sek69

I guess you can argue semantics, but Miz improving in all facets doesn't change that in the end he was just there to be window dressing for the Cena/Nikki proposal just like he was part of the scenery when he main evented WM. I enjoy watching the guy, but at no point did I get the sense the company was turning the corner on him and now seeing him as a legit top level guy.

It's not the most ridiculous thing in the world to think someone's who's been a fitness buff his whole life would still be in excellent shape at age 60. Now if you're going to talk about jacked up 80s Dave, then you might be on to something.

The biggest revelation in the new Observer is Dave finally answering the question of who was the "Glorious" theme originally written for, with the answer being Nakamura.

Also a mention of a non wrestling performer who was being bullied by JBL while dealing with the death of a family member, which seems like a pretty obvious description of Lilian Garcia. The karma stuff Mauro was tweeting about was in reference to him getting the call to replace the guy who had him booted from Pride back in the day, so I guess that's an L for Team JBL Apologists on that one.

I guess the real question is has anyone had a longer career as a pushed top level guy and given less effort than Randy Orton? The kneejerk response would be Nash, but he didn't have nearly the length of time on top.

Agree with this, especially the point about Ambrose being the new Orton in terms of giving less than 100% at all times. I get that it's probably not realistic to expect someone to give maximum effort 365 days a year on every show, but the performance he gave at Mania this year was so embarrassingly bad I was wondering if maybe he was hurt going in and was toughing it out. I'm sure he probably saw the plans for the projection stuff and figured "fuck all this", but how many times have we seen guys take ridiculous and/or stupid ideas and make it work through force of sheer will? I feel Orton is never going to be a guy anyone says that about.

I never got the sheer hatred Anderson gets. I mean, yeah he's not the best or anything but it seems like the level of disdain he gets is out of proportion to his actual talent.

The thing about it is that it's a hell of a message to send that if you're someone low on the card, all you have to do is get jacked to the point your veins look like a road map and you develop backne and gyno to get a big match on PPV.

I loved at the very end of the tag match, Ciampa ran to do the "keep the guy on the outside from breaking up the pin" spot only to back off the second the ref counted three. Subtle yet great way to put a guy over when someone nicknamed "Psycho Killer" wants no parts of you than what's absolutely necessary.

So per WWE history, next week Braun cuts a promo on Roman telling him his brother was weak? I say that jokingly yet at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happened.

I've heard from video game historians that there's very much an attitude that what happens behind closed doors stays that way in Japanese business culture. With how secretive a business wrestling is anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if its even worse there. There have been some exposés written though, e.g. Sayama's and 80s NJPW head ref/sometime booker Mr. Takahashi's. Japan business culture has a very kayfabe-like culture where things don't get discussed with those outside the company, and even more so with foreigners. To use your video game example, Nintendo has everyone scratching their heads over discontinuing the NES Classic (which was basically a money printing machine for them), and they never really gave any answer to why they did it other than "because reasons". Now combine that with a business like wrestling that adds another million layers of secrecy and bullshit, and it's amazing we ever get any inside news from there.

Nia is fine when she's fighting off multiple attackers or when she blindsided Mickie last week and sent her into orbit. What sucks is when she has to do a one on one match where she has to do longer stretches of offense and it's even odds on whether she'll mess something up and nearly kill someone.

There are several examples on the Network of previously mandated censoring that they didn't bother undoing when the issues were resolved. I'd imagine they just feel it's too much of a pain in the ass to go back over everything.

Watts must have been really upset at the Lawler-Kaufman angle, devoting the opening segment of the first show after their match (which had nothing to do with his territory) to him cutting a promo on why non wrestlers don't belong in the ring.

Makes sense since I started watching regularly in 86. Speaking of WWF 80s jobbers, Terry Gibbs just showed up on these shows with an amazing permed fro.

Watching Mid South episodes, and it's so bizarre watching Iron Mike Sharpe presented as the guy who gets wins over jobbers. Like, I know he was a midcard guy in most places before he went to the WWF but as someone who's formative fandom years included large quantities of Iron Mike as the world's loudest jobber it's a trip.

Prime Time was the WWF equivalent of the NWA Saturday night 6:05 show, with the twist of the banter between Heenan and Monsoon being the best thing most weeks,

It just seems the argument you're trying to make is giving JBL the benefit of the doubt that there's zero evidence he deserves to get.

James Ellsworth is a geek character who's sole purpose of existing is to be made fun of. There's probably an entire other discussion that could be had there, but he's *supposed* to be made fun of. Mauro in theory is supposed to be on equal footing with JBL and there's no storyline reason for him to be saying anything about a guy as far as everyone knew at the time was just the lead announcer of SD.

I mean, if people really want to take up the cause of JBL as their hill to die on, more power to you I guess.

How exactly did JBL go "batshit crazy" on him? He went off on that wannabe ESPN shouty head show on the Network past the point of just being a heel announcer and to the point of being an unprofessional shithead.

Yeah, it shouldn't have to come down to the character of the person being bullied to decide if it's something worth getting upset about. Saying Mauro should have known better than to take pride in someone acknowledging his work because the company he works for has fucked up insecurity issues is some enabling horseshit. You should be able to do a little boasting about your craft without worrying your insane asshole co worker will go batshit crazy on you.

Of course, since admitting that it's nothing more than high school level bullshit bullying would mean they have some responsibility for either taking part or not stopping it from happening.

In the latest update, Dave mentions it appears the injuries are legit and Shibata may not ever be cleared to wrestle again.

A key point is all the stories coming out making it clear that the bullying was authorized and/or endorsed from on top, so it would make it harder for WWE to make JBL a scapegoat and act like that solves the problem.