NintendoLogic

It never fails to amuse me how just about everything he said in this promo, which at the time was just delusional heel ranting, ended up being prophetic.

It started with the September 14, 2009 issue after the show was taped when he wrote the following about Davey Richards vs. Shingo Takagi: "These two were put in position to steal the show and from all accounts did. Several compared it with Undertaker vs. Michaels at WrestleMania. It’s hard to compare, as this was more innovative, but WWE style isn’t about being innovative. Tons of near falls. Correspondent Keith Lipinski called it the best match he’s seen live in three or four years and others talked of it as a probable top three placer for match of the year. Lots of match of the year talk and everyone said it was at least a must-see candidate. Richards ended up winning via submission with a Kimura. Reports were ****3/4" Here's what he wrote after the November 9, 2009 issue after the show aired on PPV: "While most liked Richards vs. Shingo, a longer match with more flashy moves, I preferred Danielson vs. Doi, which from a pure wrestling standpoint was as good as any match I’ve seen in the U.S. this year. Obviously the two guys don’t have the presence of Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, nor the setting, but when it came to just a smooth flow of moves as opposed to just kicking out of trademark spots, this match was superior."

The opening was a total gut punch, both because of his voice cracking and him saying he'd almost as soon never do another podcast again than have to do this. I think the best tribute to Eaton would be if this inspires him to let some grudges go. He doesn't have to start liking AEW, but he can agree to disagree while focusing on the history of the business and other things he enjoys. Life's too short be spend it consumed by the stuff you hate.

Looks like I called it and brother KawadaSmile's going to get the return to FCW-style developmental he's been yearning for. Be careful what you wish for, bubba. I will say that if it means an end to all the CrossFit bullshit they do at the PC that wrecks people's knees and shoulders, that'll be a step in the right direction.

It reminds me of what Beavis and Butt-Head said about The Jesus Lizard: "They suck, but they kick ass." That's Sid in a nutshell.

My best guess is that they'll keep a handful of veteran hands around to serve as player/coaches in NXT the Reborn since green talent can only learn so much working with each other. Otherwise, they might as well release Ciampa since he has said his neck can't handle the wear and tear of being on the road full-time and he's nowhere near the level of star that they'd give him a reduced schedule. By the way, FCW was even worse than NXT. That was the era of developmental being stocked almost entirely with bodybuilders and bikini models with a handful of second- and third-generation wrestlers thrown in, the vast majority of whom amounted to absolutely nothing. There's a good chance that's what NXT will revert back to with Johnny Ace back in charge of personnel. The only successful developmental program WWE ever had was early 2000s OVW.

Sid got over huge everywhere he went initially because his look and charisma gave him a larger-than-life aura (he's perhaps the ultimate airport test wrestler). But he'd lose steam rapidly once it became clear that the steak didn't match the sizzle. He would've been a legend in the territory era because he could bounce around as a special attraction and not stay anywhere long enough to wear out his welcome. Also, people mark out for tall guys with good bodies in person far more than they do watching on TV.

If we're defining trios as any 3 vs. 3 tag match and not just ones done under lucha rules, the early 90s Jumbo/Misawa six-mans (10/19/90 and 4/20/91 being the best of the bunch) lap the field to the point where matches from other promotions barely even merit consideration. Personally, I think lucha trios work much better in a live setting because there's usually so much going on simultaneously, particularly in the third fall, that it's impossible for the cameras to pick up on it all and I hate missing out on any of the action.

It's not all that shocking when taken in isolation (other than Mercedes being cut while recuperating from being concussed by a PC trainee, as has been noted). But this is what, the fourth round of mass releases due to "budget cuts" in the past five months? Think of the cumulative effect it has on the ones who are still around knowing the ax could fall at any time. If guys like Braun and Bray can get cut for budgetary reasons in the middle of record profits, no one is safe.

Richer until they decide to cut him too. It should be clear by now that WWE contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on, bubba. I suppose he could negotiate for a no-cut contract, but even then Vince could come up with a trumped-up reason to terminate the deal like he did with Oliver Luck.

Adam Cole is the stupidest man alive if he re-ups with this company.

This was already dealt with last year when Darby turned over some DMs to AEW that evidently cleared him to their satisfaction. I don't really know what can come of this when there's no new information provided. Also, publicizing a DM where someone reveals they were sexually assaulted is kind of shitty regardless of the truth of her allegations.

From the latest Observer running down the Summerslam card: That's never a good sign.

It also led to the only retake in the history of TBS studio wrestling when Cornette said Garvin's face "went up like the Challenger." Dusty summoned him to the control room and told him to do it again without talking about the Challenger. Anyway, the more things change...

His wife (who I didn't know was Bill Dundee's daughter until today) died a little over a month ago. He had been in poor health for some time, and that kind of heartbreak can be the last straw for someone in his condition. Terrible news all around.

Tons of "fake" pro wrestling moves have been done in real fights. Genki Sudo even did a giant swing in Pancrase.

In addition to the matches mentioned, I'm rather partial to the match against the Heavenly Bodies at Summerslam. The Fujinami/Iizuka match from Wrestlewar is worth checking out too, but that's more of a great spectacle due to the Steiners being even more reckless than usual. The Havoc Nasties match would be my #1 pick, though.

He directly referenced Hart's genitalia, which is even worse. He needs to face disciplinary action if he didn't clear that with her beforehand.

Someone should tell her that Bray is still with the company and the guy who got released was a crisis actor.

I normally roll my eyes when someone says "no really, he's SUPPOSED to suck," but isn't the fact that his raps are kind of cringey the whole point of his gimmick? He's trying to get heel heat, not win a rap battle or get a record deal. This is like being mad that Jeff Jarrett didn't really sing With My Baby Tonight.

It would probably be a good idea to keep Flair on a tight leash. If given a live mic and no script, he's liable to go off about making virgins bleed like he did on Raw in 2004.

It's kind of comical how much contempt WWE has for its audience. EDIT: It seems that this was a production snafu rather than a deliberate attempt at crowd sweetening. Still, "they don't really hate their fans, they're just stunningly incompetent" isn't much of a defense.

HHH has definitely been exposed by no longer having Dusty around (although his addiction to ladder matches is reminiscent of Dusty's addiction to cage matches). Part of it, of course, is ego. Look at the build to Cole/McAfee. It would have been more effective if McAfee had laid HHH out with a cheap shot and Cole wanted to avenge his mentor, but of course it was Cole who got laid out while HHH got to go on ESPN and issue a challenge on his son's behalf. Also remember that wrestlers who become promoters tend to be best at promoting guys similar to themselves, and there really aren't any HHH types in NXT. The closest they have is probably Karrion Kross, which likely explains why he's getting the rocket push. HHH won't deterred if Kross isn't over to the level of his push because he was in the same boat. I suspect his punishment for the MSG curtain call has taken an outsized role in his official narrative because it draws attention away from the fact that he failed to get over with push after push until Chyna and DX came along.

She's the Raw women's champion.

Brother @DMJ highlighted one of the major problems with the Fiend: there was no consistency to his power level. Sometimes he no-sold a million curb stomps, other times he worked evenly with Daniel Bryan or got squashed by Goldberg. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it beyond what the particular match called for. He was a walking deus ex machina whose very existence made a mockery of the idea of matches and programs having real consequences.