talking about teaching Tommy WILDFAWR~! Rich about nutrition by getting him to switch to Bud Light... Steve quips, "You'd make a great life coach."

Cuter than that cat (spoilered for size)

Man, any dude that accepts losing his chick to the likes of Dolph Ziggler deserves to have his girl stolen from him.

Imagine what the show would be like if Big Dave was still around.

Is it wrong that for a second there I thought "Damn, Dave Meltzer is pretty cut."

That Punk/Axel match was a lot of fun and the brawl after was pretty much insane. Best segment. "Paul, say something stupid!" is right up there with "I don't like people, John." Lesnar is something else, He looks like he is one slip up away from losing it on the mic, and then he will surprise you with something brilliant. Good build up for the top of the card. Cena's promo was better than Bryans, but I did really like the ponytail for some reason! Vince's dance/strut and everything after really clicked in the opening segment, but they took too long to get there. It definitely wasn't one of Vince's best performances. It's totally not going to happen, but Wyatt/Kane in an Inferno match just writes itself. Harper and the other guy walking through fire to help Bray is such a money moment.

How great was it the Punk mentioned Heenan's family, and then we got such a Heenan family post-match group backstage interview. I fucking LOVED that.