Technico Support

The title of my gym memoir shall be “THERE’S ALWAYS SOMEBODY ON THE FUCKING PEC DECK”

Word. Creating a "modern triple crown" when your world champion isn't in the tournament, there's no way that new title will replace the world title, and it's made up of two nigh-worthless afterthought belts and one brand new one, is ridiculous.

That’s crazy, because I just finished that part, too. I agree, the fights can be a chaotic challenge when you’re waiting for a weapon guy or big guy to attack so you can parry, because that’s the only way you can hurt them, but five other low levels are also after you AND some guy is trying to shoot you from atop a perch. It’s wild.

He definitely had some botches and mistiming/maybe miscommunications Saturday. But of the 3-4 times I’ve seen him, I believe that was the only time he looked that bad.

I saw a Reddit headline that said "Reports say QT left because he wants to be a wrestling star" and the first comment was "oh honey." I LOL'd and LOL'd. I mean the first time I saw QT was in ROH like 10 years ago. He was chubby, had a bald spot, and wore a Greg Valentine knockoff robe, looking like your dad working your local weekend indy around 1995. He's gotten in better shape and gotten hairplugs since then, but there's nothing about him that screams "star." Dude's ceiling is training people and being a TV JTTS. Looks like getting cheap heat in Mexico got to his head if that report is true.

Just getting out of the way, instead of stumbling around like a MK character waiting for a fatality, is a wonderful counter to any dumb, convoluted cutter.

Oh yeah, you absolutely fight gangs of mooks on the regular. It's fun.

I just started it and am really enjoying it, but I just bought a PS5 after being an Xbox guy forever, so I never played the originals and have no point of comparison. But I absolutely get what you're saying about the controls. I can't remember half this shit and some of it doesn't work for some weird reason. For example, I'm prompted to hit a combination to fire a web line but it doesn't work and I have no idea why not, aside from maybe I'm not aiming in the right spot? And just like you, I go from "let's try stealth" (in the initial hunter base, for example) to "fuck it, let's just kick all their asses." Arkham Asylum & City's stealth mechanics felt much more natural and reliable. I really do like the hand to hand combat, though, which feels like a mix of Arkham and God of War 1. The big setpiece missions are really fun, too. I don't know how far you've gotten so I won't spoil much, but I'm like maybe 30% into the game and some of the stuff is wild.

The idea of Cole being the devil doesn't appeal to me. The whole storyline of MJF turning babyface was that he was a piece of shit his whole life as a reaction to how he was treated by others, and how he never had any friends. Then Cole became his friend and that made him change his ways a bit, accept the fans' love, and become a babyface. I think that's an awesome story and the guy who did all this turning on him throws all that out. The natural progression of Cole turning and it all being a ruse would be MJF reverting and would reset his character to a one dimension scummy heel. I really do like @Craig H's idea of Cole being framed and then MJF fighting both the real devil and fighting to regain Cole's friendship.

Joe was quick to help MJF because he thought those were the same ninjas who kidnapped him and drew a dick on his face back in the day.

It's wild because I have Sling, which costs less than half YTTV's price and can be hot garbage in some regards, yet it always automatically DVRs like 45 extra minutes for every AEW program.

I really wanted to like this one but after they deified Yauch for about the 38th time (I swear they gave him credit for every single morally decent thing the band did), I got bored and turned it off. I wanted a fun career retrospective and I got a saccharine sweet memorial service. But one thing I really did enjoy was the background stuff about Simmons and maybe Rubin, to a lesser extent, fucking the band on royalties and demanding they keep working the boorish frat boy gimmick since that was what they figured made the money. I got into the Beastie Boys when I was 12 and had no idea that Licensed to Ill was essentially a joke record. I recently texted my brother, asking him how the hell we never realized that. I mean Rhymin' and Stealin' is a rap song about being a pirate for fuck's sake.

Thanks. Now I'm imagining Lawler trying to kick fast food and relapsing, looking like Pookie in New Jack City, all wearing an American flag shirt and bawling in front of a McDonald's bag.

He's just Angry McAngryface. He's like a parody of a pro wrestler crossed with something a 13 year old boy would dream up instead of paying attention in home ec class. Same problem I have with Joe. One dimensional, "I'm mean and I beat everybody up" is just not appealing.

I know I said this last time and was burned on it, but god damn, there’s no way they put Mox over OC, right? Like that just buries OC and cements him as a midcarder. I liked Moxley back when he was booked as an actual 3 dimensional human being. This violent, angry bully gimmick is trash. If he was a straight up heel who actually got his comeuppance, it would work. But he’s pretty much a face again and it just feels like an adolescent male power fantasy gimmick. 1996 Steve Austin had more nuance.

Wrestlers in suits always remind me of my favorite DEAN line (I think he said it about Hellwig’s appearance during his public speaking tours): “he looks like a landscaper with a court date.”

The first half of this sentence now makes me really REALLY want to see Denzel in a The A-Team remake.

That's awesome. It's so vile and late stage capitalism that a film can get made, get good advances, but get shelved forever for a tax write-off because execs figure it'll make money but not as much money as we want it to.

I don't know if I'm going through a mental thing or what but I just can't find a game I want to play. Games I've tried and discarded after one session recently: Doom (2016): dull, no plot (don't know what I was expecting). Walk. Kill. Walk. Kill. Repeat. Gotham Knights: not in the same league as Arkham Asylum & City, janky destination points and unintuitive layout/camera, complicated level up system House Flipper: not much to it, not as fun/relaxing as Powerwash Sumulator Dead Space remake: I've already beaten Dead Space (original), not enough new to bring me back. And how do you make changes to an old game but not remove SAVE STATIONS in 2023? Somewhat complicated level up system Like a Dragon Gaiden Game With Too Many Words In The Title: First sitdown consisted of two very short "missions" and some VERY LOOOOONG cutscenes. Then I'm treated to the worst, most disorienting minimap I've ever encountered. Also complicated level up system What is it with this trend of managing the act of leveling your guy up via some sort of crafting system, choosing what to level up, and learning all this stuff? Holy shit is it not fun, yet so many games have it today. How about having my guy just get better passively or through some method that's, you know, fun? Like a Dragon shows you all the stuff you can spend XP (or something) on to level up and it's just daunting. I really liked Crackdown 3, where you get stronger by punching people, jump higher by collecting orbs (which are fun to collect!), shoot better by shooting people, etc. Or RDR2, where you just get more stamina, better Dead Eye, etc. through just playing the game. I don't want to choose between, say, upping stamina or Dead Eye, then worry I've made the wrong choice. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Ahem. It was TEENY WANGERS.

Now hold on. I wouldn't put any 80s wrestler above anything, full stop.

Sorry, I just saw this. Hang in there, buddy. It's a real bitch and I don't know what to tell you. Going through this stuff myself at times, it feels hollow to say "try to keep in mind that the stuff you're feeling in that moment isn't true." I guess just try to remember that you have friends here. Do your best; we're rooting for you.

That reminds me of the time when they were playing out the Exalted One mystery and Raven was in the crowd to low key tease that it might be him. Announcers didn't mention it and nobody really called attention to it, which was cool.

We have the G1 at home!

Dude, my current gym has a class that younger kids need to take if they want to work out. I’m like shit, they need to make everyone who joins go through a gym etiquette class. So much ridiculous bullshit. On the plus side, I ran 8 miles today, finishing 8 straight days of alternating weights and cardio since last Saturday. I think I’ll take tomorrow off.