SomethingSavage

I went on ahead & served up the question to Corny's Drive Thru, just in case.

Doesn't Justin Gabriel get introduced into that mix fairly soon, too? Sorry. I watched it all back at the tail end of 2012, but I honestly don't think I've seen any of it since. I know the Gabriel/Kidd team was a thing during Tyson's 2014 main event run, but I *think* I remember them doing a similar deal early on also.

I remember really digging Rollins/Jinder in the finals of that tournament at the time. I'd be curious to go back & see how that holds up. Their rematch, with Mahal in full 3MB gear, is entirely forgettable and failed to leave any real impression. Curtis Axel (still working with that awful fake last name, I believe?) was another standout on those early shows. Tyson Kidd, too.

Between the WWECW and CM punk episodes of Something To Wrestle, they cover the planned Benoit/Punk program transitioning into the full-fledged Punk/Morrison series pretty extensively on the podcast. I remember hearing about Vince being high on Sabu a good while back. I want to say it was on one of Court's early MLW shows, with him talking about how Vince thought Sabu learning to cut a promo would be the key to unlocking his potential as a main event act. Supposedly Heyman resisted the most and fought the idea (for Sabu, who seemed to just do what Paul suggested), but they ran with it anyway. So Sabu was losing to Cena in short order, and they quickly reverted back to business as usual.

Conrad comes across a little silly in all this to me. He understands the rules of the game he's playing, but he wants so badly to come across as this "just a fan" everyman that he's going to buck the system. I didn't like the idea when they first announced a deal with the Network, and I'm liking it less & less when shit like this pops up. They can't have it both ways. If they're granted access into Vince's playgrounds, then they're going to play by his rules. Period. Pretending that they're going to get away with talking about "taboo" subjects or saying "fuck" a lot just isn't going to fly on Vince's network. I knew that from day one when Conrad was silly enough to announce otherwise. Kind of hard to feel sorry for him being edited when he knew WWE wouldn't tolerate some of those things in the first place. I honestly don't know what the end game is meant to be here. If they wanted a Network gig, they got it. They'll have to bend a little on some of these silly things to keep it. The other option is getting booted off the Network gig (which I'm sure would upset Prichard quite a bit), and then spinning that into added publicity for their podcast feed. I'm sure they like having the Network deal, but I'd honestly rather just end this experiment and get back to the original formula.

Timely, too. On his latest podcast, Bischoff talks a good bit about the importance of variety & how crucial that variety was to his winning formula at the time. Also puts it in comparison to today's WWE, where basically everything is now a "cruiserweight match" to some extent.

It's gotta be... IT'S GOTTA BE KANE!!!

Eric is a bit *too* defensive at times, but I'm hoping some of that subsides with time. We're only a month into this thing, so there's still an abundance of prefacing and over-explaining things that his general audience have already heard for the last 15 years ad nauseum. Take his response to the contract negotiation with Jericho for example. You could tell it rattles him, so he immediately goes into defensive mode and spends (what felt like) 20 minutes drowning us with misdirection and explanation about how he was tasked with stopping the spending & making a profit. We know all that. Everyone does. The appeal is in the hows and whys. There are times when Eric hits his mark with that stuff - and I believe Conrad fully realizes it - but there are also misfires like this one here. I was in the middle of a shoulder session at the gym when I listened to this, so I kind of stuck with it out of necessity by that point. But that first half hour or so was sooo bad. It was the most boring and dry answer you could imagine. WIth that being said, I'm glad I stuck with it. Because the show greatly improved from there, and Eric really hit a stride with his responses later. You can tell Eric knew he was opening himself up to some shots when he agreed to this, so of course he's going to get his own licks in here & there. And he's surprisingly good at picking his spots. I popped for the shot at Vince at the end - almost entirely playful, but also accurate as fuck and VERY fitting to cap off the episode. His response to Jericho calling him a court jester (in comparison to Vince's king) was aces, too. Just fun stuff. Eric isn't always in top form, but he comes off so much better when he's picking his shots and letting them really land this way. There's still some genuine insight and intriguing information to be found here, too. Hearing about the business of the business is always neat, and I especially dug his explanation about how critical the cruiserweights were to his vision. Also enjoyed his response to Hall and others being threatened by the cruisers at the time - with Eric even admitting that the cruisers were delivering exactly what he expected of them. That distinction between the main event style and the cruiser style was a crucial piece of his winning formula and presentation, so you can see why he'd be defensive there. The licensing and merchandising talk was good as well. As long as this episode was, there are points where I was actually left wishing he would've gone more in depth with some of this stuff. So yeah. I'll be sticking with the show for now. I'm optimistic and hopeful that Conrad can direct the show more often and steer Eric away from the repetitive, overly long prefacing more often. Other than that, there's substance here that is worth hearing about.

As over as he was, I always felt like he was horribly miscast as a face. Maybe it could work for him in the short-term, but I don't believe it was a winning formula for any sort of long-term success. Just my two cents on the matter. One thing I always dug about his heel shtick was the way he'd play up to the camera. It was an overdone tactic in '97 and '98 WCW though, so it was kind of just an everyday occurrence. But he had a certain spark & charm to his showboating. I realize it's frowned upon to play to the crowds or the cameras too much today - and it was certainly a diluted trick in Buff's heyday - but it's something I feel would help a heel stand out in today's landscape.

No problem, man. I certainly appreciate the in-depth responses from your end. Very cool & fascinating stuff to me. SOOOO glad you brought up The Undertaker story! Jinder actually lays out that same scenario in the interview. (Can't believe I forgot to mention it in hindsight.) But yeah. He mentions the Bollywood deal and the connection that led to Khali becoming such a huge mainstream star, thanks to the program with Taker, right away. The way Jinder tells it - Taker has taken on this almost mythical role within Indian culture. He presents it as something similar to the way kids are told about the Boogeyman or even the recent Slenderman phenomenon. Truly awesome stuff. Beyond that, Mahal pretty much says that it'd be difficult to find anyone in India that didn't have some idea of who Khali is. He even says - when you break it down to numbers - Khali may be the single most recognizable wrestler on the planet today (exaggeration? I don't know). Jinder says the few people who wouldn't know him directly & immediately from wrestling would certainly recognize him from his movies - the Longest Yard, etc. Anyhow, thanks again for the replies. This is what I loved so much about sinking my teeth into the Puerto Rico wrestling scene for the very first time all over again. There's something incredibly appealing about seeing something you enjoy presented in other cultures & discovering all the details that entails.

Love these shows. The chemistry among your crew is outstanding & endlessly entertaining. Haven't gotten to this one just yet, but the August show was a blast.

First of all, thanks a truckload for the detailed response there. Much appreciated. That's pretty much how Jinder describes it - like it's Khali's celebrity selling the entire show. The idea of a singular entity being responsible for drawing such a house is just still really cool to me, especially when it can exist in contemporary pro wrestling. Regarding the political stuff - to be fair, Jinder barely touched on the subject. Off the top of my head, I only remember him talking about the PM building (or renovating & reopening?) two large venues and basically needing a big event to sell them out for their first dates. For one location, he chose Khali's wrestling show. It seemed to be Jinder's way of stating how revered Khali is (again), as well as further illustrating how special circumstances or permission is required to get such an event booked.

Has Homicide stuck around all this time? I don't watch week to week, but I thought he dipped back out for awhile. Either way, I'm stoked for the potential in this one.

Bischoff is one strange cat. At times, he can kind of convince you that he's a smart, sly guy when it comes to business practices & maneuverings. At other times, he seems super naive & borderline clueless about how poorly he comes across. And I'm not just talking about getting caught in boldfaced lies. Take this whole deal with Meltzer and Bret for example. Eric supposedly planning to reach out and "do something" with Dave back in 96/97 looks like a blatant attempt to control the release of news and "rumors" at the time.

Still scrolling back and finding old shows I missed to keep me busy (and awake!) on my drives to & from work for these long shifts. And I'm still getting a kick out of the littlest things that come out through these conversations. ... Like hearing how Fandango's favorite wrestling was late 90s/early 2000s Memphis Power Pro.

This. Cornette came right out and told everyone how he was invited to Starrcast, and he turned down the offer. Said he doesn't need the money and wouldn't want to look like a hypocrite. Say what you will about Cornette's personality, but I'm inclined to believe him on this one. Nobody has stated anything to the contrary, and Conrad's dropping shows three to four times a week if he wanted to clarify or correct anything. The guy just genuinely hates what these guys are doing. He's passionate about what he did for a living, and so he's almost unreasonable about his disdain for these things. Not everything has to be a lie or a long con. Sometimes, people just mean what they say & that's it.

I realize it's technically SPOILERS that haven't aired yet and all, but since nobody's really talking about modern TNA here... ... I'm stoked to hear Homicide & Hernandez are returning. I've been digging Konnan's new crew this last year, and I can only hope a new LAX/original LAX feud will produce some crazy violent grudge matches along the way. Plus, I mean, Eddie Kingston y'all.

I can only imagine how tame the Cena episode on the Network must've been. Their actual podcast covering it wasn't any great shakes. But, unless I misunderstood the announcement, it *does* look like they'll be rolling out some original content for the Network show soon. They mentioned a Batista profile and a spotlight show for AJ Styles, which would be brand new ground for them. So at least there's that. I thought the Bob Holly episode was a lot of fun, by the way. Not much new information or anything, but I loved hearing bits & pieces from Bob's book though. I've heard for YEARS that it's one worth checking out, and now I think I'm motivated enough to actually seek it out. Guy's always a blast in interviews. I've worked with countless guys who walk, talk, and act like tough guy Bob Holly over the years. They're best enjoyed in small doses, but they're also truckloads of fun to be around at times. "How 'bout YOU, Dracula? Ya fat bastard." Tremendous line. I'm kind of convinced I need to go back & scope out some Hardcore Holly promos now, too.

So I randomly picked the Cody Rhodes episode on my drive to work today. Not a lot of noteworthy stuff, but Cody does mention how he picked up a habit from John Cena. Apparently Cena has always had this obsession with knowing the numbers - gates, ticket sales, merch numbers, etc. - for the shows. That's not exactly a shocking tidbit or anything, but it's cool that it kind of stuck with Cody, who is clearly driven by that sort of stuff even now. As a sidebar, it was interesting to find out Cody and Ted Jr. were Cena's last riding partners (right before he bought the bus). Jericho then chimed in to add that Cena used to keep strange company on the road, back in his early days. Apparently Cena's early travel buddies consisted of Tajiri, Funaki, Ultimo, and eventually Super Crazy. Maybe I'm just more interested by the little things than most, but come on. How fucking cool is that?!

Incrrrredibly entertaining interview with Marty Jannetty on last week's episode. The first half of the show is crazy fun, filled with great stories of Marty's early days. I haven't heard many of his shoot interviews, so a lot of this was new & fresh to me. So many fun stories - Shawn calling his mama & crying about his ring gear, the casino story with Curt Hennig, the "blade job" of Buddy Rose, etc. - were tremendous material for somebody who hasn't heard them anywhere before. The run time is a little long (near the 3-hour mark), but don't let that deter you. It's breezy enough, mostly due to Marty's style of storytelling. It's a conversation that flies by - something like taking a seat on a bar stool next to a rambler. He's really talkative, but it's all told in a light-hearted way that keeps you dialed in and on the hook. The Chuck Austin stuff is sad & disheartening from almost every angle, of course - but Marty can't help himself & even cracks off a couple of jokes throughout. He's such an upbeat and enthusiastic guy that he doesn't ever let the mood get too bogged down during the downswings. The story about Shawn crawfishing in court and then being presented with video evidence to the contrary was a hoot, too. The interview *does* finally begin to drag a bit when they reach more familiar territory - the breakup of the Rockers, the IC Title exchange, etc. - but it's not enough to make this one a miss. Overall, the interview was a fucking blast. Glad I gave it a shot. Highly recommended if you catch some free time & care to hear some engaging, entertaining stuff from an all-around light-hearted, funny guy.

Tremendous. I'm far from being a big Dave defender, but that whole Cornette spiel was just splendid. I enjoy the shit out of Bruce's show. The bullshitting, the impressions, the insight into Vince's philosophies, and the fun stories - it's almost always a blast to listen to that stuff. But this sound-off by Corny was great. No nonsense. No frills. It sounded like a friend stepping in and just saying, "Hey, man. Cool it with the bullshit." Good stuff. With that being said, you kind of get the impression that all the constant shots at Jerry Jarrett sort of crossed a line - at least eventually, it not initially - for Cornette. I know he didn't make a big deal (and even downplayed) the separation from MLW radio, but the timing of Bischoff coming onboard plus the WWE Network deal for Prichard all happening concurrently kind of makes me wonder if they played a part in Corny just sort of drifting off in his own direction. Maybe not, but it's something to consider anyhow. I popped for Last's little dig toward the end, too. "Yeah, you were there. But were you lucid?!" Can't even lie. That cracked me up.

This sums it up really well. Although I often disagree with Corny when it comes to most modern wrestling stuff, I still don't mind listening to what he has to say about certain things. There are some gems of insight in his reviews and breakdowns, even if it comes with a heavy dose of ranting. Like, I don't want to hear about a blowup doll or Joey Ryan's penis for the 900th time. But I do get enjoyment out of him calling bullshit on some of the goofier, ass-backwards nonsense. I may be in the minority on this, but I'd actually love it if he eventually got to his OVW days. I know there's still plenty to cover with SMW and his WWF run, but there are a lot of guys and cards that could make for interesting topics someday.

I despise all things Twitter and tweet-oriented, but that "moonpie1977" sounds like the handle of someone I should follow. Or am I doing it wrong? In all seriousness, I'm genuinely excited about this project. I couldn't give any less of a shit about what happens on wrestling Twitter.

Christ. Are they Weekend at Bernie'ing him there? He looks worn smooth the fuck out. He looks like Marc Maron forgot to eat for six weeks. ... In all seriousness though, he does look like somebody who's showing signs of overtraining/poor recovery habits. It takes a toll on your CNS and you generally feel like a lifeless sack of shit. Or pretty much how Punk looks there, basically.

Still going back and filling in the gaps by listening to older episodes I originally missed or skipped, and I gave the Jinder Mahal show a listen. It's a year+ old, from right before the time he beat Orton for the belt. It's a genuinely enjoyable listen. The conversation is fun, and it all moves along at a quick pace. Jinder seems totally grateful for his renewed opportunities, and his whole story in general packs a good message at its core. The Great Khali talk is the best though. I love the idea of Khali being something like India's answer to Carlos Colon, fending off this factory of invading foreign challengers or some shit. It's a shame that wrestling events are instruments for political machinations & whatnot in some of these countries, as opposed to just a sporting event or a concert. Mahal makes it sound like there are a bunch of hoops & hurdles to get those shows organized and done, making them increasingly less frequent. There's also something really fun and fascinating about those kinds of crowds - a gathering of people, who still buy in and believe to such a degree that they are there to see one guy win. Above everything else. Just how accurate are Jinder's claims about attendance for these events? I *know* i remember reading discussion about a Khali event or two doing some astronomically large number a year or two back. It's such a fun and fascinating topic to think about - Khali having his own wrestling kingdom of sorts in this day & age. I'm not even sure if that's still a thing here & now - just one year later - but it's definitely the thing that stood out to me most coming away from this show.