C.S.

I stand corrected.

I don't get the joke? Reference? Unless you're trying to say the Gere hamster rumor hasn't been brought back up and he's relieved, you've totally lost me.

And in today's round of Who's an Asshole in Hollywood, please welcome Sylvester Stallone. *SIGH*

My top five (in no particular order): - Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley (1st book) - A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex by Chris Jericho (1st book) - Bodyslams by Gary Michael Cappetta - The Pictorial History of Wrestling: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Bert Randolph Sugar and George Napolitano - Theater in a Squared Circle by Jeff Archer I should probably explain the last two. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was the first wrestling book I ever read, before I was even a wrestling fan. It's basically just a bunch of wrestler bios + those great George Napolitano pictures. I doubt it holds up to today's standards, but the nostalgia is strong. Theater in a Squared Circle is basically a series of random articles, interviews, and historical pieces. I've never read anything else quite like it, so it gets a spot on my list. I'm sure if you asked me tomorrow or next week, I'd change my mind and have different books on this list - at least for the last two. I haven't included anything I've read this year (the Justin Roberts book, etc.) as those are still too fresh in my mind and I need some distance from them first. I'm planning to pick this up soon. Really looking forward to it! BTW, if anyone doesn't have the Bryan YES book yet, I saw it cheap at Barnes & Noble in the bargain section.

Mine too, and very appropriate for this thread, as we probably wouldn't have most of these other books we're discussing now if his first one wasn't such a success sales-wise.

I don't want to get into politics, but what is the Gal Gadot story/controversy exactly?

I bought the 1960s Batman set on Blu-ray for $40 bucks or so on Amazon a few months ago, but in general, I prefer digital or streaming for TV shows - not sure why that is.

Night of the Living Dead is going to do good numbers for Criterion IMO. That's the type of movie with crossover appeal that reaches people outside their usual "base." I just hope the shoddy Mill Creek cash-grab butcher job of a release in the Walmart bin doesn't eat into those sales. If you're a fan of Batman animation and a fan of the old Adam West TV show, I highly recommend "Return of the Caped Crusaders" and "Batman vs. Two-Face." They're both voiced by Adam West (before his death), Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar, and they take place in the 1960s Batman universe.

I remember that now! Basically, H was presented as the world's biggest cock-blocker. But yeah, I think it's safe to say we're all better off without ever having endured an "epic" Bray Wyatt-Jericho storyline. I wonder if Vince never quite got behind Wyatt. That would explain his hot-cold, start-stop pushes. Also, the fact that Wyatt sucks probably doesn't help. Anyway, I'm reading Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling now, and while I thankfully haven't noticed any typo/grammar issues (as mentioned on another board), it is a pretty dry read overall. Plus, in a chapter about a specific wrestler, the author will spend several pages going on a tangent about another wrestler entirely. The two do eventually intersect, but I wish the other wrestler had just been given his own chapter instead. It's interesting so far though, especially the way it shows wrestling transitioning from a shoot to a work. IMO, 90% of wrestling matches - even with shooters - were works (and 90% is probably a low number).

Can you refresh my memory? What did he say (or not say) about Triple H?

The difference is, people actually know who Tim Storm is now - at least more than before - which speaks to how well Billy and Lagana have promoted the NWA compared to past regimes. Pairing Tim up against "bigger names" like Aldis and having him win those matches is a very good strategy, along with all of the YouTube videos they're doing. Fair enough. I didn't see it, but I heard great things. It's a shame TNA had to be TNA and ruin it. I remember the magic and buzz around Aries' reign at the time. I'm not saying he would've saved the promotion singlehandedly, but it did seem they were onto something with him. So why was Aries such a terrible babyface in NXT and to a lesser extent WWE? Now, maybe it's only me who thought so? But he was so smug and impossible to cheer IMO. Great heel for sure, but I didn't buy him as a babyface in NXT or WWE.

Agreed about Alberto, who has the double-stench of not only WWE but also Impact. But if Corgan and Lagana are looking for a fresh young talent to upset Tim Storm (and I have no idea if that's the case - I'm only speculating), Aries is not the guy to go with IMO. Does that mean I don't think Aries should be positioned as a valuable part of the NWA? No, if he's available, he'd definitely be an asset. I just don't think he's the right choice within the next 6-12 months to unseat Storm. They need to make a statement with that, and looking toward anyone who has been marginalized or devalued in other promotions isn't the answer IMO. Eventually, maybe, but not yet. I thought Aries was one of the worst babyfaces I've ever seen in my life when he was in NXT. Now, maybe they were doing a stealth build toward his eventual heel turn there - I don't know - but it didn't work for me at all. Aries fared slightly better as a babyface on the main roster against Neville, but even that felt like an ill-fit to me. As a heel though, absolutely he's fantastic. Like I said above, I don't think WWE or TNA castoffs are the answer for who should unseat Tim Storm. Finding a "homegrown" star to do it is easier said than done, but it's the better move IMO if the NWA wants to establish its own identity. That doesn't mean I don't think Aries, Aldis, etc. can't be valuable players down the road - they can be.

Aries is not a guy you build a promotion around. I think (and hope) Corgan and Lagana are smart enough to find their own homegrown guy to beat Tim Storm. I was so afraid they'd jump the gun and go with Nick Aldis, who still has the stench of TNA all over him, just like Aries has the stench of the failed WWE Cruiserweight division all over him. Does that mean those guys can't be valuable players in the NWA? Of course not. But I don't think either of them are the solution for the World's Heavyweight Title picture - at least not in the next 6-12 months as this gets off the ground. Someone young and fresh, someone who feels like a genuine discovery, needs to be the one to unseat Tim Storm. Whether that person exists, who knows, but Aries and Aldis aren't the answer.

I really doubt he re-signs unless he's guaranteed a return to the ring. The only exception is if he does a sudden about-face and makes peace with his in-ring career being over. I don't see that happening though. If having a baby didn't change his mind, I don't think anything will.

I'm a collector too. I do love to blind buy, but I'm usually reasonably sure I'll enjoy the movie. I'm also a sucker for a good bargain - yes, including the Walmart bin - but I don't buy crap just because it's cheap or "just to have it" (I'll never understand anyone's reasons for intentionally buying a movie they know isn't good). The aforementioned Criterion is usually reliable for blind buys, but I blind buy movies from every label, genre, etc. I'm also dipping my toe into digital, although my collection there is probably modest compared to most because 90% of what I have is redeemed from codes that come with Blu-rays/DVDs. Movies Anywhere, despite its early growing pains, has been good for digital overall IMO.

What is the Hillbilly Jim bio like? I'm not sure I even realized it existed until now. Speaking of wrestlers from that vintage, I remember Hacksaw Jim Duggan's book being surprisingly decent.

I signed up just to respond to this. I think I had a membership years ago but I can't remember the details now. Your post is months old, so hopefully you see it. Anyway, I think it depends what you're looking for. This is basically an "awestruck kid achieves his lifelong dream" narrative. Don't expect much in the way of dirt. I think even JBL is talked about positively. He does discuss some rough patches with Shane though, but nothing scandalous. There is some interesting insight into what Shane was like as a teenager, but again, nothing groundbreaking. He also goes into the Posse's time in Memphis, Puerto Rico, etc. and the metamorphosis of their characters. It won't crack the top echelon of wrestling books or anything like that, but it's fun, light, breezy, and very positive - the latter is a rarity for wrestling books, so that alone makes it different enough. Worth $14? I used credits to knock down the price some, so I can't honestly say. I did enjoy it though. The self-help format threw me off at first, but overall, I liked it. His first book is still his best and one of the better wrestling books overall IMO. None of his sequels have come close. I remember his second being decent enough too, if somewhat unmemorable. His third was completely obnoxious - he came across to me as an emotionally stunted man-child drunk. Thankfully, he's much more pleasant in the fourth book. It might be his best one since the first, but again, it's not even close.