C.S.

I kinda think they're going to have Miz beat Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest reigning IC Champ ever.

Where are you seeing that? Says $4.99 for me. https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/accepted-2

Paid $15 for the hardcover - and don't get me wrong, it was worth every cent - but I kinda wish I had waited for this.

My guess is an Usos/Slater-Rhyno final, and The Usos win and turn heel.

I'm not a Reigns hater - I thought his match with Big Show a year or two, for example, was a ton of fun - but I don't remember the Orton match being anything special. I really hope that "dude" sentence was not a direct quote. If it is, I weep for the dumbing down of America and the state of education today.

Great episode this week! Akira Tozawa vs. Gran Metalik: I'll be honest: I don't love either of these guys, but I don't hate them either. They're both very solid, and so was this match. I'll give Metalik props for changing his costume between matches. I think he's the only person in the CWC who has done that. (Well, Tozawa changed the color of his mouth guard.) It's a small detail, but it really makes these matches seem important. The most famous example of this is, of course, Randy Savage at WrestleMania 4. Anyway, a really fun match that could have gone either way. I felt myself kinda, sorta rooting for Tozawa, but I have zero issues with Metalik winning. THE Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi: Fucking awesome! In the previous two matches, Ibushi has been the best wrestler in the ring. Not this time! Kendrick was the star tonight, and it wasn't even close IMO. How abso-friggin'-lutely amazing is that? When the CWC began, I don't think anyone expected Kendrick of all people to be such a breakout performer. Like Bryan, I was actively rooting for him tonight - again all odds, not a hope in hell - but I still wanted it to happen. Ibushi won, of course, but Kendrick had his "Cedric Alexander moment." Daniel Bryan coming down and embracing him after the match was beautiful and emotional, and the Full Sail fans were actually respectful enough to shut down the "YES! YES! YES!" chants after a few seconds and put the focus back on Kendrick where it belongs. Next week: Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Noam Dar (in a match between the two worst people still in the tournament) and TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann (neither have impressed me yet, either). I really hope one or more of these guys changes my mind next week, or this could end up being the weakest CWC episode yet. Early prediction: An Ibushi-Metalik finale. They've both beaten the two biggest stars in the tournament - Tajiri and Brian Kendrick, respectively - so it makes sense to me.

I thought the Heath Slater segment was overlong and unfunny, but I will agree that Rhyno ruled in it. He should've been a comedic silent type all along.

If so, I have three letters for him. N-X-T He never should've been called up. He's not ready, not over at all (and wasn't over even in NXT), and needs more time to develop his character and mic skills.

So, they've already wasted that awesome Miz speech and moment by saddling him in an inconsequential feud with the irrelevant Dolph Ziggler.

It's surprising because Fit, a WWE employee, is openly criticizing Sabre, one of the "stars" of the CWC and a potential future employee (assuming he hasn't already gotten signed). I'm not sure where Torch's info about Regal comes from though, as all they said was that Regal mostly agrees with Fit.

Fit Finlay is not a fan of Zack Sabre Jr. Fit Finlay ‏@ringfox1 I'm not a fan of sabre https://twitter.com/ringfox1/status/758483783343566848 According to the Torch, neither is Regal. http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/08/23/wwe-talent-recruiting-updates-cedric-alexander-signed-tommy-end-big-damo-start-dates-zack-sabre-jr-status/ Surprising, but I can't say I disagree. Jack Gallagher should have gotten Sabre's push.

But wasn't he also named Worst Manager or Worst Character, or whatever the category was, several years in a row? That seems utterly ridiculous to me. I can't speak for his wrestling career, but I'd argue he was a HOF manager. Think of all the shitty managers over the years, especially in WCW and the territories, and it's quite an accomplishment for Fuji to stand out as one of the better ones. Not quite on the level of the Three Wise Men or Heenan and Jimmy Hart (or Cornette and Heyman in NWA/WCW, Akbar, Gary Hart, and I better stop), but right below that and above most everyone else from that era. Not the place or the time. Agreed. PWO is usually the best wrestling board for intelligent discussion, but priorities and proper context aren't a strong point with some of you folks. After all, there were posters here who celebrated the potential demise of Jerry Lawler's commentary career after he got suspended for domestic violence - because, obviously, better color commentary was the most important part of that story.

I've never seen any of Mr. Fuji's ring work, but he was definitely one of the most solid and memorable managers of the '80s and early '90s. Did Fuji ever got into the WON HOF, or are Meltzer and his minions still on their crusade to keep him out? I found a list of Fuji's ribs with quotes from various wrestlers. The dog rib is indeed revolting. http://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/mrfuji/

Another thing to keep in mind: Seth's favorite wrestler growing up was Rob Van Dam, for whatever it's worth.

Mauro's commentary is basically this: "Wow, he almost soiled himself after that stiff kick, Bryan - shades of the legendary Sycho Sid at WrestleMania 13."

Interview with Zach Sabre Jr. http://talksport.com/wwe/zack-sabre-jr-depth-wwe-cruiserweight-classic-star-reveals-permanent-us-move-plans-160825207646 Wait 'til WWE finds out about his OCD. I can just see the gimmick now...

I love how everyone thinks they hate each other. They never have. It's a work. Bryan goes out of his way to praise Miz in his book.

I disagree. While Gurv Shira and Ho Ho Lun were far from the best guys in the tournament, they're both better than Dar from what I've seen.

Maybe I was tired, but the first two matches didn't "wow" me. - Rich Swann vs. Lince Dorado: Both of them were middle of the road for me in the first round, and that didn't change here. Yes, they looked crisp, but the match almost felt like more of an exhibition than a contest to me. Swann's exaggerated frothing at the mouth would've been an awesome spot if it had been earned. It wasn't in this match, not even remotely. - Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drew Gulak: I'll continue calling Zack Sabre Jr. the most overrated guy in the tournament. Drew Gulak seems like a science teacher outside the ring but at least he has presence inside of it. I 100% agree with Johnny's assessment of that slap-fight. That was the worst shit I've ever seen. That's something you expect to see wimpy Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen characters do in a movie for bad comedic effect. It boggled my mind to see two "hard strikers" - or whatever the fuck they're supposed to be - with slaps that looked that bad, and I felt embarrassed for the commentators who had to gush over that dogshit and sell it the way they did. - Johnny Gargano vs. TJ Perkins: I'll still lukewarm on Perkins, and Gargano's "knee injury" unfortunately telegraphed the result. Still, they made me doubt in the end with a nice final stretch of false finishes. I was really rooting for Gargano to advance, but he honestly doesn't need it. If the knee injury happened at Takeover, that's some surprisingly long-term planning on WWE's part because I believe this was filmed before that. The best match of the night, but I credit that more to Gargano. This was easily the weakest CWC episode yet, but it was still fun, which tells you how high the bar has been raised in this tournament. They didn't announce next week's matches, and I don't remember all of the brackets for the "Elite Eight," but I do know that ZSJ will be facing Noam Dar. As much as I'm disappointed by ZSJ, my least favorite wrestler still in the tournament is easily Dar. At least this guarantees that he'll finally be eliminated...I hope! I suspect they're going for a Kota Ibushi vs. ZSJ final though. I really hope not, as that seems too obvious to me and ZSJ hasn't wowed me the way I wanted him to. The only thing worse would be Dar beating ZSJ and eventually ending up in the finals himself.

Official WWE YouTube link of the promo of the year:

No idea why you're surprised. It was announced weeks ago that Raw was getting the Cruiserweight division. I disagree with it too. With Bryan as Smackdown GM and CWC commentator, it made too much sense for SD to get the Cruisers, I guess.

I don't think anyone is making excuses for Rollins anymore. The bloom is clearly off the rose. Everyone is calling him a reckless fuck, which he is.

If it means the return of a Bully Ray-like character and D-Von stretching his own character muscles and mic skills, I'm all for it. It certainly can't be worse than the stale and irrelevant nostalgia act they've allowed themselves to become.

Since I ignited a Dudleys discussion earlier in this thread, I thought this was worth posting in here. The Dudley Boyz to ‘say goodbye’ tonight (WWE.com)

If that's true, Dave should just be honest with his sycophantic fanbase and rename his sheet the MMA Observer.