SomethingSavage

They weren't that good? Come on. Someone's reaching now. Some of those Shield matches were more than just "fun trios" matches. Some of them were WAYYY better than they needed to be - or even really had any right to be, at times. Some of the random Main Event tags - like the extended squashes against Sin Cara & Los Matadores? Sure. Those were simply fun TV bouts. But when you're talking some of the Wyatts matches - especially the Elim Chamber and Main Event matches - were fucking fantastic. It's a lot easier to look back on them and see how that style has become "the" style of WWE now, but even just three short years ago, that stuff felt so refreshing. It was a real kick in the teeth. THAT is why people were raving in the first place. But then they went on to have a great run against the Usos, the Rhodes Bros., the Real Americans, and just about everyone else that tagged up for a year and a half there. The Shield were essentially the Horsemen of WWE television there for awhile. Plug any combination of them into any match at any level of the card, and you were getting a good match at worst. But, of course, the best of that run came from their six-man tags. Within the structure of those matches, it's easy to understand why Rollins got so much hype for his flashy babyface style. Plus Ambrose as the face in peril took a lot of people by surprise. That's what garnered those guys attention at that point. They worked well within that six-man structure. You can't retroactively go back and say they weren't good workers in THOSE matches, based on their work as singles performers later. How does that make any sense whatsoever? Why are some guys "allowed" to be considered good tag workers or great trios workers & others aren't? There are some elite level tag workers that never transitioned to anything near that level in singles. But nobody's trying to discount their tag work, based on what they accomplished (or failed to accomplish) as singles. Because that'd be stupid. I mean, look. I realize it's trendy to bash these guys for their more recent work, and that's fine. But it's incredibly stupid to try to pretend they weren't contributing quality work at another point in time based on what they've done lately - or whether you like their characters at the moment. It's off-putting and honestly undermines your opinions overall when you do something like that. It's reaching. It's reaching to make the evidence fit your case for today. It makes one think that - if Rollins suddenly strung together this series of awesome fresh matches against, let's say AJ Styles and the like - then you'd suddenly be on the bandwagon and start "reminding" people that you first noticed his greatness back in those Shield six-man tags. This is why I get a kick out of Parv, or anyone really, calling bullshit on contradictory and hypocritical stuff.

Agreed. SmackDown is fucking fantastic right now. The last couple of weeks have been especially awesome, for sure. They're constantly keeping matches loaded in the chamber for the following week - making things feel episodic, anticipated, and exciting without any of the desperate "crash TV" cliffhanger elements. It's just good storytelling - setting up stories and characters that keep you interested and on the hook to see what happens next. Nobody feels overexposed. They're smart enough to leave us wanting more in almost every single segment. On a side note, I never thought I'd be buying into Baron Corbin as a breakout star. But the guy's been handled incredibly well since the TLC build (and match) with Kalisto. It's still too early to tell, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him land a decent spot on the eventual Mania card. I know nobody's booked him into anything substantial over in the "Speculation Card" thread yet, but ya never know. At the very least, barring any major fumbling on his part, he should be in that upper mix immediately after Mania.

For what it's worth, Bruce Prichard (on his podcast) has also given some credit for SmackDown's recent success to the Armstrongs.

I realize he's not everyone's favorite, but Otunga has actually shown improvement during his short time on commentary already. He still doesn't have the most dynamic personality or anything, but he contributes. The guy always seems to be having fun. He leaves himself wide open for all the "wife" jokes they can possibly throw at him. Oh, and his reactions to "big" moments, betrayals and near-falls are fantastic. He buys in with a certain enthusiasm - shouting "OHH-HO" and sounding genuinely caught up, without feeling forced at gunpoint the way some others do. There are times when you can almost hear him cringe at a nasty-looking bump, etc. And it really adds to the action for me. Again, I can't speak for anyone else - but I don't see how he's a lost cause at all. Given how much he's improved in the past few months, I'd definitely find room for the guy to stick around - and just see where he goes with time. If we're ranking announcers, he'd be somewhere in the middle of the pile (at the moment) and actually trending upward.

Can't even remember WHERE I heard it at this point, but there was talk of Hero being released for overstepping & outright ignoring trainers during his last NXT stint. I remember one of the major talking points centering around him trying to "train" the greener guys and offering them advice - which was considered out of place. Essentially (according to THAT rumor anyway), it came down to Hero being hired as talent but trying to be more of a coach. So it was a situation in which he wouldn't heed the advice of their actual coaching staff, while simultaneously trying to coach the rookies himself on the side. I dig Hero's work as much as anybody, but you could see how that might rub some people the wrong way. Again, I'm not even sure if that's true - but it strikes me as a little more realistic and plausible than the fluctuating weight stuff.

Charles said it best on (I believe?) his GWE podcast. If they're serious about getting the most out of Samoa Joe on the main roster, then he needs to come in right away against the top guys. If they expect him to be perceived as a heavy-hitter, then he needs to gun for the likes of Taker, Brock, and Cena first & foremost. After that, Joe can always cycle down the card and have competitive matches among the next tier - Styles, Rollins, Reigns, and eventually even the likes of Cesaro, Sheamus, or Ziggler for TV match purposes. But it's a much more difficult task to go the other way with it. And I'm not sure I'd want to place that kind of faith in the company's booking anyhow.

So, what was the big angle at Survivor Series that Daniel Bryan was teasing? Also - and I only bring this up because I randomly thought about it - what the hell ever happened to Shelton Benjamin returning to SmackDown? Didn't they run videos and everything back around the time of the brand extension?

Just wondering... Am I the only one that can't see a download option for any of these recent pods on SoundCloud? It's only been a recent issue, and I'm trying to figure out if it's something with my phone or something else.

Certainly seems like there's room for a niche puro podcast here. I like that you have an idea mapped out - complete with separate self-contained "seasons" within the larger project. Very cool. I'm definitely gonna try and give these a listen soon. Not seeing any download option for 'em on my phone at the moment, but I'll check back later for that.

Very cool. The Psychology is Dead series seems like something that would be right up my alley. Looks like really rich material there, for sure. I've got a few other pods to finish up this week, but that show it definitely on my listening list for next week's work commutes. Gonna give Military Industrial a try, too. The link to the ageism episode isn't working for me though. Anyone else seeing that issue or just me?

Was wondering the same thing about the latest Reaction show. Been touching base since yesterday to see if it dropped. Always dig the holiday shows. This one sounds like a blast. Good times among good friends - AND a trivia game. Looking forward to the listen.

Except that DTA doesn't exactly work when you're required to believe Austin suddenly trusts McMahon anyway. The better route would have been to just book Austin as this unpredictable, wild renegade. At all costs, he should have shown that he was willing to do ANYTHING to recapture the WWF Championship - which is where the nasty assault on Rocky would have come into play. From there, they could have had him do the usual heinous stuff - dropping Lita with a Stunner or whatever to kickoff a program with the Hardys, etc. Heck, even "using" McMahon (and then quickly betraying him right there at Mania) could have worked under that umbrella. It should have just been a story about Austin being desperate and hellbent on regaining "his spot" on top. Nothing else. Instead, they were way too worried and concerned about generating the "right" response from the fans. They needed a reason to force fans to bo Austin. And they felt like the alliance with McMahon would get them there. One MAJOR problem with that... It just absolutely undermines the integrity of Austin's character to align with McMahon. The people bought into that program. They embraced it. They witnessed it, loved it, and tuned in for every twist & turn. It was an experience - an event unto itself. Undoing everything that came before Mania 17 - between Austin and McMahon - just killed the credibility they had built. Nobody wanted to see that. Austin going heel wasn't a terrible move, but Austin aligning with McMahon - because they wanted to control the outcome and reaction of the fans - WAS trash. Hardcore fans didn't like it, but they kept watching and playing along anyhow. Casuals seemed to outright reject the move and eventually tuned out over time. I'm not sure if there's any way to deny that the turn damaged Austin's appeal to a number of those casual viewers. Also, to be fair, Austin has stated several times that he requested to go heel. He wanted to work another heel run. So people shouldn't place all the blame on "creative" as far as the decision itself goes. When one of your top draws requests something, you at least TRY to work with them on the notion. I honestly feel like this was a case of Austin maybe just getting in his own head too much. I mean, nah. Following the return, he wasn't as hot as he was in '98, but come on. That was an unrealistic goal anyhow. Trends grow tired. Acts age. It's only natural. But what the hell do I know? Maybe Austin was just plain tired of the babyface deal & simply felt restricted from a creative standpoint. Logistically, yeah. It came at a bad time. Rocky was leaving. No other babyfaces were being built to replace him or even step up directly beneath that. It was just a gigantic, obvious void. They wouldn't even ATTEMPT to elevate anyone until that early summer with Benoit and Jericho, which really hurt things as well.

What exactly makes you believe Zayn is incapable of getting over as a heel? Have you seen any of his heel performances? They're surprisingly solid and inspired for a guy that should rarely (arguably never) be slotted into that spot anyhow. I really don't think there's any reason to go that route right now, for what it's worth. But I don't know. The mentions of Bryan circa 2011 and the similarities are interesting. No way do I believe Bryan would have gotten out of that mid-card slump without the heel run in late '11 and '12. People like to reflect on things like it was the in-ring stuff that got him over, but the majority of his mainstream appeal came from the comedy, the skits, and (yes) the catchphrase. His incredible selling and work boosted him further beyond that, but it's not what initially got the ball rolling in his favor. Maybe it isn't the worst idea for a similar experiment with Zayn - although I can't help but feel like they haven't exhausted or explored enough ground with Zayn as a straight babyface yet.

I generally love Nash's stuff with KC, but I don't know about this one. Wasn't the hook supposed to be Nash pitching ideas for Diesel and Razor to remain in '96 WWF?

You *do* realize that Beer Money was originally formed as an "odd couple" tag team, right? That was pretty much the point. Now, with that being said, I agree that Roode has outgrown the act. Hell, even the recent Beer Money nostalgia run in TNA felt uneventful and unremarkable in any real way. Once Roode turned on Storm back in 2011, that should have been it. I know ya never say never in pro wrestling, but that betrayal was built up to be such a big deal in their little corner of the universe. It's one of those rare things that just should have stuck. Plus, yeah. Roode's been phenomenal since the split. Going all the way back to that winter, he's been great as a solo act. The pairing with Aries was fun at times - for their chemistry and similar inability to get along - but I'd prefer to see Roode stick it out and go as far as he can in the singles ranks first and foremost. If Roode ends up back in a tag team, then so be it. But now's not the time to go that route. It'd feel like such a step back, at a crucial time when he should be reaching for new milestones.

Yeah. It's only five deep, but all episodes have been enjoyable so far. Glad to hear they're open to feedback and willing to tinker with the format. Conrad is so rich in his role - asking all the right questions and calling Bruce's bluff in just about every situation you'd want him to do it. The show gets bonus points for Bruce's Big Dust and Macho Man impersonations, and now we get Stu added to the list. Tremendous.

Wasn't this Beth Phoenix and Shelly Martinez? It was strange seeing Phoenix especially playing this role when you consider it was a million miles from her WWE character on the main roster. Bingo. Shelly was showing A LOT of skin and rocking miniskirts a'plenty for the part, too. Found a little clip (and match) featuring part of their entrance and a quick promo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIpoqYpw9h0 I completely forgot he was doing the whole "Sugar and Spice" deal with his two side-chicks, too. Seems like something they would have swiped and at least experimented with a bit on the main roster - especially when they went overboard with the sex and sleaze shit, before making the switch to PG, in the mid-2000s there.

They quickly burn through the modern product talk on each episode. Doesn't take up much time at all, and Bruce is pretty cut & dry on what he does or doesn't like. Each episode has been solid so far - with only four in the bank, of course - but I really enjoyed the hell out of the Luger episode. The idea of the Undertaker's own version of the Lex Express is something I definitely wanted more details about. I'd love to know what year that went down, what program or event it was promoting, etc.

The stuff is fairly hard to find, unfortunately. I downloaded a batch of episodes a few years ago - around 2012, I believe - and haven't found much of anything new ever since. It's rough. But the episodes I have in full are tremendous. Like I said, there are some silly "entertainment" segments with Estrada, the Boogeyman popping up, and Maria doing her airhead shtick. It's the sort of stuff that feels like Heyman's following marching orders and aping what "they want" on television, but I don't know. It just feels out of place among the other stuff he's doing with OVW television at the time. As mentioned, the Punk and Albright series is worth checking out in its entirety. The feud as a whole is truly a saga on its own. It starts over something as simple as a handshake, with Punk not wanting to give Albright any respect. It's an issue stemming out of a deep disrespect and dishonor. From there, the leather strap comes into play and Punk sort of works an extension of his ROH character - bringing up references to his childhood and indicating discipline from his inebriated father at times. It's compelling stuff. There's a point in the program where fans basically just side with Punk, even though he's initially the least likable guy and clearly going for a heel slant. The people just don't buy in, and I'm fairly convinced THAT is where the flip switched in Heyman's mind & he started to see the real value in Punk as a performer. Maybe I'm totally off the mark about that, but I don't know. You can see the steam pick up in Punk afterwards - both in his work AND in the push behind him. The whole story comes full circle by the end, which is what makes it so entirely satisfying. Both characters undergo changes and growing pains. There's a double-turn involved, wherein Punk becomes the babyface of the people & Albright becomes outraged by the constant disrespect from Punk. Appropriately enough, it all leads to a strap match - using Albright's "grandfather's old strap" - I mean, come on. How fucking cool is that little touch? Plus the tale all eventually rounds back out to the handshake. I won't give away the finish to their final encounter, but it's pretty brilliant and perfectly fitting for the story they were telling the WHOLE time. Punk also has some fun moments and skits with the Spirit Squad, who aren't treated ENTIRELY like a joke. They're still aiming for laughs and humor, but Heyman uses the numbers advantage to book them like a threat in certain situations. For example, they'd swarm the ring from all four sides and trap their victims. It's booked as their signature - to the point where they eventually try it with Punk, but Brent Albright (of all people) comes to Punk's aid to fight the Squad off for a change. And it's treated like this MAJOR moment, all because of the groundwork they'd laid with the Squad successfully chewing up guys before. It feels like a genuine BIG freaking deal for the pairing of Punk and Albright. So there's neat stuff like that, too. The tag team rivalry with Cody Rhodes & Shawn Spears versus Deuce & Domino is fucking aces also. Similar to the Punk and Albright program, it takes plenty of twists and turns to keep the rematches fresh and interesting. Cherry is involved in a way that keeps you guessing. I remember finding the whole story surprisingly enjoyable the first time I watched it. Too often, the conclusion to rivalries like these in wrestling doesn't pack as much of a punch as you'd want - due to the nature of things needing to ALWAYS just... drag on. The story never stops, and so things just kind of fall off or dwindle down, rather than receive a proper payoff. But you really get the sense that Heyman tried to put a stamp of finality on the majority of his angles and programs. So there are actually a few satisfying conclusions to be found. That's what I mean when I say the TV feels purposeful and progressive. Rather than tireless matches on top of matches, you get a real sense that there's direction with a goal in mind for everything. Ken Anderson, in this environment, simply stands out. The guy looked, walked, talked, and behaved like a superstar on the rise. It's absolutely easy to see why anybody would buy into him around this point. He was unique among the rest of that roster, for sure. He mixes it up with Punk briefly, but - mainly in the footage I have - he's being utilized as a mouthpiece in some attempt to help project Daniel fucking Puder get over. Oh. And Damien Sandow is around as Aaron Stevens, doing what could now be compared to an Adam Rose gimmick. He's going for some sort of exotic, acid-dropping pimp deal. It's unreal. And he's flanked with half-naked chicks for a month or so. I can recall him coming to ringside for interviews and stuff, and he's got chicks - practically spilling out of their tops, naturally - on each arm every time. It's glorious, and I'm sad he never saw a bigger stage with that act - even if just for a fleeting moment. I'm drawing a blank after that. I've got a few months of episodes on a hard drive SOMEWHERE around the house, and I really need to dig the thing out and revisit some of the stuff. It's been awhile since I saw any of it.

Alison Brie is fantastic. She seems to have a GREAT sense of humor. And it doesn't hurt that she's hotter than a fox in wool socks either. Thought she totally stole the show from the two headliners in Get Hard. Her role in something like The Five Year Engagement is much more understated, but she still finds a way to stand out. If it weren't for her and Chris Pratt, that thing would've died a slow & plodding death. On the surface, Brie should be a great fit for Kohan's style. Her character from Bojack Horseman or even Sleeping With Other People feels right at home with Kohan's other lead protagonists.

OVW under Heyman looks rough around the edges, especially when viewed through a modern lens - but it was still pretty refreshing and stellar stuff at the time. There were elements of what made ECW unique in there, with a strong emphasis & focus on character development. Heyman highlighted several guys and helped to shape unique traits within most of them. Everyone played a part. The shows moved at a brisk pace. Things felt progressive and purposeful. Of course, underneath all that, a lot of these guys were still fairly green and learning on the job. But yeah. The Albright/Punk feud was basic, fundamental stuff. And it worked. Making the leather strap the main staple and theme of their rivalry for a long time showed what kind of storyteller Punk could be - which (you'd think) would have painted him in a favorable light. WWE main event style is all about that sort of stuff. A guy like Anderson was given the stage to showcase what he could do. It's easy to bash the guy these days, but for awhile there - he seemed to show real promise. The guy had an air of confidence and swagger around him REALLY early on. I don't think it's a reach to say that - at the very least - he could have faked it 'til he made it. Even if he was clearly lacking in certain areas, he knew enough to carry himself like a star. His bark was SO MUCH stronger than his bite, and it created an illusion of excitement that made you buy into the act. The guy legitimately looked like he could be a big star for awhile there. Even if they were clearly playing for comedy, silly acts like the Spirit Squad were actually shown to be menacing when it mattered. They were never given the same edge or bite on the main stage. There were still some stinkers. The idea of the Dick Bombers as a top-tier tag team and a heavy dose of poorly produced backstage skits - with too much Armando Estrada - spring to mind. But airhead Maria was in its infancy there, and at least that was fun. Overall, I think it was a breath of fresh air to see the developmental league actually pushing boundaries a bit and exploring new ground. At least, that's what it felt like. Rather than just being a cheap copy of the characters and the work you'd see on the main shows, they seemed open to doing their own thing for a bit. It felt like the first wave of that, even if it didn't last long and ultimately ended with them shifting up the entire developmental landscape yet again.

I think Conrad is tremendous in his role. He provides a stark contrast to Prichard at times, although it's always in good fun. They have solid chemistry together, and just about every question you'd want to get asked *does* get tossed out there - even if Bruce opts to tiptoe around certain subjects. I'm cool with that. This is free content, and I find that he does a decent job of providing answers most of the time. The Warrior episode didn't do much for me or offer much of anything new, but the first three episodes were great. I like the concept, and it's definitely gonna stay on my radar.

Is that the Great War gimmick they're putting on Bound For Glory?

Why is Bischoff even being discussed, listed, or ranked? He never booked anything. The nWo, Crow Sting in the rafters, Goldberg's streak, the cruiserweight division, Raven's Flock, and Lex "racks the world" angles all happened under Sullivan - and, maybe to a lesser extent, Taylor. Bischoff signed stars. He didn't book them.

Now THAT would have been money as the go-home promo.