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This made me happy. Be happy too. Just like your wrestling pal Brandon Bones.

Cody doesn't always hit home runs, but when he does they're grand slams. That segment was absolutely great. My whole family is riveted by this whole story line. I love that Sami is still neurotic and awkward, and the audience is still like "That's our guy." Cody has a real problem coming back to win the Rumble, because he honestly didn't have the crowd momentum to see him main event Wrestlemania. Yeah he had the Hell in a Cell performance and Royal Rumble win, but he was still way behind Sami in terms of who the crowd wants to see challenge for the title. This promo changed all of it. By putting these two together, it sold every option as a good option. Roman vs. Cody? Fine. Sami vs. Cody? fine. Roman/Sami/Cody triple threat? Fine. Honestly I don't know if Roman can beat Sami in one match and this be over, so I feel like the triple threat route is the most likely. I don't think WWE knows which option they're doing yet, but unlike the past I don't feel like it's slapdash shit, by someone who can't make up their mind. It feels much more playful and improvised, like they're discovering new ways to make it awesome. Cody felt like he was going to muck it up, but now he's managed to amplify everything. Best story in WWE history.

I really loved the Cody/Sami segment. I hated hated hated Cody's stuff last week. But this week was pretty great. It was such an awesome juxtaposition of the Cody and Sami characters. Cody is cool and new and confident. But he's self-aware enough to know that he's returned while an epic tale is unfolding, but his journey is what's most important to him. Sami's wearing a hoodie and anxious and looks like a mess. He has seen The Bloodline first-hand and watched (and helped) Roman wreck whoever has stepped in his path. Sami's not cool. He hasn't been a confident person (hence why he feels the need to find a family.) And him seeking a pep talk from someone like Cody while also warning Cody was spot on. And no matter what happens, Sami's the one who put the crack in the foundation and will always have that victory. I think this served an awesome purpose in tying in the two unfolding stories. It did so in a really artful way without being ham-fisted. We don't know how the stories will fully intertwine -- it could be a relay race where Sami loses and hands the baton off to Cody to finish the job against Roman. Or it could end up as a triple threat between the three men. And Cody believing in Sami also plants in the seeds for the audience that maybe, just maybe, Sami has a damn chance on Saturday. Man, I am friggin' pumped for Saturday. It's such a cliffhanger. Does Sami maybe do it? Does Jey leave Roman's grasp or does he go crawling back?. Does KO return to save Sami from The Bloodline's beatdown of Sami? Does Cody somehow find himself involved?

The insults started by being interviewed on TV by Terry Bradshaw, if we're being completely honest.

Cody is the biggest carny I have ever seen but…..…I believe that Sami has a chance on Saturday because of him. God damn you Cody.

If my contract allows me to get demoted and take a $7 million pay cut after announcing the Super Bowl, my agent is getting a 100 percent pay cut.

I want a holiday video every day for dom and rhea. Including arbor day.

That agent needs to go even if you’re another unrelated client. Read the warning sign

The Jarretts vs the Stud Stable jerry calls Robert the bastard son of the milk man

Darby did a coffin drop with a barrel. Nobody could hate that.

As an adult, it's hard to "get caught up" in a storyline anymore, as you understand wrestling more than you did as a kid and with that understanding comes all sorts of things that inhibit your ability to suspend disbelief. I'm rooting for Sami the way I used to root for wrestlers when i was a young lad. I can't wait for Saturday. This is the best storyline of all time in my opinion.

He was just on TV last night!

Train and Automobile were right there for the taking.

I kinda think he's at the right level now, but no doubt he can work, and an angle where he "doesn't care" his way to the world title then finally breaks down with emotion would be some awesome tv. Wheeler being MIA in this conversation just shows how ridiculously stacked the AEW roster is. He's got all the tools for sure, and he's young, so there's not a lot of urgency to make him the next top face.

Third one: Boaty McBoatface

I got up hung over one Saturday in September and threw up on everything I could find. My car, a mailbox, the sidewalk, a water fountain. Finally staggered into a park and barfed into the river. Kinda wish I had chosen a spot that wasn’t a few yards from a family reunion, but you know what they say about beggars and choosers. That was September 18, 1991. I remember the date because that was the date my fiancée decided she was calling off our wedding even though the ceremony was only three weeks away. It was also the date I realized I was full of shit and attended my first AA meeting. Good times, lol. i drank way too much gin back then, but really it would take less time to list the adult beverages I wasn’t overindulging in college than the ones I was. edit: I should mention thwt the wedding was postponed, not canceled. We’ll celebrate our 31st anniversary in June.

They got the full card up on the English Language website. I’m going to be in attendance I’ve been toying with starting a thread for the show but fuck it here we are this kinda means I gotta write a road report but cool let’s do this! https://www.njpw1972.com/142769 Kickoff Show: Main Show:

Fuego Del Sol and Leon Ruffin are the new beloved tag team of YouTube AEW. This is the longest I've seen DADDY MAGIC and Cool Hand Ange in a regular match. Fuego Del Sol is our babyface in peril. Fuego with the ALEXANDER KARELIN LIFT! Fuego and Ruffin bonk heads and they CRUSH Fuego with their Black Cat DDT DOUBLED! MEI SURUGA! It's Hyena Hera! Mei is BITEY! Mei is all about the Moolah Hair Beils! That was an insane bit wrestling. Mei tells about eight little stories- each as zany as the next. I love Mei's submission. Allen and Cameron Russell? Are they sons of somebody in the BIZ? Josh Woods! Tony Neese! Neese is a heat machine. Woods kinda finally hits full STEINER and I am now excited about Woods/Briscoe. Hey! It's GRAVITY! That's Bandido's brother! It's Kip Sabian! Oh man, Kip goes all Lucha Libre. Kip is weirdly OVER in Orlando. This is some fun Lucharesu. Gravity hits a WACKY DIVE that I've never seen before. Oh man, Gravity translates well as a dirtbag luchadore in Big Lucha into a BUDDING UNIVERSAL STAPLE! GRAVITY! GRAVITY! GRAVITY! It's Dan the Dad! It's Zack Clayton. Dan the Dad should jump on the mic and say, "Don't forgot to take your drinks with you and throw them away because you know what comes next- BEES!" Jeeves Kay! SONNY KISS! It's Brock Anderson and Brian Pillman Jr! Slim J CHEATS! Jeeves Kay looks the best. Brock Anderson looks a lot better in this, as he is now just aping his dad, which is a good guy to ape. Nice Spinebuster by Brock! That was kind of disjointed but good. SERP vs Christopher Daniels! SERP is getting in all kinds of stuff. Angelico and Luther beat on Daniels while SERP distracts the ref! Fun roll-up sequence! SWEET Death Valley Driver by CD! They finally get to the Best Moonsault Ever! That was fun. Ari Daivari and J Spade! A thousand dollars to everyone in the audience if Spade wins! TAZ is awesome already losing the thousand dollars on Draftkings before the match is even over. Oh man, that match was wayyyyy fun. I don't think I've seen Ultra Violet before. It's Diamante! Diamante beats her ass! Violet gets some stuff in! Triple German Suplex by Diamante for the win! DALTON CASTLE AND THE BOYS! LET'S BREAK SOME HEARTS! Dalton Castle is so fucking awesome, taunting his opponents. Castle goes total STEINER! TWIRLING! TWIRLING! TWIRLING! So fucking great. OH MAN! BEAR BRONSON! KONOSUKE TAKESHITA! DON'T PEE, GORDLOW! DON'T PEE GORDLOW! Bronson gets is giant wads of offense. Super FAT BLUE THUNDER BOMB! NICE Backdrop Driver by Bronson! EVEREST GERMAN SUPLEX by Takeshita! Big Knee and that's all she wrote. That was great. That was a big wad oif pro wrestling. A very weird, strange and wonderful episode. MEI! GRAVITY! J SPADE! DALTON AND THE BOYS! And of course, BRONSON vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA!

I am such a little kid in anticipation for Saturday. There have certainly been matches I have wanted to see to this degree — Shield/Wyatts. Punk/Cena, Kofimania, Bryan at WM, Bayley/Sasha, etc. But I do not remember the last time I wanted to see a story play out like this. There is still so much intrigue and questioning about where it is all headed. Or even if it is headed anywhere after Saturday. This is an almost universally beloved story. All of the major players have in many ways transcended the art of portraying a character in wrestling. Everyone has different motivations, and they do not have to be explained, all while it still boils down to the inherent nature of wrestling, where we are rooting for a hero to take down the villain. We have all talked about how great Sami and Jey and Roman and Heyman have been. But KO (maybe the best at portraying a character since his first appearance at NXT) and Jimmy and Solo have also been so great, too. It has been such a masterpiece of an angle. Maybe we see Sami win the big one. Maybe we see the bad guy win. But either way, this is such a high water mark and I do not know if we will ever see something as good as this ever again.

AZ watched the Eagles D get torched by Mahommes in the 2nd half and said "Yeah, we'll take that!"

What percentage of charities, especially celebrity run charities, are just tax write offs that exist only to give their friends a cushy job?

Dude. There's only 1 or 2 reviews for it even out. I'll also never understand the fascination with referring to tomato scores.

Yeah, I’m definitely not trying to retroactively say the prequel trilogy was any good, because I think all those movies are varying degrees of bad, but as time goes on, my appreciation for them grows, because at least George was still trying to make those films about something. Pretty much everything Disney has made besides TLJ and Andor has been “Star Wars about Star Wars” One of the reasons I maybe have more time for the Syril plot line on Andor than most is because I think it paints a painstaking portrait of an average person being drawn into participating in fascism. Which is super subversive for a multi-billion dollar franchise IP.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/0fa63516-a455-4542-963b-8e88af715a87

Œtīs

I'm about halfway through because I went and watched the Cody/Sami interaction. Anyway, very glad for the Vickie moment, even the entrance more than the spear. I wish that they had let it sink in just a little more. I also kind of wish they let Rayne/Skye work de facto heel a bit more maybe? I'm not saying I'm looking forward to JASkye Blue or whatever she'll be when she eventually turns but it's good for her to get that experience in when it makes sense. One thing I really liked was the organic moment of Jade turning around and seeing the 52-0 on the screen and being surprised by it because she didn't realize they were counting the Jericho Cruise win (which hadn't happened yet, a very WCW Disney Tapings moment) and how she just rolled with it. Not much else to say other than Big Bill wasn't getting the extension on the big boot for facing a guy way smaller than him but I liked his trash talk in between spots and how in the moment he was. That theme really doesn't work though. Speaking of themes, I was sad we didn't get to hear the new SAP theme this week.

Enjoy, @Web Conn and @matt925. Most excited for Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, one of the best in ring rivalries ever and KAIRI vs. Mercedes Monet.

Cherry RC is my favorite cherry flavored cola. not really relevant, but i rarely get an opportunity to mention it.

That’s cool. Do you live in the San Jose area? I only ask cuz I’m flying in from Washington State for the show. I’m pumped for this show it looks like a stacked card.

Clearly, the Khan booking style puts a lot of emphasis on fresh matches/interactions, and to the point of frustration. The lack of title rematches in particular has always felt like a mistake and a hurdle for this 3 years in booker. The Dax Harwood pod this week talking about the first Bucks match and the frustrations with having no follow-up is a great example of this. That said, when laying out the fantasy book, is there enough consideration of the reality of the situation - the injuries, the politics, and all other unforeseen circumstances? You make mention of Miro, who is a great example. We certainly don't know all of the details, but the talk is Miro turned down booking plans because he didn't like them - I think this is pretty well known. He turned them down while his wife takes to podcast interviews stirring up shit with headline leading remarks. Maybe the booking Miro was offered was shitty and he was smart to pass. Or maybe the Meltzer-shared talk of these ex-WWE superstars, with WWEPSTD, refusing to do jobs, etc. is a more accurate account of what's happening. Maybe beloved Miro isn't being a good team player? House of Black is another great example. Matthews and Black were both asking for releases as soon as 'Paul' got in charge and illegally came calling. Are those the kinda guys you really want to put over your company guys/top stars having excellent matches on TV every week? I don't disagree with your Claudio remark, but it's also pretty clear he's long been earmarked for the upcoming ROH show. A show that has taken a long time to get going. Annoyingly long perhaps, but who here has ever tried to negotiate a TV deal while trying to relaunch an entire company? A situation which changes drastically when it's launched on a little known App as opposed to national television. Further, it's fairly safe to assume the increased size of the roster over the past year or so has something to do with this soon-to-be-arriving ROH weekly. I love and see great potential with the Gunns, but I agree they aren't there yet. Oh well, something didn't hit as well as it should have. Not such a big deal. I haven't seen any significant reports of any Mercedes-AEW negotiations, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened, and seems like a stretch to assume it hasn't. I'm not so sure we can rightfully assume it's a simple matter of money with Ms. Mo-nay. I agree that the Khan booking is sometimes frustrating, but it's a lot more difficult for me to overlook the amount of FUN and successes happening every goddamn week. Rush-Danielson just had one of the best TV matches I've ever seen. And it was followed up by a Trios title match that has become the norm as opposed to the jaw dropping talked about match it would have been before AEW started. I watch WWE these days (with a FFWD button close), and it's such a good reminder of all the little things AEW does so well that get overlooked. Simple things like pinfall/submission finishes, respecting tag teams and tag team wrestling, the lack of longwinded promos, the abondment of magic cameras, and all the other awful formulaic McMahon tropes. Complaining is easy, but so is being grateful for what this terrific pro wrestling company is working fabulously hard to offer on a weekly basis.

This is why we need the Lethal Lottery/Deadly Draw.

If you are participating in the WBC you actually had to report to Spring Training yesterday (Feb 13) Otherwise, pitchers and catchers start reporting for many teams tomorrow (Feb 15)

Announcing the Super Bowl, getting rave reviews, favorable comparisons to the former Golden Child, and THEN demoted behind a rookie. Yeah, that agent needs to go.

Sami winning just isn't in the cards anymore. Even if he beats Reigns at EC, the only logical outcomes from that would be Reigns regaining the title on Night 1 and losing to Cody on Night 2, or a triple threat with Cody winning... and I can't see them switching the belt(s) twice in one month, much less a hot potato two nights in a row. That said, I could totally see Reigns escaping by the skin of his teeth at EC but getting injured in the process. Say he goes for the spear only for Sami to rock his shoulder/arm/elbow with a nasty chairshot... something nice and visceral to make everyone think Cody has a real chance now. And Reigns tries to play it off as nothing serious, but he's really good at the subtleties and can totally pull off "more badly hurt than people think... and now they're thinking it."

I’m pumped to see Mercedes Vs Kairi I bought my tickets two days after Wrestle Kingdom I bought tickets based on that match. Okada Vs Tanahashi is an added bonus and I haven’t seen Kenta live since Wrestlemania 31.

My sarcastic barb thrown at anti-diversity neckbeards was thrown in vain. Everyone takes me far too seriously.

I’m really looking forward to the show, those two matches in particular. Plus what’s likely Jay Whites final new japan match. We got Jushin Ligers final US match as well, although it wasnt treated as much, being a tag match with Aaron solow in the second match on the card. Dave meltzer had a great line “everyone in the building understood the importance of that match, other than the new japan officials”. Super excited for Kairi vs Mercedes. Huge fan of both and I think it will have a big fight feel.

Happy for Rosser getting the KENTA matchup New Japan has been uploading all their Strong episodes to YouTube the last few weeks, and someone turned me onto Fred Rosser vs. Tom Lawlor from the 6/25/2022 episode. It's SO GOOD and I recommend it if you haven't seen either guy recently:

At New beginning in Osaka this past weekend @Web Conn Eddie Kingston responded to Jay Whites video promo sounding like it’s on. Dave says he’s supposed to be at dynamite Wednesday as well.

I feel like the prequels would be looked back at more positively if they were less reliant on CG. Not take CG out completely, but use a lot more practical effects. Think of something like Lord of the Rings, which had lots of CG but it was all built off a skeleton of practical effects. Then compare LOTR to the Hobbit, where the rushed schedule and Jackson just being over the whole thing, used comparatively little practical effects and way more CG and looks 10x worse than the movies that came before it. I rewatched the prequels again a couple years ago and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Stiff, clunky dialogue? Sure, but every Star Wars movie has that. I'd still put it as the weakest of the 3 trilogies, but think it may be different if they didn't look so much like a cut-scene. Way back when I hated that Phantom Menace was primarily driven by a trade dispute, but as I've gotten older and the world is *waves hand*, it makes sense to me that fascism would use such a mundane thing, that most people wouldn't care about, to gain a foothold. The stories just needed a 2nd hand to give a pass over Lucas' script and ideas.

People have been using A.I. voice mimicking technology to make short, comedic videos, and two of the ones that have been popular are an argument between 'Roman' and 'Dave' about star ratings, and another series which imagines what a Gorilla Monsoon-hosted podcast would sound like. Warning: very NSFW language! Reigns v Meltzer: The Gorilla Pod (look up Joe Marotta's Twitter to see the rest, I think there's ~7-8 of them in total):

You know what would make a good double bill for Joe Bob? Deadbeat At Dawn and Truth Or Dare. I know the first one is ostensibly an action picture but I think there can be a little leeway there. EDIT: Okay, I can't resist. NSFW for language.

Few things regarding Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn: It's in Montreal, Sami Zayn's hometown. That will make for an awesome crowd like John Cena going into CM Punk's hometown at Money in the Bank 2011 and Cena in enemy territory vs. Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand 2006. I can see "Fuck you, Roman" chants. Be great if Sami Zayn brings back Worlds Apart. Just a catchy theme song I've got to hear live twice. I hope Sami Zayn doesn't fuck his shoulder up like he did making his entrance in his WWE main roster debut when announced by Bret Hart that Zayn was taking up John Cena's WWE United States Championship Challenge. There will be big heat when Jey Uso turns on Sami Zayn. There will be a big cheer when Kevin Owens saves Zayn as Zayn saved him at the Royal Rumble. Considering it's Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn and it's in Montreal, this should be a MOTYC. Still wish this was the WWE WrestleMania XXXIX main event. Can't see them running it back there. Still looking forward to Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes though. This Bloodline angle is one of the best stories in wrestling history.

The stuff that gets done in Harley Quinn is outstanding, from sensitive Bane to Soccer-Dad Joker.

The top rope rule rears its ugly head yet again.

People in hotels waiting for others to get ready.