Beech27

I missed this at the time.

There’s a moment when Hiromu is shrieking over a particularly jangly bit of EVIL’s new symphonic metal theme that sounds like someone found a lost Windir or Slaughtersun track, and that’s an incredibly specific confluence of my niche interest, and might go some way in explaining why, this evening, I’m pretty entertained by this whole angle.

So far, the foreign contingent of Bullet Club has tweeted or retweeted congrats to EVIL. But there probably will be tension there soon enough. The stable’s founding ethos was that foreigners needed to band together because the company would always be biased against them. And now the booker has a native dojo boy on top, as the stable’s de facto leader and champion. That’s quite the change. (I mean, Devitt and White were trained in the dojo too, but still.) It is also interesting how every non-Bushi member of LIJ seems like a possible choice to unseat EVIL, now. I’d still bank on Naito getting the belt/s back in time for full houses, but I’m not sure. In the meantime, can we get Hiromu vs Togo?

Put Men’s Teioh in Bullet Club next!

You know a match is good when it could fit in this and the Clubberin’ thread simultaneously—even though there aren’t any strikes.

Yeah, the EVIL turn makes narrative sense, and BC do need that slot filled. Even if KENTA could come back tomorrow, he seems pretty broken down and (looking ahead) he’s probably more expensive than his current form/profile warrants. EVIL can also be a credible feud for Jay when one of them eventually turns. I still don’t like the idea of more high profile matches filled with run-ins and BS, though; and I think that could emphasize EVIL’s worst tendencies. And hey, Master Wato was pretty fun!

With Lightbringer, I’ll just say that the series becomes increasingly divisive, and the last book escalates that trend further with a very love it or hate it ending.

Finished the first Chronicle of Thomas Covenant. It's a brilliant series that I wouldn't recommend to anyone without knowing them very well first, which might go some way in explaining why I don't see it talked about much these days, despite massive sales in the 80's. That is, beyond people saying they couldn't make it past that scene. I did, and found it worthwhile. Le Guin called Melville SFF's Melville, so I guess I'll say Donaldson is Nabokov, writing a repulsive protagonist with florid, perfect prose. I've heard mixed things about the second and third Chronicle, but the series feels done to me, and I'll proceed as such. Some other recent reads (broadly) within the genre: A Priory of the Orange Tree: A single-volume "trilogy" by a popular YA offer making her first go at adult fantasy. It's fine. TOR's review called it a long book, short on complexity, and that feels about right. 1Q84: This isn't fantasy exactly, but it's over 1000 pages and has magic. It also has all of Murakami's worst tendencies to the Nth degree, but I love his best habits enough to enjoy the time spent here. I'm not even sure this book is good, but it's a favorite. The Expanse: I'm waiting for the last book now, like plenty of others. I almost ditched the series after book one, but I'm really pleased to have persisted. The strength of the series is in characterization, POV, and clashing motivations/politics. Those get richer as you go. The Unspoken Name: A much-hyped debut I didn't care much for, owing to the hyper-convenient plot. I did appreciate the trilogy worth of plot in volume one, but found the resolutions came so swiftly because the protagonists either won or didn't on the whims of the author. I mean, that's always the case; but ideally you hide the ball a little better. Book of the New Sun: One of my favorite books, which famously rewards rereading. Black Company: This too is incredibly famous, and influential. I appreciate Cook's spare prose and somewhat distant--yet entirely embedded--narration, but it left me a bit cold. Probably won't keep on. Name of the Wind/Wise Man's Fear: Rothfuss' (forever?) incomplete trilogy's finished novels, for the second time, a decade past the first reading. Mostly, I was curious, since I didn't adore them the first time. I think the consensus has settled into the right place. Rothfuss is a better prose stylist than anyone else I know of currently working within the genre, and the books are strongest when narrating the myths and lore with pseudo-archaic flourish. The Council of Elrond is probably my favorite chapter in any book, and I feel he could do that sort of thing, maybe. But the actual life story that forms the meat of the books? I could do without it. It's kind of amazing I don't wholly dislike books I dislike 80% of, but that's not exactly an endorsment. Currently, I'm giving Malazan another go. That could take up a decent bit of my reading the next few months. On the horizon for me are also Harrow the Ninth, Memory of Souls, and Wizard Knight. Abercrombie and Sanderson both have new books forthcoming too, which I could pick up and enjoy well enough if I find myself with a gap; they're a reliable chain restaurant when you've been driving all day, that makes precisely the product they make, precisely how you expect. (But we've had that Sanderson talk plenty of times already.)

Well, there isn't an Andrew Luck level prospect every decade, much less every season. But even putting that aside, did it work out better for the Colts? Manning set records in Denver, lost a SB as a great player, and then won one as a declining player. Luck had a promising career ruined by injuries; but if we want to use your criteria, he was 17-26 against winning teams (although he tended to be better than average in these games), and had very little playoff success. Getting the QB position right is really hard. It costs a lot accordingly. It's harder for Dallas, because they've spent too much on less valuable positions.

PFF had Dak second in WAR last season, behind Russell Wilson. Granted, that's a less refined metric in football than baseball; but I think it's entirely possible that he's a top-5 QB now and going forward. I think Mahomes is number one, then Wilson, Watson, and... well, I'd listen to Dak over Lamar. I like Murray, but he's not there yet. Brady and Brees are over 40, and Rogers is almost there. Burrow and Tua haven't taken an NFL snap yet. I'd listen to arguments for Wentz, Stafford and Cousins are... ok. Tannehil has one good season. And as noted above, it's not "Dak or a sure-thing top-5 QB". If you let Dak walk, you start from scratch. Maybe you can do better. Probably not easily, though.

Funny thing: This story "broke" in KC when a liquor store owner tweeted that a Chiefs employee was buying celebratory champagne for a signing that wasn't Chris Jones. Also, we'll see, but I'd be shocked if Mahomes gets less than 40 per. Although the current popular rumor is his yearly rate will just be a set percentage of the cap, and so go up as it does (if, after this pandemic, it does).

The most interesting part of that interview, I think, is Okada inviting Inoki to New Japan shows.

This is the coolest two wrestlers have ever been.

Well, EVIL did win. I wonder what happens now? It's hard to see him beating Okada; but it's hard to see Naito/Okada being run again so soon, in front of very few fans. And if they do run EVIL/Naito, what does that mean for SANADA? Kawato did look like a geek. Even before the beatdown. But, the beatdown did happen. He'll win the match, and get to show off his moveset; and I'm (still, for some reason) pretty high on the kid, but this was inauspicious.

@Curt McGirt A few Biff Busick matches, per the GAB thread:

EVIL cheating his way to a win everyone knows was "supposed" to be SANADA's ascendance would be interesting. It does seem like living up (down?) to his name should lead to... something. Especially since LIJ have basically been faces for a while now.

The aging indie dumbass threshold has been so altered by the last week that “Low Ki is a selfish idiot who doesn’t care about protecting anyone” almost seems like a charming reminder of easier times.

Octagoncito Vs Mini Abismo Negro There was a lot to like in this match, but I probably enjoyed the opening few minutes of matwork the most. It felt deliberate in a contemplative way. The idea behind this kind of opening is that both opponents are probing for an advantage, but it's often just an excuse to display ground-based acrobatics. There is a bit of that, but there are pauses and shifts in weight that show caution. Things pick up quickly, though, and before you know it the tecnico has the first fall. Octagoncito drops the second, however, after he destroys his tailbone on the floor. I really love the german suplex hold that finishes this fall, because it indulges one of my favorite little details--when a wrestler is clearly trying to kick out, but can't. Pinning should be effective, you know? If the only way to win is knocking your opponent into next week, so many nearfalls are less believable. The third fall is much longer than the first two, and does feature the substantial interference and escalating moves you'd expect. I felt things got a little less tight here; there were moments where each wrestler seemed to wait for a spot or just lose the plot briefly--which I'd notice less if they weren't so good about it earlier--but it was still really compelling. And the powerbomb that (basically) finishes it was suitably emphatic.

This would seem to imply he'd leave AJPW eventually. But yeah, he's not featured in-ring much, and doesn't book anymore, so--while I love him--I'm not sure this is a huge loss. (I also think Jun--not Mutoh--would be the ideal old legend for Kaito to beat in a title match, given his history. Seems unlikely, though.)

Gran Naniwa vs Damian 666 I feel like I remember hearing talk that Damian goofed off in this match, annoyed at having to lose to a 17-year-old, and not getting to face Liger in the next round. But I can't find anything to say that's true, or was ever even a popular rumor. So, that's probably not what this was. But it was strange. Damian wrestles like he expects the crowd not to know him, but he'd been in FMW for years at this point, and the whole posing/chanting thing at the start shows he's not a stranger. Still, he makes it very clear that he knows of several Japanese wrestlers. As spot-stealing comedy goes, he's incredibly unsubtle. The humor in aping Misawa or Muto is in wiping your nose and pulling up your trunks after an elbow, or skittering off the ropes and up the buckle in characteristically arrhythmic fashion. He just yells names and does their moves. But somehow, it's charming, and maybe funnier for being not that funny? Like he's making fun of comedy wrestling while doing it. Maybe. It's hard to say, but I smiled a lot. Their genre trope comedy worked better for me, doing slow motion strike blocks, leaps for no reason, etc.

Joe Doering isn’t on anything either, but Juice is probably the most prominent example. Anyway, Sasha didn’t owe him her time or a statement. Whatever the intent, it’s not comfortable to talk to someone who said what he did, and their last interaction was him joking that she looks like a man. I hope people realize how much of a life raft she gave him by offering both; not everyone is going to be that generous, and we shouldn’t make it the standard by which aggrieved parties are judged.

Well, if you’re saying someone’s story doesn’t add up, you are attempting to discredit them. That’s just what those words put together in that order mean. Anyway, it’s gross to debate the mechanics of this. But man, Riddle is a really big, phenomenally athletic fighter, who is trained to physically overwhelm people. He can choke someone with one hand. ”Why didn’t the woman fight back better or yell?” is victim blaming. We should avoid that kind of thing.

Always felt Kaito was just one more 90’s tribute spot from taking the leap. Surely this will do it.

RVD vs Kroffat Best non-pillars 90's AJPW match* sounds like a fascinating deep dive. Jumbo and Tenryu were a few months early to make this a much easier conversation than it otherwise would be--but then, this isn't presently the conversation at all. I haven't watched an RVD match in a long time, or this match before. Kroffat, I've seen plenty of, and recently. Both are tremendous athletes, and that become immediately obvious. RVD reminds me of the old Dead or Alive commercial in which various young men monotonously intone that the prodigiously proportioned women in the game "kick high." Well, he does do that. And Kroffat provides the structure to really make his high kicking--and jumping, and splitsing--as useful as possible. It would be easy for him, instead, to go spot-for-spot, and build the whole match like the mini-standoff they begin with. He wisely does not do that, however, showing just enough flash to make RVD's athleticism look even better--because he cannot match it--and enough heeling to make it feel like earned triumphs. And RVD's stuff does look good--we have to give him that much. He already sells by shouting OOF and then moving on a moment later, and generally doesn't seem interested in anything except the next thing. But the next thing is good, and exciting, and the crowd is invested. All Japan's juniors didn't always adhere to the typical King's Road formula as strictly as the heavies, but this mostly does. RVD is clearly going to lose before he does, and it takes a big scary finisher to put him away. A generous conclusion to a generous performance by Kroffat, and RVD does everything you'd ask a relatively green 25-year-old athlete to take advantage of that generosity. The only disappointment one feels is not with this match itself, but with the fact that RVD wouldn't really get better than this. *Funny coincidence, then, that this crowd got to see possibly the best pillars match as the main event on this very show, as it's 6/9/95.