The Thread Killer

If it is getting this kind of buzz and it hasn't even aired yet, it sounds like that match is definitely worth checking out. I know despite his opinion of "hardcore wrestling" Jim Cornette has a soft spot for the original Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl from 1979 with Lawler & Dundee vs. The Blond Bombers, and I got the impression that he got that kind of vibe from the post-match brawl Rovert mentioned.

That's exactly what I was afraid of. They're actually going to try and get three PPV's out of Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler. And then they wonder why their ratings are in the crapper. They're basically telling their fans that they're stuck with this nonsense all the way until SummerSlam. Remember how 1997 was "The Summer of Love" when Mick was playing all three faces of Foley? I guess 2019 is the Summer of Corbin.

There have been rumours going around for the past month or two that they have a better TV deal lined up for this Fall. They'd better hope so. I know the Twitch deal has reportedly worked out well for them so far, but Pursuit has been a bust. Tons of people don't get the channel and Pursuit has been cutting off shows early, airing the wrong episodes and doing squat to promote them. The saddest thing is, Anthem owns Pursuit, but I guess whoever they have running the channel doesn't think Pro Wrestling is a priority. They need better TV.

I agree with you 100%. I thought once he got to NOAH and was out from under the "Four Corners" it would really be finally be time for Jun Akiyama to come into his own and shine. Hell, those first two NOAH debut shows were pretty much designed to put a spotlight on Akiyama and make him look the equal to Taue, Misawa and Kobashi...but most of his performances from the first few years of NOAH made it look like he was just kind of coasting along and not even trying. I don't want to be like Meltzer here and hang the "lazy" tag on him, but he sure did seem unmotivated a lot of the time.

Thank you Ricky and Mr. Trees. One thing I find hilarious is that a lot of fans online and even some wrestlers like Matt Riddle are dumping on Goldberg for being sloppy or "unsafe" in that match, while seemingly ignoring the fact that Taker screwed up that Tombstone and spiked Goldberg headfirst into the mat. Yeah, Goldberg badly botched that Jackhammer, but it's not like Taker was the excellence of execution in there, either. I guess Goldberg is claiming that when he did the spot where he missed the shouldertackle and slid into the post (and busted himself open) he legit knocked himself out. Like a bunch of other people have said, I am betting both those dudes have concussions, for sure.

I actually started listening to this past week's "Ask Eric Anything" episode but I quit when he started telling that story about how he kicked that dude's ass in a bar fight. I love 83 Weeks but I generally hate AMA episodes. It's always the same stupid fantasy booking questions, and those just annoy me. "If you hadn't picked Hogan, Hall and Nash for the nWo who would you have picked?" "If the nWo were active today, who would you put in the group?" "If the nWo crashed in the Andes mountains and were starving, who do you think would eat who first, and how would they cook them?" Who gives a damn, seriously? At the recommendation of @SomethingSavage I skipped ahead (I am way behind on my 83 Weeks listening) and listened to this show, and I can confirm that it is an excellent episode. It really doesn't even focus on the wrestling aspect of the show all that much, but it is extremely compelling listening. I can't recommend this episode enough either.

Speaking of Contra and Jim Cornette, Corny claimed on his podcast this week that there is a 6 Man Tag coming up on a future edition of Fusion (June 22 I think?) which features Tom Lawlor and the Von Erich brothers against Contra, and he claims it is very good and very "old school." So far, even though he works for MLW Cornette hasn't been one to shill for them too much on his podcasts. He has spoken very highly of MJF on more than one occasion, but other than that he hasn't really talked about MLW too much - aside from bitching about his road schedule and giving reviews of the burger joints he eats at on the road. So if he is giving this 6 Man Tag good reviews, it may be worth checking out if you like the old school Crockett era type stuff.

Tony Schiavone has a full time job calling baseball during the summer, and that job is his true love above and beyond anything related to Pro Wrestling. He is the play-by-play man for the Atlanta Braves Triple A team, and that is what is most important to him. He mentioned this during an interview he did on JR's podcast a few years back, and I have heard Conrad Thompson mention it as well. I guess people have asked repeatedly for "What Happened When" Live Shows and Conrad has said on more than one occasion that those shows are very difficult to book because Tony won't do anything that interferes with his baseball job. I assume after baseball season is done Tony will be back to MLW, but I'd bet it will end up being a three man booth with Tony, Cornette and Rich Bocchini...that way when Tony leaves again Cornette and Rich can continue on. I don't think Cornette is going anywhere at this point because he is working as a producer backstage and attending production meetings, etc. I don't think he is involved in the "creative" but they consult with him about it, plus he is working as a Promo Coach as well.

Thanks very much for the kind words and thoughts, guys. I really appreciate it. On an unrelated note, I had a thought when considering this show... I assumed that when they book these Saudi shows, they don't want to give away the so-called "marquee" matches, which they probably want to save for their standard PPV's. I (erroneously) thought that the reason they booked weak championship matches like Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler because they didn't want to throw away the big money matches on the Saudi show, which they have to know a lot of people aren't going to watch. That whole theory kind of got tossed out the window when they announced that Stomping Grounds is going to feature rematches of both the title matches from this show. That can only mean one of two things: 1) They think doing two major shows on the Network within a couple of weeks of each other will give them less time for the buildup on their TV, so they don't want to put something new on the Stomping Grounds PPV without a proper buildup or... 2) They actually think people want to see Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin for the Universal Championship and Kofi Kingston vs. Dolp Ziggler for the WWE Championship. Again. I really don't understand the logic at all. On top of that, I can only assume they are going to continue to drag out this whole "when will Brock cash in" story until Summerslam now, which makes anything Rollins is going to do until then pointless. After Stomping Grounds, they have Extreme Rules. I can't see them doing Brock vs. Rollins at Extreme Rules, which leads me to the terrifying conclusion that they may actually drag this Corbin angle out through Extreme Rules and do a gimmick match against Rollins at that show. It's either that, or come up with a new challenger for Extreme Rules, which I don't see them doing. Maybe they have something more creative planned, but I don't know. I think they really do see Rollins/Corbin as a good program to keep going with, which is kind of messed up. At least Kofi stands a chance of getting clear after Stomping Grounds, and finally having a decent challenger...something he really hasn't had since he won that belt, in my opinion.

Thanks brother. I've had a wonky heart arrhythmia since December which makes me short of breath and dizzy all the time because my body is no longer getting the blood and oxygen I need. They've tried a ton of different medications (all of which have gawd awful side effects) and have tried three times to restore my heart to a normal rhythm by shocking me, but none of that has worked. It's starting to do permanent structural damage to my heart, so the time has come to operate. If they don't, there's a serious chance I could have a heart attack or stroke any day now. They're probably going to go into my heart, find the valve or chamber which is causing the problem, and then cauterize it. Then, they'll put in a pacemaker to ensure that my heart rate remains steady from this point onward. It's apparently a risky procedure but we've run out of other options and I'm so over this shit I just want to get it done. If you'd have asked me beforehand, I would have said I'd love to sit on my ass for six months and watch television, but between feeling like shit and being bored out of my skull, it's driving me so insane. Things are so bad, I actually resorted to watching WWE Super Showdown.

If you were to go by crowd reactions, Triple H. vs. Orton and Taker vs. Goldberg were by far the most popular matches. Both had the same problem, they went too long. In the case of the Triple H match, there was no way in hell that match needed to be 25 minutes long. They could have easily shaved 10 minutes or more off that match, and it probably would have actually been decent. I don't know if it's because Trips loves being in long WWE style "epic" matches or because they were running short on time, but that match clearly went way too long. The Main Event really wasn't that long, but it seemed to be because both guys gassed out so damn quick. Goldberg was never known for long matches in his prime, and those days are long gone. Maybe WWE thought they had to go longer to avoid cheating the fans, but I'd have rather seen a quick squash or a sprint like some of Brock's matches have been over that sluggish botch fest. You really can't overstate this point, either. After Mansoor won the Battle Royal and gave his inspirational speech, Rene Young made a joke about hiding the fact that his speech had made her cry. Corey Graves responded that he couldn't cry if he wanted to, because he had no water left in his body at that point. Between a couple of matches, they did a video package interviewing the fans, and several of them said they were excited to be going to a WWE show despite how hot it was going to be. When people who live there and are used to the heat mention that it's so damn hot, that's probably all the proof you need to tell you it's probably not a good idea to have an outdoor show in the summer time in the middle east. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for those guys having to try and work under lights, in 100 degree temperatures in the damn desert.

Yeah when it comes to the whole issue of being gassed and unable to properly execute moves, there is more than enough blame to go around for both guys in that match. I don't think one was worse than the other.

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken." - Colonel Sanders

The Main Event actually started off fairly well. The fans were crazy into it. The problem is, both guys gassed out pretty much right away. Goldberg bled. They started trading finishers but screwing them up, badly. Goldberg couldn't get Taker over into the Jackhammer, and dumped Taker on his head. Taker looked pissed. Of the two of them, Taker looked better, but that's not saying much. There were a couple of times Goldberg ended up leaning over the ropes, sucking wind. There were a few botches, Taker gets the win with a terrible chokeslam.They say it was 100 degrees in that ring, and if you add that to a couple of 50 + retired guys, you get...that match. End of show. That was pretty much what I expected. What I didn't expect is that they'd think it was a good idea to do those two title matches again at Stomping Grounds, because...ugh.

So the Main Event is Goldberg vs. Taker, a match I would have been somewhat interested in seeing 20 years ago. Goldberg is probably rusty as hell and can't go long, and we're still unsure if Taker can go at all anymore, so this could be scary bad. If they keep it short with lots of gaga, it could be okay...I guess. Like the match Goldy had with Brock at Wrestlemania. If they do something like that, it could conceivably work. It's taking Goldberg so long to get to the ring, it's like that famous scene in Spinal Tap. Good lord, these entrances are as long as Triple H/Orton. Just kidding, nothing is that long.

Great news everybody! If you skipped this show, at Stomping Grounds you get to see Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler AGAIN!

50 Man Battle Royal. So many guys in there, it's practically impossible to keep track of what's going on. This is the first time I've seen AoP or Sin Cara in ages. There are some guys in there and I have no idea who they are. Best part so far was the song from Elias and Titus running down the ramp and all the guys in the ring already holding their arms up, telling him to slow down. Uh, the guy who won...I assume he's from Saudi Arabia but I literally have no idea who he is. Mansoor? The fans have gone mental for this guy. Some kids were actually crying. So yeah, based on his post-match promo this guy is from Saudi Arabia and he's the big home town hero.

Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship is up now. They fought and Kofi won. That's 10 minutes of my life I will never get back. If you've ever seen these two fight before, you've seen this match.

Now it's time for Lashley vs. Strowman. I guess now we find out how far into the doghouse Strowman really is. These guys are massive and yet they're moving faster than Triple H and Orton did. This is your typical "two big guys slugging it out" match, lots of trading slams and clotheslines and clubbing forearms and shoulder-tackles, that kind of thing. Kind of plodding. Crowd is dead again, after being up for the previous match. A very weak "Get These Hands" chant breaks out, but then dies. Strowman wins with a powerslam. They tried hard, but it really wasn't much of a match and nobody seemed to care.

I think the oppressive heat helped make what was already going to be a slow-paced match even slower.

Thanks brother. I am so tired of this whole ordeal, I just want to get the damn surgery and get it over with. I've been sick and off work since the first week of December, it's really wearing me down.

It's funny, he was certainly giving Heyman the stink eye on the way up the ramp, I assume blaming him for tripping and dropping the case. It's possible. Then again, after he beat Heyman over the head with the contract a couple of weeks ago, I thought they were going somewhere with that, and they did not. Those two have an odd dynamic. Heyman constantly gushes all over Lesnar, who acts like he doesn't care that Heyman is even there. It kind of reminds me of that old Warner Brother's cartoon with the big bulldog who is always marching around looking mean, while the little dog runs in circles around him telling him how great he is.

Wait, up next is Triple H vs. Randy Orton. I was led to believe this was the Main Event, I feel cheated. They're actually show a video package outlining the history of this rivalry, which Cole tells us is one of the greatest in WWE history. Based on the (very long) video package, I am unsure who is supposed to be the babyface or heel in this match. Based on the reaction of some of the wrestlers, it must be very hot in that ring. Orton was mopping the sweat off his face with his ring jacket before the match started. Triple H comes down riding his three wheel motor cycle. Very...slowly. I fear this match is going to be all kinds of awful. Triple H's beard has become truly epic. Lots of deliberately paced old school wrestling to start this match and so help me gawd, the fans are clapping and cheering. They are chanting "this is awesome" I shit you not. Orton sucker punches Trips, and Cole declares it's "vintage Orton." Later, Orton hits a DDT, which Cole also declares is "vintage Orton." Later still, Randy Orton slaps on a rear chinlock in the middle of the ring, which truly IS vintage Orton. The Thread Killer takes a break in the middle of the match because his Mommy came to visit and brought him takeout Chinese Food. Match continues, Cole proclaims that this match is a classic. Triple H goes for the pedigree, which Orton counters into an RKO. Triple H kicks out. Fans chant: "one more time." Orton gets a constipated look on his face, and sets up for the punt kick. Triple H blocks, counters into a pedigree, which Orton kicks out of. Fans once again chant: "this is awesome." Well, say you want about these guys and this match, but the fans are eating it up, while they sat on their hands during Balor vs. Andrade, for the most part. Triple H slams Orton on the announce table four times. I assume the table is supposed to break, but it has not. Triple H takes a breather and rolls Orton back in. RKO by Orton and he gets the pin on Triple H.

Now Lars Sullivan vs. all three members of Lucha House Party. I resent the fact that a talent like Gran Metalik is being wasted in crap like this. How is anybody ever supposed to take you seriously after you've been in a match where you have to team up with two other guys to fight one dude? Cole tells us that not only is Sullivan brutal, but he's also cerebral. Um, okay. Fans don't give a damn about this match, one little bit. This is basically the lucha guys being scrappy and Sullivan no-selling everything, so far. Crowd is pretty much silent. Sullivan has a busted lip, which I don't know how that even happened. Sullivan is shoving these guys around with one arm. Lucha House Party tries to get the crowd to chant "Lucha!" The fans do not comply. This mess is going on far too long. To quote Shakespeare: "If it were done when 'tis done, then it is well it were done quickly." All three Lucha guys now attacking Sullivan at the same time, and they get disqualified? WTF? They head up the ramp, but Sullivan goes after them and attacks. Cole says this is like a horror show. Truer words have never been spoken.

Thanks brother. Look like I am due for heart surgery next month, assuming this show doesn't kill me first.