AUGUST WRESTLING DISCUSSION THREAD

[Raziel]

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.

Considering that list, I would accredit that to those people he worked with drug him up there.  Everything I've seen of Kingston that didn't involve someone awesome in the ring with him were utter shit.

[cool arrow]

Whatev's.  No skin off my nose.

[Josh Mann]

His brawls with Hero probably still stand as "best thing either have done."

I think I noticed it on Youtube. I'll definitely check it out later. Kingston definitely has presence, but the matches I've seen thus far, I've been kind of indifferent to.

I think it's because I've never seen a match of his and thought of him as more than a solid mechanic. If he were a baseball player, he'd be "a professional hitter". There's nothing wrong with being any of those things.

[Greggulator]

NONE JUST WANTED HIM TO SEE THIS

 

Getting a post liked from Matt D is the ultimate sign that you made a good post and something we should all strive for.

[Matt D]

You basically spelled out Daniel Bryan as the Steve Austin of the current generation of kids who graduated from college with crushing student loan debt but aren't living their dreams because their dreams don't exist anymore. That was artful. 

[Niners Fan in CT]

If people aren't excited for WWE after last night then I'm pretty sure they will never be into WWE again...  They are on a roll right now. There's still crap and I expect that with how much television they produce but the top of the card is the best it's been in a very long time and the in-ring work might be the best WWE has ever had... EVER.

[cool arrow]

Eddie Kingston's gimmick is a dude who watches puroresu. His favorite wrestler is Toshiaki Kawada. 

 

That's probably why I like him then.

[Gonzalez]

So what are they going to call DB's knee strike? YES! Knee, or Boma YES!?

[Craig H]

 

 

His brawls with Hero probably still stand as "best thing either have done."

I think I noticed it on Youtube. I'll definitely check it out later. Kingston definitely has presence, but the matches I've seen thus far, I've been kind of indifferent to.

I think it's because I've never seen a match of his and thought of him as more than a solid mechanic. If he were a baseball player, he'd be "a professional hitter". There's nothing wrong with being any of those things.

 

 

This is an insult to Matt Stairs.

[Josh Mann]

 

 

 

His brawls with Hero probably still stand as "best thing either have done."

I think I noticed it on Youtube. I'll definitely check it out later. Kingston definitely has presence, but the matches I've seen thus far, I've been kind of indifferent to.

I think it's because I've never seen a match of his and thought of him as more than a solid mechanic. If he were a baseball player, he'd be "a professional hitter". There's nothing wrong with being any of those things.

 

 

This is an insult to Matt Stairs.

 

 

I remember Matt Stairs striking out a lot.

[LooseCannon]

With lots of people having the idea that WWE should go with an Evolution 2.0 stable of HHH as Flair and Orton as HHH, what about Darren Young as the new Orton? Either explicitly or implicitly, you can have him pushed as the photogenic corporate model minority who the company wants to push as a politically correct marketing tool. At some point, you can have him in a feud based on someone accusing him of being a sell-out or a gay Uncle Tom. Eventually, he can turn face by throwing off the corporate chains.

[Gonzalez]

Yes, let's turn all the fans into the dad from American History X by turning the legit gay black wrestler into a heel(although technically he is a heel).

[Overly Critical Man]

I'd love to see a new Evolution line-up with HHH in the Flair role, Orton as HHH...

 

...and then they shoehorn in Ryback and Bo Dallas.

[Greggulator]

With lots of people having the idea that WWE should go with an Evolution 2.0 stable of HHH as Flair and Orton as HHH, what about Darren Young as the new Orton? Either explicitly or implicitly, you can have him pushed as the photogenic corporate model minority who the company wants to push as a politically correct marketing tool. At some point, you can have him in a feud based on someone accusing him of being a sell-out or a gay Uncle Tom. Eventually, he can turn face by throwing off the corporate chains.

 

That might be a little too complex to explain to the WWE audience right now. But Titus as the new Batista I could see having a lot of legs. Darren Young is the new anti-bullying babyface. Titus wants "millions of dollars" above all else and has no interest in being a good guy. Titus already has the marketing stuff down since he's wearing suits and going to all the corporate events. He's also a legit huge dude, super charismatic. Working with great wrestlers will only help him figure out how to put it all together.

 

I think The Shield, though, is the best bet. It's not Evolution 2.0 but more of a Horseman group. The Shield already showed themselves as hypocrites against injustice when they took Heyman's money to save Punk. Them doing the same and protecting Randy at all costs while also having all of the titles while in the pocket of the corporation -- that's a nasty alignment. It gives Bryan a ton of guys to work with, etc.

[Gonzalez]

Not a bad idea. It also gives the Shield a reason to ditch the SWAT gear.

[Skelemania]

WWE have been on fire this year & have been great in the last couple of months in particular. Do I love everything? No, of course not...but I never will. But we're half way through the eighth month of the year & I would already put 2013 above the last several years.

[Greggulator]

Essentially, HHH is JJ. Orton is Flair. Fill in the blanks from there.

[LooseCannon]

With lots of people having the idea that WWE should go with an Evolution 2.0 stable of HHH as Flair and Orton as HHH, what about Darren Young as the new Orton? Either explicitly or implicitly, you can have him pushed as the photogenic corporate model minority who the company wants to push as a politically correct marketing tool. At some point, you can have him in a feud based on someone accusing him of being a sell-out or a gay Uncle Tom. Eventually, he can turn face by throwing off the corporate chains.

 That might be a little too complex to explain to the WWE audience right now. But Titus as the new Batista I could see having a lot of legs. Darren Young is the new anti-bullying babyface. Titus wants "millions of dollars" above all else and has no interest in being a good guy. Titus already has the marketing stuff down since he's wearing suits and going to all the corporate events. He's also a legit huge dude, super charismatic. Working with great wrestlers will only help him figure out how to put it all together.

The thing I love about my idea is that you can just go with the story of Darren Young having the combination of looks and talent that makes him attractive to HHH and have the more complex gay/marketing stuff be subtext or something only hinted about on TV but explored more in places like social media, so that "smart" fans can see themselves as, well, smart because they know the deeper story but with a simpler storyline that doesn't need explaining to the kiddies.Do people see Young and O'Neal as having main event potential in terms of getting over with the right angle and being able to bring it in the ring (maybe not now but eventually) if put into a high-profile spot?

[Curt McGirt]

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.

 

Your post is eerie considering I just watched SLC Punk on TV for the first night in a decade last night. It's like the second chapter.

[Gonzalez]

But you're just asking fans to chant gay slurs at him on TV. I'm sure Mattel, and the rest of the sponsors don't want that.

[ultimoDANK]

His brawls with Hero probably still stand as "best thing either have done."

I think I noticed it on Youtube. I'll definitely check it out later. Kingston definitely has presence, but the matches I've seen thus far, I've been kind of indifferent to.

I think it's because I've never seen a match of his and thought of him as more than a solid mechanic. If he were a baseball player, he'd be "a professional hitter". There's nothing wrong with being any of those things.

This is an insult to Matt Stairs.

I remember Matt Stairs striking out a lot.

I remember the story of him nude in the Cubs clubhouse covered in shaving cream. You can't unhear that.

[Ace]

WWE have been on fire this year & have been great in the last couple of months in particular. Do I love everything? No, of course not...but I never will. But we're half way through the eighth month of the year & I would already put 2013 above the last several years.

 

I'm on the other side of this, as WWE has finally gotten me to stop watching after over 25 years.

[jstout]

 

Eddie Kingston's gimmick is a dude who watches puroresu. His favorite wrestler is Toshiaki Kawada. 

 

That's probably why I like him then.

 

I haven't seen much of him, but I think he's really good with promos.

[Skelemania]

 

WWE have been on fire this year & have been great in the last couple of months in particular. Do I love everything? No, of course not...but I never will. But we're half way through the eighth month of the year & I would already put 2013 above the last several years.

 

I'm on the other side of this, as WWE has finally gotten me to stop watching after over 25 years.

 

Hmm. Anything in particular that has turned you off to it? I only watch RAW & PPV, so maybe that has something to do with it. Although I know a lot of people sale the praises of both NXT & Main Event, I just simply can't catch them every week & Smackdown just doesn't matter to me.

 

I know that the McMahons are back on TV, they're still doing authority figures & I hate Michael Cole but I can look past that for the good wrestling & characters I care about. Between Punk, Bryan, Henry, Lesnar, Shield, Heyman, Colter, Cesaro, JBL, Usos & Wyatt Family there's a lot that I like on the show right now.

 

What has soured you on it?

[Craig H]

 

 

 

 

 

His brawls with Hero probably still stand as "best thing either have done."

I think I noticed it on Youtube. I'll definitely check it out later. Kingston definitely has presence, but the matches I've seen thus far, I've been kind of indifferent to.

I think it's because I've never seen a match of his and thought of him as more than a solid mechanic. If he were a baseball player, he'd be "a professional hitter". There's nothing wrong with being any of those things.

This is an insult to Matt Stairs.

I remember Matt Stairs striking out a lot.

I remember the story of him nude in the Cubs clubhouse covered in shaving cream. You can't unhear that.

 

 

Somehow, this is the first I've seen a report of this. I cannot unsee this.

 

As for Evolution 2.0, I'm all for Titus breaking away from the PTP and joining HHH, and Orton. I've said it a few times now, but Titus needs to be pushed. He may not be the best, but he certainly has more potential than other hosses on the roster. It's too bad that Cesaro is aligned with Zeb because he'd be a good fit in a group like that. I like the idea of Titus as the muscle though, and if not him, then Big E.