So many posts. I was looking and saw that 2012 had like 122 posts total, and the last three years will have exactly 122 (when this is posted). Is it us or is it wrestling? Probably a little of both. Well, The Marshalls list is pretty dang good, but I just wanted to throw out a few other nods so we maybe get a bigger picture.
Best Commentary: Not that I'm disagreeing with Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino, but a few shout outs to the competition.
1. Mauro Ranallo (our soon to be future Smackdown commentator) and Josh Barnett on NJPW are quite good, but for some reason they don't seem to have urgency about things. Maybe it's the fact the matches are old, and maybe it's my fault for knowing who's going to win.
2. Matt Striker and Vampiro. I have no clue if they'll be back this year, but I've always enjoyed Striker's overly-pedantic way of talking about wrestling. We'll come back to Lucha Underground soon.
3. Leonard F. Chikarason and Mike Quackenbush/Leonard F. Chikarason and Bryce Remsburg. These two are great for completely different reasons. Bryce and Leonard are hilarious with Bryce making tons of weird references and Chikarason trying to keep up just makes you laugh. Quackenbush and Chikarason are completely different, they're the closest you'll get to Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon in these days. Quackenbush just knows the stories and what you're supposed to get out of them more than anybody else. The nice thing about having the booker on commentary.
Happenstance Of The Year That Probably Led To Another Amazing Feud: I'm going a little esoteric here. Sami Zayn's shoulder injury is what I think directly led to John Cena vs. Kevin Owens. It would have been really weird that Zayn would have this amazing match with Cena on RAW and then just went back to NXT full time. I think he was supposed to be coming up, and then Owens basically got his spot. This is all conjecture, but I've thought about it a lot.
Moment Of The Year: Archibald Peck's Shocking Return at Top Banana.
The Miz Award (Best Guy Pretending To Be A Wrestler): Matt Riddle in Evolve. Supposedly this guy might be starting at the Performance Center soon, but he's just awful. He's a former UFC guy that you can tell was just a star on the Ultimate Fighter without even watching the show ever. He just says bro a lot, looks awful, and quickly wins with arm bars. He's now in a stable with Drew Gulak and Hot Sauce Tracy Williams.
Promotion Of The Year: This will be contested but I'm giving it to Lucha Underground. I like storytelling. Lucha Underground really felt like a comic book miniseries set in the world of pro wrestling. It was new, exciting, and looked really good. Familiar characters, and brand new characters. I can't wait for the next miniseries.
Random Podcast Rant: I've had at least 2 people lately (and a few before) bring up the Radiolab about The Montreal Screwjob. When explaining my love of independent wrestling I love to bring up that it's all connected. Everyone has wrestled somebody else from every promotion in the world. It's all a big picture with a huge complicated continuity based on fiction AND reality.
Best Non-Wrestling Wrestling Thing: Max Landis' Wrestling Isn't Wrestling....available on YouTube
Total Non Sequitur: Nothing to do with 2015, but I'm now on to 1994 WCW. When I'm doing things like typing long winded wrestling reviews I just have the network on playing Clash's and PPVS and mostly just listening and glancing up if something cool is happening. Things I appreciate now that I probably hated when I was little....Mr. #1derful Paul Orndorff and his skinny arm. Dude was past his prime, and just a perfect heel. Even being saddled with Paul Roma didn't hurt him. I also enjoy how The Nasty Boys seem to have the same match constantly, but it was really good. I never liked Missy Hyatt as a kid, but when she turned "Nasty" and got even sluttier....WOAH. Steve Corino was right.
Other Matches Of The Year: (not in particular order...just numbered for the hell of it.)
1. Brock Lesnar vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins from Royal Rumble
I'll never forget watching this in the bar in San Fran while on tour. It was an incredibly good match that everyone just forgot about because the Rumble itself was the worst thing ever. This was the beginning of Cena's highlight year of Amazing Wrestling. (I really hate saying that).
2. Kevin Owens vs John Cena from Elimination Chamber
The moonsault! The package piledriver tease! THE WIN! Pure emotion built on that continuity from the indies I was just talking about.
3. Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns from Fastlane
Another match we forget about because the outcome was terrible. It was honestly the only really good moment Bryan had this year, and he took a lower level talent to the mountain top, and had a lot of little marks like us hoping and praying.
4. Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma from NJPW The New Beginning In Sendai
This was my second favorite NJPW match of the year under the Marshall's #1. It was another moment of hoping and praying, just with a lot more brutality than the last match. AND we got to see the pay off we wanted a few months later.
5. Drew Galloway vs Roderick Strong from Evolve 36
So this "match" is only like 8 minutes long. It is also a "no contest." It's just two guys beating the holy hell out of each other, spitting booze in faces, kicking announcers, going crazy. This was the moment that I fell in love with Roderick Strong and the moment I knew WWE had dropped the ball with Galloway.
Event Of The Year: I think it's a tie between Lucha Underground's Ultima Lucha and Chikara's Top Banana. Both shows had more "FINALLY!!!" moments than any other promotion this year.
Overall Feeling About Wrestling This Year: It's been a rough year. This is where having "my guys" has been hard. I still have this really really big beard. Just last week Reigns was hot shot to the top. I have a feeling that probably gets WWE's "long term storytelling" back on track. I just have no idea where there going, and why I care.
Nakamura's elbow was a real bummer for me this summer. G1 was still good, but his matches weren't grade A Nakamura (barring the Final...which still coulda been better...or I'm just pissed about the outcome...can't tell). I really was hoping for just this incredible run of 5 star matches and lots of giggling and glee coming from my mouth.
Seems like RD Evans is retired. I haven't decided if Dalton Castle is really one of "my guys" or just somebody I like a lot. (I think The Boys might be "my guys")
And finally....Roddy Piper and The Dream died.
This year was kind of a bummer. Or maybe my personal life was a bummer and I got too involved in wrestling and took it personally. That's more likely. Wrestling is never really a bummer. Sometimes I watch TNA and it's still way better than stuff that totally sucks. Like The Eagles.
December 21, 2015
December 20, 2015
2015: A Marshall Odyssey
Greetings all Revolutionists and Space Cadets,
I've been looking forward to writing this post since January 4 of this year, when NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 9 took place, and Poncho came over and we watched some sick wrestling, and wondered if the rest of the year would measure up. Now, looking back, I can say that it was indeed a stellar year all-around for wrestling (not to be confused with Sports Entertainment, for which 2015 was not such a banner stretch). I have a handful of my favorite matches of the year to share today, and so doing, hope to memorialize their entertainment value for every single person who follows and patronizes this fake blog. First though, a few non-match highlights:
Best Commentary: Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino easily bag this for the third year running. The only competition that got remotely close was the team of Kevin Kelly and Mr. Wrestling III.
Character Feud of the Year: Another ROH coup, the rivalry between Dalton Castle and Silas Young has been so much fun, it's like smooth fair-trade dark chocolate is pouring out of the screen right into my eyeballs.
Crush of the Year: Karl Anderson's obsession with Maria Kanellis was equally as entertaining as Castle-Young, but the candle burned brighter and went out sooner. This would have also won for comedy segments of the year, both for the interludes Anderson would take mid-match to dance towards Maria, and for the interviews afterward when he'd say he came "this close" to kissing her.
Podcast of the Year: Tempting to also give this one to Anderson (and company) for their ridiculous and irreverent Talk N Shop (certainly the funniest wrestling podcast), but I have to give the award to Cheap Heat, because I can listen to it at work for an hour, and it saves me from having to watch 3 hours of Raw at home.
Best Turn: Tetsuya "The Stardust Genius" Naito was solid in the NJPW roster as a white-meat babyface. He'd had some career highs a couple years back, but had faded back to the midcard and seemed to have settled there pretty neatly. Slapping hands, kissing babies, and just wanting to put on the best match possible (win or lose) was the order of the day for the Naito of 2014. A year later, he's the leader of a growing stable of black-clad rule-shirkers, and is using his new character to draw incredible energy out of his matches. He's proved over and over that not only can his matches not be missed, but they must be watched without blinking, lest the viewer miss something dastardly and cool.
Best Event of the Year: G1 Climax 25. All 4 weeks of it, hard to beat that. Shoutout to the MVP of the tourney, Tomohiro Ishii. He wasn't the only one who had nothing but great matches in the 100-match series, but he was particularly impressive. He turned 40 a couple weeks ago.
Wrestling Website of the Year: Spare Change Wrestling Online. We are the dog's balls, the rat's twats, and the cat's pajamas. I'm not sure how complementary that really is, but who am I to argue with the census takers?
Top 5 matches of the year:
Before I list these off, I have to qualify my opinions by admitting I haven't seen the majority of wrestling which has happened on Earth for the past 12 months. That being said...
5. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Ricochet/ Roderick Strong, Black Cole Sun, 12/12/14, PWG
Technically, this match happened last year, but was released for general viewing this year, and it would be a shame to skip over it. These were really two matches, but I'm combining them because O'Reilly wrestled them back-to-back, and it's his performance that is really being highlighted here. The first match, a world title challenge earned by Ricochet, was a styles clash that proved each competitor to be a master of his own multifaceted game, and they took each other to their limit. When Roddy came out afterward and goaded O'Reilly into giving him a title match, it seemed impossible, but O'Reilly indulged a whole other high-octane match, working to a totally different style, but keeping the momentum of the narrative at full throttle. By the end of the night, he'd held the crowd in the palm of his hand for about an hour, through two completely different matches. I didn't make room for the category last year, but if I'd thought of it, Ricochet definitely would've won Wrestler of the Year, for having won the Super Junior and King of LA tournaments, as well as being the first gaijin Dragongate champ and making his tv debut on Lucha Underground. This match was the last feather in his cap of an incredible year. For Roddy, this is no exception in the force-of-nature run he's had across the indies, which probably brought him back up to his rightful place toward the top of the ROH card.
4. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, NXT:Takeover Brooklyn, 8/22/15, WWE
One of the most fun things about being a wrestling fan is getting emotionally invested in your favorite characters, and allowing yourself to be manipulated by the machinations of the matches they have. I don't think I've ever had as many "happy wrestling tears" as I did when watching this amazing match unfold. This isn't on the list to give some kind of pity point to WWE/NXT, this was legitimately one of the best matches of the year, and it might be the most memorable when I'm thinking back 5 years from now.
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles, King of Pro-Wrestling, 10/11/15, NJPW
I watched this with the Poncho Man a few days after it happened. The audio cut out mid-way through the event, and we were bantering and snacking to make up for the silence, until the main event came on. It was the awesomest feeling, because we were so mesmerized, the silence only punctuated how cool the match was. Both of these guys were top-level standouts in the G1 Climax. Okada's been amazing for a few years, and has kept getting even better, it's awesome to see a legend in the making. AJ set the world on fire this year, continuing his hot streaks in New Japan and ROH, as well as memorable turns in Revolution Pro, Chikara, and lots of other, smaller promotions all over the place.
2. Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong, Death Before Dishonor XIII, 7/14/15, ROH
I think my favorite wrestling moment of the year, if I had to put my finger right on it, would be the moment I realized this match was going to go the whole hour. At about 40-45 minutes in, it was especially exciting because they'd shown no signs of playing for time. There are very few movies I enjoy as much as a super-good movie-length wrestling match, and this was like a Terminator 2-level bad-assery. Jay Lethal's had a stellar and decorated year, holding both the ROH TV title and their World Title for most of it. Now that I'm thinking more about it, the wrestling moment of the year was when Lethal won the World Title from Jay Briscoe. That was a jump up and jump around and shout event.
1. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi, Wrestle Kingdom 9, 1/4/15, NJPW
Right after it was over, Poncho and I agreed it would be hard to beat as match of the year. Since then, I've shown this match to wrestling virgins no less than 7 times, and each time I felt a smug satisfaction knowing what a treat they were in for. This match was so easy to read that every person I showed it to was completely transported, and became actively engaged in its plot, as though it were any kind of ballgame or film. It's a perfect example of storytelling within the match, which is so much more interesting, engaging, and artful than expositional dialogue.
I couldn't decide on a Promotion of the Year. I loved New Japan and ROH equally. AJ Styles is my Wrestler of the Year, given the quality, scope and prodigiousness of his year's work. I'm split between reDRagon and New Day for Tag Team of the Year. Kevin Owens wins TV Debut of the Year. Seth Rollins probably wins for something. How about Biggest Hole Left in Absence of the Year? CM Punk wins Best MMA Fighter of the Year. WWE wins Worst Use of Over Talent of the Year for taking Damien Sandow off TV. Vampiro wins Entrance of the Year, for his match with Pentagon Jr (another great match). Maybe I'll think of more later. What have you guys got?
I've been looking forward to writing this post since January 4 of this year, when NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 9 took place, and Poncho came over and we watched some sick wrestling, and wondered if the rest of the year would measure up. Now, looking back, I can say that it was indeed a stellar year all-around for wrestling (not to be confused with Sports Entertainment, for which 2015 was not such a banner stretch). I have a handful of my favorite matches of the year to share today, and so doing, hope to memorialize their entertainment value for every single person who follows and patronizes this fake blog. First though, a few non-match highlights:
Best Commentary: Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino easily bag this for the third year running. The only competition that got remotely close was the team of Kevin Kelly and Mr. Wrestling III.
Character Feud of the Year: Another ROH coup, the rivalry between Dalton Castle and Silas Young has been so much fun, it's like smooth fair-trade dark chocolate is pouring out of the screen right into my eyeballs.
Crush of the Year: Karl Anderson's obsession with Maria Kanellis was equally as entertaining as Castle-Young, but the candle burned brighter and went out sooner. This would have also won for comedy segments of the year, both for the interludes Anderson would take mid-match to dance towards Maria, and for the interviews afterward when he'd say he came "this close" to kissing her.
Podcast of the Year: Tempting to also give this one to Anderson (and company) for their ridiculous and irreverent Talk N Shop (certainly the funniest wrestling podcast), but I have to give the award to Cheap Heat, because I can listen to it at work for an hour, and it saves me from having to watch 3 hours of Raw at home.
Best Turn: Tetsuya "The Stardust Genius" Naito was solid in the NJPW roster as a white-meat babyface. He'd had some career highs a couple years back, but had faded back to the midcard and seemed to have settled there pretty neatly. Slapping hands, kissing babies, and just wanting to put on the best match possible (win or lose) was the order of the day for the Naito of 2014. A year later, he's the leader of a growing stable of black-clad rule-shirkers, and is using his new character to draw incredible energy out of his matches. He's proved over and over that not only can his matches not be missed, but they must be watched without blinking, lest the viewer miss something dastardly and cool.
Best Event of the Year: G1 Climax 25. All 4 weeks of it, hard to beat that. Shoutout to the MVP of the tourney, Tomohiro Ishii. He wasn't the only one who had nothing but great matches in the 100-match series, but he was particularly impressive. He turned 40 a couple weeks ago.
Wrestling Website of the Year: Spare Change Wrestling Online. We are the dog's balls, the rat's twats, and the cat's pajamas. I'm not sure how complementary that really is, but who am I to argue with the census takers?
Top 5 matches of the year:
Before I list these off, I have to qualify my opinions by admitting I haven't seen the majority of wrestling which has happened on Earth for the past 12 months. That being said...
5. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Ricochet/ Roderick Strong, Black Cole Sun, 12/12/14, PWG
Technically, this match happened last year, but was released for general viewing this year, and it would be a shame to skip over it. These were really two matches, but I'm combining them because O'Reilly wrestled them back-to-back, and it's his performance that is really being highlighted here. The first match, a world title challenge earned by Ricochet, was a styles clash that proved each competitor to be a master of his own multifaceted game, and they took each other to their limit. When Roddy came out afterward and goaded O'Reilly into giving him a title match, it seemed impossible, but O'Reilly indulged a whole other high-octane match, working to a totally different style, but keeping the momentum of the narrative at full throttle. By the end of the night, he'd held the crowd in the palm of his hand for about an hour, through two completely different matches. I didn't make room for the category last year, but if I'd thought of it, Ricochet definitely would've won Wrestler of the Year, for having won the Super Junior and King of LA tournaments, as well as being the first gaijin Dragongate champ and making his tv debut on Lucha Underground. This match was the last feather in his cap of an incredible year. For Roddy, this is no exception in the force-of-nature run he's had across the indies, which probably brought him back up to his rightful place toward the top of the ROH card.
4. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, NXT:Takeover Brooklyn, 8/22/15, WWE
One of the most fun things about being a wrestling fan is getting emotionally invested in your favorite characters, and allowing yourself to be manipulated by the machinations of the matches they have. I don't think I've ever had as many "happy wrestling tears" as I did when watching this amazing match unfold. This isn't on the list to give some kind of pity point to WWE/NXT, this was legitimately one of the best matches of the year, and it might be the most memorable when I'm thinking back 5 years from now.
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles, King of Pro-Wrestling, 10/11/15, NJPW
I watched this with the Poncho Man a few days after it happened. The audio cut out mid-way through the event, and we were bantering and snacking to make up for the silence, until the main event came on. It was the awesomest feeling, because we were so mesmerized, the silence only punctuated how cool the match was. Both of these guys were top-level standouts in the G1 Climax. Okada's been amazing for a few years, and has kept getting even better, it's awesome to see a legend in the making. AJ set the world on fire this year, continuing his hot streaks in New Japan and ROH, as well as memorable turns in Revolution Pro, Chikara, and lots of other, smaller promotions all over the place.
2. Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong, Death Before Dishonor XIII, 7/14/15, ROH
I think my favorite wrestling moment of the year, if I had to put my finger right on it, would be the moment I realized this match was going to go the whole hour. At about 40-45 minutes in, it was especially exciting because they'd shown no signs of playing for time. There are very few movies I enjoy as much as a super-good movie-length wrestling match, and this was like a Terminator 2-level bad-assery. Jay Lethal's had a stellar and decorated year, holding both the ROH TV title and their World Title for most of it. Now that I'm thinking more about it, the wrestling moment of the year was when Lethal won the World Title from Jay Briscoe. That was a jump up and jump around and shout event.
1. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi, Wrestle Kingdom 9, 1/4/15, NJPW
Right after it was over, Poncho and I agreed it would be hard to beat as match of the year. Since then, I've shown this match to wrestling virgins no less than 7 times, and each time I felt a smug satisfaction knowing what a treat they were in for. This match was so easy to read that every person I showed it to was completely transported, and became actively engaged in its plot, as though it were any kind of ballgame or film. It's a perfect example of storytelling within the match, which is so much more interesting, engaging, and artful than expositional dialogue.
I couldn't decide on a Promotion of the Year. I loved New Japan and ROH equally. AJ Styles is my Wrestler of the Year, given the quality, scope and prodigiousness of his year's work. I'm split between reDRagon and New Day for Tag Team of the Year. Kevin Owens wins TV Debut of the Year. Seth Rollins probably wins for something. How about Biggest Hole Left in Absence of the Year? CM Punk wins Best MMA Fighter of the Year. WWE wins Worst Use of Over Talent of the Year for taking Damien Sandow off TV. Vampiro wins Entrance of the Year, for his match with Pentagon Jr (another great match). Maybe I'll think of more later. What have you guys got?
December 17, 2015
A Final Battle Preview
Hello my donut holes and jalapeño poppers,
It's time to talk about some boys who grew some boys. A moose with a big pair of horns. Two beards so big that it would be hard to tickle the salt and pepper shakers underneath. And some nuts that are just TOO SWEET.
Yes, tomorrow brings us Ring Of Honor's biggest event of the year Final Battle. Looks to be one hell of a show.
Cheezburger vs Bob Evans
I doubt it will be on the main show but Chris Jericho's favorite wrestler takes on the evil curmudgeon Brutal Bob in a grudge match where someone will most definitely go through a table.
Dalton Castle vs Silas Young
The Party Peacock has been shocked that his Boys seem to have become Men under the tutelage of Silas and his buddy the Beer City Bruiser. Is it real? Or will The Boys abandon their wife beaters and "Fan Up?"
Alex Shelley, Matt Sydal, and ACH vs The Addiction and Chris Sabin
After their best of five series, Matt Sydal and ACH are on the same page. The discovery that the recent red masked man is Alex Shelley mimicking and mocking his former partner Chris Sabin has been a revelation. Do Daniels and Kazarian have it in them to beat this new cohesive group of high fliers?
The Briscoes vs The Young Bucks vs the All-night Express
Kenny King's recent shocking return quickly sent the All-Night Express to the top of the tag division. But can they defeat the perennial favorites The Briscoes or those wascally Bucks. Find out who the future #1 contenders really are in this exciting three way.
Moose vs Michael Elgin
Both of these large men have been running through their opponents, in seconds flat, in recent weeks. Moose (a year into his career) is still green as grass, but size can help make up for experience. Does it help enough to beat the future number one contender to the Heavyweight Title?
Adam Cole Baby vs Kyle O'Reilly in a Fight Without Honor
The Future Shock Tag Team Explodes. O'Reilly should be the Heavyweight Champ if it wasn't for that meddling Cole. This looks to be a heated and brutal affair foe the ages.
The Kingdom vs War Machine for the ROH World Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Those are some big beards trying to upend some very pretty men (and lady). Can The Kingdom continue their reign against the Bearded Behemoths?
Roderick Strong vs Bobby Fish for the ROH Television Championship
A new Era begins as Roddy defends his belt that arguably us now as important as the Heavyweight title. Roddy's last year has been impeccable and Fish might be hard pressed to take this title anytime soon.
Jay Lethal vs AJ Styles for the ROH World Heavyweight Championship
The Poncho Man's last MVP vs The World's Greatest First Generation Wrestler. The House Of Truth's recent addition of Taeler Hendrix has done nothing bit make the H.O.T. hotter and more cohesive than ever. But does that mean Lethal can compete with the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion that just happens to lead the infamous Bullet Club? Or will Truth Martini just will a win out of Lethal with his magical power of persuasion?
So yeah....this is what a preview looks like when there are actually stories. Not just matches on a card. I forgot to do a Takeover preview....but it was an excellent show. I hope you two catch it soon and discuss your favorite matches.
Btw...it's crazy how much WCW improves when Bischoff takes over in 93....or at least becomes a product that appeals to both 11 year old and 33 year old Sandy Ravage. Going to Star Wars tomorrow morn. Wooo...most posts ever?
It's time to talk about some boys who grew some boys. A moose with a big pair of horns. Two beards so big that it would be hard to tickle the salt and pepper shakers underneath. And some nuts that are just TOO SWEET.
Yes, tomorrow brings us Ring Of Honor's biggest event of the year Final Battle. Looks to be one hell of a show.
Cheezburger vs Bob Evans
I doubt it will be on the main show but Chris Jericho's favorite wrestler takes on the evil curmudgeon Brutal Bob in a grudge match where someone will most definitely go through a table.
Dalton Castle vs Silas Young
The Party Peacock has been shocked that his Boys seem to have become Men under the tutelage of Silas and his buddy the Beer City Bruiser. Is it real? Or will The Boys abandon their wife beaters and "Fan Up?"
Alex Shelley, Matt Sydal, and ACH vs The Addiction and Chris Sabin
After their best of five series, Matt Sydal and ACH are on the same page. The discovery that the recent red masked man is Alex Shelley mimicking and mocking his former partner Chris Sabin has been a revelation. Do Daniels and Kazarian have it in them to beat this new cohesive group of high fliers?
The Briscoes vs The Young Bucks vs the All-night Express
Kenny King's recent shocking return quickly sent the All-Night Express to the top of the tag division. But can they defeat the perennial favorites The Briscoes or those wascally Bucks. Find out who the future #1 contenders really are in this exciting three way.
Moose vs Michael Elgin
Both of these large men have been running through their opponents, in seconds flat, in recent weeks. Moose (a year into his career) is still green as grass, but size can help make up for experience. Does it help enough to beat the future number one contender to the Heavyweight Title?
Adam Cole Baby vs Kyle O'Reilly in a Fight Without Honor
The Future Shock Tag Team Explodes. O'Reilly should be the Heavyweight Champ if it wasn't for that meddling Cole. This looks to be a heated and brutal affair foe the ages.
The Kingdom vs War Machine for the ROH World Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Those are some big beards trying to upend some very pretty men (and lady). Can The Kingdom continue their reign against the Bearded Behemoths?
Roderick Strong vs Bobby Fish for the ROH Television Championship
A new Era begins as Roddy defends his belt that arguably us now as important as the Heavyweight title. Roddy's last year has been impeccable and Fish might be hard pressed to take this title anytime soon.
Jay Lethal vs AJ Styles for the ROH World Heavyweight Championship
The Poncho Man's last MVP vs The World's Greatest First Generation Wrestler. The House Of Truth's recent addition of Taeler Hendrix has done nothing bit make the H.O.T. hotter and more cohesive than ever. But does that mean Lethal can compete with the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion that just happens to lead the infamous Bullet Club? Or will Truth Martini just will a win out of Lethal with his magical power of persuasion?
So yeah....this is what a preview looks like when there are actually stories. Not just matches on a card. I forgot to do a Takeover preview....but it was an excellent show. I hope you two catch it soon and discuss your favorite matches.
Btw...it's crazy how much WCW improves when Bischoff takes over in 93....or at least becomes a product that appeals to both 11 year old and 33 year old Sandy Ravage. Going to Star Wars tomorrow morn. Wooo...most posts ever?
December 14, 2015
Cojones
How many euphanisms can you come up with for testicles? If you can't think of many, ask Roman Reigns....he's an expert.
I just wanted the both of you to know that I just watched 2 Cold Scorpio vs Chris Benoit from SuperBrawl 3. It was creepy.
Watched TLC tonight. Unimpressed. Kalisto had the moment of the night. I will not be a Roman Reigns apologist no matter how much "they" want me to be.
The character is unlikable no matter what you do with him at this point. I actively root against him when I have no dog in the fight. This is the problem of being a fan of individuals and not the product. When the product gets bad, and you have no real dog in the fight.......
How great was World Tag League Final!? That last match was great! Okada and Tanahashi are heated too!
Okay....my superfluous, buzzed post is now over.
Watched TLC tonight. Unimpressed. Kalisto had the moment of the night. I will not be a Roman Reigns apologist no matter how much "they" want me to be.
The character is unlikable no matter what you do with him at this point. I actively root against him when I have no dog in the fight. This is the problem of being a fan of individuals and not the product. When the product gets bad, and you have no real dog in the fight.......
How great was World Tag League Final!? That last match was great! Okada and Tanahashi are heated too!
Okay....my superfluous, buzzed post is now over.
December 11, 2015
T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chili
Look at all these posts! Apparently December rules! Who's excited!? Think about this....CM Punk hasn't wrestled at a TLC ppv since 2011. Random Trivia.
Ryback vs Rusev
Ryback touched Lana. It hurt her. Feud!!!! Whatever.
Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger US Title I think (two months ago this title was awesome...and JC had it).
Zeb and Del Rio broke up. Del Rio is Mexican, Swagger is American. FEUD!!!!!!!! WHATEVER.
ECW Originals vs The Wyatt Family
Ummm.....Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno are willing to put people over. FEUD!!!!!!
Charlotte vs Paige for the Divas Chapyacha
3 weeks ago Paige was a heel and Charlotte was a babyface. 3 weeks later....it might be switched. Paige disrespects old guys. I don't get it. Feud?
The New Day vs The Usos vs Lucha Dragons Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Well....I have high hopes for the match. I guess everybody just hates The New Day. Feud.
Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship
This could be really really good. Too bad I have no idea why they don't like each other. I've been watching all the Kevin Steen Shows lately. They're delightful. I hoped Truth Martini would be awesome like the last podcast with Colt...but he just talked about his dick. Truth should join Bullet Club.
Sheamus vs Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Champyacha in a TLC match or something
Tater tots...or lack thereof. FEUD! Don't care anymore....Roman is awful. There is no thought process into anything. He is like angry punching wildman...that cuts aw shucks promos about fried potato products and succotash. He has good matches....I'll be shocked if Sheamus pulls one out of him. "Golly gee guys. I want that championship...GRRRR ROAR PUNCH.....oh boy....I did it. Golly gee."
Should I do Final Battle? Or does the Marshall want to? Got World Tag League Finals to watch. Just started 1993 WCW. The Rabid Wolverine just made his second appearance. January has The 4th, 5th TNA goes live with a new champ, and I think the 27th is the return of Lucha Underground. So much good stuff coming down the line. Anything else? No? Okay.
Ryback vs Rusev
Ryback touched Lana. It hurt her. Feud!!!! Whatever.
Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger US Title I think (two months ago this title was awesome...and JC had it).
Zeb and Del Rio broke up. Del Rio is Mexican, Swagger is American. FEUD!!!!!!!! WHATEVER.
ECW Originals vs The Wyatt Family
Ummm.....Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno are willing to put people over. FEUD!!!!!!
Charlotte vs Paige for the Divas Chapyacha
3 weeks ago Paige was a heel and Charlotte was a babyface. 3 weeks later....it might be switched. Paige disrespects old guys. I don't get it. Feud?
The New Day vs The Usos vs Lucha Dragons Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Well....I have high hopes for the match. I guess everybody just hates The New Day. Feud.
Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship
This could be really really good. Too bad I have no idea why they don't like each other. I've been watching all the Kevin Steen Shows lately. They're delightful. I hoped Truth Martini would be awesome like the last podcast with Colt...but he just talked about his dick. Truth should join Bullet Club.
Sheamus vs Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Champyacha in a TLC match or something
Tater tots...or lack thereof. FEUD! Don't care anymore....Roman is awful. There is no thought process into anything. He is like angry punching wildman...that cuts aw shucks promos about fried potato products and succotash. He has good matches....I'll be shocked if Sheamus pulls one out of him. "Golly gee guys. I want that championship...GRRRR ROAR PUNCH.....oh boy....I did it. Golly gee."
Should I do Final Battle? Or does the Marshall want to? Got World Tag League Finals to watch. Just started 1993 WCW. The Rabid Wolverine just made his second appearance. January has The 4th, 5th TNA goes live with a new champ, and I think the 27th is the return of Lucha Underground. So much good stuff coming down the line. Anything else? No? Okay.
December 07, 2015
RUSTY REPORT : chips, pop, candy.
What is up my bruthas!It is Me, Rusty, SCW's resident mark. I watched some fudging pro wrestling today and I feel pretty good about myself. How can I not? I watched ECW today. That's natures antidepressant! How could you feel sad after a Public Enemy promo?!I also watched the Stone Cold Podcast with HHH. Sadly I have to admit that it made me like Trips a whole lot more than i already did. So that was kinda cool. And the show as a whole has turned me around on Stone Cold. The one with Vince was great. I loved seeing his face light up when he talked about how funny it is to push people into pools. That was amazing.
The WWE network just added a bunch of cool stuff into the vault section. Smoky Mountain, Global, AWA and Mid South were all added. I watched an episode with The rockers when they were suuuuuper young. Really looking forward into checking out more of that old garbage. Especially Global which i think I watched daily in the summer of 91.
Got the Superstars The Music Video vhs today. It is still sealed so ill never ever open it in a million years. But it has two of my all time faves on it, Kona Crush and Tatanka. SO i had to get it.
WWE and NXT has sucked lately. Just the usual slump I guess till we get to the Rumble. I guess they are having really bad ratings lately. Who cares. I kinda like the Shaemus run so far. I like dumb gloating heals. They just really need to make some new stars or something. Lots of people are hurt right now and that sucks. I'm looking forward to seeing how they pull outta this.
Well that's it for now. I dont' wanna say goodbye but i gotta. My feelings about this can be found in the following link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXjYoGOEnqA
December 05, 2015
I'll post too
Not quite sure why, but Absolutely Intense Wrestling from Cleveland started following me on Instagram. I used to watch them pretty regularly before I started cheating on my girlfriend (wrestling) with a real girl for a year. My favorite story was the drama between Ethan "All Ego" Page and his girlfriend Selezyia Sparx. They also have lots of good indie wrestlers, and for awhile had Veronica managing The Batiri and it was hilarious.
Somebody is playing all the kinda wussy STP songs that girls like on the jukebox. I got pretty lit Thursday night and listened to some STP and all of the second Velvet Revolver album. I enjoyed it much more than I usually do...drunk....at 1 in the morn. Relate this to wrestling? Didn't BJ Whitmer come out to STP or an STP sound alike song pretty The Decade?
Snowflake! No spoilers.
The ACH vs Matt Sydal series has been kinda cool. The matches got to be kinda the same though. I think ACH might be a better storyteller than Matt Sydal. Is Rich Swann...ACH adjace? I wish him luck.
Sad/excited to see Sami Callihan back in the indies. He probably really needed to tweak his character even more if he was gonna make it in NXT. I wonder if ROH would give his body shape a shot.
I ran 12.1 miles today. Listened to AOW with 2 Cold Scorpio, Ross Report with The Dungeon Master, and TIJ with Becky Lynch. My legs feel Becktacularly elastic.
Watching Matt Riddle in Evolve is the greatest, bro. Like, his arm bar is like wikked, bro. He'd like totally beat like everyone. Bro.
My roommate is oddly obsessed with Chris Dickenson because his nickname is "The Dirty Daddy." We're also high on Peter Kaasa because he's yoked and has fluffy hair.
Sorry Rusty, this is a mostly indie post. I was watching some Bill Watt's booked WCW which made no sense. Nobody could jump off the top rope. But you could do a superplex because both guys were up there. Then there was a tag team tournament that had totally different rules. It was described as being like how there are different rules in college vs pros and how "great athletes are able to adapt." This was when Ric Flair was in WWF. It was weird. Dr. Death Steve Williams and Terry Bam Bam Gordy were a tag team that just seemed unstoppable...unless they were facing the Steiners. Then it was at least competitive.
Oh...NXT. I agree with your assessment Rusty. The show isn't really filled with anybody to get behind. I'm cheering for Samoa Joe...but it kinda seems like he might actually be there just for a cup of coffee. Zayn will be back soon. Balor does it for me when he's wearing a leather jacket and looking debonair, but the evil rasta Jeff Hardy is only cool in theory. It's like WWE trying to appeal to the Slipknot crowd...rather than the Gwar crowd. Which makes sence in popularity, but not in credibility. The woman's division took a shit with the rise of angry scary Mom Nia Jax. Alexa Bliss is my fave and she's in no way close to having a match like Sasha, Becky, Charlotte, Emma, or Paige would have. And don't get me started on the no charisma tag team division. Dash and Dawson need toothpicks and to be chewing tobacco for me to believe it.
Eh....I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Just sending out some random wrestling thoughts. Maybe someday I'll make a book of stream of concious wrestling reviews, and pretentious hippies that love predetermined battles will rejoice.
Somebody is playing all the kinda wussy STP songs that girls like on the jukebox. I got pretty lit Thursday night and listened to some STP and all of the second Velvet Revolver album. I enjoyed it much more than I usually do...drunk....at 1 in the morn. Relate this to wrestling? Didn't BJ Whitmer come out to STP or an STP sound alike song pretty The Decade?
Snowflake! No spoilers.
The ACH vs Matt Sydal series has been kinda cool. The matches got to be kinda the same though. I think ACH might be a better storyteller than Matt Sydal. Is Rich Swann...ACH adjace? I wish him luck.
Sad/excited to see Sami Callihan back in the indies. He probably really needed to tweak his character even more if he was gonna make it in NXT. I wonder if ROH would give his body shape a shot.
I ran 12.1 miles today. Listened to AOW with 2 Cold Scorpio, Ross Report with The Dungeon Master, and TIJ with Becky Lynch. My legs feel Becktacularly elastic.
Watching Matt Riddle in Evolve is the greatest, bro. Like, his arm bar is like wikked, bro. He'd like totally beat like everyone. Bro.
My roommate is oddly obsessed with Chris Dickenson because his nickname is "The Dirty Daddy." We're also high on Peter Kaasa because he's yoked and has fluffy hair.
Sorry Rusty, this is a mostly indie post. I was watching some Bill Watt's booked WCW which made no sense. Nobody could jump off the top rope. But you could do a superplex because both guys were up there. Then there was a tag team tournament that had totally different rules. It was described as being like how there are different rules in college vs pros and how "great athletes are able to adapt." This was when Ric Flair was in WWF. It was weird. Dr. Death Steve Williams and Terry Bam Bam Gordy were a tag team that just seemed unstoppable...unless they were facing the Steiners. Then it was at least competitive.
Oh...NXT. I agree with your assessment Rusty. The show isn't really filled with anybody to get behind. I'm cheering for Samoa Joe...but it kinda seems like he might actually be there just for a cup of coffee. Zayn will be back soon. Balor does it for me when he's wearing a leather jacket and looking debonair, but the evil rasta Jeff Hardy is only cool in theory. It's like WWE trying to appeal to the Slipknot crowd...rather than the Gwar crowd. Which makes sence in popularity, but not in credibility. The woman's division took a shit with the rise of angry scary Mom Nia Jax. Alexa Bliss is my fave and she's in no way close to having a match like Sasha, Becky, Charlotte, Emma, or Paige would have. And don't get me started on the no charisma tag team division. Dash and Dawson need toothpicks and to be chewing tobacco for me to believe it.
Eh....I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Just sending out some random wrestling thoughts. Maybe someday I'll make a book of stream of concious wrestling reviews, and pretentious hippies that love predetermined battles will rejoice.
December 04, 2015
Match Points: Lethal-Strong 3
Match Points is a dorky name for this, so whoever posts the next one, please feel free to come up with something less dorky. After all, what are we, a bunch of dorks? Welcome to Dorkchat Wrestling Online. Dee Dub Oh! Dee Dub Oh! Dee Dub Oh!
Since I started my 2nd job in July, I've had a really hard time keeping up with all the wrestling I'd like to be watching. It seems like every time I get caught up with one thing, I fall behind on another. So, I don't know how often I'll be able to share stuff, but I'm totally down with getting some more content up in here, so let's get the wrestleball rolling. This match is from a very recent TV episode of ROH. The commentators will fill you in on the back story. I just watched it tonight, so I'd love to share thoughts about it in the comments. For me, entertaining wrestling of this athletic caliber is what makes ROH the best wrestling promotion outside Japan.
Since I started my 2nd job in July, I've had a really hard time keeping up with all the wrestling I'd like to be watching. It seems like every time I get caught up with one thing, I fall behind on another. So, I don't know how often I'll be able to share stuff, but I'm totally down with getting some more content up in here, so let's get the wrestleball rolling. This match is from a very recent TV episode of ROH. The commentators will fill you in on the back story. I just watched it tonight, so I'd love to share thoughts about it in the comments. For me, entertaining wrestling of this athletic caliber is what makes ROH the best wrestling promotion outside Japan.
December 03, 2015
MARATHON
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)