SomethingSavage

I have the episode with Keller downloaded, but I haven't taken the time to listen just yet. Enjoyed their conversation together on Austin's own show awhile back though. And since the new one took place around Mania, I figure it'll contain at least a little bit o' decent discussion. The Debra thing just makes it MUST listen now. =D

They did SO MUCH good stuff early on. Not extremely early on, but early enough in the promotion's beginning phase to where you could've honestly seen them building & expanding upon it all. The Summer of Punk, the ascension of guys like Joe and Danielson, etc. Jamie Noble matches were all fairly epic during his short stint there. All are worth seeking out, I'd say. I remember liking Roddy Strong A LOT more back then, too. The Joe/Punk series is forever worth a look, for anyone who hasn't seen it. Ditto for Nigel/Danielson, whether it be their Pure Championship encounters or their ROH World Title stuff together. Whitmer is a guy that put out some incredible "under the radar" type work at times as well. I always thought the Cornette/Homicide work was great. As far as sagas go, other than the Summer of Punk or Punk/Raven earlier on, I honestly think it deserves to rank right up there with the rest of the angles that helped ROH stand out as a more character-driven product than ya might otherwise have placed it within that time frame. And, while it got a little hokey at times, the same can be said for the Jimmy Jacobs "dark side" stuff. The way it was able to tie in SO MANY diverse personalities and characters at one time was really neat. Everybody from Aries to Lacey on over to Delirious and Necro Butcher were involved in a pretty big way. Before Gabe kind of lost his balance with it, I think the tale was really enthralling & it's a testament to him that he was able to juggle so much at once with it.

What exactly was the Con Man gimmick supposed to be anyhow? I mean, I get that the moniker was a play on his last name, but other than that? I never quite grasped the concept or what it was intended to imply, I guess. He looked and acted like Buff Bagwell Lite or Scotty Riggs Zero, where he was sort of this American Male out of time - playing a bit of a jerk that thought he was a much bigger deal than he really was. Is that really the extent of the character? Or did I miss something? I had dialed out a bit back around then, with SO MANY of the mid-card acts just feeling mashed together for me.

Yup. Plus, as much as I like Corny and the old road stories, I just feel like he's got this REALLY polarizing personality. It's almost too much, and it's easy to see how it'd be extremely off-putting to a vast majority of listeners. To that degree, there's always going to be a sense of disconnect that keeps him from reaching a broader audience otherwise. I mean, there's a sense of pride & respect that goes with having values, morals, and codes of ethics. But there's a fine line between sticking to your guns & just firing them point blank at people. Take Austin for instance. Guy's plenty opinionated. And he's got a backbone about it. But he doesn't seem forceful. He's always open-minded and respectful. That's how a good host should come across. A guest can be as obnoxious or outspoken as he wants to be, but the host should always reel it back in and keep the conversation flowing. That's where I think Corny loses sight of things and loses out on offering a more enjoyable podcast.

To be fair, Idol was in and out of the Mempho scene A LOT - though I kind of doubt he was doing much work there circa '96 when Rocky was coming through. I remember seeing Flex Kavana work spots with Lawler and Christopher on TV, but not much else. Maybe I'm mashing my time periods together, but I don't recall much else going on in Memphis at the time - other than some awful stuff with the Truth Commission guys, a lot of the mime/Spellbinder fella, and that whole ECW crossover. No Idol though. Must admit however, I AM kinda curious to know more specifically what film Rocky was working on when he first "discovered" the awesomeness of an Idol promo though. I'd just like to scan back and see if I could place him "borrowing" any lines or plugging anything into his stuff afterwards. Sort of like he MUST have watched some American Dream before the Rumble 2013 promo versus Punk. Almost stole that one word for word from Big Dust.

Awesome stuff. I've really enjoyed this one each & every week thus far. Much like the Reaction shows with Will and company, I find 'em to be can't miss and filled to the brim with a truckload of easy-to-absorb conversation. No filler really, and nothing drags or seems unnecessarily tossed out there simply for the sake of being "newsworthy" information. We get enough of that with a whole heap of weekly podcasts that simply rehash what happened on TV screens. But yeah. The segmented topics each week helps to keep things diverse and unique. Ditto for the rotating roundtable and revolving door of guests. Keeps it fresh. Really digging the format thus far. Keep it coming, man.

Corny to me is MUCH better as a guest than a host. I don't know. I just can't get into the rants the same way when he's meant to be interpreted as the narrator and navigator of things. It's like being the sober one stuck riding shotgun with a drunk driver. He's weaving and winding all over this gravel road - ranting, raving, and hollering about God knows what - until he eventually stumbles across a good point that makes ya nod your head, forget that you're on a wild ride to Hell, and go "Ohh yeah. Good point." I find that I can listen to Corny here & there in doses, and hey. With the right guest? The guy gets it. But it's nothing nearly as consistent as Austin or even Jericho. They seem to get a firmer grasp on the hosting duties.

Haven't specifically sought out any of his previous shoot interviews or anything, so maybe he's been asked before - but I'd like to hear his thoughts on the series with Nick Dinsmore. Also thoughts on the treatment & emphasis on developmental with NXT today versus the old farm system style of Ohio Valley. Any good stories about experiences with Cornette as OVW booker. His predictions on the possibilities for the future of the NWA moving forward. And possibly round it out with some word association. Could be cool to hear his impulsive responses to a few of the names out there - from Corny or Prichard to other coaches currently active out in Florida. Even if none of those suggestions get used, I'm looking forward to the show. Good luck with it, guys.