SomethingSavage

In that case, it's a fucking awful real name. Reminds me of these girls naming their kids like they're selectable 90s arcade game characters. Blayze, Kayge, Brayden, and on & on...

Appreciate the recommendations, guys. I've seen almost all the DVD-released docs. The 24 series looks like the stuff I was thinking about though.

Well, thank goodness. Twitter detectives are on the case.

Continuing through the grab bag of past shows, I've come to the Daniel Bryan episode from earlier this year. Pretty solid stuff. I never realized Vince reached out to Jericho as a backup plan if Shane wasn't cleared in time for Mania. It makes sense, but hearing how Vince proposed the idea of secretly transporting Chris from the Fozzy gig to Mania was fucking tremendous. I'm somewhat surprised to hear confirmation from Bryan about how it's now a "thing" for them to work the boys & deliberately hide information from them, in order to avoid spoilers or secrets leaking out. For a company that seems so radically OCD about scripts & running such a tight ship, it just seems so strange that they'd prefer to have Jericho show up for shock value and proceed to work an impromptu match that doesn't adhere to a strict layout. It did crack me up to hear Jericho proclaim that Sami Zayn would lose his shit if he had to call a match entirely in the ring like that though. Is he supposedly a stickler for details like a Page or Savage? Because I've never heard that before. I heard Bryan on Edge and Christian's podcast awhile back - before he was cleared to return. It was almost uncomfortable, with Edge basically trying to talk him off a ledge and convince Bryan to stay retired if that's the hand he's dealt. All the while, Bryan would half-heartedly agree - but then turn around and quickly resume discussion about collecting masks and eventually losing his hair with a big payoff angle in Mexico. Don't get me wrong. That sounds cool as shit. But it's just awesome that things have turned around for him now that he's back in the mix. I'm stoked to have him back in any capacity, even if it's not the kind of angles he was fantasy booking himself into during his time away. It *was* funny to hear Bryan lay out this scenario where he fantasized about randomly showing up in New Japan to create a buzz for a big time match or something (if he would have to explore other options outside of WWE to continue to wrestle) - only to point out that Jericho basically stole his thunder and already did that with Omega. Good stuff there. It's always cool to hear him geek out for older lucha and Lawler footage, too. It allows some of us the chance to breathe a deep sigh of relief and remain optimistic that he'll continue to employ this safer style for the foreseeable future.

Which documentaries and/or specials from the Network are worth watching? I figured this was the best place to ask. As far as I can recall, I have seen zero of their offerings since the Network launched. So what's out there worth seeking out? Anything? I think I recall some positive buzz after one with the Shield? And maybe a Daniel Bryan profile piece? I've recently been backtracking through some of my favorite 30 For 30s. That somehow led me to the old Foley DVD. I thought about revisiting the Hunter doc (which I remember being pretty excellent in its time, to be honest), but then just bit the bullet and came here to get an idea of something entirely new instead.

That's a fucking awful ring name. But it sounds like it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, so there's that.

This x1000. All my free time is pretty much accounted for this week, so I won't be able to check it out for at least another 8 or 9 days, but fuck it. I'm going bell to bell, back from Season 1 on up whenever I can.

Sounds very cool. The name association episode was a blast. Definitely serves as a teaser for possible shows in the future. Still wish the whole Bruce deal could've been sidestepped, but it didn't ruin the experience altogether or anything. Some of Jerry's phrases and sayings - specifically never seeing a horse that couldn't be rode, or a cowboy that couldn't be "throwed" - just cracked me up. I can literally hear those things coming from my grandpa (who first introduced me to wrestling via Watts' shows in Shreveport and Lake Charles). My grandpa is still with us, still a huge wrestling fan to this day, still my favorite person to attend live shows with, and still my all-time favorite storyteller. So you can understand how maybe the southern charm & good ole boy routine goes hand in hand with pro wrestling for me. With all that being said, I look forward to listening to the new episode. Hope ya keep 'em coming, man.

Meh. The real belt is on the other brand anyway. I was digging Brock's reign up until Mania, too. The AJ match was okay. The Joe program was phenomenal, albeit way too abbreviated. The Braun buildup was great, even if the match itself stunk and totally took the wrong approach, regardless of its outcome. Oh, and the Goldberg stuff was money. So yeah. Up until this endless series of shit-shows with Roman, it was a winner for the most part. If people are referring to the Seth/KO series as some sort of "glorious yesteryear" of prestige for this belt, then fucking hell. Just burn it & be done already. Because if THAT'S the alternative, then (all things considered) I think I'm cool with what we've got. I just saw the ad for Extreme Rules again, and holy shit. How terrible are their video packages these days? The opening video for Backlash was literally the worst one I can ever recall seeing. And the opening for Money in the Bank was almost equally awful. Their production values remain top shelf, but the voiceovers and the actual content - with all their shitty wordplay and puns - is just the dirt worst.

Well, listening to Jericho and Stone Cold shoot the shit & just chop it up about music was a metric ton of fun. Felt like kicking back & hearing two guys have a casual conversation. Very cool. I never would've pegged Austin as such a huge MJ fan. I popped for that, especially when he went back to it and reiterated it a few more times, and I was actually hoping he'd rank his top favorite Michael tunes or something. Funny how Jericho forgot that the Disturbed remix of Austin's theme was even a thing. I've never read any of Jericho's books, so I had no idea he tried to change up his ring music a couple of times. I mean, I knew about the shitty Saliva track from Survivor Series in MSG, and they've made some small alterations to the original here & there. But the deal with Zakk Wylde and then Sevenfold's "Nightmare" was all news to me. As cool as some of that could've been, I'm sort of inclined to agree with Vince on the matter. "Break the Walls Down" is a perfect fit.

+1 Gargano and Ciampa used it within the first minute or two of their Chicago street fight, and it looked liked the silliest, most out of place spot in that situation.

That Dusty episode was pretty fucking fun. I had no expectations going in, so maybe that helped. But Eric was almost entirely positive throughout the whole thing. In fact, he even deliberately sidestepped some of the negativity at times. Bischoff gushing over Dusty's commentary was awesome, too. I guess I just assumed that Eric wasn't fond of Dusty in the booth for some reason, but nah. He totally got it, and he NAILED the explanation about what separated the excellent announcers from the average. Eric sounded less like the "guy who got lucky and stole McMahon's stars" and much more like a really bright guy who actually grasped & understood aspects of the wrestling/promotional business here. It was great. The Hogan cameo was cool as shit, too. Conrad selling the shock & surprise was cheesy, because he was obviously pitching to Eric and setting it up - but fuck it. Hearing Hulk answer a laundry list of questions like it was his own god damn show was just tremendous. I know people are skeptical about all things Hulk Hogan, but I don't care. I choose to believe everything he said about Big Dust here. Hulk praising Dusty's promos and saying he swiped the "No, no, no" finger wave from a spot he saw Dusty do was phenomenal. And maybe it's the childhood nostalgia in me, but there's something incredibly cool about Hogan marking out for the loyalty of Japanese fans, their streamers, Abby, Inoki, etc. I know some people will be quick to label it phony or bullshit anytime Hulk puts somebody over, but fuck that noise. I grew up on Mid-South and Hulk-A-Mania damn it, so I'll gladly be the gullible outlier here. Maybe there aren't any newsworthy revelations or anything here, but I highly recommend this one. It's kept under two hours. Eric is mostly positive. Hulk does the run-in and atomic leg drops Conrad's line of questioning like it's obese heel #365 circa 1987. Good stuff.

I kind of dug the "Don't piss me off!" phase of his career there actually. Perfectly fine mid-card character after the haircut. But he honestly never appeared to be that over until the VERY end - doing the wifebeater shtick and slapping Figure Fours on every fallen woman he would come across. I don't necessarily think that had a super long shelf life or anything, but it was likely the best he ever looked in that run. Regarding Mero, has anyone actually said anything negative about his in-ring work? I don't think I've heard anything specific, which is why I ask. The hate for him always struck me as a one-two punch. First, it was all the envy & resentment over that first big guaranteed contract. And so there were some of the fan favorites of the beloved Attitude Era (Foley, Austin, etc.) going around, bashing Mero for that at a time when wrestling was wildly popular. So plenty of people are aware of it. Secondly, there was the shit-storm surrounding the media during the Benoit fallout. Mero speaking out rubbed a lot of guys the wrong way. There seemed to be this feeling that he had no right to talk about Benoit one way or the other. I guess a third branch of the Mero hate could stem from the Sable stuff, but that feels more like a byproduct of the contract & everything from his first run.

No problem, man. I've actually been having a blast going back and shuffling through all these shows I've missed. I was recently promoted, but it came with a longer commute - so it gives me ample time to knock out a bunch of these throughout the work week. There's another little gem in the Taz conversation about his spontaneous "audition" on commentary and how, looking back now, he feels Vince already knew he was winding down and wanted some way to transition Taz into the role. The program with Lawler was apparently the avenue to get there, because Vince sent Taz out there to replace King for a single segment - and then just left him out there for the majority of the show. It's a fun little story that speaks to Taz's strengths as a talker AND Vince's way of approaching people & dealing with the individuals differently. I was surprised by how upfront Taz was about his own weak points as a worker - particularly saying that he was never great at selling, and so he was doomed whenever Vince wanted him to play the plucky, fiery underdog who built to big comebacks. You really get a sense that he appreciated both how Paul protected him and the campaign to keep an aura around him in ECW. Regarding the Dave bit, you're absolutely right about it feeling refreshingly humanizing. Nothing illustrates that idea more than Meltzer explaining why he rates Okada matches so highly, by basically admitting that he probably just prefers the current New Japan style of wrestling more than any other in history. It's something everyone & their cousin has said on podcasts and message boards, sure. But it was refreshing to hear Dave basically get out in front and say it himself. Sure beats the back & forth trolling routine.

How is it that Kurt Angle has devolved into SUCH a terrible talker? The guy used to have incredible comedic timing and such sharp wit, but he's literally been outclassed in segments with fucking Paige and Baron Corbin this past month alone. How does that even happen? It's been SUCH a drop off in quality. I don't even remember him sounding this bad back in TNA. I mean, it's gotta be him buckling under the burden of heavy scripting, right? He went from being a really versatile speaker to sounding like some guy setting up the next line in an awful stage play.

The interview with Taz was pretty good. It's a shorter conversation, but I dug it. Loved Taz's episode on the Steve Austin podcast wayyy back in the early days of that show, so I figured I'd enjoy this one enough. Taz sounds like a really humble and grateful guy these days. He even talks about shooting e-mails(!) to Vinnie Mac and Heyman to personally thank them whenever he was offered the radio show deal a few years back. Very cool. I won't even lie either. I'm a big fan of Taz's early run on commentary with Cole. I thought their chemistry was tremendous and greatly preferred them over JR and Lawler at that particular point. I realize a lot of fans shit on Taz's commentary, but I ain't hearing that noise. His early shit throughout that Smackdown Six era was fantastic. He brought genuine analysis and logic to the tactics and in-ring actions of competitors. He put over Kurt, Benoit, Brock, and Eddie like his life depended on it for awhile there. I also thought he was instrumental in helping to establish Cena as more legitimate threat than comedic relief in that early stage of the rapper gimmick. The wheels kind of came off later, but Taz talks about being beaten down by the grind and the constant criticism in the headphones. The story of him and Cole just sitting out in the parking lot before a show, just dreading the thought of going inside and broadcasting, sort of puts the process in perspective. Taz also talks about how Tyson was a big influence and motivation for his character change from the Tazmaniac to MMA Taz. That may be a commonly known thing for all I know, but this was the first time I've heard that. If you take a step back and look at it though, it totally makes sense. Far from the best Jericho episode, but it was solid enough. And it's only a little over an hour, so it's a quick listen. Also checked out the Meltzer on Meltzer episode. It was okay, I guess. I think I was expecting more in-depth discussion about Dave's background or something. I don't know. It would probably be pretty fascinating for someone who was hearing it all for the first time, but it was mostly just stuff Dave has already discussed elsewhere.

Yeah. The Sable episode really was interesting on a lot of levels. I actually thought Bruce's description of her wayyy back on the Sunny episode was right on point. Sable was this mom and wrestling wife who just happened to find herself in a business she didn't understand or necessarily love one day - and then one of its biggest (accidental) mega stars almost overnight. It's fascinating to think about if you take a step back and really look at it. I don't understand the mentality of anyone wanting to bash Sable for her success though. You can find fault with plenty of WWE's decisions over the years, but this one certainly wasn't a case of them choosing someone to push. The people were thirsty for Sable - plain & simple. The fans wanted to see her featured more, and the company obliged. As much as some folks may have a problem with the two Vinces supposedly lusting over her, there's no denying that she was over HAYOOOJ with the paying consumers. Sable was a proven, valuable commodity. So of course they'd push her at that point. What was she going to do? Refuse the money? Reject the offer to go on weekly television and become a star? Come on. It's supply & demand. I *do* understand the logic behind finding some fault with her lack of improvement and investment over the course of her career though. She was fairly talentless when all things are considered, but she never had any real desire to be in that spot as a worker. So it's more of a case of the company getting ahead of themselves by putting her in that position again & again and just simply assuming that she'd suddenly show some passion or desire for the business. It was just never in her makeup, and I almost feel like they've overcompensated for that in recent years - with every single woman on the roster, faces and heels alike, being given the "lifelong fan" back story. Eva Marie might be the only exception - and is quite a fitting comparison to how a Sable might function in a contemporary setting. The Meltzer stuff really was creepy and downright cringe-worthy. I realize people are hyper-sensitive regarding Dave this year, but he really did come across poorly when his words were compiled together & recited like that. Obviously context is key in matters like this, but he sounded like he had some serious, deep-rooted Norman Bates level issues with women going on or something. Just a bad look all around. Negative 2 stars, Dave.

There's a second episode? I had no idea, because I have commitment issues & pretty much subscribe to no feeds ever. Can we maybe get a thread over in Pods & Pubs for this one? Or is that going to be a moot point in about a week anyhow?

Yeah. Here's hoping the Sable show delivers. The PPV spotlight shows are really lackluster. I don't think there was anything worthwhile in that Bad Blood episode, aside from JR still pushing for Dr. Death to come in for a run in the summer of 2003. That was crazy & caught me off guard. I had never heard that before. Oh, and I guess the bit about Vince selling Christian on the haircut upgrade with before & after photos was pretty entertaining, too.

Just to further elaborate a bit now that I have another free moment - I go through hot & cold phases of my wrestling fandom. There have been plenty of periods where I will watch carefully with an analytical eye toward EVERYTHING. And then there are times like now. I honestly couldn't tell you if its priorities or any one thing at any one point. It just kind of happens in all areas of my fandom - wrestling, music, TV shows, etc. As far as reviewing/listing matches, well... I love lists. But I also feel like those things are inherently more driven by opinion. It's understood (and basically celebrated) that you can end up with lists that boast a bunch of variety. It sparks conversation & discussion and kicks open the door to learn & discover new things. A major issue I have with star ratings is that (too often) I feel like they're treated as some sort of fact or truth. If you rate matches for the sake of using them as your own personal guide, then that's totally understandable. I get that. It lets people know what YOUR tastes are, but it's also understood to be based on your preference & opinion - like lists. The thing I can't stand is when people use these ratings to assign a numerical value to a match - attaching numbers to matches like price tags. Even worse, these "grades" are somehow meant to stand forever and hold up against every match in existence before & after it. Lists can change. Because opinions change. Match reviews can change. Because our tastes and preferences can be shaped over time. Fifteen years ago, I don't think Mark Henry matches were written about or rated the same way they are today. Maybe a lot of people hadn't yet discovered El Dandy. And on & on. So lists and preferences can (and will) constantly shift and change. Why should star ratings be treated as historical facts or figures? They're not. They're opinions, given numerical form and used to represent how highly you thought about a match. It's not an attendance record and can't be treated as such. I almost feel like it's a relief that Dave has gone and busted apart his own system. Because it shouldn't be taken all that seriously. It's one man's opinion. And it's finally being used accordingly - as a means for him to keep track of what he does and doesn't like. People are putting too much stock into those star ratings. These new 6 and 7 star rated matches don't mean they're the greatest matches of all time. All these new 6 and 7 star rated matches mean is that Dave digs modern day New Japan more than any other matches he's ever seen before. That's it. It really is as simple as that. Good for him. If other fans disagree, then that's cool too. Just, ya know, rate your own matches differently. It's all subjective. Every bit of it.

I don't have a problem with people rating & ranking wrestling matches. I get a lot of enjoyment out of podcasts and written reviews that do just that. Lists are a big part of niche fandom in general, I think. But when you obsess about it to the point where you're watching EVERY match, every segment, every moment of the product for the purpose of ranking and rating it? Then yeah. I think that's a bit much. I do believe it leads to burnout, and it basically strikes me as a self-defeating task. How does anything ever really resonate with you if you're only viewing it as part of some "to do" list? If it's approached like a chore, then how much of a fair shake is it really getting in the first place? In the end, what is your relationship to the hobby if you're constantly approaching EVERY moment with that mentality? I won't say it *can't* be done, but I certainly don't think it's something that is achieved often. Obviously there is no right or wrong way to watch wrestling. And, to be honest, I think there's a comfortable middle ground somewhere in between my approach of "just watch it & enjoy it" and the polar opposite of "rank and file and analyze everything in existence." Perhaps my way is too relaxed and nonchalant for some fans. Maybe I'm not a "real" fan in some people's eyes, because I stopped caring about star ratings a long time ago. But it is what it is. You're not going to convince me to start worshiping star ratings any sooner than I'm going to convince you that they're a silly and pointless exercise. We're just at opposite ends of the spectrum on the whole deal. And that's fine. I don't mean at all to come across as judgmental. I really don't. I don't think I would've ever been drawn here (the only board I regularly frequent anymore, besides WC) if I didn't appreciate the time and energy that goes into analyzing and breaking down certain aspects of wrestling. I just tend to lean a lot more toward the storytelling, character-driven emotional string-pulling aspects of the game. The Meltzer baiting trend, combined with the time-killing method of wrestling to deliberately draw out the length of matches (because longer matches automatically = higher quality matches in some people's minds) has just left a really, really bad taste in my mouth when it comes to the whole process. Combine the idea that those practices now seem to be steering this new star rating scale, and it should be easy to understand my frustration with everyone freaking out about it like it somehow means something much more than it actually does. Sorry if this post is rambling & a bit all over the place, but I'm literally on my way out the door and just wanted to clarify a bit.

Tremendous.

In all seriousness, I'm surprised there wasn't for more heat on him for failing to "man up" and finish the match with Enzo back when he originally got shelved with the injury. I know Real1 was talking shit about Cass looking weak for that recently. I know they're a lot safer about injuries and shit now, but it wouldn't shock me at all if that was a thought in Vince's mind at the time. Regardless of how PC it is or isn't, you can tell they still clearly place a great deal of value and pride in guys toughing through situations like that.

I bet Big Cass fucked up & took both brownies. "God damn it. Show some self-discipline, pal."

Well yeah. I mean, unless Jericho was fighting for the Goldberg squash so he could get *less* over in the end..?