SomethingSavage

Hearing Booker T talk about the roots of his character on Austin's podcast, he basically described his promos & in-ring mannerisms as Shaft meets Bruce Lee. Apparently his favorite things as a kid were blaxploitation and kung-fu flicks, which is pretty damn cool. It's something I never thought about, but I can totally see that. Makes you wonder what other characters have similarly surprising influences.

So, after really enjoying Hickman's Fantastic Four, I decided to jump right into Dan Slott's run on Spider-Man. To color this with a little context, Spidey was my first favorite super-hero. He was my gateway into comic books. I literally can't recall a time early enough in my childhood when I wasn't flipping through the pages of a Spider-Man comic. I remember reading certain words and terminology for the first time in some of his old adventures. I feel like I grew up on Spidey books. It was him at 1A, and Batman as my 1B in terms of things to buy as a kid. Anyway, fast forward to my high school years, and my comic fandom began to dwindle. As I got my driver's permit, my first car, and other interests obviously - comics eventually fell to the wayside in a hurry. I would go on to pick up a random issue here & there over the next few years. I specifically remember seeking out some trade paperbacks way back when those became the hot new thing. In terms of Spidey specifically, I eventually stopped collecting once Howard Mackie took over the entire line. It seemed abundantly clear that the guy had no regard or respect for so many of the stories that came before - even some arcs he had wrote himself in Web of - and nothing he was doing held my interest. The idea of resurrecting Aunt May for no good reason, with no real design to treat her as anything but another plot device, was a major issue with me. While Aunt May's death shook me when it originally occurred, the moment should have been allowed to last and leave its mark in continuity. DeMatteis handled her death with such care. And, as much as I fucking loathed the Clone Saga at the time, I was still a diehard reader in that moment. And that scene with two Peter Parkers at Aunt May's house - one at her bedside as she takes her final breath, and the other up on her roof in the pouring rain - was just HEARTBREAKING. It was just this wrenching scene, with the clone cradling his knees and crying - all alone, grieving and mourning the death of his Aunt May. It was a powerful moment. And, for whatever reason, Marvel allowed it to be ripped away from canon for the sake of giving Howard Mackie a cheap tool to add stress to Peter's personal life again, since Mackie was incapable of doing anything original or wholly creative with the character. Fast forward a bit after Mackie's run, and I heard Paul Jenkins was working on Spidey. I bought a few of his issues. And they told some genuinely awesome standalone stories. There was this one issue with Peter visiting Uncle Ben's grave, and he basically explains that he got his signature sense of humor and wit from his Uncle Ben as a coping mechanism. It's a touching little gem of a tale that just stuck with me. I never fully returned to following or collecting though. And JMS's run on the book drove me away entirely. I've never cared for stories that involve Spidey in space or Spidey mixed up with magic, and JMS was alllll about mixing Spidey & magic throughout his run. This is when he attempted to retcon Spidey's origin so that he didn't actually receive his powers from a radioactive spider bite. Instead, he was the avatar for some mystic spider spirit animal or some horse shit. I don't know. But it was fucking awful. They were essentially taking one of the most iconic, retold superhero origins in history and trying to muddy it up with magic and unnecessary shit. I was done at that point. Marvel editors had let me down by allowing stupid things to happen to Spidey before - the Clone Saga, the resurrection of Aunt May, the organic web shooters, and now Spidey's origin being about magic & fate rather than chance and super science. Yeah. I was done. During my time away from comics completely, I heard (from the same friend who has now convinced me to give things a try again, ironically enough) about other terrible, misguided things they were doing to my favorite superhero. They had him reveal his secret identity to the entire world during Civil War. Ugh. They revealed Gwen Stacy, his first true love, to be Norman Osborn's secret side-piece of ass. And, on top of that, apparently she got knocked up and gave birth to his goblin offspring without Peter ever noticing. Fucking hell. Oh. And there was the whole issue of them erasing years of continuity and storytelling by just having Peter make a deal with the Marvel devil, Mephisto, to keep Aunt May alive (again) in exchange for his marriage to Mary Jane never happening. And I get it. They have this undying desire to keep Peter young and appealing to new readers. But there are better, smarter ways to accomplish that. So I was convinced my Spider-Man was tarnished forever, and there was no sense in me ever reading a new Spidey book again. I could just enjoy my Silver Age Spidey in perpetuity & ignore all these failed reboots and retcons. Enter Dan Slott. Like Hickman, I've heard how divisive the guy is for his run on Spider-Man. And, up until a couple of months ago, I never really thought twice about reading any of his run. I was aware of the Superior Spider-Man concept, but nothing specific. When my friend approached me about different "big" story arcs to dive into and jump-start my reading of more modern books, he suggested that story - because he knew I dug Spider-Man. But the bad taste was still there, and I went with FF instead. But, man. I seriously enjoyed Hickman's FF. Maybe part of that is me being away as a reader for so long. But it all felt new and fresh again. It was so awesome to see so many of the classic characters utilized in new, interesting ways. It was essentially like falling out of pro wrestling for a few years - then tuning in again, only to see Hulk Hogan a dastardly villain and Bret Hart behaving like a bitter crybaby. So yeah. I ate up Hickman's run, and it left me wanting more. Something similar, yet different. So I started to consider giving my first favorite superhero another shot - which leads me back to Dan Slott. Surely there's a reason why he's considered to be so beloved AND simultaneously so bashed by the fan base. But hey. Most creators deal with that. It comes with the territory. So, before jumping into the series (knowing it's A LONG run to read through), I did some homework. I listened to a few Slott interviews to gauge my interest and see how he seemed as a writer. The ideas Slott discussed and emphasized echoed a lot of my own thoughts. He wanted to correct the course. He wanted to address past issues and problems. Slott is a guy that gets bothered by continuity errors, dangling plot threads, and loose ends. At the same time, he's a huge fan of Spider-Man's history, his supporting cast, and his ultra rich rogues gallery. With that, I had my confirmation. I wanted to give Slott's Spider-Man run a shot. My friend directed me to some of his older work, back when there were multiple writers still handling the numerous series. But fuck that. I started with the Big Time arc, which is the kickoff of Slott truly taking over the line entirely. I've been devouring these issues for a few weeks now, and I'm loving them for the most part. Naturally, there are some small things I don't care for, but all the big stuff is being done right. True to his interviews, Slott brings a real appreciation for these characters and their personalities. While I hate the way she was brought back without purpose for years upon years, his Aunt May has renewed life and direction. Whenever Pete lands the big new job at Horizon Labs, May is the super proud parental figure. There's this sweet little scene where Peter takes May (and her date!) out for a fancy dinner and finally feels like a success, because he can pick up the tab. Later, whenever Peter gets an article published in a scientific journal, May goes out, buys up a BUNCH of copies to hand out to her friends and family, and it's just great. She's no longer just another plot device or obstacle in Peter's adventures. Mary Jane has been a blast, too. It's like she's returned to her wild side roots, yet she's still secretly carrying this torch for Peter. There's an understanding that they just don't work as a couple anymore, but there's this underlying attraction and idea that MAYBE they really belong together. It's hard to capture or put into words properly, but you see it and experience it in the panels. It's great stuff. Slott "gets" Mary Jane more than any writer I can recall. And it works really, really well. The dynamic between her and Peter SHOULDN'T work this well in the aftermath of that whole Mephisto debacle, but man. It does. It totally works. The "will they, won't they" tension isn't irritating at all. It's charming and an added bonus in the books. Norman Osborn is another character I grew tired of back in the day. They seemed hellbent on shoving him into EVERYTHING at one point, and it was just a case of overexposure. But he's another character Slott handles extremely well. The relationship between Osborn and Peter is fascinating. There's this one specific scene where Peter is so angry at Osborn that he completely abandons the one-liners and quick quips during their battle, and Norman calls him out on it - further getting underneath Spidey's skin. I loved that. J. Jonah Jameson selling the Daily Bugle is one of those changes that I didn't care for when I originally found out about it, but I've totally come around to enjoying it. I mean, it feels like a necessity. The newspaper industry isn't exactly a thriving, influential thing anymore. And making him mayor makes sense to keep him in the mix as a major player with some serious sway - just without the editorial voice. Instead, he's law & order. So I get it. Anyway, Jonah gets his own great little character moment when the Bugle (under its new management) puts him on blast on the front page. And so Jonah gets a taste of his own medicine, basically being on the receiving end of all the hit pieces he wrote about Spider-Man back in the day. It's the quieter, key character moments like that which really grab me and stick with me after an issue, too. I mean, don't get me wrong. The fights and the action scenes are awesome. But Slott is clearly a fan of these characters in the traditional sense. He writes them as he grew up reading them, and it's great. In an interview, Dan Slott also spoke about having this folder of ideas he kept as a kid. He would write down ideas for stories, for villains, etc. if he ever got the chance to write Spider-Man one day. And you really get the sense of that, because he comes out with guns blazing. Some of these issues & stories are just bursting with interesting new spins on classic characters. And, like any good season of television, we get standalone stories with overarching themes and bigger sagas in the making, all intertwined issue to issue. It creates a compelling, captivating reading experience. You hate to stop or put it on pause, because something is always building or leading somewhere new and exciting, just around the corner. The idea of the Hobgoblin as this new crime master, essentially gathering up the gimmicks of low-level C and D list villains, is such a fresh and interesting idea. He's basically franchising out the gear, gadgets, and costumes of these losers. It's not a monumental story or anything, but just an example of something neat being done with otherwise forgotten figures. It's Dan Slott having access to this great big toy box, and he's going to make sure he plays with EACH AND EVERY toy while he can. Slott also talked about cleaning up some of the messes left behind by previous writers, which is part of the reason I wanted to seek this stuff out in the first place. He was really speaking to me with that point, because I was driven away by some of the very same things he wanted to tackle. But he's not some lazy writer taking shortcuts. He's not simply undoing stories or retconning decisions. Instead, he takes the time, care, energy, and effort to do it through storytelling. He adheres to continuity and treats the material of previous writers with some due respect. And so that brings us to the Eddie Brock character. Over the years, Marvel has been ALL over the place with the Venom symbiote. They just couldn't make up their minds on what to do with it. Apparently, at some point, they decided Brock wasn't an interesting enough piece of the puzzle anymore, so they gave him cancer. So the Scorpion became Venom. Flash Thompson became Venom. And I lost track. But Slott corrects course a bit here, albeit with a twist. And again, I was initially resistant. But nah, fuck it. I ended up digging this, too. Basically, he reintroduces Brock and upgrades him by having the dormant Venom symbiote cells mutate inside him. In some Marvel super science way, the cancer + the symbiote cells = the new character, Anti-Venom. (I know. I hated it at first, too. But don't over think it.) Brock back as Anti-Venom is a fucking treat and a half. He really livens up every issue he's in. And in particular, there's this AWESOME team-up story with Anti-Venom and the Punisher that is some HIGHLY recommended reading. The banter, the chemistry, and the interplay between those guys is fucking phenomenal. Even as they're working together throughout the story, Punisher takes every chance he can to kill Anti-Venom. They're loading up some guns to go after the cartel? Punisher tries to set Eddie on fire. They're going across the border and Eddie turns his head to grab his ID? Punisher stabs him in the chest. It's hilarious and has to be seen panel to panel for full effect. At the end, Frank gonna Frank. And he finally gets Anti-Venom in his crosshairs. But he doesn't pull the trigger. At first, you get the sense that Brock finally convinced the Punisher that he's changed his ways. But then it turns out, nah. Frank just ran out of bullets. Tremendous. But yeah. Enough rambling from me. I said ALLLLL of that just to illustrate how much I'm enjoying this Dan Slott run so far. There have been some minor hiccups along the way, but nothing close to what it was before. These feel like traditional Silver Age Spidey tales, only in a more contemporary setting obviously. And I'm loving it. I'm currently smack dab in the middle of another big story arc at the moment, so I'll probably return with some more thoughts as I wrap that one up soon. To summarize, Slott has mostly delivered on what he set out to do with Spider-Man and for the Spidey mythos. He's undone some of the damage done to the characters, returned them to their roots, and restored value in the process. At the same time, he's upgraded Peter to a proper job and given him a more adult outlook. Spidey is also inventing new tech & utilizing new strategies again. In that sense, he's finally aging Peter again and allowing him to progress, learn, and grow. So yeah. There's sooo much to talk about in his run here. And clearly I already have. And I will again soon. But that'll do for now. This shit's eating into my reading time as it is.

If a tree falls and no one is around...

He's the perfect poster boy for this "white noise wrestling" era, where everyone delivers these scripted monologues but never really say a thing. And the matches are great, but the results have never meant any less. At times, yeah. I feel like he's underrated by a section of the fan base. But he does himself no favors with the goofy fist gesture and his overreliance on that sort of stuff. 2018 has not been kind to him. The series with Brock was abysmal, sub-zero stars level shit at times. Ideally, the return of the Braun rivalry would light a spark under his ass and get back to what they were doing together before. He's been downright awesome in matches in the past, but I also feel like fans often overcorrect and overcompensate for the hate he gets by pretending he's this all-time fantastic worker. The reality is safely somewhere in the middle, but you've got this game of tug-of-war from both sides. No, he's not a miracle worker. But no. He's not a shitty performer either. The guy is passable when left to his own devices, and he can be guided to occasional great stuff whenever he's not fisting the air every 10 seconds like some kind of nervous tick. I don't think he's any better than a guy like Cody Rhodes, who has caught a metric ton of hate since leaving WWE - but has actually proven himself to be equally adept at the main event style WWE favors from a guy like Roman. Cody versus Omega both times, Cody's ROH title win over Daniels, and Cody's NWA title win over Aldis all stack up and compare favorably around the same level as some of Roman's main events. Roman has more quality in terms of standout performances, but his sheer output is also massive. Guys like Cody or even lesser discussed guys like Jay Lethal - who catches some negativity for little things here and there, despite being fairly awesome in numerous big match situations - tend to deliver at or near the same level when placed in comparable positions. He's alright. There's nothing compelling about his character or his in-ring work, really. He's just sort of there. They've had moments where they could've made him, and it would've felt like it meant something. Now, I'm not so sure they ever will. And I'm not so sure anyone would care the same way if they did anyhow. To be fair, I don't know that he could carry off some of the character stuff even *IF* they wrote better stories or angles for the guy. I realize everyone wants to fantasy book him to be this automatic, trend-setting heel if he were just given the chance. But I'm not convinced. Where is the evidence of his great mic work? The best he's ever been on the mic came WAYYY back in 2014, when he was still a member of the Shield. And the interview basically just consisted of Roman making bedroom eyes at Renee and doing the "baby girl" routine. In that moment, Roman felt like a star in the making. Like a diamond to be mined. There was an air of ultra cool, killer charisma about him for a split second. It seemed natural and organic to a degree. But ever since? Ugh. The nursery rhymes, the shooty shoot promos, and everything in between has been mostly awful. No better or worse than Randy Orton, for sure. And what I mean by that is - he can deliver the lines, but there's no life behind his eyes. There's zero conviction, zero character investment, and zero flavor to anything he says. Not only does the scripted dialogue suck, but his delivery of said material comes in a way that is entirely uninteresting and uninspired. He's just another guy saying the same shit as everyone else, in the same way anyone else on the roster could say it. Kevin Nash, at his age today, could pull off a better, more convincing "cool guy" promo than anything Roman Reigns could bust out. I'm absolutely convinced of that. Whatever spark Roman had for "baby girl" back in 2014 has been long gone & in hiding for a long, long time. I think he's capable of meaning more, being more, and doing more. Sure. But they seem comfortable with where they have him & what they have him doing. I don't know about his popularity. I don't think anyone outside the wrestling bubble knows him or would recognize him though. I'll stand by that. I *do* see the people of Wal-Mart sporting some of his big dog shirts whenever I run in to refill my fuel card once a week. So at least there's that?

I'm not sure where the footage of those 70s and 80s title matches are hidden away then, because I sure haven't seen them. That big elbow shot on the outside felt like the kind of counter you'd see -even down to the replay - in any monthly AJ Styles WWE match. The melodrama with Cody being caught in the Cloverleaf, but clawing his way toward the ropes - all urged on by his wife, calling out to motivate him - felt like something you'd get from Gargano/Candice or classic Savage/Liz or more likely fucking Shawn/Hunter or whatever. This was Cody strutting his stuff, peacocking it up and showing what he could have been, even within the system. This was much closer to a WWE main event style match - or even those old TNA Planet Jarrett specials, which in turn were essentially aping Triple H main events in the first place - than any NWA Title match from the 70s. Maybe I'm overlooking one glaringly obvious example or something, but that's really just the feeling that struck me when watching it. To be fair to your point, WWE main events have turned more into button-mashing, finisher-spamming festivals with a hundred kick-outs in recent years. So maybe my reference is irrelevant in today's landscape. But in traditional terms, it fits. And, like I said, it was just the feeling that struck me when watching it. Either way, I liked it a good deal. It wasn't moving at a million miles a minute. It was more about the moments than the moves. The action was allowed to breathe. Perhaps most importantly, it stood out among everything else on the card, which really flexed some variety. This, like Slammiversary, blew away every main WWE super card of 2018. Impact's show was more satisfying, in the sense that it paid off conflicts and had the added strength of angles and grudges. But this was right up there in terms of feeling like a rewarding show for fans.

If anything, I feel like people are undervaluing that Cody/Aldis match. I mean, nah. It doesn't stack up to what you'd want from an indie super show or a New Japan headlined card, but that would have been a blow away match if it went on last at any of the 22 yearly WWE specials. Cody caught a lot of shit when he first set out to tackle all these bookings and latch onto any independent booking he could find. And sure. He may never be Kenny Omega as an athlete. But fuck, man. He's come a long way as an overall performer. The act with Brandi is certainly a resourceful weapon in his arsenal, but there's so much he's doing on his own now as well. That match felt like a WWE main event in terms of action. It was framed very much in that way - except it was leveled up by all the hoopla, the entourages, the bloodshed, the ghost of Big Dust looming overhead, and just that fucking ATMOSPHERE it all created. This show overall was just a blast from beginning to end. The presentation enhanced everything. It felt special. It seemed like a celebration in the moment. Yeah. It had some faults & flaws, but fuck that noise. This was fun. Big bonus points for them getting what may be my absolute favorite compilation of announcers in the business today. Excalibur is kingly on commentary, as always. It's a shame nobody gives him as much love as he deserves in that role. Callis has been so, so enjoyable since taking hold of Impact too. He really puts over the risk and danger of specific, key moves and spots. Oh. And Ian is essentially the Mauro of ROH - that being if Mauro didn't have the habit of dropping in as many buzzwords and rap lyrics as humanly possible into his call for every fucking match ever. But yeah. I really dug this, and that surprised the shit out of me. I mean, I'm an avid PWG fan. But this wasn't something I had any expectations for, but it definitely delivered in my book.

It sucks to hear how morale was so down during the Hogan years. I mean, yeah. 2010 was the shits. But it wasn't really much worse than the 2009 that came before it. And then 2011/12 under Hogan & Bischoff was the absolute peak of their TV. I get Gail taking more pride in basically building the foundation for the Knockouts division from the ground up - and of course the first awesome series with Kong - but she was very much an essential part of the division throughout Hulk's time there. Aries was made. Roode and Storm were never used better. Bully Ray was almost totally reinvented. Aldis was a slow & steady pet project. The Jeff and Karen 'ship were practically proto Miz & Maryse. Daniels & Kaz were a highlight and featured comedic heels, very much in the Edge and Christian early 2000s role. And on & on. It's just a shame that their product was finally displaying some consistent quality, yet everyone there seems to shit on that period. The number of "bosses" and the lack of structure has to account for some of that, I think.

So I finally caught last week's episode, and it was just another okay edition in my view. Not at all their worst, but nothing really rocked my socks either. The Matanza squash was extra spirited and energetic. They didn't reinvent the wheel by any means, but Joey put up one heck of a fight and got some good shots in on the monster. In the end though, they've done a solid job of rebuilding Matanza through these sacrifices. The Mortal Kombat fight sequence between Catrina and Melissa contained all the campy style I love from LU vignettes. The over-the-top edits around the fall were great, and I especially dug the closeup shots of Catrina's face & her widening eyes as she realized what was about to happen - at the hands of her former lover, no less. Very fitting, and highly entertaining on such a ridiculous level. Of course I have to believe this won't be the actual end of Catrina. My heart just won't fathom the thought. Cause my gawd. Catrina, y'all. The Killshot match had some unique offense, but it got a little overly ambitious and cutesy in some spots. I loved the finish though, with Killshot just MURDERING Steve with a series of mushroom stomps. I'm not sure if we're getting a mask match out of this feud, but that could be good for both guys. I'm still kind of crossing my fingers that Havoc eventually gets a sympathy run up top. He really feels & functions like a genuine homegrown hero of the temple. And he's always only one hot angle away from being embraced as a contender. Brenda is a treasure, too. That chick is constantly working whenever she's on-screen. Whether it's at ringside or whatever, she's going all in all the time. Her involvement at the wedding wasn't intended to be anything significant, but she still managed to be a highlight - without ever detracting from the event or overshadowing any of the important stuff. It's an act that could very easily feel overexposed very quickly, but LU (and Brenda) have served up the right amount in the right doses with it so far. I thought the main event was pretty solid actually. Hernandez hustled out there. His goofy looking strut and crotch-chopping is super lame, but *I guess* that means it's working. Because that shit has "Jeff Jarrett suspender" style heat with me. I just want to see the guy get knocked the fuck out - quick, fast, and in a hurry. Early and often. Anyway, I enjoyed the finish there also. The bump looked nasty, with Hernandez falling on his dome & folding over like a slinky. Penta still seems aimless overall though, and that's a glaring problem for your top guy. He's effectively established as a fighting champion, which is good. But they haven't really supplemented that stuff with a compelling undercard of any sort. So the whole season has just sort of suffered for it. Cuerno was one of my early favorites back in season uno, so I don't mind him reentering the picture here. Like Pentagon, he also feels like he would benefit from an angle or a grudge with a little more meat on the bone. Let these guys sink their teeth into something again. I honestly figured Swagger would be next for Penta, but I guess maybe they're holding off on that. I don't know. The breaker of arms versus the breaker of ankles just seems like an inevitable avenue they'll eventually take. I just don't know what else they'd be building toward with Strong and all the bone-breaking. And where in the world is Marty Martinez? This season needs more sleazy creeper. Ricky and his doll would be freakier if it were a ventriloquist deal, but this version of the displaced voice deal just leaves a little to be desired - especially since they can't decide if Ricky is supposed to be a sympathetic figure or a geek. Either way, we need more Moth already.

Coach as the roving, on-the-spot interviewer who finds himself out of his element & in uncomfortable situations could be good. He's at his best when he's open to being humiliated. Is he too self-serious for that stuff now? 'Cause if not, it's probably the only thing he's good for at this point.

Renee on commentary is definitely an upgrade. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her chemistry with Regal in NXT was a lot of fun back in the day. Ideally, they'd try recreate something like that.

Absolutely agreed on the issues with Worldwide Underground's alignments. It's something that has changed at random so many times this season, and it's a real shame. They were a TRRREEEMENDOUS heel unit last season throughout Johnny's title reign. PJ and Jack are fantastic rat bastard pests, too. They simply excel when they're behaving like vermin, and that should never change. But, even if they were going to make a baby face switch, the writers should have had a better strategy mapped out. This entire season seems thrown together without much planning in places, and you can definitely see that in the Worldwide Underground's behavior. It's impossible to get a handle on how they're supposed to be viewed at this point. Even so, that Matanza rampage was still glorious. And yes. The wheelchair suplex spot had me backtracking to watch it several times. Still haven't caught last week's show yet, but I'm hoping to get around to it soon. The season's definitely leaving me a little underwhelmed, but I'm sticking with it & seeing this crazy fun ride through anyway.

I shit on modern WWE a lot, because what they do mostly sucks. And they seem incapable of rewarding their viewers with any sort of proper payoff or satisfying moment anymore. But they *did* produce two separate segments of TV worth checking out this past week. The Shawn/Taker confrontation was great. Basic, simple, straightforward, and leagues above anything else outside of NXT. *This* was a main event angle. Nothing cute. Nothing winking at you or nudging you. Nothing screaming, "We're here to PERFORM and ENTERTAIN you!" No talk about great matches, dream matches, or any of that horse shit. And what do you know?! They actually acknowledged their own history! They adhered to one of the few stories they've actually committed to canon. How about that?! And so Taker talked about putting Shawn down, about hurting his ego, and about kicking Hunter's ass again. It was treated like an impending FIGHT. They weren't setting up to sell it as a dream match, which is everything I despise about current WWE booking in a nutshell. Every month, they're so caught up in selling dream matches and great matches that they never bother to treat it like a fight or a struggle. Nobody is threatening to knock somebody's lights out or beat them from one end of the arena to the other, because hey. An ass-whooping is what happens in real life situations, but it doesn't make for a "great" match. Everybody's got to get their shit in & do your-turn-my-turn tricks. They've become so lazy & uninspired in their approach to selling matches that they don't even bother to treat it like a struggle. Instead, it's just two guys talking back & forth about what a great match they're going to have together. It's phony as hell, and it feels like such a slap in the face to anyone who WANTS to invest in these characters and their conflicts. So yeah. Taker and Shawn did well here. And then there was the Becky/Charlotte deal. Becky has been a blast as a heel already, even if the crowd ain't having it. You can tell she's revitalized & fully energized as a personality. She's embracing the change, regardless. And, to be fair, she's spoken in interviews about wanting to be a heel going allll the way back to her SD Women's Title reign in 2016. She's still doing that weird Heath Ledger Joker thing with her tongue way too fucking much, but that's a minor issue I guess. Anyway, she's running laps around Charlotte at the moment. Charlotte is mixing up phrases, tripping over buzzwords, and just struggling to find a sliver of her own voice in these interviews - while Becky is talking trash and firing back like an actual living, breathing human being. It's so refreshing. Lynch has swag for days. And I hope they have the good common sense to let that carry over into her matches. Becky *has* to come out with that BMF walk. She *has* to be allowed to compete like a meaner, nastier version of herself. She can't just come out and do the same lifeless video game entrance. She can't just wrestle a match like it's a bunch of strung together spots that they're trying to recall. I realize that seems like nitpicking at first glance to some, but it isn't at all. On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal. But it certainly is. Having Becky just come out with her usual entrance and go into a collar & elbow tie-up like it's no big deal would just be the dirt worst. And I half-expect that to be exactly what they do with her. But i sure hope not.

Hunter, Taker, and Shawn taking their 2012 act to 2018 feels like a bunch of old retirees reenacting the Civil War in their front yard or some shit. It's gonna get bizarre, with all the dinner theatre dialogue & eye-wobbly emoting.

What does a Shawn Michaels match in 2018 even look like? It seems like a safe bet that it contains some shitty soap opera style dialogue & a lot of close-ups. I *do* think a lot of you have unrealistic expectations regarding Shawn's return here. Here's a guy, who is coaching in Florida to keep a steady check coming in. I'm not saying the guy needs the money or anything as extreme as that, but we all have bills. Priorities. Families to provide for. So yeah. OF COURSE he'd take an opportunity to make an absurd amount of money in one night when/where/while he can get it. All the talk of legacy, kayfabe retirements, etc. is nothing compared to cold, hard cash at the end of the day. It's just a matter of offering ENOUGH cold, hard cash. That's all. Ideally, sure. You'd want the return to occur at Mania - telling an epic story, creating this picture perfect arc, creating a meaningful conflict, and culminating in a satisfying showdown that they actually commit to their continuity. But that stuff simply doesn't matter to them anymore. Instead, we're likely to get an announcement on Twitter. And then a match that ultimately means nothing by the conclusion of the show itself. That's just how they operate now. And why not? Their fans will continue to watch. Hell, the majority of the people complaining will continue to watch. So what incentive do they have to do anything different? From their perspective, they're making more money than ever this way. And they're not losing traction with their fans. Why would they pour all this creative effort and resources into angles and stories - when they can just announce matches, run a bunch of rematches, and still garner the same results? The people that are watching are going to continue to watch and support them, regardless. Some folks will threaten that they'll stop watching, but in reality most people don't. Recent history has proven this to be true.

I've just burned through the first two episodes recently, and I'm really loving the TV talk. I could talk TV dramas all day, so it was cool to hear fresh takes on some of those shows. Looking forward to more Sitcom Roulette in the future, too. I know you guys at PTBN are all hayoooj Seinfeld marks, but I've never actually heard or read your thoughts on the show. So I got a kick out of that also. Surprised to hear you guys address the criticisms with the later seasons right away, but I dug it.

Greatest, most punch-able chin in pro wrestling history? Slaughter? Ventura? Inoki? Vinnie Mac has that Travolta dimpled butt-chin thing happening. Am I missing anyone obvious?

It's understandable that they'd phone it in this week though. Didn't bother me much. But yeah. Whereas Tony has found renewed life and energy with the watch-along format, it just doesn't play to Bruce's strengths as a storyteller at all.

Miz has been great for 8 years? Was anyone a big fan of that awful, dreadful baby face run he had? I mean, I get it. Miz has been fucking aces for the last few years. But people pretending like they "got it" way before anyone else is some silly hipster level shit. You don't have to be the first on the scene to discover something to enjoy it for what it actually is. Miz has been phenomenal since the Mizdow stuff ended. And his buildup to getting the belt in 2010 (mainly the program with Bryan during that time) was tremendous. But basically everything between the Alex Riley split and Mizdow was mostly trash. Pretending it was good doesn't *actually* make it so. Truth be told, the turnaround coincided with Maryse's return. But I'll be generous enough to the Mizdow run, which was decent fun - despite the fact that Miz nearly killed the Usos on live television on a regular, routine basis.

Just as an update on this subject, I recently decided to try and get back into some comics. I figured I would attempt to read through some story arcs I've heard about (but missed out on) over the years. A friend of mine with a similar (insane) work schedule has been trying to sell me on Marvel Unlimited for over a year. He's a lifelong fan that has kept up, despite our crazy workload, via digital comics. I very much prefer holding the book in my hands and flipping through those pages, but it is what it is. Anyway, I let him talk me into checking out Jonathan Hickman's run on Fantastic Four. Now, the last time I remember picking up a FF book, it was in the middle of Claremont's run. I remember fans shitting on his verbose, super wordy dialogue and his portrayal of Reed & Sue's relationship. I think there was something going on with Sue being transformed into a creature on the moon, and Reed getting stuck in Doom's armor. So yeah. It's been awhile, to say the least. But I went into this fully energized and genuinely excited to catch up on one of my favorite teams from the past. I was not deterred. And I've got to say, I dug most of it. I am aware of Hickman's divisive rep among fans, but that sort of stuff never shakes me. Fans are always fickle. Creators never really appease everyone. It's just the way it is. Anyway, my opinion of Hickman is that he's a talented writer. I like a lot of what he did throughout his run on the book. The characters maintained their classic traits and characteristics. The family aspect was intact. Best of all, everything is happening on such a GRAND scale. Similar to Morrison's early JLA back in the day, everything feels gigantic and monumental in this book. Every conflict, every adversary, and every obstacle is awe-inspiring. It's big picture stuff happening left & right, and that's precisely the type of thing you want from a book about these interdimensional explorers. There are so many incredibly interesting concepts introduced here, too. It seems like Hickman is never short on these compelling ideas. The Council of Reeds. The Mad Celestials. Braindead Dooms. The Galactus Seed. The War of Four Cities. The Future Foundation. And on & on & on. Each of these elements could open the door for separate story arcs if they'd wanted. It's such a rich landscape of creativity here. Layer upon layer, Hickman reveals one exciting element after another. It really does create this sense of wonder & amazement - on top of this feeling that ANYTHING could happen on the next panel or page. It's such a rewarding experience for the reader to feel like they're on this thrill ride of adventure with the FF. It's truly great. Now, there *is* a downside to this method. It's reasonably understandable that readers could feel overwhelmed or lost among all the information and revelations that are thrown their way, issue after issue. Speaking for myself, I felt out of the loop a few times. To be fair though, Hickman took time to explain things in more detail and unveil JUST the right amount of info as things advanced with the tale. I read a few interviews with Hickman, and he has stated how he approaches these big story arcs. He said he prefers to start with the finale and work his way back to the start, so that he can introduce each piece of the puzzle bit by bit for readers. And I totally see that in hindsight. While this approach *does* make things slightly more difficult to follow or piece together as it's happening the first time, this also means the book holds a high re-read value. Don't get me wrong. The book is absolutely readable the first time, but it's also very rewarding to go back through it all over again a second time - once you've been hit with all the revelations & fully realize the HOWs and WHYs with regards to everything fitting together and interconnecting. Things that seemingly appeared disjointed end up intertwined by tale's end. It's smart stuff. Plus it helps to create this sense of urgency - almost like you're existing in the moment alongside the heroes, watching these events unfold around you and feeling not quite sure what it all means at first. Just tremendous storytelling in a way. Better yet, Hickman is not just a "big picture" guy. Hickman also takes care to capture the little moments with some of my favorite characters as well. Johnny and Ben ribbing each other. The family sitting down for dinner together and giving thanks. Franklin and Valeria as loving siblings. Doom as Valeria's surrogate uncle, which leads to Valeria playing peacekeeper between Doom and Reed. Sue as the headstrong matriarch, despite all the insanity surrounding her at times. So many of these moments help to break up the great BIG adventure stuff. It really brings versatility and variety to the book. The "death" of Johnny Storm didn't bother me much at all. It felt like a plot device right away, and I'm cool with that. I suppose I could see why fans would feel like it was a cheap trick or whatever when it originally occurred, but come on. It's comics, and death is rarely permanent here. Besides, Hickman clearly had a specific design to bring Johnny back before the end of his run. The "death" scene even occurs off-panel, so there ya go. Anyway, I enjoyed what Hickman did with the opportunity in the interim. I thought it was worth the effort, for sure. What we got here was a chance for Hickman to explore the bonds, the family ties, and the friendships Johnny had formed during his lifetime. Ben Grimm's reaction to Johnny's death is some heartbreaking shit to witness. We are shown his various stages of grief, and it's powerful stuff. There's a scene where Hulk and Thor take it upon themselves to comfort Thing, and they do this by letting him pick a fight - a literal, physical fist fight - simply because they are the only beings on the planet capable of taking his punches and letting him get the anger out of his system. When he's spent and exhausted, Thing stops brawling and starts bawling like a baby. It's one hell of a scene. And then there's more. Because we get this touching scenario where Spider-Man shows up to check on young Franklin Richards. He reveals the story of losing his Uncle Ben to Franklin, who feels responsible for panicking and failing to save his own Uncle Johnny. In the end, Spidey teaches Franklin the lesson of great responsibility. And then he offers to take the kid out to grab a hot dog. In a moment of classic Parker luck (further demonstrating that Hickman gets these characters), Petey is a little short on cash & asks young Franklin for a spare dollar. Good stuff. Later, when it's time for Johnny to return from the Negative Zone, he doesn't simply show up and reveal he's alive. No. Instead, the Human Torch writes his signature "4" logo across the sky - and, one by one, the eyes of his family turn upward and see the sign burning in the sky. And they cry tears of joy. It's fucking aces. Best of all is the moment when Ben Grimm spots the sign and realizes Johnny is alive. Ben was taking a beating from the invading Kree armada. Depressed and still grieving, Ben had basically given up and just lied down to die - letting the Kree pummel him into the ground. But, upon noticing the "4" on fire in the sky, Ben kicks into full-blown Clobberin' Time mode. It's a pitch perfect moment that feels made for a major movie or something. There's also this scene where Doom is betrayed by his fellow villains and LITERALLY set on fire. When Doom rises for redemption - his armor still burning - it's just this badass visual that's well worth scoping out. There are a few issues I find fault in - like the way some resolutions are rushed to wrap up some battles or situations. Or the way things are seemingly dropped without explanation, only to be revisited and resolved MUCH later. The idea of Franklin as an all-powerful god has always been a bit iffy to me, although it's brought up time & time again in Marvel stories at this point. At least, in this instance here, Hickman makes it a point to (sort of) explain that his power is practically incomprehensible. So he sort of sidesteps the vagueness of it all in the most rational way possible. Oh, and the new white uniforms are mostly kind of awful. They struck me as serious eyesores at first and too far a departure from the classic, streamlined costumes. I can appreciate the effort to update the design with a more realistic look, but meh. Hickman does a decent job of having Sue rationalize it with a desire to change things up after Johnny's death, but it definitely took some time to get used to that. My friend asked for my overall thoughts on Hickman's run once I was done. And it's almost a universal, glowing praise - but with an asterisk. Because yeah. The guy's clearly skilled, smart, and intelligent in his approach to laying out this great big, fascinating story. However, he *does* kind of cash in on the 50 years of FF history to get some of these results. It's essentially the equivalent of hot-shotting in some ways. And hey. I ain't mad at it. Because it's fucking phenomenal stuff. It's a truly fun story. But yeah. He's able to capitalize on A LOT of the rich, already established history to get those results. That shouldn't detract from what he did here though. There's this awesome, expansive adventure happening - all of it with an underlying focus on family and the importance of the father/son relationship. There's all the fantastic, far-out, sci-fi stuff you could possibly want. But there's also a real heart & soul to everything. There are times when you almost want the book to slow down enough for you to wrap your head around the time travel or the interdimensional stuff, but then you do get hit with the quiet, intimate moments & it's totally worth the wait. Plus? Everything is eventually resolved, sufficiently explained, and properly paid off. So you can take comfort in knowing you will understand every bit of it in the end. Is it peak Fantastic Four? I'm not sure, because I've missed out on so much over the years. But it's one hell of a fun run, and it's able to exploit so much of the rich history that came before it. I came in, hoping to enjoy the ride. And I'm blown away by just how much I dug it. I feel like it's recommended reading for a reason, and I can appreciate that my friend used this as a reintroduction point for me to get back into the thick of things.

It really does feel like they've abandoned all their traditional values. They commit nothing to canon, adhere to no sense of continuity, develop zero characters, and never let anticipation build. These are the things that make pro wrestling so great and worth watching. All these complaints are pretty much why I stopped following WWE in 2014 (aside from those few months of SD post 2016 brand extension). I can't even comprehend why some of you care to keep on keeping on with this company. I mean, yeah. I can check out a couple of matches per month from their big shows, but that's my limit. Tuning into their television on a weekly basis though? Thanks, but no thanks. My free time's too valuable to spend it watching a program that basically celebrates being pointless & without purpose. No stakes. No ramifications. No direction. No forward momentum. No thanks. The fear of missing out is not enough to keep me dialed in to something so... Uninspired and pointless. Ronda. Bryan. AJ. Joe. I can check in once a month to see what they're up to, and that's more than enough.

I've been digging Jack Evans from day one here, for sure. And XO has been a blast. Really fun performer, and the trios team has potential. They've had a good track record with the mismatched partners formula in the past. I just wish we could get more vignettes & cut scenes out of it.

The Bayley/Izzy connection was a happy accident. Bayley has told the story numerous times, but apparently she was hanging out at the curtain one night and saw Izzy (with her parents, also super fans) dressed like her. So Bayley took a quick pic & posted it. Instantly - like, before Bayley could put her phone down - the parents had already liked and retweeted it in that split second. It just grew from there - eventually reaching a peak with the two Sasha matches. You can *kind of* get the sense that her parents are these grimy, attention-starved people. But I don't know. I feel a little uncomfortable pretending to know anything about them. But yeah. With all these instances taken into account, it doesn't present them in the best light. Clearly lacking good common sense, at the very least.

Cage/Fenix from last week's show was a crazy fun match that's worth seeking out & nobody's really talking about. It's not going to change your perception of the business or anything, but it's a good time for sure. And the Knockouts continue to be a highlight. Allie is the best possible version of the Bayley character. She's this lovable, bubbly baby face who's so easy to root for. Furthermore, she's allowed to change, to learn lessons, and to mature as a personality. It's a crucial, rewarding experience as a viewer to see and experience that growth alongside her. Tessa is out-Flairing Charlotte in every possible way, too. Better talker. Smoother worker. More versatile all-around performer. Part of me wishes Su Yung's reign would have met a more definitive, more meaningful end. She was just built up as this force for so long that this finish felt too anti-climatic for my tastes. But I don't mind the decision or the direction they're taking with Tessa. Should be good nonetheless. And I'm still digging Callis' commentary. Keep him away from the Bullet Club & dude's damn good in the role. Really puts over the product and heightens the sense of risk & danger around big moves. There are still some elements you have to sidestep around, obviously. The latest developments with LAX and the OGz are left lingering, but the overall show is still enjoyable.

Nah. I get that. It's just disappointing not having him there to contribute week to week. What did y'all think of the wedding angle? The episode itself felt underwhelming, and Johnny's acting was atrocious. But that ending segment was fucking wonderful - with Matanza wrecking shop and just piling up the bodies left & right. Crazy fun chaos to cap off an otherwise lackluster show. The No Mas match is indicative of everything that feels "off" about this season to me. Everything is in fast forward. Everything is so rushed. It feels like there are crucial puzzle pieces missing from the picture. The stories appear incomplete. Normally, we would have gotten another three or four scenes to establish the Ivelisse friendship, as well as the slow-burn of the Joey turn. Instead, everything just kind of occurred all at once. As a result, a lot of it falls flat and feels unearned to me. And that's unfortunate. Because I feel like this could be another fun trio. But we'll see what they do moving forward.

Mil works like a murderous monster/giant. Not like Seth Rollins trying out for the crossfit games. It's perception. Dude carries himself like a killer and presses forward like a force of nature. It's perception. That's why people don't perceive Billy Gunn as Hogan-sized. It's why people are mentioning Cobb as a big man, despite the fact that he's Taz-sized. All perception. Give me Mil over these legitimate big men who are so eager to please & to keep up that they do silly shit and actively work themselves down to appear smaller.