SomethingSavage

Various sources have also said that Vince doesn't care much for the KOTR anymore, because it's difficult to promote or sell people on a tournament - where the matches are unknown and there are so many variables involved. With the hours upon hours of content they produce these days, you'd think they would be all over anything that eats up some time though. A big tourney with a bunch of brackets would probably feel fresh and fun to follow with their current format.

I don't follow the dirtsheets or any rumorz sites, so is there any indication or even speculation as to what's going on with Lana? The rapid-fire losses and the hint of something with Tamina seems so strange & out of left field. Are they repackaging her yet again? Linking her back up with Rusev? Just struck me as really strange to highlight her return the way they did - for whatever these past few weeks have been.

Brie's Soviet Russia shtick is supreme. Lana and Handsome Rusev should straight up lift some of those lines. Good stuff.

Yes. Exactly. I'm watching it with two friends that totally don't care one way or another about actual wrestling, but they're eating this up right here with me. I'm in the same boat today. Caught the first episode, stepped away to do some things around the house, rain started pouring down, and so we dove right back into the show. 5 episodes deep as we speak. It's easy viewing, for sure. Speaking of episode 5 - that scene where Debbie attends her first live wrestling match and finally "gets it" is wonderful. That moment is magic.

The quick-clip promos at the end of episode 3 were fiyah. It's some of that old Saturday Night's Main Event shit. Camp. Cheese. Pro 'rasslin in its purest form. Ethel & Edna, the Beat Down Biddies, are money acts. There's just no convincing me otherwise. @ the drug-dispensing Rocky 4 robot. Classic. I'm digging this show wayyy more than I'd expected.

Episode 2 was even better than the first. The scene with Maron directing the "miscarriage kick" angle was fantastic. Couldn't stop cracking up. Maron stole the show, but the girls' reactions put it over the fucking top. Only two eps in, but it's aces so far.

Looks tremendous. I've just watched the first episode so far, but I definitely plan on seeing the rest of it soon. Gotta say - the costumes, the clothing, the songs selection, and just the atmosphere in general is terrific. Plus, I mean... I'm only one episode in, and Alison Brie has already been naked like three times. So there's certainly that. Oh. And, if the pilot is any indication, sleazy Maron should be an absolute blast.

Is that the UK show JR and Corny did covering the Attitude Era? I've been meaning to check that one out.

I didn't catch much of Bennett and Maria's TNA run, but I saw plenty of their stuff from their ROH stint. Bennett seemed to grasp how to be a cocky prick pretty well, and Maria grew into a fantastic heat magnet on the outside. Maria really worked the part, and she never seemed to shy away from taking bumps in all the big blow-off matches. I recall one night when they did a few miscommunication spots with her and the Kingdom, and poor Maria ended up eating like three or four big spears, boots, etc. all in one night. Obviously that wouldn't work on a weekly basis or anything, but after a few years of her generating heat alongside the Kingdom - it felt like a fitting payoff. And, best of all, the crowd was showing ZERO sympathy for her suffering. They were totally eating it up & appreciating the comeuppance. I think comparisons to the Miz and Maryse are going to be hard to avoid at first, but I'm willing to wait & see how they develop as an act. Not a huge fan of the "power of love" shtick at first glance, but it's certainly too soon to tell what they're going to do with it.

The fact that it became mundane as opposed to shameful doesn't make it a Golden Age. Well, yeah. Except that it wasn't me saying this WAS a golden age. It wasn't ever my argument that this is a golden age. It was my argument that wrestling isn't "as irrelevant as ever" right now. It simply isn't. The early nineties and the mid 2000's were far, far worse. Those first few PG years seemed really, REALLY rough too. I do agree, though, about it being more die-hard fans that are touting this as a new golden age. Although I can easily understand why. There's an abundance of footage IMMEDIATELY available at your fingertips - on demand, in such a plentiful way unlike EVER before. So, if they're talking in terms of QUANTITY, then yeah. It's a golden age of instant, easily accessible footage. In terms of QUALITY, that's obviously going to get people debating and offering different preferences. Just the name of the game. *I think* it's basically just hardcore fans saying that this is an awesome time to be a fan. And, I mean, they're not wrong. You can practically cherry pick whatever you want from wherever you want. It's a bit silly to shit on them for whatever "term" they use to label this period in time. Okay. So maybe it isn't a golden age. Silver, then? It's just them expressing appreciation for what's available nowadays. Or maybe my interpretation of it is totally off the mark. Maybe you're right. Maybe they all believe these Omega/Okada matches are THE definitive pinnacle - the best wrestling has ever been, and they're everything all wrestling should aspire to be moving forward. But I don't think that's the case. At least, I hope not.

Ehh. Think you're totally off with that statement, to be honest. I mean, don't get me wrong. This ain't the Attitude Era we're living in - but wrestling is pretty widely accepted as a fun getaway and a fairly common hobby for a lot of people. I know plenty of casual fans that will watch if it's on. Couldn't say that about the early nineties or, hell, even that shitty post-Attitude Era when they were doing some REALLY sleazy shit. I'm talking like 04-07 or whatever. WWE has done well for themselves. I believe things like the Network and the decision to make their big PPVs into destination hot-spots were wise moves, as it opens up a gateway for a lot of folks to attend and get involved. Wrestling's just not hot right now. You won't hear it getting brought up much in casual conversations or anything. It's not water-cooler talk. But it's not uncommon to find people that dig it either. I know a lot of people on my Facebook feed attend shows and post pics whenever they go, as just one example. The chicks may just gush over Roman Reigns, the guys may just bitch about their favorites not winning enough or whatever, but it's at least acceptable to discuss. There were a time & a place where wrestling fandom was like this borderline taboo fetish. We're not living in THAT age or anything.

I remember really liking one of the matches with Cesaro. It was sometime in the summer after the Cena feud. Can't recall if it was their SummerSlam match or just on a throwaway Raw. Either way, it was a fun sprint. The Backlash match with AJ has to be up there. And I dug the two PPV matches with Roman during his title reign. Didn't care at all for the Seth series or the endless Seth/Roman/KO/Jericho combinations that seemed to dominate every episode of Raw during that three or four months, but the two PPVs with Roman stood above all that for me. The Roadblock match got a truckload of criticism, 'cause it had a slow start and some stalling with Owens' rest spots. But it picked up toward the end and really kicked into a high gear. Owens smothers Roman with plenty of splashes and fat-man specialty offense, but Reigns just keeps coming back for more. Felt like a rare case of the main event leaving me wanting to see more, which is precisely what that specific outing was designed to actually do. And their Rumble rematch was a super fun gimmick match. That's all I got.

So what? Those fans are digging it. They're buying it. Why would anyone be bothered by their reasons for liking something? The product being pimped and promoted almost always seems to be in line with what the fans want. That, to me, is perhaps the most endearing thing about NXT. You could list out every name of every guy to be NXT Champion since the 2012 relaunch, and you'd find a total of 2 of 'em that didn't get there on the backs of their indie cred. This is hardly a new, sudden shift in direction for them or anything. Personally? I certainly prefer Roddy as the arrogant, obnoxious douchebag heel. So I'm pleasantly surprised by what they've done with him (as a character) and just how well it's coming across. Don't expect him to light the world on fire as a personality or anything, because it's just never been his greatest strength AT ALL. Doesn't mean he isn't doing well enough as an in-ring babyface though.

I was a HAYOOJ fan of the Titans shows, so if this is the bastard child of that series - then it sounds like I need to scan back and give 'em a listen. Anyone mind telling me what episode started the kickoff for this 80's restart?

I haven't kept up with the weekly NXT stuff, but I enjoyed Nigel here. Never cared much for his time in the booth with ROH, but he was straddling a weird matchmaker/commentator line there. So I won't judge him based on that. And, in any case, his announcing did more to liven up this Takeover than anything the other two guys were talking about. Percy's contributions were practically nonexistent, and Phillips was okay - safely covering the bases with buzzwords and the most basic of table-setting. But Nigel got all the right messages, motivations, and stories across. Definitely hope they give him a chance to settle more into the role.

I haven't seen the show, but I don't know that I could ever confuse Taker for the shrunken head guy. The Deadman's got a forehead the size of a mini-fridge.

Nikki's spastic brawls with Natalya were fucking tremendous. This power couple program has featured some killer contributions from Miz and Cena, but the whole thing could have used a chaotic cat-fight between Nikki and Maryse to send it home strong. Not sure if it'd hold a candle to the Nattie stuff, but it would have been worth a shot. I know traditional booking would say, "Save it for the big show." But the modern product's wired that way. The audience gets to see all the weapon shots before the big bumps at the PPV. Same deal here. Plus, it's about the only way to have Nikki show any fire. Her trash-talk delivery is the dirt worst. It screams insincerity, and that's one of the last things you want from a babyface performer.

I haven't paid any attention to their weekly segments in MANY months, so this may have been covered here before, but - how the hell are the New Day getting away with using the term, "SKEET" in their promos on WWE PG era television?! When did THAT become a thing?

Said it way back when they first started teasing a Rusev and Lana split during the Cena program, but yeah. There's some serious bank to be made in a Liz/Randy style relationship with Rusev and Lana. As fun as it was to watch Rusev grow a bit through the breakup, I always thought there was major money in switching them both babyface. It's so easy. It could be done overnight. Rusev packs a certain spark and charm. Just have a more menacing heel physically threaten Lana, let Rusev come to her rescue, and boom. Off to the races. As far as SmackDown goes - the Orton and Bray thing dove off a cliff for me. I can enjoy a lot of stuff for sheer camp and cheese factor alone, but - for various reasons - this just wasn't one of those things. If ya dug it, cool deal. Just nothing I'm invested in seeing. Miz came out with the killshots, too. That whole segment was FIYAH. Miz is a top flight heel, so I don't think the complaints that this program is "beneath" Cena hold any actual weight. I also like how Miz could actively rehab his own previous main event run through these interactions with Cena. If they were ever going to give him another go at that level, then THIS is one of the best possible routes to get there. And I *did* pop for the opening backstage deal. AJ was firing off insults about Luke Harper, without knowing the big hillbilly was standing right behind him. Shane and Bryan are all giddy with glee & can barely contain themselves, and *then* we get Bryan's reaction to one of AJ's insults - "HAHA. That's it. Keep 'em coming... I love your accent, by the way." Couldn't help but crack up at that.

Almost always love Candice LeRae in these settings. She's so great at garnering sympathy and selling like it's nobody's got damn business. Bad inter-gender matches can be hot garbage, but she gets it right almost 100% of the time. It's crazy. I realize this is a broader topic on its own, but I feel like - in a day & age where the David and Goliath story doesn't necessarily draw the same reaction or emotion as it did in years past - performers like Candice have really become complete "small guy" workers in their own right. It's so commonplace to see small guys tossed around by giants nowadays. It hardly elicits the intended or desired reaction. But, when someone like Candice approaches these matches right (and she normally does), you see that same spark. The crowd can go from unbearably smarky to totally concerned and genuinely invested in the blink of an eye, and that's just one of the wonderful things to keep your eye on in some of her matches. I'll never forget the visual of her bleeding - her hands visibly trembling and shaking, as she tries to fight & muster the strength to power through - in that incrrrredibly fun Guerilla Warfare match against the Bucks from a few years back. Just amazing, compelling imagery - and I don't know if that same blade job by ANY other underdog in that exact same spot packs quite the same punch. If so, it's a short list.

Wasn't Malenko ranked #1 in the PWI 500 back in '97 or so? Yeah. The guy absolutely benefited from being in that particular time period. I realize the PWI rankings where wonky as shit some years, but it's still a solid indicator of how big a deal he was becoming in the eyes of "workrate" marks during that time. I never got the sense that he was underappreciated or "held down" by the cruiserweight division either. The guy thrived in that setting. The commentators did an excellent job of pimping his skills, and the crowd almost always reacted accordingly. Whenever he was placed in a position to draw a reaction, the fans gave it to him. Seemed like a genuine sense of respect. Today, there's a sea of similar guys doing the "technical wizard" shtick. Malenko felt ahead of the curve and was very much a darling of that era.

Finally found the time to watch last week's SmackDown, and holy shit. That brawl between Nikki and Natalya was all kinds of awesome. I've enjoyed both SD women's angles immensely so far, but Nikki & Natalya could be something special if they're able to keep that chemistry in actual matches moving forward. I know it's only one segment and all, but it already has me hoping that their feud isn't just a one & done deal.

Not to totally derail things, but I've never understood this obsession or compulsion to just simply watch shit I don't enjoy. And I'm an OCD level completist when it comes to a lot of things. But I'm not about to force myself to sit down and watch something I genuinely dislike every week. Or even once a month, for that matter. I just don't get it. Isn't there enough quality programming out there? We've been experiencing this new "golden age" of television since, what, the Sopranos hit? I mean, there are TV shows out there with phenomenal writing - and PLENTY of variety, too. Whether you're a comedy geek, a sci-fi nerd, a drama fan, or WHATEVER - there's a truckload of TV shows for you. What's the obsession with keeping up with EVERY wrestling show that drops, and then bitching about how there's "too much" content? At some point, these folks should just be thankful that the variety and quantity is out there. Nobody's holding anyone at gunpoint and making them keep up with it all. It's out there if you want to watch. If you don't, this world will not end. Life will go on. The sun will rise tomorrow.

Fantastic fucking post, man. Always so informative and in-depth with your contributions here. Kris needs to get you and your exotic frogs back on an Exile podcast & fast.

I'm about two weeks behind due to the holidays, so I haven't heard that episode yet. But the Daniels flub seems like a bizarre mistake to make. I mean, it's not like Bruce would have been with WCW when the proposed "Daniels with Vampiro" deal was a thing.