C.S.

This was tough to watch, as expected. Hopefully now Martha Hart will stop being vilified by idiotic wrestling fans, as she, Oje, and Athena handled themselves with such grace and class, and were 100% in the right. The Hart Family came across, both then and now, as completely dysfunctional and stuck in the wrestling bubble. Vince McMahon (in archival footage) was operating right out of the Trump playbook when he chided a reporter on his "tone" and "sarcasm." I wonder if he learned that from Trump or vice versa. This was mentioned on the show, and it's something I've rarely seen brought up. There were thankfully no keystone kops as talking heads though. After the Snuka episode, I'm glad, because that likely would've been frustrating to watch. It seems pretty clear that Martha basically had to do her own investigation. I read Martha Hart's book years ago, and it's probably still the saddest book I've ever read.

Honest to God: I enjoyed Carmella's brief reign and Alexa's push more than Charlotte's entire run. I don't even hate Charlotte - she's obviously a very talented wrestler and has good (albeit sometimes overrated) matches - but her "Evolved" Naitch character has never, ever clicked with me (especially as a babyface, where she's a lost cause).

A great but heartbreaking read about Shad Gaspard. https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/29194379/wwe-shad-gaspard-man-supposed-be

I think the problem with Charlotte - like Sheamus and Orton before her - is that she's accomplished everything already. That's why those two felt so stale well before their time (well, that among other reasons in Orton's case), and why she feels stale now.

I hope you don't mean me, because I was definitely counting his major NJPW run and said he was a major star in Japan. That's about as far away from WWE as it gets. There is obviously a massive difference between how he was presented there and how he's being presented now. I probably went too far comparing him to Marko Stunt and Orange Cassidy. In terms of card placement, no - Kenny is obviously higher than them. In terms of Kenny's present midcard-style goofiness, it's closer than he and his fans would like to admit IMO. That feels like a really low bar to me though. Okay, he sold out a few places in the U.S., but that won't last forever if he keeps being presented as such a goof. If WWE used Kenny this way, everyone would be crying bloody murder. I understand wanting to put others over. I understand not making "Da Business" the be-all and end-all. I understand having that sweet EVP gig gives Kenny more security. All of that is great for him, and I'm happy for him. But as a fan, I surely can't be the only one disappointed that Kenny's star aura seems to have mostly evaporated in AEW, and a lot of that is because he's not presented as a top guy. With that said, I have more faith in AEW to ultimately course-correct - and I do think they will. But until they do, the direction is kind of frustrating.

Just to correct your weird misconceptions: I am not anti-AEW (I like it) or anti-Omega (I like him). Whatever argument you're having seems to be with general internet and/or PWO perceptions of either/both. Omega was a major star in Japan. I don't consider him a major star in AEW or the U.S.. He's a goofy midcard guy right now. So is Orange Cassidy, Marko Stunt, etc. Nothing wrong with that. But it's also natural to be disappointed at the comedown in status. Obviously, behind the scenes, his status is higher than ever - EVP, etc.

The thing is, Kenny Omega would have to be a major star in the United States for this approach to be effective. He's not. Not even a little bit. At best, U.S. fans know of his exploits in Japan. Most don't even know that. While I can appreciate not having an unhealthy obsession with "Da Business" and wanting to put over other wrestlers, he has to be over on a main event level himself for that to actually work. But maybe you're right and it doesn't matter either way - he has that tight EVP spot and money no matter what - but he'd be more effective for AEW's business and bottom line IMO if he was established as a top dog first before setting into the role of the veteran who puts others over (Dustin Rhodes, etc.). If I ran a wrestling promotion and the Mafia/Yakuza/whoever got its claws into me and said "hire either Jim Cornette or Vince Russo, or else..." I'm hiring Russo. Not a good decision either way, but at least Russo isn't an embarrassment to the entire industry (as much) on a weekly basis the way Cornette currently is.

John Cena is an absolutely gross control freak, and WWE is no better. Wrestling Inc.: WWE And John Cena Had Editorial Rights For New Memoir From The Bella Twins

Ricky Starks is gone.

This is sad, especially since he directed rescuers to save his 10-year-old son first (which they did). Really hoping and praying for a miracle.

The entire sordid saga... But in a nutshell: Henry is threatening to sue Rush for saying, "And this is why African American talent on the biggest platform will continue to not have equal opportunity because people like you constantly tear your own people down." Mark Henry's original comments (YouTube embed is messed up, at least on my end).

It isn't - unless you were the guy who thought I was very young because I was rigid in my views about Corny's bullshit, and he's seen that kind of inflexible attitude in a lot of younger people (which I actually get in a way, because my niece is like that - not about Corny, but she wouldn't approve if she knew of him, lol). I'm paraphrasing, but that's the basic gist of what that poster said. I'd name and tag the poster I'm thinking of, but I honestly can't remember who it was. Just to update this: I'm sure he has very good points about wrestling - they remain no less valid now than they ever did - but what he said about Becky and Dana is obviously very different than what you mention here: He's 100% right about the Jake/Archer dynamic. I've thought the same thing for weeks.

Okay, but there's a difference between "Did Dana have work done to her face? I noticed that!" and "She looks like her face got smashed in by an axe." You're on the right side of that - Jim Cornette is not.

Glad to see even Jim Cornette's most sycophantic followers on this board are no longer excusing his toxic bullshit because he once managed their favorite rasslers. Well, hot on the heels of his disgusting comments about Becky Lynch, he strikes again: "Dana Brooke's entire face looks like it was remodeled after somebody set fire to it and put it out with an axe. What the fuck has happened? Did she do that on purpose or was she in a horrible accident, What the fuck!" (Actually, I'm not sure he said this before or after the Becky Lynch comments, but those got more play because Becky is the top female star of her generation and Dana Brooke is a utility player.) Dana's response:

That would do it. I wouldn't re-sign either. "Opportunity, pal" means shit, especially in these times - better to be able to have enough to feed your family, and his recent prominence gives him a much better chance of landing a semi-lucrative deal elsewhere.

I wasn't a Gulak fan at first, but he won me over. Definitely shitty news. If it's true that he chose not to re-sign, WTF - I wonder why, because he was finally being used in a prominent position on a real show.

I wish she could've said "I gained my smile."

The right people won. As others said, awesome spectacle - until they got to the roof and the match immediately became the same old shit again. The bumps off the roof being used as inconsequential comedy spots was the biggest waste of all.

Me too.

I love this so far. It's just the right amount of creativity and silliness.

R-Truth is actually over and people want to see him, while Lashley hasn't been able to get over at all, to the point where the lack of a crowd isn't noticeable in his matches because the reaction is the same either way. But yeah, let's give Lashley the win, even though we're years past the point where a "dream match" with Brock Lesnar is something that would make any sense. To be fair, nothing about this R-Truth match made any sense either. I was disappointed that MVP was switched out for a lesser replacement.

Ugh, nothing ruins a promising match like the unwanted presence of Bobby Lashley.

Anyone else not care even one single solitary little bit about The Forgotten Sons? The gimmick was DOA (terrible wrestling bubble pun intended).

Like one of those early first-person shooter video games (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, etc.) where you needed key cards to unlock new rooms. That would be amazing!