Custos

‘Basically French’ is a bit of overstatement. Keeping on the football theme (and dating myself) Matt Le Tissier, from Guernsey, played for England after all. The trouble with signing all the great talent is then you need to have something for them to do that doesn’t push out the existing great talent even with more TV coming along. Archer was in a holding pattern backstage for weeks and weeks before being featured again in the Battle Royal. Less of an issue for the ladies, and they should snap up whoever they can, but I would be more judicious with the men. Matt Sydal is a head-scratcher for example. But that said I wouldn’t pass up a prospect like Ben Carter.

Yes I absolutely agree, I was saying the hypothetical shitty worker in contrast to what we actually have, which is a very smart and safe worker who with any luck will be shrugging at us and shilling his shit into his 60’s.

Echo @christopher.anninowords on the AEW podcast and also, as I noted in that same thread, on the Busted Open podcast last week they had Santana and Ortiz the day after the Parking Lot brawl (second half of the episode, it’s quite a quick listen), they broke down their prep for the match and it got very real with Santana talking about his personal struggles. He’s potentially a huge face down the road.

It’s a good one and a feel-good story considering the long road and ups and downs. Kind of like (though not as emotional) when Santana was on Busted Open radio after the parking lot brawl, he was tearing up talking about the roller coaster he’s been through in his personal life and the anxiety and depression that he’s struggled through, to have a banger of a match to prove to the world what they are capable of in the main event. Chuckie T was close to packing it all in a few years ago and now with the landscape changed there’s a place for him. On BTE the best part was the whole of Dark Order corpsing at Sue botching the paper toss.

Especially in a marathon tournament like this, you can’t have every single G1 match be a Suzuki Ishii slugfest or Tana Naito epic, it needs variety and layers. Not to say I want a shitty worker to add the ‘variety’ of a sub par match, but Yano’s schtick is creative, well executed and it’s fun to see the more ‘serious business’ wrestlers work as a foil to him. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with bringing more light-hearted stuff to 2020. I forgot to mention in my earlier post, SANADA is the quintessential straight man to Yano’s antics, his low-key pissed-off expressions are just perfect.

Just caught up on the first two days now. With the shows so compact, there’s time to take in the Young Lions battles. Was very psyched for Suzuki/Ishii and did not disappoint as everyone else shared. Great to see the gaijin back in the Japanese arena, and the audience felt the same way, even with Jay White. Keeping spoiler free, highlights so far are the aforementioned forearms, Shingo not taking Jay’s shit and tossing him across the ring by his mane, the Windy Man handling Togo’s shenanigans and Taichi stepping up to Cobb.

Didn't Beastmaster have CM Punk and Wade Barrett too? It's the go-to for wrestler-turned-presenters.

At least ZSJ and Yano are in B to give a bit of flavour and variety. Having said that, echoing the excitement of Shingo vs pretty much everyone in the block, and righting the wrong of Suzuki being spurned last year.

(not to make this a second GIFs thread) On the subject of turning a suplex into something more hurty, I liked Bray's suplex into a toss halfway across the ring. Maybe not as 'damaging' as a brainbuster but visually impressive and quite the physical statement, namely 'I don't give a damn about you and your bodily well-being'.

The 40 man battle royal on my first coliseum video that I played and played to death (US rampage 92) had Bulldog military press a Beverly Brother and throw him into the other Beverly Brother on the outside as the finish, so at least they learned their lesson. But maybe that’s because #1 wasn’t a factor as the ring was cleared by that point. Kayfabe explanations

Talking deadlift german, bonus beautiful bridge. I was partial to Gangel's arm trap suplex.

Not sure I agree with Josiah, as recently He (pronouns pal) seems to be as capricious as VKM, but happy to see him back gainfully re-employed. I enjoyed all the Wrestle and Flow videos, I often find his remixed melody for Beckys theme drifting into my head at random moments.

Thanks for the heads up @Tabe I really liked the Horizon Zero Dawn doc so need to check that one out. Supergiant seems like a cool and consistent small to mid-size studio as well.

Chris is looking pretty zen there too, probably happy to cool off in...whatever that stuff actually is, and relieved he wasn’t another victim of the nights misfortune. I was a bit disappointed that he didn’t ham it up more, I guess he wanted to be respectful and sell the Orange Punch finish. The tearful exit was good anyway.

In sleeping on it, yes the Hardy thing and other botches happened (and I don’t think it’s virtue signalling in a discussion board talking about your honest fresh thoughts on the show, to say someone knocked loopy being dragged around and climbing scaffolds took you out of the show). The biggest ‘unforced error’ was the show was too long, with too many matches, that were too long, which led to worse pacing/sloppiness combined with exhausted fans (or the perception, if the audio was to blame) that gives the overall impression that, as much as they say they listen to the fans, they don’t learn as much as they think they do. Or the booker/wrestler balance is off and the inmates are running the asylum. These were virtually all valid criticisms from at least one of the big pre-Dynamite shows last year. Overall I did enjoy a lot of the show, including the highest profile stuff that is what you pay your money to see. But it could and should have been better.

I recall the office staff (coaches, producers, merch etc) are all permanent staff with healthcare and benefits, don’t believe that extends to the wrestlers and refs unless they have a player/coach arrangement or help out in the office in some other capacity as well.

Well that was a bit of a downer. For as much good stuff as there was (Bucks/Jurassic Express and the 8-man tag exceeded expectations, title matches were all good or better) the bad deflated it. I don't mind a bit of sports entertainment but that Tooth and Nail match was not, poor Shockmaster Sydal at least didn't hurt himself, and the whole Hardy debacle leaves an off taste. Tony Khan said on the pre-show he became acquainted with Billy Corgan through his friendship with Chris Nowinski, some sadly comic irony. That'll be an awkward conversation when they next hook up to say the least. Two favourite moments were seeing Archer rip it up as hoped and MJF hanging with Moxley wrestling-wise showing that he does have a long bright future. Oh and all the creative peril spots in the Mimosa match.

I’m the same, it’s just such an immaculately designed game, even if I don’t have the patience and/or dexterity to play at a high level it’s fun seeing the combination of combustible elements all play out

That’s the one, I should have looked it up first. CM Punk chief shit stirrer along with Gail Kim, Renee, Andrew Yang and the rest of the rag-tag band of misfits and misanthropes is a great source of amusement too. Sometimes these things grow arms and legs. I know this contradicts my points on social media above but occasionally one gives into ones baser urges. Oh shit that sounds amazingly pompous and holier than thou. Okay, we’re all pieces of shit. Is that better? This neurosis is why I don’t do social media much...

I say I ironically in terms of capturing the 2020 zeitgeist this could be the ubiquitous cross-over shirt (minus the AEW logo) a la Bullet Club in Hot Topic, where anecdotally a lot of non-wrestling fans bought it because it spoke to them/ the logo was cool.

It’s so close to perfect but the WWE logo is jarring. The IWGP just tips it as best looking belt in current circulation

Spelunky 2 coming to Steam at the end of September. Playing Hades at the moment and will continue the rogue like kick when this comes along

From this angle, this looks like an alternate history when Gillberg has enough of his loser knockoff gimmick and just shoots on a motherfucker.

What’s that Lenin quote (probably butchered) there’s decades when a year passes and weeks when decades pass?

DVDVR is my social medium of choice, besides the odd dip into reddit to get a taste of what’s occurring in the wider IWC, which took a wild turn sideways with the cesspool of humanity exposed through Speaking Out. Kudos to anyone who sheds the negativity, I stole the line from podcaster Jeff Cannatta that I used in a previous post, love loving the stuff that you love, like the username Stevie Nipps. ? Edit not to just make this post a forum love-in, I was thinking listening to Tony Khan on his conference call, with him consuming all the crash TV era of wrestling in his formative years, how long before he leans into it and introduces a Russo-esque obnoxious alter ego. We already had the ode to ECW with the Janela hardcore stuff.