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Not that anybody could have predicted the Timeless character, but there was somebody from the beginning who saw Toni Storm as a top star - Dean. I hadn't seen Toni prior to AEW, but Dean suggested to me that she was as good as anybody in the world. He sang her praises every week in his wonderful and sorely missed reviews.

I will say that TK is really, really, really missing the boat with Willow. She is fucking over. Give her some room to work. Again, you have 4 hours of TV a week. There is no reason why so many matches need so much time. Fuckin, uh, christ, some of these tag matches where it's one tag team vs a jobber team don't need to go through one commerical break. It's fucking dumb. You can trim down some of these other matches to get a Mercedes match and a Willow match or a Stat match or a Toni match ON THE SAME SHOW. Also, caught up in all of this, I just realized AEW has the Grizzled Young Vets and they've been nowhere to be seen. We're heating up FTR again, which is cool, but can we carve out some room to get the GYVs over or not stop start with whatever they're trying to do with "JetSpeed?"

I know this is one of your main talking points but its not really true at the moment. The last 12 Dynamites had 5, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 4, 7 matches (this was a quick skim and count so if I missed one, not intentional) so 25% had six matches with a variety of match times but most in the ten minute range which has always been kinda true (as an average) for TV wrestling matches. While I do agree that it would be nice if there was an additional women's match more often, or more multi-women matches, the match number format isn't as rigid as you sell it as, probably different factors go into it. Personally I don't think forcing another match is the solution, the shows already have a fair amount of in-ring wrestling and there are always going to be promos to push the stories. But mixing up the mens/womens ratio I'd certainly be happy with. I also love Willow. Need more Willow and not just chasing around Marina although at least that gets her on the shows so she isn't forgotten.

I loved the main, but aside from that, none of those matches went longer than six minutes, and at least two were fuck finishes. The main was less than 14. So it was like 45 minutes of wrestling on a two hour wrestling show. You can't just say "look at these big stars all wrestling each other!" The truth is "look at all these big stars wrestling each other in shit matches that end before they start!" I'd rather have AEW exactly as it is now than an optical illusion of a card like this.

This is incredible! Loved the female security guard shouting, "ooh mr muscles! Mr muscle man!" after him.

I'd love to see more stuff happen on a typical Dynamite, and more women's matches, and more of the roster featured. But the thought of that eight minute Eddie vs Finlay match enrages me. Who doesn't want to see those two have a match twice that long? AEW is about as good as American TV wrestling has ever been at maximizing actual wrestling and minimizing bullshit finishes and in ring talking segments, and it still has too many of those things. I'm not sure what the answer is, but more multi person matches are a great start. Make in ring talky segments, contract signings and such a very scarce occurence, what sport just allocates precious sport time to competitors talking at each other? Do a New Japan, emphasise short post match interviews, don't just tell your paying customers they have to spend 20 minutes watching MJF try to bribe people with sex workers when they could be watching a trios spotfest. Be wrestling for the sickos where only the best wrestle, leave the other guys to waste time and a month of Walter's career on jingoistic podcast bro fuckheads.

Hunter Hearst Wambsgans

Will put it here instead of the weekly thread, but here was my take on Page vs Fletcher which does tackle the length/structure: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2025/05/aew-five-fingers-of-death-and-friends.html

I guess my point is I do think they mix up the match layout and isn't just lazy 'six matches a week plug in different matches' as your post mentioned. I don't think Dynamite needs seven matches a week either. One week two big matches went 20+ plus, I'd rather that then four five-minute matches. They don't use the exact same formula week to week which was what I was showing. You mention not wanting a formula but in a way you are asking for one if you want Dynamites to have 7+ matches every week (which to me is too many matches on a regular basis), your issue is not wanting a low number of matches period even if it means variety. Variety is good, women's matches are very good. I do think what you are pushing for is a crazy ask as it would be difficult week to week to book seven plus matches, have them tell their stories, and also still have promo time to push other stories. I don't want TK to feel he has to hit X number of matches just due to the roster size, I want entertaining matches whether the show as three or eight of them. And honestly I don't think the majority of AEW fans want that either. You mention Nitro but I hated the late 90s RAW/Nitro formula where there were tons of short matches so maybe that is our disconnect. They'd have big matches like DDP vs Savage and it would go four minutes. Just trash, give me a 20 minute Fletcher vs. Page match any day of the week even if that means less matches that week. Honestly think that sounds awful, who wants two hour shows with this many matches squeezed in: Nitro 12/22/97: Fit Finlay vs. Eddie Guerrero Meng (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Steve McMichael Hector Garza, Juventud Guerrera & Rey Misterio Jr. vs. La Parka, Psychosis & Silver King Hammer vs. Chris Benoit Rick Steiner (w/Ted DiBiase) vs. Scott Norton WCW United States Heavyweight Title Match: Curt Hennig (c) vs. Disco Inferno Lodi & Riggs vs. Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) Buff Bagwell vs. Chris Jericho Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Lex Luger Seven of the matches were six minutes or less even with that level of wrestler. That's garbage as far as I am concerned so if that's your ideal show setup then I don't think we are going to be on the same page on this one. But I do agree with more women matches/match type variety so we aren't on totally different pages, TK can always do better.

part of the fun of Nitro was the massive roster (not good for the bottom line) and the seemingly random matches that would occur involving big stars and oddballs. Lex Luger vs. a Villano? Sure, why not! Chono is on tour from Japan and he's wrestling Roadblock? Yes please! Hey, Marty Jannetty's back! It was random and wacky at times in a way AEW could never be. Well, they kinda can be in their own ways, but the wrestling landscape is totally different And that show where Benoit/Jericho won the tag titles is widely considered one of the best episodes of WWE TV ever from one of the best creative years of WWE ever.....not fair to "randomly" pick that one to compare to Dynamite

I understand better where you are coming from now, I don't agree with you but I get your stance. I'd just say I think you are in the vast minority of wrestling fans in 2025 and especially AEW fans that want that setup/style of wrestling on TV. That's not to say you can't prefer it, of course you can but I just don't think its a realistic dream. Even WWE doesn't do that anymore and they aren't as much a "workrate" company and have just as deep a roster, there isn't a general desire of fans to see that type presentation for wrestling at this point. Its been dead for 25 years and I think it was killed by a shift in what fans wanted from their tv wrasslin.

Had a colonoscopy/endoscopy today. There was a raven perched above the door when we got there, which didn’t seem like the most promising omen. The highlight of the trip was probably whatever hits to the 80s and 90s station the office had on playing I Wanna Be Sedated about 10 minutes before they wheeled me back.

I'll say, it's very cheeky on R*'s part to use about 15 seconds of their precious real estate to say "I'm fixing some leaks".

There's a video on AEW's YouTube of the faceless backstage interviewer trying to get a post-match interview with Max Caster, who refuses, leaves the building, runs away and... actually, just watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siaBPyRdyZE&pp=ygUOYWV3IG1heCBjYXN0ZXI%3D

Taking away TV time from (insert AEW original here), that's terrible smh I'm sorry I couldn't resist.

Sure, but no one is advocating for AEW to sign the female equivalent of The Miz. It's Priscilla Kelley, Shotzi, Shayna, Evie and/or Eleyna Black. It's not like someone here is clamoring for Tony to sign Mandy Rose or some shit. The three middle categories don't apply to anyone mentioned. No one is suggesting Jakara Jackson get a spot and potentially push out Penelope Ford or something (but - it's funny you love workrate, since uhhhhh... well, that's not there). Probably an unpopular opinion because a lot of people have attachment to pandemic era Dark regulars, but AEW didn't have enough time for Abadon or Layla Hirsch because, brutal honesty here, they either sucked or were in the "watching paint dry boring" category. If fucking Shawn Michaels can make the NXT women's division work with 2 hours of TV time (and more women on his roster!), TK has no excuse other than he doesn't want to when he was double that amount of time (triple if you include ROH).

What grosses me out about McAfee is that he’s just a commentator. After the shit he pulled with the Ole Miss student, they could’ve just quietly left him on the desk, but instead, he’s in a featured match at the next PPV or whatever the fuck they’re called now. Like, they’re emphasizing him more after that. This poor girl has had to move and hide from all the online bullshit that he amplified, and WWE is like, “Let’s do more with this guy!” There’s a difference in employing shitbags and featuring them at the height of their shitbaggedness. I very much agree with your overall point. I just don’t think they’re recent handling of the McAfee situation should be minimized.

He's on the level, if he's inclined. A son of a devil, he wants mine and more. Oh, he's a high, high climber, not just a clinging vine. He made the grade, he made his marks, it's secure. And guess who's keeping score? Hey, we're back for another week of All Elite! We've got an angry Samoa Joe trying to get his title back from Mox! And Daniel Garcia announcing he'll be on the receiving end of a heel beatdown! Will Paragon help him, or will he just be para-gone??? He's a real speed demon. He's one of a kind. Watching, waiting, winking over his shoulder... He's running out of time... Over on the ladies side, sounds like a murdering gymnast (?) is gunning for the gold! Will Toni be the Last Girl??? Rush, rush, got the yeyo? Buzz, buzz, gimme yeyo! Rush, rush, got the yeyo? (Oh, oh) Yo, yo, no, no, yeyo (Oh, oh)! This week... oooh! Back 2 Back Dynamite & Collision! You're going to HAVE to go out with your wife this weekend! No excuses big boy. (A little tribute to the new GTA 6 trailer! And I couldn't squeeze an AEW pun into "Hot Together".) Enjoy the week!

To be fair I just picked a random 1997 Nitro as I couldn't remember when they went to three hours in 1998 (or 1999) but knew it was two hours in 1997. Times were different back then but I just don't think its something current wrestling should be trying to emulate.

There is no bigger trope in fiction that has less to do with reality than the idea of the billionaire who is also the charming ladies man. All those dudes are dweebs who are only successful with women because those women are after their money. The real life dudes who have all the game are like my cousin who has 10+ kids, but as far as I know has never had a job. It's really hard to bring nothing to the table and still somehow have multiple women at the same time for 30+ years.

I like Marina the bodyguard a lot. It's Chyna-esque. I kinda get the hate, but not really. Why does everyone need to wrestle? Like seriously, wrestling has been full of "non-wrestlers" who hang around forever She doesn't need to be wrestling straight matches, and it's easy enough to come up with some contractual reason why she'll only agree to "fights" but not sanctioned matches or some shit. It's wrestling, you can literally do anything you want and make it work

He's been doing this ever since he started the open challenge and it's wonderful. He's delusional but once this turns him face it can be spun as him believing in himself despite the losses. Then when he finally wins the people will go nuts and it'll make it all worth it. Plus I'd rather see this from Max than him doing questionable raps that sometimes got him in trouble.

This reminds me of one time where I took my mom to a doctor's appointment and as I noticed that the music in the waiting room was really good, some douche got up to complain about it. In what might be my favorite piece of customer service I ever witnessed, the lady at the desk politely said, "I'm sorry you don't like it, but I welcome you to wait outside if you would like." The guy was dumbfounded. He tried to argue, but she stood firm and said in a super pleasant voice, "you can take a chair into the hallway and we will come out to get you once we're ready." He looked around the room, found no sympathy, dragged a chair into the hallway, and everyone in the room was happy as hell that the woman got him out of there. It was one of those times where a room full of strangers who literally have never interacted with each other all immediately were on the same page because of one asshole.

Or recasting Smash because fans were apparently more aware of the Moondogs than Krusher Khrushchev

My favorite thing about Willow is how genuine she seems. I know that social media is curated but I've always had the vibe that her real personality is close and it comes through in her wrestling. Willowmania probably isn't far from what they could have if they push her correctly. I feel you could have a Bayley style fandom of younger fans but also have the Millennial parents backing her too.

The Marina experiment needs to end. It's like a baseball team trotted out someone that sucks but they paid a lot for so they have to try and use them, except Marina probably isn't getting paid a ton.

I think one of the GYVs is injured. I do like the move in AEW to have six/eight man tag matches on the TV shows, it's a far better way to get more talent on TV. They should start doing that with the women too. If rather than the parade of Women's singles matches and occasional squashes, we start getting a women's trios match every week, far more women can get on TV and advance their angles (and they're a great way of moving from one feud to another; If they do Harley Cameron & Anna Jay & Willow vs Meghan Bayne & Penelope Ford & Abadon, it's a great way to segue the singles feud into Willow vs Maghan.

Jadyn Fielder - that is Prince's kid (and Cecil's grandson) - homered in his first AB in the ACL (Arizona Complex League) He is in the Brewers system We are all about to turn to dirt

Update: For $56 and about twenty minutes, about 17 of which was us taking apart the trunk in order to get to the tail light assembly to switch out the sensor, my tail light is in perfect working order. We also replaced the shocks which weren't "leaking fluid" as the dealship told us, they were just a little dirty. Moral of the story: Screw the dealership service people whenever possible, find someone who "knows people"

Tonight has been a great night of basketball.

The Righteous are gone from AEW/ROH.

AEW announced Rhino will appear live this week, being in Detroit

Credit where credit is due, Max Caster's "Best Wrestler Alive" schtick is hilarious, and it's weirdly getting over. I hope they go somewhere with it. I was dying when Max was corpsing as fans started chanting along with him. He picked the most obnoxious, hardest phrase to chant along with, and fans actually started doing it.

I think I typed on here the idea of the WWE just recasting Sin Cara over and over. It wouldn't have been a good idea but it would have been a fun running joke then again I'd also put a mask on some job guys so that they could lose on TV without being seen losing, a plan that can only fail when you consider some guys really wouldn't work well wearing a mask for the first time oh yeah... add Doink to a list of bad recastings because I think every Doink after Borne was essentially like a VHS tape losing quality as it gets dubbed

I'm more annoyed that they are now literally marketing the movie as The New Avengers. Because you know, why not spoil the whole point of the movie. I thought it was good, however, when you figure out getting sent to The Void doesn't kill you, that sort of just ends any stakes the movie has. Like... oh you're sending me to a non-stop series of rooms of shame? That's what everyone who lives in NYC has to deal with every day. Take one ride on the R train.

Idk. My take on this is a bit different than everyone else. Partially because I don't actually see a story being told. Mox is just spewing generic things without some long term Hangman vs Omega style subtle long term booking towards a conclusion. To me you put the top title on the most over guy. Ospreay is the most over guy in my opinion. In that sense him vanquishing the Deathriders is as acceptable as Austin vanquishing DX or Hogan vanquishing Iron Shiek or Cena vanquishing JBL or any number of random title changes to crown your ace. There isn't some grand Mox vs Hangman feud simmering in the background. Theres no Mox feud at all. It's just him rambling. And any over baby face beating him works for the non-story in place here.

If they were interested in logically tying Ospreay to the DR stuff they could reference the segment he did with Daniel Garcia early on in the angle where he promised to take on the Death Riders once he got the Callis Family out of his hair, but I'll go out on a very sturdy limb and guess that they have completely forgotten about that already.

It's "Current Superstars call out Hulk Hogan" day, apparently. Not only Becky Lynch, but also Shelton Benjamin have dissed him today. Hogan, in an interview to promote his Real American Wrestling thing, he said lots of Amateur Wrestlers have star quality, and cited Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and "Benjamin Shelton" (sic). He also said he was the first wrestler to face Lesnar after Lesnat left the UFC, which was obvious bullshit. So on his twitter, Sheton said: (Will Smith Keep my name out your fucking Mouth gif)

"A Colorado fan" = Mel Kiper

It's wild that Caster is getting this nothing gimmick over, while Bowens is getting boring already, still tied to that albatross Billy Gunn and just screaming catchphrases.

This is going to be the first 500GB install on consoles, isn't it?

My launch day PS5 is gonna fucking blow up trying to play that.

GTA VI, Trailer 2

I went to the doctor today. Everything was as good as could be for an overweight diabetic. My next visit, however, I'm going to have to get screened for colon cancer. Ahh, the joys of being 44.

I've seen lots of "Hack-a-"player fouls over the years, but literally 60% of the Boston players on the floor telling on Pritchard while he fouled Robinson is hilarious.

Fall Brawl ‘95 notes: Link to go-home Nitro review: http://deathvalleydriver.com/forum/index.php?/topic/9193-smelly-watches-every-nitro-era-nitro-thunder-clash-and-ppv-while-sitting-and-sometimes-maybe-standing/#findComment-1105129 And we’re back with the first WCW pay-per-view of the Nitro Era! Though it’s obvious to anyone reading this in thread form rather than edited chronological document form (the latter of which will be finished and added to this thread someday), this review is happening after I ran through all of Nitro and Thunder as well as most of the PPVs. I sure wish that I had just gone ahead and committed to watching every WCW show in the Nitro Era from the jump, but then again, it’s fun to have a few more shows to write about. Hype-filled intro: On the other hand, a War Games pitting Hulk Hogan, Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger (“returned from behind enemy lines”) against Meng, the Shark, Kamala, and Disciple Booty Man Barber Dizzy Zodiac sounds diabolical, so maybe my decision to skip these early shows made at least a modicum of sense at the time. Tony S. hypes that spot where the Giant hilariously ran over the Hulkster’s ugly-ass Harley, which appears on Nitro the night after this show. Bobby Heenan is on commentary as well, and he’s trying, which is pretty rad! This Brian Pillman versus Johnny B. Badd match is notable for being kinda fucking weird, at least to me. The last time that I saw it, I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad or what. WCW is definitely pre-massive cuts and flush with cash because Michael Buffer is here to introduce this opener. This is a number one contendership bout for Sting’s United States Championship, Buffer tells us. Oh, I can drop this feature right now. Michael Buffer’s Ring Announcing Quality Control: It’s not THE WCW Fall Brawl, dude. Who are you, Bret Hart? I do note that Pillman is still being billed as from Hollywood, California, which I’m not sure I realized went on this long. We begin with these two slightly awkward athletes doing double-dropkicks leading to a face-off spots and stuff like that. The feeling out period is solid, and actually, I sort of appreciate that things feel less than a hundred percent crisp. Everything being a perfectly crisp exchange on every show takes me out of things a bit and reminds me that, yes, this is a choreographed show. Even small things like Badd scoring an early La Magistral and rolling Pillman toward the ropes, where Pillman has to flail a bit so that he can find the ropes with his boot, feels more organic. Am I getting too close to an It’s supposed to suck-style argument for anyone here? The first five minutes are full of holds and flash pinfall attempts. They run a bit, but one or the other scores a move and then settles back down into a feeling-out hold. You know, I can enjoy a headlock spot when it’s a clear part of an opening where the story is that neither guy wants to make an early mistake, even if Badd could maybe work the headlock a bit more for my tastes. Or a lot more for my tastes, actually. Pillman works out of one headlock with a backbreaker, casually covers for two, and then goes to a Boston Crab. It’s not a great Boston Crab, so I’m pleased that Pillman gives up on it and throws a punch. Now, Pillman is meant to be teasing his upcoming heel turn, so he yells WHO’S A BADD MAN NOW? at the crowd before promptly losing control of the match. Badd transitions from a leg grapevine into a weird-looking surfboard variant. What an odd little match in terms of the (generally interesting) work. Pillman shoves Badd, who knocks Pillman to the mat with a return shove. Pillman sparks a punch-up that he loses; he rolls to the floor and reconsiders his strategy while a woman in the front row angrily yells at him to get his ass back in there. Pillman re-enters the ring and offers a handshake that the crowd insists he should not take; Badd in fact does not do so, so Pillman dumps him to the floor instead and, upon Badd’s attempt at re-entry, gnaws on Badd’s forehead. Badd manages to knock Pillman away and land a slingshot guillotine legdrop for about 2.8. Then…it’s back to a chinlock. OK, we’re well into this match, and maybe it’s time to pick things up for an extended period. Not the whole match, mind you, but give us more of an explosion before settling back down. They do run again and crash into each other on a double-leapfrog attempt, which starts a standing ten-count. What a strange bout; they stagger to their feet, where Pillman lands a headbutt that drops both him and Badd right back into another standing ten count. There’s no rhythm at all to this match for me. It is eschewing the straightforward shine-heat-comeback approach, sure, but it’s veering far away from that approach and into something almost ineffable structurally, at least to my eyes. Badd suplexes Pillman to the floor from his spot on the apron, and I wonder if that’s a DQ (as does Heenan), but the bout goes on. Pillman lands a counter-dropkick back in the ring, but ducks down on a rope run and eats a sit-out powerbomb for two. The men trade two counts with impact moves, like that aforementioned Badd sit-out powerbomb or Pillman’s jumping Tombstone. The clock is ticking in time with the first bit of escalation in the match, but after Pillman is tossed out of his tornado DDT attempt, Badd goes to an armbar, which drives me nuts considering Buffer’s constant announcements of the time remaining. At least Badd moves quickly at the two-minute warning, leaving the armbar and being countered into a weird little octopus hold that Pillman ineffectively cinches on through the one-minute warning. Is this match any good? I’m still not sure. They finally get to their feet, where Badd lands a Kiss that Don’t Miss/Tutti Frutti. Pillman is in the ropes, though, and he gets up and hits a springboard lariat for two as time expires. They mistime the last spot, which is supposed to be Pillman scoring a backslide and Badd being saved by the bell, but whatever. Those spots are hard to properly time. Nick Patrick makes a referee’s decision and calls for a sudden death period. That period starts with Pillman trying to avoid another hard left hand by attacking Badd’s left shoulder. The two do another double-dropkick spot, this time with a missile dropkick, before Pillman tries a sleeper. That hold gets reversed, so Pillman suplexes his way out of that particular jam, and we get another standing ten-count. I am ready for the finish. This match has been fascinating in that I’ve enjoyed it mostly because of how strange the layout feels. I’m trying to think of another match where that’s been the case. Badd scores two on a diving sunset flip; Pillman reverses a powerbomb into a Frankensteiner for two. Pillman’s crucifix is countered into a Samoan drop for two. I am even more ready for the finish than I was before. Look, I’ll just tell you the finish when it happens. These fellas insist on a few more nearfalls and also a spot where Pillman gets launched from the top and onto the guardrail outside. And also a spot where Badd hits a slingshot senton onto Pillman out there. And also also a spot where Badd eats knees on a slingshot splash back into the ring. I’m fatigued. There’s more after that, too! The finish, when it happens, is weak in my view: They hit a double-crossbody where Pillman lands on top of Badd, but Badd is the one who isn’t hurt by it; he awkwardly flips Pillman onto his back and wins it. That was the strangest thirty-ish minutes of wrestling that I’ve seen in a while. Word to twiztor, this match is the dictionary definition of a Charming Uniquity. After a few remarks from Tony S. and Heenan about Ric Flair’s inability to get a grip on pretty much anything that’s happening in his wrestling career, Gene Okerlund interviews Ric, who cuts a promo on Arn Anderson. It’s all a ruse, mind you. Flair and Arn have decided to kick the shit out of each other to lure Sting in and beat him up, and that’s only because Savage was having no part of their little plan…not that this stopped them from harassing Savage straight into the arms of the nWo anyway. We’re back in 1995, so Flair is still at least somewhat in touch with reality, but all his scheming that used to work so well in, say, 1987 doesn’t have nearly the same success here in 1995. It’s all downhill in kayfabe (and as a shoot?) for the guy's ability to control his narrative in WCW, of course; Flair’ll be a nutty leader of WCW, desperately grasping onto power in whatever way possible, in a few more years. And then again a couple of years after that. Cobra’s Morse Code theme makes me want to stab my Chromebook’s speakers with a sharp implement. Let’s hope he gets rolled right quick by Sgt. Craig Pittman. Wait, this isn’t Sgt. Craig Pittman walking down the aisle. It’s The Artist Soon to Be Known As Prince Iaukea! TAStBKAPI draws Cobra’s attention while in the background, Crow Sting Sgt. Pittman rappels down from the catwalk and steals upon Cobra with one of those artillery belts like what Rambo wears as he mows down terrorists in all the First Blood sequels. Anyway, I want Pittman to roll Cobra right quick, and he pretty much does. They open with a ringside brawl that seems novel and not at all obligatory in 1995 before Pittman snaps on a Code Red for the submission victory about as soon as the match re-enters the ring. It’s good to see that he really knows how to snap that move on. He’s clearly got so much experience and practice with that move that it’s something he’ll never forget how to do. Promotional package: Paul Orndorff headbutts a window in frustration after a loss to the Macho Man, but he regains his confidence as soon as some TV psychic who isn’t Miss Cleo (God rest her beautiful soul) helps him find himself again through a spectral vision or some shit like that. This is obviously so bad that it’s good, especially Orndorff’s completely unconvincing GARY SPIVEY? FROM THE PSYCHIC COMPANIONS NETWORK?! Also, Spivey states the lyrics of Orndorff’s new operatic entrance theme in a matter-of-fact tone. This might low-key be one of my two or three favorite dumb promotional pro wrestling crossovers of all time. It's Kimberly! Also, DDP is here. But let’s go back to Kimberly! Oh, Max Muscle, who is later on known as Maxx, is here too. But again, Kimberly! Anyway, I’m calmed down. Tony S.: “Remember back in high school how the good-looking girls always went out with the dirtbags? That’s what [this] reminds me of.” Be like Elsa and LET IT GOOOOOOO, Tony S. So, Page is going to try and wrest the WCW World Television Championship from Renegade (w/Jimmy Hart). Kevin Sullivan should absolutely book him to do that, especially because Page is fun as hell even in 1995. For example, he fires off early, then headbutts Renegade, bumps himself to the floor because Renegades and Warriors have especially hard heads, wobbles around, smacks his head on the post, and tumbles backwards over the railing. You can say what you want about Page being Bischoff’s neighbor, but when his WCW run was said and done, he probably didn’t get featured as well as he should have as opposed to getting extra opportunities that he didn’t deserve. Page does what he can with the entirely unimpressive Renegade. Kimberly is bummed that Dallas keeps making her hold up the “10” card like she’s Tye Dillinger. I mean, if anyone back then knew that Tye Dillinger existed. Heck, do that many people now know that Tye Dillinger/Shawn Spears exists? Whatever, doesn’t matter, the point is that Page walks Renegade through a decent enough match that ends when Page gets whipped into Max Muscle as Muscle gets on the apron. Renegade dives onto Max as Hart yells at him, but when he tries to get back into the ring, Max grabs his leg and Page recovers and quickly hooks a Diamond Cutter on the tied-up Renegade for three. That Page carry job should tell you something about how much potential Page had as a heel, and he’d turn all of that potential into promise made good in early 1999. The WCW World Tag Team Championship is on the line next: Harlem Heat (w/Sister Sherri) try to recapture the gold from champions Dirty Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck (w/Colonel Robert Parker). We are firmly into the Sherri-and-Parker Wacky Relationship Era, by the way. Things like Bunkhouse Buck throwing punches while wearing smudged suspenders is one of the things that the loss of WCW has deprived us of: Gross-looking Southern dudes with great punches who are billed from places like Bucksnort, Tennessee. TNA tried to keep the magic alive - America’s Most Wanted comes immediately to mind – but no, it’s dead. The best we have now is, like, Hangman Adam Page, and no offense to his fans, but meh. I like this match’s opening, which involves a series of punches and clotheslines from everyone and some combined clubbering on the part of the Heat. Also, there’s a Stevie Ray chinlock in there. Look, we can’t have everything. That’s just the reality of life. The champs struggle to get out of the starting blocks for an extended period. Slater takes some control when the lumbering Stevie tries ten punches in the corner and is countered into an ugly inverted atomic drop because Stevie, while big, is not very mobile. Dirty Dick immediately loses control on a headbutt to the midsection, though. Booker finally ends up in peril after Buck catches him from behind on a rope run. Buck then tags in and throws a nice kneelift. There are punches, chokes, and occasionally, a wrestling move. Slater has a nice side Russian. They also work a good struggle piledriver spot in there. This is where the match picks up; Booker makes an aborted comeback that ends when he crashes out on a corner charge and takes a bump right onto his neck in the process. He makes another one that ends with him getting deadlifted and slammed. This is a good heel control segment as you would expect considering the heels. I dig one spot where Stevie frustratedly kicks Slater while Slater’s got Booker in a Boston Crab, but the heels neutralize that by not even tagging out; Buck gets in the ring and resumes a single-leg crab while the ref shoos Stevie away. Finally, Booker escapes the jam with an axe kick and makes a hot tag. Stevie scores a two count, but the match breaks down. All four men fight in one ring while in the other ring, Sherri seductively crawls toward Rob Parker on all fours. It’s kinda hot, honestly! And yes, I am settled down! The Nasty Boys show up somewhere in there and attack Slater with his own cowboy boot (in exchange, as Tony S. tells us later, for Slater and Buck attacking them in a match against the American Males). Sherri and Parker make out while Stevie covers Slater for three. Hey look, an overbooked WCW finish that I enjoyed! It must not be 1998. Or 1999. Or 2000. The Heat are mistrustful of their manager because she’s consorting with Robert Parker. Fair! She assures them that her make-out session with the colonel was all a ruse, though. (It was not.) Buck and Slater crap on Colonel Parker in a post-match interview with Gene Okerlund in the aisle. Parker blows off their concerns because he’s in LUH-UHVVVVVE. Parker is a character, man. This is a funny little promo; Parker is entertaining as hell when you get him talking. He promises to get his boys another title shot, but in the meantime, Sherri has him sprung, so he’s just going to go with it. Ah, one of those This is going to end poorly, but I’m going to do it anyway romances. I've been there! I didn't have a wedding ruined by Madusa, though. Arn Anderson next interviews with Gene Okerlund backstage, who is half out of breath from running backstage to do this interview (Roger Bannister gets a mention from ole Gene). Lucky for him, they play a video package in which we see Arn and Ric’s relationship fall apart, though not really, as it'll turn out. This package notes that Hulk Hogan’s arrival in the company has put Flair on tilt – yep – and we get a little video of him with his family. Dopey David Flair and young Reid make a couple of early bird cameos. This is a strong package, but it’s so long that Okerlund has had time to wipe away the sweat, lower his heart rate, and get rehydrated. Arn follows up on that package and cuts what will not surprise you to find out is a very good promo about having to fight Ric because that’s what happens when family has an issue. Fists are thrown. Well, in pro wrestling, not universally. A bunch of midcarders get seats in the first few rows for this epic encounter. Ric Flair taunts Arn Anderson at the start of the match and gets cheered. They love both these guys, actually. Flair works Flair’s typical match. The fans are like YEAH, WE LOVE THIS THING YOU ALWAYS DO, FLAIR, so who am I to tell him that his approach to wrestling is incorrect? Nobody, that’s who. There is novelty in this routine, though, and that’s in Arn as an ostensible babyface doing all these Flair spots where Flair attacks, Arn retaliates, and Flair flops around and looks incensed. Of course, they do some enjoyable mat work that isn't completely aimless in terms of the story being told, to boot. Bobby Heenan does great work on commentary, saying that Arn and Ric might be at the same level as wrestlers, and that Ric never giving Arn a world title shot might be a hint that Ric realizes this. I’ll also say that, while the quality of his stories was very up and down, this core concept (along with the alt-universe return of Tully Blanchard to WCW in the ‘90s actually occurring) formed the spine for what was easily the best Rewriting the Book that Jed Shaffer ever produced. This is a good match! I particularly like the part of this match that connects the opening to the middle, where Arn just barely outwrestles Flair, anticipating all his tricks and strategies because he’s seen all that shit before. Ric can’t even beg off without getting immediately stomped in the chest. Arn works on Ric’s arm and shoulder, including with a nice hammerlock slam. So, here’s what elevates this match: Halfway through, Flair starts to sucker Arn in by anticipating that Arn will try to anticipate his moves. My favorite spot in this bout is when Flair does his typical Flair flip over the corner strut off an Irish whip and runs the apron. When Arn moves to cut him off with a lariat, Flair pulls the top rope down and Arn tumbles to the mats below. As a bonus, Flair goes up and hits a double axe to the floor, earning a rare successful top-rope move by deviating from his normal strategy. That series of spots is how Flair manages to take control of the match for an extended period of time. I very much enjoyed it! Flair keeps Arn grounded, barking at the fans in between attempts at successfully cheating, but Arn manages to punch his way out of trouble, then lands a back body drop for two. What annoys me is Pee Wee Anderson blocking one of Arn’s punches as Flair begs off – why?! – so that Flair can transition back into control with a low blow. Also illogical: Throwing someone over the top rope is a disqualification, but throwing them between the ropes, as Flair does, is fine. At least they got rid of that latter rule. They never did get rid of the idea that refs do dumb things for no logical reason to spark transitions or finishes, though. Flair takes the match back inside the ring, lands a right, and then scores a vertical suplex that only gets two because he is too fatigued to cover. As Flair goes to chops, I wonder if maybe these two were beefing a bit before remembering that they had a plan to ruin Sting’s life and deciding to come back together to execute it. There wouldn’t be any logical reason to wrestle a hard match for 25 minutes or whatever just for a ruse. I digress; Arn manages to counter Flair’s counter to a sunset flip by dodging Flair’s punch. He chokes Flair, then signals for the DDT, but he’s too near the ropes. Flair hooks them and hangs on as Arn takes a back bump. Alas, he goes up top once too many and is tossed to the mat, then suffers a knee to the jaw that earns two for Arn. Arn tries a double-axe from the second rope, but Flair gets back to his feet and clotheslines Arn out of the air, then struggles for a Figure Four. Arn grabs Ric’s leg as Ric tries to cross Arn’s ankle, but Ric fights through it, locks it on, and punches Arn’s knee. Arn tries desperately to turn it and does to a massive pop, but Flair lets the hold go. He’s first to his feet, and he scores a chop block, then sets up for it again. Arn counters this attempt with a small package for two as Flair turns it. Flair goes back to work; he whips Arn to the corner, but Arn falls over. Pee-Wee checks on Arn, which is when Brian Pillman hops on the apron and punches Ric in the face. Ric punches him right back, so Pillman kicks Flair in the back of the head after Flair turns his back. Arn painfully makes his way to his feet and DDTs Ric for three. A guy who looks just like 2025 fully-bearded Tony S. except aged downward thirty years shakes his head mournfully in the front row. I don’t love Pillman getting involved on the finish for such a good match, but man, that bout was fantastic. Hype video: This War Games seems like it’s going to suck, and Kevin Sullivan cutting questionable promos as the Taskmaster is not changing my position on this at all! Sullivan cutting deranged promos in 1985? Awesome. Sullivan cutting deranged promos in 1995? The exact opposite of that. Hilarious video: There goes the Hulkster’s ugly-ass motorcycle! The Giant and Hogan competing over who can ham it up more in that segment. Another fucking Dungeon of Doom hype video: The narrator says that Sullivan and his FATHA King Curtis “are one, combining their powers and summoning the Shark, the Zodiac, Kamala, Meng (the Face of Terror), and the Giant.” I really enjoy the Giant, but that summoning is decidedly less impressive than combining their powers to summon Captain Planet. Two other notes: First, we’re still pretending that LE GEANT~ is Andre’s kid at this point. Second, Vader is listed as AWOL from the babyface team. He’s not A-WALL, though, so good for him! Shitty pre-match promo: The babyfaces are wearing greasepaint. Okerlund compares them to the troops at Normandy in WW2. This confuses Hogan, who blows that analogy off so that he can talk about drinking Agent Orange. I find it interesting that the Hulkster no-sold the mention of troops liberating France from the Nazis and instead referenced an American war crime in Vietnam. Actually, it’s not that interesting because it’s sorta obvious considering, y'know, that Hogan is a scumbag in all facets of his personality. Hogan yells DTA, DON’T TRUST ANYBODY, but it’s less cool than when Stone Cold does it. He also plans to use Jimmy Hart as bait. Man, Hogan was a terrible person in kayfabe. Michael Buffer is back out here to switch it up with a LET THE GAMES BEGIN, which I’m not sure about honestly. My initial reaction was SAY THE LINE, BART BUFFER, especially because that’s what he’s really getting paid to say. Okerlund explains the rules for this very awesome match type that is not going to be well-booked ever again in this company post-1994. I mean, unless this War Games bout surprises me. Buffer announces that if the babyfaces win, Hogan gets Sully in a one-on-one match immediately after the bout before introducing the Dungeon of Doom, who, by the way, are billed as being from, collectively, YIN AND YANG; THE GREAT BARRIER REEF; DEEPEST, DARKEST AFRICA; the South Pacific island of Tonga, in a refreshing and brief return to normality; and finally, THE IRON GATES OF FATE. Woof. Is the Vader-for-Luger trade one of the most lopsided trades in pro wrestling history? I know it’s not a direct trade, but you get my point. It’s damn near Herschel Walker to the Vikes (Vader is Walker in this analogy) or Luka to the Lakers (Vader is absolutely not Luka in this analogy). Anyway, let’s get this thing going. Buffer SAYS THE LINE, and we begin with Sting [HM1] and the Shark [DD1] having an okay opening in which Sting fights up from an early Shark attack *sigh* and hits a body slam before Shark collapses on him when Sting goes for a second. Commentary critiques Sting's decision to try a second slam attempt even though we just saw him hit the slam on the first attempt. Tenta locks on a bear hug. Man, this match is a bummer. Both men trade control; Shark loses it at one point while posing as he steps over the top rope, which is the sort of heel hubris that deserved the testicular torturing that Sting administered. The Stinger turns Tenta on a Scorpion Deathlock, but wouldn’t you know it, the heels win the toss, so Zodiac [DD2] rushes into the ring and Sting has to break it up. Sting is trying his best in here, and really, he’s the reason that this is a watchable series of segments. Shark is trying in there, but he's broken down. The heels can’t put Sting in all that much trouble before Randy Savage [HM2] enters the fray. They ring a bell while Buffer announces that “the period is over; we move on to period number three.” Did they ring bells or announce each entrance as a new period in the past? I don’t believe so. I don’t think they did it in the future either, though my memory may be faulty in either direction. Good news: This match isn’t the absolute dirt worst! Bad news: This match is dreadfully fucking boring! Kamala [DD3] enters and hits a few hokey chops as is his way. Time passes. Lex Luger [HM3] evens the numbers. Matters progress. Meng [DD4] is the final Dungeon member inside the cage. Something of note happens, which is mostly that Luger and Savage get their wires crossed and then fight one another before Meng takes the chance to kick both guys in the chest. That’s nice, having something to report of any interest at all. Hulk Hogan [HM4] hauls his annoying ass into the ring and THE MATCH BEYOND begins. You know, I just recalled that Hogan and Savage are still going to be feuding with the Dungeon in February of 1996. Ugh. So, this snoozer of a match ends with the babyfaces taking steady control of the proceedings while Tony S. tries to walk back Heenan’s declaration that the ring looks “like Bosnia.” Yeesh! This is taking forever, but finally, Hogan locks Zodiac in a weak camel clutch, and Zodiac is all like YES NO YES NO YES NO ACTUALLY I’M GONNA PRETEND THIS HURTS AND JUST STICK TO SAYING YES BECAUSE I SUBMIT. Sullivan tries to hightail it, but is stopped by WCW officials and eventually tossed into the ring by Sting, where he gets the shit kicked out of him by Hogan. Happily, the Giant stomps out here, breaks into the cage, and chokeslams Hogan. Fin. OK, so ’94 was the last great War Games match and ’96 or ’97 was the last pretty good one. That’s a bummer. This show was worth watching for Ric Flair/Arn Anderson and the oddity that was the opener, but for the most part, it was forgettable. You wouldn’t think that WCW was about to go on a creative hot streak if you watched the show out of context. Link to follow-up Nitro review: http://deathvalleydriver.com/forum/index.php?/topic/9193-smelly-watches-every-nitro-era-nitro-thunder-clash-and-ppv-while-sitting-and-sometimes-maybe-standing/#findComment-1105316

Iron Chin, Glass Stomach: The Bo Nickal Story

I got the Kino-Lorber release of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Criterion release of Hopscotch. So apparently I'm on a Walter Matthau kick and there ain't nothing wrong with that. I've talked up both these films before so no need to go into full synopsis/review. Still, these are both fun movies with Matthau just being Matthau (especially Hopscotch, where Matthau's love of classical music is written into his character). I keep forgetting to check out Charley Varrick, I've watched clips here and there but not the whole thing. Maybe I'll buy that next. Janes

To follow with @Dolfan in NYC's "seeing all the Best Picture nominations so you don't have to," I'll post the links for the Letterboxd reviews I did for all 10 Best Picture nominations I watched. The reviews are copied/pasted into various posts for various days I've seen them: I'm Still Here - https://boxd.it/8MZHGH The Brutalist - https://boxd.it/8wWW3F Nickel Boys - https://boxd.it/8scgT7 Anora - https://boxd.it/7KQgIR The Substance - https://boxd.it/7n7h4h Wicked - https://boxd.it/7S8TAh Conclave - https://boxd.it/7Dwj7h Dune Part Two - https://boxd.it/5ZOajV A Complete Unknown - https://boxd.it/8b8sTH Emilia Perez - https://boxd.it/8Ys3FB