WingedEagle

Many will not agree with me. Hell, if I put in the time and watch a bunch of classics I've seen and since forgotten I may not agree. But right now Park vs. Wagner is the singular match I would recommend to someone looking to taste lucha.

I always thought this looked awesome but never got around to buying it. Are there any photos of pages within the book? Curious just how everything is laid out.

Only thing I'd caution about Hansen's book is that it was much lighter on four corners AJ than I would've hoped. I expected a lot more there but it was still a fun read and not I was sure as hell glad to get my hands on autographed copy.

Have to tip the cap to Hokuto/Kandori. There may have been worse, but I'd be lying if the female factor didn't make it a whole lot more gory.

Now Lakers fans have it rough? You kids are spoiled

Somehow just got around to checking out this thread. Really great stuff. Can't thank you enough, OJ.

I wish I had more time for wrestling. Lots more. There are 3.25 yearbooks from some great executive producers I still need to work through. There are 80s sets. There's the WWEN. There's trying to keep up with current Japan. Then there's football Sundays in the fall, basketball, which I can forgo on many regular season nights but not so much in the playoffs. There are weekends in the summer when the wife likes to get out of the city and I can sometimes sneak in 30-60 minutes of rasslin before going to dinner. There's time reading the paper, books, news, etc. There's time with the wife/friends/family. There's WORK. I love wrestling. I want more. Much more. But so little time.

Same here, I barely skim the Observer recaps at this point. More than enough.

I could definitely see this as well, but man, Ambrose as a babyface has been such a revelation. I pegged him as a natural heel but he's been such an incredible baby who takes amazing beatings with well worked comebacks that I don't want him turning.

Nope. Not only do I think he's a good talker, I think he's leaps and bounds better than Wyatt. Bray feels like a vignette that's been done to death at this point. He also doesn't come across as particularly menacing or sudden in the ring. Its a shame Harper isn't the focal point of the act because I think there's a lot more potential with him in the lead role. Wyatt's so over the top it just feels like a 2014 version of something out of the TL Hopper / Goon / Waylon Mercy character era.

Really great point. Hadn't thought of it myself but it is absolutely spot on. They're always operating at the same level with the same urgency.

Arn really shined in tags, multiman and War Games. Always a solid hand in singles but his resume was written in plural scenarios.

Damn. I had to work during most of Cena/Wyatt so looks like I'll be rewatching that on Tuesday.

From WWE? No, but they'll let outside counsel bill a few hours until they go away.

What about publically building the expectations of how the Network is going to do on a study that said there are 100 Mio. (or whatever it was) wrestling fans in the US? There's a difference between fraud and being full of shit. I don't think Vince & Co. were full of shit. They were delusional. They were full of shit. Not as far as securities law is concerned. You and I and everyone here understands why those DYK numbers thrown out on TV are nonsense. But they're also all likely supported and documented well beyond any threshold rising to fraud. These shareholder suits are a lot more frivolous. That's not on the WWE front, but in general. Unless you're talking about SH litigation challenging as an example an M&A valuation or a situation where there's a legit smoking gun where material info is completely fraudulent, these things are just a cash grab.

Vince & co. control enough of the stock that absent fraud, which there is no legitimate evidence of to this point, this is all just a cash grab by opportunistic third parties. Shareholder litigation is big business. They churn these things out like widgets, collect their fees and move onto the next one. There's a lot of noise because of the stock's rapid rise & fall. But last I checked its higher right now than it was a year ago. Hopefully folks in Stamford and their counsel take a deep breath and stay the course.

I surprisingly enjoyed the non-wrestling part as well. Austin is just such an easy listen and really facilitates great conversation no matter the guest or subject matter.

Am I supposed to feel bad for someone making 30 grand a year now? I know it's not being rich , but it's not exactly being poor. Yes, if they're working hard for it and don't have other options. I don't know where that qualifies as a comfortable living.

Woke up at 430, ran a PR in the Brooklyn half and just completed an epic nap. Time to pregame a bit and hopefully eat a BOMA YE tonight!

Man...that stock today.

I'll be there as well, with a friend who's probably watched 2 hours of wrestling total in his life. I have to be up ridiculously early on Saturday for the Brooklyn half marathon and there will likely be a few drinks after that, so we're going to need a power nap to get us to the evening. But I am STOKED to see the New Japan crew and hopefully grab some cool merch if they've got anything unique available. Really hope they put Okada in a showcase match and don't have it be something quick in the mid-card.

I always liked Summerslam '98, Rumble 2000, Mania 20, the Batista HIAC, Austin at No Way Out, Backlash & Judgment Day 2000.

No question, when the head count disparity is that wide it speaks volumes as to how little wrestling fans are valued as eyeballs. That same disparity can also explain some of the difference in deal packages, but that multiple probably doesn't explain the difference entirely. I'm sure the type of profile they're looking to keep for the network and ad packages as a whole is a huge factor as well and limits what they'll pay for "low rent" programming.

How do MLS ad rates compare with WWE's?