NintendoLogic

Austin as the best wrestler in the US in 1993 and 1994 feels like a stretch. I'm not even sure he was the best worker in the Hollywood Blondes. I will go to bat for him as potentially best in the world in 2001, although a big part of that is lack of strong competition. I don't really know what Mexico was like that year, but Japan was pretty atrocious for the most part. In the US, WCW and ECW going under left a void that wouldn't be filled until TNA and ROH started up, so the scene outside of the WWF was pretty dead. Within the WWF, potential contenders like Benoit and HHH (yeah, I know) were injured most of the year. I can't think of any other obvious candidates off the top of my head.

I can't say I've ever viewed Big E as anything close to a world champion-level talent, but I hope he does well since he's a great guy who seems universally beloved by his peers. One important thing he has over Kofi is a sense of danger where you get the feeling he could snap and destroy someone if pushed too far. The follow-up will be key because the beginning wasn't terribly auspicious. Cashing in on a guy who just wrestled a title match is a heel move any way you slice it. Also, the MNF game ended up being a barnburner, and I'm worried he'll end up as the scapegoat if Raw's ratings take a hit. By the way, it needs to be said: BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPING MEAT matches are usually pretty boring. Big guys almost always have much better matches with smaller opponents.

This is one guy I hope AEW doesn't pick up. The last thing they need is some "look at my hands why am I so violent" horseshit.

One of WWE's production trucks outside of TD Garden yesterday:

Speaking of Baba's booking, he always had guys returning from injury layoffs lose their first match back. The idea was that someone who's been out of action for an extended length of time shouldn't be able to hang with top guys who are in ring shape. It also set them up for revenge once they worked off the rust. Bryan hasn't been injured, but the principle remains the same. He's been sitting at home the past five months, so he shouldn't be able to walk in and beat the world champion in his first attempt. The first Omega/Danielson match has to be for the title, and Omega has to go over by hook or by crook. AEW is a young company, so they need to use their stars to get their belts over before they can use the belts to make stars. Bryan and Kenny meeting for the first time will by far be the biggest deal on whatever show it takes place on. It'd be a disaster for Hangman to win the title only to be immediately overshadowed by a non-title feud. Omega already lost the Impact title to Christian, and giving Danielson a cup of coffee with the AEW title would only further take the edge off Page's coronation. A DQ or countout finish would absolutely, 100% guaranteed, draw the wrong kind of heat with the AEW fanbase. They might be able to get away with a time-limit draw, but I wouldn't risk it.

MJF is pretty much always in character, and he knows that palling around with Corbin is the ultimate heel move to AEW's fanbase.

Isn't Allie Katch the one who stabbed a guy in GCW? Yeah, I think I'll pass.

It didn't help that Gargano and Ciampa looked like children standing next to Sheamus and Cesaro.

I wasn't aware that Cage was a legit chud. I read an interview where he implied that the Team Trump stuff in AAA was a work. Anyway, they utilized him about as well as they could when they programmed him with the world champion and then the TNT champion right off the bat. He's kind of like Sid in that he blows people away when they first see him but wears out his welcome in a hurry. He can't be a face for any length of time because he looks like a douchebag and has zero charisma, and he doesn't have the promo ability to be a top heel. His realistic ceiling in a major league promotion is #3 guy in a heel stable.

Speaking of 9/11: It should come as no surprise that Stephanie's infamous comments are completely no-sold, but I'm more troubled by the whitewashing of Bradshaw's comments essentially calling for genocide.

I'm a bit puzzled by the vitriol Nattie inspires in some quarters. She seems like a pleasant person, she's a perfectly acceptable in-ring technician, and she hasn't received a serious push in ages (let's be real, the women's tag titles became jokes once the IIconics won them).

Trish eventually developed into an excellent actress by pro wrestling standards. If you compare what she became to what she was like when she started in 2000, it's like night and day. It certainly puts the lie to the notion that charisma can't be taught.

Look, as terrible as 9/11 was for Zelina, that's no reason to subject us to a wrestling match involving her. Especially since she's a heel. If anything, putting someone whose father died in the Twin Towers in a position to be booed seems even more ill-advised.

Honestly, the PC wasn't even a success at producing wrestlers for NXT. After all, how many NXT stars got their start there? It just feels like Hunter became enamored of the Power Plant model of training for some reason and refused to change course even in the overwhelming face of lack of results.

The only pro-shot match I'm aware of is a six-man with Hansen and Eric Embry vs. Jumbo/Taue/Mighty Inoue. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=729425317828327

You say that as if it would be a bad thing.

Yeah, the bigger issue with Tessa is likely her habit of burning bridges wherever she goes. Being a terrible person doesn't make someone unemployable at a major-league level by itself, but being a head case on top of that is a kiss of death no matter how talented you are. See also, Low Ki and Austin Aries.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear...bro.

I'd caution against reading too much into that Soho/Hayter quarter. I'm sure a big part of it was viewers, especially female ones, switching over from Real Housewives and Challenge.

Dave also said that it should double or come close to doubling ECW's biggest number (Heat Wave 1999, which did 99k buys).

You are aware that Tamura also wrestled exclusively shoot-style, right? After all, he quit UWFi rather than participate in the New Japan feud.

Why would he do that? The Codyverse exists in its own dimension completely disconnected from AEW as a whole.

Genetic heart issues are far more likely to surface in people who spend most of their adult lives carrying too much muscle mass for their frames. Best wishes on a speedy recovery and hopefully this serves as a wakeup call for him to drop some weight.

Lenny Leonard said that when ROH went to PPV in 2008, Europe wanted something like 50k per show for the rights to The Final Countdown.

I always had the impression that Jericho was largely viewed as a peer to guys like Benoit and Guerrero when they were all in their primes. A lot of fans bought into the Calgary mystique and figured anyone who trained there had to be a world-class technical wrestler. He also had the world traveler thing going for him.