JAN 2014 WRESTLING DISCUSSION REBOOT THREAD

[BEN!]

 

Randy Orton is 33. Your prime is 28-32, then you decline.

 

At least that's what some dude in the AOL WWF chat used to always say.

 

Barring any serious knee or neck issues, I'd say a pro wrestler peaks around 35-38.  Over a decade of muscle memory and should be smart enough at that point to know what your body can and can't do.

 

 

 

 

Meltzer says Punk is interested in getting into MMA and doing a fight with Bellator.

 

I hope he has that long-awaited rematch with Teddy Hart.

Will the cats be part of teddy's entourage?

 

 

You have it backwards.  Punk will fight one of the cats and Teddy will be part of Mr. Purr-Purr's entourage.

 

His name is Mr. Money.  And he is my 11th selection in the pro wrestling draft.

 

[Josh Mann]

 

 

 

Randy Orton is 33. Your prime is 28-32, then you decline.

 

At least that's what some dude in the AOL WWF chat used to always say.

 

Barring any serious knee or neck issues, I'd say a pro wrestler peaks around 35-38.  Over a decade of muscle memory and should be smart enough at that point to know what your body can and can't do.

 

 

 

 

Meltzer says Punk is interested in getting into MMA and doing a fight with Bellator.

 

I hope he has that long-awaited rematch with Teddy Hart.

Will the cats be part of teddy's entourage?

 

 

You have it backwards.  Punk will fight one of the cats and Teddy will be part of Mr. Purr-Purr's entourage.

 

His name is Mr. Money.  And he is my 11th selection in the pro wrestling draft.

 

 

 

 

THIS GUY....you can't judge him by his combine numbers. THiS GUY is a guy who produces on the field and reminds me of a young Roddy Piper. THIS GUY is going to be able to keep matches alive and bring a lot of toughness. He's one of those throwback wrestlers that I would love to coach and THIS GUY has a chance to be a big-time player if he can keep his head on straight. 

[ivpvideos]

What the hell happened to RVD anyways? Is he coming back for Mania or was that mini-run it? Being paired with Ricardo is still one of the most awkward pairings.

[Tromatagon]

Not if you know Ricardo violated wellness

[ultimoDANK]

If we ever see RVD again I think he needs to update his look. He had that hair pulled back so tight it looked a strain to close his eyes.

[J.H.]

I'm calling it: If Punk sits out the rest of his contract then its gonna be Punl/Tanahashi at the 1/4/15 Tokyo Dome show for New Japan

 

James

[Fallacy!]

Oh man, the comment section of the WWE facebook page is really incredible right now. Please head over there before they go on a mass delete spree. Just to whet your appetite...

 

Headline: IS BO DALLAS' TITLE REIGN IN JEOPARDY?

 

Ben Hudson My viewership of WWE is in jeopardy since Punk is gone.

 

Bruce Tull no one cares about bo dallas. Punk is gone. WWE Is now down the toilet coz of the tragedy that was the rumble

 

Chris Nippard Who cares. CM Punk isn't in the WWE anymore . All hope is lost for this company now.

 

 

Headline: We don't solve our problems with words here at WWE. We will SLAP YOU SILLY! *insert silly video of WWE superstars slapping each other*

 

Branden Nixon Maybe you should slap your selfs for letting one of your top guys walk out

 

Shaveen Mahish Punk quits wwe ?

Now thats a slap to your face wwe 

cause frankly , without Punk , there is no wwe , and no wwe universe .

 

Headline: On tonight's #MainEvent, R-Truth clashed with Alberto Del Rio, Natayla met Tamina Snuka and Big E Langston teamed with The Usos to face 3MB. How did they fare?

 

Michael Krafve I'm done watching, mabey punk and Jeff Jarrett will start a new company

 

Jonathan Guerrero Wwe your going to lose ratings and lose money and get boo like no tomorrow , well even that u won't care for now

 

 

Headline: LIKE or SHARE if you are excited for WWE Network. ONLY 26 DAYS AWAY! http://wwe.me/t4HtY

 

Steven Flosi No thanks WWE. I'll be saving my money so that I can spend it on ROH when Punk returns there.

 

Richard Martinez Keep your crappy network. I'm not watching anymore. WWE IS BANNED IN MY HOUSE!

 

Erick Urita Wwe is gay af now

 

[sydneybrown]

Punk in MMA would be unreal.

 

I would pay to see CM Punk vs. Kurt Angle in the cage.  The battle of the "yeah, I would be great in MMA" guys.  Straight edge vs. every drug within arm's reach.

 

BTW, I suddenly feel old realizing Kurt Angle's been out of the WWE for virtually the entire WWE run of Punk.

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

Punk's flying elbow was fine when he first started using it.  It was after he started having problems with his hip that he started doing it the way he does now.  I remember a match with someone (I think it was Ambrose) where Ambrose was out of position and Punk did the move reverse onto his bad hip and Meltzer reported that he was hurting for weeks after that. 

 

On Orton.....I don't get the complaint about his offense or his psychology.  He has a finisher that targets the head and neck....and a lot of his offense targets the head and neck.   The chinlock.  The draping DDT.  The euro uppercuts and forearms.  The Garvin Stomp ends with a stomp to the head.  Even his super finisher the punt kick.

 

A lot of his offense looks great too.  He throws the best dropkick in WWE and one of the best I've ever seen quite frankly in terms of elevation and snap.  He's got a great looking snap powerslam.  Throws great euro uppercuts.  The RKO almost always look great and he's got the leaping ability to hit it on a guy who's on the top rope.  I can see the argument that he sticks to his signature moves and doesn't change up his arsenal enough for a guy who's been on TV for so long, but that's not just him, that's pretty much everyone in the WWE.  That's the WWE style.

[Web Conn]

 

Punk in MMA would be unreal.

 

I would pay to see CM Punk vs. Kurt Angle in the cage.  The battle of the "yeah, I would be great in MMA" guys.  Straight edge vs. every drug within arm's reach.

 

BTW, I suddenly feel old realizing Kurt Angle's been out of the WWE for virtually the entire WWE run of Punk.

 

They have never wrestled each other have they? There was a time I would of wanted to see that now not so much.

[Fallacy!]

The RKO isn't really a finisher that you need to "set up" though. Not unlike most non-submission finishers, really. Cena doesn't need to work on the back before he hits the FU, he just does it and the guy is dead.

[bink_winkleman]

On Orton.....I don't get the complaint about his offense or his psychology. He has a finisher that targets the head and neck....and a lot of his offense targets the head and neck. The chinlock. The draping DDT. The euro uppercuts and forearms. The Garvin Stomp ends with a stomp to the head. Even his super finisher the punt kick.

A lot of his offense looks great too. He throws the best dropkick in WWE and one of the best I've ever seen quite frankly in terms of elevation and snap. He's got a great looking snap powerslam. Throws great euro uppercuts. The RKO almost always look great and he's got the leaping ability to hit it on a guy who's on the top rope. I can see the argument that he sticks to his signature moves and doesn't change up his arsenal enough for a guy who's been on TV for so long, but that's not just him, that's pretty much everyone in the WWE. That's the WWE style.

All of that is true. Randy Orton is like a shitty band that is really top notch at playing shitty music. You never realize that the shitty band is actually technically proficient until you hear them covering Rush or ZZ Topp on YouTube or getting put over Daniel Bryan or Dean Ambrose on a podcast.

[Ace]

What the hell happened to RVD anyways? Is he coming back for Mania or was that mini-run it? Being paired with Ricardo is still one of the most awkward pairings.

 

His contract was for 3 months. He didn't renew.

[Brian Fowler]

I co sign the love for Orton's dropkick. Best I've ever seen.

But Christ he has been terrible lately, overall.

[Charlie M.]

Orton's character is probably better as a heel but I enjoyed his matches as a face more.  That could just be the fact that many of his matches now are filled with Authority nonsense.

[Hagan]

Between all the freaking out over Punk and Bryan on the Internet, this is the first time I'm actually contemplating taking a break from wrestling sites.

 

I mean, I think both guys are aces but, at the end of the day, the show goes on. If Punk isn't gonna be around to main event, then I'm all aboard the Roman Reigns express. Or maybe Rollins gets a bigger profile. Or maybe any number of dudes slide up a spot in the pecking order.

 

And, I mean, the Bryan thing I get, but whether or not he's the champion really doesn't matter as a long as he's in a good spot where he can deliver good matches and take part in great angles, which, for the most part, he is.

 

None of this is the end of the world. There will continue to be really good shit and really bad shit in the company. I just remember that Hulk Hogan leaving was the end of the world, or Austin leaving, or Rock leaving, or all the tragedies that happened, and the company has more of a stranglehold on the industry than at any time in history. You can say ratings or lower or profits are lower, but, fuck...the stock is sky high right now. McMahon is literally a billionaire right now again. They know how to make money.

 

Honestly, I think if your wrestling fandom is tied into the fate of one guy, then you're kind of doing it wrong.  

 

It struck me that what's happening now is kind of the 3rd and final evolution of the wrestling industry under Titan.

 

The first was the national expansion that killed the territories and brought about the importance of national clearance on cable and PPV

 

The second was the death of WCW and the consolidation of the monopoly.

 

And now the third is the advent of their network and the death of wrestling as a PPV entity and the focus now on television rights and subscriptions.

 

I think that with each evolution the wrestlers have lost power. If the Network succeeds, it'll be because WWE as an entity (past, current, and future)  is the draw, not any one guy.

 

I mean, we bitch and moan that their booking has caused no one to really be over, but...at the end of the day, that might have always been the goal.

[Casey]

[SirSmUgly]

I don't know; with DB, I'm enjoying just being a fan like I was when I was a kid and desperately wanting Bret Hart or whoever to pull off a big win and become champ. Rooting for Bryan takes me back to those times when I treated it like it was real. He really gets me into it and caring about him.

 

I'm not going to sit online dreaming up some grand scheme to cause a fan uprising if Bryan never wins the gold or anything like that, but I like that there's a guy that I really, really care about in terms of wins and losses. Other than Mark Henry, I cannot think of another person that actually gets me into wrestling in that way. It's nice.

 

After Bryan lost the opener and then didn't get entered in the Rumble, I was legit deflated. After a day or two, I realized - holy shit, I was legit deflated! Kinda cool that a wrestler's fate can do that to cynical old me.  

[Casey]

Unintentional or not, they've humanized Daniel Bryan to a large portion of the fan base. Deny it all you want, but it's there.

[jstout]

Hey, remember earlier today when people were talking about Harley Race. God, I love me some Harley Race. 70's/early 80's NWA World title matches are seriously some of my favorite things ever.

 

I just wanted to invoke the name of Harley Race and share His good works.

Probably my favorite live wrestling moment was when I was but a kid and NWA Champion Harley Race came to my town to wrestle Robert Fuller for the title. I still believed then, and Race gave Fuller so much offense that lil' ol' me thought Fuller was actually gonna beat him for the NWA title in some crap gym in Crapsburg, TN. Then Race calmly dumped him over the top rope, got disqualified and kept the title.

 

I was SO pissed off, despite the fact that I read every Apter mag as a kid and knew that was Race's deal.

[Mr Harms]

So apparently Sky Sports have signed a new 5 year deal with WWE here in the UK. I don't know the details but they say it includes the PPVs. I'm assuming they mean they'll show it on Box Office so that will be the end of free PPV events here.

But where does this leave the Network? Is it coming to the UK?

Anybody else have more info on this?

[IHFP]

So apparently Sky Sports have signed a new 5 year deal with WWE here in the UK. I don't know the details but they say it includes the PPVs. I'm assuming they mean they'll show it on Box Office so that will be the end of free PPV events here.

But where does this leave the Network? Is it coming to the UK?

Anybody else have more info on this?

 

Based on this article it appears that plans for the network have not changed. Presumably you will be able to have option to watch PPV on the network or buy it on Box Office similar to how it will be in the US. 

[Hollywood Cibernetico]

 

What the hell happened to RVD anyways? Is he coming back for Mania or was that mini-run it? Being paired with Ricardo is still one of the most awkward pairings.

 

His contract was for 3 months. He didn't renew.

 

 

 

I thought his contaract expired and WWE didn't renew? From the last RVD interview I heard he made it sound as though he is 100% comitted to going back and that he still considers himself part of the WWE family. RVD apparently liked TNA for the 3 years he was there but the final months (and the way his contract negoitations were handled [ or not handled depending on who you listen to] ) was the final straw in him determining he is NEVER returning.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

I hope this Ryback twitter stuff leads to him becoming a parody of Arnold in his Ivan Reitman comedy phase.

 

Give him one of Randy Orton's on screen wives and a small kid, and have him wander backstage throughout Raw with crazy shit happening to him out of nowhere, ninja attacks, thugs kidnap his kid, the divas get taken hostage and only he can save them, he's given Hornswoggle as his illegitimate child...

[S.K.o.S.]

 

 

 

Quick aside since I haven't seen it specifically mentioned here: the National Pro Wrestling Day show will be streaming live, free, on YouTube, this Saturday at 1 pm eastern. Could potentially mark the return of Chikara.

http://nationalprowrestlingday.com/

Speaking of, anyone confirmed the rumored chikara sale?

 

 

It was a status update on the Barridoff Galleries facebook page that has now been deleted.  It said something like "Chikara acquired from Titor.  A different kind of art, but art nonetheless."

 

Titor is a fictional company, and Barridoff Galleries are owned by Robbie Ellis, a wrestler who's worked for Chikara, so I got the impression that it was all just storyline.  Chikara is no longer under Titor's thumb, so now they can start doing shows again.  In theory.

 

 

And 3.0 has finally found Archibald Peck, so it looks like it climaxes this weekend.

 

 

Just to confirm what we already pretty much knew, there's a new video out there (called "Torch").  I haven't actually watched it yet due to lack of sound on this computer, but it's supposed to have a backwards message saying "February 1, 2014".