May 2025 Wrestling Talk

[The Natural]

52 minutes ago, Technico Support said:

Didn't they also sign La Heidra, who Vaquer has a restraining order against, as well as maybe some other people who are pals with the guy who tried to kill her?

Another week, another "this fucking company" post.

 

2 minutes ago, Log said:

Yeah, but they don't really feature those guys. They only showcase non-problematic people like Pat McAfee and Logan Paul, so it's fine.

I'd never heard this before about what's happened to Stephanie Vaquer. Damn.

Edited May 5, 2025 by The Natural

[Craig H]

All of this on the heels of Cora Jade revealing she was body shamed in WWE by her bosses and co-workers. I honestly couldn’t see HHH or HBK doing that now, but I could see some dumb fuck like Road Dogg or PS Hayes doing that.

Everything from a week prior to WM to now has been nearly a dumpster fire. Like, Vince’s business failings stemmed from his insanity and just being out of touch to an unbelievable degree. This is all just typical corporate bullshit and cutting your nose off to spite your face. Someone, anyone there needs to grow a fucking brain to stop the train before it wrecks.

[Craig H]

Something else my friend and I talked about last night is how much this John Cena story fucking blows. This is going to wind just being a larger example so bear with me here…All of the Rock’s bullshit has left the station so it’s up to HHH to make this compelling. It’s pretty clear he’s struggling at the moment. Not to the point where a change is needed, but this isn’t unlike what Coach experienced.

It’s like how a band’s first album is great and the follow up is often disappointing. TK, and probably HHH, had a year or two of stories completely mapped out. Everything went mostly according to plan and was great. But since then it has been a bunch of good starts that just kind of went nowhere. Look how hot the New Day were with their heel turn and now they don’t get close to the same heat. Charlotte comes back and is booked to win the Royal Rumble and then loses to Tiffy in a rough but ok match. Neither of them look any better coming out of that match though. The booking leading up to WM was a mess and despite knowing for a full year that WM would happen weeks later year, everything just dragged on and was bogged down. Cody now looks like a geek. Roman and Punk are off the reservation and once again we had a good start with Bron and Seth and then a week later the top heels are being cheered and Sami is getting lukewarm receptions. People who think Chicken Jockey is insufferable have never heard of Seth Rollins. There’s a ton more examples but I’m not going to belabor the point.

HHH isn’t infallible when it comes to booking and is just as prone as TK to not knowing how to keep things compelling coming off of your hot streak. TK figured it out and HHH can too, but will HHH have the runway and latitude to get back on track working in a corporate scorpion pit?

[Cobra Commander]

3 hours ago, hammerva said:

So to the surprise of nobody,  the WWE signed Albert Del Rio along with a number of other AAA people.   I guess they had no choice because he is the champ

Luchablog had a post where he thought the WWE was inheriting the people who were under AAA contract like Alberto el Ladron/Patron/del Rio

Ocampo is insisting the deals are new deals

Edited May 5, 2025 by Cobra Commander

[hammerva]

I am going to assume that Saraya is a lot less excited to return to the WWE then she was about a month ago.   I figure she will still go though 

[Technico Support]

2 hours ago, Niners Fan in CT said:

It feels like such a risk to keep him around with little reward. 

 

44 minutes ago, Craig H said:

All of this on the heels of Cora Jade revealing she was body shamed in WWE by her bosses and co-workers. I honestly couldn’t see HHH or HBK doing that now, but I could see some dumb fuck like Road Dogg or PS Hayes doing that.

Everything from a week prior to WM to now has been nearly a dumpster fire. Like, Vince’s business failings stemmed from his insanity and just being out of touch to an unbelievable degree. This is all just typical corporate bullshit and cutting your nose off to spite your face. Someone, anyone there needs to grow a fucking brain to stop the train before it wrecks.

There's no risk here and they don't see it as a trainwreck.  This is just how TKO is.  They are proudly shameless when it comes to associating with awful people.  They'll trot out all manner of garbage and dare you to stop watching.

[twiztor]

is there a list of AAA talent that is now signed with WWE? Also, a quick who's who since i don't follow lucha.

[AxB]

9 minutes ago, twiztor said:

is there a list of AAA talent that is now signed with WWE? Also, a quick who's who since i don't follow lucha.

There's lists out there, but none from an actual reputable source. Every chance that the ones people are reacting to are basically troll-bait.

Like, they have La Parka on the list. Meaning AAA La Parka, not LA Park. And AAA only just re-assigned that gimmick, after their original replacement for Park died a few years ago.

[supremebve]

3 hours ago, NikoBaltimore said:

I'm doing my best to stay out of this one but the line "Repeat the verse, same as the first" will be a thing for some time.

WWE news is like the Thong Song, it's terrible, it's the same verse multiple times, but somehow they sing it with so much feeling you don't realize it and the next thing you know you're singing along to that ridiculous shit.

[Technico Support]

21 minutes ago, supremebve said:

WWE news is like the Thong Song, it's terrible, it's the same verse multiple times, but somehow they sing it with so much feeling you don't realize it and the next thing you know you're singing along to that ridiculous shit.

lol fucking tremendous

I DON'T THINK YA HEARD MEEEEEEEEEEE

Thanks for putting that in my head today

Edited May 5, 2025 by Technico Support

[Nice Guy Eddie]

1 hour ago, supremebve said:

WWE news is like the Thong Song, it's terrible, it's the same verse multiple times, but somehow they sing it with so much feeling you don't realize it and the next thing you know you're singing along to that ridiculous shit.

 Nope, not gonna sing along. Fuck WWE

[stuntmanc]

I don't know if it was mentioned here, but them knowing that they were bringing in someone who Vaquer had a RA against and parading her out there front and center during the AAA announcement at Mania is fucking wildly gross.  Her and possibly Paige having to be around these people is abysmal.  Outside of NXT, i really see no reason to support WWE at all, given this and them featuring shitbags like Logan Paul and Pat McAfee.

[NikoBaltimore]

2 hours ago, supremebve said:

WWE news is like the Thong Song, it's terrible, it's the same verse multiple times, but somehow they sing it with so much feeling you don't realize it and the next thing you know you're singing along to that ridiculous shit.

That's just mean, poor Dru Hill didn't deserve to be compared to WWE like that.  Especially since they grew up in Baltimore which I appreciate.

At the same time it stings because you're not wrong yet I'm with Eddie on this one.

[supremebve]

20 minutes ago, stuntmanc said:

Outside of NXT, i really see no reason to support WWE at all, given this and them featuring shitbags like Logan Paul and Pat McAfee.

See, this is where we always lose the plot.  Logan Paul and Pat McAfee are loud, but generally harmless shitbags.  I'm not a fan of either, but their shit is kind of like the class clown who is a distraction from the kid who is selling crack in the back of class.  One thing isn't nearly as bad as the other.  The actual people making decisions in WWE/TKO/Endeavour are fucking monsters who are actively making the world worst for their employees.  They are not just doing the shit you noted, but they're trying (and it looks like succeeding) in overthrowing the Muhammad Ali act in boxing, which is why boxers get paid what they get paid and MMA fighters don't.  It is illegal for boxing promoters to prohibit boxers from fighting against fighters promoted by another entity.  If you are being promoted by Top Rank, Top Rank cannot stop you from fighting against someone promoted by Golden Boy.  They want to turn boxing into the UFC, where they can sign a bunch of boxers and prohibit them from boxing against anyone outside of their promotion, which keeps salaries low and control high.  When I was young, my grandfather told me that the reason you have to work hard to improve your life is because the people who want to make the world worse never stop working.  These are those people.  They are working their hardest to make your life worse, but put people like Logan Paul and Pat McAfee in front of you to be mad at when they're literally just loud assholes.  They put micro-level annoyances in front to hide the macro level evil in the back.  

[AxB]

Meltzer has confirmed that WWE has signed Alberto El Patron (for the AAA brand).

[Eivion]

I saw elsewhere they are just honoring his AAA contract. I feel like its too early to really know anything as even people directly involved still seem to be uncertain.

[twiztor]

34 minutes ago, NikoBaltimore said:

That's just mean, poor Dru Hill didn't deserve to be compared to WWE like that.  Especially since they grew up in Baltimore which I appreciate.

At the same time it stings because you're not wrong yet I'm with Eddie on this one.

good news, 3/4 members of Dru Hill were not included in the comparison. Only Sisqo.

[supremebve]

Just now, twiztor said:

good news, 3/4 members of Dru Hill were not included in the comparison. Only Sisqo.

I also want to state for the record that I'm not badmouthing Sisqo, but his hit song The Thong Song.  Sisqo is the only reason that absurd piece of shit works.  He wrote one of the most ridiculous songs of all time, didn't like the Elanor Rigby beat, hired a violin player who worked on the score for Star Wars to punch it up, and then sang the song like his life depended on it.  Sisqo quite frankly should be commended for that.  My point stands that the song is otherwise a huge steaming turd that doesn't really have any reason to be good, except Sisqo made it good.  Just because the WWE uses their power for evil, doesn't mean Sisqo didn't use his power for good.  The analogy stands, because they are both putting lipstick on a pig.  I also would like to state for the record that this is also not an indictment of thongs, but only songs about thongs.  

[Cobra Commander]

WWE-TKO gonna have to do the talent management version of the video of a tractor plowing a fire break to keep certain talents away from each other

now if there was an actual wrestling war instead of people just taking shots in interviews on non-wrestling shows

[Log]

46 minutes ago, supremebve said:

See, this is where we always lose the plot.  Logan Paul and Pat McAfee are loud, but generally harmless shitbags.  I'm not a fan of either, but their shit is kind of like the class clown who is a distraction from the kid who is selling crack in the back of class.  One thing isn't nearly as bad as the other.  The actual people making decisions in WWE/TKO/Endeavour are fucking monsters who are actively making the world worst for their employees.  They are not just doing the shit you noted, but they're trying (and it looks like succeeding) in overthrowing the Muhammad Ali act in boxing, which is why boxers get paid what they get paid and MMA fighters don't.  It is illegal for boxing promoters to prohibit boxers from fighting against fighters promoted by another entity.  If you are being promoted by Top Rank, Top Rank cannot stop you from fighting against someone promoted by Golden Boy.  They want to turn boxing into the UFC, where they can sign a bunch of boxers and prohibit them from boxing against anyone outside of their promotion, which keeps salaries low and control high.  When I was young, my grandfather told me that the reason you have to work hard to improve your life is because the people who want to make the world worse never stop working.  These are those people.  They are working their hardest to make your life worse, but put people like Logan Paul and Pat McAfee in front of you to be mad at when they're literally just loud assholes.  They put micro-level annoyances in front to hide the macro level evil in the back.  

Google Pat McAfee + Ole Miss student.

[Cobra Commander]

which gimmicks would be recast if American promotions did what the Mexican/Japanese promotions did more often

either recast successful gimmicks due to some reason, or trying someone else in a gimmick that didn't work

[twiztor]

Just now, Cobra Commander said:

which gimmicks would be recast if American promotions did what the Mexican/Japanese promotions did more often

either recast successful gimmicks due to some reason, or trying someone else in a gimmick that didn't work

well WWE's record isn't great. Fake Diesel, Fake Razor, and Fake Kane all flopped hard. Sin Cara wasn't a glowing success. I can't imagine a Fake Goldust being any sort of good.
Hell, all of their "New" Tag Teams were significantly worse than the originals.

New Vader?   Ultimate Warrior 2?

[supremebve]

1 minute ago, Log said:

Google Pat McAfee + Ole Miss student.

I know all about it, but as bad as it is, it's still him being a giant douche to one person.  I hope she sues him into homelessness, but the harm he has done is minimal compared to the decades of shit the WWE has done and is doing.  Those two dudes are shitbags, don't get me wrong, but if this was a movie those are the toadiest of the WWE's henchmen.  The Avengers don't assemble for Logan Paul, Pat McAfee, or even the combination of the two.  The WWE/TKO/Endeavor is an Avengers level threat and we spend our time hating on Paul and McAfee.  They're meat shields, and if they go too far they'll be fired.  It won't stop the train from running though.  Never forget, when the child sex trafficking thing came out, they fired Pat Patterson for long enough that people stopped asking questions, and then hired his ass right back.  This company has been evil for our entire lives and they play in our face about it.

[Elsalvajeloco]

1 hour ago, supremebve said:

 If you are being promoted by Top Rank, Top Rank cannot stop you from fighting against someone promoted by Golden Boy.  They want to turn boxing into the UFC, where they can sign a bunch of boxers and prohibit them from boxing against anyone outside of their promotion, which keeps salaries low and control high. 

Boxing is weird in that technically, the Ali Act has been violated and circumvented in several different ways cause boxing politics seem to supersede what should be happening. I mean a lot of this has changed in the last 5-10 years cause there is no more HBO and now no more Showtime. So a lot of the cold war in boxing has pretty much disappeared. That and Saudi Arabia is bankrolling many of the bigger cards (see this past weekend). However, prior to that, Top Rank fighters rarely faced Golden Boy fighters. Up until last year, Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing promotion that has had a longstanding rivalry in the UK with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions going back to when Eddie's father Barry promoted against Frank Warren throughout the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Those two promotions rarely had fighters face each other especially as the TV situation changed over the years. With four different sanctioning bodies and a lot of presumably greasing of palms and corruption, a lot of promoters got to keep belts in their stable or at least in their region for years. Hell, the super middleweight titles outside of short stint with Roy Jones in the mid 90s stayed in Western Europe for the better part of 10-15 years. To be fair, stateside, a lot of belts rarely got defended outside of North America. We're talking a sport where even the poorest countries have had somewhat thriving boxing scenes.

Boxing politics has made it where everything goes where the money goes. Hence, why you have so many cards in Saudi Arabia now. That and there are less mid tier promoters. I mean back in the day you had Forum Boxing funded by Dr. Jerry Buss that had Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, Daniel Zaragoza, "Chiquita" Gonzalez, a very young Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, and many others. You had AB Stars promoted by the Acaries brothers out of France that grabbed up some of the lesser known guys at the time like Winky Wright, Wilfredo Vazquez, and Ike Quartey. Cedric Kushner promoted Sugar Shane Mosley when he was rising up the ranks as a pound for pound superstar. You had Main Events under the Duva clan which had a plethora guys from Holyfield to Lennox Lewis to Fernando Vargas, David Tua, and Pernell Whitaker. So you had people other than Arum and King and the bigger international promoters like Frank Warren. Now? It's Arum who isn't really a power player anymore at his age and his family runs Top Rank now, De La Hoya whose stable is very top heavy, Eddie Hearn, and Frank Warren. That's four folks between the entire world. And honestly, those four now pretty much work to service Turki Alalshikh. He is the only one that matters now.

[SirSmUgly]

Fuck y'all, I love it when the beat goes. Baby, make ya booty go. 

Dudes in here simply don't love the finer things in life.

(For real, that song is trash, but it's not TKO-level trash.)