cm funk

Hahahaa, thanks for that! I knew Wheaties or Cheerios wasn't right, but I'm not really a cereal person This was weeks ago I noticed that, earlyish April, figured it was a WM tie in. Surely still good if out since January, I should check the next time I go to that store. I'd eat a box of cereal for a free month of the network

Honestly, I think Sami himself would tell you he didn't think he was maybe ready for that role earlier in his career. Whether right or wrong, he was comfortable in the gimmick, and he was really fucking good at it. Working under a mask taught him him to emote and sell as well as he does, IMO. And part of the charm of the gimmick was it that there was clearly a charismatic as fuck white boy under that hood and they played it up for great comedy, and it worked great when he got serious as well. Also, and most importantly in wrestling, it was a great gimmick that made him $$$ on the indy scene, which wasn't always the easiest thing to do back then. And I loved the El Generico gimmick, and he was really fucking great at it. I honestly wouldn't trade in his ROH run for what Cornette wanted to do him with him. Maybe it would have worked, maybe he just didn't want to F'n do it and was saving going unmasked for when he want to WWE. Funny how Cornette never thinks of personal ownership of one's character and career when it isn't him

Has Becky's push not worked out? I'm ironically spending a bit more time grocery shopping these days, and one of our stores stays open til 10, so I go out with a list between 9-10 when I'm least likely to have human contact (I'd go at 6 am but they reserve the early AM hours for older folks, which is fine by me) Anyway, in the aisle with cereal which I almost never go down I saw Becky prominently featured on a Wheeties or Cheerios box or something.....that seems kind of big to me. She was on the cover of the video game....I don't play them anymore but by all accounts a rancid versions of it....but that's not her fault. 2K video game cover is huge. She's also sold a ton of merch over the last 18 months or so Have they screwed up her push? Is she less over than she was in the buildup to WM last year? 100%. Absolutely. That said, they fuck everyone up these days. She kind of got herself over organically in the beginning, and now that they've given her the push and all the tools/toys that come with it, ironically it's as much of a hinderence as a help. And I don't have an answer for that, and it must be frustrating if she hasn't fully swallowed the flavor aid like her husband seems to have done.....but it's WWE....she's made out far better than most

Also, weird choices. Do I see RVD back there? MVP is definitely climbing a ladder, circa what....2009?

Did they also release their graphic designers? That poster looks like bad fan art

Miz has always been better with a heater. Him and Maryse were dynamite together because the chemistry between them is real. I still remember back when they first became a couple IRL and were teased on TV a few times and everyone saw the chemistry immediately and they put her with DiBiase Jr. instead lol I haven't seen any of the current Miz & Morrison stuff, but they were a fun act back in the oughts Heck, Miz & Mizdow got over big. I wasn't the biggest fan of it, but it definitely worked And hell, it wasn't as good as JeriShow, but I dug ShowMiz So my conclusion on Miz is stick him with someone good to play off of and he's great. On his own he's dire

My biggest problem with Rollins right now is probably overexposure/overpush. Like, they pushed him as THE KINGSLAYER. and then THE BEASTSLAYER. This is some of the hardest they've pushed anyone in forever, and it sucks. It sucks for a lot of reasons, and one is that I like Seth and think he should be a majorly factored in guy somewhere in the rotating mix of guys you feature.....he just shouldn't be THE guy. And it's so weird that WWE ever decided to stick with him that long in that spot in the first place. WWE over the last decade has become such a blur that it's kind of shocking to realize how long guys like Rollins and Reigns have been pushed on top now and never fully clicked. Reigns I blame on the promotion. Rollins, I just think he was perfect in the shitheel spoiler role he played back when he first turned heel and they've never gotten close to pushing him that well again....and other than being in that sort of role where he's a thorn in the side of the top faces I don't see him in a top spot working He's also a guy I like better in tags, but I guess that ship has sailed. AEW has shown how you can easily take two top singles guys, make them a top team, and then do something with that. That's the route WWE should have taken to rehab Rollins years ago. Hell, look what a hot tag run did for Daniel Bryan's career with Team Hell No, which then got Orton and the Shield involved, and the Wyatts, and the Rhodes....and it all boiled into hot programs all over. So yeah, at the end of the day I think Rollins is ultimately a victim of really bad booking. But also being someone who is badly exposed sometimes by the bad booking, and who also doesn't do himself any favours with his online comments and asskissing and such I just have to keep comparing him to Bryan because their WWE careers sort of mirror each other. And while Bryan constantly finds a way to make himself interesting and relevant and make everything he does compelling, Rollins and WWE creative just kind of circle the drain together in and endless spiral of suckitude

I'd also rather see Jinder against Drew. They already brought up the 3MB era in the WM build for Drew so they can easily tie that in. Both of them became world champions but Jinder did it first. Too bad Heath Slater isn't around still to get involved. I can't believe I'm saying it, but a world title program revolving around 3MB would be infinitely more interesting than Rollins at this point And say what you will about Jinder, he isn't afraid to work snug. I seem to recall him and Orton and maybe him and Sheamus beating the tar out of each other. Him and Drew might actually have some decent, hard hitting matches

According to Meltzer Gerald Brisco is out! Been with the company since 1984 He termed it as "part of the recent round of releases" but I'd have to think it was more likely a buyout/early retirement. I believe he was already semi-retired and mostly just scouting amateur wrestlers at this point

That was my first thought as well..... I hope they just do an exact shot for shot copy of the "who shoved a bunch of random pipes and boxes on Roman?!?!" angle from last year

I'm at least curious to see the Boneyard match and the Funhouse match because WWE usually does a good job with those pre-taped, not in front of the crowd gimmick matches historically Edge-Orton and Owens-Rollins will also likely be heavily gimmicked and they'll end up backstage/outside whatever it may be Outside of that, having seen the attempts at empty arena matches so far, I just feel bad for the guys being asked to try and pull this off. That and the fact that this show really shouldn't be taking place at all there isn't a chance of me watching either night live. I'm not starving for "live" wrestling and would rather just spend my time reading or watching a movie. I'll probably check out those matches mentioned above after the fact, skim through the rest of it.....but man. And if a pretty diehard wrestling fan like me who's been watching off and on since the mid-80's doesn't want to watch this show....who exactly does?

Meltzer said the gate would have been at least $15m and that's not counting the per head merch which is always huge WM week, plus the other events (NXT, HOF, RAW, SD) It's their biggest week of the year, losing all that revenue is huge

Yes. I've heard $1500 for a test floated around. Trust me, with Khan and McMahon's $ and connections, if they want tests they can get them. That said, given that it's so F'n hard for normal people to get tests, for sick people showing potential symptoms to get tested.....this is just another reason why I don't want either promotion doing these shows Also, we're now seeing a big backlash against NBA players and other rich people moving to the front of the line for testing, with Trump even weighing in saying "well, that's the way the world works" showing his wonderful capacity for compassion yet again. I understand it with the NBA players because considering what a small community it is, of men who literally sweat on each other for a living, that it could have spread like wildfire amongst them. And even though they're all young and healthy and might not even show symptoms, they could be so called "super spreaders" Once Gobert and Mitchell showed up positive every team should have been testing everyone immediately. The rumour is that after Steph Curry came back for one game and then missed the next "with the flu" he actually went and got tested for Covid-19. They've been tightlipped about it, but Kerr basically confirmed it Sorry, back to pro wrestling only

Rollins was an FCW/Tampa trainee, the PC opened up after he was on the main roster. Technically he was the first NXT champ and was around for the first few months of the switch from FCW to NXT, that is true, but it wasn't close to what it is now. And hey, maybe Rollins will bring that up in his retort I didn't watch the show because the idea of them even doing first run right now is too weird to me. This whole situation is one of the craziest I'll ever live through, and I lived in NYC on 9/11 and had my college campus evacuating buildings due to anthrax scares in the months after. I cannot believe they're doing freakin' WM at the PC....this isn't even comparable to potential terror threats at sporting events post-9/11 Whoever said this is Vince McMahon's "THE SHOW MUST GO ON DAMMIT" massive ego taking over is 100% right. I really thought they'd delay the event, put the builds on hold for the matches with the part timers, and rebook the rest of it. This choice seems really stupid. I hope they at least have a crowd of employees/other wrestlers for WM because an empty arena "super bowl of wrestling" just isn't getting me excited

Between Nakamura slammed on a freakin grand piano and Joe getting a second concussion doing stunts for a commercial it's great to see WWE taking care of their veteran performers

So the latest WM rumor is Cena and Elias having a match I can't disagree with Meltzer when he terms it "underwhelming". I didn't even remember Cena and Elias having interactions together at the last 2 WM and I watched those shows in full. Elias is an absolute nothing to me on the main roster. It's a one note gimmick and he's never had good matches. The most interesting thing he's done in years was the interactions with Jarrett a few years ago. And I thought he was a face now. Apparently he's more of a tweener who changes depending on the show/audience according to some people.....so again, why would anyone care about this? I don't watch WWE on a weekly or even regularly from month to month basis these days, but I do follow along with what's going on with the product and tune in here and there, and it seems to me like Elias has been a bit player at best for a very long time now

How much "podcast success" has Last really had? The 605 used to be one of my favorite pods but it's so infrequently updated now that it can't even be considered part of the rotation. The Idol show flamed out. I can only listen to so much of Fuller. I burned out on the Arezzi shows pretty fast. I enjoy Stick to Wrestling (the one that Last isn't on) occasionally. I'm far less likely to listen to Corny's shows in full anymore because I don't enjoy him cutting promos on AEW, Meltzer, Bix, whoever. If he's not talking old school and he can't do it without throwing in digs at modern stuff (which he does even more and more now when talking old school) he's hard to listen to. And this isn't a knock on Last at all really because I do love the old 605 and the rest at least have their moments. He's always taken potshots at other podcasters, since the early days of 605...I'm just not sure which of his podcasts other than the Corny ones are actually listened to by a lot of people and where this massive success that could actually go to one's head would even come from

Jim went on an unhinged rant about Bix on the latest Experience. I thought Bix and Last were friends but Last didn't say a word in his defense.

Angel Garza is great. From the first time I saw him on 205/NXT I knew he could be a star. I like Andrade but Garza is way more charismatic, and it's not like Andrade is lacking in that department. The two of them as a tag team with Vega, maybe add one more guy as muscle, could be money. The two of them against Rey and Humberto could produce some great matches And I remember seeing Hector Garza in the WWF back in 97 and thinking he was the best of all the AAA guys they used. He was a cruiserweight jobber in WCW but you could definitely see the superstar potential even then. Really sad that he died so young

Saudi Super Show

The stock dropped when Donald Trump storyline bought RAW. Their investors seem prone to overreactions. I think the idea that Wall St won't "respect" Stephanie McMahon if/when she becomes president/ceo is totally overblown. Look at all the out of nowhere tech people who earn "respect" because they have a trendy product and no prior experience (and a lot of them flame out and people lose their asses). Steph would have some Wilson/Barrios corporate types under her and years of experience/name value she can tout, no pun intended. The biggest issue is the core business. TV money is saving their asses right now because all the core business metrics are way down, the audience continues to wilt away, and the one's that remain aren't getting any younger. And the product itself is bad. Until all that is fixed the rest of it doesn't really matter. The stock goes up and the stock goes down, and it had been overvalued for a while.

Seth is more Kirk Cousins. Looks great against bad teams (when he's where he should be, midcard/tags).....gets a big contract (main event push) and shits the bed. Twice now! (or is it 3 times? WWE's booking all runs together)

I'd never seen photos of him before, and forgive me if this comes off as an odd question, but in the center picture on F4W that I assume is recent he looks like Ole Anderson. I'm interested in genetics and history so I'm curious what his family background is. There must have been a strong European influence somewhere in the bloodline

As a big fan of Heyman's WWE booking (Smackdown, OVW, early WWECW, some of the stuff he's been rumoured to be helping out with creatively in recent years) I think this is a brilliant move provided he's given a fair degree of autonomy. 3 hours is still a tough road to hoe but if anyone can pull it off it's Heyman. Wait and see on Bischoff, but at the very least it's out of the box thinking, and I'm definitely interested. As far as the production side of things we know he's done good things in WCW and TNA and he's got big budget production from FOX to play with. If he can keep it simple creatively and focuses on the action it could end up being refreshing. He always speaks highly of HHH on his podcast and I can see him leaning on him a bit for creative. The biggest question is how much are they allowed to change the presentation of the shows IE. less input from Dunn on production and less from Vince on creative. I'm skeptical

If they go with this direction of Beast Slayer Seth beating the fuck out of everyone with chairs along with LassKicker Becky they could do some cool shit here. I'd turn em heel and have em wreck shit. I know everyone here hates Seth. I don't, but I like him much better as a heel, and him and Becky as the top heel act could be money. I mean, right now it's what.....Shane and Baron Corbin?