Octopus
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Posts posted by Octopus
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The good ol’ non-title, title match.
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Another great promo for AEW twitter. Watch the match first before this.
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I listened to the interview and you could tell Mox was excited. Maybe it had to do with the car he stole from Jericho. Car could have been dinged up. Keyed even. Cars can get keyed. Keyed again? For a second time? Re-keyed. Who keyed? He? Or was it she? Re-keyed, She. Re-key she. Rikishi! Rikishi vs Mox for the title.
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It’ll just be 1-10 as various cuts of Avengers 2.
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On 3/26/2020 at 12:31 PM, RIPPA said:
I really should institute a "no more than 3 Marvel movies" rule
So is this rule in effect? I made a rough draft (had 50 but made it to 100) and I’m at about 10 or so Marvels. I can kill off a few though.
On 6/10/2020 at 6:31 AM, RIPPA said:Okay - so as of now, I am not returning to the office until August so I pushing the deadline to August 1 for ballots (it will move around some still)
But I will actually start calling for ballots in July
Deadline still August 1st or did it get moved back? If so I’ll probably ship out my Ballot soon
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One thing I didn’t think to ask before: only features or are shorts included?
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I’ll compromise: Dead or Sabu
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7 minutes ago, AxB said:
You know how the Cactus Jack Wanted Dead shirt was out of print for ages, and then came back as the compromised and unimpressive Wanted Dead or Alive? I met a guy at a Wrestling show who was insanely jealous that I had one. Especially when he found out I bought it in '95.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL. The one I have is actually Wanted Dead or Alive. After reading your post it clicked and I double checked. Woof.
Apologies for unintentionally posing Mic Foley street-cred. I’m cracking myself up over the goof up, haha.
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That hat is lit! Sweet logo.
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I was walking to a coffee shop with my friend. A guy got out of his car to yell, “BANG BANG!” With the Foley finger guns. I didn’t tell my friend it’s because of my Cactus Jack shirt so he thinks I’m in a rougher neighborhood than I am.
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I have a Cactus Jack Wanted Dead shirt and a yellow Justin Liger one. I used to have a cool maroon Bryan Danielson one but I think that ripped up. Would be way too small. Miss that one.
15 minutes ago, Ultimo Necro said:I can’t think of anything I hate more than people talking to me for no reason, but people talking to me for no reason about wrestling things because I’m wearing a wrestling t-shirt is the stuff of nightmares.
I have an Elias “US tour” shirt from a few years back. It’s so well done most non-fans probably just think he’s some rock singer. But if someone came up to me and started asking about wrestling, WWE or Elias I would run away from them like I was the 24/7 champ.
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1 hour ago, Casey said:
Buckethead and no one will ever change my mind.
I’ve seen him live 4 times now and each was an amazing experience.
1 of the Times was in Minneapolis right after Prince died. He came out in a purple bucket and killed it with a ton of Prince songs.
Color on the pic is crummy, but that’s purple around the bucket
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Last year for me. I think it was an AAA show that had El Hijo Vikingo vs Taurus vs Jack Evans on YouTube. It lead to me finding more modern full shows online. Started reading thecubfan’s Luchablog more in depth. It was a fun new world I knew existed but didn’t invest time into. Old lucha I never really got. The way they moved around the ring was just too different. I remember seeing Negro Casas and seeing there was something there, but I just didn’t fully understand him. US wrestling to Japanese wrestling is an easier transition. Lucha is just a totally different word. Had a similar reaction to Jazz music. Once I saw MS1 vs Sangre Chicano it all clicked. I went into the deep end and I’m still swimming. Anything with Negro Casas, Satanico, or Hijo Del Santo has been a treat so far. Most of my posts in the Lucha page is asking people’s advice on what to watch.
To tie it to clobbering, lucha brawls are so great. I always love the visual of a mask getting slightly ripped with blood underneath. I’m sure there’s a lot of LA Park brawls that could fit in this thread.
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Oh wow, ballots due end of next week? I gotta hustle. How do points work, your #1 vote get 100 points or something like that? And if I do 50 am I less of a person?
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@Curt McGirt, legit! I’m gonna dig through these. The Comes - No Side was recommended to me by a cute Canadian metal goth I was talking to online a looooong time ago. Very outside of what I was enjoying at the time but really hit me. Stumbling on this thread reminded me of it.
Come to think of it, our mutual friends that knew her I don’t think ever actually met her in person. I wonder if she is real. Haha
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I saw @Death From Above‘s Negro Casas match posted last week and I thought of this one. Clobber Clobber, friends.
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Japanese Punk
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25 minutes ago, DMN said:
It's just a TEW 'diary' based on ECW surviving with a HBO show, over on EWB. I seem to remember DVDVR not being too big on that stuff in the past, and 'defunct pro wrestling fan-fic' is probably the lamest possible sort of fan-fic, so I don't really talk about it, but hobbies is hobbies.
Those diaries are fun to dig through! I used to lurk and read through a bunch of them on there back when I was playing more. Shoot me a message of your page and I’ll try and check it out when I get my password figured out.
”Lamer” the hobby the better. Work friends tease me about wrestling, but hey I love it. Art, creativity, activity, whatever it is as long as it keeps you from focusing on the inevitability of how we’re all inching towards death. Throw in a ~weird~ hobby and you’re more interesting than others, is how I look at it.
Edit: I’m saying “lamer” because you said lame. I don’t think it’s lame, actually cool.
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Finally got around to checking out your podcast, @odessasteps. Very informative. The talk on not knowing different areas channel numbers was funny. I feel the modern version of that is which streaming service something is on.
On 7/6/2020 at 1:35 PM, odessasteps said:Thanks. I didn't think I did a good job talking to Kriz (knowing he had yet another pod to do after we were done) but I was cool talking to my friend Jim, whom I've not seen in a good while.
You did good, man. I liked the relaxed vibe. Felt like an actual conversation as opposed to just Q&A. Good call bringing up Georgia on his YouTube.
Jim convo was fun. Can’t go wrong pulling a Simmons.
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1 hour ago, DMN said:
I'm like square in the demo, I guess, 37, but even with the Network I can't be fucked to watch current stuff. I'm moving through the ECW redubs, just bouncing around, watching the Hardcore TV from 2000 for a fantasy booking project (I'm that kind of lame), and I just started to dig into the WCCW on the Network. Current stuff just doesn't catch my interest.
Oh, cool. What’s the fantasy booking project you’re working on? If you care to share.
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On 5/15/2020 at 7:48 AM, Matt D said:
I know nothing about any of this. I haven't been paying attention at all. Why is this video well over an hour and am I mandated to have to watch it anyway?
I finally watched this and it’s a damn fine match. Maybe the emotion of it all sucked me in but this might be my current match of the year. The struggle to pull off moves, the use of medics, the little kid throwing his water cup, the apron fight, all of it was just so wonderful. I am exhausted and sweaty now.
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Absolutely phenomenal is right. Throw in the triple threat with El Dandy (96, I think?) and you got a night of great lucha.
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44 minutes ago, thee Reverend Axl Future said:
Or at least where we can see you.
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7 hours ago, Infinit said:NOAH Destiny featuring Kobashi vs Kensuke was 15(!) years ago today.
Also, the 33rd anniversary of El Hijo Del Santo vs Negro Casas
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10 hours ago, Casey said:
What the fuck did I just read.
I suck
4 hours ago, Ryan said:A college essay entrance test for WWE University?
The dream is to score a job doing tape transfer for the Network and get yelled at for wearing shorts.
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14 hours ago, Matt D said:
@The Natural posting some memories of Punk/Cena made me think of something.
The big narrative in the WWF in the 80s was Hogan vs Monsters. In the late 90s, it was Austin vs McMahon and WCW vs WWF with the idea anything could happen. I think in the 2010s, it was WWE vs the Fans, one of the last big conflicts people could get behind. It was about whether or not they'd really change their plans and make main eventers out of Punk/Bryan. We'd seen Benoit/Guerrero/Rey in the 00s but the pushback there in each case was obvious, punctuated with Rey's title run. For the most part, the fans won. That was pretty much evident in how the Roman stuff went and the long-run push of Rollins as a top guy. He's the sort of person 2013 fans who were rebelling against the product would want on top, a ROH alum workrate guy.
That last conflict, however, was pure meta. It wasn't about anything in a narrative. The narrative was the behind-the-scenes workings of the company against the fans. It wasn't some sort of ECW rallying where it was one company and its fans as underdogs against other companies. It was the fans AGAINST the company itself. Not against some corporate overlord (though that was personified in the form of the Authority) but really against the WWE. After you go to that, it seems very hard to come back to some fictional narrative for people to get behind. What sort of fictional feud with Drew Macintyre could be compelling. How can people not just think of it again as "are they really going to book it this way or that way?" as the main narrative thrust instead of what's being presented on screen.
WWE vs AEW seems like it could be vaguely compelling but it's such a niche audience for both right now.
I think their only real hope is to engage a new generation of fans with different interests. Are the younger AEW fans into the storytelling or are they more into the progressive/throwback hybrid attitude of the promotion?
Either/ Or by Soren Octopusgaard
Hey @Matt D, I am Octor Pusmita. I was stumbling through this forum and I came across your mention of WWE vs the Fans. Thinking on your post, it really intrigued me. I was deep in thought on it all day. I need to keep my mind busy and active as I work. I don't listen to earbuds as I miss when people call me. So I spend my day thinking as I clean houses. Today's task? Cleaning out this Danish attic. Long story, used to be owned by a judge. While going through an old escritoire desk, I happened to stumble on these old letters. Two individuals writing back and forth happened to be debating about exactly what you were pondering. So fascinated by this, I just have to type this all out for you. Sadly, the first author’s name is smudged out, so we’ll call him “O.” Hope you enjoy.
QuoteEITHER -The Aesthetic, by O
WWE generally finds their answer when they can successfully tap into, for lack of a better term, American Culture. Hogan vs Monsters felt like it came from the period it came from. Their answer to losing ratings to WCW was mimicking what was scene in pop culture in the 90’s. Whenever you do this you can get trash ideas but with the right talent can be magic. The meta storytelling of a company acknowledging the flaws of failing to give the people what they want parallel to the fictional universe’s narrative was an inventive way to get a Cena vs Punk or a rise of Daniel Bryan a special wink. The use of that meta storytelling was a representation of what was being done at the time. Maybe not literally because WWE is live athletic theater, but meta comedies was a big thing with shows like 30 Rock, Community, Rick and Morty, Family Guy, etc. WWE was finding success leaning into themselves with Company vs Fans. It made sense because the universe already involved the “Evil Owners” in the McMahons. The company’s figurehead went from Mr Burns blocking out the sun to Jack Donaghy ironically forcing product integration against the standards of the show. You will like Cena and you won’t like Daniel Bryan, meta reverse psychology.
So how do you regain the trust of the fans after being meta-evil? That’s a tall order, but by looking into the world right now. One thing to tap into is the current movement for desired Systematic Change. That’s the heart of of both political sides grievances. A demand for police reform, attempting to challenge systemic racism on the left and the previous attempt to “drain the swamp” on the right. A feeling that nearly everyone shares but is disagreeing on the cause, the way things are running is not working. If the WWE can figure out a way to distance themselves from WWE vs the Fans it will have to come from actual change or the mere appearance and fan acceptance of it. The WWE can't be branded on you'll get what you want eventually but we wont be happy about it. A deep rooted change of the company being looked at as provided the entertainment the fans actually want. WWE & the Fans.
Now there already has been attempts at the appearance of this already. The McMahon family literally were in the ring saying they are now listening to the fans and will do better. Last year? One of their immediate answers which I feel maybe wasn’t exactly needed was getting rid of GM roles, which honestly Paige was doing fine. Doing so they went back to the well and had more McMahons for a bit and having Stone Cold call the WWE Universe family. Ok, cool uncle. This of course I'm citing from some time ago, and I can't tell you if they are as openly present in the product currently. Looking at the results of last Raw it seems like a different show than the one I had to quit watching. Maybe they've turned around? Maybe I'll go back? I'll get to that.
A moment that work, leaning a bit towards meta, was Kofimania. The most emotionally captivating storyline in recent years for me. Again you have Evil Company but in a dismissive tone instead of a cartoonish caricature. Vince likes silly midcarder Kofi, not as a top guy representing the company. It’s hard not to see the parallels of the time’s BLM rise with Kofi being denied an equal opportunity to be given a shot to earn a championship match. He is given an unfair disadvantage to give the opportunity to prove himself and his friends even have to suffer to raise Kofi up. Even, in storyline, being replaced by Kevin Owens who is portrayed as a father just trying to feed his family. Success for WWE is having an ability to weave in and out modern social waves into compelling stories. I was in awe of Kofi’s victory and had friends that were lapsed fans that were touched and kept updated on the product for a few episodes after Wrestlemania.
A change they have successfully made was how women are presented on the show. I’ve left the Network and don’t plan on watching weekly shows, but I keep looking back solely because of the Women’s division. Becky’s rise was awesome, Asuka is one of my favorite wrestlers, Sasha Banks and Bailey are killing it right now, and there are so many badasses right now that can legitimately main event a show. Improved representation of women in media is something that should have happened long ago but is now happening. To quote Trudeau when asked why he had equal female to male cabinet members, “because it’s 2015.”
A change that is ultimately most desired but not entirely vocalized by the fans is the ability to present coherent storylines that don’t embarrass or insult us as fans. Sasha & Bailey is one of the most interesting builds in wrestling right now, but I can’t fully buy into because they’ve burned me so many times before. Some of us on here don’t like Seth Rollins, but him going over Brock was needed and the fans loved it. After he won there was such an odd change in character that he just came off dweeby and was rejected. The whole Fiend fiasco was embarrassing. Roman Reigns is pretty cool, but the way they tried pushing his story of not being able to beat Brock was trash and made people literally boo him. Naomi vs Mandy was just abandoned and forgotten about. Drake Maverick gave a compelling promo to watch 205 Live and then peed his pants on the main brand. Kevin Owens pretending to be Stone Cold was cool but trying to make him sympathetic by not being able to pay fines was trash. I sometimes assume maybe we fans are now just jaded, but I’ve mentioned earlier how they’ve had recent angles that blew everyone away. Maybe the Systematic Change they need is merely not butchering stories. Even when people are not watching, they eventually hear what’s going on. Build up good will by not producing garbage, they have more than enough talent.
But that't the heart of the issue. I don't watch because they've proven they can't be trusted. With every improvement that the WWE have made, there is a reason I don't want to watch. The roster is insanely talented. Yet how they are handled can be so frustrating. I assume as of right now, WWE is more entertaining than it was a few months ago when I had to walk away. I just don't trust them enough to be invested. As a Minnesota sports fan I'll probably eventually buy again into the hype, only to be heartbroken again. If they can change that I perceive they won't inevitably disappoint me, then well...they won't disappoint me? The biggest change needed I guess is not to disappoint. Which says a lot about the system involved itself.
QuoteOR - Ethics, by Judge Octohelm
McDonalds is great. I am tired and want to eat a Filet-O-Fish and have a large pop for cheap. The rising cost irritates me, but the reliability of that soothing man-made fish byproduct going down my throat, lubed by coarse tartar sauce, gives me the calming effect of an ability to wake up in the morning. People will come and go, but they’ll always return to the forefather approved Golden Arches.
The unhappiness of wrestling today is understandable, but the changes should happen inwardly, not through change of product. Instead of demands of improvement, we should do what was done by fans wiser than us, marry the product. Were we happy when Hogan pulled Sid out of the ring? No, but it gave us Flair winning the title. Were we happy about Daniel Bryan being squashed by Shamus? No, but it lead to Wrestlemania 30. Your disappointment is a part of life. Accept it and Vince has bigger plans down the road.
The equilibrium of what we want and what we get is the development of Personality as a fan. By how we respond to the unhappy moments (and eventual rewards) on forums is the true essence of you as a person. The reason you enjoyed Kofimania was because he lost at Elimination Chamber. If he was given title opportunities in the past, why would Kofimania matter? The Divine wisdom of Vince is often confusing, but just remember, against Vince we are always wrong. Sin is inevitable and leads to great moments on forums of questioning booking. Seth getting DQed in a HIAC was stupid and funny. But now Seth is cooler poking Rey in the eye. It lead to whatshisface being his sidekick or whatever.
WWE is able to pivot the subconscious of their booking and they always have in the past. Hogan to Cartoon to Attitude to Invasion to Ruthless Aggression to PG to Now to the Future, Vince has had his finger on the pulse of the world and provided us more than enough of what we need, a Big Mac with a side of fries.
Vince, bless us. Bless us the way you blessed Mustafa Ali by giving him advice of always fighting under. Bless us like you blessed AJ Styles by advising him to a pitbull. Give us the grit you gave AJ. Give us that heat! Bless us, Vince. Bless us!
Vince will win in the end. All attempts to challenge are futile. Pandemic wrestling is boring? AEW puts wrestlers on the sides and creates fan noise and creates storylines from it. How can Vince top that? PLEXIGLASS. Better sound, looks cooler, maybe safer. Who knows? Vince will always win. He ate the territories, sucked the blood out of ECW, outlasted WCW, and casually stepped on TNA’s throat while yawning until they changed their stupid name. If you want to watch Wrestling that will win and has always won, watch WWE. Be a winner. Be a Vince.
SpoilerI was bored so I thought I'd respond as a parody of Kierkegaard's Either/ Or. Maybe I'll do Concept of Anxiety next and switch a word to have Octopus in it. Not a full representation, I know. Just fun.
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AEW Dynamite - 7/22/2020
in ALL ELITE WRESTLING
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I’m still pumped up about Kingston. I want him and Jericho to have a promo off someday down the line.
With the talk on his physique, I find it refreshing. He’s not going to be overpowering or doing flips, he’s going to brawl and maim. I like that we’re seeing body types from all spectrums. Cage is beautifully buff, Darby is thin, Cody has a neck tattoo, Marco is tiny, Luchasaurus is tall, they got it all.