Octopus

Needs an eyepatch

JUN KASAI! One step closer to Kasai vs Moxley. Is this the thread we talk about how cool he is?

Will Washington is on Denise Salcedo’s pod! Fun to hear them together again AND fun to hear Washington talk about working in AEW. Half way through, very fun listen! Fun fun fun!

Squared Circle is back

Should we call him Batiston or Ortista?

The Wacky Plight of Wardlow Wardlow was fairly protected and made to look like a big deal when he was partnered with Max. He would dominate matches he was in and his losses felt like a big often circumstantial deal. He lost to Cody from a moonsault of the top of the cage and he had CM Punk (I believe?) beat until MJF made him continue his onslaught instead of winning. In promo segments he would be quiet and working for Max, however he still would be presented to be smart, stoic, suave, and most importantly important. After his big moment was dampened by AirplaneGate, he hasn’t felt the same. I think it is half on AEW booking and half on him as a performer. I agree that the goal of a TV-esque title is to bop around, making the reigns that last months feel special but could be changed in any match still. I don’t have a problem with him losing, but it’s safe to say he doesn’t really feel special anymore. The protection and safety net is off and he’s asked to be able to do more. We’ll see him either fold into the flow of things or improve as a performer and a character. He could have been protected more and even treated like a main event threat, but maybe this is better in the long run than an Elite Batista. But who knows, Powerbomb Symphony could have made a lot of money? Or we’d get people asking for more? Regardless, I care less about the TNT Title now then the International one. That’s the power of the right performer and right booking.

If we get 8-months of good Punk television and matches, I’m happy. If we get a new fallout or Punk injury, I’m sad. I’m in the boring camp of liking (at least what we’ve seen) of both commentary teams. We’ll get good days and bad days, but I think they fit the product they’re presenting.

As a 9 year old, this was the greatest match of all time: Ken Shamrock was so cool. I hated Jeff Jarrett so much. Then as a 13 year old is was Eddie Guerrero vs Rhyno vs Tajiri vs Chris Benoit at Summerslam 03 . I dipped out of wrestling (not allowed in the house after a failed attempt at a backflip but we sneak watched it) around 01ish. Such cool characters. I honestly don’t remember the exact match but it was wild with them all. Probably a tag match I stumbled on switching channels at my grandmas house. Benoit winning the championship was a big moment for my fandom. I always pointed to him in my defense of pro wrestling being “fake”. His chops were real. He went hard. Then when what happened happened it really left me in a bad place. I still watched but I couldn’t defend it. Then around age 15ish I discovered Low Ki & Kenta kicking each other. I remember having friends over that didn’t like wrestling to huddle around my computer to watch it. They didn’t care for the obviously great early grappling, but when the double stomps and kicks started flowing, everyone loved it. Lead me to NOAH and a deeper world to discover. I fell out of love as life got busy and anxiety got worse. Dipped in and out to see former ROH favorites doing well in the WWE but would lose interest in the product. I didn’t really know as many of the Indy and TNA was becoming less Samoa Joe and more Hogan and older WWF/WCW guys. Real or not, that was the perception. My gf at the time (now wife) was watching Total Divas. And then this scene happened: Rikishi no shows the wedding after saying he’d come. Pre-Bloodline USO’s creating a tear jerker moment. I cried! I’m back. WWE PPV’s can be seen on the subscription network? Ok, I’m back. Royal Rumble had some guy named Nakamura win it? He seems cool. A women’s rumble? Who is Asuka? Neat! I’m back! I stumble back here after lurking in my youth remembering reading opinions on lucha and Japanese wrestling when I was younger. What the hey, I join. Hoping to deep dive wrestling the same way my obsessive wanting to learn more was the focal point of my twenties with the beauty of Cinema. Which wrestler will be my Tarkovsky? Will this be a fun return to casual enjoyment or an obsession? Are chops still neat? (Yes) Although I’m not a Young Bucks guy or a big video game player, both BTE and UUDD was very enjoyable. And in weird ways, the ongoing storylines were some of the most enjoyable thing going. Cody vs Kenny (which I don’t know if we actually got a full blowoff but everyone is friends and they started a company) and Tyler Breeze’s heel run as UUDD champion (watch him brutalize the Miz after beating him. It was so Hilarious!). AEW came at the right time in my life. I’m really enjoying the past few years posting on here. The Hangman Saga was such great storytelling and fun use of subtle moments of body language in interviews. We got The You g Bucks vs Hangman & Omega which I still love. Then Danielson, my GOAT, shows up and even with the company’s faults has become my favorite time watching wrestling. I have Danielson vs MJF in my all time top 3 (maybe broaden it to 10 if I’m in need of wiggle room). I love modern NOAH. Give me wild Nakajima kicks! I also love going back and watching things I’ve never seen. Discovery is beautiful. Funk vs Onita, Hokuto vs Shinobu, Bockwinkel vs Lawler, Negro Casas vs Hijo Del Santo, etc. Just a month or so ago I watched Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo and it was the perfect example of what I love about wrestling. I love Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi grappling. RAMBLE CONTINUES AND LEFT PURPOSE MAYBE IM TIRED ON A COUCH I have a soft spot for Kenta Kobashi’s title run. His knees are bad but he’ll chop the hell out of you and it will be beautiful. I go back to his title run and Danielson’s ROH run. Something something I’m glad we’re getting great Samoa Joe matches in AEW. I felt his WWE promos were fantastic and arguably the best in his career but he couldn’t display the same level of brutality or at least part of his aura was stripped away. He terrorizes AJ Styles’ family and we get a regular match without the hatred that the feud lead up to. We should have gotten Joe vs Darby style wildness then. But alas, he is able to do that now. Saying all that, if he made more money and was happier there, then I’m sorry he got let go twice. Still, that’s crazy that SAMOA JOE was fired twice in a short amount of time. D-U-M dumb. Ramble What am I excited for in wrestling today? CM Punk being back is neat. I always liked Punk but I LOVED his old man run. I like the layout of Collision and think it will be a good addition to the wild world of wrestling. Hopefully everyone can get along. Someday I’ll get ROH subscription and watch Athena be awesome. Ramble END.

In the ER overnight for lil Octopus’s breathing. He had a cold that lead to croup that lead to something like Stridor. Poor guy is having a tough time today. The negative thread is still down so I posted here?

So what was in the bag?

@Log and @Dog arguing? What next? @Matt D and @patc? (I searched so many names for this)

As a boneless, out of shape cephalopod, I’m fairly soft.

Joe vs Punk! New bitter old man trilogy. I’m getting too old for this shit CHOP. Promos included. I’m just excited from all the possibilities!

This show was what I hoped Rampage would be like. Hopefully we get Brody vs Rush Could have used a wow moment bring a debut episode, but all in all I’m excited for it as a good wrestling show. A good cast of characters to work with and mix in various other workers that can hope between shows. Less of a straight brand split and more a difference in vibe an presentation.

Was Moesha a wrestling show? That theme song was legit.

Fellow nerds, with the Squared Circle Reddit page down, I don’t have a quick scroll all-in-one page for wrestling news. Any recommendations on similar pages?

Holy smokes, I love that intro! No joke, I’m low key more excited somehow. Saturday wrestling! Hopefully we get some Rush on future shows to team with Andrade. All the drama surrounding everything dampened my excitement but this is a weird shot of espresso to freshen things up. Thumbs up for me.

One of us! One of us!

After the beating Excalibur gave Jimmy Havok they were afraid if another fight broke out and he got involved an actual star would feel the wrath of Excalibur.

“Hangman? More like Dangman.” - CM Punk

The treadmill says the same about me.

Grandpa on my dad’s side was a Assistant Fire Chief in Minneapolis and Papa on my mom’s side was a goofy can’t not joke traveling paper salesman. They would make an intriguing tag team.

Call me old fashioned but we need a CM Pop Standards

Love you, Dad

His full name is Zakk_Sabbath D