tbarrie

Also, it's apparently "A The Lord of The Rings Game", horrible as that is.

Yes. And that brings us to another way that, in my opinion, the ghost of kayfabe affects current wrestling negatively. I think part of the reason so many modern wrestling fans won't engage with the story the performers are telling is because, consciously or subconsciously, they're afraid doing so would lead people to think that they think it's real. This leads to things like fans cheering or booing based on how skilled they think a given performer is rather than what the characters have done in the story. In extreme cases, you get situations like the smarks throwing a hissyfit when that sneaky Daniel Bryan got smashed in 18 seconds by Sheamus after months of weaselling out of situations with his title intact - I guess because in their minds, Danielson's skill as a performer means his character should win all his matches?

Okay, but that's not really analogous to anything I've said, is it? I never suggested that after a wrestler hits a move, they pause the match and redo in slow motion while explaining to the audience how they do it so it doesn't really hurt. But if something went wrong at a magic show, and that lovely young assistant somehow actually got seriously cut, I'm pretty sure no sane magician would try to pass it off as part of the trick. They'd stop the show and get medical attention. First and foremost because the assistant's health is more important than the show, of course, but less importantly because the audience deserves to know whether they're seeing part of the show or not. Wrestling should do the same in my opinion. I vehemently disagree with the notion that blurring the line between reality and fiction is necessary, or even particularly helpful, in getting the audience to suspend disbelief or buy into your show. You achieve those goals by engaging in good storytelling, not by relying on old carny bullshit. For example, I enjoyed Infinity War. I enjoyed Game of Thrones (except maybe the last season, which I didn't bother with because the word of mouth was so bad). At no point when watching those shows was I under any confusion regarding whether superheroes or dragons or infinity stones or white walkers were real, but I still enjoyed and engaged with the stories. And I don't see how experiencing confusion regarding the former would have enhanced the latter in any way.

I'm not sure how serious you're being, but I agree that this would solve that specific problem. But I don't think it makes sense to double down on tropes and conventions designed to trick people into thinking this shit is real in an era when everybody knows it's not. And there are other problems caused by the ghost of kayfabe that aren't as easily solved. Like, I'm annoyed when it's not clear whether a given statement is in or out of character, but I freaking hate it when I'm left unsure whether an injury is real or part of the storyline. There's no good reason why wrestling hasn't devised a way to clearly communicate to the audience which is happening, except that back in the kayfabe era you couldn't do that, because the audience wasn't supposed to know there was a difference.

See, I would argue it's part of the problem with kayfabe not being dead. At best it's mostly dead. It needs a fucking stake driven through its heart. If I see an actor who plays a character in the MCU or Mad Men or something on a talk show, I don't have to wonder whether they're in character. They're assumed not to be, and that assumption will only be broken as a joke (and it's generally obvious when such a joke is being made). It's annoying that I have to wonder when it's a pro wrestler.

Are we certain she wasn't in character for this interview? Because that sounds like it could be a description of Bayne and Rosa's initial on-screen interaction.

Good to know JustFlips is living their gimmick.:)

Look, I love AEW, but basing your expectations on the assumption that their booking decisions make sense is a road to disappointment.

Moreso than the current setup? I'd say it's already pretty obvious we'll be getting Omega vs Takeshita at the PPV. How would arranging things differently telegraph more than that?

Thanks. I saw Powerwash Simulator was the most recently mentioned game before your comment, but I was like "It couldn't possibly be that...".

There's a Wallace & Gromit DLC? For what game?

Marina was using a weapon and Willow was unarmed. I don't think it hurts Willow any to have Marina get the better of her again under the circumstances. And I agree with you on the marriage thing; AEW's tradition of conflating reality with the storylines is really annoying. But as discussed above, it's not like this is the first time the the marriage was acknowledged. They've been married in-character since Renee arrived in AEW.

There was a such a scene, but its meaning was in my opinion unclear.

I've been harsh towards the Two Bland Kyles myself, but both have grown on me. O'Reilly was fun as the straight man of the Conglomeration, and Fletcher's heel stooging has been great. Changing the subject - AEW's been putting on good shows for a few weeks now. Hope they can keep it up.

I think I've seen the first one. Doesn't mean I could have named the director, though.

Well, I don't really pay attention to directors, and I only know Sam Raimi as the director of the first three Spider-Man movies of this century. So not exactly what I'd expect, had I known Raimi was the director and thought about the implications.

Nice! I love Stat, but Bayne wins this, right?

Perhaps a clever and manipulative ketchup salesperson convinced them to do it so they could sell more ketchup to Burger King?

I watched Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness last night, only to discover it happens after Spider-Man: No Way Home. I watched a movie out of order! All is lost! The movie was good, though.

Are the Ontario Provincial Police any better than most police forces? (I suppose I should know, living in Ontario and all. But as a cis straight white dude, I'm generally not exposed to the ugly side of the police. And my few encounters with the police have all been with the Toronto police anyway.)

Holy crap, that's an awesome name. So would he be a deceptive cheating heel? Or would he play it straight?

If french fries are walking the earth, there's a bigger problem than how they taste.

I suspect it's overrun by discussion of French Catch and '80s Stampede.

There's no guarantee of that. I mean, Willow lost the TBS title on her second defense. Harley could easily have had two or three "good enough for free TV" defenses on TBS before dropping the belt to Athena at a PPV. Man, I shudder every time somebody calls AEW a "workrate company". I like AEW! Don't call it that!:)

I don't agree that there's a minimum mechanical ring skill needed to win a title, especially when there's no reason it would have to lead to a lengthy title reign. Were it my call, I'd have given Harley the feel-good win, have some other heel take the title from her moderately soon, and move Mone into the world title picture. I think that would have worked fine; I doubt Mone is the only heel on the women's roster who could lead 2025 Harley to a good match. (Not that I'm rioting or boycotting AEW or anything because Harley lost, mind you. It's just not the call I would have made.)