Badlittlekitten

TNA lost their TV deal?! *fingers furiously crossed*

I've been catching up with all the highly pimped matches of the tournament so far, there's been a lot of fun but nothing MOTY worthy. Is it fair to rate AJ Styles as MVP of the tourney so far? His matches have either been one of the best or THE best of the day and they've all had a different feel to them. AJ/Yano might actually be my favourite match so far (after I've erased that embarrassing phantom baseball slide from memory.) I hear he's had a lukewarm reception since joining the roster but he crowds seem to be getting into his shit. Maybe this tournament can turn it around.

Flair is my favourite wrestler of all time but this line cracked me up anyway. I have no problem with people saying Flair's formula is too formulaic. I can see it. That's why I love him.

If somebody is annoyed by the flop to the point of hating it I don't think they'll ever get past it. For me it's the greatest bump in wrestling history. I could watch it a thousand times and I'd still chuckle. In fact, I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G-Cv_HjSmw

With this, the reaction shows, and WC and WTBBP active again it feels like we're in a podcast golden age. The only thing I massively disagree with is Will's hatred of the Miz. He's pretty damn fun as the delusional Hollywood asshole, that bit on Smackdown with his parents was hilarious. This Int title feud with Ziggler is about the best use of them in ages. When's part two a comin? EDIT, I fucking LOOOVE the Ryback> Rusev idea by the way. I'm gonna be pissed with Dylan when it doesn't happen.

Cesaro and Ambrose will do better but the Smackdown match was good for what it was. The superplex and Dean's resulting bump was the highlight. I didn't really think much of ADR vs Reigns. Reigns is a guy that obviously has a lot of natural charisma, yet the more I see the more vanilla he feels. He's pushed as a powerhouse but he isn't particularly big or powerful. The apron dropkick is a cool idea at first but it's silly when you see it every match. I not a fan of his look either; the vest is too tag team, the trousers ugly, and the hair needs a cuttin'. I like him but he's a major work in progress.

It might work. With a great angle, inspired promotion and a nice new t-shirt (think nwo) it could take off. Even as a heel they could make money of his merch if they played it right. The tricky part is babyface opposition. I'd imagine that Cena would crush Reigns like a grape in a microphone duel. Bryan has in ring ability on his side but we don't know if he'll ever be back. As much as I love Sheamus he just isn't a top guy. Ambrose is ma boy, but I just don't see WWE pushing him to that level, at least as a face. As good as he is I can't help feeling that his true calling is as a heel/anti-hero. Actually, Ambrose the anti-hero is a good option. But Ryback is my plan A. Will people still buy into re-push of The Big Guy? Ryback rules.

They should change the rules then. Or at least work out how to work a match without them tedious shitty forearms. It's boring rubbish. It wasn't a Gallows carry job. That's what I said! I watched Styles vs Okada after all the hype and I enjoyed it. Good not great. I haven't seen enough AJ to say it was his best performance but he's certainly working at a sexier cooler pace. There was a nice sense of escalation to the match and it was crisp as always. He really needs to sort out that hair of his though. Okada was Okada. He's fine but his offence looks daft and contrived. There's something about his body language that rubs me up the wrong way. It just looks like he's oh so bored of this wrestling nonsense and wants get down the pub for a pint ASAP, or get the perfect photo opportunity, or get his dick sucked, or whatever. I don't believe in him. He's more phony than Randy Orton. Not being a regular NJ viewer the ref bump amused me like they always do. Poor old refs! Those plucky polystyrene men. I can imagine how annoying these Bullet Club spots must be to fans, but boy! Did Takahashi get a lot of heat! And we got a happy ending. 3 and 3/4 stars if you're into that sorta thing.

I wish these forearm pervs would take a look at Gallows and learn the art of PUNCH! I tried watching day 1. Enjoyed the opening two matches oddly enough. Ishii is awesome and it was cool seeing him try to chop down the giant Fale. I felt bad for the poor egg when he was left stumbling to the back in agony . The novelty of watching Gallows in Japan for the first time was enough for Doc/Benjamin to be of interest, and to be fair it wasn't a complete Doc carry job. Suzuki's a don but it feels like I've seen his Yano match a hundred times. I lost interest after that. The rosters massively weak and stale at the moment. Half these guys I have no interest in. There's also something very hollow about the presentation and gimmickry. Skipped forward to Honma/Tanahashi which was disappointing. Gave up when Nak/Shibata started no selling germans. I really enjoyed last years tourney. Did this catch me in the wrong mood or is this roster as stale as it feels it is?

I honestly find it insane that anyone could watch WWE and come away saying that Ambrose - or anybody right now - is more over than John Cena. Even with his reactions being relatively subdued recently it's not even close. Russellmaniac, you still appear to be watching the wrong channel. Turn it over and you'll hear the big 'Roman Reigns!' chants he always gets. But I agree with the majority of cmfunks post in regards to his push. I don't think it'll be as close as a photo finish but it's not nailed on either.

Give him a slap from me.

Billy Corgan. The biggest celebrity mark of them all. Lyrics possibly inspired by Raven.

Actually, Stephanie might be the most over person in the company.

Reigns is more over. Cena is. Ziggler could be argued either way. Uso's are close.

One positive thing I can say about WWE at the moment is that, for whatever reason, the crowds have been pretty hot the last couple of months. I still find the 'Ambrose is the most over guy in the company' internet myth a bit puzzling. Bit of a shame they're wasting their best act on Divas rubbish (Steph).

The highlight on an otherwise skippable Smackdown was the Sheamus/Dolph vs Fandango/Miz match, just for the Sheamus on the apron lifts his boot onto the top rope for his partner to smash their opponents head against it spot. I did a little mark out for that. When was the last time somebody did that? Does it happen all the time and I just overlook it? Later, I was expecting a fake hot tag spot with the ref ushering out the fired up babyface after not seeing his tag.

GUESS WHO MUSIC THIS IS BACKWARD!?!

Batisita and Jeff Hardy. Ryback should have been the man the last couple of years.

Good list. The All Japan six man might have the edge on Savage/Warrior at the top for me otherwise fairly similar. I imagine I'm the only one that has Luger/Simmons in my top ten for the year.

I always get pulled out of it when Cole says so and so is "having his way" with someone, which means something quite different where I live.

Er . . something different to you obviously! Reigns got an entire arena on their feet by looking across the ring at Rusev. He gets a louder entrance pop and the Superman Punch and the Spear get bigger pops than any other move in the company. The crowd were even chanting 'this is awesome' as he was staring at HHH last week! Ambrose is fairly over and the crowd are into the Rollins beatdowns but all his matches get crickets.

The MITB reaction was a one off pop for a well built hot angle. Reigns is more over on a consistent basis. In fact it's not even close.

I'm a massive Ambrose fan but I don't get this. What makes you think the audience wants Ambrose over Reigns?

Hero's look has been awful his entire career. Mudorch looks like a sleazy, rugged redneck that would happily gouge your eyes out in a bar fight. Hero looks like a fat internet nerd that's on the wrong side of the barricade. He's shocking.