WingedEagle

I had the same experience while trying to access the site late afternoon/early evening.

My biggest reservation on the Shirai signing is how strongly they'll feature her given the incredible push Asuka received in recent years. While there's certainly no need for any streak or similarly killer gimmick, if she's given an opportunity to regularly deliver big matches rather than sparing TV opportunities I think she'll quickly prove herself among the best talents in the entire company. Fingers crossed.

Absolutely, wrestling should not ever be any point of contention in your personal relationships. My significant other isn't a fan and I don't try to change that, I respect that others I have in my life aren't gonna dig wrestling. Amen to that. I wish some of my friends were into it, but what can you do. I'm just happy the wife is cool with me watching as much as I do -- some spouses would complain about someone spending a fraction of the time watching that I do, so its a damn good thing we're comfortable doing our own thing at times

What's hockey?

Does anyone have any sense about the economics of a streaming service for a smaller company? Is it profitable, or even close to break even for the likes of BJW, DG, AJPW, Stardom, etc? Three of those are admittedly recent so I'm sure they're far from the point where numbers need to be justified, but I'm very curious if there's enough market share for this many subscription services to succeed.

Does anyone have a link to the Park angle?

Who is this person? Someone who says IWC and thinks everyone is being buried except Roman Reigns? Beats me. I just follow Benjamin Wittes, Walter Shaub, and Natasha Bertrand on twitter, no wrestling people. Wittes is a terrific follow. But yes, PWO. I always try to cull my Twitter follows but haven't done a very good job of it. Definitely need to make some cuts.

From what I saw UFC got less money, which was pretty surprising given expectations in recent months.

This is pretty important and I think deserving of quite a bit of credit. I haven't been a fan of much of the main roster creative over the last 18 months, but he built a model that grew to and could sustain business at this level while never letting creative fall to a point that it imperiled the business as a going concern.

Thanks, perhaps will check it out if some others this week don't seem interesting, but doesn't seem like I need to go out of my way.

Agreed, but its even more disappointing Dave has taken it up as some kind of marketing effort. I'm sure he knows better and that it makes him a tough follow for many, but this is apparently one one road he'll go down for purely quantitative purposes without regard for how he comes off.

Anything worthwhile on the '92 Rumble episode?

I am all about Italian food. Generally southern when out, northern at home. Went to Italy a few years ago and since then importing proper olive oil has been my big splurge. It is the greatest thing ever. Try to always eat healthy during the week and pay no mind to what I'm eating when out on a Saturday.

I developed a Diet Coke a day habit in law school (along with weed as needed -- but only when studying was finished), which became a Coke Zero a day, which has now became one Coke Classic per week. Love the red can action. Haven't smoked in years.

Oh, all big shows that go up on NJ World, and choice matches from your Road To and smaller shows. Never live because of time differences, but usually within a day or 2.

Raw and Smackdown every week. No kids yet, so if I'm home and unless there's a basketball game or something else on the longer side I want to watch, I'm usually able to get in at least an hour every day during the week. Less, or a lot more, on weekends depending upon weather and plans.

My issue with a run sheet identifying agents is that at most it tells you someone else that may be held responsible if things don't work out. It doesn't provide any understanding of the depth of an agent's involvement. Did the agent review what the wrestlers came up with and sign off on it? Suggest a finish or transition and fill in the gaps around that? Provide a match time and nothing more? I don't see any way to resolve that for matches in general, even if anecdotally we can piece together somewhat of a picture in very rare circumstances.

I was talking with a friend yesterday about how this was 8 years ago. It feels like just a few minutes, but that's practically a lifetime ago.

You don't think there's a huge difference of talent between a guy who's able to execute a script and a guy who's able to put his own match together or even call it in the ring ? There is but since we arent privy to the details of how matches are put together most of the time, I can only call what I see. Even if you know you're comparing Apples to Oranges if you're comparing a New Japan match vs. a WWE match based on one having no agent layout / input vs. one that you know does? Yes, doubly so when we don't have the knowledge of (1) an agent's impact on a given match, much less match to match, or (2) how management/talent may override of ignore the agent. Not to mention that the wrestlers are responsible for what they do in the ring.

I was a bigger fan of their match on the recent (latest?) WXW Shotgun. Quite a bit tighter and I thought they did a better job integrating and alternating holds and strikes.

Its taken way, way long to get there, but I'm out on Oedo Tai tags.* Both Kagetsu & Kimura are more than capable of delivering in singles outings but in a tag setting their matches become clown shows built around gimmicks and poor comedy that I suppose may be aimed at building heat. Done. *Any tags opposing Io Shirai are are of course exempt.

That segment with Nia, Charlotte and Rousey was horrific. Writing and delivery that make you cringe.

I think they just found it amusing that he had a painting of himself in his house, and from what I understand was wearing the same outfit in the interview. Haven't watched yet so I can't confirm, but that's what I recall.

If we're going multiman you can push this back a few years for Liger. Any ones in particular? Earliest Liger match to make the DVDVR NJ set was April '85 vs. Kosugi. While not one I'd rate as great, the Kosugi match was pretty damn good. Great, as in **** or better? I'd go there on these without question: Antonio Inoki & Keiichi Yamada vs. Nobuhiko Takada & Osamu Kido (2/5/86) 5 vs. 5 Gauntlet (5/1/86) -- Arguably not 1 match, but pick your poison on that debtae. Akira Nogami, Tatsutoshi Goto, Keiichi Yamada, Kantaro Hoshino & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi, Hiroshi Hase, Hiroshi Saito, Norio Honaga & Kensuke Sasaki (4/27/88) Tatsumi Fujinami, Keiichi Yamada, Shiro Koshinaka, Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kengo Kimura vs. Hiroshi Saito, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Super Strong Machine, Masa Saito & Riki Choshu (Elimination Match, 9/12/88)

If we're going multiman you can push this back a few years for Liger.