SomethingSavage

This is just something I was posting about elsewhere, and it got me to thinking that I'd love to hear the Titans crew (Team Titans?) dive in & talk a little more in-depth about the subject. Maybe it HAS come up in passing before and I just didn't realize, but I think it'd make for interesting enough discussion. Is it more important to have strong heel challengers for a babyface World Champion than it is to have strong babyface challengers for a heel World Champion, or vice versa? In your opinion, which system works best? Which is more crucial for a successful formula? It's basically the classic WWWF model versus the traditional NWA structure. For example, I can't imagine Bob Backlund getting over the same way without the list of names he had to go during his run as champ. Regardless of his ring work, Backlund was bland. So he was a stark contrast to the colorful, louder & larger than life villains they'd put in his path. Flip that formula for the NWA, and you've; got the same situation with a lot of their traveling champs. Without the best babyfaces lining up to meet them at every pass, I don't see them getting over as big deals in each individual territory quite the same way.

Who do you consider unheralded as a "special attraction" performer? Basically, just looking for the names of people you feel are overlooked when it comes to being brought in for that special attraction feel to pop a house & boost a number, a rating, a buyrate, a gate, or whatever. Could be a celebrity that isn't discussed much, or a traveling attraction that doesn't get as much love as your Andre the Giant or Abdullah the Butcher maybe.

This is what irks me most about Sabu. Some of his sloppiness actually falls under the "acceptable" category for me, which is odd - because A LOT also belongs here. He should be able to botch a spot or a high-risk maneuver and get away with it though. When it comes to that stuff, he's PRECISELY the kind of performer that could be getting away with murder. But, far too often, he tries to cover up the mistake or simply re-do the spot. I hate that stuff. Just go with the error & make it a part of the match. Jeff Hardy springs to mind as a guy that's actually better at this than what he probably gets credit for being. He can botch a spot, sell it like certain death, and make the screw-up look like an organic mishap that occurred during the match. It's win/win, because it puts over the danger of the stuff he tries.

Finally found the time to catch this week's SmackDown. Heard some good things, so I wanted to scope it out. Fairly good stuff. The Batista/Ziggler rematch was a pleasant surprise. They didn't go overboard with the weaponry, but it was worked really smart. Played off the last bout's finish, played up the stipulation, and helped hype the Payback match simultaneously. I want to say I saw signs of Big Dave finally shaking loose the ring rust, but I'm not so sure. He's still looking a little more miss than hit with me. There were lulls in this match I didn't like, but I don't know if they were intended to sell the physicality - or if Dave was just lying around between a lot of spots. Kind of hard to tell, having just watched it this once. That backstage interview with Renee was the best Usos promo I've seen to date. Can't recall them ever sounding so natural. Just an old-school, smoothly spoken babyface promo. Nothing wrong with that. They were trash-talking, sure. But there was no over-the-top "pro wrestling" feel to it. Would have felt at home in any sport. Even when Cena shows up at the end and DOES pump the "pro wrestling" dynamic into it, the segment isn't killed. Funnyman John Cena doesn't appeal to me very often if ever AT ALL, but he did okay here. Poking fun & mocking Bray Wyatt without resorting to toilet humor or lame jokes. Not bad. Still, I wish he'd play out the remainder of the feud as intense, serious Cena. The story just seems to be calling for THAT more than THIS from him. Maybe I'm in the minority in that line of thinking though. I'll reserve judgment on Bo Dallas for now. I've seen his entire run with NXT, and I just never cared for the guy's in-ring work to be perfectly honest. The short series with Zayne was perfectly fine, but come on. I don't know if anyone can have a legitimately terrible match with Generico anyhow. Otherwise, I can't recall any one standout performance from Bo. He works a very simple, very safe style. Nothing necessarily wrong with that either, but it's reminiscent of Edge to me. Some praise his work, but I don't see it. Maybe he'll find his calling in gimmick matches - or perhaps the character work will be enough to keep him elevated & afloat - but I don't know. There's just no one thing that defines him or makes him seem extraordinary enough to me. The Trish bulldog is a lame finish though. That needs to go. Pronto. Even just a traditional bulldog headlock would do the trick. Almost ANYTHING can be packaged and promoted as a finish anyway. But that phony square-dance setup to get off the ropes and back around just irks me. And Bo looks uncoordinated enough WITHOUT doing that sort of stuff. The bit at the end was great though. Nice, shining moment for his obnoxious heel character. He's playing up the personality strong, and I've enjoyed it a lot on NXT. It's missing a lot of the ingredients already, without any of the groundswell from the fans or them FIRST rejecting him before he goes all cheesy, dimwitted superego on them. But we'll see what happens with it. Enjoyed the heck out of the main event. Really digging the Usos nowadays. But Harper? Man oh man. Harper is a BEAST. Always liked Brodie Lee before, but no way in hell would I have pegged him to do this well in the 'E. So glad he IS tearing it up there though. That charging big boot, where he drops to a knee, is freaking FIERCE. It looks like he drives forward and just force-feeds 'em some leather off the end of his boot. Just an awesome visual, every single time out. And of course the rest of his offense is tremendous. Honestly wish that Cody & Dustin were kept strong on TV and involved with this program. A three-way feud with the Usos and Wyatts would be excellent. Not that what we're actually getting is BAD - but I don't see any benefit in cooling down the Rhodes Brothers after firing them up to get so hot last fall & winter. I mean, they're breaking up one week. And then they're fine the next. Or maybe I'm out of the loop. I don't really follow the rumor mill much these days. Any word on what's being done with them?

I could see them putting the strap on Batista for now, with Cesaro taking the briefcase. Lesnar could be looming in the wings, as he's practically owed a title shot whenever he returns & demands it anyhow - based solely on breaking the streak. Meantime, Heyman can stall with "allowing" Cesaro to cash in his shot. Every time Batista is vulnerable, down & out, in a weakened state, etc. - Paul steps in and forces Cesaro to resist the urge to capitalize. Slow-build. Slow-burn. Eventually, D-Bry returns and slays the Brotista dragon one more time. They can run their series or whatever. I think they could reintroduce Hunter back into the fold at some point, letting Aitch and Bryan resume their rivalry and properly pay it off as well. Plus there's the lingering HHH/Batista talk about how Hunter never beat Batista back in the day, and so that could be "resolved" to some degree when Evolution eventually disbands again - perhaps leading to a Triple Threat with Bryan as defending champ. With Daniel back atop the mountain and gaining momentum as champ again, Brock seizes the opportunity to strike. Heyman loudly and boastfully trumpets the return of his "number one" client, BAARRRROCK LEZZZZNARRRR. Brock demands the shot, vows to conquer the underdog, and so forth. Cesaro is peeved but stays quiet, of course. There's a number of ways they could obviously take it from there - either with Brock getting a reign for a few months or not. Bryan could be the straw that stirs the drink, planting seeds and ideas in Cesaro's mind, or he could just pursue Brock straight-ahead. Heyman would try playing peacekeeper. At some point, Cesaro's first attempt to interfere in one of Brock's bouts would "backfire." The next time, it would be outright sabotage. Boom. Run Cesaro/Brock. EDIT: Looking back over my own post, I realize of course that this would involve a ton of variables and "what if" type scenarios. Not so sure I have full confidence in them to keep both Orton and Cena away from the title for that long, for instance. A lot of things hinge on Bryan's health staying up once he returns, too. Then there's the issue of keeping all members of The Shield and Bray Wyatt occupied elsewhere. It's a critical thing to consider, because they MUST maintain a sense of upward mobility and building momentum with these acts. If they don't, then they run a chance of fans growing complacent with waiting for the trigger to be pulled. I know they normally have a good gauge of that sort o' stuff, but after last year's stop & go approach with Bryan? I'm skeptical at best. What about Punk? Call me crazy, but if the guy re-signs & they don't push him to the moon for those first few months? I'd be seriously surprised. "Punishment" of some kind MIGHT come later (and I doubt even that), but no way do they do ANYTHING other than push Punk upon a return. They'll strike when the iron's hot. Besides, the 'E has a history of rewarding that kind of stubborn behavior. Old Man Vince seems to hold a deep sense of respect towards his top-tier guys that show they can live a life separate from his empire. So yeah. So many things that could alter my proposed scenario. I realize that. I just hope I'm right about them holding off on any of the Shield guys or Bray just yet. I think there's plenty of time to give those guys their due & some credible reigns down the road. Cena and Orton can help elevate them or others during the meantime. My fantasy booking scenario calls for immediate future plans to orbit around Batista (possible short term fixer), Bryan, Brock, and Cesaro. Only possible spoiler I'd care to mix up the recipe for would be a white-hot returning Punk towards the end, which could lend itself to a tremendous Triple Threat of Brock, Bryan, and Punk at some juncture.

Here's the LA Park versus Dr. Wagner Jr. brawl I mentioned. They had a whole series of course, but this here's my go-to gateway match of choice. Just a tremendously fun battle. Highly recommended, even if ya gotta stick it on mute or blast some music to get through it. Well worth a watch. http://youtu.be/dFjCgj3yhlM

It'd be real neat if Scott took up the Campbell Challenge & tackled a few lucha and/or puro matches, then recapped his thoughts and perceptions of 'em. Might be interesting to hear "first impressions" from someone with plenty of actual viewing experience.

Or "Captain Jean-Luc Parv", as he's affectionately known to the Kal-Boys and Kal-Girls in downtrodden Philly back-alleys.

Bah. Parv is the Captain Picard of podcasts. Can't see him in a "guest" spot and not steering the ship. Love me some Titans, so this one should be filled to the brim with good things.

Always enjoy the insight Kevin brings in these things. You guys have a natural easy-going chemistry anyway, so yeah. Makes for entertaining conversation. Loved the stories about first meeting Hogan & Linda towards the end. Classic. The "nostalgia era" thing is something I know JR's been pushing. I honestly don't remember it kicking into overdrive with mainstream pop culture until about '04, but I like the theory and definitely see how one could connect the dots that far back. Another good one, guys.

I know it gets a bad rep, but I honestly feel like the first few months of the act made for entertaining TV. The segments with Anderson kept a creepy tone, and the random guys showing up in crazy clown masks added an unpredictable element to the mix. I don't remember when it was revealed to be Angle, but he was eventually phased into the feud and took the title in time to headline the 2011 Bound For Glory. It all actually made sense and led to the awesomely underrated Hogan/Sting payoff at BFG, too. I don't care what anyone says. In terms of a feeling like a true last chapter to the saga, their final encounter in TNA was so much better than anything WCW ever served up. Sting's always been one of those guys that looked a little uncomfortable in his own skin as a performer at times. There are times he looks like a true showman out there, and then there are times where he just looks lost. It's strange. But I felt like he really had some fun when he got to mix it up in the Joker persona. Was it a blatant ripoff? Sure. But ya get that ALL THE TIME in wrestling. Hell, some of the most popular characters are direct, cheap knockoffs of things in mainstream media or pop culture. Just goes with the territory - so why pretend that the business is suddenly too good for that sort of thing? Never got the line of thinking when it came to stuff like that. But yeah. Sting sure seemed to have some fun with it. He hammed it up a bit TOO MUCH at times, but nothing ridiculously bad or embarrassing really. He went a little too Jim Carrey Riddler on a few promos, when he could have dialed it down a bit. But when it came to the more "serious in nature" stuff, I think he did generally well. Sting's not a guy that you expect dynamite character work from anyhow. But I thought he did exceptionally well in a role that FINALLY felt like something fresh for him - after at least a decade of doing the same routine.

Like I said, that's too bad. I hated the switch initially, and then was beginning to turn around on my opinion after last week's episode. I'll probably drop some more comments in the thread after I've actually had the chance to see it myself, but yeah. Such a waste. Hopefully they shift Roode and Aries over into the title picture with EY and MVP before too long. I think that'd liven up the mix a bit and at least add a bit more depth to things. And I'm guessing this means the Wolves will get matched up against a Lashley & King combo next? Seems strange, considering they were teasing the idea of Kenny pursuing the X-Division belt soon. But the Wolves clearly need challengers beyond the Bro Mans, and TNA has been (seemingly) booking on the fly a lot lately anyway. Sure does suck that we never got a program between the Wolves and Bad Influence. One big wasted opportunity there.

Not watching tonight, as I usually catch my Impact in the following few days or so... But that's a shame. MVP killed it on the mic last week. He gave a damn fine explanation for the heel turn, which (in theory) is still honestly far from a bright idea. But at least his logic made sense, and the promo he delivered was great. Just heel arrogance at its absolute apex, and he managed to tie it into current events with Sterling and whatnot. He basically emphasized the importance of holding the World Championship, calling it the ultimate source of power in pro wrestling. At least he made it SOUND like a big deal, which is something I enjoyed. Eric Young's title reign has been vastly underrated up until this point. I know I keep stressing it, but it's true. If you watch the stuff, it's clear as day. So if his momentum is going to stall or be derailed by this new Ebony Evolution (Negrolution?), then that surely does suck. But it wouldn't surprise me, to be brutally honest.

'Preciate ya using my question for this week. It was cool of Dylan to break it down and interpret it on two different levels. I really hadn't thought about it being worded that way, but yeah. Obviously you could look for who would be most successful, or you could look for who WWE would push to the moon as a dynamic new attraction with big crossover potential. As well as Rush's attitude and demeanor could transition just fine, I'm just not so sure they'd go with a guy like that. I definitely see the appeal, and I don't think he'd have any trouble carrying over past any language barrier. Not saying there's any right or wrong choice obviously, but ya just know WWE would want someone under a mask and/or a flashy costume. I honestly wish they would've gotten Extreme Tiger, back before he signed with TNA or whatever. He's got a mask and an identity. They could obviously tinker with the name and the mask a bit to give 'em whatever they think will sell. But I mean, come on. A tiger mask is an instantly recognizable concept that would be easy to market with the machine behind it. Work wise? The guy's had some incredibly fun brawls. He's shown in hardcore settings that he's inventive with weaponry and incorporating it into his already awe-inspiring arsenal. He's got those high-flying moves in spades to excite the crowd, so I don't think there'd be that lull or sense of worry looming over him. I could easily see him coming in with a splash and making a strong first impression with the very same fans they might fear losing without an active Rey around. ANYWAY... Back to the actual show? Good listening, as always. The series stays true to form with this one as one of my favorites here. Nice in-depth discussion and explanation on several issues. Particularly enjoyed Dylan's breakdown of technicos being SO straight-laced at times, versus the rudos just being dirty bastards most of the time. Awesome to hear the LA Park versus Wagner Jr. stuff mentioned. Great feud that needs to be talked up more outside of these smaller select circles, for sure. I've watched their brawl from May 2013 at least two dozen times on YouTube, and it's become my go-to gateway match for casual friends - to get them to at least ATTEMPT to watch a lucha match and admit it's pretty darn good. Never fails either. The fact that it's the La Parka they remember or know of doesn't hurt, but hey. It's a fun freaking bloodshed brawl. What's not to love? But yeah. Thanks for using the question and putting aside my long-winded, unnecessarily wordy phrasing. Didn't realize how bad it sounded until you actually had to ASK it, haha. Nice job though. Looking forward to future episodes, man.

Good listening, guys. Enjoyed the discussions on favorite title reigns and that sort of stuff. But hey. We all love lists. The mocking and humming of Austin's horrible, dreadful heel theme was classic. Justin's remarks about modern day Jim Ross were dead-on. JR ripping on JR. Only at the P2B. Didn't hear the Dudley Death Drop brought up during the tag team finishers discussion. Did I miss it? If not, I'm shocked to see it undersold. Was crazy over and actually seen as something incredibly innovative for its time. Also, when it looked good? It was a GREAT visual. Always had that great snap effect & felt precise in its execution. Plus they kept it strong and protected. Was sold like certain death, and nobody kicked out of it until the end of 2010. Can't even lie. Don't agree with A LOT of what Scott Keith puts out there, but hey. No need to get bogged down in negativity. I thought the conversation here carried along at a fun pace, and things were kept upbeat with some interestingly nerdy wrestling questions. Not sure what kind of projects you've got planned down the pike - but I loved the '94 WCW Summit, the Tag Team Extravaganza Summit, and subject matter of that sort. Be real cool if you guys could get Will, Charles, Chad, or whomever on tap for something similar again soon. But yeah. Good stuff.

Went back and watched a couple of matches from WM7 after listening to the Rewind podcast from PTBNation members. REALLY blown away by Duggan on commentary. Here's a guy that you've grown to expect nonstop, goofball babbling from - and he was throwing out legitimate comments about competition and athleticism out there. Loved it. He was still typical high-energy Duggan, but he wasn't the dumb'ed down Hacksaw. Jim added a "real sports feel" with some of his remarks, honestly. And he did a GREAT job in putting over The Rockers, I thought. Never sold Heenan's crew short either. In fact, I think he kind of went above & beyond by placing so much emphasis on Bobby's influence at ringside. The Brain never actually did anything dastardly, but just the way Duggan spoke about him made you want to keep a wary eye on him anyhow. Don't know the specifics of why or how we wound up with Duggan on commentary for that spot, but I honestly wouldn't have called him fitting in there so seamlessly at the booth. Certainly exceeded my expectations, as he's not one you'd normally consider for THAT role.

Paha. That's awesome. One has to wonder if our lovable resident philanthropist Kal Rudman is feeling charitable toward the cause.

Just wanted to echo these sentiments. Tremendous post that sums up my thoughts on A LOT of the viewing I do nowadays.

Yep. You do a great job in keeping things light while still offering an in-depth perspective on these things. Your enthusiasm shines through in the audio, for sure. And it's that energy that serves as the pulse of these shows. Definitely helps keep things lively throughout. I dig the intro here. Gave us a nice little glimpse into the guest's line of thinking. Wouldn't mind a similar treatment as a recurring theme with future panelists, as they duck in & out of the revolving door to help guest book some stuff. There were some neat ideas, considering how little room you guys actually had to play with at this point in history. Ya both did a tremendous job in touching base on all the comings & goings happening in the company though - which I found to be key in explaining why you structured the card the way you did. Good stuff there. Ultimately, I think all the wrinkles were ironed out properly. All the right guys went over. Everyone that needed to shine - except for Ramon, really - got their moment to bask a bit. Can't fault you guys for going the route you eventually did with that match, and I could tell you toyed around with the decision first anyhow. I liked the name for Flair's team, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of Bobby's reaction to The Models foursome. But my fave name would have to go to The Reapers. Just a sweet-sounding label for Taker's troops right there, man. And yeah. Building in back-stories for these feuds - and then even going a step further to project future paths for all these programs to go in is a nice bonus. Big thumbs up to the extra effort with these exercises so far, man. Liking the sound of a LOT of the projects you've got lined up down the pike. Already pitched an idea your way, but here's another card-specific one I'd like to hear handled sometime... WrestleMania 16. In retrospect, the card just feels like a clumsy cluster. I think there was something like ONE singles match on the entire card. It was advertised and branded as WrestleMania 2000, rather than "WrestleMania 16" to fit with the more traditional numbering system. The McMahon in every corner stipulation felt forced and contrived as last-minute desperation. Bringing a freshly retired Foley back was another sign of that. Just a really, really flat event that kind of hangs its hat on the Triangle Ladder Match precursor to the first real TLC later that summer. I'd be very interested in hearing that one ripped apart and restructured into something with more substance and significance, if & when ya get the chance.

Exactly. It is what it is. I happen to enjoy A LOT of what they're doing right now. If you don't, then ya don't. Everyone's entitled. But it is what it is. And what it IS - is better than it has been in a long, LONG time. They have so much talent set in place for the future, just ready to be launched. They're featuring and utilizing so many strong characters on a weekly basis. Things feel progressive, rather than in a holding pattern. They're building a lot of guys up all at one time - to a point where there's actually risk of creating a logjam in the list of successors for the current main event players. But damn if it ain't entertaining in the meantime. There's just a lot, as a fan, to get genuinely excited about and look forward to down the road. And while we're waiting? We're getting an abundance of incredible matches along the way. Maybe it's a mindset you develop over time, but I just don't subscribe to the whole pessimistic line of thinking. When given the option to either piss & moan or enjoy something that's actually WORTH enjoying, it's not much of a difficult choice. Maybe that's just me. But the good so clearly outweighs the bad on this one. So I don't get it.

I honestly don't know how anyone could complain too much about this week's RAW. Can't speak for everyone obviously, but it was plenty of freaking fun to watch at my place. Surely "how" you watch adds a lot to the overall viewing experience, and I watched with mostly casual friends & fam. But the crowd was ALIVE for this one. So that helped a ton on that end. The energy & atmosphere from the arena just felt exciting, and that translates SO WELL on television. The main event was great. Don't know about you guys, but the people I watched with were popping left & right for some of the stuff Harper was busting out. Big Brodie had 'em eating out the palm of his hands by the time the match was wrapping up. Just the sight of a big bearded bro breaking out superkicks, suicide dives, and flying headscissors? Yeah. My buddies were ALL OVER THAT shit. I don't know how people can be too sour on the singles matches we've been given with the Shield and Evolution program so far though. These aren't top billed money matches ANYTIME SOON, so I don't see what it hurts. That clearly wasn't the case in some of the other matches proposed and used as examples. Shawn/Kurt, Warrior/Hogan, and Brock/Austin were at another level. These guys are still coming up. Plus, they aren't tossing out Reigns/Hunter on free TV or anything. I think they've been fairly wise in the selections they've made with the program so far, to be honest. And, while I honestly think Batista's only good matches since returning were at 'Mania and Extreme Rules, at least this one had a hot finish. Again, the crowd came alive for it - which definitely helped - but they stayed true to the feud & painted that same portrait of "frantic violence" that they've been doing in ALL the Shield versus Evo encounters. It makes for some incredibly fun TV, in my honest opinion. Unhinged Alicia is fresh. I mean, I get the comparisons to AJ, but hell - even AJ wasn't that enjoyable to watch in the last year. They turned the "crazy" down on her a long time ago, and her whole act suffered so much for it. We're getting the early phase of the AJ approach with Fox right now, so enjoy it while it lasts. That's all I'm doing. The reaction to Adam Rose was fantastic for once. THIS is how it felt when he debuted in NXT, and THIS is what was missing from day one with his arrival on the big stage. Loved it here in this setting though. I guess I just don't see where all the "bad" moments were with this week's episode. It had some dull spots, for sure. But that's what you'll get with ANY 3-hour block of programming. Especially pro wrestling. You can only do so much. But I didn't walk away disappointed with this week's offering. For the most part, it was good stuff. I think some people just spend way too much time worrying about things, predicting what MIGHT go wrong, and then getting legitimately upset when it turns out to be all good & their plans for everything to fall apart didn't become a reality. I don't get that line of thinking, but hey. Each fan's entitled to their own way of enjoying the product, I guess.

Yep. Really fun show again, guys. Looked back on my last post & realized I was gushing all over Sorrow's shtick and didn't really take the chance to say how much I enjoy everyone else's roles on the show. The match breakdowns are detailed & descriptive enough to get across all major points. I've been lured over to Titans TV on a few occasions already, just based on how good Pete made the action sound on some of these shows. The bios are a consistently strong highlight for me. Kudos to Kelly for always unearthing something new, informative, and unexplored at every freaking opportunity. Parv's alright, too. By the way? The mailbag was tremendous. There's bound to be untapped potential there.

Fun freaking stuff right here, guys. Just a truckload of laughs & good times, gang. As per usual. But yeah. Just felt like the perfect way to help familiarize new listeners & get anyone out of the loop straight up to speed - in one swift Kal-Tum leap. Can't even lie. I dig how Sorrow is forever unafraid to openly enjoy shit nobody else will cop to loving... And then immediately make the most fun of it. I hate that the Poffo poem was derailed by Johnny forgetting the date though. Still, Sorrow is a scholar and a saint for giving it a whirl. Oh. And the shtick about Baron & Dom punching a time-clock and being the yin to each other's yang was nothing short of strictly AWESOME. Johnny describing DeNucci as full of energy, while Baron had "given up on life"..? An instant moment in podcasting right there.

I found their first round match from the IC Contender's Tourney last month to be really enjoyable actually. Wasn't a big fan of their feud last year or that series at all really, but that RAW match came across okay. Saw some neat spots worked in with their usual shtick, and even the sloppier stuff just came across as snugger work. Not too shabby, considering how it COULD have went down.

Quick though. Somebody tell Cornette that funny don't make money.