The Thread Killer

So according to what I've read online today, the judge in this case issued her "final judgment" which upheld her original finding. Gawker's reaction was to file for Bankruptcy, but I'm not sure if this was done to protect their assets from Hogan ever seeing any of their actual money? American Bankruptcy law seems to differ from Canadian, so I'm not sure if I understand how this all works now. From what I read, it looks like Gawker can just declare bankruptcy, sell to a new owner, and don't have to pay Hogan anything?

I am looking forward to hearing what those in the know have to say about this (Meltzer) because I read some rumor that Brock actually held Vince up for more money at Wrestlemania this year, and one of his conditions was also that he be allowed to fight in UFC again? The story was broken by MMA reporter "Front Row Brian" on Twitter and he is claiming that Lesnar renegotiated his contract with Vince at Wrestlemania. I'd say this guy didn't know what he was talking about, but he broke the story on Twitter before it was announced.It's a rumor, but I'd love to know how true it is. We all know how much Vince loves people holding him up...but then I read rumors about Vince getting a piece of the action and WWE helping cross promote the fight, so I don't know what to think. If UFC helps hype SummerSlam, then we know the deal, I guess. WWE and UFC cooperating with each other in any way is so surreal to me. It's a pity Frank Mir is out on drug suspension because he and Lesnar hate each other and they are 1-1 against each other. Their rivalry is begging for a final fight to decide the trilogy, and that would be a pretty safe fight for Lesnar. They are apparently announcing his opponent on ESPN on Monday. They are going to have to be really careful, because there are a couple of guys in UFC who could hurt Lesnar's marketability by beating him. One of the names getting tossed around is Mark Hunt, and that is not necessarily a safe fight for Lesnar.

Are we finally starting to see the Billy Corgan influence on the product, with this vignette? Whatever it is, I loved that. That was just so cheesy. If Matt had hammed it up like that earlier in his career, how different might it have been? It's as if his promo coach was the Almighty Shatner himself. All we needed was .

Has anybody caught the backstage interview segments featuring Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn over the past week? In my humble opinion, they have been quite entertaining and fun. On RAW, Ambrose and Zayn have an uneasy alliance up until Money in the Bank against Owens, Jericho and Del Rio. Ambrose cuts a hilarious promo pointing out you can't trust Jericho and Owens because they're Canadian, and you can't trust Canadians. He is of course, oblivious to the fact Zayn is Canadian, and Zayn's facial expressions are priceless. Then on Smackdown, we have another backstage interview where Ambrose continues his diatribe against Canadians Jericho and Owens, but throws in the guy from Canadian Customs. Zayn continues with the exasperated facial expressions, and patiently lectures Ambrose that if you don't want trouble with Customs, you shouldn't try and smuggle nun-chukkas across the border. It was a small thing, but quite humorous, and showed some acting and reacting skills that I didn't think Ambrose or especially Zayn had.

If the shows don't look and feel different, then this is a waste. Different rings is a good idea. Even better would be somebody new directing their TV shows and giving them a fresh look.

I wonder how Cody Rhodes feels about demanding his release right before what could be a potential opportunity for advancement came up. Ditto Ryback. And I similarly wonder what the fuck WWE were thinking releasing Sandow, a guy who was clearly popular (no thanks to them) right when they could use a guy just like him to fill a spot on the card. Weird.

I liked Smackdown this week. I especially liked the part where Xavier Woods got thrown face first into the barricade, and Big E got a boot to the head from Luke Gallows, and then AJ pinned Kofi, and then they walked up the ramp and The Club all pointed at A New Day and laughed at them. I liked it because I like AJ Styles and The Club (even though that name sucks ass) and I liked it because I hate A New Day and I hope they all get gonorrhea and rot in hell for a thousand years. One thing I noticed is that the crowd was still cheering AJ and company a bit (and this was Smackdown, where that type of thing usually gets edited out, no?) and that while A New Day was popular, they weren't half as popular as they seemed to think they were. They act like people are cheering them a lot more than they actually are. The jokes they were making about AJ and The Club really weren't all that funny, and their gimmick of laughing hysterically at their own jokes is...odd to me. Are they doing it because they know they aren't funny and they're trying to be obnoxious? Or do they really think they're funny? Whatever it is, it comes across as trying too hard. A New Day are like a really uncool DX. And DX weren't really cool. Anyhow, a rivalry between New Day and The Club could have legs, if they wanted it to. I'm hoping that's part of the direction they are going now, although I know Styles will be busy with Cena for a good while. (They have to trade wins, I assume 50/50 booking remains in effect for this angle.) Gallows and Big E match up well, as do Kingston and Anderson and Style and Woods. In theory, there could be some decent 6 Man matches and Tag Team Title matches out of this, if allowed to happen.

That was not obligatory, that was entirely optional!

I don't believe The Road Warriors were actually from Chicago, but they stuck with that story right to the end. On their DVD, Animal claimed they were both born on the South side of Chicago, and met up as kids, and became friends. Years later both of their families moved to Minneapolis from Chicago independently of each other, where they just happened to meet again at a gym as high schoolers. Then they started working out together, bouncing together, and trained to be wrestlers together, and the rest is history. I don't believe that, but I was surprised they stuck to the story on their DVD. Eventually Harlem Heat fessed up that they were from Houston, I figured the LOD would eventually admit they were from Minnesota, but nope. I'm not convinced Bubba Ray and Devon are from Dudleyville. I'll do you one better...I've been having some trouble locating Dudleyville altogether. I'm not sure how deep this conspiracy goes, but I'm starting to suspect they may not even be brothers after all.

I believe Jimmy Snuka fried his brain with a combination of drugs and repeated concussions, and I also believe he was dumber than a box of rocks to start with, and none of that other stuff helped him get any smarter. However...it all boils down to the legal criteria for mental competency. I was always under the impression that in order to be competent to stand trial, you had to understand what was going on...that you were actually on trial for example. You had to be able to assist with your defense, and you had to show some understanding of the concepts of right and wrong. (For example: killing somebody is bad. Not killing them is good.) Regardless of Jimmy Snuka's age, intelligence, and fried brain cells, I assumed he would have met those criteria. Apparently this judge disagreed. Like sek said, I hope that judge understands how adept Pro Wrestlers are at working people 24/7. Then again, Snuka has been a bit of a babbling moron from the get go...like prior to murdering his girlfriend. So who knows?

Superfly Snuka not competent for trial in murder case, Judge opines "I don't believe he's faking it. No offense, I don't believe he's smart enough to do it."

The WWE performance center teaches classes on how to cut promos, and has people like Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Michael Hayes around to give advice to those that seek it out, I assume. Also, there are paid writers who script what we see on television. All that, and you still get segments like that Rusev/Titus O'Neil "confrontation" which featured Rusev stumbling over his words, odd leaps in logic (he is now somehow an American Hero, because people in Green Bay are the cheese people covered in cheese...or something) only to be interrupted by Titus who reminded us that this is Memorial Day so..let's fight! If that is what they come up with when they are taught what to do and are given a script, then maybe it's better for all concerned that they aren't allowed to come up with their own stuff and ad-lib. I shudder to think that there might be something they could do that was worse than whatever that was. Good Lord, that was awful. *Waits for obligatory Johnny Sorrow post explaining how that was the best segment on the best episode of RAW he's ever seen.*

From the versions I heard, calling it a "fight" is being generous. I heard Punk just punched Teddy out. EDIT: Or not. I googled it just now, and some people claim Teddy Hart won the fight. WTF? How is Punk going to fight in UFC if he gets beaten up by Teddy Hart?

Well shut my mouth. That news simultaneously: 1. Surprises the hell out of me 2. Disproves my point that New Day don't make enough money to make them worth building the Tag Team division around 3. Makes me weep bitter tears for the future of wrestling fandom Okay, so maybe they DO make a ton of money and maybe that does justify their spot. But they still annoy the ever-loving shit out of me, dammit. I swear, that fucking trombone...

Get the hell out of here. Seriously, where did you get that info? I've not read that anywhere. I'm not saying I don't believe you, but that is news to me.

I felt bad for Enzo when he got injured, because I assumed that Vince would instantly take the chance to push Enzo aside because he was on the shelf, and push Cass due to his height. So far it hasn't happened, but I am waiting for inevitable Cass singles push based solely on the fact that he's seven feet tall and you can't teach that.

Guys who make the company money have historically been the guys you build around in wrestling. You're obviously trying to be snarky and clever, implying that why wouldn't WWE build around them, because they sell merchandise, but there is a bigger picture. But I didn't say they make money, I said they sell merchandise. Selling T-shirts and plastic unicorn horns at the concession stands doesn't necessarily make them a team people want to see an entire division around, nor does it mean people would buy shows specifically to see them. Just because 25 or even 50% of the crowd chants that you rock while you play the trombone, doesn't mean you should be the #1 team in the company. Example, people were interested in Starrcade 86 because they wanted to see The Road Warriors throw Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express off a scaffold. People bought Vengeance or SummerSlam 2010 to see DX fight Vince and Shane. I believe if you go back and look at some of the bigger shows over the years when Tag Team Wrestling was still viable, that you will find compellingly booked Tag Team matches that were placed high enough on shows to be considered a legit reason why fans would want to see the show. I hate using this term because it so over-used, but I feel that properly booked, Tag Team wrestling has been and can be a "draw." I don't think A New Day can be, and I don't "get" A New Day because I don't understand what they're trying to accomplish. Clearly, they're supposed to be faces, but they do that ridiculous dance gyrating and thrusting their hips like Rick Rude...is that supposed to endear them to people? Xavier annoys the shit out of people playing the trombone during matches, channeling Jimmy Hart and his infamous Megaphone. And then of course...they cheat. At Extreme Rules, Kofi Kingston had to interfere when he wasn't even one of the two legal men on the team, and hit somebody with a foreign object in order for A New Day to retain the titles. Loss is absolutely right. The way they are booked, they are very hard to garner sympathy for by something traditional like an attack. When The Vaudevillians attacked them recently, it was funny, because A New Day were acting stupid, and they got their comeuppance for it. I shouldn't have watched that and wanted to cheer for The Vaudevillians, I assume. I should have felt bad for A New Day and wanted to see them get revenge after being attacked. This is all moot if Vince really is serious about totally doing away with heels and faces and having everybody be a tweener, or whatever. But even if he is serious about that, then it's really going to screw up a lot of the standard plot devices which have been used in Pro Wrestling since day one. And A New Day are a perfect example of that problem.

I know this is bumping an old thread, but it's my thread and it's the best place to talk about this...so I am. I have watched much more WWE content since I started this thread, and I still don't "get" A New Day and I still hate them with the fire of a million burning suns. Their existence is extra aggravating to me because for the first time in so long I can't even remember, WWE has an actual, viable Tag Team Division. When I was younger, the WWF had an outstanding Tag Team Division which was loaded with so many good teams. Strike Force, The Young Stallions, The Rougeaus, The Killer Bees, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, The Islanders, Demolition, The Bolsheviks, The Dream Team, The Rockers and The Powers of Pain all active at pretty much the same time. These were glorious days to be a fan of Tag Team Wrestling in the WWF. Then, for a long time, nothing happened. Now, things are finally starting to look up. Thanks to somebody deciding that it's time to bring back Tag Team Wrestling and thanks to NXT, we get Enzo and Big Cass, and The Vaudvillans and The Lucha Dragons (and there are still some great teams in NXT waiting to come up) plus we have The Dudleys and The Usos and Anderson and Gallows, and The Shining Stars and The Wyatt Family. (I really wish WWE would pull their heads out of their asses and sign The Briscoes, but that's another thread. Maybe War Machine too.) But...for some reason the team that WWE decides to anchor this division around is the freaking New Day. I couldn't believe when I listened to the announcers at Extreme Rules this past Sunday, they were talking about the division, and how long New Day have held the titles, and actually making the division sound like something important, and the belts actually mattered...but at the same time, you've got Kofi Kingston dancing around and interfering with his giant piece of cereal, and Xavier Woods and his zany over-exaggerated facial expressions when he's "selling" and we won't even mention that fucking trombone...and these are supposed to be the damn faces? GAH! I accept that these guys are talented, but does it have to be them that WWE builds this division around? Because they sell merchandise?

Hawk appeared in ECW during the very brief period that he and Animal were on the outs over Hawk quitting the WWF in 1992, burning the bridge with Vince and leaving Animal holding the bag. Then Hawk went to NJPW and formed the Hell Raisers with Sasaki and didn't even tell Animal he was doing it. (By this time, Animal was injured and collecting insurance so he couldn't have done any wrestling anyhow, but he was still pissed.) Plus, Hawk was apparently pretty heavy into the illicit substances by that time. They patched things up in 95 and ended up working in WCW for about six months. Paul "PN" News was a founding member of "Da Baldies" in ECW before he allegedly got caught stealing from the Locker Room, beaten up by New Jack, and fired.

You aren't kidding! That was legit amazing to me. It's like Shane didn't even try to fake it. When the best thing he could come up with to say about Triple H was "well, he makes my sister happy" or that he loved his nieces? Damn. That was the worst job of trying to cover up not liking somebody that I have ever seen. That wasn't even good enough to qualify as "thinly veiled" hostility. Mick Foley was pretty much being a total sycophant last night, and even HE pretty much said he didn't believe that Shane didn't have an issue with Trips. Damn. I had no idea that it was that bad, I assumed the heat was between Shane and Vince or Shane and Steph. After seeing that interview, I came away thinking Shane's main beef seems to be with Trips.

Rollins came out to a respectable if not overwhelming crowd reaction. It wasn't as loud or over the top as you might have expected for a guy who was gone as long as Rollins was, but then again, Rollins was not a fan favorite when he got injured. I guess some guys like The Undertaker and Chris Jericho are going to get a positive fan reaction when they return from an extended absence, regardless of their most recent alignment, based on long term fan loyalty. But maybe Rollins hasn't earned that level of respect yet. Either way, he got a good reaction from the crowd. He played up to it for a good while, but then basically announced that he didn't care about the fans...that he had burned all of their get well cards and letters, that the fans didn't get him where he was, and that the reason he injured his leg was because of the weight of carrying the entire company on his back. He went on to make the obvious statement that since he never actually lost the World Championship, it should be his, etc. Reigns came out, and a confrontation ensued. In my opinion, Reigns got a mixed to slightly positive reaction when he came out to confront Rollins. The announcers played up the history between the two, focusing on Rollins betraying Reigns and Ambrose and breaking up The Shield. To me, it was an obvious attempt to continue to get Roman Reigns over as the sympathetic figure. I assumed prior to last night that Rollins would return to a positive reaction and he would be viewed as the sympathetic figure and Reigns as the heel, since the fans already don't like him. I guess Vince either wants Reigns to be the face here, or is going to just let the story take it's course and the fans are going to cheer for whoever they want to. But Rollins made it very clear with his promo last night that he does not want the fans cheering him, which to me seemed to be an odd choice. As a star returning after a long injury you automatically get a certain measure of goodwill from the fans, although your mileage may vary. Rollins flushed his last night, at least in that arena. He may have to insult the fans in each individual arena for a few weeks before the nostalgia wears off, I'm not sure. But they definitely don't want him being cheered, that much seems obvious if nothing else.

So apparently Jim Ross suggests on his latest Ross Report that Moose and Michael Elgin would be good signings by WWE as potential opponents for Lesnar. Moose I can see, as I always figured he'd end up in NXT or WWE. That big dude Donovan Dijak as well. Michael Elgin? Good Lord, please...no. Just...no. Between his pug nose, horrible work, and ridiculous facial expressions, that's the absolute last thing I ever want to see, ever.

I remember seeing a match between he and Hogan for the WWF title which must have taken place right after Hogan won the belt from The Iron Sheik, some time in 1984? This was...34 years ago or so, but I still remember Shultz bled quite a bit. I remember it being a really fun brawl, but that may be rose colored glasses, since I was 14 at the time. I should check and see if it's available anywhere. I vividly remember it being one of the bloodier matches I'd seen up to that point, (which didn't involve Abdullah The Butcher or Bruiser Brody.) After he got fired from the WWF due to the Stossel smacking incident, he showed up in the Montreal territory, which had TV in my area. He actually came in as a face and feuded with Steve Strong (aka Steve DiSalvo) and I remember they had some okay (if somewhat sluggish) TV brawls. He was in Stampede too, but that was before I watched them on TV. The only other thing I know, is from my boss (at the time) talking to a guy who worked the TV tapings for Montreal's territory "International Wrestling." They were talking about what the wrestlers were really like backstage, and this guy told my boss that Shultz was a total nut, carried a gun, and that all the other wrestlers were legit terrified of him backstage. They were supposedly scared that if they even accidentally hurt Shultz in the ring, he'd go mental on them and kill them or something. Normally I'd write that off as gossip, except everything I've read about the guy seems to jibe with that story. Heath McCoy's book about Stampede and Dynamite Kid's book both mention that Shultz was wrapped a little tight, and the Stossel incident seems to bear that out. I remember hearing an urban legend that Shultz ended up becoming a bounty hunter after retiring from wrestling? I think the book on "Dr. D." is that he was a half decent brawler who was a bit of a kook, so he never stayed in one place long as a result. But I'm hardly an expert. I vividly remember the Hogan match from 1984, and his time in Montreal, but that's it as far as my personal experience.

I hate to contradict you Loss, but you are forgetting this classic quote from Vince Russo, explaining why people hate him: Clearly, there is a pro-South, anti-New York bias, Loss. What else could it be? I disagree with your sediments about regional bias.

You are underestimating the awesome power of The Secret, my friend.