Surprisingly Sincere Man

Ohno seems like a guy who must've posted on here at some point over the years. Anyone know?

Yep, when he was announcing the XFL, all I was thinking (apart from this is a dumb idea) is that now is not a smart time for a man with his alleged history to be putting his head above the parapet.

She wasn't in the Rumble graphic and I swear she was in there previously.

The (c) is after Mathews' name, so maybe he was the champ after all? But Sydal is defending on his behalf or something?

I'd love if they had Miz win and hold the IC title for two years. Have him beat whatever the record is. Then give him another world title run after that.

I hope they're not doing this, but the thought crossed my mind that they're going to run a mental health angle with Bryan. Shane was hinting that way in their interaction backstage.

I'm guessing this is leading to a War Games match down the road with the NXT match having been the dry run.

Yeah X-files was awful. Even outside of the ever continuing plot nonsense, the whole episode was poorly directed and edited. I couldn't believe it was the same show I used to watch. Rapid fire cuts within scenes, cutting between two ongoing dialogue scenes quickly so that nothing is given time to breathe, poorly framed shots, Duchovny mumbling through his voiceovers, far too many shots of him driving, etc etc. Just mind numbingly dull, boring television. It makes me annoyed because this show was far better than this once upon a time.

There actually is at least one - https://4xblu.com/ The actual store is in LA, but he has an online shop too. He specializes in imports. Can't vouch for him as I've never used them, but the guy who runs it frequents a message board I also frequent and I've never heard any complaints from other board members.

Anybody figure Raw will be interesting tonight, or will it just be meaningless filler* because it's likely nobody will be watching? The idea of watching WWE on Christmas night feels a bit weird to me so not sure I want to tune in. * I mean more meaningless than usual.

Are you kidding? Vince would sign Kaepernick to play for the Baltimore Blacks, and pit them against the Charlottesville Supremacists or some shit.

Interesting. You don't read books that are just average? I read quite a bit of mystery/crime fiction, so what may start off well may end up just being a 3 star book by the finish if the mystery doesn't live up to the promise of the set up. Even still, 3 star books (and even some 2 stars) have some value somewhere in them. To each their own, of course. I've given up on books before but they'll have to be poorly written to the point where I can't stand it. I've slogged through many a book I didn't care for. Still though, at 75 books a year, you're presumably a pretty fast reader (I'm at about 45 and am quite a slow reader) so even if something is just bang average for you, you presumably would be able to get through it in a week, no? Generally at what point do you give up on a book?

I received my annual email from Goodreads with my year in review stats. Might as well share my 4 and 5 star rated books. I'd love if others shared their top reads of the year. ***** The Goshawk by T.H. White - Easily my favourite book I've read in a long time. After reading about falconry, White promptly buys a goshawk and spends months alone trying to break it in, resulting in a volatile relationship between the man and the bird. The current bestseller H is for Hawk is heavily influenced by this book. It's on my shelf waiting to be read, but apparently is nowhere near as good as this. Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household - I'd been turned on to this book by Robert Macfarlane who is a big fan of it and mentions it quite often. A tale of survival set in the 1930s, a British man in an unnamed European country has an unnamed European dictator in the sights of his sniper rifle but is caught by security forces. He is beaten and tortured, but escapes and eventually makes his way back to England where he is still further chased through the English countryside. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - A reread from my childhood years. Still a great read and a clever mystery. The Fox and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson - A bit of a cheat here, as I'm rating this more out of nostalgia than anything. I was helping my son tidy up his room a few months ago when he pulled this book out and asked me to read it to him again. I used to read it to him as a toddler. It's a sweet story about a young fox who believes a tree is sick when it starts losing its leaves. **** The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre - I'm a big fan of his work. This is autobiographical, but rather than just a straightforward account of his life, it's more a collection of interesting stories and experiences from his life. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - This is a great story, and it's a real pity that we all know the mystery already, because I suspect this would've been even more chilling for original readers. The Spanish Cave by Geoffrey Household - This is an adventure story for 12 year old boys, but as with all good juvenile fiction, it can be enjoyed by adults too. Written by the author of the aforementioned Rogue Male it's about an English boy living in Spain who becomes intrigued by the possibility of an ancient sea creature living in a nearby cave. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates by David Cordingly - I went to Jamaica on vacation this year and wanted to read something with some ties to the island (A Brief History of Seven Killings seemed a bit too heavy for a beachside read) This is an engaging and in depth look at the history of piracy in the Caribbean. Adolphe by Benjamin Constant - In truth, I don't remember a great deal about this book. It's the story of a young man's tempestous affair with an older woman, and I remember being struck by how the 19th Century protagonist's feelings mirrored my own at various times in my life almost 200 years later. Glaxo by Hernan Ronsino - A short Argentinian book about a betrayal between a group of friends and which jumps back and forth in time to reveal what actually happened and how it has affected these men in the present. Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol by Tony Scherman and David Dalton - I knew next to nothing about Warhol and wanted to know more, so this was the better of the two books I read this year. It's practically a diary of his most productive and successful years (61-68) and very informative. Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus - Been reading a few of the Greek tragedies this year. This was the best of the bunch. Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey - Another kind of cheat here as I actually listened to a theatrical version of this on a vinyl record I found in a thrift shop. I had read it before, but this brought it much more to life. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit - Kind of a mixed bag of ruminations on life, loss and nature, but the good greatly outweighs the bad here. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - This was a beautifully told story of forbidden lust in a highly mannered New York society. I don't remember the Scorsese film all that well, so a rewatch is warranted now.

Yep, definitely this. Miz and Maryse worked really hard at the show I was at this year in being chickenshit heels and constantly jawing with the crowd. Impressed me greatly.

I took it as Finlay literally saying Russo couldn't put on a headlock, as in he had to train him in WCW and he was especially useless.

I honestly got the sense that Lawler was in on the whole thing too. It's hard to believe that a worker like him would get all pissy about Carrey's behaviour and not recognise the work going on.

Be like Noam

The saddest day of my life was when I realized that I had read more words written by Dave fucking Meltzer than any other writer in history. This is now the only wrestling site I visit.

Don't mean to be rude but, well yeah of course it was. While I'm here, I was surprised there was very little outside interference in the main. Was expecting Jordan and Kane to get involved.

Angle obviously has had health problems, but it's kinda uncomfortable watching him just stand there all stooped over. Looks like the dude can't straighten his legs. Him being involved in main event matches going forward seems like a worrying proposition.

After allowing himself to be photographed in City gear, Sheamus totally redeemed himself last night by unveiling his Liverpool kit in a Manc crowd. Beautiful.

Can't tell if that's Sabu or a cardboard cutout of Sabu.

After Strowman slammed Axel for the 4th time... Booker: That's five!