Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

AUGUST WRESTLING DISCUSSION THREAD


RIPPA

Recommended Posts

Booking is part of the match.

Perfect example: Flair and Steamboat went out and had one of the greatest matches in history, but if the internet existed in 1989, all anyone would be talking about is Terry Funk's hatchet job. But that doesn't diminish the match itself.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to throw this out there, because it came up on another section of this joint, and I don't want to derail that discussion but it's something that chaps my ass:

 

Eddie Kingston calls himself "The Last of a Dying Breed," and I really hate it when a wrestler's hyperbole goes beyond the realm of making since.  How can you be the LAST of a DYING breed ... it assumes the breed is already dead, if you're the LAST.  I'm sure there's another - and far better - way to interpret that, and I welcome any suggestions toward that.

 

Also, why not go with the "BEST" of a dying breed.  Nope, not the best, just the last, so ... y'know, sorry, but the rest of the breed is dying, so you're stuck with me.  I mean, when the entire breed dies off totally, I'll be the "BEST" by default, but also, y'know, the worst by default too.  Hey, instead of saying "I'm 'the last of a dying breed,'" I'll change it to, "Hey, I showed up for work on time."  *Cue "Ecstacy of Gold" remix, audience applauds politely.*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could not have loved either of those matches (or ADR/Christian) more.HUGE Kudos to Michael Cole last night. He had the best performance of his lifetime. He made Punk/Lesnar sound completely epic. Straight out of the "JR Calling Foley" playbook.I think this has been the most I've ever enjoyed the WWE. A buddy of mine described the WWE right now as "Pixar with men in tights." They tell really simple stories very well -- perfect to get across to the PG audience they're marketing towards. They pretty much figured out the formula this year. I also can't remember a time when they've been so consistently good in-ring. All of this talk about MOTYCs today  -- NONE of those have included any of The Shield six-man stuff or the random great Main Event stuff or the Daniel Bryan Owns The Last 60 Minutes of Raw or Dolph/ADR after WrestleMania (albeit short, was absolutely fantastic).

 

On top of it -- and more importantly -- they don't have terrible things like babyfaces punching women or awful cursing or lesbians for the sake of catering to deviants. Even the divas stuff has been presented with some dignity lately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, but they red herringed it within an inch of its life to where until the pedigree, you weren't sure if Orton was just playing mind games.

 

Cena leaving pretty much guaranteed that HHH was turning.

 

Plus, Bryan's celebration(even with the confetti, and pyro), and the commentators reactions("I can't believe a goat is WWE champion") felt halfhearted in a way you knew the turn was coming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to throw this out there, because it came up on another section of this joint, and I don't want to derail that discussion but it's something that chaps my ass:

 

Eddie Kingston calls himself "The Last of a Dying Breed," and I really hate it when a wrestler's hyperbole goes beyond the realm of making since.  How can you be the LAST of a DYING breed ... it assumes the breed is already dead, if you're the LAST.  I'm sure there's another - and far better - way to interpret that, and I welcome any suggestions toward that.

 

Because dying (present tense) does not = dead (past tense). You could be dying and still make a full recovery. Eddie's breed may be dying out but he's still alive, dammit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, Daniel Bryan could not be a better proxy for the WWE audience. He's the nerdish weirdo outsider who is unbelievable talented and did it on his own terms. But he's now within corporate America and dismissed by the power brokers for someone who looks the traditional part. (As JBL says, if you were creating a WWE wrestler from scratch, you'd make Randy Orton.)I mean, personally speaking -- I'm a weirdo and have come to terms with it long ago. I was a weirdo nerd in high school. I was into punk and indie and the typical brainy outsider. I've got a strange sense of humor. I think I'm very good at my line of work (writing about finance and economics). I tried making it as a freelance writer (like being in the indies) but decided I needed a stable income, so I sacrificed independence for a 9-5 gig. When I started, I was told pretty quickly that I was a "polarizing" hire. I didn't fit the template of their typical hire. I didn't come from a pedigree college or live abroad or anything of that sort. I worked with a lot of Ivy League grads, some of whom came from some privileged backgrounds. I had to work my ass off to get to that spot (I made less than $20K a year at my first journalism jobs) and had to bust my ass even more to prove I belonged.I became really well-liked in the workplace. That's a strength of mine -- I make my quirkiness work for me and try to make the workplace as fun as possible. My co-workers were really impressed with how much I busted my ass but kept it fun. But respect from peers doesn't mean a promotion or raise.I'm a lot more comfortable wearing a band T-shirt and frayed khaki slacks and sneakers to the workplace, with a messy desk (since that means I'm actually working) with a Wayne's World hat and picture of my dog as cubicle decorations.

 

I had a solid review after my first year with a decent but sorta token raise. The main thing I had strikes about was appearance, which was somehow a category I was judged on. I mean, appearance really doesn't have anything to do with writing articles about refinery profit margins but it mattered to the people who controlled my paycheck. I also got passed over for a promotion by someone I was better than but who went to an Ivy League school and could talk knowledgeably about country club memberships.So I ended up playing that game. I bought a lot of clothing from Jos. A. Bank and started to dress like the president of the company, as much as I could afford to -- a lot of blazers and ties and dress shoes. If this guy sat in on our conference calls or weekly meetings, I stopped being funny and started speaking in corporate lingo.I absolutely HATED doing this (and my co-workers made fun of me for it, as they should have). I sold out in my own little way. But I live in the real world. I have a mortgage and student loans and my wife needed a new car for work.It sucked. I thought I was good enough to eventually be able to make it to a more prominent role in the company without turning into a bit of a drone. But I couldn't trust that would happen in a time frame that would help my family.

 

And my second review? I got close to a 10% raise and was told a promotion was in line at the next opportunity. I did nothing differently but dressed and talked the part.So, that's why I love Daniel Bryan. I absolutely wished I could have stayed true to who I am in order to make it to the top. The real world doesn't work like that. Thankfully, wrestling's storytelling that I can live vicariously through. He's not going to do dickish things like Austin or be a pain in the ass like Punk. But he's going to be himself and end up on top at some point. And I'll feel like I've won a little bit, too.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Daniel Bryan's on a reality TV show with his model girlfriend.  He's part of the machine.

 

But that's been kept separate from the wrestling part of it. I know he's part of the machine. But in terms of his stuff within the context of the actual wrestling/storytelling component of the machine -- he's clearly not in that role, and I love it since I relate to it more than I have any other character.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Plus, Bryan's celebration(even with the confetti, and pyro), and the commentators reactions("I can't believe a goat is WWE champion") felt halfhearted in a way you knew the turn was coming.

 

I was also noticing that the confetti wasn't falling in the ring.  (Although I was expecting a longer Bryan-Orton match because of that.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

I don't even know who the fuck Eddie Kingston is.

 

You should find out.  He's good.

 

Um, no.

 

Well, I guess that shows me.  And here I thought he was good.  What the hell was I thinking?

 

 

What is it he's good at? I've found him to be just a sloppy out of shape brawler. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

Plus, Bryan's celebration(even with the confetti, and pyro), and the commentators reactions("I can't believe a goat is WWE champion") felt halfhearted in a way you knew the turn was coming.

 

I was also noticing that the confetti wasn't falling in the ring.  (Although I was expecting a longer Bryan-Orton match because of that.)

 

Nice catch, I didn't notice that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure about dates, and too lazy to look them up, but he had really good matches against Hero, Super Dragon, Larry Sweeney, Necro, and Joe off the top of my head. Granted I haven't much of his recent stuff so maybe he sucks now, I dunno.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...