SomethingSavage

There was a time last year when almost everyone here kept fantasy booking him to beat Brock and be back on top, too. It wasn't always this way and it wasn't only Reddit.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that noticed the weird criticisms of the Luger/Steamboat angle. But JR not comprehending that it was part of the program didn't bother me nearly as much as Conrad being too lazy or apathetic to even correct him.

Rollins is athletic and fast, so he has "fooled" a certain portion of the audience into presuming he's a good in-ring performer. Like it or not, there's still a sizable section of the "smart" audience who adhere to the same work-rate beliefs and values today they they did way back in 2002. And I still see it everywhere. Even here. Seth is always one fast-paced match away from everyone fantasy booking him into another title run. It doesn't matter how ill-conceived or poorly staged their performances are. Guys like Seth and Dolph are athletic and quick, so some people will still view them as exciting workers who are out there having these bangers - no matter how hard they truly suck as actual workers, characters, and storytellers. I actually believe part of that is due to the huge dearth of buzz and excitement in WWE. Anytime there's even a slight glimpse of crowd response or even a small spark of excitement in a match, fans will latch onto it and proclaim it to be the next big thing. It's not. It's just that there's this famine in WWE where nothing is suspenseful and nobody is resonating, so folks catch themselves biting & believing fifty eleven near falls in a Seth Rollins match must make him pretty good. He's not. You're just ravenous & looking for anything to get over. But Seth is not the place to look

Seth has no character to speak of, nor does he have the skill set to convey any kind of actual character. Steve Austin nailed it when he posed the question, "What is a Seth Rollins?" Nobody knows. Seth *seems* more acceptable as a ratty, pesky heel. He *seems* like he'd work well in that X-Pac vermin type role. The problem is that his work simply sucks. He can't work in the ring like a heel, because he wants oh so badly to impress people with his athleticism and fitness. So he's gotta flip and dive and hiss and flex his cardio, brutha. He has to be flashy, and so being a heel never actually plays to his strengths. Then again, he can't actually work as a character babyface either. Because he lacks the skill set for that as well. In the ring, his size and demeanor make him *seem* suitable for the role. Again though, he doesn't grasp the concept OF WORKING like a babyface. Rather than show actual vulnerability or understand the importance of garnering sympathy, he'd rather work like a world-beater with his phony, soft offense. Instead of telling stories about struggle and perseverance, he'd rather slap his knee and hiss and do those dives where he gently brushes you with his abnormally hairy wrists. For fuck's sake y'all, he really just sucks from every angle.

The alternating various angles & belts every other week was actually a staple of their strategy through that stellar Smackdown run from summer 2016 to spring 2017. That awesome string of shows was the last time I followed any WWE television regularly, and the formula seemed so simple. But they sure blew it all to hell with that first "superstar shakeup" and never stumbled across another winning recipe since.

Not sure, but that's far too complimentary to have come from me. The Dolph comparisons are way off the mark anyhow. You see a bunch of Shawn and Hennig stuff, because that's obviously what he's going for with his style and his appearance. In reality, the more apt comparison in every imaginable way is Billy Gunn.

"The vodkas had... commanded his spirit" is a tremendous fucking line & one I will try to work into a conversation now. There's some decent discussion about Sid & Corny this week, too. I dug the contrasts/comparisons among Cornette, Heyman, and Heenan from JR's point of view as well. Conrad is a Sid mark, and it was amusing hearing him try to pin down exactly what it was about Sid that got him so over so instantaneously - only for JR to proclaim that it was simply IT. Magnetic, charismatic presence. The look. The aura. The showmanship. And JR summed things up nicely when he admitted he wasn't so sure if it was a deliberate effort from Sid or just an organic, natural thing for him. Good stuff.

Tbf, I don't believe creative has done much to help boost him either. The start & stop stuff surrounds guys like Dolph at every turn. The Lana angle was terrible. The follow-through on every one of his angles seems nonexistent. I don't think he's anything extraordinary, but Dolph was pretty over for a time there in 2012-13. It felt like they had the chance to do something halfway special with him after that Payback match with Del Rio, but they totally shit the bed instead. I do think he struggles to be likeable for any length of time though, so perhaps a big babyface run was never really going to stick anyway. That's what makes the Miz feud of 2016 all that more impressive. I don't know. I think Dolph is just a case of a guy being touted as something special by a select few, when there really isn't much actual evidence of it. Athleticism and fitness doesn't always automatically translate to being a premiere worker - although I feel like even people within the business trip up over that notion. You see it with Dolph, and you definitely see it with Seth. So yeah. Dolph has been hamstrung by bad creative, but who hasn't at this point? He's also not creative or artful enough to rise above it in any capacity, which is why he's just kind of there.

Just on this week's episode of his podcast, Eric poured a little praise on Dolph and compared him to Kurt Angle - a guy he considers excellent both in the ring & in character-driven segments. Bischoff noted that Ziggler is believable as a skilled high-caliber athlete (via the real life credentials), while also having great range as a character. Personally, I don't see any of that in Dolph. Dude has gotten over at times, but he's always been VERY hit or miss. I'm never convinced he's any kind of precise killer in the ring, despite his actual accolades. Furthermore, they fail to ever really play into that crucial part of his history anyway. It's like that aspect doesn't exist when it comes to his character - except for when they might want it to. His comedy is awful. He doesn't even touch early 2000s Kurt in that category. Same can be said for his intensity. Both guys bump like madmen and have issues with long-term selling, but meh. I'm not as big a stickler on that stuff as some of you. A fun match is still a fun match for me, so yeah. I guess I can sort of see Bischoff's point - in a, "if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side really far" type of way. And, on paper, I guess I can see why someone would draw the comparison. But come on. Nahhh.

They say if you shut your eyes late at night and listen closely, you can already hear faint echoes of the thigh-slapping that is to come from 90 minutes of Gargano/Cole. Honest to god, I didn't even finish reading the announcement for that match & I was already exhausted by the amount of superkicks.

Again, not directed towards you specifically. Now I'm outraged and feeling judged.

No offense intended towards you or anything, but it always astounds me when wrestling fans get upset or outraged over workers... Well, working them. Manipulation and misdirection are the name of the game. That's the lifeblood and the backbone of the pro wrestling business. I don't care how popularized podcasts or shoot interviews are, you aren't going to get absolute transparency from workers - nor should fans really be calling out for it. Yes. Workers gonna work. But that's kind of the point.

It was pretty awful hearing him try to put a positive spin on that. As much of a dick move as it was, I applaud Conrad for asking how Bruce would've felt if they had made fun of his wife's illness that way. JR made it clear that it hurt his feelings and came IMMEDIATELY after his operation - so even the claim about them only doing it after they knew he was out of the woods is bullshit. As someone who has family members with intestinal issues and Crohn's disease, I can tell you it definitively doesn't work that way. The show has been hit or miss for a long time. There wasn't a whole lot to the JR episode, although I enjoyed the '94 KOTR episode recently. The less said about anything from '99, the better though. I understand time constraints and other factors play a part, but I hate how Conrad falls into these patterns with his selections. Last time, it was 97 and 98 Attitude Era overkill. This time, it's 1999 week to week & month to month. It's so much same/same. If I ever hear another Master P or fucking Ministry of Darkness discussion one more single time in my life, it'll be twice too many times.

I always have time for Cornette and his thoughts. I don't always agree, but there's almost always something valuable to be found in his reviews. I don't take anyone's OPINIONS as the gospel - not Cornette, certainly not Meltzer, nobody. There are times when some of my own reflections line up perfectly with Corny's, and then there are some things we couldn't possibly be any further apart on. I cringe any time I hear him talk about the greatness of Seth Rollins or the alleged missed opportunities with Matt Morgan, etc. It's particularly a pretty bad look that he praises the work of Rollins and Davey Richards while condemning the work of Angelico & Evans. If anything, Jack is twice as smart as Davey and Seth because he's actually learned the value of incorporating character & personality into his matches. That's a lesson neither Seth nor Davey have ever learned. I don't give a fuck how good their cardio is, or how many move variations they have in their arsenal. They still have remarkably low in-ring IQs, and it astounds me whenever I hear someone with Cornette's knowledge give them any kind of shine or praise.

The Angelico & Evans team are particularly awesome. They can obviously pull off some amazing stuff in the ring, but they also stand a chance of breaking out as characters. Angelico has a certain understated swag, and Jack has PLENTY of charisma to keep the both of them covered anyhow. I hope they get a chance to make a serious run as a top-tier team.

An announcement stating he has an announcement, basically.

Remember last year when everyone on the board was fantasy booking Seth to be the guy & beat Brock for the Universal Title because he was just so "over" with the IC belt? ... Anybody? Lulz.

Is there a specific reason they're not just being the Super Smash Bros. here? I feel like it's a more marketable act & gimmick all around. It's light and fun, but that's sort of the point. I don't know. This Dark Order stuff feels very hokey and generic. It's very Ministry of Darkness to me. I'd definitely prefer them to be a RockNES style babyface team, with neat names for their movez & all that noise. I'm sure it would benefit them to have actual merchandise to sell, too.

Yup. Perception is reality. Present someone as a big deal. Promote someone as a big deal. Consistently. Faithfully. And they will be perceived as a big fucking deal. It really is that simple. This 50/50 shit just creates a field of guys who are essentially all running in place. The first one to truly take off would automatically be in first place at this point. Anyone can beat anyone. That's not unpredictable or exciting if it's done all the time. Structure and hierarchies are crucial. A star should seem nigh undefeatable. 99% of the time, a star's biggest fans should be able to argue that "their guy" could kick "your guy's" ass. Austin. Hogan. Bruno. They all carried this kind of weight to their reputations. But the company has purposely perpetuated this idea that everyone on their roster is, in fact, very VERY defeatable.

Well, I mean... He had two shows with Ric. But that was before Conrad really found his formula.

I'm taking a much needed break from wrestling podcasts right now, but I may try to keep up with JR's show here and there for now. Everything else can pile up until I get hungry for any of it again. Right now, I'm just exhausted by them and everything is sounding very samey. The idea of Arn's show sounds awesome and seems like a fascinating companion piece to fill in the gaps the other shows have left open, but... Yeah. I'm not exactly holding my breath. Arn has a rep of sticking to kayfabe and not veering too far out of character, so we'll see. To be fair though, I was similarly on the fence for the JR podcast - and that's worked out wonderfully. It's surprisingly good, and it's continuing to improve as Conrad builds better chemistry in his back & forth with JR. Here's hoping the same feat can be achieved with Arn, because hearing some old territory tales sprinkled in with the contemporary road agent stuff could be fucking aces.

So, you're *not* stoked for the chance to see Kushida tear it up on the pre-show scene with Tony Nese?

Ditto. I actively seek out Impact's pay-per-views and watch them, even if it takes me about three or four days with my limited free time. And I've made extensive, long-winded posts about everything they're doing right - even if it is going mostly unnoticed. I honestly couldn't tell you why anyone would go out of their way to watch a full ROH show these days though. Force of habit? Fear of missing out? Sheer boredom? A general lack of other things to do? I can't imagine there's another reason. Putting ROH on your screen is like putting shit on toast. I mean, sure. You CAN do it. But what the actual fuck, man. Put something halfway good on instead.

Spears and Cody don't just have a mentor/protege relationship. They were a steady tag team (and champs) in OVW, where they also eventually split up and feuded. I think that Cherry chick was involved, along with Cliff Compton and Sim Snuka. I could be mixing that up with some of the later OVW stuff, but I'm pretty sure I'm remembering that right. Overall, this show was okay. Nothing outstanding to me. Just alright. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Impact's Slammiversary is way better & superior to this on every level, to be honest. But that's not a conversation anyone is prepared to have or even acknowledge, so it is what it is. I don't get the Librarian stuff. It doesn't feel like a nostalgic throwback to the Genius. It doesn't even pack the same fun vibe that the Rhodes Scholars had for a brief moment there in 2012/13. It's just kind of lame and insufferable. And that's a shame. Because I dug the guy as Pretty Peter Avalon. Why can't he just be that? I understand the necessity of updating a look or refreshing a character, but nobody's even seen the dude on any big stage yet. Pretty Peter Avalon felt more like him being in his own lane. A scrawny pest of a heel, constantly pissing people off and pretending like he's some Adonis is fucking aces. Compared to this Librarian horse shit, it's gold. Double Or Nothing left me excited and anxious to see what's next. This left me feeling like I'd watched a fairly decent wrestling show in 2019, and that's it. It definitely felt like it was fine-tuned and tailored for the live crowd, but that didn't translate to my own viewing experience in any substantial way. PWG is sort of the best case scenario (and flipside) of that situation, where the energy & the atmosphere of the "book for the live crowd" philosophy really resonates and carries over well. I'm not casting judgment on AEW as a whole based on the back of two shows. But I can safely say this wasn't anything special and is absolutely not worth recommending to anyone who is on the fence about checking it out. Pass on this & just wait around for All Out. That would be my suggestion.

Speak for yourselves. I've known Seth has always been absolute shit. Idgaf who he's bedding. Seth bragging about how he dedicates every waking moment of his life to WWE is what's weird to me. Because he still sucks sooo bad. What's he dedicating his life to? CrossFit? Burpees? Flipping tires? Because he still has no understanding of basic psychology. He still doesn't grasp how to evoke any sense of emotion from anyone - no matter the situation or the setting. He still has zero character. No defining traits. Stone Cold said it best. "What is a Seth Rollins?" I'd bet good money that the guy himself couldn't give you any kind of comprehensible answer to that question. Nobody knows. He's just this awkward pigeon-toed guy who flips and dives. He's not physically imposing enough to be intimidating, mean, nasty, or feared as a heel. And he's not smart enough to know how to be sympathetic or vulnerable as a babyface. He can't talk. He can't work. There's no bark. And no bite. The guy has no teeth. He's a big black hole of EVERYTHING. Seth Rollins is a useless tool. For the love of God, somebody give this guy an extra star already so he can Falcon Arrow flip the fuck off.