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Fuck Saudi Arabia.

Yeah, I still can't believe Buddy Murphy didn't make it into the second round, either.

Open the Cracker Barrel Champion

Seth turning on the Shield? Wrestling fans, or WWE fans anyway, don't boo or cheer wrestlers, so much as they boo or cheer wrestling. Wrestling booking, even. So a heel turn they think of as bad wrestling (breaking up an act they would have liked to stay together, for example) gets booed. Whilst a heel turn they wanted/ expected, that makes sense and sets up good things for the future, that gets cheered. Spend all those years telling people this is entertainment, you can't complain when they start cheering or booing based on whether they think something is entertaining or not.

They should just completely ripoff the Kanyon/Raven vignette from WCW, complete with Sasha turning to the camera and saying "Whatta mark."

I debated signing all my posts "The RIPPA knows" but then I realized I would have to ban myself after like 3 posts

Sami Zayn as Lio Rush 2.0 is pure garbage. He deserves better.

The best thing to do if they go with this for TV would be to build up a “Who stole the belt angle” for TNT, and then have the person reveal themselves by busting Jericho open with the belt to make them the challenger at AEW Full Gear.

Bray Wyatt definitely has to win the WWE Universal Championship. You then do less is more, by doing that an appearance by the Fiend stands out. Alternate that with Firefly Fun House segments and some weeks do neither. Besides we're used to an absentee WWE Universal Champion in Brock Lesnar ; ).

In watching the KOTR Tournament this year, I realized that I have this exact same scepter from a birthday party a few years ago. It costs $5 from Party City, and I don't blame the prop department one bit: It works. Also, Baron Corbin's Wrestling Undershirt looks like an apron.

Beautiful. I've always liked them as a team, they are getting better and better.

I watched that Sasha/Becky promo segment just now. Becky actually threw out some truth bombs, like Sasha being the center piece of NXT, Regal/HHH/Stephanie/etc giving her flowers after a match with Bayley, main eventing RAWs and PPVs with another person who has it all (Charlotte) - but when someone else gets the attention, Sasha throws a little fit. Sasha comes out and responds with.. "nobody cared about you until Nia Jax broke your face" (not true) and "you'll be the Boss' bitch" at the end. In what fucking world did Sasha eviscerate Becky? Am I watching the wrong segment? Is it because Sasha said bitch? At least when Rhea Ripley did it on NXT it didn't sound so fake, because Rhea Ripley is a scary fucking woman.

"Ahem."

Kouhiro Kanemura vs Shinya Hashimoto. Exploding Barb-wire deathmatch.

@CSC

"I don't have to prove anything to me." This is a masterclass by Bill Eadie. I could honestly watch Masked Superstar all day every day: "You've got some fantastic moves... I've got counters to those moves. If you want to wrestle, I can wrestle. If you want to brawl, I can brawl."

The old wisdom was to be a perfect heel you have to have been a great babyface first

Are we having another drug intervention? I told you guys I was quitting...fuck.

A bit late to writing thoughts on the show, trying to digest all of the great wrestling from over the weekend and give it some time to settle. It was a fun show with some great peaks that ran too long and had stuff that could have been contracted or removed entirely for the betterment of the overall show and to sell interest in TV. Like DoN, as @Elsalvajeloco said, it still feels like three visions bolted together in Frankenstein fashion, although the freaks and geeks circus aspect was less prominent. They so desperately need a Tessa Blanchard to build around. It’s all very well saying that Women’s Wrestling is important and should be equally featured but you can’t just put bodies into the slots and expect it to seem like a big deal. Let Nyla come under Kia Stevens’ tutelage for 6 months then start the monster push after that. The women’s division is a drop off the cliff in terms of talent and star power after the mens and tag divisions. Also, that battle royale is a flawed gimmick which was then poorly executed. Why have key eliminations during the entrances? Isn’t that common sense? I would be annoyed if I was Jazz walking out with the rest of the crowd like that. If there is one star to treat as a star, more than any other single wrestler, who stands out most clearly as an alternative, and could be the big reason to tell your friends to watch this rather than that, it’s Kenny. Why do this losing story in the first chapter of the AEW book when you are establishing what you are. I’m happy that they are planning long term story arcs (if that’s what this is) but don’t agree with the decision. However, Jericho was gold in the post match tirade and is probably the best equipped for TV non-wrestling segments as champion lording it over everyone else, so that should be fun. Luchasaurus is over as hell with the live crowd and is apparently killing it in T shirt sales. That was one of the most satisfying matches in terms of the flow and crowd reaction, I really enjoyed it. ‘Wrestling has more than one royal family’ really sums up this vision of using respected veterans where they can add value versus ignoring/underplaying their legacy or outright humiliating them in inappropriate throwaway TV skits, subservient to the all powerful McMahons. I don’t think it’s as simplistic as a ‘nostalgia pop’.

Jules had the belt in the briefcase for Marcellus.

FTR, you get shit for your fandom bc you say delusional things like "Sasha is a top 5 female in ring of all time." And then when people rightfully call you on what a ludicrous statement that is, you point to nonsense like how many instagram followers she has as some sort of excuse for her behavior offscreen while refusing to even address the salient points others make about the many negatives Sasha brings to the table. I'm as big a Bayley fan as you will find anywhere, but I can willingly admit there was a BIG lull in her career where I thought she probably deserved to get released. She got lazy in the ring and became actively bad. I'm happy she's had her resurgence, as she is a talented worker and works hard to improve her promos, but I am under no illusions that the criticisms others have voiced here about her are just because people don't like me or her. That's the difference, and that's why so many people give you shit for your "fandom." You refuse to admit that Sasha the character and/or Mercedes the worker are in any way less than transcendent, when that is nowhere near the case. She's had great moments, and she's had truly awful ones. Same as everyone on the roster. But sitting out for four months because she didn't get her way should be brought up whenever the discussion of whether or not she deserves a top spot is broached. It's unprofessional and points to a severe lack of maturity. And, since you ignored it before, I'll say it here too; I don't find her character believable. She's Vivica A. Fox, wagging her head and sassily finger pointing because it's how she thinks urban young women are supposed to express attitude. There's nothing at all "legit" about her character. I've lived in and around Atlanta my entire life, and I know what "wanna be hood" looks like, and Sasha is the poster child. That's why I don't see value in her character, not some imaginary "me and sasha vs the world" scenario that you've cooked up in your head.

I find it funny that AAA posted the lineup for the 10/10 show and still nothing on the NY show NEXT WEEK.

Corbin gets massive heat for "sucking," except a top heel is supposed to get massive heat so booing him isn't really sending the message that he sucks - it's sending the message that he should be on top. All the "cool" heels are getting cheered for being such great actors or whatever dumb reason, so Corbin is by default one of the most over heels on the roster because he's actually getting the reactions a heel is supposed to get. If the "let's keep this newly turned heel a face because we like them" thing keeps happening, then none of the wrestlers that are popular with the IWC will be able to play heels. The logical extension of that is the heel vacuum will be filled by necessity with people the IWC doesn't like. So boo the damn heels or embrace King Corbin. Unless you want to do the things that will actually enact change (change the channel, stop buying tickets/merch, cancel your network subscription, and stop complaining about Corbin to the point that he's a trending topic).

I didn't see Kotto joining #Injustice either. Given what's going on with PD right now, I knew that Kotto's on again / off again feud with Ricky Martinez was pretty much over, but I had no idea what they were going to do with Kotto after that. It's good to see that MLW Creative is not like WWE creative and isn't totally bankrupt when it comes to coming up with new angles or repackaging workers.

And it’s only the third.

Are they publishing The Terrifics? That’s where Holt is/was last used.

I want to see Bayley pull off the "Kids still like me!" act, like Bret Hart did the "Canadians and other worldwide fans still like me!" act. She comes to the ring, gives her headband to a little girl and then brutally destroys her opponent.

Uh, what?

Also: The Boss character always had that "next level" to it that people who were big NXT fans could see in her development. She came in as a happy-go-lucky "I love being here!" type who lost. Then she gazed into a mirror as Summer Rae talked into her ear and swayed her into seeing the benefits of the darkside. Sasha then emerged as The Boss -- an uber-confident, do anything to win opportunist with a huge mean streak. But you could always see in a lot of her matches that fake confidence eroding very quickly as soon as her opponent got the upper hand. And then, in moments of self-reflection, Sasha would let her guard down and be her core self -- the vulnerable nerd who had to develop a mean girl facade to find that next level due to an inherit lack of self-confidence that she belonged. This reemerged Sasha though is great. I can totally see her during the whole WM run-up saying (both kayfabe and maybe even in real life): "Hey, why the hell is Becky getting all this attention? I beat her back in NXT and was the star of the division until I got hurt. She was always second fiddle and I'm in a friggin' tag team battle royal?" And you know she complained to Bayley about that in kayfabe but Bayley was more focused on the immediate goal in front of them but did have that in her head. And then I can see that transform to her sitting at home watching Becky get more time and seeing Bayley get the title and just plotting this demise. "Oh, screw that, I'm The Boss. And you know what? Bayley's going to see it my way now. Bayley's no second fiddle. Let's do this."

How dare you besmirch the good name of King Corbin. He'll beat two opponents in the same match next week and then cruise all the way to the crown, laughing at the dumb smarks the whole way.

For an extra $50, Bray will come to your house and hang out dressed as the Fiend, but act like himself and just babble about conspiracy theories on his phone with Bo.

The Bayley turn was fun. Sometimes things that are telegraphed still work. I'm sorry, but I just don't find the whole "BOSS" thing believable. Sasha has talent, but I don't believe her promos. At all. Because I don't really think she believes them. She's a gamer nerd from Boston pretending to be hood. I'm from Atlanta, and she wouldn't last a week here. And her secondhand figure skating onesie from last night didn't help matters. I'm glad we didn't have "triple threat" rules in 1995, because that time limit draw between Michaels and Kama would've led to them going into a 3 way with King Mabel, and I don't think anyone wants to see that. Rollins is boring. Every week he gets asked to do ten+ minute segments, and every week he brings the show to a screeching halt. There are five better choices on RAW to be top guy, but still they insist on captain flippydoo. Hopefully Strowman ends this madness. Wyatt is so far above everything else happening right now. Holy cow. I like the Roode/Ziggler thing.

Seems like that could be the basis of Bayley's turn explanation promo.

Hardcore Kid version used to wear a cool mask. Barry O version is still the best

Dunno why I've never seen Scream and Scream Again. That was at Circus Video for years and I always dug the coverart (plus, that lineup of actors? Get outta here)

It is Florida. He's driving like a senior citizen looking for a street address.

AEW has to do better with their battle royales. Not only was this sloppy, but the big names--Mercedes Martinez, Jazz, Tenille Dashwood--didn't get to do anything. Nyla Rose was finally booked as a monster, so that was good, as was furthering the Bea vs Britt rivalry. Private Party is still rough around the edges, but their ceiling is sky high. Nice to see them win. Angelico/Jack Evans' heel turn is fine. Jurassic Express are breakout superstars in the making. SCU are the perfect guys to open every show. They get in, do their bit, wrestle well, and get out in 11-12 minutes. Surprised to see PAC-Omega go so early, even more surprised that PAC won. It presents a good story for Omega needing to discover himself again. That frankensteiner sequence was a mess, but good match overall. The Cracker Barrel 3-way was a train wreck. Ugly, but entertaining. Thought it was goofy at the beginning, but came around on it. Would have been nice to see Allin win, feels like they're wasting the time-limit draw he had with Cody. I need Darby to think of his vertebrae, he's going to be in traction doing the Coffin Drop. Dark Order is awful and third rate. At least get better outfits, give us a back story where they sold their souls, anything! Don't know much about Orange Cassidy, but I'm willing to see where he goes. Riho-Shida was very good, too bad the crowd didn't care. They spent all that time building Shawn Spears, and that's what we get from it? Not that I had high hopes for him, but still. The match was fine, but felt anti-climatic with how Spears was reduced to nothing. And that poor doggy, I felt bad for him. The ladder match did nothing for me. I was pretty much out after the first double table spot. I kept asking why wouldn't one prevent the other from crushing their respective brother? I also didn't need to see the Bucks die multiple times. LAX's intro was great, enjoyed watching them in Impact. Main Event told a good story of Page being unproven, but able to bloody the veteran Jericho and give himself more of a chance. Page didn't lose because he wasn't good enough per se, but from a lack of experience in how to stay firm when dealing with someone with Jericho's pedigree. Jericho as champ is the right business call, but does nothing to separate AEW from any other promotion that relies on older guys. For me, All Out felt like a meal that forgot the seasoning. Edible, but lacking the spice to make it really good. AEW's tag division is the strongest thing they have going into TV. The midcard scene feels like it'll be OK. I guess Cody gets the first shot at Jericho? I still barely know anything about the women. They need to do better with vignettes or pre-taped promos. That bit with Wardlow? Don't know who he is, but that was rough. Why did the other guys stand there as he took off his shirt? Why didn't someone grab his GF to distract him? I get why, but it looked dumb. I don't hate anything, but I also don't love anything. Except for Jurassic Express, that's a great gimmick. It's fine beyond them, but I keep looking for more.

She grabs her tits and likes to drink?

They're getting heel reactions, as the crowd was chanting "creepy perverts" at them. I don't think Jerry Lawler can say he ever got a "creepy pervert" chant despite being more than deserving of it.

JBL just tweeted this. So can we finally start recognizing him as a great guy who has obviously grown? "So glad Bermuda has sent a message to their homophobic, xenophobic government that enough is enough. Tomorrow I will march in Bermuda’s first Pride parade. Equality for all! Welcome to a dawn out of the dark ages."

I read the book years ago. I don't need to watch that in live action.

Cheers. One of my proudest accomplishments. Here's my before and after: Weight loss: 3st 12lb/54lb.

watched The Clovehitch Killer which was a very solid movie. I didn't really care about seeing it because Dylan McDermmott isn't the kind of actor that I gravitate to, but he does a great job in the movie. The one iffy element is that the movie takes place in Kentucky and no one has an accent. Part of me kinda wishes there was one, because hearing every body sound vanilla took me out of it. But the part of me that grew up in Kentucky thinks it may have made the movie better just because it would have been people doing some shitty "Yoo shore gotta purdy mouth!" bullshit. Anyway, a good christian boyscout suspects his scout leader father is a serial killer who stopped killing a long time ago after discovering some bondage porno mags in the shed. Like I said McDermmott does a fun job creating an odd character and there were some moments of peculiar detail I'll probably remember for a long time. It's on Hulu right now and it's totally worth your time.

I honestly struggle to think of a project that had more potential and fell as short as this. This is this generation's Daikatana. Anyway if you're thinking about dropping $10 on this seriously just go play Warframe for free instead, power through the first couple hours where it doesn't really do a good job explaining itself, and enjoy your next couple hundred hours.