Leaderboard

I was probably ten the first time I got in trouble for getting two toothpicks from the little thing by the door at Shoney's, sticking one behind my ear, and flicking the other one at my sister or whoever. When my dad asked my why I did it, I said "because I'm the Bad Guy." A few years later, I'm sitting watching Nitro, minding my own business. Scott Hall is on tv and my mom walks by. "Wait, is Scott Hall his real name?" She asked incredulously. "Uh, I think so. I know it isn't Starship Coyote." My mom left the room without saying another word. She came back a few minutes later with her high school yearbook. She opened to a certain page and showed me a giant half page picture of her and Razor goddamn Ramon cutting up in the hallway. Apparently they'd been super close in high school just before Hall had to move to Germany. They were both Army Brats. Some ten years after that, I'm sitting in a bar in Smyrna, Ga. I'm watching Brock Lesnar murder John Cena on my laptop while enjoying a couple of cold ones. This real tall kid comes up behind me. "You like wrestling?" "Yeah. I'm trying to figure out if I like this match or not." The tall kid laughed. We shot the shit a minute or two before he stuck out his hand. "I'm Cody. Cody Hall. My dad wrestled for a long time." It took me a minute to figure out who it was. After we talked another minute, I mentioned that my mom had gone to high school with his dad. He pulled out his phone and called Scott Hall. Scott was elated. Cody hung up after a few minutes. "Me and dad are gonna be watching football in here on Sunday. He said you could join us if you want." And that's how, on a random Sunday in 2012, I watched a full Sunday slate of NFL games with the greatest wrestler to have never won a World Title. He was unassuming, engaging, humorous, and more patient than he needed to be for a full grown man who turned into a mark the second he shook the hand of one of his all time favorites. We called mom and I heard a couple good stories from their high school days. He told me a couple real good AWA stories and texted Sean Waltman. Part of me wishes I'd gotten a photo or video from that day, but I had such an amazing experience that I didn't want to ruin it by acting like a mark. When it was time to go, he shook my hand, gave me a "too sweet," and that was it. That was my day with "The Bad Guy." He will be missed. What I remember most, however, was how proud his son was of his sobriety. Hall probably bought himself an extra decade+ of life by battling his demons and embracing the joys of life.

When I read WWE threads here or try to follow what's going on by reading websites: The name-changes, booking, angles, and storylines generally seem to range from bafflingly stupid to full on rage-inducing. When I watch clips on YouTube or Twitter or wherever: The actual wrestling (per se) is always really good. The zooming, swooping, always-cutting camera is always awful. These wrestlers are obviously among the very best in the world at what they do. Why not just let us watch them do it? But: When I try to actually watch a full WWE show what really kills me is the endless corporate-speak. You can't say wrestler, you have to say superstar. You can't say belt or strap, you have to say championship. You have to use everyone's full name every time you mention anybody. "Local medical facility" "Championship Opportunity" "here at WWE (full name of PPV)" Oh, sorry, you can't say PPV any more, can you? "We thank Gordlow for his contribution to the WWE Universe, and wish him well in his future endeavours" And then on some websites you can even read absolute nonsense like " Two superstars were sent to a local medical facility following their championship showdown at (sponsors) present (full name of premium event) at (full name of arena). " Don't know whether to laugh or weep.

Lawful Jr and I are here! Cage looks big. Ready for some great matches!

I'm sure he came in with bigger expectations than he realized. He was in the main event of their second ever show vs a former WWE champion. After seeing his trajectory in the promotion chart from a potentially auspicious beginning to where he is now, the best way to clean any potential stink off of him is probably a clean break rather than hanging around. Keep doing what you're doing on the outside and get that buzz back.

You know the show was great when the best wrestling nickname since Big Sexy, Daddy Magic isn't even the best thing on the show

Great fucking show! The 6 man was mad fun but by the end of the show I kind of forgot about it lol. I can totally get behind "Regal as Inoki" with the respect slaps God, Jericho and the crew are gonna get so much HEAT as sportz entertainers in AEW lol It makes me so happy to see the Hardys back together. Looking forward to seeing Wardlow eventually powerbomb MJF straight to hell. That's gonna be GLORIOUS. Main event was spectacular...Britt and Thunder make magic in these brawls. So happy for Rosa. The ending seemed rushed though...they were definitely up against the clock. That crowd really added to the match too. Another magnificent 2 hours of pro wres. Thank you AEW!

That match was fucking awesome. I assume Baker gets the title back on April 20th in Pittsburgh. If you follow Thunder Rosa's vlog, you know she is the hardest working wrestler on earth. That finish was fucking beautiful. The opening six-man was waaaaaay fun. The triple moosault! The double Doomsday Device! The clean finish! I loved the simplicity of the Wardlow/MJF angle. Who will Wardlow get to be his partner? I LOVED the Jericho Appreciation Society. Daniel Garcia was ELECTRIC! Wheeler Yuta joining the William Regal League Of Ass Stomping Gentlemen was great to. GREAT! So Britt Baker is the best wrestler in AEW? Isiah Kassidy is prolly peeing blood from the nasty landing of that Swanton. YAY! AEW RULES THE FUCKING WORLD!

I kind of like that Miro is healthy and away until they have something for him. I kind of hope they rotate guys in and out so that there are always fresh match ups and the possibility of a surprise return. Right now, Omega and Miro are off TV and they have more than enough to keep the show going in the right direction. If they come back and two other guys rotate out for a couple months, I'll have no problem with it at all.

One month sober today.

Here me out though: camera cuts, shaky cams and zooms increased 800% during JAS matches while Excalibur extols the virtues of AEW’s next premium live event

Also a random thought I had was, I really want Orange Cassidy to wrestle Bryan Danielson

What an incredible night. Wheeler finally got over.

WRONG. The movie was clearly about fighting dudes and laughing at the phrase bitch tits.

Trish Stratus vs. Britt Baker

Only if they treat it like soap on a rope cuz the beats and the lines are so dope.

That's a nice story, it really is. I'm not trying to be a dick when I say that, but... Him, or Biff, or anyone, trying to "help kickstart something" for a friend isn't a good excuse when that friend is spewing dangerous ideology. I know wrestlers aren't made out to be that smart, but when stuff comes out about Drake storming out of an NXT meeting after Triple H said all religions and races are welcome in WWE/NXT, and knowing what Qanon promotes... no, just no.

R U JR? He could have used some smoke and mirrors in the era against Mox, but Janela's physique by contract's end was hardly embarrassing. It was the result of putting in a lot of gym time. Certainly Janela is expendable as the roster grows stronger, but passing along the idea that this guy got a job based simply on a risky spot (that AEW would never ask him to do) or who he's friends with is so lame. This guy is a hard worker. Any failings inside the ring doesn't take away from the fact that this guy is a hustler. I don't always love his work, but it's hard not to admire the amount of solid work he puts in (in front of and behind the camera).

We will never undo the cultural damage that Fight Club did to a whole generation of dudes.

Very cool view of the arena before the cage match from our very own @Mookieghana

Nyla Rose Twitter is the best.

Also re: Briscoes, as a queer dude, I've seen soooooo many bullshit fake apologies and so much doubling-down, so I'm willing to take Jay's words as genuine.

Scorpio Sky admitted on AEW’s own podcast that he used to be liberal in his use of the F slur. And that he regrets every time he ever used it and is profoundly sorry for ever doing that.

Some people have speculated that Cage will replace Wardlow as MJF’s bodyguard, which would be a perfect spot for him. It would be the right guy to put opposite face Wardlow as a first large opposing enemy, but also somebody the fans on social media already don’t like, just in case the fans are ready to turn on Wardlow.

I really feel like JAS should be like a Midwest/Canadian border crime family with Garcia as their hitman from the Buffalo mob. Full disclosure, I just finished Fargo season 2.

JR during the Foley/Taker HIAC was huge contributor to that match. I can't think of a single finer call of a specific match. Before, during, and after he had the right words and inflection for every moment. "He's broken in half" is iconic, but everything he uttered over that 30 minutes hit just right for the moment. I'll always have a soft spot for the Tony/Bobby/Dusty WCW team I associate with my first memories of wrestling, but even today I find their call of BATB 96 to be particularly good. They ratcheted the tension up all show, always sounding on edge while still being professional enough to call the other matches properly (something that became a huge problem in the later NWO days), and then they just let their emotions fly in the main event. I never understood what people even hated about Heenan's "Whose side is he on" line. It was perfectly in character, and Tony and Dusty's indignant scoffs set up the moment just right. Even after being proven right, Bobby couldn't bring himself to gloat in the aftermath. Everyone was so thoroughly defeated.

[Rowdy Roddy Piper has just pulled Jake "The Snake" Roberts off of Ric Flair] Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, Announcer : I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Piper. It's a kilt. It's not a skirt, it's a kilt. [Piper then nails Flair] Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, Announcer : You no good creep! You skirt-wearing freak! It's not a kilt, it's a skirt. - Listed on Bobby Heenan’s IMDB. To be fair you could quote that whole match.

Did somebody say Jimmy?

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1227i4

Never forget when the Bad Friends invaded AEW

We probably had one ages ago but we should have a whole topic on best commentary lines. I urge everyone to watch Summerslam 89. Ventura was on fire from the opening match. He gave credit to the faces and the heels. He pointed out the Brainbusters weren't defending their belts because they hadn't won them when the contracts were signed. Schiavonne looked dumb saying "well they could have added them to the contract later" Jesse as most people would said "would you have done that" I mean the guy was on fire the whole show. Also the show as a whole is really fun to watch.

Janela essentially got replaced with Eddie Kingston. Both guys with hardcore indie fanbases coming in, both deserved a shot on a big TV show. Eddie can do everything Joey does but much better and then some. That said Janela / Sonny Kiss will always be a highlight of lower card / Dark AEW for me.

Just finished. More tomorrow as I read through the thread but from an execution standpoint, I thought it had a couple of amateurish moments, things that didn't quite hit or that were working too hard to get the fan service in. Garfield had a gravitas and charisma that he never had in his actual movies. As a concept, however, I don't see why you ever have to do another Spider-Man movie. I don't know what else there is to possibly say about the character. He did the right thing even though it cost him so much, because it was the right thing, and because it was his responsibility. And this played that out to the most extreme conclusion. That's it, it's done. Use him for fun team movies where he can make quips and play that role. Use him as a supporting character in the other stupid Sony movies they're trying to make. Do the Tobey/Dunst Mayday Parker Spider-Girl movie. Do one where Garfield is hiding under the Ben Reilly identity and trying to make amends for those punches he didn't pull. Do Miles! Do Gwen! But I don't see what there's left to possibly say in another straightforward Peter Parker Spider-Man movie. Anything from here on in is just making one for the sake of making one, which it makes a lot of money, so fine. Also Cox looked pretty old! Just saying.

Magnum Scott Hall with Magnum TA.

Great show with a pretty awesome hot crowd. Excellent opener, loved the triple moonsaults and double doomsday. Wheeler Yuta impressing with Fighting Spirit! Nice FTR/Bucks bit, still hope Tully comes back around in another role. Loved the Swerve/Starks tease, they work well together so I'm definitely down for more from them. Wardlow/Sky was good with the predictable ending. Absolutely massive pops for Wardlow almost getting a hold of MJF. Sad that Punk didn't make the save for Wardlow to sort of return the favor. Fun return for the Hardyz. Last week the Masked Singer was also using the Hardyz theme, the same night it debuted in AEW. Another epic main event from Thunder & Britt. Thought it started a little slow but definitely picked up towards the end. When Rosa's special entrance started, I almost thought she was gonna use her old Selena theme music. Great match even with the timing issues in the end and a great moment with Thunder's win feeling properly special. Perfect St Patricks Day Slam set up from one year to the next. Also, Britt's Scott Hall tribute gear ruled!

I once read a Dean Malenko interview in which he said he didn't understand "sports entertainer," because the word "entertainer" made him picture someone with a cane in a top hat. JAS should do that.

Daniel Garcia's soul on a pole match.

Loved the cage match. Nice wild and unpredictable match. Rosa and Britt can make magic when they have bells and whistles. Rosa slamming Britt’s hands into the thumbtacks got an audible “Oh, fuck” from me.

I do find it curious that after multiple apologies and years of being incident-free and working matches with gay wrestlers, that the Briscoes are apparently blackballed by unnamed executives but the current TNT Champion allegedly had a WWE offer pulled after some similarly cringe tweets during the same time period that were most decidedly NOT gay-friendly. And if all three of them have honestly changed or at the very least, recognize why what they said was hurtful, then good on them.

There was only one town hall. A creative guy like him keeps fresh and doesn't go to the well too many times. Next week: The Jericho Appreciation Society Model UN!

Because the thread was started a day early, I spent half of yesterday convinced it was Wednesday not Tuesday. And between that, and the Americans changing their clocks already when we haven't, it's really been throwing me off.

Watching the Resurection of Jake the Snake made me appreciate Dallas Page so much more. Were it not for DDP, who knows how the Scott Hall story would have ended. As it was, Dallas helped put him on the path where we all are remembering everything he gave us, everything he gave to wrestling. Scott Hall was one of the coolest sumbitches ever to grace pro wrestling, and as much as it hurts he's gone, it's heartwarming to know his friends and his family got to enjoy the last few years where he was sober and in good spirits. And as one of the many young punk kids who tried(and failed)to look as cool as him with a toothpick in my mouth, who had that one strand of hair down in my face like him, and said "hey yo" to start way too many conversations, thanks for everything, Scott. May God grant you lie still

There’s a super great Razor/Kid vs. Diesel/HBK tagger from I think Action Zone in 1994 I’m trying to track down…

GIFS in spoiler tags for size:

I don't have much to contribute, but back when DVDVR was green and on a different server, my first profile picture was this: It's still my favorite. Random, but it's the small things that can bring joy sometimes.