MoS

This match is a bit sloppy and repetitive/plodding, but both Page and Starks are really talented and Hangman is over enough that as long as he does some good power spots, it doesn't really matter. Plus, known main event star and ratings mega-draw HOOK is at ringside

Hopefully AEW's hot streak of shows lasts longer than the SUPER LEAGUE did

I wish Bret had done more brawls. It's weird cuz he was always pushed as a master technician, but I found his matwork solid but not spectacular, and often unengaging. On the other hand, he had excellent, crisp strikes, and when you would crack him and get the fire inside him to come out, that was Bret at his best imo. He was always a better brawler than a technician

Ngl though, FIFA, UEFA and all the domestic leagues pulling a Vince McMahon in the 90s and acting like they are the mom-and-pop stores that represent working class, blue-collar fans and who are being robbed by Big Corporation is unqualifiedly hilarious

I am not keeping up with all the business reports of New Japan, but apparently, they drew just 300 in Korakuen, and got outdrawn heavily in that building by DDT and a bunch of other indies like TJPW. I get all the external reasons but this is still terrible news for New Japan and further proof that perhaps Gedo's booking style has jumped the shark

I vaguely remember reading a few months back about this A&E doc series that would start its run with an Austin doc - didn't realise it's already here. Is this series WWE-afiliated or will they actually approach taboo topics for their subjects?

While I understand and largely agree with this point, wouldn't it be fairer to say that this is truer until 1985 or so? I have watched whatever there is of 1970s heel Flair, and he seemed like the protoype of the Naitchurr Boy we all know and love. Then the subsequent face run and the JCP face Flair is a soft-spoken but intense, focused territory ace. Flash forward to NWA World Champ Flair, and as @Loss has said before, one of the biggest appeals of 1981-85 World Champ Flair was that he seemed to be above the usual face-heel divide. Depending on the storyline, he could be cocky, he could beg off, he could be an intense asskicker, a dignified world champ, etc. He finally turns full-fledged heel in late 1985 and becomes the ultimate evolution and iteration of the Nature Boy. He remains that way, in my opinion, really, for the rest of his career. After that, even when he was face, like against Funk, and in his 90s runs, he was still basically the Nature Boy. He was still hyper, he was still screaming like a maniac all the time, he was still punching his own forehead until he started bleeding, etc, he would just do it to other heels instead. I think that monotony is also reflected in how he worked after 1986, even though his work as a face had some obvious differences. It's an extension of the point Loss made about how Flair did not realise that the heel NWA world champion trope was outdated by 1986. Flair is amazing as a heel, of course, and after turning heel in 1985, drew a boatload of money against Dusty, Morton, Luger, etc, but it must be said that when the turn happened, he lost a part of what made him truly special. That character complexity, the presence of different personalities in the same gimmick, the ability to work against both faces and heels, etc. He remained excellent, of course, but in many ways became just another top guy, while it was Dusty who was booked to be the centerpiece of the promotion.

You don't really think of Cesaro as a big guy but when he came face to face with Roman, it was striking just how much taller he was

What also helps Hansen is that brawling is an evergreen wrestling style. Other styles age and evolve, but brawling since the beginning has been pretty much perfect for wrestling.

Is she really an impressive athlete? She isn't bad but I have never found her athleticism impressive

Same here. I honestly thought he was the best wrestler in the world last year. His promo work and character work are stronger than his in-ring work, but his in-ring work is really good too, I like how his matches escalate naturally, and I love how he sets up multiple finishes, something which is a huge weakness in modern wrestling. He was not even an afterthought for me last time and this time, depending on how the next five years turn out, his ceiling is quite high

The colours don't look compatible at all to me. Looks like a mess honestly

The Bucks being established as full-blown heels in the first 5 minutes of the show probably helped. No more conflicting emotions, staring at hands, reluctant tweener bullshit. This was a refreshing development and it is nice to finally have a promotion that actively listens to fans

LMAO

Yeah same here. I thought the match started great, devolved into overbooked convoluted bullshit involving a 65 year old playing a justice-doling cowboy, became plodding with weak contrived spots in the middle, and I thought they were going to lose me. But it kicked up several notches in the last part, had a great conclusion and a legitimate holy shit finish. A much better episode of Dynamite than last week's. Might actually be the best in several weeks now. Looks like they are building Mox and King to take the tag titles off the Young Bucks

I just saw an ad with Ice Cube and Stone Cold talking to Mr. T about laundry detergent and I am super disoriented

I really like Statlander, and she seems to have come back from injury like she hasn't missed a step

Yeah I absolutely definitely like the character they showed tonight. Now if they would just stop talking about having matches of the year, I'll be golden. That's right out of Shawn's playbook

Agreed. Jade also has excellent presence. Just please have a manager cut her promos. Jericho is still wrestling kind of like a heel, although I get this is a blood feud

Tyson is wearing pink shorts....

I usually watch with a friend, but he can't watch tonight cuz he is at the hospital with his wife of 10 years, who is giving birth to a baby. Feels like when this match had begun, he was getting married to her. That finish was great though, and an excellent way of establishing the Bucks as the dickish heel champs

So if we are just pretending that the OMG WE'RE EMOTIONAL thing didn't happen with Matt last week, I am fine with it. Sometimes retcons are good

First Dynamite of the post-War era. Let's see what the new normal is.

Oh yeah sorry, my bad