Steenalized

The crowd sounded so hot and this was giving them exactly what they wanted, so any complaint I have is a bit of a moot point since they were right to work the way they did. I do feel like an especially old grump as I cringe at the early chanting, but that argument is old hat. The early wrestling, locks, matwork, etc. is good in that it's well done but it couldn't hook me because I was just waiting for the strike exchanges. Everyone was just waiting for the strike exchanges. It's a little unfair of me because I watched a replay and saw others talk about it so I knew it was coming but let's be real, so did the crowd. That said, I really liked how they kept going back to the mat and trying to grind each other down to a submission. Didn't love the choreography of the ending until the very last second when Danielson smoked Suzuki with the knee. I'd say three stars-ish, worth watching.

I'll give it a shot if I can track it down. I actually watched with the sound off (often do at this point, wife's witching TV, I'm watching on the computer) and that can warp perceptions. I turned the sound back on for a moment at the end and had to rewatch a couple times to figure out if there even was a three count - the camera angle cuts out the "one" and Vader does the "kick out at 3.0001" thing so I thought it was a near fall at first. That flattened the finish. But with the sound on I did catch the crowd pop. In my initial notes I did think Salman looked like he could be a good wrestler if he had some more seasoning. The athleticism is there, he doesn't look like a total putz except for when he's pushing on Vader's belly. The throws are good. But as of this match, he didn't get it. Now I'll have to see what a difference a few months can make.

Unlike the Hashimikov-Vader match I watched minutes ago, which was a mess, this is stellar. Still the best sub-10 minute match I can think of. Zangiev looks so natural in there, his throws and suplexes are crisp, the matwork looks mean. I applaud the gumption to have Hashimoto getting shown up again and again when he tries to grapple and when he tries to out strike Zangiev. That snarl and stare down are five stars on their own. Hashimoto gets one chance to land that kick and he nails it. **** at least.

Lasha would be awesome, like 6'6 and insanely strong, think of the spots he could do. Problem is he looks like a nice young man even if he's a fridge of a human. No menace to him. Continuing my little Vader kick. I though I'd seen Hashimikov before but no, that was Zangiev I'm thinking of. I liked Zangiev a lot more. Hashimikov took his Vader ass kicking okay. Actually either Vader eased up on him compared to my more recently watched matches of Hashimikov is really leagues behind. Shoving Vader in the gut as offense is more awkward than interesting but he can throw a good suplex. Not sure why that leg lock isn't a pin of Vader but that's on the ref. Crud ending. Sub-** match. Hashimikov doesn't have it. Vader did his best with what little work he could get in but Hashimikov seems so green. Crowd's going nuts though so what do I know.

It was years ago, but I've griped before about say an armbar being an instant tapout. Fish and O'Reilly and Richards and the like got super into that in the early to mid 10s and I hated it. Again, makes pro wrestlers look like dumbasses to struggle over a sharpshooter or whatever if an armbar or rear naked choke instantly makes you win. I agree that it's not so much about badasses anymore or trying to at least look like one but again, you could at least try to look a little tough. This changing perception and presentation is probably a big part of explaining why I find myself watching older stuff a lot more.

Very few, I imagine. But that's a good reason to not do it unless you're just going to make them "a guy" and try to build them up. You can build them up faster too since they should have some name recognition, but yeah I do think it's a bad look to have MMA fighters coming off a bunch of losses come in and immediately look like big threats because they're MMA fighters. Kayfabe may be dead and you don't have to protect the biz exactly, but I'd rather it not actively be crapped on.

Nobodies on losing streaks here to make the wrestlers look like geeks.

Had this one on VHS as a kid, I was seven at the time, and I remember being terrified of Vader. I was more of a Bret than Shawn kid but babyface Shawn was still a favorite. My dad's coworker would record PPVs and give me copies from time to time, wonder if he was trading tapes back then or just recording those. Really sharp offense from Shawn early. Good agility spots too, which I'm a sucker for when there's a size discrepancy like this. Vader finally getting a hold of him and cutting that nonsense off with a powerbomb outside is the right way to shift momentum. Shawn selling it for a count out worthy time makes sense but Vader carrying him back up the stairs as dead weight was a bit much. I hate that Shawn Michaels corner bump off the irish whip. Hate it. I can see the ensuing 25 years of bump spots like that. Not that he's the first. First one was worse than the second that dumps Shawn outside, but both are grating. But they're just short moments, Shaw's doing way better when he's getting beaten on, tossed around and clotheslined. I love Vader poking Shawn's eyes when Shawn is trying to comeback. Yeah I've got well over a hundred pounds on you but I'll be cheap too. Definitely picking up on the awkward moments between these two. Like when Shawn skins the cat and catches Vader, only Vader has to grab his legs and it's unclear who's going to "win" there, but it ends with another nice Vader toss. The infamous elbow is obvious. At least he kicked the crap out of Vader? No, not really, unprotected headshots like that are very bad, but it at least kept things going. Fast count out for the Vader win, overbooked finish makes sense to protect both guys. Great fire from Shawn on the comeback post restart. DQ finish makes sense enough, nice cathartic moment to hear that wallop. And yet we're not done. Vader's moonsault looks like he would crush Shawn dead; Shawn's moonsault looks like a killer knee to Vader's head, that works for me. Frustrating match. Overbooking doesn't bother me, keeps the belt on Shawn, Vader gets two "wins" and a visual pin. But a cleaner ending and just a few tweaks here and there to iron out the awkwardness and this could have been something great. ***1/2

Felt like watching some Vader and came across this first. Watched with the sound off but that looks like it might be for the best here. Cactus gets the best of Vader early which sets up a nice bit of camera work where Vader is slumped in the corner, shaking his head saying "nuh uh, I'm gonna smash this guy." And damn does he ever. Brutal potatoing of Cactus's face, really gruesome stuff, uncomfortably so at this point for me. The camera in the corner is really good for that action because you totally see Vader lay it in, no doubts about the punishment he's putting on Cactus. Problem is that Cactus catching Vader gets lost, but you get the slam and follow up at a better angle. Vader taking back over by splatting Cactus looks awesome, pancakes him good. Cactus bleeds later on after more of Vader's clubbing shots, I'm guessing it's hard way? Man Vader's offense looks so good. I mean, it's easier to look good when you legit pop a guy over and over, but Vader just looks like he has heavy hands. Big splash from Vader looks like it could have been the end if it was a nothing TV match (I mean no build, no future match planned, etc), but Vader not going for the pin confused me. Vader eating it on the railing looked okay, decent ending to the match to get over that Cactus can take a licking and keep on ticking. Or at least keep on hurling himself at a monster like Vader. Vader screaming and writhing like he's got a hernia then losing his shit after added a bit. Haven't rated anything in forever but... sub ***s. Not a knock, just didn't love it. Entertaining ten minutes of action, worth a watch.

Hero as a big reveal would be flat, Hero as a good hand on the roster would be smart.

You'd think that but I was really surprised by how little hard camera there was on Smackdown and Raw. Way more swooshing, shaking, zoomy cam (very technical terms) than when I last watched. Then again, they probably still teach trainees to work the hard cam and then opt not to use one

What did they even try to teach them at the performance center? A very specific style of promos?

Really disappointing match from when I saw the combo of Tenryu and Yoko on paper. Match sucked, to be frank, though understandable given Yoko's condition at this point. He's dwarfing Tenryu in there. Super odd to have him named Yokozuna and come in with a Japanese flag but then also not play it up? It looked like Yokozuna bending over after the first slams on Tenryu was supposed to be like a sumo getting ready for a match but they didn't have him go further with those mannerisms. Maybe a bridge too far, culturally? A lost opportunity in my eyes.

Tag teams exist to get broken up in the WWE. You'd hope they at least get a story out of it but that's never stopped them before.

I liked the new FTR theme. I mean it's a clear homage to the Midnight Express theme legally distinct enough to not get sued but they got it as close as they can be. That plus the jackets and emphasis on being an old school tag team works for me.

They were insufferable. Them opening every Raw for 20 minute promos. That time HHH learned the word "abeyance". HHH getting put back into main events or at least the main angles. Then trying to use NXT to work the smart crowd for his rep. Good riddance if Nick Khan's forced him out the door

For whatever reason they definitely seem to turn down the crowd audio for Rampage.

It's still interesting and tough. Seven years ago, I opted for post-96. I subsequently burned out of wrestling fandom in 2016 (for like the fourth time in my life, it'll happen again) and have not really had interest in watching anything from the attitude era on. When I have watched things in the intervening years, it's been pre-96, mostly pre-90, so that pushes me towards saying "pre-96". That said, my wrestling fandom is still largely social, I want to talk about matches with people or read/hear other people talk about matches. Watching current and future wrestling is more conducive to that. Even more so since the podcasts I listened to on old wrestling aren't ongoing anymore or I haven't found replacements. Final answer... 96 and before.

Guy's a natural at the little things

You're both right

Caveat that I both like the Young Bucks well enough and don't hate - even actively enjoy- indy style, but I think this is mostly right if a bit too invective heavy for me. I'm a bit agog at calling Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks the GOATs, basically as if you disagree you have to make the definitive case why. Different strokes and all. Funny enough, I've always like Steen (thus the name) and a lot at that. I can't speak for Coffey of course but I do recall a thread here, something like "would you rather only be able to watch wrestling from after this date (c. 2015) or before 1995" and plenty of answers came down towards the latter. I'm just starting to get back into wrestling and enjoying modern stuff well enough but I still might take the earlier bloc in that hypothetical.

Still enjoyed it but yeah that rule annoys the crap out of me without fail

And there goes her arm

That back elbow they showed the reply of was nasty.

Hm, Raw actually looks really different than it did in the mid 10s. Not better, in fact it's uglier and way more chaotic, but it is a different look in the ring. More dynamic? Backstage looks exactly the same. I've also got the sound off so it's even more pronounced.