SomethingSavage

Hulk Hogan as host should play it up like a total farce. He should start off at the Sean Mooney control center and pop up throughout the show at "various locations", complete with poorly disguised green screen settings behind him. He can name drop all the famous venues he's wrestled at & break into flexes and poses at random intervals. I'd watch for that.

Yeah, I remember enjoying the Orton/AJ match back on an early 2017 Smackdown. It was around the same time Styles was turning out awesome performances against Luke Harper and even Baron Corbin on a weekly basis though, so it's easily understandable that it would get lost in the shuffle.

I enjoyed the shit out of that main event, if I'm being honest. I've seen people say it was all "smoke & mirrors", as if that automatically carries some sort of super negative connotation. Newsflash: Pro wrestling, at its finest, is total smoke & mirrors. That's the art form. That's the ultimate realization of the game. It's one skillful hat trick after another. It's all illusion. It's a series of distractions & deceptions in rapid succession. That's the point. In this case, I thought everything pulled together well. Nikki was solid, and Ronda looked excellent here - after some fairly underwhelming stuff with Alexa for awhile there. But we saw some of Ronda's best selling & struggling to date, and I loved the way she freed herself up for all the cheap shots from Brie. And - no lie - I even bit on that nearfall after the Rack Attack 2.0, and I never really expected to buy the threat of a title change here. But they drew me in and kept me engaged from start to finish. And, while it's totally just a bonus, I have to admit - it was cool that Ronda came away with some bumps & bruises, looking like she'd been in an actual fight out there.

Matt Morgan is the prime example of why athleticism shouldn't be emphasized at the expense of good, basic, straightforward psychology. Sometimes less absolutely CAN BE more. Corny, Rip Rogers, & company made the mistake of complimenting Morgan's athleticism very early on, and so it stuck in his head that's what he should showcase. But nobody needs to see you show off your basketball skills, fool. Throw some fucking hands, son. At least PRETEND you're in a fight type situation. Strong characters forever have & forever will trump action & athleticism in pro wrestling. I realize that's not always a popular statement in most circles, but it is what it is.

Need an avatar of her in that skintight black outfit from Season 4, what with the thigh meat all exposed & whatnot. Because mygoddamngawd. Catrina, y'all.

Overall, this was an easily enjoyable watch. Wayyy more good than bad here. Off the top of my head, it was the best show main roster WWE has put out since at least the Rumble. There were still aspects I didn't like though. Had nothing to do with the work or the in-ring product, to be fair to the women involved. But the self-congratulatory celebrating was excessive and increasingly obnoxious. It's fair enough that they'd want to grandstand, but turning that into an all-night affair just felt... Gross and off-putting. And why is Nia Jax's character caught in this constant loop between being Ursula the sea hag & supremely humble, single mom, teary-eyed Tyler Perry character? It's the only two modes they know with her, and there's never any rhyme or reason for the shifts back & forth. I hate how all the babyfaces have the same gimmick - it's their dream. They're living their dream. They're reaching for their dream. Enough. Fuck me running. That being said, it allows for girls like Shayna & Becky to feel sooo fucking refreshing. They are wonderful. They are life. Mickie, Foxy, and the Riott Squad were fantastic as well. And I won't lie. Every match offered something slightly different. Make no mistake. This was a well-structured card with rewarding results & solid action. I dug it. ... Even if the presentation reached really unappealing levels at times. This corporate speak, PR-obsessed. attention-chasing era of WWE is the dirt worst and not for me. I swear to god, at one time someone in one of those video packages literally said, "It's necessary for feminism." ... That's right. This show was necessary for feminism, y'all. Fuck. Anyway, this was a fun watch. I'm glad we can still get stuff like this & NXT, which will get me through in the meantime.

Yeah. That McMemphis playlist is strong sauce.

To be fair, it *was* all pretty bad. It just got much, much worse before it got any better again. That's all.

Agreed on everything. Swagger in LU is something I never needed in my life. He sticks out like a sore thumb. This push to make him the next insurmountable monster is not my bag. If anything, he should be the challenger type to get a couple of matches with the champ. That's it. That closing scene was glorious though. The rooftop vignettes forever deliver in LU. In any language, Aerostar and Drago are the Marvel team-up combo of this ancient, urban Aztec ghetto temple. And it's great. Oh. And the lightning surging through Johnny's abs - complete with a closeup camera shot - was fucking MONEY. It's so campy. It's thick, chewy, D-movie cheese & it's tremendous. I'd like the project to close up shop on a stronger note, if possible. But yeah. A lot of the steam & buzz is gone. There are numerous reasons for that, obviously. But I ain't mad at it. Those first three seasons are 'nanners, and I can always revisit them. Plus, Fenix & Penta are ripping shit up in Impact right now. So there's that, too. I would love to see Marty land a steady job somewhere else. And lord knows I'll miss my Catrina. Already do. My gawd. Catrina, y'all.

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on BFG when you get around to it. The show is different yet similar, with its own unique vibe & distinctly cool setting. It doesn't quite hit the high notes that Slammiversary reached (in my opinion), but it strives for several of them - and it doesn't fall too far off the mark. There's no need for me to rephrase my review all over again here, but yeah. I dug it. And I'm actually eagerly awaiting their Homecoming show at Nashville in January. I'm seriously hoping they continue this streak of delivering satisfying results at their big shows.

Where are people claiming Alicia Fox is a big upgrade over Bliss as a wrestler? I push for Foxy based on her personality and her outstanding ownership of the screen. Chick commands attention whenever she's on, whatever she's doing. I'm not watching this shit with a notepad, looking to give it a grade or an analytical thesis. Give me characters and stories over some outdated idea of workrate all day, everyday.

I tried a quick image search but came up empty. He looked borderline homeless though. The new age Road Warrior ripoffs are Crimson and Jax Dane, by the way. Dane is (was?) a decent worker and a former NWA World Champ. He's from my neck of the woods and first made his name paired off with Ray Rowe from War Machine back in the day. Crimson is a former TNA discovery. They booked him like Goldberg for awhile, with this extended winning streak of barely watchable matches. They claimed he was the bigger (but younger) brother of Amazing Red. But his actual gimmick was basically just being the MMA fight fan in the tight-fitting Affliction shirt at Hooter's every weekend. And he's a ginger. Crimson popped up around 2010 in TNA. Bet you wish you wouldn't have stopped watching now. Anyway, they eventually realized he wasn't improving & sent him down to OVW for more seasoning. He never went anywhere else, and I *think* he had an American sniper gimmick or some shit the last time I tried watching their show. I hear OVW has improved but haven't had the time or the drive to check it out again lately. So I'm not sure how they got together or how long they've been teaming. But putting the Road Warriors gimmick on them hardly seems like a fresh coat of paint or anything. I wasn't blown away by their offering here anyhow. Dane was solid at one time. And I saw Samoa Joe carry Crimson to one or two good matches in TNA. That's all I got on them.

I like the lineup well enough. There are some matches that look appealing and COULD turn out to be worth watching. Becky is super fun in heel mode right now, so her match has my attention. Ditto for Shayna. Nikki/Ronda could be a blast. It all comes down to their chemistry and the execution, of course. But I'm digging that one the most on paper & in theory. We'll see what they do with it. But yeah. I'm going in optimistic. I want to see some bombs, some 'bows thrown, some underhanded involvement from Brie, and then a righteous fiery comeback from rowdy Rousey. I'm less enthused about the tag. I think it all comes down to which version of Trish we get. If it's Trish of old or even Trish from the Rumble, it could be passable. If it's this lobotomized, dead-eyed thing we've seen in the buildup? I'll pass. Otherwise, Fox would be the only thing worth seeing in that one. Mickie's okay (and outshining both babyfaces in the angle itself), but Foxxy is fucking head & shoulders above the rest in terms of character. She's infinitely watchable in everything she does - time & time again making the most out of the nothing material they give her. She draws your attention like very few (men AND women alike) on their roster could aspire to do.

I've been going way back in the archives to dig up all the old Big Show appearances on Austin's show. I heard Show on an episode of Jericho's pod and just had to hear more. The giant's a super fun storyteller and an interesting interview in general. Hearing Show tell the story of the first time he worked against Austin on RAW was awesome. He describes the entire ordeal in detail, with Austin's deep chuckling sprinkled in the background as he listens and recalls along with it. For years & years, posters on message boards have fantasy booked Show to a better 1999 and bitched about what a horrible decision it was for Vince to book Austin to beat him straight away in a meaningless match on RAW. Turns out - Vince originally had Show going over Austin to build up the monster. Austin shot it down, and Vince sided with Stone Cold. Of course, that doesn't mean the decision wasn't awful in the first place. They just shouldn't have booked that match to begin with - wrong place, wrong time. Just like the proposed Brock match. The story of how Show got into WCW is a fascinating, winding road also. The bit about meeting Curt Hennig at a bar is trreeeemendous. Ditto for the story of the basketball game with Hogan, wherein Hulk pants the Giant & Show takes a bump for the onlookers - just to get in good with Hulk. I knew Show went to the Monster Factory originally, but I never realized RAVEN was so hands-on in teaching him the fundamentals early on. Show also claims he was paid one-third of what Johnny B. Badd earned for his three years in WCW. (It's wild that Mero is somehow always THE go-to guy for gripes in terms of salaries.) Show is actually pretty humble and grateful about it all though. He chalks it up to being paid pretty well for what was basically on-the-job training. Oh. And there's a neat little story about how the WCW video game accidentally cut him a check for TWICE his annual salary, then later requested it back. I don't know if that's exaggerated at all or not, but it's totally something you could see happening under their watch. Big Show reminiscing about his high school days is just the best. Apparently he racked up technical fouls for arguing with coaches and intimidating the other teams. He's a hoss, y'all. Oh. And the Big Show was a male cheerleader. Tha fuhck?! But yup. Because he didn't like the football coach at his school, he spent two years turning down the offer to try out for the football team. And, to rub it in his coach's face, he joined the cheer squad instead. That's right. One giant and seven girls. In a mini van. With a chain-smoking cheer mom behind the wheel. Magnificent, y'all. How have I never heard about this before?? Show says Arn Anderson was his favorite wrestler growing up, and he tells this great story of riding his bike to the matches one evening. Tickets were priced at $10, and he only had 6. So he stood outside the gate until he saw the fucking Horsemen pull up in this big wagon of a car. Arn steps out, sporting a polo shirt, a gold rope chain, and some bitching rose-tinted glasses. Fucking A. Fucking DOUBLE A. Show's voice is just dripping with awe & nostalgia when he recounts this little gem of a story. It's worth going out of your way to hear. His first episode with Austin is the absolute best, but every one of them offers up a fun, lively conversation. Show is an overflowing fountain of fun stories. Highly recommended when you have some time to fill.

Awesome episode. Such a great conversation. I dug Embry's interview(s) on Austin's pod, and this was more of the same. You can really hear the genuine authenticity in Jerry's voice when he talks about how proud he is of resurrecting the Dallas territory during that time. I wish we could've been afforded more time to dig into the details of some of the booking of the USWA/WCCW angle, but all the big bases were covered nonetheless. And nothing wrong with these shorter shows leaving listeners wanting more. Good stuff, man. I'm running behind on my listening, but I wanted to be sure to scope this one out.

I saw some of the show. It was awful. If you took the idea of All In and stripped away all the attention to detail, the polished presentation, and the carefully crafted matches/angles, this is what you'd get. It looked low-rent and poorly lit. There were production issues from start to finish - inaudible interviews, Tony Schiavone's headset mic hovering about a foot away from his face, miscues on cutaways, and on & on. I realize Tony is receiving a bit of love for his bounce back with MLW and the podcast, but Christ. He was terrible here. And who the fuck dressed him? If Lois let him leave the house looking like that, shame on her. Seriously. Listen to Tony talk about himself for thirty seconds & you'll realize he has self-esteem issues, but dressing in oversized, baggy suits is not a good look for anybody. He looked like an unmade bed. Poor Cornette tried to hold it down at the announce booth, but he was fighting a losing battle there. The NWA Title bout was the only thing worth seeking out, from what I can tell. And even that felt like a major step down from their match at All In. They tried to ape the same big fight feel, but it just came off as unnecessary activity & extra bodies tacked onto the match instead.

This. A clean moral slate is a pipedream. Aim for a clean mental slate instead. Don't avoid their shows because blood money. Avoid their shows because they just plain bore you.

So I just randomly selected a much older episode, covering the art of the promo - back when big Jim Doogan was still on as co-host. Duggan is surprisingly insightful, intelligent, and well-spoken. I remember really digging his Back to the Territories with Corny & his Timeline with Sean Oliver, and he sounded about the same here. Hacksaw is candid & casual about the rampant cocaine use going on in the 80's, which is really refreshing. Mooney tells a neat little story about hearing Hogan giving advice about interviews to a newcomer. Mooney has a real respect for Hulk, which is also cool. The episode covering Hulk's rise in the WWF is another solid show, although it doesn't offer up a lot of new information or anything. It's more about hearing Mooney's side of things, which (for me) is the draw here in the first place. Duggan tells a fun story about Brian Knobs getting knocked out on a tour bus in Europe. It's probably been told before, but this is the first time I recall hearing it. "How'd I do..?" Good stuff. Mooney touches on Warrior's manic mood swings & bizarre behavior a bit, but he doesn't totally shit on Warrior's interviews, even though you can read between the lines & draw your own conclusions there. In fact, going back to the earlier story, it would be easy to assume that it was Warrior whom Hulk offered the advice to early on - and then Warrior interpreted the wrong message from what Hulk was trying to tell him. Either that or, ya know, ungodly amounts of his test/coke super soldier serum was always going to produce insane, incomprehensible promos. Little of column A, little of column B maybe.

I was at work last night, and my grandfather - who raised me like a son, and the man who nurtured my pro wrestling fandom from day one - called my phone to tell me about it. I haven't watched a full episode of Raw since the Joe/Brock feud was a thing. I remember 3 things from that night - a Joe/Roman main event, Elias clobberin' Finn with a guitar, and sticking out a slug of a show to spend time my G-Paw. The man's love of pro wrestling is constant, and hearing him sound genuinely upset about one of his favorites of modern day - DA BIG DAWG - broke my heart a bit. Roman's never been my favorite or anything, but he (alongside Bryan) is very representative of my last REALLY favorite time in WWE. That 2012-2014 sweet spot holds a special place for me, mostly because I was watching with groups of family, friends, and almost always my grandpa. It was right before my insane work schedule took over my life, and - let's face it - the WWE went to shit. Bryan's injury and the Shield breakup happened, and we more or less just stopped getting together to watch or really giving a shit to watch. I'm off track a bit here, but yeah. This is seriously sad news. Wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially someone experiencing the peak of their profession. It's the definition of tragic. And Roman's fucking over like rover with my G-Paw, which means at least a little something to me. His bread & butter was Dusty Rhodes, the JYD, and Jim Doogan. But the old outlaw still loves him some pro wrestling, and he was feeling for Roman Reigns last night. I had to scope out the segment for myself. I can understand why they chose to do the Dean turn the way they did, but I'm glad they didn't get some cheap heat on Roman's moment. Wishing the dude a speedy recovery & a strong rebound. Here's hoping they'll actually play the hot hand if they're dealt it with a Roman comeback down the road.

Hmm. That idea never crossed my mind. It's easy to lose sight of some things between seasons, but you're right. It would be a cool direction to take things. It would also help to explain what Strong meant at the end of that vignette with Cueto, which had me wondering for a split second - but then quickly got swept away with all the other stuff going on. The potential in that story interests me, because the writers have built up faith & goodwill with me. But no element of Strong's performance interests me in the slightest, if that makes any sense - and therein lies the problem. He *has* been involved in two decent matches recently though - the handicap and now against Mundo - so maybe this can be steered to a satisfying endgame anyhow.

Josh has shown significant, noticeable improvement in his game since just Slammiversary. He's light years better than he was back when it was him & Pope at the booth, for sure. I credit some of that to Callis, who has been exceptional with Impact. The further he's kept away from Bullet Club and his insider terms, the better. Nobody calls attention to peril, risk, and danger in pro wrestling like Callis in 2018. It's perhaps his finest attribute. I'm always hesitant to heap too much praise on Josh though, because he still harbors some irritating tendencies. The hushed serious voice he must've learned under the tutelage of Cole & Vince is the dirt worst. It comes off as a creepy mouth-breather dialing up a sex hotline more than it ever conveys any actual sense of dread or mourning. It's bizarre and off-putting. But the combo has been clicking lately. I feel like Callis has dragged Josh up a few notches, so no major complaints from me. I've certainly heard far, far worse.

I'm forever behind on these things due to my hectic schedule, but last week's episode felt a little lackluster to me. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was definitely a lead-in show - designed to tie up loose ends and to finish setting the table for Ultima Lucha. Jake Strong being all over the show surely didn't help. I still say this guy needed to be gimmicked from head to toe & asshole to elbow. He's just sooo bland. The name's terrible, too. There are glimpses of good stuff in his actual work at times, but it's just not enough to hold together the whole act. The vignette with Cueto and Strong felt like intentional comedy. Maybe it wasn't deliberate, but there were a lot of "s" syllables in his scripted dialogue. Dude's lisp had him sounding like Daffy Duck when he was talking about sons and sacrifices and shit. I'm such a mark for Mil. I basically hate it anytime the guy isn't protected, so I absolutely rejoiced whenever Havoc hit the double stomp... And Mil just fucking shrugged it off like it ain't no sweat off his back. Good stuff. Mil's looking lean, mean, and shredded lately too. Time to relight the fuse on the monster & give him another run toward the belt. Plus, ya know. Bring Catrina back to his side already. Gawt damn, y'all. It sucks that they had to shuffle the lineup for the Trios Title match again. I never know what's up with these things, thanks to the disconnect between the time of these tapings and the actual sequence of events outside the temple. Like, did something happen with Joey Ryan around this time? Injury? Other commitments? I have no clue. The match quality might be upgraded with some wilder dives & cooler spots, but Joey brought a fun dynamic to his team nonetheless. I'm good with what we're getting, but I still would've preferred a proper payoff to the story that was already unfolding. It is what it is. Famous B is the bee's tits. This guy simply OWNS every aspect of that gimmick. I don't think I'd ever get tired of seeing him get thrashed and bumped around. Now GITTTT! I was surprised to see Mundo beaten definitively by Strong. I loved the closing scene with Matanza making a lasting impression. Those big, meaty forearms and crossfaces looked nasty. But that Matanza-Strong standoff would've been so much better if it were Mil or Cage or someone. I realize that's been done, but ugh. Strong just doesn't do much for me. I can't help but feel like I see him one way, and they value him at a much higher place than I perceive him to be at. Maybe that's me. Strong-Penta always seemed like a logical endgame to me, so maybe that's a long term goal for them. Breaker of arms versus breaker of ankles. It makes sense, even if it doesn't exactly rock my socks or anything. I'm still stoked for Ultima Lucha. The finale has delivered every single year thus far, so I'm going in optimistic. I so hope they get another season to come back stronger though. This season has picked up some steam lately and managed to go out better than it came in, but it has definitely felt like the runt of the litter since their launch. I'd like them to get a chance to go out on a higher note next year, if possible.

Finally got a chance to catch Bound For Glory, and I'm glad I did. Slammiversary still stands as my favorite wrestling show this year (no kidding), from start to finish. The presentation, the finishes, the rivalries, and just everything in general was handled really well there. It was fun & totally fulfilling as a standalone show. This wasn't on that same level, but it wasn't too far below. I'd rank it over any 4 or 5 hour slog WWE has put out this calendar year, for sure. This didn't have the same dips or lows that those things so frequently offer. It was closer to the same spirit of Slammiversary and All In, both of which packed more celebratory feels & fan service appeal. I really dug the Knockouts Title match. Tessa is feeling herself right now, and she's a fucking treat as the heel wrestling champion. Her interview was on point, and she already sounds like everything they want Charlotte to one day become. The match itself had a shaky start with the rope running spots, but it quickly found a groove and really got going from there. Solid strikes, a tight Buzzsaw DDT (which probably should have been the finish), and plenty to enjoy in this one. Wouldn't mind a series between these two, to be honest. Money Moose is fucking aces as a character. The gaudy gear is so much greatness. It's too bad he's so awkward on the mic - like he's got a mouthful of peanut butter at times - because, otherwise, this would be outstanding all around. It's cool to see Moose relishing the role though, as I was worried about how he'd handle himself after the turn. Did Eddie Edwards inherit Tommy Dreamer's "melted candle" upper body? Because he was looking fairly soft. I mean, I don't need him to be a body guy or anything, but it seemed very noticeable. I appreciate the synergy between the look and the character work, but yeah. It's an upper body business, brutha. The Concrete Jungle Death Match was sheer spectacle. I like the way this was worked - from the bumps to the approach the announcers took. The whole situation was treated as something fearsome & dangerous. I dug all that. Ortiz took that first flat back bump, and that just opened the floodgates. It's a minor miracle nobody fucked up their knee or ankle with those sliding boards. But it all pulled together to make this thing unique & special. My eyes never left the screen. Kingston took a gnarly dive to the outside & cracked his face against the guardrail. And Hernandez was bleeding about a minute into the match. So plenty to enjoy here, too. Konnan being the difference maker felt like a bit of a misstep to me though. We just saw this same outcome at Slammiversary, and now again Konnan's making the save for his boys here. I appreciate the decision from a storytelling standpoint, but it just feels weird to have the coach constantly bail out the featured players on the field. It works once, but it doesn't need to be done repeatedly. Eli Drake walks & talks like a top guy. I've enjoyed his work going all the way back to his Natural Selection days with Brian Cage. And yeah. He's never been pegged as a darling or cracked anybody's "Most Underrated" list, but it's amazing to me his NXT deal didn't translate to something for him on the big stage. Anyway, I'm glad he got a spotlight here. The interaction with Ellsworth was fun enough (and only offered a glimpse of how good Drake can be on the mic), but I guess the main purpose was to give Abyss a nice nod. I could bitch & moan about that, but it is what it is. I want better for Drake, but I won't exactly fault anyone for giving Abyss his gold watch moment here. That Allie segment was... Uhh, a thing. I guess? I don't know. I've enjoyed Allie immensely as a character, and her journey has been really rewarding to follow. But this was just shit. I get what they were going for, but no. Just no. This terrible trend of D-movie, deliberately cheap-looking vignettes needs to stop. I blame Matt Hardy for getting this goofy shit over. Truth be told, it was overrated & exaggerated even then. But it was fresh & wacky & fun & DIFFERENT. For a moment in time, it was something different. But wrestling is the ugly girl that gets complimented on one thing & then proceeds to wear that same thing everyday for the rest of the year. And so we're stuck with this sort of stuff until way, wayyy past its expiration date. The six-man tag was wild. It was all fireworks. Just an endless sequence of spot after spot. And that's not a big knock against it, because it had its place on the card. It wasn't a great match or anything you'll remember after the show has ended. But it was exciting and a solid addition to the rest of the card that surrounded it. I will say - if you're going to beat a guy but want to keep him protected, then that finish was a good way to do it. Cage came across as an absolute beast, but Callihan still looked like a relentless killer. Callis was especially good here as well - calling the Crists mindless mongrels and jackals. Fitting description that sticks with you. And then there's that main event. I won't even lie. I loved this match. The beginning was tremendous. I'm not a grapple fuck guy by any means, but the struggle & the urgency in that opening segment was some SUPREME shit. These dudes were in a dogfight. Some of those slaps were live rounds, with both guys losing their balance at different times. I mean, yeah. They were working. But they were working as snug as possible, and I loved it. Gotta give Morrison some props. That moonsault between the apron and the guardrail was fantastic & such a cool way to play with the tight space there. It was some RVD '98 style shit - in that it looked amazing and slicker than owl shit - yet he seemed to pull it off effortlessly. Aries' performance was excellent also. His promo earlier in the show summed up the situation seamlessly. The buildup itself was awesome in its simplicity - the Twitter war opening the door for a TMZ tie-in, and the NJPW-inspired brawl at the HOF press conference. I never once got the impression that they crossed any lines into Russo shoot territory there. And Aries arrogant, despicable heel game was in full flex throughout the match, which made things even better. I especially loved the work towards the finish. Whereas the crowd was split and could have been rooting for Aries at the end, he made sure to double down by FLATTENING Taya (unnecessarily & out of nowhere!). Top that with his general demeanor and swagger about it. By that point, I was itching to see Johnny get some payback. I bought in, and so the finish - with Johnny going over - was all the more satisfying. At that point, this BFG main event was pitch perfect. The build, the action, and the finish all delivered. No, nothing about it was MOTY or six stars. But it never felt like it was desperately reaching to achieve that either. It was comfortably good, which (to me) can often be way better than desperately great. Give me this over finisher spam or critic pandering any day of the week. The post-match stuff is where things went sideways for me. Sad to say it, because the show was truly a truckload of fun up until that point. Aries' temper tantrum would have been fine, and it would have gotten the same point across. But the way he just stood up and shook off the finish as if it never happened? Gross. Get the fuck out with that noise. Overall, I'd still recommend the show. It's worth the watch. The last minute or so is a real WTF misfire, and it's a shame it detracted from Johnny's big moment a bit. But this was way more good than bad. If you're on the fence about going back and giving this a shot (like I was, initially), then don't be discouraged by all the criticism of the main event finish. It takes nothing away from the 2+ hours of other good stuff on the show. I've seen Russo era WCW shoot worked shit, and THIS is not THAT.

ROH has basically become OVW. At one time, it was THE premiere breeding ground for hot new talent. Now, it mainly consists of leftovers and guys that aren't really good enough to go anywhere else for the time being. There are a few exceptions, of course - Lethal, the Briscoes, etc. But they absolutely shot themselves in the foot a few times over the course of the last several years. The booking has been incredibly bland and uninspiring for SOOO long now. A shakeup is way overdue. The thing is though - even when they bring in a wave of new trendy guys, they always seem to do the same old shit with them. Regardless of whether it's Ospreay & Scurll, Cobb & company, or whatever. Nobody really comes in with much to do. There's no hot angle or plan for them. I guess Cody could be considered as an outlier. He had a decent rivalry with Lethal and then the title reign, but that's SUCH a rarity. Even so, that speaks more to what I'm saying in the first place - because at least that felt different and noteworthy. It was SOMETHING happening. Cobb could be better served by coming in, attacking the top guy, and getting a run at the top for a few months. This weird habit of EVERYBODY coming in and gunning for the TV Title needs to stop. It works for some, but there are others who are worth the gamble. Give them a shot at making a splash & see how they do. Then adjust accordingly. Instead, what we're left with is this unfortunate situation where - even when guys like Cobb are brought in - they're almost always treated like visitors who can come in, get involved with or near the TV belt, and then cycle out. In the end, that really does nothing for their perception or the reputation going forward. It's barely enough to break up the monotony of their day to day practices.

His Shawn Michaels imitation is something else. It should be seen & enjoyed by all.