SomethingSavage

That was tremendous. Brock was being the bully, trying to big dog Joe by shrugging him off with nervous laughter. But Joe wasn't having that shit and stepped straight to him. Joe just might be the most natural talker on their roster right now. Without thinking too much on it, he's certainly got to be right up there. I'm not out to turn this into a discussion of comparisons, but it's similar in style to a Steve Austin or a peak Taz in ECW. Samoa Joe with an issue - with an axe to grind and a real chip on his shoulder - is the kind of character I could never grow tired of watching.

Ehh. That's really just pro wrestling in general though. Pro wrestling is and always has been that girl with self-esteem issues. Pay her a little attention one time or compliment something she wore once, then watch her wear it every single time you see her for the next two years. That's pro wrestling - desperate, clingy, and thirsting for any kind of approval from absolutely anyone.

Oh. Totally. And Joe carried himself like a fucking stone-faced killer. I don't discount the added benefit of that for even a second. Joe brought some swag in everything he did during that time - from the promos to the pull-aparts down to the way he walked. Joe was 100% dialed in for that program. I won't even take anything away from Brock's contributions in that one either. Regardless of how much effort he exerted in the eventual match (which I still say was a super fun sprint that's damaged a good bit by the abrupt & underwhelming finish), you have to give it to Brock for his reactions in those rare moments he shows hesitation or vulnerability. Brock looking temporarily lost or perplexed by the fact that Joe is marching right up to him and getting straight in his face will never not be more compelling to me than another tedious Seth Rollins match that's packed bell to bell with moves... But ultimately means nothing. Pretty critical to note that neither guy was talking about performing for the universe or setting records or making history or any of that horse shit. They were talking trash and selling it like there was going to be a fight. It's all about those scenarios though. It's about characters clashing. It's the heart and soul of every story ever told since the dawn of time. And they've acquired the skills of an entire staff of supposed writers that can't seem to wrap their heads around the simplest, most basic fundamentals of storytelling anymore. Because hey. Let's just have them wrestle each other. Again. That's way easier. The rest will take care of itself.

Striker strikes me as the goofy, slightly nerdy friend that can blend in with you at a bar and be social with everyone. He's the guy you could shoot the shit with about normal stuff, but also talk shop about geeky shit you secretly dig like comics & wrestling. Mauro just strikes me as the guy who's unnecessarily loud and obnoxious about all the things he knows. Like I said, he seems so fucking thirsty for attention or something. Like he yearns for people to acknowledge that he knows so much about so many things or some shit. It's an incredibly grating trait in people, and Mauro's just dripping with it. "Like Cardi B's dripping with..!" Awww, fuck it. I got nothing on Mauro.

Exactly. The basis of almost every single feud is about "performing" for the "universe" and very little else. Their idea of a deep, personal rivalry seems to be running a bunch of rematches over and over with guys trading wins. That's about it. Occasionally, they'll add some extra "depth" to these matches by mentioning something that somebody said on Twitter this one time. I think you're right though. Their writing staff probably gets hung up on scripting everything. Bray is a perfect example of somebody who technically speaks a lot of words, but he never actually says anything of substance. No matter the opponent, no matter the circumstance, no matter the match stipulation or its place on the card - it all sounds the same. It's empty, interchangeable words. And it's all ultimately meaningless. Because they're just out there to kill time and run out the clock, so they can come back and do it all again the next week.

What a fucking weird weekend for wrestling.

When has an undefeated streak in wrestling actually ended on a good note? Or at least a net positive? Seems like there's never any real residual benefit after a streak is broken. Am I overlooking one that led to really strong business somewhere? I mean, I could be forgetting something obvious. And I guess people would automatically point to Brock/Taker being a decent enough decision in the rear view, but I don't know.

That's one of my major gripes with him, honestly. Nothing he says is allowed to sink in or settle. He just continuously throws shit at you without subtlety. It's one pop culture reference after another - after another - buried in a heap of alliteration and analogies. It's a relentless assault on your senses as a viewer, and it makes for an exhausting experience.

At the end of the day, my major issue with the Asuka streak ending in the way that it did is that it could have been made to mean so much more. Charlotte was ice cold going into this thing. She'd spent a dull calendar year doing NOTHING of note on Smackdown. In another universe, they would've been wise enough to copy & paste the beginnings of the Ember Moon feud there. Have it start at Mania, with the narrative being that Charlotte brings her A-game & Asuka has to resort to unsportsmanlike conduct to win and keep her streak intact. Then you run the rematch later this year. Charlotte looks even sharper than before, pushing Asuka to the point where she has to go full-throttle and blatantly CHEAT to escape with the win, the belt, and her streak. Following that, Charlotte calls her out on it. She demands a third match, but Asuka doesn't even dignify her with a response. No answer or even acknowledgement given. Just Asuka outright ignoring the challenge and behaving like Charlotte is beneath her. Eventually, Charlotte forces Asuka's hand and they get to a this match in the series. Charlotte finally beats Asuka and emphatically ends the winning streak. By this point, Asuka is more clearly aligned as a heel - even if some cheers can be expected for her asskicking ways. At the very least, you've spent months shining up Charlotte. By the time she breaks the streak, it feels earned. More importantly, you've gradually told the story and allowed fans to go along on that journey with them. And you also end up with two ready-made, major money opponents for Ronda as well. It's win/win/win. Instead, we wound up with... Whatever the fuck that was at WrestleMania.

Yeah, he's versatile. But I feel like we're already beginning to see that work to his detriment. Brock can do comedy, too. But you won't catch them scripting him to kiss Kurt Angle or challenge someone to a milk-drinking contest or whateverthefuck anymore. Because it's silly. It's like - once they figure out a guy can be funny - they put him in these piss poor segments, filled to the brim with their bad comedy, and try to have him be "entertaining." It's uncomfortable to even watch at times, like these guys are put on stage at some improv comedy show. I don't know that Braun should be out there trying to channel The Rock or whatever every week. As a one-off? Yeah. It's fine. But when it's being done week after week, it becomes troublesome. But it is what it is now. They've discovered be can do comedy, so they're going to pile on a bunch of bad jokes and shitty dialogue until they run out of ideas.

You're right. To clarify, I meant more along the lines of Striker in WWE. That shit doesn't hold up well AT ALL and sounds similar to what Mauro's doing at the moment. Striker is a lot more laid back and tolerable in the LU setting. I've greatly enjoyed him at times there. That being said, I found him to be generally terrible (again) when he did some New Japan English commentary with Jim Ross a few years back. So, to be fair, I think at least some credit should go to Vampiro and the weird chemistry they've cooked up together. It's an almost inviting conversation between those guys at times.

The booking has been atrocious these last few years. Calling it even decent would be a major stretch. There are no stories. There aren't many characters with clear motivations to begin with, which makes it doubly difficult to set these people on opposite sides from each other and make it feel meaningful. There are no stakes. Even when there are wagers or claims on the line, no consequences last after the dust has settled - because they simply don't care, and the fans have given them no reason to care. History has taught them that the fan base will come back regardless, and so it's this cycle of enabling in which the same fans will bitch about the same process, but they'll be back for another round all over again anyhow. Everything has come to this - an age where the booking has never mattered less. The in-ring action has taken a major upswing, for sure. And the guys have never worked harder. But the results and the action has also never meant less. The booking itself isn't about stories. But they're so starved - so fucking famished - for content to kill time and fill their TV commitments that they'll book outlandish, stupid shit at a moment's notice. And the few stories they do present are no longer about substantial issues or philosophical differences, because there are no characters with identities. There are no characters who stand for much of anything. I know people have claimed the Brock/Roman deal to be this epic, 3-year journey of masterful storytelling or whatever, and that just baffles me. It was never presented that way. And so it looks like we've also essentially reached a point where some of the fans are okay with just creating their own narratives and imagining the stories that happen on Wrestling Twitter or whatever are supposed to be part of canon. The only actual plot points all seem to be centered around record-setting, numbers of title reigns, etc. It's as if trying to think of anything other than that stuff would require too much effort. I don't know. It's just all so lazy and unimaginative to me.

I would have thought that until I saw his 857 matches with Kevin Owens. AJ might be the best in the world, but he has to have something to work with. I... don't get what you are saying here, my dude. Like, AJ had an actually good match with Jinder, and considering how Bryan's style is vastly different from the stuff we are used to, he might gel well with Jinder, who is indeed a slower-paced worker. I'm thinking he confused Bryan for AJ there. Pulling another 14-hour workday for some easy money overtime, but I was able to catch a bunch of the shorter Raw and SmackDown videos from their YouTube channel during my downtime here. I don't know if there's anything worse than what they've been doing with Braun lately. It's just a total deconstruction of what was a surefire star just a few months ago. Case in point - his backstage segment from Raw. It's everything I hate about their interviews right now. Braun: "It pains me to consider this, let alone say it..." That's his exact words, and I can LITERALLY hear sound bytes of 30 other wrestlers saying that exact same phrase, over and over and over again, on WWE television from the last ten years. It's such a regurgitated, recited statement that they seemingly just script out and hand to guys all the time. There's not a single ounce of authenticity to it. Braun's personality - WHATEVER it is - gets lost in this Rock tribute comedy routine they've been hellbent on handing to him for the last two months. Just awful and lacking of anything unique. They're effectively eroding away every bit of his monster aura. Contrast that with the simple Samoa Joe promo on the ramp. It was straightforward trash talk. Joe spoke with conviction and a cadence that, ya know, sounded like something that might actually come out of the mouth of an actual human being on the street. Jesus Christ. I just don't get it. I don't believe for one second that Joe has any special sway or pull in the back to get preferential treatment or anything either. I just think the guy's a smart enough worker to know he has to handle himself and carry himself with some confidence. Even if they're giving him scripted lines, he clearly knows which corners to cut and how to come across as an individual out there. Joe's interview wasn't anything extraordinary enough to stand out a year from now or anything, but it was practically a life-changing sermon compared to a lot of the other talking segments on the same show. Oh. And Nakamura from SmackDown felt like such a refreshing change for him. That one minute of attitude and personality eclipsed the big thirty-minute piece they did for him before Mania. And those nut shots looked fucking brutal. Loved that. Nak's nut shots literally lifting and flipping his victims needs to be a thing.

I liked it enough to mash that "Like This!" button that I've never noticed before, but the darn things busted on my end & giving me an error message. Hard times.

2014 was her most remarkable year - the numerous in-ring interviews, the early pre-show panels, the NXT commentary, and that "Baby Girl" promo on Main Event - up until Talking Smack got started. Then her personality really flourished again there.

Sounds like I'll be checking out Smackdown for two consecutive weeks for the first time since the superstar shakeup ruined the blue brand last Spring. I just can't do Raw though. Three hours is a big investment on a weekly basis, and I'll never not convince myself that it's just easier to watch the 5-minute recap on their YouTube channel.

It's a work. All's in good fun, brutha.

I couldn't even tell you the last time I noticed Renee Young on WWE television? The Miz/Ambrose IC Title feud from back when the SmackDown show was week-to-week engaging television, if I had to guess..? But she was a total breath of fresh air when she first signed. She came across as genuine, knowledgeable, and eagerly excited about stuff. Her short-lived stint on the NXT announce team was great, with her interactions & chemistry with Regal being a true joy. I honestly couldn't tell you how she is or what she's been up to for at least a year though. If I've even seen her in segments since then, I certainly haven't noticed.

Increased downtime and 1/3rd of the workload? Certainly sounds like Nakamura's dream (fantasy?) match, for sure.

Way late to the party due to work, but I finally got to catch the first 2 hours or so. Still have the NXT Title match and the main event on reserve for Thursday or possibly Friday. I was wondering how awful Mauro could possibly be oj this show, and yeah. He's borderline unbearable at this point. I still think he was worse at War Games - dropping at least a dozen Mama Mias on that one - but then I haven't even heard him call those last two matches yet. The comparisons to Striker certainly seem justified, too. It's like Mauro has this constant need to sound like the wittiest guy in the room - above all else, at all times. Everything else takes a backseat until he's hammered in a good nine or ten pop culture references or some shit. And I get that analogies and alliteration are tools to get your talking points to stick, but those tools don't work so well if you're smothering people in them every step of the way. It's just too much.

Being a victim of a MITB cash-in doesn't actively hurt anyone - monster or not. Undefeated or not. That's practically the purpose of the entire premise.

Coach has been awful in every way imaginable since coming back. He was never anything great to begin with, but yeah. Makes me miss King Bookah at the booth something fierce. Safe to say Coach is stealing money at this point.

Nakamura's going to have to retroactively earn that Rumble win and his Mania payday, because he did absolutely nothing to warrant either of those beforehand. Good on someone for realizing his act had already grown ice cold though.

I don't follow anything too consistently anymore. I've bounced around from CWF Mid-Atlantic to CWF Hollywood and all around at times. My work schedule changes constantly due to the demands of turnarounds and shutdowns, so I go from having an abundance of free time to basically just working & sleeping for weeks. So I'm flexible. And, like I said, I forgot OVW was even a thing. So it could be fun to dive back in and see where they're at nowadays. The WWE years aren't available on their site or easily accessible anywhere, right? I know I picked up a few months worth from XWT way, way back in the day. But even that was mostly during Heyman's run, with a bunch of the Punk/Albright feud going on and Cappotelli's retirement.

To be fair, I *do* believe they view Braun as their best bet going forward. His recent booking lines up perfectly with their usual treatment of the next big baby face. They're stripping away alot of the elements that made him appealing in the first place, and he'll probably be a Big Show clone by the time he actually gets the belt. Certainly hope I'm wrong about that and we get a repeat of Braun's 2017 (or something really close), but some of their recent booking patterns don't exactly instill much faith.