Jingus

Thanks Phil. I still have some doubts, since that Severn match you marked Great left me very nearly physically nauseous, but I'll check out some of the others.

Alvarez sometimes goes back and reviews old shows playing on On Demand for his Bryan & Vinny show, and sometimes this changes an old opinion of his. One I remember specifically was him revising his opinion on Hogan/Warrior '98, saying that in retrospect it's just a simple bad match and not the "WORST MATCH EVAH, MINUS FIVE STARS" that everyone thought at the time. He did? Huh. I thought I was the only one who found that match powerfully overrated. Mostly due to the WWF's dumbass escape-to-win rules, but it still didn't click with me anything close to how their Mania bout did. I'm a fan of Brody, but I approach it in the same was of how I'm a fan of Angle: I do see the flaws that people talk about, and wish that he'd do a few things better. But those flaws don't bother me nearly as much as they bother other people. What are some of the tip-top Fujiwara performances which are considered must-see? Fuji is a guy I've actively avoided watching, since I saw a few really horrible matches with him several years back. I'm wondering if it's a Dustin Rhodes case where I just don't agree with the DVDVR consensus, or if maybe I just happened to see a few atypically bad performances and somehow missed all his good stuff.

Why does that keep getting mentioned as a major example of derailing a character and destroying his heat? It was just a joke in a backstage segment. Lasted all of a minute. But I've seen several people claim it as one of the main reasons why Goldberg failed in the WWE, just because he wore that wig that one time. That's ridiculous, every single top guy ever has done plenty of stupid comedy bullshit at some point or another.

I know, I feel the same way about Mark Henry and plenty of other workers who have lots of fans around various places. You just stated your point in an awkward way, as if Watching The NJPW Set = Tiger Mask Is Meh like it were some kind of mathematical equation with only one possible correct answer.

So, not even everybody who watched the set agree with your point? That's my point. It's entirely possible for two different people to watch some footage and take away two completely different opinions. You're implying that anyone who watched this set would automatically feel the same way you do about it. "If he had watched the set, then he'd naturally cool down on Sayama" seems to be the gist of your argument. He might indeed have that reaction if he watched it, but then again he might not. Hey, weren't you the guy who once told me that Hollywood Hogan never had shitty matches in WCW, even the celebrity matches were awesome, and that in fact the only good matches Kidman ever had were with Hogan? Haven't you had to put up with plenty of online shit, holding an opinion like that? You're hardly a stranger to odd attitudes which don't jibe with the group consensus.

Why not? Different people like different shit. For example, I thought Aliens vs Predator: Requiem was far superior to the first Alien vs Predator movie, but unfortunately I seem to be in the minority on that one. Everyone has some really strange opinions on something which don't line up with those of the mainstream. And why is your first instinctive response "did he actually watch the set?" When you hear an opinion you disagree with, don't immediately assume that the person must be speaking out of ignorance. Especially since Tiger Mask is a guy who is still rated highly by plenty of people, especially wrestlers. I know there's been a modern ubersmark backlash against him, but those TM/DK matches are still beloved by a whole shitload of people.

No, I tracked them down myself, it wasn't hard. The Rajah story listed the name of the company which supposedly took the photos, "Hot Tall Amazons" or something like that. Pop it in a google image search, and it's the very first link. She has a statement? What did she say?

The photos are nothing special, Maxim-type bullshit. Here, look for yourself. No real nudity, nothing terribly naughty at all. "Exchanging pleasantries" is just a euphemism for "two chicks standing next to each other and apparently having a conversation". No way they actually canned her over that shit, not when they still employ several women who've done actual naked photoshoots before. I am at a loss to why they replaced her, though. I have seen her wrestle, and no, she's not any good. But neither are any of the other women they kept for NXT. Good lord, did you guys see that steaming turd of a show? It was everything I hate most about sports entertainment, condensed into one unwatchable hour.

My favorite bit is Bobby finding the knife in the bush, but that whole promo is gold. Steven/William Regal: such an amazing talker, he can carry Bobby Eaton through a prolonged comedy sketch.

Was anyone else shaking their heads at the officiating of those celebrity fights? Christ, I've seen more professional referees at local Toughman shows. Buttafuco was doing everything short of throwing powder in Chyna's eyes, and the ref just sits there with a blank stare and mumbles "keep fighting!".

"I waive my right to sue you" clauses are iffy enough when you're just signing for yourself. But is it actually legal to sign away the rights of "heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives"? I don't see how that could possibly work. Let's say Owen Hart signed one of those; would any judge take that sentence seriously and say "well, grieving widow and orphans, your daddy signed this piece of paper so you aren't allowed to file any litigation whatsoever against the company that killed him". I assume it's probably one of those things which they get away with just because it's wrestling and nobody cares? Shit like this really ignites my inner Marxist.

"Weekly" is the key word there. There are plenty of soap operas which ran for decades and knock Raw's dick in the dirt when it comes to longevity and productivity.

Maybe, but man, that freakin' axe kick. I cringe every time she does it, she's so dangerously sloppy with it. Shouldn't a competent worker be able to successfully execute their own finish without stiffing the shit out of their opponent? I remember one time she caught a girl both ways, kicking her in the face and the back of the neck.

I do agree that Kim's post-Knockouts tenure has really exposed her as a worker. But you're seriously saying that Alicia, who botches her own finish nearly every time, is better than Kim, who has quite a few legitimately good matches under her belt?

Yeah, her getting wasted at the hotel bar with all the other employees around sounds like the most reasonable interpretation there. I agree with El-P's take on the kayfabe aspect. Basically, I want wrestling to handle itself like any other entertainment industry. During the course of their own television show, I don't want them to admit that it's a work. That would be like an episode of True Blood stopping dead in its tracks for the actors to remind us that they're not really vampires. But I also don't expect them to wear their prosthetic fangs and pallid makeup 24/7 while off the set. I don't give a shit what the performers do in their real life. Keep their character confined to the show itself. Besides: if Serena's drinking in public was the big deal, then why haven't we heard about it before now? Much like the "no-choking rule" with Danielson, it seems odd that we never hear about these things until the person actually gets fired. If she were constantly getting shitfaced in front of the marks and embarassing the company, the dirtsheets/websites would have mentioned it already.

I think it's kind of hypocritical, given their puritan public stance on partying these days. They won't fire you for being an alcoholic; they'll only fire you for being an alcoholic female whose alcoholism is mildly inconvenient to their onscreen product.

Tell me that awful phrasing was intentional. Heck, it goes beyond that. I've known a couple of ring rats nice young ladies who told some pretty awful stories about Foley's condition after some shows. I'm talking about shit like endlessly stumbling around the hallways of an ordinary hotel, unable to find the elevator which was never more than a minute's walk away. In what way? Aside from the inevitable creep of time slowly but firmly pushing Foley further and further out of the spotlight, what changes do you mean? Well, he did get screwed over a lot. Angles like Lost In Cleveland could have been career-wreckers for lesser talents. He spent his entire career in the mindset of "guys like me never succeed", largely because they really don't. Who's the last big fat ugly guy who became a legitimate international superstar? I think you have to go all the way back to Dusty to find a comparable slob who somehow clawed his way to the top. And considering what he was willing to do to his body in order to get there, you can't say Mick didn't earn it. But yeah, he doesn't like admitting he made mistakes. The "watch the elbow" story where he bumped off a phantom back elbow from Sam Houston comes to mind. Foley says he was confused as to what the hell Sam meant when he said "watch the elbow", and it sure would sound confusing to a first-timer. But he also specifically said that he still doesn't know what it means. Zuh? "Watch the ______" is an old Southern in-ring euphemism for "I am going to hit you with ______", occasionally with overtones of "and watch yourself, my _______ can be kinda stiff". It's a very strangely worded call, but it's hardly an obscure secret password that few ever learn. Even I know that, and I only had a dozen matches. A guy who spent as much time in Memphis and Dallas and Atlanta like Mick did would have to know what that meant. So why did he write what he did? Either he wanted to make himself look better, or he actually can't remember. Either one is worrisome.

For this sort of thing, how heavily should we count sheer number of asses in the seats and eyes on the screen? Far more people watched Chavo Jr. wrestle than ever saw his dad perform, even if Junior was just a forgettable midcarder for most of that time.

I'm getting OLC flashbacks. But really, it was never a secret that Foley was a seething mess of stubborn pride mixed with rampaging insecurity. You don't even need his books to see that, it was obvious as far back as his ECW heel promos. Every character he's ever had was that of a guy who is mostly a loser, but is desperate to prove he's not a loser by any means possible. Nobody should have been surprised by any of the more recent "revelations". He's still one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, but I've never pretended the guy doesn't have his share of mental issues. He's a bizarre combination of genuinely sharp intellect leavened with childlike naivety, in a nearly autistic fashion. It's like he completely forgets about the possibility that anyone might not like him. So when he is reminded of that fact, it hurts his feelings and he feels like it's a betrayal. He takes all these business matters personally; and the weird thing is that he really can't stop that, because his best work has usually come when he's bitter and feels like he has something to prove.

I know that it will most likely pass by unremarked. But my point is, why did Linda care enough to tell such a stupid lie which is so easily exposed? The dude was just one wrestler out of however many thousands have worked for this company. The paranoia of the WWE office these days on matters like this is just odd. I know Benoit changed everything, but still, you wouldn't have dreamed they'd care about something like this just a decade prior.

I had to do announcer duties on a match like that one time. A "thirty-minute" iron man match where I was announcing the time countdown, but it was shaved down and more like twenty-four minutes. Of course, there was an angry little autistic man in the front row who kept looking at his watch and at me in bewilderment. It was not a comfortable night. What's the point in such penny-ante lying? If you're gonna do a time-limit draw, go to the actual time limit. Unless one guy is hurt, there's no point in trimming off a measely five or ten minutes. Just grab a fucking hold if you're that tired.

I know that none of us should ever be surprised at any blatant lie that ever comes out of a carny's mouth. The McMahons specialize in working and spinning on a level of ballsiness which is well established. But this one still got me: What. Lance Cade worked on the Raw brand for over five years. This is information which is readily available on fucking Wikipedia. Why would Linda tell such an obvious and easily disproved falsehood? I know, distance yourself from controversy and all that. But why lie to such a ridiculous extreme? I bet you could find video evidence of Linda and Cade being in the same room on multiple occasions. The potential backlash for telling such a whopper to the public is greater than the potential harm for saying "he was just one employee out of three hundred, I didn't know him very well". What's the point of such needless and laughable exaggeration?

Is there anything resembling an "official" list of banned moves? Chops, piledrivers, choking, certain top-rope moves, and established finishers all seem to be on there. But it's pretty confusing, since you'll often see someone doing one of the banned moves at some point or another, and sometimes it seems like they forget that a move is supposed to be off-limits. I remember Chris Harris bitching about that from his infamous cameo as Braden Walker, supposedly they told him so many moves he wasn't allowed to do that he just brainlocked and threw nothing but clotheslines once he got out there. Unless it's Eddie Guerrero. Apparently it's okay to explicitly state that he's suffering in eternal damnation and hellfire, because "Eddy was a worker and would have understood" or something like that.

They get even worse abroad. "Live from England!" because they thought the name Birmingham sounded crappy for whatever reason. Or how many foreign wrestlers often never get specific hometowns: Tajiri was just from "Japan". Speaking of wrestlers with just one name: why do they do that with the divas more often than with the dudes? You get your occasional Sheamus, but mostly it's always the women who are reduced to single-word names.

I think that's more due to people nowadays having no idea who books what in the WWE. This isn't a company with one head writer or booker or anything else. There's Vince, who obviously can't micromanage every single detail no matter how much he'd like to , and then seemingly millions of underlings who do god-knows-what in their positions. There's no single backstage target for smark rage when some stupid shit happens to piss us off. Whose idea was it for Cena to pop right back up and win the match immedietely after taking a DDT on the concrete? There are about a dozen possible suspects that come to mind. Cena is the only one we can see, so he's the one who people instinctively blame.