Cobra Commander
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Posts posted by Cobra Commander
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Feels like an opening for the US Mutant Ninja Turtles to not underwhelm over the next few years (nah, the USMNT will likely underwhelm hard even with the USWNT about to enter a non-rebuild rebuild)
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Jose Ramirez also inspired this tweet from the Guardians team account back in April:
QuoteAs a 13-year-old, José Ramírez played in a gambling league with adults to earn money for his family.
In certain circumstances, bettors would gamble on a player to have a positive outcome. If they didn't come through, they would be chased home by gamblers with machetes and guns.so, once again.. feels like a bad dude to try fighting
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I just wanna know the TA thought process that made him think "hey this dude who is short and stocky, I want to fight him".. because it looks like Jose Ramirez has punched people in the face before
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Lawler's not the only WWF guy who would be walking around on TV in his gear even if he's not wrestling on the show.
But since anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation, anybody could wrestle at any moment.
When did they stop emphasizing that anything could happen in the World Wrestling Federation? early 1998? (when literally anything could happen)
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37 minutes ago, elizium said:
Could you imagine a Jannetty-Sunny marriage?
can you imagine if Jannetty became Bodydonna Zip and they didn't destroy Tom Prichard's hair for that gimmick
No disrespect to Dr. Tom, but I think a Jannetty/Candido tag team would have been better than Candido/Prichard.
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1 hour ago, Dolphman 3000 said:
Herb Abrams' UWF, baby!
Malia Hosaka, a formidable pro wrestler in outdoors shows. Unfortunately big promotions don't run a lot of outdoors shows.
1 hour ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:Why did anyone think it was a good idea to have Jerry Lawler in his wrestling gear commentating from a studio or even ringside for twenty odd years?
how many times did Lawler work taped matches on RAW on the same night that he worked live matches in Memphis? although they were gone from the Coliseum after June 1996
I know that Lawler had limits on how much he would work Raw during the years when Memphis ran every Monday night
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guess we're about to find out how much of the Collison audience is gonna stick around when there's College Football going head to head with Collision because I gotta figure there was some eventual decline in Wrestling ratings at 6:05 even if WCW kept WCWSN important because College Football began airing a lot more games on TV in the late 90s/early 2000s. We're all old enough to remember that you weren't always able to see every college football game on TV in recent years. They even tried stuff like PPVs for college football games in the 2000s
As for WCW international in 2000, isn't that sort of the mirror of how the WWF was able to draw in Europe in the mid-90s when American audiences were burned out on them? WCW did decently well in England in 1993 too, right?
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i've only done the baseball version, because despite watching my fair share of NFL games.. I can't really remember all the random dudes that end up on other NFL teams unless they played for the Chiefs once or something
The Baseball version of the game really fits the insane concept that there are dudes who played on the Royals 30 years ago whose team histories I can name off the top of my head.
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gotta love how the Bash 2000 episode didn't directly say that the method Russo used to 'increase' ratings was to cut Nitro back to 2 hours, which only really helped ratings in more of the sense that you can lose weight through amputation. Meltzer pretty much said "yeah, they weren't gaining" over that time
3 hour wrestling TV shows are among the last things i'm inclined to bingewatch on Peacock. 3 hour PPVs, that's difference since there's at least a logical reason for them to exist but 3 hour Raws or 3 hour Nitros can be a chore to get through especially if the product sucks.
I also prefer 1 hour over 2 hours for rewatching stuff on Peacock but there are obviously worthwhile 2 hour TV shows, and I think even with the adbreaks, a 1:45 version of a 2 hour show finishes up in a little under 2 hours
Which is to say that the 2 hour Nitros are more rewatchable than 3 hour Nitros. Having experienced Nitros from late 97 to the end, i'm not exactly hungering to rewatch many of them.
also not sure when the Cornette podcast will have a long talk about how Jim would certainly never book a match that he couldn't find a good finish for along with all the other stuff that he has likely said before about Russo.
Cornette and Eric Bischoff having some positive bonding over their distain for Vince Russo is a hell of a "we have mutual enemies" alliance
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yeah there was a little bit of a WWF ratings drop that was probably purely due to leaving USA for TNN, not sure how much of it was due to people who had USA and not TNN and how much was just stubborn people
the documentary narration saying Bash 2000 was a pivotal moment for WCW as if that company wasn't cooked for at least a year before that, was some creative license
really if any moment potentially involving Hogan's creative control fucked WCW, it was the Finger Poke. I don't know if there was a specific Hogan demand to win the title back or if they preemptively moved towards that or what. The first half of 1999, some of it coincidentally overlapping with Bischoff being out of the country, was awful for WCW
Bischoff's approach to life is probably sound enough. It might be sorta like Heyman's approach to dwelling on ECW. Overall Bischoff probably did more financial damage but Heyman did financial damage that hit specific people harder. If one can differentiate between Bischoff spending money and not making enough as a result from Heyman borking the credit of his closest confidants and then skating to a batter job after the company folded
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More Dave social media chaos
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12 hours ago, Cobra Commander said:
Had a much longer post of the 8/5/1996 WCW Nitro that was eaten by the malfunctioning board.
hey, I ended up on the "Not Secure" http version of the board which had my half-assed 'as I watched it' post which was eaten by the board, so i'll put it in spoilers to save space
SpoilerTime to watch some WCW Nitro (8/5/96)
We're still at Disney/MGM Studios. Last week the Outsiders attacked Rey and others. This week, various meaty wrestlers are hanging around to provide security, Is there a 4th man in the nWo?
Off-topic: when did babyface Hogan leave the Nitro intro? he's still there for this episode
The Rock'n'Roll Express vs Harlem Heat. Meng is one of the wrestlers handling security tonight. Insert joke here. The Barbarian, Scott Norton, and Big Bubba are also on security tonight. Half of those 4 security members would be in the nWo by the end of the year. Match goes through one break, there's some Sherri/Parker drama on the outside. Hot tag to Gibson, but Gibson gets distracted by punching Parker and he gets taken out and Harlem Heat retains
Mean Gene is joined by the Nasty Boys. People are accusing the Nasty Boys of things because they're friends of Hulk Hogan. They're facing Sting/Luger later.
Glacier!
Malia Hosaka (with Sonny Oono) vs Madusa: Aw yes, a match at Hog Wild where the winner gets to destroy the other's motorcycle. Eventually the fans chant USA against the foreign menace that is Hawaiian born Malia Hosaka. A black limousine is here, using emergency flashers. Will the use of proper lights indicate it's a babyface? Malia Hosaka wins with Sonny Oono doing the Wrestlemania 5 Rude/Warrior finish. I'm gonna guess that's the biggest and only notable Malia Hosaka win in a major promotion?
3 weeks ago: Dean Malenko attacked Chris Benoit from behind for some reason
Alex Wright vs Chris Benoit: Some woman is teaching her kid to do a 4 fingers down towards Benoit, like they're cheering against the Texas Longhorns. We see Alex Wright unleashing some stiff offense early in this one. The limo is still parked. This is a pretty good match and maybe we should have appreciated Alex Wright more than we did at the time. Jimmy Hart is trying to convince Woman to get away from Benoit GOOD IDEA JIMMY. Dean Malenko has also come out and Benoit gets counted out fighting with Malenko outside of the ring. Benoit irish whips Malenko into the palm tree.
Lord Steven Regal vs Macho Man Randy Savage: Regal is accompanied by Chives for this important match. Some fun back and forth. We get a countdown for hour two (lets set off pyro for hour two) and apparently we don't have Bischoff or Heenan so we get two hours of Schiavone and Larry. Meanwhile here comes Luger and Sting. Sting and Luger take 2 of the 4 vacant seats at ringside. Macho Man wins with the elbow. Sting/Luger/Macho Man are approaching the limo and there's a wreath ("Condolences on the death of WCW"). Mean Gene is in the ring. Macho Man will get the first shot at the Hog Wild winner. "I see a very long and healthy life right here at WCW" (nah). Yeah, Sting's delivery of these lines makes the "who's side is Sting on" thing more fun. Macho Man kicks the flowers towards the crowd. The limo is leaving.
No word on if Tony gets time and a half for unexpectedly working a second hour.
We're taking a look back at Eddie Guerrero saving Chavo from Ric Flair.
It's time for The Booty Man (with the Booty Babe) vs Ric Flair: the rare WCW valet who isn't with the Horsemen at this time. Ric Flair is with Woman, Elizabeth, and Debra McMichael. The scenery behind the hard cam is neat how did they manage to hold so many outdoors shows in Orlando without rain fucking it up at least once. Arn Anderson is working security for this match. Mongo and Benoit are guarding the palm tree in the entrance way. Tony and Larry remind us that Meng will fuck you up. Bobby Heenan has arrived. He has no idea what is going on and there's no Bischoff (foreshadowing!). Benoit and Mongo run in to beat down the Booty Man as we enter the Monsters Are Due On Maple Street phase of this angle. Kinda amazing how the best post-9/11 paranoia angle ever done in wrestling came in 1996 WCW. Mean Gene shows up to demand that they stop beating down Ed Leslie. Slight gap between Arn doing an amazing promo and Benoit/Mongo getting mic time after that. Flair gets some mic time to remind us that they're beating the fuck out of Hogan's best friend to get revenge. Arn's promo really speaks to WCW fans who think that barcodes are satanic.
Looking back on last week on a legendary angle. If you can get people to call the cops in reaction to an angle, it's probably working. Meanwhile Larry just drops a "Lake of fire is awaiting you Hulk Hogan" rant.
We got a paid announcement from the nWo which is stopped by Lex Luger and Sting in probably the only time that these announcements were stopped. Lex and Sting are in the production area. This is America, you can't play those announcements here.
Craig Pittman vs The Giant: Larry insisting that Jimmy Hart knows the weaknesses of Hulk Hogan. Larry also thinking that the other WCW wrestlers will keep providing security, which of course doesn't actually happen. GIant beats Pittman with a chokeslam. Teddy Long talks the Giant out of chokeslamming Pittman again and gets chokeslammed. The Giant, a very "enemy of my enemy" hero (until he turns in a few weeks). Jimmy Hart insisting he always told Hulk Hogan the truth unlike others. The Limo is back. The Giant talking about wanting to be the Champion "of the greatest organization" when he was growing up is a nice easter egg for the people who know he's from South Carolina.
Glacier! he's doing KARATE! (I guess Ray Lloyd had the good timing of being paid more for being in WCW at this time, but this gimmick was so obsolete)
Let's take a look back at the Nasty Boys taking on Sting and Macho on Saturday Night. With appearance of the Haliburton of Death.
The Nasty Boys vs Sting and Luger: The background of this arena setup rocks so hard, they're at a theme park instead of the Key Arena like Raw and this atmosphere is better. The Steiners show up to provide extra security. Rick Steinerlines Knobbs on the outside and Sting wins with the Scorpion. For some reason, the Peacock tries to end this episode during the main event and it took some work for me to fastforward past that.
Mean Gene talks to Luger and Sting after the main event. Sting and friends approach the limo. He opens the door, the door closes shut, we're outta time. But there's an "After the Show Exclusive" and Sting found a note from the nWo in the bag.
So yes, it's all happening on this show, isn't it?
Extra Summer 1996 WCW note: Did Duggan just come off as more sincere than the Nasties and the Booty Man and therefore nobody decided to fuck around with him for being a Hogan friend? or did Duggan have to do something to prove his loyalty?
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“Hey, lots of alcoholics went to Minnesota and cleaned themselves up, what do the Twins want for him?”
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I mean, the Mets being held scoreless for 17 consecutive innings by the Royals wasn’t a great indicator for them either.
But yeah, depending on your POV, the Mets were either mailing it in during games 2/3 or they just couldn’t break through in big spots. Meanwhile the Royals had some positive momentum for the first time this year after the walkoff grand slam and the walkoff balk.
Meanwhile in NY, nobody can shut the fuck up the events leading up to Domingo German going to rehab.
if the Rizzo and German news happened pre-deadline, would the Yankees have actually made an extra move or two
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Had a much longer post of the 8/5/1996 WCW Nitro that was eaten by the malfunctioning board.
To summarize things-
Wrestlers are at ringside and they take about an hour before noting that Meng will kill you. Pretty sure this is the only week that they do the "WCW Wrestlers as School Resource Officers" storyline to prevent nWo runins because they certainly never work together that well in the 1997/98 episodes I was watching when they happened.
Harlem Heat beats the Rock'n'Roll with some Parker/Sherri stuff on the side. A match that's probably as good as you'd expect but never really got better than you'd expect because it's the Rock'n'Roll Express in 1996.
Malia Hosaka beats Madusa with the Rude/Warrior Wrestlemania 5 finish. Is that the only time that Malia Hosaka got a big win in a major promotion? Remember the Madusa vs Bull Nakano match that had a "smash your opponents bike" stip for Hog Wild?
Alex Wright beats Chris Benoit by countout as Benoit fights with Malenko on the outside. Alex Wright probably should have been appreciated more when we had him. Alex Wright also cranked up the stiffness a little. Benoit irishwhipped Malenko in a palm tree.
Randy Savage beats Steven Regal (w/ Chives) in a match with some fun to it. Sting and Lugar get to the limo and there's a wreath "Condolences on the death of WCW". Randy Savage kicks the flowers like it's a field goal
Booty Man beats Flair by DQ as the Horsemen beat up the Booty Man for being Hogan's friend. Arn delivers a great promo that speaks to the hearts of WCW fans who believe barcodes are satanic.
There's a paid announcement from the nWo that Sting and Luger go to the production truck to stop. The only time that happened?
Giant squashes Pittman. Giant chokeslams Teddy Long postmatch. Jimmy Hart and Giant promo. Apparently Jimmy Hart was the only one telling Hulk the truth. I think this is close to the last time that Jimmy Hart was doing important stuff on TV for WCW instead of his "just showing up to draw his check" phase for the last few years
Lugar and Sting beat the Nasty Boys in a match where the Peacock tries to end the show early but I fastforwarded past that. The limo is back and this time the door closes and leaves. There's a note in a bag (post-show exclusive)
Also, a look back at the legendary angle from the week before. Bobby Heenan shows up late during the Flair match but doesn't commentate. Tony and Larry do all two hours. Bischoff never shows up (foreshadowing). WCW wrestlers hang out at ringside to provide security against the nWo as the nWo angle really had the best wrestling version of post-9/11 paranoia... done in 1996! People who aren't in the nWo but are life friends of Hogan are getting targeted for retaliation after last week because the monsters are due on Maple Street.
WCW's sorta in an interesting tier where there's the nWo, there's non-nWo heels who are faces against the nWo but heels against WCW wrestlers, and faces who are faces all the time. Flair is working Eddie Guerrero and he's a heel for that (although the fans won't boo him) but he's a face in regards to the nWo. Of course the nWo thing goes deep into mission creep later but the beginning ruled.
We're at Disney/MGM and the setting is amazing (how did they do outdoors shows in Orlando without rain messing it up at least once). RAW is in the Key Arena, a big place, and Nitro is in a theme park and WCW smokes the fuck out of WWF this week. Big unifying angle when it was still fresh means a reason to keep watching, instead of the show being in the can on the other channel.
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28 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:
I think he preferred having Nitro on TNT. On TBS, any wrestling show that's going to be on there is "rasslin"
Also any TBS wrestling show was gonna occasionally run into being bumped off of the regular time by Atlanta Braves games
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I'm gonna imagine the Ray Stevens/Ric Flair singles matches from 1979 to 1981 being a race to see which guy does the corner bump first
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20 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:
I wonder how much damage was done trying to get TNT for example into the prestige TV game
Just imagine how much more money Ted Turner could have spent on Gods and Generals if he hadn't lost his power first.
But wasn't TNT always at least supposed to be more prestigious than TBS?
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1 hour ago, SirSmUgly said:
If Kellner could peek into the streaming future in which live TV with a built-in audience is especially valuable, it might have begun to look like a reasonable idea.
I mean, that took a really long period of time after March 2001. It took TNA until 2005 to really find a cable network home and that was on their second try (third try if you count streaming on their website). Remember that YouTube didn't exist until 2005.
1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:I'm guessing that they just replaced WCW with syndicated network show re-runs before and after movies. Wonder if they made better ratings than the wrestling if so.
looking at the TV listings in the Kansas City Star. TNT aired Purgatory starring Eric Roberts in the Nitro time slot one week after Nitro was 86ed.
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giving WCW five years guaranteed in 2001 seems like a bad enough deal that you don't even have to have a special dislike for wrestling to think that's a bad idea, I mean, it's no "700 Club has to be on your network forever" contract but..
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yeah, somehow the Yankees handled a concussion worse than Pro Wrestling was handling concussions 15-20 years ago
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Bobby Heenan wouldn't be the first father to make an extraordinary claim or two to his daughter either.
There's some people in the business who only say as much as they want to say. That's why every Andre the Giant biography sorta covered the same ground until the book that came out a few years ago. I guess the existence of a Bobby Heenan book by Bobby covers a certain amount of ground that would have been covered by a biography about Bobby Heenan
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Meanwhile in other horrifying things with Rizzo and post concussion syndrome:
QuoteAnthony Rizzo said he noticed he was more tired, but attributed it to the grind of the season. He mentioned waking up feeling hungover, and occasionally forgot the numbers of outs. Testing showed his reaction time was slower. “I didn’t just forget how to do this all of a sudden.”
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I also remember the concept of getting health insurance in WCW as drawing Heenan in
But if Heenan could decline to say publicly why exactly he had heat with specific guys, he might decline to mention certain details about other things because he didn’t want to or whatever
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General Music Discussion Catch-All
in MUSIC
Posted
The Fall Out Boy modern version of “We Didn’t Start The Fire” is pure dogshit. Like it’s taking an already overrated song and it’s even worse now.