Coffey

I don't know how you can praise Sabin and bash Dutt in the next sentence. They're equally awful.

I prefer ground-based submission wrestling to high-flying lucha wrestling. It's why I like AmDrag and loathe Styles.

I can't listen to anything where Dave Meltzer talks. I can't listen to the WOL or his segment on The LAW because he speaks so poorly. You can only hear "you know" so many times before it drives you absolutely batshit insane. He says it at least ten times more often than Triple H.

I disagree. Honestly, I voted it as MOTN. I liked it more than Ultimate-X and the 4-Way. Agreed. I hate the Ultimate-X gimmick. Which "the professor" Mike Tenay, with all of his wrestling knowledge, labeled a "back splash."

Well, if Jarrett is injured, Christian's next opponent might be Abyss. If Jarrett is healthy, you can bet Jarrett will be next in line for a title shot.

Yeah, that confused me too. I just came from there and they're shitting all over it. It surprised me too, since the Observer reviewers liked it and they usually have the same sentiments. The Puma 4-way was good but I thought both the Ultimate X match and Lethal/Bentley were better. Oh well. Jarrett appears to have been injured as well. Had to hit the guitar shot from his knees and had to be helped to the back.

Anyone watch the TNA PPV tonight? Steiner debuted. Christian retained the NWA title & Daniels won the X-title.

I didn't think he ever left? I was under the impression that he still had a backstage role..? Anyway, no big surprise. With Austin announced as being at 'Mania, this makes sense. The real question is, how will they play off what happened to JR? My theory was a throwaway comment like "we agreed to let bygones be bygones for the better of the company" or some shit.

Don't matter how big she pumped up her balloons, she's still got a head like a bastard-rat.

Wow. Looks like a must own.

Samoa Joe Vs. Kenta Kobashi (ROH: 10/01/05) Almost every time someone says something bad about this match, I have to watch it again. Each time I watch it, the match just gets better. I love the opening slap by Samoe Joe and the way that Kobashi acts like he's in disbelief. I love when Kobashi kicks out of the Muscle Buster and blocks the Kokina Clutch. I love when Samoa Joe hits a Powerbomb for a two count, then goes into an STF, then when Kobashi reaches for the ropes Joe switches to a Nagata Lock 2/Crippler Crossface, Kobashi reaches for the ropes with his other arm and Joe slaps on a version of Nagata Lock 3/Rings of Saturn. Finally Kenta reaches the ropes but he had to work for it. I like the fact that the match doesn't have any commentary, you just get to hear the crowd go bananas. Great match with great psychology and a good finish along with a rabid crowd. I think it's my favorite match of all-time now. I've watched it upwards of ten times. *****

Wow, good reply. I can't follow that up.

I wonder how much money they wasted on that dumbfuck idea? Oh well, good riddance.

Yup, HBK won over 'Taker in what was, basically, a "fluke." He won because of a Kane run-in after getting decimated the whole match. That's how every single one of Rey's matches would have to go...some outside circumstances coming into play for him to retain. As the belt holder, that would come off extremely poor. Add in that Rey is even smaller, by quite some bit, than HBK. I just don't have the confidence in WWE's writing or roster to pull it off.

Konnan talked about this in his shoot interview. All the "smart" fans seemingly act like they're above the business. They do nothing but bad mouth every wrestler that isn't a "smark darling." The business that they seemingly grew up on and loved, they constantly bash. I think that shows a lack of respect. Then, of course, you get into the whole "we're negative because we care" argument, which is a different topic altogether.

Completely disagree. Couldn't disagree more. Hell, the most vocal wrestling fans I know, even ones that consider themselves "smart" to the business can't see Mysterio as a legitimate champion. I think the ones who can see him as the champion are actually the ones in the minority. Or at least the people that see him remaining the champion. Suspension of disbelief can only go so far. Mysterio has been a topic of conversation here a lot in the past, a good conversation honestly, but I'm still not sold on him as World Champ. Neither are a lot of my friends or a lot of posters on TSM or SA, but I can only speak for myself. I like Mysterio. Well, at least in small doses. When he's on, he's fabulous to watch. When he's off, he's still better than most. Still, I remember watching WCW and he was DWARFED, completely and utterly man-handled, by Curt Hennig. Curt isn't a small man but compared to a lot of the WWE wrestlers he is. He was throwing Mysterio around with ONE-ARM, Goldberg style. There's no way that Mysterio, as the champion, could have title defenses that are believable. The crowd aren't going to stay behind him after his second of third consecutive school boy/small package victory. Him beating Angle was always played up as a fluke. Hell, half his wins over Noble and other cruiserweights were played out as a fluke. When Batista comes back, do you think anyone would buy him losing to Mysterio? What about The Undertaker or even Mark Henry whom just beat Mysterio a couple weeks back on Smackdown? Hell, I thought the Royal Rumble itself came off extremely fake. Then you factor in all the Eddie stuff too and it's just asking for disaster. WWE have set themselves up. Mysterio winning the title is the only real "feel-good" moment that they have left. However, unless WWE pulls an ECW and has him drop the title shortly after winning it, it's going to turn out bad. Even if the hispanic market is big. Even if it's a feel-good moment that sends the Wrestlemania crowd home happy. Even if Mysterio adopted the armbar submission that people have talked about and American wrestling took a more MMA style approach to matches Mysterio winning over main eventers isn't that believable. It'd be like if the 1-2-3 Kid had won the World Title back when he beat Razor...only even smaller than that. By about a foot. Size shouldn't matter in wrestling but it does. There's two huge different ends to the spectrum. Andre the Giant down the the midgets. Andre was the main event and had the biggest house at a Wrestlemania ever with Hogan. The midgets were early card comedy acts. HBK going over Diesel? Alright. Mysterio winning the World title? I don't think I can suspend disbelief that much. He's just too small. He's under the line. He is the exception.

I really like the emphasis on children. I wish American wrestling would do that again. Hogan was someone for children to look up to. He was a good role model and the reason that I started watching wrestling. Now, thanks to the Attitude Era and the effects we're still having because of it, there aren't any role models anymore. Austin was a redneck that drank beer and beat up his boss. The Rock joined a Black Panthers type group and told the fans they sucked. I don't know how to describe John Cena without getting banned. I think it's good that the Japanese wrestling fans care about how the wrestling is presented to children. It'll get children to fall in love with the sport, follow the sport and hopefully make new superstars for the future of the sport.

It's funny that you mention male managers since I've thought Prince Nana has been the best part about ROH for quite some time now. James Mitchell also helps Abyss out a lot in TNA. WWE definitely need to bring back the managers and valets. Instead of having managers and valets, we have "divas" wrestling crappy matches.

If you're booked as a winner, you look like a winner. Today's wrestling, outside of a couple people like Triple H & John Cena, is all about even-stevens booking. If you lose, you get your win back. If you win, you gotta lay down next week. No one looks special anymore.

Are you saying that WWE does a bad job of "building stars for the future?" Shit, just look at this years Wrestlemania. Does anyone actually want to see Vince McMahon wrestle Shawn Michaels? Why'd Carlito and Masters get slapped together in a random tag title match? Why isn't Carlito in the Money in the Bank match that he proposed, so that he can move on to bigger and better things? That last big star that WWE was trying to make, that didn't seem to get shit on, was Brock Lesnar and he dipped. Cena doesn't seem to be working, nor Orton...yet WWE are too stubborn to abort, so maybe in a few years people will be asking "Whatever happened to that Orton dude?"

A couple of my friends still watch wrestling, thus we still talk about it. Hell, we still get together to watch Raw on Mondays. Lately, we've been watching a lot more tapes and shit though to kind of fill the void that the current product is leaving us with. We're pretty broad in our viewing habits though, so we have a lot more options than just WWE on Monday's and the occasional PPVs. With Japan, Mexico, TNA and Indy's there's plenty of current shit to keep us occupied. If not, there's plenty of older shit to do the job. My friends that don't watch wrestling anymore, well, since they don't watch it, we don't talk about it. It would just be awkward, since they'd know nothing about it anymore...that's just not a street to go down. I don't want to have to explain things just like they don't want to have to ask things. Everyone else that ever talked to me about wrestling is the people I was generalizing though. Like in high school. Everyone knew I was a wrestling fan and they all talked to me about wrestling when wrestling was big. I had a lot of people ask me what ECW was and how they could check it out. I let people borrow tapes and magazines and shit. Once Wolfpack shirts weren't sold in J.C. Penny's anymore though, they all went on to the next fad and I haven't talked to any of them since. Maybe if I run-in to someone that I haven't seen in a few years they'll make a comment like "you still watch wrestling?" It never goes much passed that though. It doesn't break down into "I can't believe you still watch that shit. You know it's fake right?" or any of that.

I don't know why he agreed to do the commercial but it's certainly not because he's hard up for money. Last I heard, he just bought a new mansion, which is like his fourth one. I'm guessing he just wanted people to remember that he was still around. He's been out of the spotlight for a couple of weeks. It is getting close to 'Mania time though, and since it's the Hulkster, I wouldn't put it passed him to have some motifs. The only time I've really ever had to defend my watching wrestling was back during the last boom period when it became really popular and everyone was watching it. Nowdays, since no one really watches it anymore, they don't seem to care if I do. Also, just curious, but does anyone watch TNA anymore, or at least iMPACT!? I know that Sek made the iMPACT! Spoilers thread and it didn't get any replies. Is TNA THAT far off the map?

Well, he was in that Wendy's commercial with the "Triple H burger!" He was also in Blade 3 and was on MTV's Punk'D amongst other things. I think people that don't even watch wrestling have a pretty good idea nowadays whom Triple H is. He isn't Hulk Hogan or even Stone Cold or The Rock. He's right below them though. More known than people like Jericho, whom is all over VH1 and doing the Fozzy bullshit.

No, I think they're in Orlando, Florida actually.

I'm watching the World Baseball Classic. Dominican Republic against Venezula. I think I just saw Mick Foley in the crowd. Right above the Dominican dugout.