SomethingSavage

Yeah. That Seth Rollins push puzzled me, too.

Still burning through older eps. Today, I came across a year old episode with Drew McIntyre - from back when he was NXT Champ. It was pretty good. Drew compared moving from OVW to FCW as going from black & white to color. I'm not sure if he's just referencing Kentucky and Florida, or if it's something else there. Kind of wish he would've elaborated a bit more. It's crazy to think he ended up on Smackdown three weeks after being signed. Drew claims the ref was telling him to work the hard cam, and there he is - The Chosen One, in his first TV match - wondering what the fuck a "hard cam" is. Jericho shits pretty hard on his own co-Intercontinental Champion days with Chyna, putting it on the same level as 3MB in terms of terrible ideas. Drew chimes in that he enjoyed the co-IC angle. Jericho? "Well, you did. I didn't!" It was cool to hear how good of friends Drew is with Jinder, too. I knew I had seen pics of them hanging out and shit back in the day, but Drew seemed genuinely excited for his friend's new success. He & Jericho also have some fun busting Slater's balls about being the only (yet least likely) member of 3MB that wasn't released. "Now get jacked and get you a title." Good stuff.

During his interview, Buff Bagwell can be heard shouting for "Judy!" At first, I'm thinking he can't be living at home with his mom. Then it turns out - nah. He's just talking to his wife. His wife, Judy Bagwell. Mama's boy Buff actually went out & married a woman with the same name as his mother. Just... Wow. Funny to hear how he got heat with Showtime for breaking kayfabe about their Gigolos show. But this episode was weak sauce overall. Not sure what I was expecting, but anything else besides crybaby Buff would've been nice. He was much better on Austin's pod a couple of years back.

Yeah. Aries has had a hell of a run there. I'd recommend the match with Morrison Mundo Hennigan Impact also.

Good call on the Candido comparison. It's strictly fantasy booking, I know - but how about Brian Christopher popping up in late '97 ECW? Hot off the heels of the Lawler/Dreamer stuff and playing off the Lawler/Van Dam connection, Christopher could've kicked shit up a notch and really taken that "Jerry's kid" heat to a whole new level. Also, yeah. Brian, like Candido, could've been a fun heel force in the WCW cruiserweight ranks. But that roster was so log jammed that it's practically just speculation as to who would get to break through, regardless of skill or talent at times. I realize it may sound like slightly morbid curiosity, but where did things go wrong with Brian? Did he just get hooked on something & couldn't shake the habit or what? As far as Jerry not posting bail, I hope he doesn't let guilt overwhelm him or anything. I can totally understand why it would, but there's something to be said for tough love. Enabling is not a solution to the problem - it becomes a part of the problem. And I'm speaking from a personal experience, from both sides of the situation. I really hope this doesn't eat away at Jerry though. It's a tragic deal all around, for sure.

Yeah. I didn't get anything from that Pentagon-Cage match at all. Felt like a total throwaway, and I couldn't recall one detail about it if you pressed a gun to my head. Completely forgettable match in my view, which is disappointing. I dug Vibora/Mundo well enough. I was surprised by some of the stuff the big man could do, for sure. And I thought they designed several spots to help him stand out & shine, which is cool. Still don't follow the whole heel/face dynamic in this one though. It's been a confusing mess since the new season started, as far as this rivalry goes. And that's a shame, because Mundo & company were a blast as heels last season. You gotta go full throttle with them, so it hinders things when you give them adversaries that are only kinda sorta babyfaces in the first place. It's weird. The battle royal bit was a nothing match, but it was fun as a storytelling device. Havoc sacrificing himself for his new bud was a nice touch, and Mack making the logical decision was refreshing - since pro wrestling protocol normally calls for everybody to be unnecessarily tough to a fault. So I dug all that.

Yup. Instantly thought of Eva Marie when I saw it. Really looks like everything her gimmick intended to be. Their Knockouts division is absolute fucking fiyah right now. Good wrestlers, great gimmicks, defined characters, and conflicts that feel like they are about something. Any of their women could be champion & it wouldn't feel out of place or disappointing. Everyone seems to serve a purpose and have some sort of direction. It's great.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, that Russo episode was terrible. Total trash. Avoid at all costs. With that being said, I did come away with a couple of things I hadn't heard before. Apparently, Dixie Carter was obsessed with Wade Keller's reviews/opinions and would constantly parrot them in creative meetings. Russo claims that Dixie's feedback was always comprised of two things - Wade's Torch, and "Okay, guys. What are we doing with Hernandez?" So that cracked me up. Russo somehow seems aware of how hated he is - and simultaneously oblivious to JUST HOW hated he is. It's baffling. I also gave the Francine episode a shot, and it was surprisingly awesome. She seriously comes across like a genuinely good person. I knew very little about her actual background going in, so I was surprised to hear how she got involved with wrestling in the first place. Francine's got great energy and this upbeat personality that really carries things through. She's got a few fun stories, including an encounter with Vince that is both bizarre & totally believable. It's funny to hear how WWE downplays ever sweating TNA at any point, but Johnny Ace immediately informs Francine, "You can't work for TNA." when she's given her release. I'm not saying TNA was ever in a position to pose a big threat to them or anything, but I can buy that being a thing back around that 2006 period - when they'd seen Kurt, Christian, etc. head over there. Anyway, it's a solid interview and worth checking out.

Still working my way through the older episodes that I haven't heard before. I decided to bite the bullet and give the Disco Inferno episode a listen. And holy shit. It was surprisingly enjoyable all the way through. I've gone out of my way to avoid Disco on podcasts before, after hearing him a few times with Konnan, Court, etc. back in the day in MLW radio. He just annoyed the shit out of me & seemed to hold the dirt worst opinions on... Well, almost everything. But he was a total blast here. It's a great, breezy back & forth conversation with Jericho. There's a fun story about a house show match they had back in WCW. There's Yuji Nagata whispering to Jericho that one chop to the throat would shut up Disco, which they have a laugh about. There's also Disco explaining how he got the rep for having these all-time terrible booking ideas. And, whether you believe this version or not, it *does* make sense that he'd get bored in these booking meetings and basically just come up with crazy shit to fill time/pop his friends. For what it's worth, Disco does actually come across as a fairly smart guy. I honestly never understood it when I heard guys like Jericho, Sullivan, Raven, etc. mention him as a smart mind in the past. But I can sort of see it now. Disco makes a point that the most successful and durable characters in pro wrestling have traits that fans can imitate, and - while it seems like an obvious thing - it's not something you really hear stressed by anyone. Disco knows his limitations and openly admits he's not a moves guy. But I actually think he's surprisingly clever when it comes to gimmicks and character work. I'm glad I gave this one a shot. Since last year, I've been listening to more & more podcasts - to fill my drive time, gym sessions, meal preps, and just general day-to-day bullshit. And, while I still feel like the Jinder Mahal episode was the most surprising hidden gem I've heard, this one wasn't too far behind. I've literally never enjoyed Disco Inferno on a podcast before, but this one was well worth hearing.

You guys are right about Bruce being a conduit to Vince with many of his explanations & justifications. That's absolutely the appeal of the show. When he shouts shit like, "Were you there? I was there!" Well, that pretty much sums up why any of it's worth hearing in the first place. I *did* laugh when he told the story of him and Vince glancing around MSG, only to find out both of them were simultaneously searching for high places to have Zach Gowen thrown from. I may be the only person on the planet in thinking this, but I would've dug seeing that mask versus hair stipulation (or something similar) play out. I thought the Mr. America angle was silly fun. Quiet, you. Don't judge me. But if I have to hear Bruce describe someone or something as an "attraction" ever again, it'll be about a week too soon.

Sure. But again, that's him hedging his bets & recognizing what he believes he can & can't get away with...

Negative connotations don't amount to a net loss of $40 million though. Vince accepting the offer and taking the money is basically him calling the bluff of everyone who might bitch & act outraged. Because, if it doesn't affect him in dollars & cents, does it ultimately bother him at all? The answer is clearly no. Vince is as mindful as ever when it comes to PR and the image of his company. He wouldn't have accepted this deal without weighing the pros & the cons. Obviously, he ultimately decided that he could get away with it and face only minimal (and manageable) consequence. It's still early, but so far? There are no signs that he made a poor decision, to be honest.

I would also add that Su Yung has one of the all-around greatest gimmicks going right now. It offers absolutely awesome visuals, with plenty of extra parts & extensions to play off. Super creepy, visually stunning stuff. Her actual match wasn't much, but it stood out on the sheer strength of her gimmick. Plus we got a great (and entirely different) match from Allie & Tessa earlier on the card, so all's good. I tried avoiding spoilers for as long as I could, but I caved and scoped out some of the stuff they've got coming up. I'm definitely on board & optimistic for the next month's worth of shows. I still wish they'd stop with the TV tapings in bulk, but at least they're scaling back a bit now - and that's a step in the right direction. I've also listened to Callis on various podcasts & interviews recently, and the guy's got a great sense of what he wants to do & where he wants to take things. It's amazing what they've been able to do with the company (and its image) since only January, so I feel like they've seriously earned the goodwill & the credit to go along with that.

Callis' commentary is so much better with no Bullet Club in sight, it might as well be an entirely different announcer making the calls.

Stone Cold always tells the story of Dutch Mantell informing him how he couldn't be called "Steve Williams" and eventually giving him the "Austin" name. What I'd never heard before was the time in between though, when Austin was trying to come up with his own ring name. Apparently, Stunning Steve Austin was almost "Samson Sinclair" instead.

Callis' commentary was especially enjoyable here, too. His reactions to devastating finishes & big spots were tremendous. Made everything feel giant-sized and much more emphatic. Really dug the way he acted disgusted and appalled by Callihan also. Seriously helped put that whole act over the top. Josh Matthews wasn't as awful as usual, but I'm forever hesitant to heave any praise his way - because he always goes right back to being terrible again. On this night, Callis gets the credit for carrying Josh to a passable performance. Callis' calls during the 5150 street fight were great as well. He focused on treating it like a turf war & mentioned gang culture. He wasn't referencing Tweets or whateverthefuck like a hashtag moron. And that really brings me back full circle to what I enjoyed so much about the overall presentation. Every angle, every feud, every bout was treated as if it mattered & meant something. There was an actual sense of progression. Every issue felt like it was pressing forward - not running endlessly in place. They leaned into the characters & their conflicts. A lot of times, WWE actively runs away from the premise of payoffs - because they're obligated to keep these issues going on to create rematches of rematches, just for the sake of filling time. You're rarely ever allowed to get excited about anything, because it's inevitable that they're going to beat you over the head with at least a dozen rematches anyway. It sucks all anticipation and suspense out of their product, and that's what makes great pro wrestling resonate. This card was also enhanced, because it had plenty of quality finishes also. Sydal getting hung up in the ropes, Konnan smuggling in the thumbtacks, Pentagon (and Fenix) finally cornering Callihan, and Aries' BRUTAL barrage of head shots on Moose were all pretty fucking fantastic to be honest. Good, strong, definitive finishes for the most part. It was a satisfying show. It felt like you actually saw something after the show was over. You weren't left feeling like everything would be automatically undone by next week. Good stuff.

From top to bottom, this was more enjoyable than any main roster WWE show this year. Only the Rumble comes close. There are still some issues on the production end that could use some ironing out - a few graphics flubs, and the lighting was way too bright from some camera angles - but nothing major enough to detract from an otherwise awesome event. Their video packages, in terms of direction and presentation, were miles better than anything WWE is doing on their monthly big shows. While WWE is hung up on cutesy word play for whatever name or theme their pay-per-view happens to carry that month, here Impact was hard at work making their stories, their conflicts, and their characters mean something. Whether it was drawing parallels between the careers of Dreamer & Edwards or putting over the prestige of their championship, it was highlighted and celebrated in these video packages. WWE's video packages used to be king when it came to that stuff, but now they're all these generic, meandering messes that ultimately serve up no clear message of any kind. It's all just puns, buzzwords, and wrestlers striking poses. I love that the card built & built. I love that the matches were designed to be different. I love that everything wasn't just so same/same all the way through. I love that the matches served their purpose - from a hot, action-packed opener to a brief hardcore brawl to a hate-filled war to a championship prizefight, etc. Each match achieved its own unique set of goals. It wasn't just a series of matches, all trying to reach 5-star status (and looking and functioning exactly the same along the way). Not every little thing was a winner though. I cringe anytime Eddie Edwards trances out or mentions "murder", because it's silly. And Tommy Dreamer's bleeped "motherfucks" are such tired relics from another era. And Moose is a guy that still shouldn't be doing live interviews very often. Nothing wrong with knowing the guy's weak points and concealing them via documented video packages & sound bytes. But, with all that being said, this show was just a metric ton of fun. One of my favorites this year, for sure. It's rare that I can actually sit down & enjoy a full wrestling show from start to finish anymore, without cherry picking or jumping around. But this one was a blast. It's crazy, considering how far down they'd fallen just a year or so ago. But Callis & D'Amore get all the credit and then some for correcting the course thus far. I'm stoked to see each small measure of success they find, and I only hope things continue to improve and trend up for them from here.

The in-depth OVW discussion continues to deliver. I'm not gonna lie - I was initially surprised once Corny expressed how he clearly believed this stuff to be his best booking ever. But you can hear some of that come through in the way he describes his decisions & choices of the time. It's really great stuff. Hearing Jim lay out how he responded to having the WWE Champion pulled from his show, after weeks of Brock being promoted & advertised is interesting, for example. I also like how he compares & contrasts the parallel career paths of certain guys. It was cool to hear Jim break down his distinctly different approaches in pushing Brock and Batista respectively, and why he selected each method for their specific talents/limitations. Cornette's solution to sidestep the cliche of rival wrestlers getting into pull-apart brawls when they're seen together in public or at media appearances was tremendous yet simple (and a perfect snapshot of his old-school way of thinking). I'm probably forgetting several other examples, but yeah. It's been consistently solid stuff, for sure.

His Destination X 2014 match against Aries and the Knockout or Tapout match with Drew outrank anything he's done in WWE, easily. That's an awful look for Braun. So you want people to buy him in a straight-up Mania title shot after he's already failed to beat an exhausted Roman with an advantageous surprise cash-in? That's basically just copying & lifting the poor booking of Roman and transferring it onto Strowman. At that point, both guys look like sore losers. I'm all for turning Reigns or creating a situation to garner him some heat. But there are easier, more efficient ways to do it that don't require you to sacrifice your other most over baby face.

Even more telling is that nobody's favorite wrestler as a youngster is Seth Rollins. It would be a significant improvement if he studied more Rob Van Dam, to be honest. I'll stop now. Let's not derail this topic further with what the world already knows.

Bruce Prichard was on one of the newer episodes, so I gave it a listen during my drive to & from work. It was refreshing to hear Bruce in a different setting. I'm still a fan of Something To Wrestle - flaws & all - but Jericho is such a great, natural conversationalist on this show. He really is a chameleon in the host role, blending in with whatever the backdrop or guest requires. Prichard largely retreads over some of his greatest hits as talking points, so there's not a lot of new information or anything. But it's still a really fun, breezy back & forth conversation. Jericho is a sponge and never acts like a know-it-all. In fact, he openly admits when he doesn't know something in wrestling history - like when he asks Bruce what wrestling company Houston was, not fully understanding it was a town and not a territory. But Jericho is always engaged and eager to discover new shit, which serves the listeners so well. The story of Gene Snitsky seeking advice from Jericho was funny. Evidently, Snitsky was unhappy about how he was being used. So Jericho suggested he talk to Vince to sort it out. Snitsky did, and Vince promptly gave him a full release. Tremendous. Jericho also reminisces about the night Hulk Hogan lost the WWF Championship for the first time. Chris remembers exactly where he was & what he was doing (working his job at a deli) when he first heard that Hogan had lost the belt. It's just a great little nugget of a story, but the real joy is in how Jericho tells it. These personal tales are a big part of what you want out of a pro wrestling podcast. Going back to Bruce though, he's equally enjoyable when he's talking about Houston wrestling. You can hear it in his voice when he brings up Gino Hernandez. And the way he recalls the week-to-week booking decisions from that period is just awesome. You can clearly tell the guy grew up loving that shit. As easy it is for Bruce to heel it up as the WWF apologist on his own show, he just as easily babyfaced himself big time here. Fun stories. Fun show.

Yup. It was also very Vince of Bruce to insist on referring to Tacoma as "Seattle" throughout the whole thing. I honestly don't know if he realized he was doing it.

Cool to hear. I'll definitely get around to checking it out whenever I get a chance. To be clear, I meant Corny was having a discussion with Lance when it came up. And it's okay. I don't think anyone dislikes Seth's work as much as I do. But I have faith he'll eventually give you enough reasons to get there. Guy's still young after all. You also forgot about how he has no sense of psychology in wrestling and constantly fucks up simple face/heel dynamics (unless he's in there with a Miz type that shan't be steered off course), but hey. Whatever's clever.

Not sure about the accuracy or anything, but this is taken straight from Pro Wrestling Wikia... These are the mist properties (although they have been mentioned already but here is a brief reminder). Green- The commonly used mist which is said to obstruct the opponents vision. Red- Quite often used but is said to Burn the eyes. Used by Gangrel which was known as Blood Mist. Black- Said to blind the opponent for several weeks. Tajiri used this on Nidia Blue- Sends the opponent to sleep. Yellow- Paralyzes the opponent. Purple- Cause momentarily distraction and memory loss (once used by Roxxi Laveaux).

There wasn't much to the D'Lo Brown episode. It was cool to hear him talk about being an avid NWA fan growing up & his first trip to Smoky Mountain with such limited experience under his belt. He seemed really appreciative of Cornette, which was also great. The Droz incident was clearly traumatic for him as well, and he admits it took him awhile to regain his confidence after that. The episode with Cherry (who I had completely forgotten about) was surprisingly worthwhile. It offers a really disheartening look back to the way women were treated in WWE around that time. To her credit, she doesn't sound bitter or resentful for the way she was body shamed or anything. And it would be easy to come away feeling bad after hearing how she was referred to as "the rotund diva", but she has a way of reflecting on everything with a positive outlook. So it's not a total downer like the Chris Harris episode or downright awkward & depressing like the Justin Credible stuff.