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I never really could decide if that was done on purpose or because he was just sloppy. He also like hopped up to the top rope and did one of his big bounce sells when he hit. But it was all his athletic affectations. The move was just a froggie splash.
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Nov 18, 2019 05:01
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Man, I'm a huge ECW fan and apologist but I can't for the life of me imagine what would possess someone to think of Sandman for "RAW GM" except purely as a troll.
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Nov 19, 2019 00:25
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There are fans who have spent the last 19 years waiting for someone to challenge WWE or present a viable alternative who are excited and hopeful and that contributes to it. Add in that there's a narrative that has developed that "WWE was at its best when there was competition" and a lot of WWE fans actually on some level or another hope that AEW is the kick in the rear end they need to suddenly change. But yeah, WWE created this a lot when they decided to start airing their developmental brand in the exact same timeslot as AEW and debut 2 weeks before AEW even though that created scheduling problems. WWE actively created "The Wednesday Night Rating War." They went out of their way to do it. I doubt that was an attempt to generate buzz so much as it was the thing WWE's been doing for decades, trying to directly attack competition before it becomes strong enough to truly challenge them. Usually they do that more behind the scenes with talent acquisition or stealing timeslots or whatever. AEW moved quickly and this was the first shot WWE had to try and destroy the competitors. And each fanbase has their people who will crow when the ratings favor them and make excuses when they don't. That's tribalism and team sports. Ultimately this is a thing if only because WWE clearly thinks its a thing. They've made it obvious the way they've scheduled and booked NXT and talked about AEW and critical fans the last couple of months. Not to mention their talent acquisitions and refusals to release talents.
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Nov 21, 2019 06:51
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SG Bamboo posted:The best part of this clip will always be Icarus hanging out randomly at ringside. Shirtless of course, to show off his terrible back tattoo. I wasn't sure who it was until he turned around. And did he steal Peck's shoe? Or was he making him smell his shoe? Either way, very on brand.
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Nov 23, 2019 03:35
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Kennel posted:Ah, the famed Can’t Be Stopped For Any Reason match. Look, sometimes you just have to get a pinfall, send your opponent to a penalty box, and then climb a ladder to hang the belt above the ring if you want to win. See? No fall.
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Nov 25, 2019 02:02
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Gaz-L posted:My ringside confession is that I kinda like the King Of The Mountain match. For some reason I think they're actually a lot more entertaining than they should be on paper. I think its because fundamentally the forced drama of climbing a ladder to get the belt is the same as climbing a ladder with the belt. Its all the same spots and psychology and basically ends the same way. And the penalty box is funny in a mostly intentional way.
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Nov 25, 2019 02:56
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I mean, its objectively dumb so I wouldn't accuse people of "whining". It just somehow works out better than it should. Its like that time Don Callis introduced the Ultimate X match as inspired by his laundry drying on a clothing line.
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Nov 25, 2019 03:28
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People talk through the TV all the time, guys. Its 2019. Haven't you seen the Muppet commercials? Alex Reynolds is just confused by technology.
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Dec 19, 2019 22:28
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algebra testes posted:What happened to the American Wolves? Did people just get sick of Davey's poo poo? They split and feuded a bit in Impact but then Davey retired to become an EMT. I think he might have come back and then retired again? He also married Angelina Love and had a kid with her but then got divorced? I dunno. Eddie's stayed in Impact, stayed solo, had a World Title run, got hit in the head with a bat by Sami Callihan, and became a deranged brawler and the protege of both Tommy Dreamer and Raven. WSAENOTSOCK posted:Hogan would have gone over all three guys before the end of that year and it would've been seen as a big flop.
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Feb 4, 2020 05:53
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I like the inclusion of AEW since only 1 guy has ever held a singles championship in AEW and he's held them in WWE and NJPW. But it does eliminate Riho.
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Feb 4, 2020 07:34
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I really liked Justin Hawk Bradshaw and Doug Basham/Damaja so I briefly convinced myself I liked the Cabinet until I watched some Smackdown.
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Feb 8, 2020 20:58
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I kind of love WWE's long term commitment to never even bothering to try and rehab or build up a guy when they decide they want to take him for loser to main eventer. Spent some time getting him over? Nah, just make him suddenly able to beat the guys who were squashing him a week ago. I also miss the era of "debut someone and have them immediately win a championship."
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Feb 9, 2020 00:47
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I mean, isn't WWE's expectations whenever they do something with a hispanic wrestler that he's suddenly going to spike all latin american numbers in an irrational and slightly racist way?
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Feb 9, 2020 18:57
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Maxwell Lord posted:Like even leaving aside, for a moment, the ethical/moral arguments of taking money from a genocidal regime, one of the knock-on effects of the Saudi shows has been Vince has had less immediate reason to care about what the audience actually thinks of the programming. They're getting money no matter what. He can put on anything. It's gotta be almost the dream for him, he would love to just be able to cut out the audience completely.
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Feb 9, 2020 21:38
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It would be funny to find out that for 30 years WWE has just been repeating the Bret Hart "Face in Canada/Heel in America" thing but only on foreign commentary.
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Feb 9, 2020 22:30
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Ganso Bomb posted:He was apparently trained a little in Canada while setting up rings for a promotion, then started wrestling at 16. So, maybe enough training to be safe and learn the basics but not like super extensive training if those implications are to be believed. Every time I think "I don't really get Darby Allin" I just decide that its whatever the gently caress I was responding to with Vampiro as a teenager and I'm just too old to see it now. But maybe I should have been applying that to "I don't really get Joey Janella"?
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Feb 14, 2020 16:15
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Meanie makes me sad because like he got in good shape for awhile there and now he's not.
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Feb 14, 2020 20:42
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My memory is that they dropped them as a feature thing and Jim Ross' whole weird part of it after a few weeks but yeah, they hung around for awhile just as a midcard/jobber tag team. You'd forget about them and then they'd pop up in a battle royal or something and you'd go "oh yeah, that nonsense." The fact that for awhile there WCW had the sole reputation as "the stupid one who did really embarrassingly stupid poo poo" from the Monday Night Wars is a real testament to "to the victor goes the spoils."
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Feb 19, 2020 14:51
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Hirez posted:Braun/Lashley had one in the go home before their ppv blowoff I think... if that counts, I hate remember WWE 2019 Don't forget the legendary HHH/Scott Steiner buildup. Things will be better when Paul takes over.
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Feb 19, 2020 20:26
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It was the most logically way to show off your rad wrist and head bands at the same time. You had to be in the 80s to understand them.
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Feb 19, 2020 21:31
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AEW's had a focus on cleanish matches. No DQs, no COs, no non finishes. Even gang beatdowns tend to happen away from matches. The Inner Circle didn't jump Moxley last night until after the match ended. The screwiest match I can think of is that first episode 6 man where Moxley pulled Omega out and put him through a table. And like everyone was losing it that AEW didn't call it a DQ and end the match because we're just so conditioned to gently caress finishes. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Feb 20, 2020 |
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Feb 20, 2020 18:09
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I can't say there's definitely none but I can't think of any matches that went all screwy like that. Again, besides arguably that first Dynamite main even 6 way.
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Feb 20, 2020 22:46
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I have a truly random wrestling question that just came to mind as I was trying to fall asleep. I was in that infamous "Change the Channel" Hammerstein Ballroom crowd for WWECW. Its probably one of the most fun sports/concert memories I have (the whole show, not just the one part). I remember at the time that a huge percentage of the fanbase was furious at us and insisted we disrespected the wrestlers and were only there to make ourselves the stars and would only be satisfied with ECW leftovers. I argued that it was silly, we went crazy for CM Punk, we were excited about Kurt Angle vs the Brooklyn Brawler, and we were there for a drat Dreamer/Sandman vs Test/Mike Knox match. I felt at the time (and I think most there did as well) that WWE knew we would respond to those things and also knew if they had given us any half way expected or preferred main event that wouldn't have happened but they basically gave us the worst possible match. I wonder how people feel about that now. Its weird looking back. ECW is dead, buried, dug up, buried, dug up, etc so many times even us old diehards are kind of over it. CM Punk went from beloved indie star to hated sellout. Batista was "Mr. WWE" in every negative sense at the time and is now beloved. Everyone seems way more sympathetic to the idea that WWE seems to book things that they should know better than and sometimes almost to spite audiences. Everyone also seems to appreciate fans that are engaged and saying what they think more nowadays, even if its disapproving. And hell, that's a pretty terrible show card looking back and I can't even imagine watching that show on TV today. I can't even imagine paying to see a WWE show now let alone being that emotionally invested. So I don't know. I just couldn't sleep and for some reason that came to mind. I wonder how you folks feel about it now?
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Feb 23, 2020 03:46
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Yeah, I never got the impression Bret was a "good guy". Not one of the worst guys or anything and by wrestler standards probably on the right end of the scale. But while I can't think of anything specific besides odd urine stuff I just always got the sense he was kind of an rear end who we were just super sympathetic to because Owen was heartbreaking and he got screwed.
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Feb 29, 2020 03:18
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That's probably like asking where the line is between confidence and arrogance. You obviously CAN just think you're better than you are and be a selfish deluded rear end in a top hat. People are everywhere. Whether like Kevin Nash is just a shrewd businessman or Hulk Hogan is a self important pathological narcissist is probably a case by case issue.
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Feb 29, 2020 03:37
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Kevin Nash is an example of knowing your own worth. Hulk Hogan is a mark for himself. The Elite are examples of guys who know their own worth. Enzo is an example of a mark for himself. Its fine to "know your own worth" if your evaluation is somewhere within the ballpark of reality. Its even ok to play hardball and fight for what's best for you and yours even if it burns some bridges. But like, if you think you're worth more than you are and if you just step on people to get ahead then that's different. There's a line somewhere and you probably know it when you see it. Bret always struck me more of the former. He was very good and very popular and he knew he was worth more than what WWF was giving him. And for that they screwed him over and then wrote him as a petulant diva. HBK and Vince were probably more of the latter. They thought they were better and that they could gently caress around with Bret and his people and blame them for it. But like... he still kinda seemed like a jerk with a weird piss fetish.
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Feb 29, 2020 04:44
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TriffTshngo posted:Whenever I think of Bret being "a mark for himself" I think less of it being a money/value as a performer thing and of more along the lines of how he takes everything so deadly serious and seemingly has no sense of humor about anything. And like, fair enough, dude's had a hard life, but at some point you gotta lighten up a bit. He comes across as completely joyless even in the early 90s. But like "being kind of a depressed guy" only becomes "being a mark for yourself" in the weird rear end world of wrestling and "carnie speak." I mean, you could tell your random buddy to "get over himself" if he was depressed about the bad poo poo that happened to him. But then you might be a jerk.
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Feb 29, 2020 05:04
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WWE had Jinsei Shinzaki in the 90s and did nothing with him except showcase to a young me that WWE's wrestlers were almost all super lame and lovely by comparison. They also had Taka and Kai En Tai DX and made them jokes who chopped off penises. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Mar 17, 2020 |
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Mar 17, 2020 02:30
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To be honest I assumed they were an actualy ex couple from the way everyone around here talked about it/them. It never occurred to me that people might be "kayfabing."
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Mar 18, 2020 12:23
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Every time someone says "ECW invasion" I actually briefly forget about that one episode of RAW where they invaded and then joined the Alliance and think of that time in like '97 when they did the invasion angle the first time and WWE never followed up on it. And then I think of the NWA Invasion and I chuckle.
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Mar 18, 2020 14:25
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Aku posted:They continued the promotional feud in ECW with Lawler invading their turf (with help from Sabu, RVD, and I want to say Louie Spicolli). Some people like Jim Cornette, Sunny, Rick Rude, and I really want to say Jake Roberts, were also involved with the feud on the WWF's side. The blowoff was Tommy Dreamer beating Jerry Lawler at Hardcore Heaven. I believe Spicolli was an ECW guy at the time. I think they briefly used Brakkus because he was there on loan to get seasoning. I don't remember Sunny but I guess maybe she did a one off or two because of Candido. Lawler and Cornette did multiple stuff in ECW but that was more of a USWA/Smokey Mountain vs ECW feud really with RVD and Sabu carrying all the weight for the "invader" side in ECW. But there was no followup in WWF beyond that one RAW where the ECW crew took over and the crowd went crazy. Then after that it was just over in WWF. Its like the ROH vs CZW feud where ROH did a whole angle and blowoff and CZW just... forgot it was happening. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Mar 18, 2020 |
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Mar 18, 2020 18:18
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forkboy84 posted:When he first coming in Stevie Richards was hyping him up as Johnny Polo and Raven hit him but I don't remember it being much more than that before Raven just became Raven. Yeah, my memory is they explicitly acknowledge that he's Polo when he shows up but Raven very quickly establishes his new character and it only really comes up from time to time in snarky comments from guys like Styles or from Stevie being a doofus. I want to say Steve dressed up like him at some point when he and Meanie were doing that before the bWo took off.
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Mar 26, 2020 00:59
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Wasn't HHH trying to get him back in like real quick?
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Mar 28, 2020 01:20
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I vaguely recall a thing where HHH was trying to get the locker room to forgive Hogan, made a direct appeal to the New Day to speak out in his defense, and spun it into like a "don't let yourself be recorded and stay off social media" thing instead of a racism thing. But the New Day scoffed and it kind of died down or something? I could be confusing stories. I'm not sure.
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Mar 28, 2020 01:35
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bartok posted:I think there was a WCW PPV where Rick Martel was supposed to go over Booker T and then Perry Saturn in a gauntlet match for the WCW TV Title but suffered a career ending knee injury partway through the first match so they had Booker T win both matches. Yeah, just before Booker and Benoit started trading the TV title around and got the Best of Seven series Booker was trading the belt with Martel and Saturn. He won the belt and was defending in a gauntlet with Booker and Saturn that he was supposed to win, but he got hurt and Booker and Saturn had to improv the second match on the fly.
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Mar 30, 2020 00:28
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TriffTshngo posted:I had some trouble thinking of any kind of "shameful" confession I could make because I'm mostly pretty unashamed about my opinions, but since it's kind of relevant again, I think enough people would disagree with this that it counts: I actually preferred BikerTaker but mainly because I just never like Undertaker and always found his act silly. So like when he was just what he was I was kinda like "ok, at least now he doesn't look actively silly." And like he started wrestling a different style going more into his pseudo MMA stuff and just some old school brawling than the mystical monster WWE main eventer stuff which was at least something different and potentially worth watching to me. So I guess "I always thought the Undertaker was lame and for a time was one of the big things actively keeping me from wrestling" is my shameful confession.
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Apr 2, 2020 20:41
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The point about the roster is true though. In a world where everything gets back to normal I'd love to see AEW working with AAA or NJPW or whoever to bring in people for special events or individual programs but I wouldn't want them bringing in a bunch of talent that would just cause the AEW talent already competing for time to fall further down the ladder. AEW's got a great young core of future stars, a bunch of potential main eventers not in the main event, a thriving tag division, and ideally a functioning woman's division. It doesn't actually need an influx of talent from AAA and that could be counter productive. Its why I loved TNA's World X Cup. Doing something that showcased talent from other promotions/countries against your own in special events would be fun and wouldn't take away from the overall roster management.
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Apr 4, 2020 00:08
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I remember it being a gradual thing but the beginning was almost certainly when the Hardyz became the New Brood and they became "Edge and Christian." And the "TIT" tournament. After that I think is when they started to get silly.
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Apr 8, 2020 18:48
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In hindsight to me the weirdest thing about the Dudleyz is that like no one remembers Big Dick or Sign Guy or that whole thing they were in ECW before Bubba turned heel. That's fine because they were a weird comedy act that probably aged really badly and the Dudleyz were a tremendous heel act. But its weird to me to think that most people don't know he was Buh Buh Ray.
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Apr 8, 2020 19:09
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 09:37 |
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I mean I don't think it ever really worked. It was a weird undercard comedy act until Devon showed up and Bubba turned and then it was just liek a switch flipped. But its just such a weird way for that team to have started that most fans probably have no idea of.
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Apr 8, 2020 19:51
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