
BillThompson
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CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
It's all about timing, and right now was the right time for Colt, and for Punk. I think they both knew what they were doing in terms of when the interview was released, the format, who did the interviewing, etc. None of this changes the legitimacy of the interview, just makes Punk and Cabana come across as smart businessmen. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
That is true, which is why in an ideal world Dave would just ditch MMA altogether and focus on being the pro wrestling historian most look to him as. But, it's Dave life, so he obviously can cover whatever he wants to cover. -
CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
That's not vitriol, that's just the way Colt is and I really don't find anything wrong with that. Everything he does is to make himself money or get himself more visibility and he's really good at it. There's nothing wrong with that and pointing out that his decisions are clearly driven by those factors isn't vitriol. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
We're talking about a couple of random matches here, I think you're overreacting when you imply he has gaps in his knowledge because of this. Do you honestly expect him to be privy of every match that has ever made tape? With some of these, we're talking relatively obscure matches which in some cases you need to dive pretty deep into the comp/download world to find. . I do expect him to be knowledgeable about something like the Inoki/Robinson time limit draw. If anything this just goes to show how lacking Meltzer is in tech savvy. It's kind of endearing in a way. I'm okay with Dave having gaps in his resource knowledge, it's just the way things are going to be when he spreads himself too thin. Still, it is funny to see him raving about matches becoming available and others to be like, "Dude, they've been available for a long time." -
CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
Where did I toss vitriol Colt's way? I repeatedly said he was smart to use Punk in the way he did, just like Punk was smart to use Cabana for a setting that he knew he could control. That's just the brass tacks of the situation, which makes both men pretty darn smart, which is what I've said all along, -
Rival Forge Wrestling: The Coconut Grove (06-04-2010) Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Carlos Thatcher has a clear size advantage here, and he makes good use of it. He falls right into the bully role and overpowers Carlos at will. There's one point where he stops Carlos from running up the ropes and lets him fall so that Thatcher jacks him right in the back with a European Uppercut. It's a pretty inventive spot, but it's mainly an example of Thatcher understanding that he is the bigger man and needs to apply his power advantage in a vicious manner. The best part of the match is when Thatcher is on offense as he just destroys Carlos' left arm. He goes after it in a lot of different ways, and centers all of his offense around attacking that arm. He uses a Stump Puller to the arm, a Fujiwara Armbar, stiff kicks, and he even unleashes a standing Headbutt to the injured arm of Carlos. At one point Thatcher goes after the right arm, but as soon as Carlos attempts to protect that arm Thatcher floats over and traps Carlos' already injured arm in the Thatcher Stretch. It's a nifty wrestling sequence, and it's pretty neat to see a guy employ such strategic match planning for a crowd of maybe 25 people. The main negative in the match is Carlos. He tries really hard, but he's very unpolished and just not ready to be going longer than three or four minutes. He keeps going for the same move over and over, Spike Dudley's Acid Trip. The first few times it was okay, but by about the fifth time it became all too obvious the kid didn't know any other highspots beyond that move. Where Carlos really hurt the match was in his selling of his injured left arm. At first he sells it pretty well, but then he goes back on offense and pretty clearly gets lost in the momentum of the match and starts using his injured arm to throw Punches and gut shots. His use of the Acid Trip is especially problematic because he relies on his injured arm to form the Cravate grip and he lands on his injured arm every time. All in all a really great showing from Thatcher and a pretty decent match to boot. Carlos is learning so I'm more willing to accept the negatives he brings to the match. Still, those negatives are present and they do bring the match down. For the Thatcher project though this is another match that really showcases Thatcher's ability to take someone far below his talent level and do his best to make them look really good.
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CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
I just recognize Cabana for the smart business man he is. He's using his friendship with Punk to get himself more visibility and more money, there's really nothing wrong with that. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
I don't really care, I'm not blasting the guy for it. Just find it funny is all. Although I'm not sure how accepting we would be of historians in other fields having such gaps in their resource knowledge. -
CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
I don't think there is much of a difference, and if anything it makes Punk look like a jerk for automatically assuming that Jericho was only interested in making a buck off of him. Cabana and Punk can be the best of friends, but Cabana is someone who has proven time and again that he only really cares about his visibility and his money. He was calculated in getting this interview, and it's not something I hold against him, because it's obviously put him back in the minds of even casual wrestling fans and will probably end up making him more money from advertisers. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
This. After hearing Dave talk about these uncovered gems that were not really rare at all, I am less interested in seeing the dead end that seems to be his VHS being converted or sorted through. It really is kind of amazing that the person who most of us think of as the preeminent pro wrestling historian is kind of lost when it comes to the availability of matches. -
My issue with you in the Survivor Series thread is that it's not the first time you've told people, "It doesn't matter what you say, if you say you liked this thing that I didn't like you're just being a contrarian." That's very irritating and frustrating, and all it does is shut down discussion. You've done that multiple times now, which is why I referred to it as your gimmick.
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CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
I do find it funny that everyone thinks Colt wasn't pretty much doing exactly what Punk accused Jericho of wanting to do. Sure, Cabana and Punk are friends, but Cabana is all about making money and getting his name out there as much as possible. There's no way that he didn't view his friendship with Punk as a way to get a lot more ears turned his way. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
There's really no reason for me to do that, as PS3 has apps for everything I watch on my computer. Still, when I am at home I have a strict computer stays closed policy. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
I also think the lack of an app for Roku or PS3 is a hindrance for me right now. I'd much rather watch my wrestling on there than on my computer. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
I gotta disagree about the navigation. Even using translate, as I have Chrome as well, I find the site real hard to navigate because of what isn't translated and the layout in general. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
That's my other issue, browsing through it right now it seems like it will be awfully difficult to navigate. Since they want it to be a worldwide product I wonder if they have any plans for versions done in native languages, at least the interface that is. -
<Split> NJPW World - their version of the WWE Network
BillThompson replied to Sean Liska's topic in Pro Wrestling
I'm intrigued, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to go all in yet. Access to present day New Japan isn't a selling point for me, it will all come down to just how much of their old footage they make available and how easy it is to navigate/use. -
So, post-comeback HBK, pretty, pretty awful so far. Admittedly I'm only in 2002-2003, but man has been downright terrible so far. His weak offense looks even more offensive now, and his athletic timing has apparently gone the way of the dodo bird. I know there are a few HBK matches in the coming years that I like, but if the remaining years until his retirement are like 2002-2003 there's no way I can see any case for him being a top 100 guy.
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I had Triple H pegged as a guy with an outside shot at making the bottom of my top 100. I've now reached 2002-2003 in my PPV rewatch project and how did I forget that post-injury Trips is completely awful? He's just, awful, yeah awful covers it perfectly. I don't even care about all the obvious political stuff bleeding over into his matches, but from a strictly in-ring performance perspective he's one of the worst guys in the world in 2002-2003. Does it get better, or does Trips keep spiraling out of control?
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I don't really care, the business side of the business doesn't matter to me. That's not why I watch, that's not why I enjoy it, and it's not something that matters to me. That's the end result of this discussion with me.
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I'm not her So you'd rather have her making shitty money working indies than getting paid? I don't know her, I'm not related to her, I really don't care how much she's getting paid or if she's getting paid at all.
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I can't say I've met anyone on here yet, but I have enjoyed the relationships I have grown. Heck Grimmas has me about ready to make a podcast appearance, and that's something I never would have done before this place, and something I have turned down in the film world for many years now.
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CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling
BillThompson replied to goodhelmet's topic in Publications and Podcasts
It's Colt being Colt, which yes, means he's being a dick who can't ever just accept praise. -
That's all for now, and if anyone is actually interested in what I have to say about Thatcher I'm not against providing snowflakes if that gives you a better grasp of where I think these matches fall. Either way, I'll be back with more later.
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All Star Wrestling: Leas Cliff Hall (Unknown Date) Timothy Thatcher vs. Robbie Dynamite They're working in a ring that looks like a crackerjack box, and that does cause some problems at first. Neither man is on the same page, and Thatcher appears to be having issues adjusting to the tinier ring. Eventually Thatcher takes a powder to the outside and it's a vry smart move. He's able to have a row with the crowd, and be antagonistic enough that the audience really gets into the match. Once he makes his way back inside Thatcher seems to have a better handle on the ring as he shortens up his stride and starts working through more compact sequences. Dynamite is a fantastic bumper, he makes all of Thatcher's offense look just killer. He's not what I'd call a great seller, but Dynamite really goes all out when it comes to taking moves from Thatcher. They time the comeback of Dynamite really well, and at this point the fans are really digging the match. Unfortunately Dynamite keeps insisting on attempting float around counters, and he's just not fast or smooth enough to pull them off believably. Some of that falls on Thatcher as well. He should have recognized this and went for his offense a few seconds later, or ran a little slower, to provide Dynamite the time he needed to execute his counters in a way that would look more believable. Where Dynamite shows his wares is in his power countering, and I wish he would have gone that route more often. The end stretch is a great example of that as Dynamite slowly powers through a Thatcher attempt at an Armlock, and transitions into where he delivers a Tombstone Piledriver for the win. It was a nifty sequence, and using his strength to power through transitions is something I hope Dynamite uses more often than he did in this match. All in all a decent, albeit flawed, match for both men. The adjustments that took place are a feather in Thatcher's cap, and his ability to jaw with the fans and really get them to hate him through his actions in the ring is commendable. That being said he needed to work down to Dynamite's level more than he did, and it is something that he does far more often later in his career. All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars - Super Summer Series '10 (06-12-2010) Derek Sanders vs. Timothy Thatcher Thatcher is in his shiteating grin heel mode in this match. Right off the bat he's complaining about Sanders being greased up, jawing with the ref, and making sure that in this battle of two heels the audience understands he's the one they need to hate. Sanders play his role nicely as he cheats, but he does so in a way that the crowd cheers for. There's not too much to Sanders as far as grappling or technical wrestling goes. He is gassed about two minutes into the match. Thatcher tries to give him a brief respite with a 15 second Chinlock, but as soon as they get back to running the ropes it's clear that Sanders is still too gassed to bring much to the match. Thatcher tries to cover for Sanders by going to an Armbar, but it's pretty clear that Sanders just has nothing in the tank and is only capable of very short spurts before he's gassed again. Thatcher does his best to try and give a lot to Sanders, but it's kind of like asking a stone for blood, it just isn't going to give you anything. The ending is fun with the repeated bouts of back and forth cheating until Thatcher is outcheated for the loss. Not a good match, not even a decent match, though Thatcher sure did try. Sanders was worth about as much as a bag of bricks, and there wasn't a lot Thatcher could do with that. He tried to stall for time, he did some interesting little things like selling ear damage from a missed DDT attempt from Sanders, and in general putting over any offense Sanders employed like it was damaging. Still, not exactly a match for a case to be built on. National Wrestling Alliance Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: #44 (07-10-2011) Disco Machine vs. Timothy Thatcher First thing first, I never noticed how gnarly Thatcher's teeth are. We're talking chipped, broken, and just ghastly looking. In a way it detracts from the smooth aristocratic mat worker gimmick that he goes for most of the time. At the same time it adds an interesting twist to that image, and as stereotypical as it may sound the messed up teeth play into the British Messiah moniker. Quick match, just around five minutes. Highlights just how much better Thatcher is than most people on the indies when it comes to pure wrestling. One mat sequence and it's clear that the announcers are wasting their time in trying to get over the idea that Disco is some sort of hidden mat wizard. His movements are slow and choreographed compared to the smooth yet grounded movements of Thatcher. The key is that Thatcher recognizes that he's a few steps ahead of Disco and he reigns himself in. He could have blown Disco out of the water, but he works to the level of Disco and because of that the match is far better than it has any right to be. In keeping with his gimmick Thatcher brings forth true disdain at Disco grappling with him, and when he does start ragdolling Disco it's with the sort of contempt that I find a lot of fun to watch. In a decent match Thatcher looks great as he works to the strengths and weakness of his opponent and provides an entertaining match as a result.