SomethingSavage

Yeah. There's still time. Plus, a lot of what they've done this year involves them successfully doing more with less. Like, nobody would have expected much from an Aries/Alberto feud. But their buildup was tremendous and had me actively anticipating their match. A fucking Del Rio match! That's nuts. Same goes for Moose. It felt like they Monty Brown'd the dude a year or more ago, but nah. Callis & company successfully had me engaged and on the hook for that Slammiversary match. No reason to not lend them a little flex room for this one. I think I just let my expectations run away after that awesome Slammiversary show. Johnny isn't lighting the world on fire as a straight baby face or anything; but I'm digging Eddie's involvement. Cage looks out of place in that trios tag; but the actual match could be incredible, and of course I'm REALLY loving that they've kept the Callihan/Pentagon grudge burning. I'm uncertain about the latest move with Moose; but I have high hopes for Killer Kross and his future there. So yeah. A lot of good stuff going on at the moment. And their weekly TV is right there with NXT in terms of consistency. It isn't offering up nonstop star ratings, but it's damn good television. There's renewed emphasis on characters, conflicts, and buildup. And they *do* include at least one worthwhile match each week. So there's always something to stick around for.

Pentagon Jr. and Callihan ripped it up in their Mask vs. Hair match at Slammiversary, and their feud is one of the very best things happening in Impact at the moment. Tonight's the next chapter with their Mexican Death Match. Should be awesome.

I've enjoyed the new spin on the Matanza squash matches this season, but I'm still not sure where it's ultimately going. No clear indication so far, from what I can tell. I've been digging Killshot a lot since last season. The Super Mario Double Stomp has become way overdone in modern wrestling, but it can still look great when done right. Killshot whiffs on it sometimes, but it's pretty brutal when he sticks the landing. Azteca is steadily growing on me as the heir apparent to Puma's crown. He's still got that "rising star" sheen on him, but dude's feeling more & more like their ace-in-the-making with these definitive wins every week. I miss Vibora already. Callihan is okay as the new brutish enforcer, but it's disappointing to see them just drop a guy who was initially presented as a pretty big deal. There have been several senseless murders this season, and none of them have really been made to mean much of anything. It's strange. The brotherhood between Drago and Aero Star is one of my favorite things, and I'm eager to see what they do with those guys this year. Willie Mack might be the dirt worst actor on the show, but I've honestly come around to believing it adds to his charm. He's so bad, he's good in these skits. His reactions & facial expressions are legitimately laugh-out-loud funny sometimes. And that closing line was money. Somewhere, Sam L. Jackson is sweating bullets.

Yeah. The card just doesn't strike me as a super card, which of course their BFG is designed to be. But it's still early, and they certainly bought some goodwill with me based on the way Slammiversary turned out. So we'll see. I like elements of the Edwards character arc, but it still hasn't struck me as a fully formed idea just yet. And that's fine, but I'm not sold on the idea of it being a headline act for their biggest show just yet. Feels like it should simmer some more first. And I like Johnny, but his receiving a title shot feels out of left field to me. I mean, I guess he's quietly been winning. And he *did* have a really fun match with Aries on TV in the recent past, but meh. I'm a little cold on the developments since Slammiversary, but I'll give it a fair shot anyhow.

If they start running those Shield six-man tags with weird (but fun!) WAR style trio combos again like they did back in 2013 and 2014, then I might start watching some of their TV again. Outside of Smackdown from Fall 2016 to Spring 2017, the last time I watched WWE week to week was during that hot Shield and D-Bryan stuff. Bryan got hurt, the Shield split up, and I tapped out. The couple of times a year I've tried to give their TV a chance since then, it's just been god awful. But the idea of strange trios teams forming & trying to take on the Shield could at least get me to give it a shot. Possibly.

The fake out with having the T-shirts printed up was a little trick Jericho used in the buildup for the Styles match at Mania. They only teamed up to split up, so Jericho wanted people to think they'd be a long-term team by printing merch. The Y2AJ shirts went on sale, sold 400 or 500 that night, and then the team literally broke up at the first TV after that. Really clever, and exactly the sort of thing that gives Jericho renewed life & longevity again and again.

Morgan's a guy I've talked about ad nauseum, and you're right. He never really figured out how to function as a proper giant. That, combined with his lanky frame, did him no favors. He's a nice and positive guy in real life though, so there's that. Morgan's best match, from what I recall, was against Kurt Angle. It was a busy, fast-paced deal. But it was still pretty good by the Blueprint's standards. The story and the buildup - with Morgan sort of being Evolution's Batista to the Main Event Mafia - was solid stuff for TNA at that time, too. As far as Sting goes, I don't know. Did his TNA run ever really have any great rep? If so, that's news to me. I've never felt like he was a ring general of any kind, but he can cook up decent chemistry with the right opponents. I dug the BFG match with Jarrett. The two PPV matches with Styles weren't extraordinary or anything, but I enjoyed them for what they were. I remember one being particularly better than the other, but I can't recall which was which. I know Sting was surprisingly fun playing the bully heel to AJ in one of them though. He had a few good matches with Angle also. And the BFG 2011 bout with Hogan is sheer spectacle, but it's glorious fun & everything it needed to be in that moment. Hardly a match, but pitch perfect for that story in front of that audience on that night. But his all-time performance was probably at BFG against Joe. Overall, I think it's fair to call his run there underwhelming. But I'm not exactly disappointed, if that makes any sense. I appreciate what he was able to do both for them and with his character at times, and it's not like WWE would have put him to great use in that decade anyway. I'm fairly sure of that. Shane went through his oxycontin addiction sometime during his TNA run, so you may be right on the timing of that. He also covers it in pretty good detail on his YouShoot release with Sean Oliver. I've mentioned it before, but his story is one that hits close to home with me. Along with Del Wilkes, I think it's one of the absolute best episodes of Austin's podcast. I know that's purely personal preference, but it's a subject I relate to and l always enjoy hearing about after it's turned out well.

That's wild. I honestly had no idea. Thanks though. Eric kind of presented it like Austin wouldn't want people to know, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's unaware of it being out there also.

I thought the Jericho one with Jack Slade was way better. Some funny stories & a bit of insight. Austin's okay, but Wade is still hitting the same talking points from four or five years ago for the most part. Austin's show has been really weird for awhile now - way too much Ted Fowler, Broken Skull Challenge, and episodes with his wife for my tastes. The wrestling guests feel like a rarity, although I'm a meathead & a gym rat, so I always enjoy the bodybuilding & nutrition heavy talk. CT Fletcher is forever entertaining, and the Bell boys bring interesting discussions just about every time.

Steve Austin and Billy Gunn geeking out & gushing over Post Malone was... something else.

On the Macho Man '95 episode, Bischoff claims Steve Austin pitched a storyline around that time which would have had Austin being revealed as Hulk Hogan's long-lost brother. ... The fuck? I know I've never heard this before, and it sounds like typical Eric talking bullshit. But it's crazy to think about & would be tremendous if only Austin heard about this or offered any kind of response ala Jericho. Long shot, but would likely be the most entertaining thing to happen on Austin's show in months & months.

Exactly. Cole was doing it as the dumb, obnoxious, self-centered pretty boy. Fans just ate that shit up though. Sort of similar to the RVD thumb taunt - it was a heel mannerism, meant to sell his arrogance, but it caught on with the fans and took off from there. "Shayna running the NXT women's division like CARDIO." is the kind of Mauro commentary that makes me cringe. That, and when he name-drops The Rock, Drake, Gucci Mane, and Rage Against the Machine in succession within a two-minute span. And he still manages to say nothing about anything. It's just gibberish, like reading a TMZ article out loud while falling into an epileptic fit.

I don't dare watch these 6-hour death march shows in full or anything, but I'm glad to see reality has set back in with Seth Rollins. What a shit worker. Lolol at everyone here who was fantasy booking him to be the guy to beat Brock just a few months ago. Christ.

Rollins needs more opponents like Miz and Elias if he's going to stay king of the mid-card. Those guys carried him kicking & screaming to his two best singles matches of the year, because they made him slow the fuck down and tell a comprehensive story with clear face/heel dynamics. Guys like Dolph only help Seth lean into his worst tendencies further.

Going all the way back to 2012, I've never *not* enjoyed NXT. If I had to pick a time where I felt most disinterested though, it would have to be during that never ending Finn Balor reign. The whole Joe/Nak/Roode followup was barely any improvement, and it took awhile to feel exciting and engaging again. But yes. It's felt way reinvigorated since at least WarGames, if not a bit earlier.

I mentioned this in the other WWE thread, but i just listened to Jericho's podcast previewing SummerSlam. And he mentions how he proposed an IWGP Intercontinental Champ versus WWE Intercontinental Champ match for this show and pretty much got a non-response. But he wanted it to be versus Rollins, so no big loss really.

The JR sidebar *was* great. It was amusing at first to hear how Bischoff was holding his fridge and other assorted appliances hostage, but then I fucking lost it when Bruce started talking about washing his clothes in a dishwasher with a little Cascade detergent and shit in JR voice. Trrreeeemendous.

I'm not exactly crazy about the BFG card or its lineup, but the weekly show is still super fun. Last week's Impact was a blast.

She's been champ for, what? 4 months? And I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a pre-show. Ryback/Kalisto? Or Kalisto/Alberto? Somewhere around there. So have the Cruiserweight Title matches been happening on pre-shows or something lately? Because I forgot the cruiserweights were even a thing anymore. Do they still appear on Raw at all, or are they totally segregated now?

I think it's actually one of NXT's greatest strengths that their talent feels finite at all times. Everyone always acts anxious and worried whenever their favorites are called up, but they always recover. And I feel like that high turnover necessitates them to book better cards, better programs, and more definitive payoffs along the way. You don't get clearly defined beginnings & endings on the main roster anymore. There's just this endless treadmill of rematches upon rematches, because they need to feed the beast & continuously produce content. So, rather than devise separate stories to do that, they just have matches that require more matches. With NXT, it's very much treated like the old territorial system. The talent comes in with an expected end date. And I'm not at all suggesting that they have a call-up date in mind from day one, because I don't think that's ever been the case. But the expectation is that it will happen eventually, and so there's this sort of demand & pressure to book them at their best while they are there. There's an urgency in NXT booking that feels totally absent from almost everything WWE does at the higher level.

The SummerSlam '98 episode wasn't anything special, but it was okay overall. Another week without any Meltzer rant, so at least there's that. I have to know if they ever actually sold WWF condoms in the late nineties. Because those people dorky enough to buy them are precisely the sort of people who should be kept from reproducing. I've heard Bruce use it several times now, but the "Maybe a new gas station opened up down the street." line has to be the dirt worst, most out-of-touch excuse I've ever heard for declining ratings or poor numbers. That's some SERIOUSLY outdated shit right there. The casino/hotel story has been told (in detail) what feels like four or five times on the show now. Total retread. But Bruce always talks up how great it would've been to have former wrestlers working there as greeters, putting on daily performances, etc. I can't help but wonder if he seriously buys that line, or if he understands just how silly that shit sounds. I'd love to hear those suggestions fully formed & fleshed out more. What were we going to get? Greeter Greg Valentine holding your door? Honky Tonk Wayne singing in the lounge? I'm not saying EVERYONE would turn down a payday of any kind, but come on. Some of these guys have some self-respect and an ounce of pride. Suggesting that they show up and work 8-hour shifts in customer service is a far fucking cry from wrestling at the Garden or whateverthefuck in their heyday. The whole thing just seems like a condescending idea to me. I thought the exchange about WWF's programming and its advertisers was funny. Bischoff asking how they could sell Super Soakers and M&Ms, but then show half-naked women and swear. Vince's reply? "Adults buy candy, too." Tremendous.

I'm far from the guy's biggest fan or anything, but calling Adam Cole "nothing special" is a bit much. The most special thing about him may indeed be that he's gotten crazy over everywhere he's gone. Ever. But that's one hell of an important factor when your main objective SHOULD be to make money and move up in your profession. Great matches don't matter as much as diehard fans want them to - they just don't. The number one goal has always been (and should still be) to get over. Cole is quite skilled at doing that somehow. His work isn't anything exciting or outrageous, but it's perfectly passable. His garbage matches are actually a level above some by comparison. Truth be told, he's pretty good at getting over stories and big spots in those weapon-based matches. As the arrogant douchebag heel, he can be fun. I don't think NXT has harnessed that attribute to its full potential, but it's there. A lot of people point to his ROH run for some reason, but I'm not a fan of that time at all. His reign as PWG Champion is an excellent example of what he can do in that spot though. Combine Cole's look with his Edge-like tendencies as a worker, and you can easily understand how & why WWE would buy into him as a main event option in the making. There are plenty of guys in NXT that make for more exciting in-ring choices, for sure. But the reality is that alot of those guys are more likely to wind up as the tenth most featured performer on 205 Live or something instead. Velveteen Dream looks like a lock, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him cast as the next Tyler Breeze or R Truth on the main roster. I feel like they only get it right with guys about once every 18 months, and even then it's usually temporary. EC3 is a guy I actually kind of like. Yeah, he's a more traditional style worker than most might enjoy. But he's shown great aptitude in getting angles over in the past. At one time, for a good two or three year stretch, he was consistently the best overall performer for Impact. Lashley was having better matches, and maybe Drew too, but EC3 was knocking it out of the park in programs with Matt Hardy, Kurt, Spud, *and* those aforementioned two guys. With all that being said, I don't think he showcased his best side here. I don't know what it was exactly, but this didn't feel like EC3 at his best. He's always had that clunky style, but it almost feels like someone is coaching him to be a direct Cena clone or something. It's weird & difficult to pinpoint. But he's majorly miscast as a baby face for starters. His music is among the worst they've pumped out as well - which is downright criminal, considering how catchy his TNA tune was. And then they've got him doing a Five Knuckle Shuffle ripoff. Ugh. Just so much of his shit could already use retooling. He's basically feeling like main roster Bobby Roode, except that the experiment is failing before it ever gets called up - which actually could work in his favor, if they just step back and let the guy do more of what he was doing before. EC3 is never going to be Ricochet or an indie darling of any sort. But he doesn't need to be. I think his style is actually suited just fine for WWE, and he's capable of keeping up with everyone around him while excelling at the character stuff and the mic work. But yeah. His time in NXT has been extremely underwhelming to me thus far.

Just heard on Jericho's podcast how he pitched IWGP Intercontinental Champ versus WWE Intercontinental Champ for SummerSlam and pretty much got a non-response... But he wanted it to be versus Seth, so I'm actually cool with it not happening.

Only time will tell, but I honestly feel like at least 75% of these new 5 star matches won't be as well remembered or highly regarded as even the 3.5 star matches of the nineties. The counter argument could be made that there is such an abundance of "great" matches now that they rarely stand out as much as they would have in slower periods. While that's true of course, the counterpoint is that *IF* the bar is raised to such a degree, then the scale should be adjusted accordingly. 5 stars is the new 3 stars to a lot of these modern critics. And it's gotten a bit ridiculous. But what do I know? The system always seemed silly to me.

For sheer variety, ease of access, and widespread availability? Sure. This is a golden age. For fans of stories, angles, characters, and their conflicts? It feels like it's getting progressively worse & worse. On the plus side, there's A LOT more to choose from. More than ever. And there are more great matches happening for you to watch. Anytime. Day or night. Pro wrestling has never been so plentiful and so easily accessible. It's all right there if you want it, whenever you want it. But the pro wrestling that is there feels like it has never meant less. Everything is so sterile and diluted. Triumphs seem hollow. There are no stakes. Everything is about the dream match or the star rating. It's all very critic-driven, rather than story-driven. There is no purpose in the rivalries. Instead, there is only purpose in the rating, the review, and the feedback. All these great matches are happening, but so very few of them actually feel like they're going to hold any real long-term value. Time & separation may prove me wrong, but I'm convinced so very little of this stuff is going to hold the same rewatch value as the great matches of 90s All Japan, 80s lucha, and on & on. So yeah. There's more to watch than ever before right now. But I've probably never been less interested in seeing more than I am right now, too.