C.S.

Gonna take this from the other thread since it's about this one (no need to clutter up two threads with the same argument): You're "getting heat" (fuck outta here) cause you called him "butter tits" like a goddamn child. And yours and other responses to my lighthearted jab to Joe has been beyond childish. Grow up! I will not engage you, Sorrow, or Ready_Willing_Gable (despite his awesome username) any further on this topic. Grimmas, sek69, and cpst have disagreed or agreed with me (or both) about Joe and/or Asuka in a mature, rational manner. Thank you for that. Putting "Butter Tits" aside, I think I've crafted a pretty coherent argument as to why Joe and Asuka don't work for me. Others disagree, which is to be expected, but the ones who are actually posting the reasons they like Joe and/or Asuka have raised equally reasonable points. Bottom line: I dislike the top two champions in NXT right now. To be honest, this is probably the "worst" NXT has ever been since the WWE Network began and the least interested I've ever been in the brand. But there are still awesome things happening (Revival vs. #DIY was one of the best matches in TakeOver history, Bobby Roode has been great fun, etc.), so I just have to wait out the aspects I don't like. I wasn't a fan of Finn Balor's reign either, so other than Nakamura's brief run, the NXT "World" Title picture has been dry to me for a good year now. They've really bungled up the Women's Division too IMO. They literally had no one to replace The Four Horsewomen, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, etc. with. Part of that IMO is booking. Why can't they be doing more with, say, Billie Kay, Tessa Blanchard (although I don't think she's signed), etc.? I'm not sure what happened with Blue Pants, but someone like that would have been useful in a transition period. Would she have given Asuka a great match? No. But she was really over and would have been a fun first challenger in the plucky underdog role. I realize NXT is somewhat in rebuilding mode though, so I hope it's firing on all cylinders again in a year. With that said, I'm sympathetic to the challenges of running a developmental fed - anyone who is "too good" eventually gets called up - but maybe they called up too many people too quickly? Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, and a few others like that aren't exactly lighting the main roster on fire. I think they should have gotten another six months in NXT. Hindsight is 20/20 though.

It was a fun show, but it did get progressively worse IMO. - Roode vs. Dillinger was good fun once it got going. The outcome was never truly in doubt, but they did make me question my instincts a couple of times. Dillinger's dejected "I'm sorry" at the end was both heartbreaking and awesome. - Authors of Pain vs. TM61 wasn't a great match, but I don't think it was necessarily designed to be. Truth be told, I was more worried about Ellering up in that cage. That thing looked flimsy as hell. Was the chain spot blown near the end, or did the Author of Pain mean to throw out out of the ring? Either way, the right team won. TM61 has done nothing for me whatsoever. The Mighty Don't Kneel, but TM61 Does Bore. - The Revival vs. #DIY (dumb name, great team) was far and away the match of the night. These guys are awesome. Part of me thought #DIY would win to set up a feud with Authors of Pain, but the other part of me was expecting a turn from Ciampa, who was subtly abusive toward his partner during the match (did anyone else notice that?) - Asuka vs. Mickie James was strange. They made James, a once-off wrestler (as far as we know), look stronger than Bayley or Nia Jax. Still, the outcome was never in doubt. The finish felt kind of rushed, if anything. - I am getting heat in another thread for my utter disdain for Samoa Joe from Johnny Sorrow and the like. I'll accept that. I don't buy Joe as a "badass" - he's totally miscast in the role - and this was easily the worst match of the night and the worst main event in the history of NXT TakeOver. That's probably because it Joe controlled the tempo throughout and made it his kind of match: slow, boring and sloppy. They've turned Nakamura, who was something really special, into "just another guy." I really hope he's being called up. I'll be honest that another Joe reign fills me with complete dread. I was half-hoping that Tyson Kidd, who the fat, clumsy Joe injured, would come out and confront him. That would make a second Joe reign bearable for me. But Kidd's career is probably over (thanks, Joe), so I knew that was a pipe dream. Where does this leave Roode, who seemed poised to be the next challenger? I realize he's getting glorious fan reactions, but he's not exactly a babyface. I guess we'll get another Nakamura rematch first. I hope Nak regains it and sends Joe to Raw (as much as I don't like Joe, I'd love a Joe-Reigns feud because that's a natural).

I plan on it. I'm happy to discuss the merits of Joe with any of his fans - I always enjoy a good debate - but I have nothing to say to a post like this. This! Though I think I liked the second Bayley match more (maybe because I was delusional enough to think she was regaining the belt and becoming the first 2x NXT Women's Champion), but neither of them were barn-burners IMO.

Insult me all you want, but Joe's woefully miscast in his "badass" role. I don't buy it for a second. The story itself would be good with someone who fits the part. He doesn't, and hasn't for a decade. (Same issue I had with Raven - never believed that character for a second.) I agree that Joe works hard and does the best he can with his now more limited toolset - he's not Booty Man/Zodiac/Disciple or anything like that - but the fact is, he's past his prime, period. He's no slug - he holds up his end - but I don't find his presence compelling, and I haven't enjoyed him hogging the NXT limelight for as long as he has. I'm more than ready to see Nakamura take on fresh opponents. As for Asuka, nothing wrong with a dominant champ, but when the rest of the division is in severe shambles and a far cry from its "glory days" - only a year ago - forgive me for not caring. It's not all her fault - she has nothing to work with - but she hasn't connected with me as a character either. Her in-ring is good, but that's only part of the overall package - at least for me.

Compared to past shows, there really isn't. Everyone wants to see Mickie, but no one believes she has a hope in hell of winning. No matter how talented Asuka is in the ring, her entire reign has been a colossal bore and her "dominant" presence has been a massive buzzkill over the once important and now floundering NXT Women's Division. Nak vs. Butter Tits for the 20th time also isn't compelling. Revival vs. #DIY (what a stupid fucking name) should be awesome, but the Dusty Classic final sounds like shit and Roode vs. Dillinger isn't interesting because they haven't bothered to build Dillinger up (should be fun bell to bell though).

Mickie James defends Joey Styles: https://www.facebook.com/mickieljames/posts/1640214492670850

I almost expected these sentences to follow the same pattern he had established in the lines leading up to them: While apologizing to the wrestlers, I saw that Timothy Thatcher obviously had a very serious concussion. It didn't matter if Timothy Thatcher had a serious concussion, therefore I apologized to the wrestlers again. Timothy Thatcher's main event opponent, Drew Gulak also recognized that it was a very serious concussion and said that Timothy needed to go to the hospital. It didn't matter that Drew Gulak also recognized that it was a very serious concussion and said that Timothy needed to go to the hospital.

His "joke" was deplorable but I don't agree with Beyond Wrestling and apparently now CHIKARA also canning him for something that didn't even happen in their respective companies.

I watched the Savage-Austin match. It was only about three minutes bell to bell. Man, what a crime, because what we did get was great. Yet another example of WCW being WCW.

Are we sure about that, or did Gotch just get punished because he lost the fight? I could see WWE being that petty.

Backstage fight between Jericho and Sin Cara...WTH?

I wasn't feeling the PPV at all at first. It was me, not the show. Stil, I turned it off and did something else for a while. I went back to it before bed and cherry-picked what I actually wanted to see. Rusev/Reigns: Watched this live and didn't think much of it. Cruiserweight match: It sucked. Kendrick winning was a surprise, but he was arguably the MVP of the CWC, so I'm all for it. Owens/Rollins: Goofy as shit but exactly what I expected and fun for what it was. The women: Great match and worthy of the main event spot, even if the finish was deflating and a head-scratcher. I didn't care about anything else on the show. Maybe I missed "great rasslin'," but if I don't give a fuck about the characters, storylines, and matches, why bother? It doesn't sound like I missed anything important anyway. Do I love Bayley, Cesaro, and Enzo/Cass? Sure. But I can do without seeing them in meaningless matches, feuds, and situations that amount to nothing and don't mean anything 24 hours later. I think I'm going to be watching all future live events this way (except for NXT, which is short enough and good enough to watch live all the way through). I can't believe how much more enjoyable it was this way. Slogging through a bloated 3-4 hour PPV is an exercise in torturous masochism.

That's the point. If the "point" is to take away everything that made the CWC, Cruiserweights, and CW division stand out, compelling, and capable of drawing money, then mission accomplished.

The Perkins-Kendrick "please let me win because I bought you a Big Mac when you were homeless" storyline is atrocious and a slap in the face to everything the CWC represented. This six-man Cruiserweight jobber match feels like the Worst of Nitro. Other than Cedric Alexander and maybe the future potential of Daivari's brother, none of these guys mean anything or will ever draw a dime.

What if time travel already exists and that's how WWE was able to get the Last Battle of Atlanta footage? I'd go back in time to see Abraham Lincoln wrestle and live through a fascinating historical period on top of that. Why not, right?

One of the greatest commentary teams of all time, and I'm not even joking.

$20 a month is a total fucking joke. In comparison, an upcoming streaming service - FilmStruck, which will show "prestige" films and cater to hardcore movie buffs - will be priced at $6.99/$10.99, depending on which tier you get. Never mind that: Netflix is $10. Hell, WWE Network is $10. Yet, some podunk no-name indy rasslin' service thinks they're getting $20? Wow.

Where do you work? Is it horrible that I'd consider hanging that poster up? It's so hilarious! Between Ward from Agent of SHIELD's punchable face and HBK, not to mention TV veteran Neill Flynn (The Middle) and movie vet D.B. Sweeney, I'm actually curious about the movie now.

The Bruno episode of Legends With JBL was great. My only disappointment is that it wasn't longer. It barely scratched the surface of his career - hardly any time was spent discussing each of his opponents, title reigns, and feuds. Zbyszko wasn't even mentioned at all. Still, it's awesome for what it is. I agree. The ONLY thing that gives this silly rumor any credibility with me, and it's flimsy at best, is that Shawn's movie - The Resurrection of Gavin Stone - is getting a January 2017 release, right around the time of the Royal Rumble. `

What more do you want from neck surgery news? "Ok. And? And she started snorting coke with the doctor and nurses. Then they all had an orgy with Alberto. After she was put under the knife, they got some HLA Katie Vick-style action going. Paige's father tweeted his strongest disapproval at the way his daughter's medical care was handled." Edit: Never mind. You were responding to that weird Twitter gif. Not sure what to make of that myself.

Probably better for Sasha and Charlotte, honestly. Having them main event didn't feel organic. Then again, forcing all of these matches into the Cell because of a stupid themed PPV is even worse.

UPDATE: Foley edited his statement.

Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Paul Heyman I thought Orton was awesome and had a ton of potential in the early stages of his career as a cocky pretty boy. The Randy News Network reports were great. Then he morphed into the one-dimensional "tough guy" Viper character that he could never adequately pull off IMO. There's nothing "badass" about him. It's the same reason Raven never worked for me. The worst characters in wrestling scream "fake" and that's The Viper and Raven in a nutshell. Brock was never someone I loved, but his early stint as "The Next Big Thing" was great and exciting. Contrast that with his one-trick pony matches now. "Suplex City" is the biggest con of all time. Paul has taken his "hide the negatives and accentuate the positives" philosophy from ECW and applied it in the biggest way possible to Brock, and everyone's eating that shit up and thinking it tastes like cotton candy. Plus, the guy is an absolute albatross and liability at this point. He did nothing for Ambrose at WrestleMania, concussed Orton at SummerSlam, and has become a boring waste of time in general. Heyman has gone from an electrying screen presence to a one-note dullard. The Dangerous Alliance is quite possibly my favorite stable of all time, and I loved ECW. But he makes me yawn these days. Every single promo he cuts now goes something like this: "Ladies and gentleman, my name is Paul Heyman, and I am here as the Advocate for THE BEAST, THE CONQUERER, BAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOCCCK LES-NAR. At [insert PPV here], my client Brock Lesnar will face [insert opponent here], my client Brock Lesnar will [insert violent action here], my client Brock Lesnar will [blah blah blah]." Same shit every time.

As ridiculous as I find this thread because it takes the absolute worst and most embarrassing aspects of internet fandom - dissecting minutia and coming up with skewed conclusions - I thought this was worth re-posting here: Foley's Facebook comment and picture confirming that Charlotte and Sasha will indeed be main eventing Hell in a Cell. https://www.facebook.com/RealMickFoley/photos/a.150133228350157.28288.126269440736536/1440544925975641/?type=3 (includes picture) His comment seems...fine. UPDATE: Foley edited his statement.

Looks like Charlotte and Sasha will indeed be main eventing Hell in a Cell. https://www.facebook.com/RealMickFoley/photos/a.150133228350157.28288.126269440736536/1440544925975641/?type=3 (includes picture)