NintendoLogic

Personally, I don't really care for brawls that have too much wrestling. I like my brawling straight with no chaser. Your mileage may vary on that front. As for matches, I'd recommend El Hijo del Santo vs. Brazo de Oro from 1991. It's my second-favorite lucha brawl.

I would hope that today's government would have enough decency to not build a monument on sacred Indian ground. Besides, the right would insist that all four heads be Ronald Reagan.

Because he'd be arrested for murder?

Is there anyone who seriously thinks that Dave deserves a Pulitzer? The suggestion by that British guy was clearly tongue-in-cheek.

I think they figured that since Cesaro has an Italian name and a French theme, they needed to do something to represent Switzerland's other major language. That, or they're getting ready to change his name to Anton von Kaiser.

Where does the Tully Blanchard theory of managers come into play? It seems to me that by being so actively involved in the matches, Sherri was putting the heat on herself and not the guy she was managing.

Why do you think he was pushed as a main event star after '04 or so? I think it wasn't entirely due to his amateur background reassuring carnies, but I think it gave him a definite boost that wrestlers of comparable or even better value did not have. I think decision-makers in WWE and TNA genuinely thought he was a great worker who was consistently over. You may think that other wrestlers would have done as well or better in his position from a work and/or drawing standpoint, and you may be right. But it's not like promoters and bookers are infallible judges of quality. Very true. I would, however, argue that they are not arbitrary judges of quality. What do you think motivated their judgement? I distinctly remember a ton of fawning over his work in and around the industry from very early in his run and continuing well after he stopped having any demonstrated value beyond being a name guy. Where did that come from? Again, I'm not saying he did nothing to earn it on his own, but am I really supposed to believe that it was pure coincidence that the guy who got this treatment was an Olympic gold medalist, that that only served to "help him get his foot in the door"? It seems that the main point of contention is whether Angle ceased to have any demonstrated value beyond a certain point. I mean, it wasn't like he wrestled like Jimmy Valiant. You and I may not care for the go-go-go workrate style, but that viewpoint is a minority one among those in and around the industry. For the most part, people praising Angle's work also praised the work of similar workers like Manami Toyota. I think the main value of his Olympic background was to overcome the prejudice that his size would have otherwise engendered.

Why do you think he was pushed as a main event star after '04 or so? I think it wasn't entirely due to his amateur background reassuring carnies, but I think it gave him a definite boost that wrestlers of comparable or even better value did not have. I think decision-makers in WWE and TNA genuinely thought he was a great worker who was consistently over. You may think that other wrestlers would have done as well or better in his position from a work and/or drawing standpoint, and you may be right. But it's not like promoters and bookers are infallible judges of quality.

Larry Matysik, is that you?

That's funny. I also rewatched Hansen/Kobashi recently, and I liked it more than ever. A match I didn't like quite as much on recent viewing is Hokuto/Kandori. It's still one of my favorite matches, but it used to be in my all-time top 5. Now I don't know if it'd be in my top 10.

I think you're confused. Loss said... I said... No one is making the claim that athletic credentials alone lead to stardom. Loss claims the opposite, and I agree with him. I'm saying there are other reasons guys with legit athletic background appeal to wrestling promoters. You're extrapolating an argument I'm not making from my post. I never accused anyone of saying that athletic credentials alone lead to stardom. You said that Angle has been pushed and treated like a star because promoters are insecure and seek the validation his presence provides. I'm saying that his athletic background is a miniscule factor at best. It probably helped him get his foot in the door, but it's not the reason he's been a main eventer for over a decade.

Yeah, I rather doubt that Vince is all that intimidated by the prospect of the NFLPA causing trouble. Of the major player's unions, it has by far the worst track record in negotiations and the lowest levels of player solidarity. If wrestlers ever formed a union, it'd probably look a lot like the NFLPA.

I think the importance of Kurt Angle's athletic credentials is overblown. If he had the exact same amateur background and wrestled like, I don't know, Giant Baba, he wouldn't have become nearly as big a star.

He was also supposedly really high on Joe Hennig. Anyway, putting the US title on Ambrose is a good start. It's only a matter of time before he starts jobbing to Randy Orton and Sheamus every week and stops getting promo time.

Actually, Super Bowl quality has increased significantly in recent years. Virtually all of the past ten SBs have been exciting competitive games, with Colts/Bears being the only outright stinker of the bunch.

The Eddy/JBL strap match at the 2004 Bash had lights in the corners.

Yeah, now that his cover has been blown, he might as well go back to being RE. Changing his name isn't going to prevent everyone from piling on if he says something ridiculous.

It was on the WWE Anthology.

Sean O Mac?

If Youtube comments are any indication, every single World of Sport wrestler is a gay icon.

I've changed my 1987 pick to Choshu/Fujiwara, which has increasingly grown on me. I've developed such an appreciation for it, in fact, that I've added it to my list of 50 favorite matches. For those of you keeping track, feel free to check out the updated list in the other thread.

Where are the services involving weight benches?

He eluded detection for so long because he covered his tracks by spelling magic with a g.

This match is just chock-full of awesome moments. Here are a few that stood out to me when I rewatched it recently: -Taue repeatedly cheapshots Kawada off the apron to the point where it becomes a Family Guy-esque running gag. -Jumbo does an OH~! and then forces the audience to do it again after he decides they were insufficiently enthusiastic. -Misawa has Taue in an Indian deathlock, and the two come to blows, so Misawa says "OK, I've got something for your ass" and tags in Kawada. -Team Jumbo absolutely obliterates Kawada's neck during the Kawada-in-peril section, particularly with the spike piledriver. -Fuchi runs in to break up a Kawada half crab, but Kawada flips him off and tags out. -Fuchi returns the favor after taking out Kobashi's leg and then points to Kawada after another dropkick to the leg. -Kobashi reverses a Fuchi suplex and tries to tag out, but Fuchi desperately grabs his ankle and drags him back to the middle of the ring. Greatest hope spot of all time. -The ending, both for Taue getting his comeuppance and the callback to previous matches. Yeah, this match is awesome.

Is FLIK's character related to Big Ben Bader?