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Everything posted by The Thread Killer
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Who was this? I get the feeling that NXT is very backward and bush league when it comes to certain expected standards of quality backstage. For example, I heard Tyson Kidd's injury was handled very poorly. I can't remember where I heard that though - maybe a bitter Bret rant? But still. Consider the source and treat this with the credibility it deserves - but Ryback claimed that Kidd had an undeserved reputation backstage for being a complainer, so when he got injured Mark Carrano (the current head of Talent Relations) thought Kidd was either faking or exaggerating it. Kidd apparently got the whole "be a man, take a salt tablet and walk it off" treatment until somebody finally realized how serious the injury was. At that point, they realized that they were legally liable, so they started taking Kidd a lot more seriously. Ryback also went on to say that after WWE found out that Kidd almost died from the injury (reportedly it was a small miracle that he wasn't paralyzed) they went into full damage control mode, circled the wagons, got out the checkbook, and now you'll never hear Kidd complain about it, because he has money and a job for life. If Kidd ever tells the whole story of what happened in that situation, it's safe to assume his medical coverage, salary and new job goes bye-bye. But this is all from Ryback, who is notoriously full of shit. You really never hear anything remotely good said about this Mark Carrano guy. Then again, JR, Bruce Prichard, Johnny Ace and others have claimed that whoever is in charge of talent relations is always going to be hated because you're always put in the position of being the bad guy and delivering the news nobody ever wants to hear. On the flip side of that - WWE always seems to pick people with prickly personalities or who are already unpopular for that job, so who knows.
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Really? I had heard his ego was a problem as far back as the very beginning of ROH. I remember he got the win in the Main Event of their first show, he became the first champion by winning that Fatal Four Way, he had one successful title defense against AJ Styles, but then ended up losing the title unexpectedly to Xavier of all people. I know he had that one singles match against Joe a while later, but that was pretty much it for his first ROH run. It had looked like he was pretty much going to be the #1 guy in the company, and then...we got Xavier. I remember the rumor online at the time being that Low Ki was really difficult to deal with when it came to creative and finishes, so they took the belt off him. Plus he was is and out of TNA multiple times for the same reason, no? I know he has since claimed that he never wanted to be famous in North America anyhow, he only ever wanted to succeed in Japan. Not sure I buy that.
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Comments that don't warrant a thread - Part 4
The Thread Killer replied to TravJ1979's topic in Pro Wrestling
That will be awesome. *crickets* Mad Dog: "BENNETT!!!" *crickets* -
I caught 205 Live this week, and it was actually a pretty good show. The No DQ/Street Fight/Hardcore Match with Kendrick and Gallaher was excellent, which you would expect from those two. I didn't much care about the whole Swann match and TJP angle, I don't even get what they're going for there, nor do I care. But the backstage segments about and featuring Enzo were actually entertaining (to me) and the Main Event was a fun 6 Man Tag. I am happy whenever I get to see Gran Metalik who I think is awesome and terribly underused. Judging by the crowd reaction, moving Enzo to the Cruiserweight Division was right choice. Of course, he's glaringly bad in the ring and noticeably less skilled at even the fundamentals than his teammates and competitors, but he will probably get more eyeballs on the product. And yeah...I laughed out loud when he called Drew Gulak "Captain Underpants."
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I caught this week's NXT show, and to echo the sentiments of other people in this thread, at elsewhere at PWO... NXT really needs to get out of Full Sail. That crowd has become way too jaded, quiet and reserved. They don't make half the noise they used to. Now they really only seem to get excited for whoever the latest new face is. I know WWE is in serious cost-cutting mode, and taking TV on the road is probably a lot more expensive, but I wish they'd do it.
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Good post. You have encapsulated everything that once was right and seems to slowly gone wrong for Smackdown since the draft. It's pretty infuriating, since there is no good reason for it. The talent and resources are all there, as are guys (coughLukeHarpercough) who are being criminally underutilized. Very frustrating to be a fan right now, more often than not.
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I liked the Biker character, as a concept. Taker was beyond stale at that point, and needed to change things up. I just think that it was poorly executed at times, and like his previous incarnation, he outstayed his welcome. I don't think it should have lasted nearly as long as it did. But I don't think Taker would have had the run he did throughout his career, without taking that break from the traditional "Dead Man" version of the character, and breaking things up. Let's be honest, a lot of the annoying shit the Undertaker did, he was going to do regardless of how he was dressed up. At least the Biker gimmick gave him a lot more freedom on the microphone, and he didn't have to rely so heavily on all the gimmicky language, etc.
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Larry Csonka (who I know is hardly the most reliable source in the world) reported this today... This means one of two things. Either the WON did provide more details and Csonka isn't passing it on (possible) or more likely, Dave Meltzer is doing another one of his famous "I know the real reason something happened, and I'm going to tell you that I know, but I'm not going to actually report on the details of what I know" deals. I HATE when he does that. He's done it several times over the past couple of years, and it drives me nuts. If you're a reporter, and you have a story, then report the damn story. If you can't report the story for whatever reason (don't want to give a source, can't confirm the story, whatever) then DON'T SAY ANYTHING. The whole topic of Baron Corbin's suddenly aborted push and speculation regarding whether or not John Cena is the reason is a very hot story right now. To me, nonsense like this report is the equivalent of a little kid dancing around chanting "I've got a secret, na-na-na-nana."
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Comments that don't warrant a thread - Part 4
The Thread Killer replied to TravJ1979's topic in Pro Wrestling
If Mad Dog was a real Japanese type fan, he'd wait until it was dead quiet and then shout out just the name of his favorite wrestler, at the top of his lungs. And then go right back to being quiet again. -
In my opinion, Low Ki is one of those guys that belongs in a very select group - a wrestler who could have actually gone on to have a noteworthy career based on his skill level, were it not for his ability to get in his own way politically.
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Yeah but now Joe is injured so who knows when he'll be back. I think we're all grasping at straws trying to come up with theories and reasons why WWE wouldn't be so stupid as to hotshot this match. We're giving them too much credit, I think they're just rushing the match because they're stupid. Also, Roman already signed the contract on Raw so they have to fight. Those contracts are legally binding.
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I don't understand why they are rushing this Reigns/Cena program. Maybe it's just me, but this feud has Wrestlemania written all over it. This should be a big money angle, no? It should be (in theory) be a passing of the torch from Vince's previously untouchable #1 guy to his new untouchable #1 guy. For them to not even feature it on one of the big four PPV's and not even in the Main Event is really strange to me. In other news, Samoa Joe is reportedly injured and out for at least a month, which sucks. Hope he's okay. Considering their history, there is a guy I was hoping to see work with Cena before he went off to Hollywood to make Transformers movies.
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Comments that don't warrant a thread - Part 4
The Thread Killer replied to TravJ1979's topic in Pro Wrestling
Yeah, really hot women don't normally show interest in the dumb jock, muscle-head types. They usually go for the quiet, bookish, intelligent guys. -
Comments that don't warrant a thread - Part 4
The Thread Killer replied to TravJ1979's topic in Pro Wrestling
I remember that blog. It went like this: "WWF real hard and stuff. Some doors you have to push to open but others you pull. Steroids friend me good." -
Comments that don't warrant a thread - Part 4
The Thread Killer replied to TravJ1979's topic in Pro Wrestling
I'm not surprised at the reports that he got a big head when he got his push. Not to speak ill of the dead, and I'm not trying to be mean either, but Andrew Martin was reportedly really dumb and had quite the ego long before he ever got famous. I knew a number of people who knew him very well, and I encountered him myself on a peripheral basis as he bounced at a number of bars I frequented in my younger carousing years. I also drank with a bunch of guys who played hockey with him, and as I said, this was long before he got famous. He was a tough guy, but a bit of a bully and the unanimous consensus is that the poor boy had an exceptionally low IQ. Mick Foley even alludes to that in his second book, as I understand most of Foley's jokes went right over the guy's head. Having a big ego whilst being somewhat of a dimwit is usually not a recipe for success. -
Edge and Christian podcast
The Thread Killer replied to BigBadMick's topic in Publications and Podcasts
There is already a thread for this podcast, but I don't blame you for missing it. I was the only person who replied and it hasn't been bumped in ages. The Pod of Awesomeness has now worked it's way onto my "must listen" list along with Killing the Town and Jim Cornette's Late Night Drive-Thru. (Not to be confused with The Jim Cornette Experience, which I can't stand.) The question of whether or not you will like the Pod of Awesomeness depends on a couple of different factors. You don't have to be a huge fan of Edge and Christian to enjoy the show. To be honest, I never really cared for Edge as a performer all that much. But there are some things going for this show, for sure. 1 ) It is refreshingly candid. Neither host seem to care if they ruffle feathers or offend the WWE. It is obvious that they both still follow the product and are quick to praise what they like, but they are also more than happy to slag what they do not like. One of the things I am starting to really dislike about Killing the Town is the fact that because Don Callis works for New Japan World, he spends an exorbitant amount of time pimping New Japan and will absolutely not say anything even remotely critical about them. He is also personal friends with Kenny Omega, and his constant praising of Omega as the greatest wrestler in the world is getting nauseating. You don't get that with E & C. They are surprisingly objective and call it as they see it. I don't always agree with them, but I never get the feeling that they are holding back or being political or diplomatic in their choice of topics or criticisms. 2 ) High quality guests. It is an running joke between the two hosts regarding who they can land as guests. So far they've had a who's who. Goldberg, Shane McMahon, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Drew McIntyre...these guys are definitely able to get interviews with the kind of guests other podcasts could only dream of. If you look at who they've had on the show in their brief existence, it's quite remarkable really. 3 ) Good interviews. It's one thing to land a good guest, it's another to actually have a productive conversation with them which is worth listening to or that is interesting, compelling and informative. (Ask anybody who has ever watched an RF Video Shoot Interview. Just getting the interview is only half of the process. You actually have to ask smart questions, follow up, put the subject at ease and draw them out.) The advantage Edge and Christian have is that they have mostly landed interviews with guys that they already have a relationship with, so there is never any real awkwardness or formality to the interviews. I would especially point to the Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan and Drew McIntyre interviews as being segments where it came across as just friends having a conversation, but in all three interviews the subjects were refreshingly candid and discussed things that you can tell they probably wouldn't have discussed elsewhere. Another huge highlight was when they managed to get Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley on together, to discuss their classic Mind Games match in detail. This was an amazing segment they call "Anatomy of a Match" and they plan to do this with other wrestlers in the future. They have the connections to pull this off, and it's really awesome. (Pardon the pun.) 4 ) Knowledgeable and Experienced hosts. They're not experienced as hosts, but they have a ton of experience in Pro Wrestling, and that helps this show a lot. Like I said, I was never a huge Edge and Christian fan, but you can't deny that they were both very successful during their careers. They are both happy to talk about experiences they had before, during and even after their careers. They weave this into their interviews and it gives an insight that other interviewers might not have. They also have a deep reservoir of backstage and road stories that they are always happy to share, which you can only get from a host who has experience in the Pro Wrestling industry. One thing that has really impressed me about this show is that it is obvious that (despite how incredibly goofy they both act) both these guys are actually quite intelligent. 5 ) It's Fun. Now, here is where Your Mileage May Vary. These guys have been good friends since they were kids. They talk quite a lot about their teenage years, growing up as fans, and their formative years in the industry. Like many friends who have known each other for years, they are extremely comfortable with each other. This means that they have pet nicknames for each other (Edge calls Christian "Birdman" or "Bird" for example) but they also have a ton of other running jokes with each other. One thing they love to do is threaten each other with physical violence, where they go into ludicrous over the top and extremely detailed threats of what they plan to do to each other. They also have a running gag with Tommy Dreamer, where just for the sake of irritating him, they repeat his name over and over (TommyTommyTommy) to drive him nuts. They have a Stone Cold impersonator who comes on to sing the theme song of their guests, prior to interviews. Their interview with Pete Gas of the Mean Street Posse is an example of them basically doing nothing but joking around and riffing on the poor guy. Another fun ongoing joke is their use of backstage wrestler banter "Brother brother" or the ongoing saga of Edge's inability to change the battery in his smoke detector. I happen to find this stuff hilarious and it is one of the things about the show I enjoy the most. It is not formal or overproduced. However, it can be quite juvenile and if this type of humor is not for you, or if that kind of stuff annoys you, then I can see where you would not like this show at all. I was once listening to the show when my roommate was in the room, and she finally asked me who these guys were, why they kept insulting each other and why they were threatening to mutilate each other. Like I said, it's most definitely a YMMV situation. If you do not like goofy humor, this is not the show for you. But I feel that they are having fun doing the show, they don't take it too seriously, and it comes across as fun for them and the listener. One thing about this show is that it has only been around for 5 months. It's actually pretty impressive the quality of guests and the good shows they have had over the past 5 months, and they are really getting hitting their stride now. I think it is probably only going to get better. -
So Drew McIntyre was a guest on the E&C Pod of Awesomeness a couple of weeks ago, and he and Edge & Christian had a great conversation about his career. The good thing is that the three guys are friends, so it doesn't feel like a formal interview. Drew is very candid about his problems during his first run, and how he has changed. This is really worth checking out and provides some great insight into Drew McIntyre, his career and subsequent comeback. WARNING: If you do listen to this, you will notice a faint but annoying intermittent beeping in the background. That would be Edge's smoke detector. The battery is dying, and he couldn't figure out how to change it for a few weeks. It got so annoying people were busting his chops about it on Twitter. He has since fixed it. The interview starts at 23:46.
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Yeah, the whole "Jim Cornette is desperately trying to stay relevant" talking point is really off base and not particularly well thought out. The last thing he wants to do is be relevant to Pro Wrestling in 2017. That's kind of his whole point when he goes off on the modern product. Cornette has a very loyal and well established fan base that he appeals to. I don't think he cusses out Kenny Omega, Joey Ryan or The Young Bucks because he wants attention from younger fans of the modern product. I think he does it because he hates Kenny Omega, Joey Ryan and The Young Bucks, and he knows there are lots of other people who feel the same way.
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Um...what? I don't think anybody is as maligned in the wrestling industry as Russo at this point. I'm not saying having Cornette on the air (or even working backstage) in 2017 is a good idea. I don't think it is, not one little bit. If I was trying to book a product that is looked upon as current, and if I was trying to to bring in younger viewers, the last person I would put on the air is Jim Cornette. His whole on air persona screams old school...which is what he is. I assume they brought him in because Jim Cornette could cut a better promo in his sleep than most of the guys in today's Pro Wrestling could cut on their best day. But that is more of a sad indictment of the fact that the current generation thinks it's more important to kick out of 100 finishers or to do a bunch of high spots than it is to actually know how to talk. There should be lots of guys around who could fill that role, but there isn't. The other problem is, Global Force is being run by Jeff Jarrett, Dutch Mantell, Scott D'Amore, etc. These are not exactly guys who have their finger on the pulse of what is hot and trending right now. I'm not convinced these guys still don't think that the key to success is presenting WWE lite. Cornette hates Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks, and Kenny King and Joey Ryan, absolutely. He has a lot of detractors. But within Pro Wrestling as an industry, I'd say Cornette has a ton more respect than Russo ever will. Even the guys who think he is wrong about Omega and The Young Bucks (like Meltzer, or Storm & Cyrus, or Austin, or Jim Ross) will give Cornette his due for his knowledge of Pro Wrestling History, his past contributions, and his love of the sport. At this point, Russo's biggest defender might be The Disco Inferno. I rest my case.
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Now let us begin the countdown to when Asuka gets beaten by Nia Jax on Raw in a match with no buildup and no ramifications.
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The Jim Ross Is A Grouchy Hateful Vile Human Being thread
The Thread Killer replied to Loss's topic in Megathread archive
Yeah, I know what I say or think doesn't matter and it's not going to change...but for what it's worth I've never liked this thread title either. There is no doubt that Jim Ross is a grouch on his best days, but to call him a vile human being always seemed like a serious case of overkill to me. I wouldn't even call Russo a vile human being, and he's probably the person in Pro Wrestling I despise the most. -
The Jim Ross Is A Grouchy Hateful Vile Human Being thread
The Thread Killer replied to Loss's topic in Megathread archive
Please clarify that statement. Because it sounds like you're trying to imply there is a set amount of time that the guy should be depressed over the death of his wife. And even you can't be that big of a douchebag...despite all evidence to the contrary. -
Back at the end of July, we had this conversation in the WWE TV thread... This needs to happen, ASAP. Tonight Enzo showed up during the closing segment of 205 Live, (to a substantial reaction from the crowd, which is a rarity on 205 Live) and essentially began an angle with Neville. I know, I know...Enzo sucks and he has heat backstage and everybody hates him and this is probably a punishment... But I liked it, dammit. I am actually looking forward to this angle. I know with Gable now teaming with Shelton Benjamin we won't get the second part of Johnny Sorrow's prophecy, but with a couple of other NXT call-ups (Gargano, Lorcan, Burch) this division and show could be saved. That's a lot of weight to put on the shoulders of Enzo A'more, but who knows...it could happen. I know it won't happen.
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I don't know if you're a Corbin guy so I legitimately can't tell if this is sarcasm. There is such a thing as a "Corbin guy"?
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Brock Lesnar to return to UFC in November?
The Thread Killer replied to The Thread Killer's topic in WWE
Actually, I just read that the penalty for this would be a four year suspension, which would effectively be the end of his career for all intents and purposes. I mean, he'd only be 34 by the time the suspension was up, but I can't imagine anybody sitting out for a whole four years and then coming back to be a success.