Posts : 15896 Points : 15061 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Tue 14 Jan 2020 - 15:54
I'm down, as always.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Mon 27 Jan 2020 - 10:52
Royal Rumble 2020 thoughts:
Spoiler:
That was one of the best men's Rumble matches ever. I'm really happy that they did loads of fun stuff that make it'll really memorable for years to come. Some excellent hope spots in the opening half (like with Rey Mysterio, The New Day and Keith "Who's This Motherfucker?" Lee) made me feel genuinely excited when a new guy was coming in to fight Brock Lesnar. Seeing Lesnar demolish all the keech like Elias, Shelton Benjamin and Erick Rowan was good too, it cleared the way for the real stars. It could have easily went too long, but I thought it was booked brilliantly.
Drew McIntyre's elimination of Brock Lesnar was quality. That whole match made him look like an absolute don. A nitpick though: I don't know if he needed to win. The story was already set up between him and Brock Lesnar, they could have just had Lesnar come back and leather him near to end, costing McIntyre the match. They could have used the Royal Rumble to set up Bray Wyatt's WrestleMania challenger, I thought.
There were some great interwoven stories being told at the end. There's lots they can carry on with, and lots interesting going on.
What a return for Edge! His face told the story, and I think everybody would be chuffed for him. I hope they do something with him and Randy Orton later - I liked their matches and tag-team in the mid 2000s, and I think it would be a nice nostalgic, feel-good feud.
As for the women's Royal Rumble, it was all right. That bit with Otis was class.
JayMoyles Galactic Nova
Posts : 15896 Points : 15061 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Mon 27 Jan 2020 - 20:58
Rumble 2020 Ruminations:
Aye, the men's rumble was ace.
I loved Lesnar clearing out half the field. I think fatigue can set in quite easily in Rumble matches if they don't book it carefully, especially around the bits where you have no-hopers like Shelton Benjamin running out. Brock's antics kept the first half of the Rumble feeling entertaining and pacey. I loved him grooving to MVP's theme, I laughed out loud at him looking at Keith Lee and saying "OOOOH A BIG BOY!" and then "Who's this motherfucker?" Even the bit with Shelton was fun. I bought into the brief bits of hope such as the New Day featuring Rey teaming up against Lesnar, the big boy showdown with Keith Lee and Strowman and even the smaller bits like Cesaro and Nakamura getting a few digs in.
They really did well to build up McIntyre in this too. The first half of the Rumble was entirely worth it for the whopper pay off that McIntyre got when he eliminated Lesnar. He looked like a star out there.
EDGE! You could see how much that return meant to him - he was on the verge of welling up during his entrance. I hope he's sticking around for one good last final run.
I must admit, for a brief moment I thought they were utterly tone deaf and gearing up Roman to get booed out of the building with another Rumble win, especially after he eliminated Edge. Glad they didn't go that route, but I feel bad for Roman - I don't think he can ever win the Rumble again, at least not as a babyface.
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11976 Points : 12068 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Wed 29 Jan 2020 - 12:46
Aye that rumble match was superb just when you think the stuff with Brock was going too far they build it to an exciting pay off, looking back it could've went downhill after a build like that but it just got better and better for me.
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24038 Points : 24439 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Thu 30 Jan 2020 - 16:29
I watch NXT and AEW every week and sometimes bits of NJPW along with highlights of RAW/SD which are about 25mins long.
Did also watch Worlds Collide that very morning of the rumble, as I've got say that was rather boring PPV part from the two rumbles the women due to really not knowing who was next and mens because how it was set up for the winner and that return.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Wed 5 Feb 2020 - 17:24
Goldberg is coming back to Smackdown this week, probably to build up a match for the next Saudi Arabia event. I think we're all hoping and praying for this dream match:
JayMoyles Galactic Nova
Posts : 15896 Points : 15061 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Thu 6 Feb 2020 - 21:04
I'd be incredibly down for that - big hoss fights are a spectacle. I love the NEVER Openweight division in NJPW for that very reason as it usually ends up with two hench lads knocking chunks out of each other.
...but you'll be getting Baron Corbin vs Goldberg.
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11976 Points : 12068 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Thu 6 Feb 2020 - 21:55
Or it'd be a chain wrestling classic like this one.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2td0r
JayMoyles Galactic Nova
Posts : 15896 Points : 15061 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Thu 6 Feb 2020 - 22:04
I love JR jumping in with "I don't think we'll be seeing a catch as catch can classic here, folks" only for Show and Kane to start grappling on the mat.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Sun 9 Feb 2020 - 11:24
The XFL came back this weekend, which means now's as a good a time as any to watch OSW's XFL Retrospective:
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Sat 29 Feb 2020 - 20:11
They also announced that Southpaw Regional Wrestling is come back for a third season in Summer '94 - well excited, much more arsed about that than WrestleMania 36.
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 38 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Mon 2 Mar 2020 - 21:35
Anyone catch AEW Revolution? There were a few misses (the Jack Swagger match, the women's match, Cody's horrible tattoo), but there were some of the best moments I've seen in wrestling for a long time. Orange Cassidy is rightfully a sensation, loved that match! MJF continues to be immensely entertaining, Moxley and Jericho put on a clinic and I even found myself enjoying a Young Bucks match despite all of the non-selling. I particularly like that AEW isn't afraid to fill a PPV with singles matches that allow characters to tell a story.
JayMoyles Galactic Nova
Posts : 15896 Points : 15061 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Tue 3 Mar 2020 - 0:15
AEW Revolution was quality! Agreed on the misses you mentioned - I couldn't get into the Cody match at all due to that absolute bombscare of a tattoo - but the rest of the show was ace. The Young Bucks/Hangman and Omega match was right up my alley and is easily the best match I've seen all year. I watched it with my brother and we were on the edge of our seats for the whole thing. The little tease of Hangman and Omega potentially turning on each other after the match was tremendously tense too.
Orange Cassidy is incredible - such a great character idea. Shout out to the Sammy Guevera and Darby Allin match too. That whole PPV did the job of washing out the miserable taste of that Saudi show WWE put on with that atrocity of a main event.
Still, like Cappa mentioned, all of the above pales in comparison to Southpaw Season 3 being announced. Goldberg? Roman Reigns? Jon Moxley? Chris Jericho? All no-names next to the genius that is Lance Catamaran.
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24038 Points : 24439 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Thu 2 Apr 2020 - 14:36
It's almost WrestleMania time with this year's being odd due to lag of fans, lack of build for some matches and being over two nights
This is the card/s and my predictions
Saturday Night
Raw Women's Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler. I'm going for Shayna
WWE Universal Championship Match: ??? vs. Goldberg. It has to be Goldberg
Firefly Funhouse Match: John Cena vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. Bray to get back some momentum.
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins. Kevin to get his moment.
Ladder Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. The Usos vs. John Morrison and The Miz. This match is a question because of Miz but I'm still going for his team.
Elias vs. King Corbin. Elias with help from Mojo and Gronk
Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors. Kabuki Warriors mainly due Asuka being on like all the shows at the moment.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Sami Zayn. I want it to be Bryan but it will be Sami.
Sunday Night
WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar. Drew and he will be the first British Champ
Boneyard Match: The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles. Taker, poor AJ
Last Man Standing Match: Edge vs. Randy Orton. EDGE!
SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Naomi vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks. It's Boss Time.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory and Angel Garza. Zelina and her boys to have all the gold.
NXT Women's Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair. Rhea as passing of the torch moment.
Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley. Why is this a match, anyway Black.
Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler. Dolph because Vince.
Last edited by masofdas on Fri 3 Apr 2020 - 15:51; edited 1 time in total
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 38 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Fri 3 Apr 2020 - 13:46
I'll be watching Wrestlemania, but it's going to be bad. The whole "Wrestlemania moment" is negated by the lack of fans.
I agree with pretty much all of your predictions, Mas. But how, HOW, is Tamina still a thing? I also hope AJ Styles wins because Undertaker is now becoming a joke and hurting his legacy (in my opinion, he should have bowed out at Wrestlemania 33 when he lost to Roman Reigns). The streak is long dead, so he's just taking up space on the card.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Fri 3 Apr 2020 - 15:00
I’ve not got much interest in this. It’s a decent enough looking card on the whole, but I don’t see anything that I think will stand out ten years from now, from an in-ring perspective anyway. I think it’s badly misguided that this has went ahead and is being prepared for broadcast too – nobody’s arsed, nobody’s in the mood for sports, and nobody’s there.
Looking at the matches you’ve listed, there’s five matches where I’d echo your thoughts on Aleistar Black Vs. Bobby Lashley: “why is this a match?”. Fair enough if there was a crowd to cool down between the main attractions, but in this case, you don’t need them. Stripped back of all the fluff, this was a card big enough for one night.
My thoughts: I’m really hoping Drew McIntyre won, I think he’s got the lot. I liked that Undertaker promo on RAW , I found it quite interesting, but I’ve got no clue as to what a Boneyard Match is. Edge was one of my favourites in the past, and I think he’ll do well with Randy Orton. I like Goldberg – I appreciate that he comes across as a bit of a fanny in real life, but he’s magic in WWE. Hope he beat his new mystery opponent. Struggling to must up much enthusiasm for the rest of it though.
Muss Shiny Shuckle
Posts : 2557 Points : 2575 Join date : 2015-04-03 Location : The 5th Dimension
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Fri 3 Apr 2020 - 17:21
I guess they're doing what makes them the most money but it's weird thinking of any PPV being done behind closed doors, let alone Wrestlemania!
Tell you what I'd have liked, ditch the WWE official shows and bring on Southpaw Regional Wrestling shows, perhaps those could genuinely work without a proper crowd and in moderation. Then again, I'm not sure contact sports are such a good idea right now.
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24038 Points : 24439 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Fri 3 Apr 2020 - 17:34
Least two matches won't be in a normal environment, which could be a good thing Final Deletion or bad House of Horrors. I'm looking forward to it even a so-so card for the curiosity.
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11976 Points : 12068 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Sat 4 Apr 2020 - 17:48
"Football is nothing without fans " - Jock Stein
I've always seen wrestling the same way as well so I think I'll probably just watch the matches that interest me rather than all of it.
masofdas The Next Miyamoto
Posts : 24038 Points : 24439 Join date : 2013-01-18 Age : 34 Location : VITA Island
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Sat 4 Apr 2020 - 19:17
Two more matches have been added Gulak v Cesaro tonight it seems then tomorrow Liv v Nattie
JayMoyles Galactic Nova
Posts : 15896 Points : 15061 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Sun 5 Apr 2020 - 21:10
I ended up really enjoying the first night of Wrestlemania. There were some duffers in there - Becky Lynch's match was surprisingly dull, and Goldberg/Strowman felt pointless - but the highlights were well worth my time. The triple threat ladder match was quality and the cherry on top was, of course, the Boneyard match. Cheesy? Absolutely. Entertaining? Most definitely.
I'm now cautiously excited for Night 2 as it seems to be the stronger card on paper, minus the likes of Lashley/Black and that Raw tag team match. I'm hoping for a similar stench of cheese from the Cena/Wyatt Funhouse match.
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 38 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Sun 5 Apr 2020 - 22:01
Yeah I agree with you Jay, and I also enjoyed the Corbin/Elias match which I never thought I'd say (or type). The Boneyard match was brilliant nonsense and was made all the more ridiculous with how they mixed reality (Mark, his wife, his relevance) with the cartoonish origins of The Undertaker (the graveyard, teleporting, the ability to summon fire). I would happily see more of these "Matt Hardy-esque" segments as while it was clearly still WWE, it didn't half look real when they were punching each other!
I really don't want to stay up until 4am again, but it may just be worth it! I also watched the Drew McIntyre documentary which was really good - felt for him when he was stuck in Scotland not knowing if Mania was going ahead.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Mon 6 Apr 2020 - 12:45
Wrestlemania opinions:
I stayed up for some of Night One on Saturday into Sunday. I spent the first two-and-a-half matches thinking that it was a bit sad, that ‘it’s the thought that counts’. I didn’t get into it, yet even if a crowd was there, there was nothing about the performances in the women’s tag match or Elias Vs. Baron Corbin that made me feel like I was watching any sort of Wrestlemania spectacle. But I started to get into the (pretty decent) Becky Lynch match towards the end, and I started to enjoy myself a bit more. The Intercontinental Championship match added to that, with all the talking, shouting and ringside activity.
The triple-threat ladder match, Kevin Owens Vs. Seth Rollins and Goldberg Vs. Braun Strowman were well worth their airtime and places on the show – an excellent effort by everybody involved, all trying to make it feel like a conventional Wrestlemania with their performances. Especially the former two, those were the two matches I thought did the most to make me forget about the weird, awkward atmosphere, as well as basically everything else going on around us.
That Boneyard Match was one of the most entertaining things WWE have produced in years. I loved it. It benefited from not having the handicaps that all the other matches did, for certain, but the change of pace and setting was massively appreciated. The Undertaker Vs. AJ Styles was a total success, and I finished Night One feeling happy and excited.
Night Two (which I watched this morning) was a comedown, I thought. There was nothing wrong with either women’s title match, but the excitement wasn’t there, and the style of the matches really didn’t click with how the show was presented. Same goes for Black and Lashley and the RAW tag team championship match – neither were too different from what I’d expect to see on RAW. I didn’t really follow the Otis stuff, though that likely would have worked well in front of the right crowd though.
The Edge Vs. Randy Orton match went on forever – The Last of Us Part II was delayed another three times during that match. What was presented on the night didn’t match up with the drama in the promos and attacks before it. The match should have been edited down: it would have been a lot more effective and a lot less dull. I'm not quite putting it alongside Michael Cole Vs. Jerry Lawler and Bret Hart Vs. Vince McMahon in terms of worst Wrestlemania matches, but there was no need for this match to be broadcast in this state.
The Firefly Funhouse was good fun! I’ll remember that more than I’d have remembered a usual match between The Fiend Vs. John Cena. Fair play for being willing to rip the pish when it was needed too. It was just good, escapist entertainment.
My Facebook feed is full of folk who stayed up for Drew McIntyre’s match. Round here (South Ayrshire, where Drew’s from), there was a lot of excitement about his championship opportunity. It got good coverage in the local and national media, even in light of everything else happening. The match itself, I felt Lesnar put in one of his performances that he usually does when he doesn’t want to be there – and who can blame him? – and I think the magic of the title win was lost a bit with no crowd, no fireworks and no night sky. Yet for most people, the main thing seemed to simply be that Drew McIntyre became WWE Champion, and that’s what I thought was the main thing too. What an achievement– I’m chuffed for Drew McIntyre.
Beforehand, I thought WWE were stupid for putting this show on. But all credit, the whole weekend exceeded my expectations. 36 was a noteworthy Wrestlemania that was quite a bit better than some of the recent stadium shows. Good stuff!
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 38 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Mon 6 Apr 2020 - 17:03
Wrestlemania thoughts:
I agree with most of that Cappa. I stayed up until 4am both nights whilst streaming Cultaholic's reactions alongside it (so I was watching it with others). I originally had tickets to a bar that was showing it and would have been a great atmosphere, so was nice to experience it with others in a weird way.
That said, I enjoyed both nights. The Undertaker match was hilarious, but it was the Fiend match that blew me away. It even felt like a Cena heel turn with his blowjob rap lines, NWO gimmick and the whole reflective look back at Cena's career. The whole thing was bonkers and made up for a really disappointing Edge v Orton brawl which saw both barely register a wrestling maneuver. It was a 40 minute backstage brawl and dragged after 20. Drew's moment was fine but with no crowd, like all the title changes, meant little. Other things that stuck out: Rhea Ripley looked like a superstar, JBL and Cole is a HORRIBLE commentary combination, Becky winning was an odd decision - what happens to Shayna now?, the Sasha Bayley tease saved a fairly forgettable match but (and this might just be the audience of Cultaholic) a lot of fans wanted Tamina to win (in an ironic way - because she's so bad). I'm glad she didn't.
Will this be remembered fondly? For the Taker and Fiend matches, yes. I would say all the best stuff happened away from the ring, but Orton Edge negates that. Orton Edge needed spots. They may edit the event down somehow, but otherwise it was a fine, if bloated collection of Raw/Smackdown matches broken up with some of the WWE best production work yet.
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6744 Points : 6907 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Wrestling Discussion Thread III Tue 14 Apr 2020 - 15:48
Stay At Home.
Protect The NHS.
Saves Lives.
Watch No Way Jose Vs. Bobby Lashley.
That the state of Florida’s Governor has deemed WWE “an essential service” when there’s a state-wide stay-at-home order is just grim. That’ll end in tragedy.
On another note, there’s lots of rumours going around that the WWE 2K21 computer game is to be cancelled. While I hope this doesn’t lead to any job losses, this could be a huge positive for the series. Although, truthfully, I’d rather see the series end: it’s been utterly miserable to play for years, just totally lacking in enjoyment and fun.