WingedEagle

Jumbo/Misawa 1 is a good call. Having heard tons about it before watching I expected something akin to 6/3/94 only with a more monumental finish, and instead it just came off as one of those "you had to be there" deals that was simply great but far short of anything all-time. Another great example of how expectations going into the match can really shape what you think.

Love it! Smack -- I absolutely hear you on Joe/Kobashi. When you break that match down and think about it, and look at what was put out having removed yourself from the moment, it doesn't add up to all that much. But you know what? When I first watched that match on DVD I was jumping off the couch and screaming and I still love it today. All I've got for you is a super badass and indy darling who I loved to watch in person in one corner, against the most charismatic guy I've seen come out of Japan in the other. That doesn't mean everyone loves it, but it still clicks for me, even if I can't argue with those who don't see the magic. Bret/Owen at Mania X was one of 2 others I considered starting things off with, but went with Steamboat/Savage because I thought this was superior on every front. Heat, execution, transitions, finish -- it wins across the board. Just doesn't measure up as an all timer for me.

We've all got opinions on what wrestling is great, good or poor. Some of us just happen to be right more than others. That being said, there's a pretty big consensus that certain matches are great for their time, promotion, or all-timers. I'm curious what widely praised match just never clicked with you, and whether you could identify why. Leading things off for me: Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage (Wrestlemania 3, 3/29/1987): Mania is this weekend so might as well start with one that is generally considered in the upper echelon of mania matches. This always comes across as a smartly constructed and executed match without any major flaws. You've got a hot feud, top domestic performers and arguably the biggest stage up to this point in time. But every time I've watched, this feels like a very good version of your "extended match in Raw hour #2." Outside of a couple flare ups, there's no heightened intensity to speak of. No high spots teased and worked towards throughout the match, and a finish that feels pretty pedestrian given the stakes and story. Its possible I might think higher of this if I was a fan at the time, following the feud then and accustomed to the NWA/WWF product that was available up to that point in 1987. On the other hand, I can probably name over 10 Steamboat matches from his '90s WCW run alone that I prefer to this which don't exactly fit the mold of modern WWE main event style, or anything from Japan over the last few decades that I love and have since consumed in copious amounts.

I am now incredibly excited heading into the show. Coming out of the Rumble I wasn't loving the direction a whole lot, but the booking angles in Bryan's storyline have been great and I'm pretty confident that giving him close to an hour spotlight on the big show (hoping/expecting the entire last hour, but you never know) is essentially a no-lose proposition. The ending of the show should also be a legit, happy moment. Its Mania. I love and watch wrestling all year. That entails a lot of complaining, what-iffing and monday morning QB'ing. Just like it does with my sports teams throughout the year. Some games during the regular season may feel big or exciting and trump anything in the playoffs, but this weekend is still your Super Bowl / NBA Finals, and unless I get crapped on I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it. I think the big 4 matches will all deliver, and frankly, as long the show closes with one dude smiling in the ring while 70,000 others chant along with him, there's not going to be much for me to pick at. For at least 24 hours.

I got progressively more optimistic with both the announcement and the launch. When you throw in factors like the rumors about how surprisingly well UFC is doing with Fight Pass, I'd say the latest Meltzer guess (that there's pretty much no way they'll be under 750K, and 850K is a more likely low end) sounds right to me. Anywhere from 850K to 1.25 million would not surprise me at all. That sounds pretty remarkable. My understanding from various readings was that initial expectations were significantly lower. Sounds like Monday will be a pretty big day.

Completely agree on that last point, as well as the ring entrance. Who (if anyone) gets to keep the gear, music and coming through the crowd? Not that it can't be overcome, but its all part of the package that makes the act special.

I've been wondering about the battle royal / undercard dynamic as well. They seem to have put just about every meaningful undercard performer in the royal, so absent double duty what's left other than some bathroom break matches?

On the ipad you can select to sort PPVs by a given year. Is that feature available on PS3? It looks like you have to select a PPV by name, and only then can sort by year, which is not all that helpful if you're looking to watch things chronologically.

Any recommendations for Haku/Meng matches? In the mood for some Samoan brutality.

I thought it was well established that the wedding was taking place in the spring and being filmed for the season finale of Total Divas. No reason they can't squeeze in some TV tapings around that and the honeymoon. They can also have him drop the belt at TV, Extreme Rules or anytime after Mania. Just can't crap the bed that night. Steph was too good last night. Overshadowed HHH on the mic to the point that all the heat seemed to be on her, but that's a minor complaint.

Yeah dude. I am legit smiling and giddy about the show now, after being embarrassed by how that started, but man did it build and deliver perfectly.

I am so looking forward to Mania now.

I think USA pressed them to add the 3rd hour, but USA also paid them to add the 3rd hour. I'd think at this point they're pretty comfortable with the extra coin that hour produces.

Help me out here. This, the aforementioned bash 92, etc - these are shown on the live stream as filler before the next scheduled program begins?

So I was in PR on vacation this week and took the opportunity to ask any and everyone there about PR wrestling. A couple cab drivers clearly had a lot to say about Colon, Hansen, Ayala and others, based on the names I could make out. Unfortunately they didn't speak much English and I speak no Spanish so there were no stories to be shared. A few of the people who worked by the pool seemed familiar with names but clearly weren't big fans. Maybe next time if I make it back.

Foley couldn't pull it off?

But how often up to 6/92 was a singles match involving the world champion not the main placement? Solely as far as what was pushed to sell the show, card placement posters/video boxes aside. Not suggesting it didn't happen because I haven't looked back at all but I can't recall instances where another match took the spotlight from the champ.

I haven't watched the TV leading up to it in almost 22 years, but I thought Sting/Cactus was the main event. Weren't we still at the point where the world title match was always top dog if it was on the line?

I was away on vacation this week so just caught Raw this afternoon, which other than catching up on PWO has definitely been the highlight of the day. If they're not adding a stip to get Bryan into the title match they've got me fooled, as he seemed way too involved with Batista & Orton just to split them up again and go heel/heel at the big show . I also won't buy a Wrestlemania title match without a babyface until I see it. As unenthused as I was i initially for Cena/Wyatt, the recent 6 mans and promos have me looking forward to the match. Only concern is I don't see how Cena loses there, and don't see how a Cena win does anything for anybody unless Bray gets the title shortly after Mania, which certainly isn't happening.

I always thought Kobashi could get over with his size, charisma and fire, speaking be damned. I know they'll never give someone who can't speak the opportunity to establish themselves at a meaningful level. I also generally don't blame them for it, but think the right guy with the right mouthpiece could very well get over. Okada may have a chance with his size. As much as I love Nakamura, I think he's a bit too lanky to overcome the language issue, and I'm not sure Tanahashi's act / charisma would go over quite as well here.

lol pretty easy to get caught up in the moment at times. What'd you think about Brock/Punk? Watching the show live that night I thought both matches were in the ****1/2 range, but having rewatched them I thought Cena/Bryan was a bit better than the first watch, while Brock/Punk was a bit worse.

No doubt Batista's going heel now.

Got back in to see Neville grab the belt. That was pretty disappointing.

I've logged out of PSN, WWE app, restarted the PS3, not sure what else is let to reboot.

Yeah going on 20 minutes of problems here now. I give up.