Ryback Hates Bullies

Yes that is what I meant, ppl do have such surgery. I guess you could argue the ref was on the wrong side and didn't see it, but Perfect wasn't moving much prior to contact (at which point he defied all physical laws ofc).

Of course, Kerry Von Erich used a closed first finish a long time before - but only Heenan cared. I'm sort of waiting for them to redo the Luger metal plate gimmick with replaced knuckles.

Quick note: I actually got my short-term target 107.5kg for 5 on bench today, in an unscheduled workout on an off day, on not my favourite bench with the rack a little too high - having actually done speed bench, dips and ohp the day before. Crazy!

Well....it's The Edge Show....doing 7 turns a night! In all seriousness, he's done at least 4 since he came back right?

Hope you're able to somehow get that checked out, and/or that it's improving. My injuries are feeling better - both are still there but they feel like they are recovering. Squatted today - it was light; I put 80kg on the bar and did 3 sets of 6 on pause SSB squats. Not going to lie, they were challenging - and I'm completely ok with that. My first bench day of the new mesocycle went superbly. Have started lifting my butt of the bench to unrack the bar, having seen it at the powerlifting gym....and the difference it made was *incredible*. My top set was programmed at 100kg for 5 reps only, and it felt nice and easy - I realised afterwards that I might have been able to do it for 10 reps but sometimes you gotta follow the process. With my backoff work, instead of doing a 5 x 10 I decided to just do the 50 reps in as few sets as possible. So with 60kg that was 17, 20 and then I went to close grip and used slow eccentrics and a fuller pause to knock out the final 13. The 20 was actually not that challenging - I had hit 20 before but not like that. Now I think of it, I should probably of hit 21 for a rep PR but doesn't really matter I guess. Bench is feeling nice and strong - I am targetting 5 reps on either 107.5 or 110 kg in 2 weeks, and from there we'll probably try for the 10 reps at 100kg and/or try to break the 120kg barrier. I am actually planning a cut to begin the next mesocycle, as the hip has been a reminder that I should drop some weight and realistically my bf is high enough that I can still probably make gains if I'm smart about it. To that end, this cycle cardio and conditioning work needs to be introduced. I'm also boiling eggs and keeping them in the fridge for snacks, along with carrot sticks..I'm also cooking and eating a lot of lentils...building a foundation so I can then cut the treats out in a few weeks and create a deficit pretty easily. That being said, my gym is actually selling homemade Parenica cheese now. True story!

(HITC Spoilers, plus bench press tips!)

Lifts of the week: Bench Press: 100kg x 9 (Rep PR!, RPE 9.5) Frog (Semi-Sumo) Deadlift, Fo8 straps, no belt - 180kg (PR for Semi-Sumo, or anything without a belt. Have only pulled 180kg once before on any deadlift except high-handle TB) Double Overhand Frog Deadlift - 140kg (Double Overhand PR for any deadlift) So.....gotta be honest, I'm a bit hurt. Left side of upper back has a strain that's taking its time in going away - from a pull-up I shouldn't have tried I think. Right hip....I think I have trochanteric bursitis, but then I have also read that what appears to be trochanteric bursitis often isn't that. I think the cause is deep ROM leg press - it's ok for some people but I don't think it's for me. I was planning a deload anyway, but that was due to end today and I had been planning to go to this 'proper powerlifting gym' for while. And I decided...fuck it, I'm going...because that's the dumb powerlifting thing to do obviously. It worked out ok, I think. Finding the bloody gym was hilarious, it's in the back of this warehouse at the edge of town. I should have rewatched the YouTube video tbf: It was quite quiet when I got there, but there were later some powerlifters doing powerlifting things and it was hilarious....nose salts, the boss-lady doing her mega-arch 'zero bench' (ok not quite but y'know what I mean. Good guys though, and friendly. It's also bloody nice having a couch to sit on between sets....this is a seriously underrated thing. So I got to bench with a Rogue Ohio Power Bar, which was nice - plus yes I could use chalk. Though I wasn't used to the bench set-up, and my back got slippy wearing a vest - I didn't really find my groove. The truth is I watched a lot of hardcore benchers today, and they do things I have to copy. I am working on my arch, but my unracking still needs a lot of work. If I get the set-up right, my bench is going to go up. Anyway, I had the safetys today (I don't usually) so I decided I would see how many reps I could get at 100kg as I have a definite target of 10 here. And the truth is, I actually think I may well have got the 10th rep.....but I had traveled a long way and was beat-up enough to not fancy it. We'll get it. It's there. Now tbf, I took my time here and I was using a nice bar..so it's not necessarily my best bench session ever but I will take it given my current condition. I got to use a cambered football bar for my backoff work. It cramped my hands something awful, but it did what I needed it to do - make 50kg x 12 feel challenging, so I had some energy for deadlifting. Also did some JM Presses for the first time in a while. After some snackage and a rest, got to use a deadlift bar - https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/bastard-deadlift-bar.html . The band pegs were removed from the platforms sadly, not sure why - but having a deadlift jack was all kinds of lovely. Platform was good too. Not going to lie, took a lot of time before the 180kg pull and hyped up a bit..but I haven't pulled anything over 140kg in a good few months, and nothing over 165kg since the Winter lockdown. Tbh I don't think the deadlift bar whip makes *that* much difference at this weight level. The figure of 8 straps arguably do cut the ROM slightly, but this was a decent enough pull - I suspect my last 180kg pull was a bit of hitch, not today! Very pleased because I wasn't remotely convinced that was in me. I did RDLs without straps and they were good but brutal on the hands so I could only do 3 x 6. I put on straps and did 10; the knurling is savage. Did some Pendlays as well, but strapping was very necessary. They had a belt squat machine. BUT. It was rigged up with a resistance band that you couldn't really remove, plus 2 x 20kg plates you couldn't really remove either. Yeah, this was challenging. I managed sets of 12 but I suspect I am going to feel those. I actually did some lat pulldowns for a pump. I couldn't really face anything else. They have a GHR machine and even a pole to assist you if you're a bit lame...but lol, yeah no, not today. Btw I was there over 4 hours lol. I should go eat. Everything.

The 'student of wrestling' finish is for Hangman to pin Punk with his feet in the ropes, as Joe tried to do to Punk in ROH's Joe-Punk III. Punk is pissed, but Hangman is like 'ok boomer, yeah like you a choir boy' lol and he's right enough that they can do the rematch with noone having to go full heel. Personally I think fully turning Hanger would be a tremendous mistake. I'm not really convinced turning Punk is the thing either.

Always sad to come so close, but apart from Noel Gallagher I don't really have anything against City so congratulations to them.

I believe Regal more than some, but lol y'know pro wrestling.

Rumblings have suggested that it was a work, with it being suggested noone around him seemed to take it too seriously. Wouldn't 100% surprise me if they actually put Regal in the match. I mean it's 5-on-5, he can pick and choose his spots so why not I guess?

Probably his idea too.

No major sexy lifts of the week to report to be honest, I actually was very happy with the planned 90kg x 5 on bench today that became 95 kg x 8 and could probably have been more, but I didn't want to wreck my backoff work and recovery. Not that these are particularly good numbers, but my bench has been dogshit for weeks and I feel like I am turning a corner. And that's been the learning really for me recently. Should I have done that 155kg squat recently? There's no real answer to that, but it probably wasn't strictly optimal in terms of my longer term development and recovery - but one probably should have goal and occasionally swing for the fences....but not all the time. I went for some neutral pull-ups that I probably shouldn't have gone for and I have some strain in my left upper back that is going to have to be worked around for a bit. My point is...I'm not too worried about hitting a 140kg bench any time soon. A better goal, for now, is to get 5 clean, fast reps at 80-85% of that i.e. about 115kg. My on-off bicep tendonitis seems to have gone away thanks to swapping out deads for SSB GMs, and using rope curls (twisting neutral to supine) to rehab - I really like this movement, I haven't actually been doing it quite like the below - but Israetel is probably right to get the shoulder movement in to get the full use of the bicep so I will switch to this. I'd love do get more barbell curling in but I train with my gf and she doesn't need it, and tbh this probably carries over better to the bench eccentric, with better stimulus to fatigue. There's no doubt that low-bar squat is not that good for my bench, but it's not necessarily great for my SSB Squat either it seems - I did a top-set of 100kg x 6 yesterday and it was way more challenging than I expected and I called it despite having the intention of doing 110kg x 6. It's fine, I'll get it back up and my hurt upper back may have been in play. Lots of good mornings and step-ups is my new gameplan for long-term squat growth anyway, though I may consider messing with some high-bar and a somewhat narrower stance for a while anyway. My current 30 day membership runs out next Sunday. Normally I take a few days off and restart the next Saturday, but I may actually take a slightly extended break from my standard training and visit an actual powerlifting gym in a couple of Saturdays - they have some speciality bench bars, a belt squat machine, deadlift platforms with band pegs...and CHALK!!! It's a bit far to make my regular haunt but might be somewhere I visit from time to time.

Raquel is I think why they dropped Lacey's babyface push. Kind of amazed Rodriguez hasn't been forced down the surgery route to be quite honest. It's good thing of course, but I'm still pretty surprised.

I got my 155kg back squat today, two weeks earlier than planned! To be honest, 140kg went up so easy and I didn't fancy doing the back off work so I was just like 'f**k it, I'll do the target single and be done with it'. Quads didn't feel a thing, weight felt heavy off the rack but area of weakness is almost entirely upper back. Though doing banded bicep curls last night did not help. I was in full Peter Griffin knee meme mode for 5 minutes afterwards, though not because of my knees. I will do SSB for next two sessions, and I am tentatively targetting 160kg with it but we'll see. Bench could be 'interesting' tomorrow, but I'm not too bothered. (Edit: Bench was indeed trash, and I think Deadlifts will be replace by Good Mornings on Tuesday). Pretty confident I can hit a 180kg fully raw squat by the end of the year.

Tbh, I think stones are increasingly antiquated - we'll just say the lbs now. We still favour miles over kilometres though.

I definitely don't think Punk should be taking the title of Hangman, but if he does then it should be to return it to Hanger. Punk doesn't need the belt. Hopefully Cabana screws him. (I know Punk is supposed to legit hate the guy or something, but it's still the way to go here....)

I think only in Britain is Pizza and Fries together a thing. Having kept strict keto for 8 weeks, I had my cheffy friend make me lasagne, chips and garlic bread - an uniquely British meal if ever there was. Sushi is overrated unless you paying big bucks in UK. Chinese is good but you generally want to pick a spot where the local Chinese diaspora might actually go. Good dim sum is money.

I agree with Sasha, Nando's is pretty overrated as food (I get why people like Nando's). They'd be better off buying in some Tandoori Chicken from some local Indian eateries. Pizza Express was good 20 years ago. As an alibi.

Former NXT North American Champion Leon Ruffin.....

Lifts of the week: Back Squat: 132.5kg for 3 (REP PR, tbh I think this was a RPE 6) Floor Press Dead Pin Lockout Bench: 90kg x 2 ----------------------------------- Upper body workouts day after the Lower days continue to kick my ass, but the squat is feeling good.

I was going to make a joke about phone signal in Nigeria, but I checked and Apollo actually has something of a Main Event winning streak recently. Still, I think it's not hard to get a read on who might be getting a call. - Maybe she is injured, but Doudrop hasn't wrestled in April according to Cagematch. - Nikki A.S.H was on Main Event this week, but has been barely used in a couple of months - Gulak is getting the 'Billie Kay' push - T-Bar lol. - Fabian Aichner hasn't had a name change - Hurt Business is kind of sad at this point. - I'm thinking Viking Raiders stay because they'd probably be happy to go back to being War Machine at this point - I'm thinking Los Lotharios are kept around, but they've not been featured much recently - Roode is 45 - They don't seem that interested in doing anything with Shotzi

I hardly ever watch WWE beyond YouTube clips admittedly, and yeah I get he is 38, but no, I don't really understand how WWE couldn't squeeze another year or two out of Lumis. Fuck it Tone, bring him in with Gargano, put him in the JAS or just stick him in Chaos Project or something.

I think this puts Becky Lynch's comments into proper context. I mean Toxic Attraction lol.