WingedEagle

Actually looking it over, much of '03 is pretty forgettable. Nash-HHH in a Cell did a buyrate with the Cell + Foley, then you have Goldberg's wasted push, the bad Taker/Brock match, just a really, really down year.

Easily the wrestler who surprised me the most when watching the 80s AJ set. You know what you're getting from Jumbo, Tenryu, Hansen, Choshu, even Baba. But I had no idea Yatsu would more than hold his own in tags with all of those bigger names basically through the end of the decade.

Wow, a Caro biography on Vince or any territory, anything wrestling related would be mind blowing.

I definitely agree if the plan to rehab him is a long term one, especially if it includes a heel run. Where I'd raise an eyebrow is if that plan is to heat him up again in time for Mania 32 as he's not going to get over with a Bryan type of charisma but would rather need a bump to reestablish him at a higher level. Something more than a video package about his travails since Mania and assuming the underdog mantle at Rumble.

That is such an awful, terrible buzzkill. And likely.

The thing is: every single thing you're listing, from the lack of legally-available tapes to the lack of foreign wrestling on television to the language barrier to being in a bubble: all that stuff applies just as well to American wrestlers watching Japanese stuff. Yet clearly they managed to do exactly that, a lot. "Watching Japanese tapes" was the most popular thing for young wrestlers in the late 90s to do together. Why would it work so differently in the other direction? Because Japan didn't have dirt sheets. Instead, there were weekly magazines and coverage in the sports tabloids. And there wasn't a taping trading culture. People were wary of the legal aspects of it, and it was really only collectors who participated in it. And as I said, young wrestlers typically dormed together and followed a fairly rigorous regime. In the tape trading era, Japanese workers were always surprised that foreigners had seen their matches because tape trading wasn't a thing in Japan, and Japanese people in general always assume nobody knows a thing about Japanese entertainment outside of Japan. I always had the impression that Weekly Pro and Gong were MUCH bigger deals in Japan than PWI or any similar publications here. Is that correct? They definitely featured American wrestling at a level not even remotely comparable to how puro is/was covered stateside.

Both of these, please & thanks. It is absolutely criminal that Howard Finkel is only 65, still employed by WWE, still has the voice, and doesn't announce matches at least once a year. I absolutely agree with this. Somehow, although it doesn't make it any better, the fact that Vince keeps himself off of TV at this point for the same reason almost makes it a bit easier to stomach.

I think this is the answer for a lot of wrestlers. Its also not like a sport where they actually have to worry about winning the next day and thus no coaches or need to scout film. When they punch out they want to go home, hit the bars, do whatever. They're just not all fans seeking out more than what else is on the monitor backstage, if that. No wrong or right to it but many of us are probably bigger fans than a lot of wrestlers.

I have no idea what kind of reach PWI has these days or at any point over the last 15 years or so, but if its anything like when I was younger, hopefully some kids see this and then take to the computer to look up some unfamiliar names. Beyond that its a kayfabe mag (still is, right?) and should serve that market as best it can.

That would be great.

Parv, thanks for saving me the trouble of listening to this. Flair's podcast has been gold so far (well maybe a silver or bronze on Pritchard) but happy to allocate those minutes elsewhere.

That's a prett deep and interestinf lineup. Looking forward to it.

The other thing I'd add that I like about people expounding in such detail about what they like is eventually you figure out who likes the same things you do and can use them as great resources for matches and wrestlers to check out. The opposite also holds true and can help keep you an efficient viewer.

It may not be he answer you're lookong for, but if you're enkoyong what you watch and keep coming back or trying out new stuff Ben after seeing something you don't enjoy then you're doing it right.

Color commentator Kevin Steen. Bordering on go mute heat.

I'm not enjoying these review b/c this mf'er has now given me motivation to rewatch a few matches when I'm supposed to be on a PWG & 80s Japan kick

Now...if he could figure out how to actually draw, he'd be the complete package. Environmental.

...no, I really don't see the sense in that, at all. Why would you want to pay money just to "play along", rather than express your genuine feelings? And all these theories ignore the fact that Cena gets VASTLY different reactions in different places and times. If "it's cool to boo Cena, it's just part of the show" were truly the root cause, then you'd get a much more consistent treatment of him, instead of the heavily polarized response he inspires from various crowds. If people's genuine feelings were contempt or even worse apathy of Cena then business should crater with him constantly featured. They'd presumably not pay for that.

Because of the business he produces relative to everyone else on the roster. If they really, truly thought this guy was the shits and couldn't stand him I would think business would reflect that.

Do people anywhere really hate Cena? For quite a while its felt like booing him is just what you do at the live shows. But what kind of heat is there for him beyond an otherwise apparently pavlovian response?

Did LU always want Ricochet to come in under the mask with that gimmick? I thought I recalled seeing that it was part of a compromise that would let him work elsewhere without having to do so as LU talent, but could absolutely be imagining that. On another front, did Brian Cage ever get a serious look from WWE? He obviously has the body despite being perhaps a tad shorter than they'd want. While he won't make anyone's short list for best workers in the world, I've yet to see a match of his in LU or PWG that isn't at least fun and entertaining. Pretty limited selling although I'm not sure how much he's been asked to do there, but he always keeps things interesting. Almost like an indy-monster/heavyweight version of the Young Bucks.

I don't think he or anyone is suggesting 4.5 is near perfect. You just need a way to mark something better than your standard very good 4 star affair from a 5, which is rightfully used so sparingly that it is well beyond comparison to a 4.5.

Yeah I remember being more amped for this match than anything at the time other than Sting/Hogan. Could not wait for this up until the bell. And then of course it didn't approach the build or the expectations. Not that it was in any way terrible, but kind of like expecting Peter Luger's and ending up at Outback. You're having a solid meal only you can't help but think about what you thought you'd be eating. The booking here coming just a few weeks after Mania also didn't help. Do we know if that was the working plan for a while or a late call?

I think the first Cena match is at worst Top 3 in the company. The second and third iterations absolutely don't hold up on that level as they really didn't add anything new to the meat or booking of the matches, but were still very good, four star affairs in my book. I also really liked the Balor title change in Japan and thought he put him over very effectively. Beyond that, I haven't found the rest of his run to be much better than your standard 3-3.5 star, solidly long Raw match. Easily behind Cena, Brock, Rollins and Reigns when it comes to top level matches this year and probably Cesaro and another name or 2 I'm forgetting with respect to volume. Perhaps somewhat unfairly penalized by how blazingly hot those first few weeks were leading to and coming off of the first Cena match, but I haven't been blown away by anything since that time.

No. Looking at all of the Misawa & Kobashi/Akiyama vs. Kawada & Taue tags, the only ones that ever felt remotely long were when they went a full 60. Tag league finals, 6/1/93, 5/21/94, 6/9/95, none of those feel like anything approaching a chore. Just the best in class from that or many other eras. No doubt they are not short and if you want 20-25 minutes these matches will usually not be your sweet spot. But I can't think of many matches that length that are so gripping the whole way.