Timbo Slice

I feel attacked

That Drew/Punk promo was terrible; Punk material has been lacking since his return.

I do like there’s a bit more intrigue this year around the Rumble. Ton of ways they can go at least.

Inducted by Johnny Ace

I think it’s hilarious folks are upset at ZSJ losing when it’s pretty clear he’s gonna get groomed for a run towards the top this year. Getting the belt off him couldn’t be a wiser decision given he needs to be up higher in the pecking order ASAP. The whole “NJPW is cold/needs help/underwhelming” is being compared to an unprecedented run of success for the company in length relative to the state of the wrestling business at large. It’s as big as they’ve been since the multi-year Dome Show years of yore. They’re transitioning into a younger generation and that’s going to take time given the bridges are basically Naito on his last legs, Okada wanting to take a step back a bit even though he’s absolutely the best draw they have, and your mononym folks that Gedo has groomed not panning out. Also, a majority of their top foreigners are not full time anymore and or middling at best. Nemeth will be fun and motivated, but I don’t think he’s gonna be AJ Styles, to throw out an example. The expectation that a company can’t have its ups and downs is unrealistic and we’d be better off accepting a downturn for a little while that leads to an uptick and ride it out that way.

Fucking apostrophe got me again.

That motherfucker is gonna do his whole shtick and be the cool Machiavellian heel, isn’t he

Plus, it’ll lead to a rematch at Wembley more than likely between Cole and MJF, which is a neat bit of symmetry.

Praise be.

Austin coming back to set up the long play with Punk.

I do find it strange that Gedo hasn’t been replaced by someone like a Lyger or other big name of his ilk to book given the transition. Or even Tanahashi himself. Though you wonder if they wait post-WK to go that route. I do feel the Okada talk was more smoke than fire anyways; WWE seems like it would be tough to break through given how top heavy the roster is right now, and he can do AEW basically whenever already. Although he more than likely would get the Road Warrior Pop if he debuted at the Rumble.

Wrestling fans are gonna get hung up on the timeline getting fucked up and the perspective being Kevin’s not showing the true highs because he (obviously) doesn’t like reminiscing about it too much and the Flair impression but it’s a good movie that shows a fucked up story in as positive a light as possible. Wish Fritz got shown as the devil and asshole he really was, but processing trauma is different for all of us and Kevin being a main source meant he was gonna hedge there, at least until the end. I’m just happy it’s gonna be a success.

WWE has had multiple looks at him and passed. AEW is the likely landing spot, but even then? Him just being paired with MJF again isn’t gonna help him differentiate himself.

49ers had an amazing confluence of terrible things happen in one game. And now on a short week. Baltimore has them figured out.

Welp, Sasha’s return at the Royal Rumble is gonna be wild. Also, Kenny has diverticulitis, which is not gonna be a short road back, and an even longer road to feeling “normal.” Considering his surgery filled 2022-3, this has the potential to keep him out for a while as his body adapts. Shitty luck for him.

Draws telegraph results more earlier in a tournament. Makes sense that with more at stake later draws come in to play with fatigue, less room for a loss, etc.

Can’t believe it took me that long to use that one.

Win-win either way.

https://x.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1734648014193467815?s=20 If Dave’s tweet from a couple hours ago means what I think it means, it seems like an all time blunder by Tony if the worst case scenario happens.

Lakers hanging a banner for it. LOL

It’s the inverse of Omega/Ospreay. Each man gets a win, except it’s on home turf instead of on the road. Pretty basic stuff. Okada leaving isn’t set in stone; it’s absolutely something the dirt sheets are talking up but there’s no indication that he’d leave.

I mean really, c’mon.

Holy shit, that rules.

The point is that the downside cost to digitizing is a one-time expense whereas when you put it out there, it needs to make money. And that part is the most difficult when cheaper programming with a better ROI is there with existing footage.

I was talking more about the fight than everything else that happened when Punk came back. That was all a byproduct of not corralling folks from the start when Punk debuted. Not a fan of how Punk acted when he came back given the concessions, but once that snowball was rolling down the hill, it wasn’t stopping. And it begins and ends with Tony wanting to be friends with everyone and placating demands. Including Punk’s. The company hasn’t been centered around the Elite for a while, and even when it was, it was Page going solo until the Punk issues. Omega is doing tags and hasn’t been doing big featured matches nearly as much since the surgeries, and has implied he’s winding down. Hangman has waffled since the Punk shit, some by design, some because of his own (correct) choices to take care of his family. And the Bucks live in a vacuum of which when they step outside of it, aren’t nearly as important to the company as the other two. This phrase would have meant more post-fight than it does now (and probably would have been the best for at least Kenny and the Bucks given Kenny’s injuries and the Bucks needing a jolt badly.) The choice going forward seems to be Ospreay, and even HE cut promos talking about the toll his style has already taken on him. At 30! Coronation at Wembley is the obvious play, but he also doesn’t know how to hit the stop button on a style that is wrecking him in his prime. And when your company is basically going through an injury epidemic, it’s not a great way forward even if you’re a fan out of the output in between the ropes.