SomethingSavage

I caved in and gave the Brother Love episode a listen the other morning. I wanted a longer podcast, so I could get through my workout uninterrupted. And this was one of the longer ones I had on my phone, so I just went with it. Wasn't sure what it would be going in, but it was fairly fun. Not a lot of new ground covered or anything. I feel like they offered a more enjoyable version of this back when they did the Houston episode - basically merging Bruce's intro with the Fed along with some fun stories and memories of working for Bosch. But yeah. This wasn't bad. I still get a kick out of Vince giving Bruce shit about being ugly. "Not with THAT face, pal!" Good stuff. Oh. And the story about Slick having a problem with the religious overtones of the gimmick was gold. Because, as they pointed out, you just KNOW Vince's immediate response was, "GOD damn it, pal!" I still feel like the red makeup was some kind of rib on Bruce (by Vince and company). Hearing Prichard talk about it, I almost felt bad for him - like he wasn't originally in on the joke, but he later convinced himself that he was laughing *with* them, instead of being laughed *at* by them. It's hard to describe, but hearing him tell it - it's like he later made up his mind that the red makeup was a good idea, even if he didn't totally understand why it was done in the first place. Just an odd deal there. Also wish we would've got a little more about Vince's remark to Don Muraco. I mean, can you imagine? Recasting the beach bum as a religious conman or whatever? Sounds strange on the surface, but it's no more out of place than OMG transitioning into Akeem or anything else they would try.

I find the shows are still mostly enjoyable. You've kind of got to know what you're getting into by this point. There's going to be some high-fiving and heavy shilling for live shows and shit up front, then some good stories and discussion in the middle, with some shirt stuff interspersed throughout. All that is practically a given. Conrad doesn't bother me too much on this podcast or the Bischoff one, actually. It's on the Tony show where he has actively chased me away with his fascination for dicks and dirt jokes & whatnot. The show was barely ever on the rails to begin with, but they temporarily found a niche for a few months - before he abandoned that and took it totally off course. It's unlistenable for me at this stage. I've actually listened to a few of the Network episodes, and it's really weird. Conrad admits they're covering older topics again - for a new audience - but he pretends to be having these conversations with Bruce for the very first time. So there's a lot of instances where he served softballs and unnaturally transitions from one topic to another. Because he's had this same conversation with Bruce before, so he knows what to ask or how to ask about things - but he's trying to pretend that it's all new to him. So you wind up with something that sounds like a scripted, rehearsed version of a podcast you've already heard. And a lot of that over-the-top forced laughter, where Conrad is basically laughing st jokes and stories before Bruce ever finishes his line. It's just bizarre. To no surprise, I'll be sticking with the original podcast only.

Agreed. There's a lot of fascinating ground that could be covered. - a comparison/contrast of the Fabs/Rock-n-Rolls. - a deep dive look into some of the memorable Memphis vignettes. - the Texas/Tennessee feud. - his thoughts on Lawler's stints as booker and how they impacted his own booking strategies upon returning for the next season. - the process of introducing Jimmy Valiant to the scene, and the eventual decision to run with him as a top guy in Lawler's absence. - his time in New York, if it can be approached respectfully enough at this point. - his favorite Lawler rival: Dundee, Dutch, Idol, etc. - the talent exchange with Mid-South, his thoughts on the trades that were made, and how he felt about what Dundee did for Watts' business. - how would he specifically describe hot shotting, and how did Memphis get away with doing so much (on TV and weekly at the Coliseum) for so long without burning out or killing the territory? I'm sure there's a better way to frame or phrase the topic, but hopefully you get the idea. That's all I've got for now, although I can't promise I won't have more in the future. Here's hoping all goes well with it, man.

I know the Miz gets a lot of love right now (and rightfully so), but I remember everyone raving about this boring Balor/Rollins match on Raw a couple of months ago. So I gave it a shot. Miz was at the booth, shining himself after the birth of his kid. And, had he been presented as a baby face in that program, then fine. But that's not even the issue I had with his commentary, because at least he came across like a genuine good guy. But my main takeaway was in how he constantly referred to Finn and Seth as "performers" and "entertainers." I mean, he must have said it a dozen times during the match. At one point, he was running down his resume and wanted to reference how he beat John Cena in the main event of a WrestleMania. But he can't call him a great wrestler or anything, so he refers to Cena as one of the greatest entertainers of all time. It's some of the silliest shit I've ever heard. I immediately wondered who the fuck would ever actually talk like this? I mean, Miz could've gotten away with calling John one of the greatest "champions" or something, but it was like he was so hung up on trying to speak the correct buzzwords that he carefully selected only the safest of options available to him. Just awful. Truly awful.

With all that being said, I will still try to catch tickets for the live events whenever they come through town. There's nothing like experiencing the shows live with my rowdy outlaw G-Paw or (more recently) taking my niece & nephew in tow. Good times.

I don't actually watch much of anything anymore - or at least at this moment. I think my interest mostly comes & goes in waves. Right now? I keep current with PWG. And I spend about 10-12 minutes staying caught up with WWE via those two Raw and SD Top 10 recap vids from their YouTube channel. And that's basically it. Oh. If there's a PPV or Takeover, I'll usually cherry pick some matches from those, based on where my interest level is at that week. I spend substantially more time here & elsewhere discussing things. And I spend a truckload of time listening to podcasts - either wrestling or true crime - due to how much time I spend with commuting, working long shifts, and approximately 90 minutes each day in my gym. So there's plenty of time to get through those things. I don't know. In my late teens and early twenties, I feel like there's no way I would've ever believed that I would've been so uninterested in wrestling. There was a time where I'd spend hours seeking out and consuming everything I could - from the mainstream to the more obscure, from WWE to CWF Hollywood every single week - and I just have zero care for keeping up with much of it now. Part of that is priorities and just where my life is right now. Part of it is the promotion I got last June and the responsibilities that have come along with that. It just is what it is. Plus my interests have shifted. I'm spending more of my free time with family and friends than ever before. And the few hours I get to watch TV during the week, I've found that I'm at a point where I'd rather watch some of the great television and the more compelling series out there - whether it's burning through old shows I missed during their original airing (The Wire, etc.) or some of these prestigious "peak TV" era shows that are currently running. I've sort of already voiced my issues with modern wrestling here. Characters are practically endangered species. Storylines are basically nonexistent. There's no real incentive to follow. I've accumulated and watched (what feels like) hundreds upon thousands of hours of wrestling during my fandom. I need something more than just "great matches" at this point. Otherwise, it's all same/same. It's all very old hat. If there's nothing that resonates or engages me, then I've got better things to do and an abundance of better things to watch in my free time. I'm not bitter or anything. That's just where I'm at. I still (obviously) love discussing wrestling. I still love listening to wrestling-related stories and podcasts. It's just that I don't have the time or the desire to *make* the time for it anymore - at least not now. Maybe at some point down the road, but the forums and the podcasts are enough for me right now.

The Bischoff shirts are the absolute dirt worst. To be fair, it's still super early & they haven't established any distinct shtick or "bits" quite yet. But Conrad will latch onto anything that's repeated more than once & turn it into a shirt before the tape machine's stopped rolling. "Context is King"..? I mean, who the fuck would pay money to wear something like that? Wrestling shirts are embarrassing enough to begin with - even the slightly cooler ones that aren't instantly recognizable, but some of these are People of Wal-Mart level bad.

Hearing Conrad shill and push for some of the shittiest shirt ideas, and I got to wondering - who do you figure was the original driving force behind all that? I mean, you can tell Conrad is a natural born salesman. Everything he does is dripping with that persuasive sales style. But then there's Bruce, who sat under the Vince learning tree of marketability and merchandising opportunities for decades. The actual truth is likely somewhere in the middle, but it's something to think about. Say what you will, but their show has to be the single most monetized wrestling podcast out there. By a huge wide margin. And it's still trending upward. They're selling silly shirts, moving tickets for live events, touring alongside with the WWE circus, inking a deal with the Network, etc. It's crazy. But yeah. I might be the only person on the planet interested in knowing who initially came up with the idea of branching out this way and maximizing profit off a podcast about wrestling stories.

I've had this episode stashed away for awhile, but I finally got around to listening to it today. The Austin/Bret: Anatomy of a Match show was fucking aces. Seriously. It might be my favorite single podcast since the Carlos Colon profile Zellner did with Boriqua a few years back. Tremendous listening from start to finish. Austin was in top fucking form, for sure. I mean, there's some retreaded territory here and there. But the topic is presented here in one long, freeform back & forth conversation. And it's simply fantastic. Hearing Steve perk up when certain points are brought up is pure joy for any fan that lived through his peak and participated in the Stone Cold experience as it actually happened. Austin jokes and cracks up a lot, but he still remains protective over his body of work. You can tell how much pride he takes in hat he accomplished with his career. He almost corrects the phrasing on one of the questions, making sure to point out that this was a meeting of TWO stars - not just one star and one in the making. At the same time, he clearly respects Bret and shows gratitude for getting him to another level. Bret brings some of his usual humble bragging (which seems to be something a lot of his critics hang their hats on), but that shit never bothers me. I'm a huge Bret mark, so maybe I'm more forgiving. But, just as I mentioned with Austin, I find it endearing that these guys are so proud of what they did & continue to carry themselves as big deals well after the run has ended. I don't think I've ever heard Bret come off any better than he did here though. His line about, "No animals were harmed in the making..." had me howling right there alongside Stone Cold. The decision to do the blade job is something that has been covered over & over again in other interviews, but they covered it in great detail here. I feel like I've heard the point about Austin changing his mind at the last possible moment, but Bret telling him it's too late and gigging him anyway - but I can't say for sure. Maybe in the Bret interviews in the first year of Austin's pod? Either way, it sounded new enough here. Plus I got to hear the story from both sides, along with how Vince presented them the finish and his vision for the match. I liked Bret bringing up the low blow and how it should always be reserved as the ultimate cheap shot. It's somewhat timely now with the Nakamura turn, but I think they've almost overplayed that hand with it already. Less is more. Replay the original couple of nut shots over & over if you want, but have the announcers constantly sell how despicable and lowly it is, and you're preserving some of that. I'm glad they touched on Shamrock, too. I know Austin always talks up the post-match altercation and how crucial it was for Bret to back down from Kenny, but it was cool that they also gushed over Shamrock's ghosting in and out of the match at all the key moments. So yeah. I absolutely enjoyed the shit out of this one. It's the perfect supplementary companion piece to their classic match, and it almost makes me want to go back and revisit the entire program from start to finish. I rarely ever listen to any podcasts more than once - Zellner's Colon spotlight and his SMW series being the only ones I can recall right away, actually - but this is one I will probably give another listen at some stage down the road. Just a fun conversation that had you feeling like you're in the room, listening to these guys reminisce.

What's the general consensus on the Bellas? I only mention them, because I think they could make for interesting discussion. There are clear similarities but also obvious differences - both in terms of appearances AND in-ring skill. Does one impact the other? Like, did Nikki's improvement between the ropes suddenly boost her hotness with the diehards? Or does Brie get bonus points for her association with indie darling D-Bry? Lots of ground could be covered there.

Cena as the Johnny Bravo, strip club hound for his Hollywood style heel turn, plz&thnx. It's already got the Hogan-esque years of built-in foreshadowing. He's been cock-blocking his bros and ravaging the women's roster for years.

I still prefer Prichard's show all in all, but a lot of that comes down to things like familiarity and my preference for Bruce as a storyteller. The impressions and sidebars can clearly feel overdone at times, but I still enjoy the shit out of them for the most part. This show has been worthwhile so far though. It does get bonus points for feeling new and fresh. Conrad is way dialed back in comparison to his approaches on both the Prichard show & especially the Schiavone show - which has become downright awful in recent months. I haven't had the chance to check out the Bret episode just yet, but I have listened to the first two eps. Eric is slowly showing some teeth in his responses - going particularly hard after Sullivan and Alvarez so far - which is only going to help strengthen the entertainment value and appeal to some of the usual Something To Wrestle listeners, I'm sure. Plus it makes for a better back & forth conversation anyhow. It's been a fun listen so far though. I'm definitely on board for now. It's not an issue of buying into everything Eric is selling or anything. It's a matter (for me) of being an engaging listen that offers some added insight into a really fun time period in my fandom. Good stuff.

Guys, come on. This is clearly the climax of her epic 3-year long journey.

Apparently, Samoa Joe is still touring with the Raw crew and working main events against Roman. I only bring this up because they'll be running a live event in my neck of the woods a month from now - and that's the advertised main event. I doubt Joe is still running with the Raw crew by then, but one can hope. Got a bad feeling we'll get downgraded to Jinder.

How are the Beefcake matches with DDP from around '96? I remember the feud, but I don't recall any details of their matches or how they turned out. Page was getting good around the time - plus they had Kimberly to work added shtick at ringside - so I figured I'd ask.

I'm with you on that point, but I choose to believe Bryan's just a smart enough worker that he's leaning into that fear & concern from his fans.

Has the Gannosuke & Hayabusa Anus Explosion Death Match been covered anywhere before? Because if not, then THAT. It could be fun to hear Steven's thoughts on Lance Storm vs Mike Awesome in that atrocious Canadian Rules match at some point, too.

Big Cass quickly becoming the Baron Corbin of this year.

Yup. I listened to a couple of the Network eps, since I had already converted them to mp3s, and they're basically abbreviated, filtered versions of earlier episodes. Doubt I'll be following anymore, unless they rollout exclusive shows there. The WM14 debut show was technically new material, but that whole timeframe has *kind of* been covered a few times already - with plenty of talk about Austin/Tyson/HBK on numerous earlier shows.

It's kind of weird that Boss Man never had a blow-off or a high-profile PPV match with Austin. Things were moving crazy fast in those days, but he *was* basically brought in as a temporary roadblock for Stone Cold. Maybe I'm overlooking a Raw main event or something, but certainly it wasn't ever made out to be a big deal.

Oh, it definitely deserved it. I've defended it here before, but that was the last time the company really felt like it had a serious chance of breaking through. The ascension of Austin Aries, the rejuvenation of Bully Ray, the redemption of Jeff Hardy, the homegrown appeal of James Storm, the reign of Roode, the sleazy machinations of Bad Influence, and on & on - they had so much stuff worth checking out on their weekly show. Even though they fell short in their execution, I'll actually defend a few of the concepts they tried out, too. Open Fight Night, Gut Check, and the weekly TV Title defense deal didn't produce guaranteed winners or anything, but they were fun for a time. And they were unique, without being convoluted - which is something TNA has forever struggled in achieving. I'd actually extend the timeframe, too. For me, the product started to improve almost immediately after the Jeff Hardy debacle at Victory Road. Following that, Lockdown was an surprisingly enjoyable show. Suddenly, Impact became watchable again. Then, in the run up to BFG 2011, they really found their stride. It only got better throughout all of 2012 & didn't truly start to come off the rails until sometime in 2013. If I had to pick a specific point, I'd probably go with the Bully Ray reveal and all the shenanigans with Lockdown - which looked intriguing on paper, but turned out to be such a terrible show in execution. So yeah. Interestingly enough, I'd give them Lockdown 2011 to Lockdown 2013 - a full two years where Impact was honestly worth watching week to week without fail.

I've been catching up on older episodes I'd previously skipped. There's something I've noticed before but really stood out to me when listening to a bunch of Austin consecutively. The guy sounds like he's way geeked up on some caffeine and that Alpha Brain a lot of the time. It's nothing for him to tell a ten-minute story in two. And there are times where he'll just ramble and rattle off things, while the guest struggles to give an answer or get a word in edge-wise. It's part of his charm and personality, so it's not like I'm complaining or anything. It's just one of those Austin traits I knew was there, but I never realized just how often he does it. Good stuff. I'm currently caught up somewhere in the RVD two-parter. They don't actually discuss much wrestling, but it's cool as hell to hear Stone Cold talk about vibes and zen energies and shit. Listening in while the Texas Rattlesnake channels Rob's good vibrations to win a fucking Toyota Prius as part of a mail-in scratch-off game was a tremendous little moment in time.

I know a chick that had the same thing happen to her, and she literally lived with it for like 2+ months until 1) she had the money, and 2) they could schedule her for another surgery.

Do people not realize they have the option to, ya know, not watch everything? Not being a dick, but come on. Cherry pick what you want and leave the rest. I could see if this was some episodic TV with intricate stories or something, but it's fucking 2018 WWE. Continuity isn't really a big deal. You can literally miss 8 weeks or more and not miss out at all. I get wanting to see the wrestling. I practically watch what I do for that alone. But burnout seems like an invalid excuse when you could just, ya know, not watch every single thing they do. Nobody's holding anyone at gun point. Nobody's obligated to see every show. It doesn't look like they're scaling back anytime soon. If anything, they're increasing their output. It already reached a point years ago where I couldn't understand how someone could have personal priorities, a job, a social life, and watch all their shows. If it weren't for their YouTube clips, I wouldn't even bother keeping up with the weekly stuff. I do check out some matches from all their PPVs when I can, and I thought the bell to bell wrestling here was solid enough. Far from their best, but nothing offensive or entirely off-putting.

That sounds good and all, but if you're currently spending 3 or 5 or 10 or whatever hours a week watching modern WWE, then you're doing it wrong & at least a little hypocritical. (Okay, a lot.) I can't speak for anyone else, but - with me - it's not even a case of needing to "scour" or search for anything. Hell, the majority of my posts here are clearly plucked straight from memory at random, usually spurred on by something EL-P posts beforehand. It's a minimum effort deal at best. And yeah. Clearly these memories are rosier in hindsight. But there are plenty of enjoyable things out there in their history. Of course there's also plenty of shit. Those Russo-written TV shows felt like frantic, overstuffed bags of trash. I cannot even imagine watching those week to week shows again, but it's not like I'm going to criticize anyone else for doing it either. With all that being said, this is why we make match recommendations and offer recommended viewing lists for one another. It bypasses the whole need to search & scour. If you're not going to go out of your way to watch any TNA, then okay. Good for you. Some might appreciate it and find it useful though.