SomethingSavage

That's interesting. What specifically was Jericho asking for there? Because, in terms of calling his shots and choosing how he returns, he was almost already there. Less money, sure. But just a tier below. I feel like - if you were to ask anyone else in the company, a Jericho deal would be a thing to strive for. It's a pretty sweet gig in itself.

I usually try to avoid spoilers from their bulk taping sessions, but I skimmed ahead to see if it was worth sticking around with the possibility of this shooty shoot Russo stuff clogging the main event scene. I won't say much, other than the idea of a possible OGz-Lucha Bros. feud seems to be on the horizon, and I am absolutely on board & on time for THAT my doods.

All's good. I probably could have figured that out if I would've slowed down and read the post more carefully.

Again, just to reiterate - if we're talking criticisms of the presentation, then yeah. By all means, watch and criticize it. In that case, watching and following the product DIRECTLY qualifies you to be more informed and knowledgeable about what they're doing wrong, because you're seeing it as it happens. I'm not disputing that. But this is supposedly a moral issue, and it's a very specific circumstance. I know you can comprehend what I'm saying here. In THIS case, watching and supporting their product makes you a part of the problem. It's hypocritical to say they shouldn't run a show in Saudi Arabia but then turn up & tune in to watch every minute of it for 5 straight hours. I can't be alone in realizing there's a disconnect there. All criticisms are not created equal. Suggesting their match layouts suck or their storylines are boring as fuck is NOT the same as suggesting they deserve to lose a fortune for entertaining this cutthroat, genocidal royal family. If WWE is such a horrible company, and all these people are truthfully SO outraged about it, then why would they turn around and contribute to the cause? Missing a fucking wrestling show is not that serious. And if it is, then perhaps priorities for these people could use some real world readjusting. Again, I don't care either way. I somehow keep finding myself back here elaborating what I only came here to say in the first place, and that's - Either be outraged enough to stop feeding them, or shut up already and enjoy your Crown Jewel. Nobody needs to see folks put on a big show and pretend to be upset if they're just going to sit down and watch the damn thing anyway. Can't have your cake & eat it, too.

If we were talking about artistic or aesthetic criticisms, then OF COURSE you'd be right. But in this case? Nah. Dead wrong. These aren't superficial criticisms. These are moral criticisms. Big difference. If they matter to folks as much as these people are ACTING like they do, then stepping away from something as silly and insignificant as one pro wrestling company shouldn't be too tall a request. Of course, the alternative is that people really just like to PRETEND to be upset a lot of times about a lot of things. And they want to feel included in the hot conversation in the moment, which is closer to what this actually sounds like. You can't pretend to throw these moral criticisms at them about such an issue and then go along with them AS THEY DO the exact thing you're supposedly so morally outraged about. If you're someone who pretends to be upset and utterly outraged, then you shouldn't be contributing to their cause. And if you're viewing & consuming their content, then that's what you're doing. You're feeding the beast. That's hypocritical at best.

I'm not even talking from a financial standpoint. Of course it's a net profit for them right out of the gate. But defending the idea of watching it by throwing your hands up and saying, "Well it won't make a difference anyway" is the very definition of the issue I'm addressing here. I don't care. It's not like I have stock in either side of this thing. I don't watch, because I can't imagine trying to justify spending five or six hours of my valuable free time watching this stuff. But if you're going to watch it anyway, then you've really got no reason to criticize whether they run the show or not. This whole "pretending to be outraged" trend is tired and hypocritical. And it's absolutely one of the worst traits in modern society. Either you're greatly offended enough to actually do something, or you're not. If you're not bothered enough by it to even change your precious habits or your routine, then you're basically just white noise & you desperately want to be included in the conversation. Just my two cents though. I'm likely the outlier on this issue anyhow. But you should probably realize you can't be taken seriously if you show up in the live show thread and criticize them for running the show - AS you literally watch along and consume their content.

What are the chances approximately 99% of the people acting all outraged about WWE running Saudi Araba are also going to watch the show anyway? Not that I care what people choose to do with their own personal time or anything, but there really is no excuse to straddle the fence here. If you're going to whine & complain loudly, do something. Don't just fake a stance. Take a stance. Otherwise, you're part of the problem. I try to veer away from political topics in general. But really. WWE shows are the most uneventful, nothing happening shit on television. Nothing ever happens. Even sitcoms and animated shows that reset after every episode hold a tighter sense of continuity than anything in today's WWE. It can't be about "good matches", because there's much better wrestling out there. And it's just as easily accessible in today's landscape. It can't be the characters, because they're never allowed to experience development or growth of any kind. They're strictly gimmicks and imprints in a vacuum. They're video game characters to be selected and paired together in new or different combinations sometimes. It can't be the stories, because they don't bother telling those anymore. If they feel the urge to try, it's a half-assed rinse & repeat of something that worked for them in the past. Everything is so stagnant and overly sanitized. LED boards and brightly lit arenas are NOT adequate compensation for the lack of LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE that matters in a good professional wrestling presentation. And yet people still can't find it in themselves to step away for awhile. Well now there's an actual, genuine reason to stop watching. Nothing on this show will matter. If their track record & recent history hasn't taught you that, then you just don't care to learn. This is WWE 2018. Nothing matters anymore. So now that they've gift wrapped you a meaningful reason to tune out, why bother? Does the fear of missing out REALLY run that deep in some fans?

Johnny Mundo sacrificing himself to finally & permanently dispose of the monster - in some awesomely glorified Superman/Doomsday battle scene - is something I now need to see. And how about Johnny then returning to earth with an avenging archangel gimmick for one season-long arc to freshen things up? ... Anything goes in the temple. You could practically dream up any wild gimmick or wacky situation and pull it off, which is part of what I love about LU in the first place.

Trish has been trash in this buildup. Absolutely awful with her unenergetic, dead-eyed Stepford wife glare. Step aside, Nia Jax. Trish's face is the real immovable object of the women's division. 2018 is shaping up to be the year of pointless, regrettable returns. At least Shawn's promos have been solid though. The material isn't much to work with, but it is striking how much better he is than Hunter, who many tend to categorize as the superior talker. He's simply not. Shawn sounds so much more comfortable and believable when speaking. Hunter's there spouting off about climbing mountains and imaginary milestones and shit, while Shawn's there saying shit an actual human being would say. Ronda is excellent in sit down interviews and one-on-one settings. She's engaging, bubbly, and a natural. I wish WWE would be more flexible when it comes to making their promos fit the talents of the individuals, instead of trying to force everyone to fit their dated, formulaic, overly sanitized style. Ronda saved the segment, despite its poor material. But just barely. And there have been several instances of her struggling with it before this, so why not make an adjustment? They approach almost everything this way - lazy and uninspired on almost every level.

Wasn't Taya/Ricky technically added to the lineup also? I thought that's what they said anyway. Mundo/Matanza could pack a fun power/speed dynamic. It's nitpicking, but the stipulation for Fenix/Azteca feels very tacked on. There's been nothing in the narrative to suggest either guy cares to be the superior wrestler. The match will likely be really good regardless, but I still wish there would've been some synergy between the actual story and the intended payoff. But we'll see what they do with it. Overall, the show should be a blast.

"Coming to you from the greater suburban area of downtown Saudi Arabiaaa..."

Is all that really a result of Johnny calling him short? Aries responding by calling Taya "husky" seemed like a childish temper tantrum, but lashing out like this AT YOUR JOB is really a bad look. It's a shame, too. I enjoy Aries a great deal as a performer, but the guy's track record when it comes to these things just stinks. I may actually make time for the show sometime this week. It'll likely be viewed in portions throughout the week, but there really is enough there that I'm curious about to make it worth checking out. The LAX brawl and the Tessa/Taya match top my list, but the main event and the wacky Su Yung stuff begs to be seen to some degree. How was Edwards/Moose? I only ask because Eddie has often turned in some of his all-time finest showings against bigger guys, and I'm wondering how the Moose turn has worked out so far. I haven't seen much of the TV with him being featured in any significant capacity.

Finally caught last week's episode. Nothing outstanding, but it was a fun enough watch for 45 minutes. Fiery, scorned Viking Taya is something I never knew I needed, but more of this please & thanks. Seriously. Taya laying down the law and calling out the monstah was an awesome, bold moment & a good way to bring her back after the wedding. As much as I dug Johnny last year with the Worldwide Underground working overtime as his underlings, I just can't get that into him as a baby face. He showed some decent spirit and energy in the save here, but even that was quickly ruined by that awful End of the World finish. It's fine for a wrestling match, but it's not very fitting for a fist fight scenario. Throw some hands for fuck's sake, son. That fancy flippity shit just makes everything you just did look hokey and phony. In closing? Turn Johnny heel again, so I can root for him. Matanza may be on his way out the door, but I feel like he deserves a better fate than being sacrificed to the majestic abdominals of Mr. Mundo. Just my two cents. The tag match in the middle of the show was reeedonnnculous. So much fun packed into this one. I don't care if nobody's talking about him - Mil is still one of my favorite things in today's pro wrestling. Period. His punches can make me legitimately wince at times, and he busts them out sparingly enough to make them still seem like game-changers whenever they're used. Azteca's DDTJ was sick. He really stuck the landing & spiked Fenix like a lawn dart. Willie Mack going trigger happy & firing off that round of Stunners was a cool sequence, too. But the way they acknowledged the storied history between Mil and Fenix was the absolute best. The emphatic finish was surprising to me, since I fully expected both Mil and Fenix to win at Ultima Lucha. Now? With this result? It leaves everything up in the air. Famous B and Brenda are the bee's tits. As a package deal, they've really fine-tuned this gimmick. It's everything Titus Worldwide wishes it could be & more. It's too bad he was fed to Ricky Mandel here, because Ricky's character is an abortion of an idea. Maybe it had a spark of potential at one point, but by now? It's just wilting and dying. The concept is all over the place with no real streamlined vision of any kind. He's a single white male doppelganger. He talks to a doll. He makes out with the doll. He's jealous of Taya. It feels like they're just laying on layer after layer of shit until something works. It's the kind of thing that COULD be creepy if it were fleshed out more, but I don't know. It's just sort of there. My boy the Moth has the market cornered when it comes to creepy, and the line starts behind him, Ricky. You're simply destined to be second rate. The main event started off SOOPAH fun. Penta poured on the punishment and threw Reklusa around like a rag doll. But then they entered obligatory finisher spam mode, and I lost interest. I get that she's a fresh character and all, but I don't necessarily believe we needed to see Reklusa kick out of apron finishers and shit. That was egregious. It really was just too much. The actual finish at least looked impressive, with Penta bouncing off the ropes and hitting the running Package Piledriver. But this was finisher overkill for an opponent that didn't demand that sort of treatment. The closing scene with Marty threatening to set Penta on fire wasn't exactly innovative, but I enjoy symmetry in storytelling. It's just too bad the announcers didn't mention Penta doing the same to Vampiro en route to the first Ultima Lucha. That would've sent it over the top for me. As it stands, they've still done a decent job in prepping for their big finale. I'm ready for it, as I'll be pulling for Da Man, Da Myth, Da Moth in my obscenely loud yellow shirt. Ya know. As one does.

I didn't get a chance to check out the show due to work and all. But sounds like I may skip it entirely. Anything worth going back and scoping out?

Are there any standout episodes worth seeking out so far? I'm willing to give this a shot, but reviews seem to be scattered & mixed at best. Don't have the time to backtrack through everything, so I'm looking for a sampler or a solid indication of what they're doing. Is Low Ki still doing embarrassingly awful, super self-serious promos about glory and honor and triumph and warriors and ronin and samurai and buzzwords because buzzwords? Because I'd be down for that. Guy's basically become the Tommy Wiseau of professional wrestling with his "toddler playing T-rex" shtick.

To be fair, she's been given some terrible material to work with. I won't gloss over that. Having her only go-to response be that she's a Hall of Famer who's going to deliver a Hall of Fame style beating or whateverthefuck is cringe-inducing and lame. It left her wide open for Alexa to outfox her in every conceivable fashion out there. But yeah. Trish still brought NOTHING to the delivery. She sounded bad. She looked almost ill, and she seemed to have practically zero energy. There wasn't even a hint of her former self in that last segment. Trish has brought all the personality of a potted plant to this buildup so far.

This Shawn Michaels unretirement angle is shaping up to be the stuff of legends.

I realize she was a crazy fun bitch heel character in her heyday, but Trish has looked terrible in the buildup to this show. Bliss consistently outshines her, and even Mickie sounds more comfortable on a mic. I know we're not allowed to notice or point out how people look these days, even though - ya know - it's human nature and people will always notice how others look. But Trish looks... Weird. On last week's Raw, she had this dead-eyed plastic doll look throughout the entire segment. If you counted the number of times her expression changed, then you had the night off completely. Because, no matter what was said, she just looked the same. Sable circa 1998 had more range. And it looked like it took every ounce of energy in her frame to lift her arm & point to the crowd from all four sides of the ring. Everything looked so lifeless & lethargic. No energy to her entrance or anything she said. I'm honestly not even trying to exaggerate or anything here. It was almost eerie. Trish looked like a totally different performer. There's no way a fan seeing her for the first time would have any reason to believe she was ever anything comparable to today's women - even though she absolutely was (and even better in some cases, especially as a character). Just bizarre how bad she's come off since returning.

I had no idea there was even a thread here for this podcast until I just searched. And what a coincidence. I came here to post about the older episode with Bruce on as the guest. I wanted to give this show a shot, so I figured I'd start with a familiar voice. "The Legend of the Lord" and his "young maidens" is fucking aces. Lord Al cruising around Connecticut in a powder blue Continental, with a bunch of British nannies packed inside and being pimped out to high-end households, is just tremendous. I needed Man's Man Steven Regal in this gimmick & never even knew it. Mooney's got a GREAT voice for this stuff. And the fact that he got some new stories out of Bruce - who basically makes the rounds retelling the same tales again & again now - is a big bonus. I'm not going out of my way to burn through this backlog quickly or anything, but I'll definitely dip in & out to catch some episodes when I want to hear something different.

Slammiversary was tremendous. They earned enough goodwill with me there to give this one a shot. I agree it's not exactly the greatest lineup, but nothing looks outright bad either. I'm going in optimistic and hoping they'll deliver. Some of their buzz has died down, but they're still doing some really good stuff. Their presentation is safe but solid. Their treatment of rivalries and conflicts is SOOO much better than anything you see in WWE. I can actually go into this show and EXPECT to see some proper payoffs and finishes with definitive direction. So yeah. I'm down for this.

Exactly. I had stopped listening to the full shows and started just cherry picking clips from that channel. It was quick, concise, and easy. Hopefully this whole issue with the ads gets ironed out.

I can't wait to dive deeper into the newer Batman stuff post-Morrison and Damian Wayne. I've heard good things. But, for now, I'm going to stick with Marvel exclusively. There's sooo much I want to catch up on, but that's a welcomed burden. Because I'm having a blast getting back into the thick of things right now. It's like being a kid again, as corny as that sounds. I've just got this ravenous appetite for comics again, and it seemed to spring up overnight - sometime between this thread popping up and one conversation with a friend. I'm still going through Slott's Spider-Man run. And, while it's still enjoyable enough, things have definitely degraded a bit. To be fair, that was bound to happen after the HUGE Superior story arc. That certainly feels like a case of Slott firing his best shot and not having the strongest followup afterwards. Like I said though, I still dig the characterizations. And major kudos to Slott (and Marvel management) for knowing when to wrap up the Superior story without needlessly overextending it or anything. This way, the story arc felt progressive and significant from beginning to end. It remained entertaining and engaging throughout. And it ended at the right time - before the novelty wore off. As far as the new stuff goes, it's a bit of a mixed bag. There's good, and there's some bad. The banter and the dialogue is still fun and spirited. Slott forever has a firm grasp on that stuff. But I don't know that we needed Peter Parker to turn into Tony Stark or whatever. I mean, Parker Industries was a cool concept as part of the Superior saga. It made sense to have Ock introduce the idea that Peter COULD be a successful scientist and billionaire CEO, but come on. He never actually SHOULD be - at least not for any sustained period of time. That's part of the package deal. It's part of the appeal. The eternal, everlasting tragedy of Peter Parker is that he is capable and deserving of this rich, successful life. But he's committed and dedicated to this duty - to saving the world - and so he'll never be afforded the time or the chance to live out those luxuries. Them's the pillars of the house he's built. I've mentioned before how I like my Spider-Man to remain grounded and localized. And sure. There are exceptions to that rule. But globe-trotting, Spider Mobile wheeling & dealing secret spy Spider-Man isn't exactly what I wanted after that excellent Superior story. Mockingbird is a weird but unique choice for a partner/potential new love interest, so I won't be TOO critical of that. But Black Cat and Electro never exactly rocked my socks as the next big bads. The tension with Tony Stark is a neat new wrinkle, enhanced by the Parker Industries development and Peter's newfound success. This idea of a PROFESSIONAL grudge between Peter and Tony is cool enough, but I love that it's then compounded by a layer of PERSONAL beef once Mary Jane accepts a job offer from Stark. I'm always on board for stuff like this - building bridges between Marvel's many characters and the casts in their books. It's creative cross-pollination. To his credit, Slott spent time and effort to build to his next big story. I suppose the Clone Conspiracy was intended to be that next smash hit, but I don't know. It never felt like it was in the same league as Superior Spider-Man to me. Slott did well in building suspense and slowly rolling out the idea bit by bit for awhile. I'll give him that. But the execution ultimately fell flat for me. I can appreciate the upgraded appearance and the Egyptian motif for the new Jackal, but some of the other stuff was just shallow and unfinished as a concept. Whereas Superior took its time and explored Doc Ock thoroughly, the Clone Conspiracy seemed like it was served up uncooked. I still don't understand what Ben Reilly hoped to accomplish. The threat of cloning Uncle Ben is something that should obviously cause great concern, but it was swept aside so quickly that it never got a chance to sink in or feel significant to his motivations. Furthermore, the idea of Gwen's clone having her memories - just so she can say she remembers dying and DOESN'T blame Spidey for causing her neck to snap? Awful, horrible idea. I mean, I get what they were going for, but damn it. Spider-Man is built on grief and tragedy. Peter Parker is fueled everyday by his regret, his failures, and his overwhelming sense of GUILT. That's the entire origin. We never needed to hear Gwen forgive him anymore than we need to hear that from the mouth of Uncle Ben. It undermines the drive and the whole premise behind the power and responsibility motto. It was just one of those facepalm moments where I had to wonder, "The fuck..?" Again, I could see what Slott was going for. Dead No More (err, Clone Conspiracy) follows in the footsteps of his other high concept, big cinematic story arcs. There are separate acts and a huge climactic battle at the end. There's some feel-good stuff to wrap things up, and they're normally warranted and well-earned. But I could've done without that heavy-handed Gwen bit there. Oh. But there was one genuinely GLORIOUS fist-pump moment of redemption in the Clone Conspiracy. Whenever Doc Ock realizes the Jackal is going to harm Anna Maria? Ol' Otto deciding he's had enough of that shit and saying he'd die a thousand times before he let her get hurt? Fuccckkk. Powerful, perfect moment right there. I've pumped the brakes more & more on my Spidey reading though. I'll stick with it, but I've been checking out other stuff also. I stopped reading comics almost entirely (aside from some Spidey and Batman here & there) around the time of Civil War, so I've got A LOT of ground to cover. I'm hopping around, taking suggestions from a few friends on what I may like, what's essential, what creative teams and their runs are worthwhile, etc. So far, I've dabbled in Bendis' Gaurdians of the Galaxy. My curiosity kind of led me there, since I'm a HAYOOOJ fan of the films, and I wanted to see what influenced them. The book is all Bendis from the very beginning. I love what he did with Groot and Rocket, and it's easy to understand why they were practically copied & lifted to the big screen intact. Star Lord's origin is different, but I can appreciate both versions for what they are. I honestly prefer the approach the movies took, with Ego as the absent father and Quill being abducted from Earth. However, I really dig something about the comics origin too. The idea of Quill finding the cosmic gun his dad left in the house was a cool touch, plus the violent death of his mother meant he'd hold a natural grudge against his old man when they ultimately meet one day. Thor's banter with the team was fucking fantastic in the Infinity War flick, but Iron Man linking up with the Guardians in the books was something I didn't expect to enjoy so much. It seems like an odd fit on the surface, but it's actually surprisingly fun. Seeing Stark, the genius and master mechanic, being out of his element and unaware of how all this alien tech works is enjoyable. And it's made even better by the fact that a fucking raccoon CAN operate all these gadgets AND explain how they work. The Gamora/Tony chemistry is good stuff early on, too. But then there's a bunch of characters being rotated in & out of the series, on & off the team, and things kind of lose their way. Bendis is a guy that has more positive attributes than negatives, for sure. But he has a habit of leaning on convenient explanations or outs for his ideas. And that's bothersome at times, too. So yeah. Like Fraction's Iron Man, Bendis' Guardians is another book I will probably drop at some point soon, because it's just not sustaining my interest the way it did before. But I'm still glad I scoped it out and gave it a shot, especially for the handling of those early issues. Wolverine Origins is wonderful. That is all. Well, I will say I always try to do a quick scan to see what the general consensus is for some of these older stories. And I've come to the conclusion that almost everything is going to be presented as "divisive" to varying degrees. You can't satisfy everyone in every way every time. Fandom is fickle and funny that way. But? When it comes to Wolverine Origins? Fuck that noise. I mean, nah. I don't care if Daniel Way toyed and tinkered with some of the minor continuity stuff. He doesn't alter anything major or fundamental to the foundation of the character. He just lays out this long, expansive tale of Logan regaining his memories and going on a hunt for answers and - more importantly - peace of mind. Underneath it all, Logan's story is a tragedy - in which everyone he loves fades away. Either he leaves, or they leave. Or, in the case of the women he loves, they are murdered for his sins and his bad decisions. That's the real gut punch. Over and over again, Logan is remembering how many times he's fallen in love - with many different women, in many different countries - only to find them dead, for being associated with him. Seriously though... What's not to love here? Wolverine is in peak form, operating as an ELITE assassin. There are cliffhangers, revelations, and surprises by the truckload. There are PLENTY of badass battles, including a crazy ultra VIOLENT scrap with Cap that you wouldn't see anywhere else. Oh. And there's Steve Dillon's art. My god damn god, the art is terrific on this series. I've been on the Dillon bandwagon since I first found Preacher wayyyy back in the day. And, of course, I thought his run on Punisher was a picture perfect marriage of artist and material. But Christ. His work on Wolverine here is magnificent, too. It's some gnarly, nasty stuff. He brings such brutality to a superhero book that it's almost startling to see in some panels. Wolverine gets gutted, has his throat slashed, and on & on. If a violent act can be imagined, then Dillon can seemingly visualize it and draw it into existence. Not only that - but he captures the closeups really well, too. Whenever his Wolverine goes berserk, the rage and the barbaric nature is really rendered in his eyes & on his face. I'm also not sure if there's another artist out there who has ever mastered the PRECISE moment of shock & horror the way Dillon did either. It's tremendous, and it has to be seen to be truly appreciated. So yeah. That's all I've got for now. I've started to check on a few other things, but I'm going to hold off until I've got a broader, more rounded experience before I drop any thoughts on those.

I figured I would start up a thread to get some discussion and info on the company's miscellaneous personnel. I hear names and stories mentioned in podcasts and interviews here & there, but I'm sure some of you could help to shed some light on WHO does WHAT for the company these days. So, who are the trainers out in Florida at the moment? Who are the agents producing matches? Do some of them work with specific wrestlers, or are they assigned to a set role? (For example, the way Arm Anderson used to handle Cena or main events in general, which I heard later went to Jamie Noble.) Is Tyson Kidd still working as an agent? What's Matt Hardy doing? Is it true that they're considering a spot for Jason Jordan, depending on the severity of his injuries? And on & on. I realize some of this will be pure speculation, but fuck it. That's half the fun. I'm way out of the loop when it comes to news & rumors - and I'm even further removed from wrestling twitter - so almost everything could be worth mentioning to me. But this place is packed with knowledgeable people, so I thought it'd be cool to talk about something slightly different for a change.

The pairing of Lio Rush with Lashley is excellent. I hope they stick with it and give them a chance to strike up some chemistry together. This is basically Bobby's early heel act from TNA, except that Rush could serve as an upgrade in the MVP/Kenny King role. I love that he's capable of being the trash talker AND the bumping manager all in one, yet they didn't have him eat a bunch of punishment here. Hold off on that payoff, and at least ATTEMPT to make it a meaningful moment when it first occurs. Meantime? Let him weasel his way out of situations and feed Bobby. Oh. And Alicia Fox is wonderful. She is simultaneously both a trainwreck and a treasure. She commands attention like nobody's business, and it happens anytime she finds her way onscreen. I cannot fathom why they aren't tripping over themselves to find something consistent for her to do. Jinder has been a non-entity, regardless of where they try to position him. But here, Foxy falling over herself to open the ropes for him & openly arguing about it with Sunil Singh was just tremendous. This is clearly one of those oft-discussed periods when Vince woke up & decided his company needs more managers. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Yeah. Last week's show was another winner. It's too bad they waited this deep into the season to give definitive direction to a lot of their rivalries and conflicts, but it's better late than never. It's unfortunate we lost the Luchasaurus so quickly, but Kross is a cool addition in his own right. The demeanor, the facial expressions, the tone - he's dialed into this gimmick already, and it's that kind of commitment that can get something over instantly. I almost wish Kross could have come in & cut a path through the lower roster. Give him the impressive body count that went to Swagger instead, and then we'd have a ready-made fight against Matanza or Mil or even Cage just waiting to pop off. I've said it over and over, but it's still disappointing that we didn't get the full experience of Team Triple Lishus coming together and bonding as partners. Heck, they could have deliberately copied and pasted most of the Joey & Candice program from PWG. Instead of giving them any kind of emotional payoff with a big display of sacrifice and friendship though, they turned out to just sort of be the team to get beaten. Looks like they're the bridge to get us to the Reptile/Rabbit war, and that's unfortunate. The strange bedfellows trio should've been so much more. Anyway, I'm digging the upgraded Rabbit Tribe. El Bunny is my dude already. And London as the mad hatter feels totally appropriate. My issue with a Reptile/Rabbit rivalry is that it's another program with no functional babyfaces involved. We just suffered through a similar predicament with the Worldwide Underground, who kept switching back & forth in their character tendencies - depending on what the writers wanted them to do or how the writers wanted them to behave that week, basically. It's hard to invest in any story if it's inconsistent like that. I'm seriously stoked for the Azteca/Fenix match. Big fan of both guys, and I can't wait to see what happens with the fallout. Can the true Fenix find his way back? Or will he up the ante and do something even more diabolical at Ultima Lucha? Is Catrina going to re-emerge in a physical form? (This. Just this. I mean, gawt damn. Catrina, y'all). But the real story of this show was my boy, Marty. Da Moth. Da man. Da champ. Like I said, I hate that it took them this long to launch him, since his run up top might be very abbreviated. But damn it, I'm going to enjoy every second while it lasts anyhow. I'm glad they gave him the spotlight here. It was necessary to establish him as champion, but shit. They went two steps further and REALLY set a new baseline state for the Moth. Marty seriously sharpened his teeth and came off like a killer here. And I loved it. I'm such a fan of the strong sense of continuity they keep in Lucha Underground. There were callbacks to the rivalry with Sexy Star (and even an explanation for her absence, which was awesome). But the real highlight was the way they positioned the siblings and their relationship. It's always been a thing, but the way the writers approach that line of decency and tread just close enough without quite stepping over it? Tremendous. There's this air of unease and discomfort whenever Marty refers to his sister as beautiful or inspiring. It's fucking fantastic. The guy's such a rich, compelling character on one hand. And on the other? You have to hate him just the same, because he's a scummy, rotten, low-down rat bastard too. The main event itself was simply glorious. Nothing complicated or meta about it. Nothing overly contrived. None of that back & forth "your turn, my turn" business. I mean, there were a couple of reversals, but they were rare. Essentially, this was a fucking fight. That was one long, brutal beat down segment to start things off. Phase 1 - Heat, heat, heat. Phase 2 - Comeback with the hope spots. Phase 3 - Cut off with the cheap shot. Phase 4 - Finish. That sums up the framework for this match, and it was fucking wonderful. As a triggered flashpoint moment for Marty, this accomplished everything it set out to do. Ditching the borderline incestuous fascination with his sister for the alliance with Reclusa provides him with a fresh feel, for sure. But the way it was done here - by taking the time to tie YEARS of threads together? Highly satisfying stuff. When viewers invest their time and attention, this is the type of reward they hope to receive in the end. Well done, LU. Season 4 has not been my favorite by far, but you've found a way to finish strong yet again.