April 2023 Wrestling Discussion

[Boydy]

4 minutes ago, Dolphman 3000 said:

I think MJF is gone early next year, so the priority is going to be having him put over a babyface on the way out. There's not enough time for something like this to happen.

I could see them reluctantly uniting to fight off an imperial threat from an outside faction of ex WWE guys like the Invasion storyline

Do you think that MJF is going to go to WWE then with Vince being back in charge?

Also even if HHH was in charge I think MJF would be reluctant to go to the WWE because he would have to dial down his character a lot to be more PG.

 

[Dolphman 3000]

17 minutes ago, Boydy said:

Do you think that MJF is going to go to WWE then with Vince being back in charge?

Vince being there probably makes the jump more attractive to Max, honestly

Before last weekend I thought Cody being the last champion crowned in WWE at a McMahon-controlled WrestleMania was poetic, but now that Vince is staying Max will have a chance to get the Cody treatment with a Rumble win/Mania match

[Zakk_Sabbath]

40 minutes ago, Dolphman 3000 said:

could see them reluctantly uniting to fight off an imperial threat from an outside faction of ex WWE guys like the Invasion storyline

Regardless of whether one feels positively or negatively toward invasion angles, which is another discussion entirely, I think the ship has sailed on this one because it's just a bit too close to the story they're currently telling with Ruby/T-Storm/Saraya as the Outcasts. The seeds are already being planted for the reluctant teaming of Hayter/DMD with the babyface ladies 

Edit: I obnoxiously fantasy booked this here in '21 (pre-ROH purchase, I might add) but with hindsight being what it is I'll say it again: IMO if you were going to touch ANY kind of NWO/invasion redux, the move was to have an invading force of ROH guys led by Danielson/Joe/Punk/Kaz/Daniels/Lethal, maybe add Cole/KOR/Fish to the mix, Cody if he were willing. Because then at least the combination of people involved and the mission of the group kind of freshens it up a bit for the modern day. Without that, it's just fuckin Aces & 8s or 'The Band' or whatever again - you might as well just write a check to Nash/Waltman for the nostalgia pop at that point.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Zakk_Sabbath

[Dolphman 3000]

2 minutes ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

Regardless of whether one feels positively or negatively toward invasion angles, which is another discussion entirely, I think the ship has sailed on this one because it's just a bit too close to the story they're currently telling with Ruby/T-Storm/Saraya as the Outcasts. The seeds are already being planted for the reluctant teaming of Hayter/DMD with the babyface ladies 

Punk/FTR uniting with The Outcasts is possible

The Cutler promo last night about The Elite standing up to bullying could be interpreted as a shot against Punk

[notoriusvig]

I still think MJF is already re-signed. Tony would be a fool to revolve the entire company around him in the last year of his contract where he has publicly "talked" about "leaving."

[Zakk_Sabbath]

31 minutes ago, Dolphman 3000 said:

Punk/FTR uniting with The Outcasts is possible

The Cutler promo last night about The Elite standing up to bullying could be interpreted as a shot against Punk

Ohhhh, I like that. We've already seen Ruby/Punk be friendly on-screen (and there's a nice Eddie Kingston side story baked in there to tell). I wouldn't bet on it ever happening, but it'll be fun in the video game at least.

[ka-to]

18 hours ago, Cobra Commander said:

just gonna imagine Gary Hart getting a percentage of the Road Warriors earnings because he invented wrestlers in facepaint and he would stab Paul Ellering if he didn't get a cut

Kabuki told me that he helped the Road Warriors with their facepainting technique.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

Kid looks like a young Gino Marella

Edited April 8, 2023 by GuerrillaMonsoon

[JLowe]

1 hour ago, notoriusvig said:

I still think MJF is already re-signed. Tony would be a fool to revolve the entire company around him in the last year of his contract where he has publicly "talked" about "leaving."

I think Tony is seeing if the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak. They’ve built him up for years as a special attraction, given him basically everything he’s asked for including almost unlimited promo time and freedom, put him over Punk and Danielson, spent who knows how much for a one time use of Sympathy for the Devil, and now made him the top guy. If it doesn’t pop ratings or PPV buys, there may not be a bidding war of 2024.

[Niners Fan in CT]

5 hours ago, JLowe said:

I think Tony is seeing if the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak. They’ve built him up for years as a special attraction, given him basically everything he’s asked for including almost unlimited promo time and freedom, put him over Punk and Danielson, spent who knows how much for a one time use of Sympathy for the Devil, and now made him the top guy. If it doesn’t pop ratings or PPV buys, there may not be a bidding war of 2024.

 

I think he's signed. We just saw FTR sell this idea they were about to be "free agents" and do all this shooty shit online only to find out that not only are they signed but they had re-signed back in November.  

Working the sheets isn't exactly my idea of fun,  I wish Tony would just stop with all that. 

[Cobra Commander]

6 hours ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:

Kid looks like a young Gino Marella

Kevin Owens is billed at 6 feet tall, so by that scale, I think you could bill Owen Owens at 6'5" or 6'6" right now.

[SirSmUgly]

7 hours ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:

Kid looks like a young Gino Marella

He reminded me of Richard Osman a bit.

Maybe it's the glasses. 

[The Natural]

NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023 spoiler but relevant to here:

Spoiler

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by The Natural

[Shartnado]

42 minutes ago, The Natural said:

NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023 spoiler but relevant to here:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

LOL Cody, indeed!

[Octopus]

On 4/6/2023 at 8:16 PM, John E. Dynamite said:

Watching the 80th Anniversary of Arena Coliseo card cause why do I even need wrestling not on YouTube. Not even past the opener. You know who still RULES in 2023? Shockercito and Ultimo Dragoncito.

There's so many wrestlers who rule. They come from all over in all shapes n sizes n ages n gimmicks. The best part about wrestling, without a DOUBT, is wrestlers.

Lol, it is now a tradition when I see @John E. Dynamite talk CMLL, my son and I spend some time watching lucha libre. Saw Satanico on the thumbnail, so I’m excited.

edit:

the legend match is pretty fun! 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Octopus

[John E. Dynamite]

The big torneo

39 minutes ago, Octopus said:

Lol, it is now a tradition when I see @John E. Dynamite talk CMLL, my son and I spend some time watching lucha libre. Saw Satanico on the thumbnail, so I’m excited.

edit:

the legend match is pretty fun! 

The big cibernetico with the young guys did a ton for me + whoops on the school vs. school tournament finals from a month-ish back (and I thought that one was pretty good). Those two matches got me caring about Neon and Crixus and Rey Samuray and Vaquero Jr. and a bunch more.

[dragonzombie]

WWE filed a trademark application for "WWE Superstars of Tomorrow". For new tv show purposes.

[A_K]

Will be absolutely amazed if MJF doesn’t wind up in WWE — unless they don’t want him. He is tailor made to that organisation, and given how ambitious he clearly is the Endeavor links are really what will give him the ramp to higher profile / breakout stardom. He will never get that opportunity under AEW roof (whether he can seize that opportunity at WWE is a different question - but it certainly presents greater shot at mainstream show business popularity).

[Eivion]

36 minutes ago, A_K said:

Will be absolutely amazed if MJF doesn’t wind up in WWE — unless they don’t want him. He is tailor made to that organisation, and given how ambitious he clearly is the Endeavor links are really what will give him the ramp to higher profile / breakout stardom. He will never get that opportunity under AEW roof (whether he can seize that opportunity at WWE is a different question - but it certainly presents greater shot at mainstream show business popularity).

Is he? I see this, but every time I hear people talk about MJF, be it positive or negative, he sounds like a guy trying to sell himself as heel more to smart fans than anything else. WWE isn't always family friendly, but it is still the audience they go after the most with the PG aspects imposed. Can he tone himself down for that?

[John E. Dynamite]

23 minutes ago, Eivion said:

Is he? I see this, but every time I hear people talk about MJF, be it positive or negative, he sounds like a guy trying to sell himself as heel more to smart fans than anything else. WWE isn't always family friendly, but it is still the audience they go after the most with the PG aspects imposed. Can he tone himself down for that?

Don't feed the trolls.

[A_K]

56 minutes ago, Eivion said:

Is he? I see this, but every time I hear people talk about MJF, be it positive or negative, he sounds like a guy trying to sell himself as heel more to smart fans than anything else. WWE isn't always family friendly, but it is still the audience they go after the most with the PG aspects imposed. Can he tone himself down for that?

Yes. He likes doing the media circuit (Barstool / Ariel Helwani interviews standout). I think he stands alone in AEW for this - aside from Cody who also courted the media and we saw how that turned out in terms of setting himself up to move over. Page as champion, for example, I feel had zero big media appearances or interview segments? MJF has never fetishised the product / declared an affinity with pseudo-combat sport Japanese style: he is very at home doing the WWE-style song and dance segments, and his ringwork could also fit with that. He can hardly be seen to have only the acerbic villainy to his bow when he is singing and dancing around in big-band segments. 

The biggest issue I think for MJF is that physically he just does not stack up in the WWE Main Event scene at the moment -- not a believable opponent against Brock, Roman etc and he'd have noticeably less physicality than the next gen guys like Theory + Bronn . He has an AJ Style build but without any of the athletic explosiveness .. gives up a few inches on the Miz even. That is going to be the biggest issue for him and one which he can do nothing to fix to be a top-of-the-card player there, in an org with so much emphasis on physicality. His ideal landing, I guess, would be as Y2J Jericho style character.

 

31 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

Don't feed the trolls.

 

Know your lane. You fetishise and enjoy a style of entertainment that has made narrative-decisions that predictably shedded 30% of its viewers in a year, hitting its demo number with a sledgehammer while the competition goes from strength to strength -- I get it. But please, do not wander into my comment-lane with your vapid fan-boy takes.

Edited April 9, 2023 by A_K

[John E. Dynamite]

20 hours ago, A_K said:

Know your lane. You fetishise and enjoy a style of entertainment that has made narrative-decisions that predictably shedded 30% of its viewers in a year, hitting its demo number with a sledgehammer while the competition goes from strength to strength -- I get it. But please, do not wander into my comment-lane with your vapid fan-boy takes.

The overwhelming majority of your posts, including those that are in topics solely about WWE, involve your constantly boiled-over, obsessive hatred of Tony Khan. Your crypto-dingus back-patting and performative self-aggrandizing has devolved into something lower than shtick. You are the closest thing this board has to a full-blown tribalist Twitter troll and you only emerge from your cave of misery when you have a rating or momentary critical consensus to use to dog on AEW. When the news cycle doesn't benefit your narrative you hide from this board for months on end. You contribute nothing positive. Nobody likes you.

On a positive note, because wrestling is good and I enjoy talking about good wrestling, my common-law has taken a liking to Sawyer Wreck. I think she's just into tall chicks but that's a fair enough reason. Now that NJPW is hot I'll probably swap my IWTV sub out for a NJPW World renewal, so if anybody has a Sawyer match, deathmatches included, I'm taking recommendations until the end of the month.

Edited April 10, 2023 by John E. Dynamite

[Dolphman 3000]

7 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

On a positive note, because wrestling is good and I enjoy talking about good wrestling, my common-law has taken a liking to Sawyer Wreck. I think she's just into tall chicks but that's a fair enough reason. Now that NJPW is hot I'll probably swap my IWTV sub out for a NJPW World renewal, so if anybody has a Sawyer match, deathmatches included, I'm taking recommendations until the end of the month.

Sawyer's pretty bad, but she had a good match with Sage Sin Supreme on XPW's Halloween in Hell show last year

[elizium]

57 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

The overwhelming majority of your posts, including those that are in topics solely about WWE, involve your constantly boiled-over, obsessive hatred of Tony Khan. Your crypto-dingus back-patting and performative self-aggrandizing has devolved into something lower than shtick. You are the closest thing this entire board has to a full-blown tribalist Twitter troll and you only emerge from your cave of misery when you have a rating or critical opinion to use to dog on AEW. When the news cycle doesn't benefit your narrative you hide from this board for months on end. You contribute nothing positive. Nobody likes you.

On a positive note, because wrestling is good and I enjoy talking about good wrestling, my common-law has taken a liking to Sawyer Wreck. I think she's just into tall chicks but that's a fair enough reason. Now that NJPW is hot I'll probably swap my IWTV sub out for a NJPW World renewal, so if anybody has a Sawyer match, deathmatches included, I'm taking recommendations until the end of the month.

I enjoyed Tremont's Angels of Death tournament as a whole. Her and Ziggy Haim was a fun little match. Not as brutal as a lot of death matches, but they're both fun characters. It was Ziggy's first official death match, so Sawyer started the match by giving her a barbed wire heart, proving once again that death match wrestlers are the biggest sweethearts in the biz. The final of Sawyer v Mickie Knuckles v Kennedi Copeland is an enjoyable tube go esplode death match. Mickie is an absolute warrior taking a deep gash on her leg, wrapping it with tape and continuing on.

I also really like the war games-style death match main event from H2O's Halloween show last year, which was the culmination of the Kennedi Copeland turns heel angle. Sawyer/Tremont/Masha Slamovich/Jess Moss/Brandon Kirk v Copeland/Mouse/Chris Bradley/Kristian Ross/Mystery Wrestler. Some janky bumps that could have gone very sideways, but it worked for me

Edited April 9, 2023 by elizium

[NoFistsJustFlips]

3 hours ago, Eivion said:

Is he? I see this, but every time I hear people talk about MJF, be it positive or negative, he sounds like a guy trying to sell himself as heel more to smart fans than anything else. WWE isn't always family friendly, but it is still the audience they go after the most with the PG aspects imposed. Can he tone himself down for that?

Hard agree here. MJF thrives on feeling out where the line is and purposely going 3 steps past it. WWE is not going to allow that. I get that he is a WWE style character in a lot of ways. But his current character and promos would NOT fit within WWE guidelines. And without the leeway of getting to color wayyyyyyy outside of the lines, I just don't think his character would be anything that stands out. Just a mean rich kid. His act would go from special to just another guy fairly quick with the WWE handcuffs on.

He's very good on the mic and very good in the ring. So he could still become a major star there. But not as is. They'd be making changes. And dialing things way back. And that doesn't scream recipe for success to me.