BigBadMick

Yeah the question posed didn't really suit my opening statement. I agree that it goes up and down, and I pointed out various teams I've enjoyed in the last decade or so. It's not as straightforward as a gradual - or sudden - decline. It's peaks and troughs. Hell, Striker was well received in his initial ECW run in the booth.

That's the really frustrating thing - commentary should be your entry point to everything. Great commentary really enhances the product.

I've been thinking about this lately. Lawler seemed fine for the 90s and into the 2000s, but I think he was shown up as tired and unoriginal when Heyman replaced him in '01. I certainly wasn't too keen on him returning, and I think he's been criticised more and more ever since then from all directions. I thought Cole and Taz were fine over on Smackdown and I had no problem with their work. Similarly, JBL was a fine successor - fresh, interesting and capable in 06 and 07. Also, Foley's brief run - Backlash 08 til just before SummerSlam - was showing promise. He knew his stuff and seemed to be improving every week. I jumped into 2010 ppvs this week and was struck by just how rancid Cole, Lawler and Striker were. Cole actually got worse as 2010 wore on and he morphed into the heel role. I was happy when JBL returned in 2012 but have been sorely disappointed by his work. Anyway, what do you think? When did it all go sooo wrong? Is it too much Vince micromanaging? Too much twitter and other distractions?

Rewatching some WWE PPVs from early 2010. Cole, Lawler and Striker are brutal together. Noticed Lawler getting testy with Striker at times during Extreme Rules, then watched Punk v Rey at Over the Limit and... oh dear. Awkward! What's the story? Lawler just getting more and more annoyed having to listen to Striker's pontificating and then having unprofessional on-screen hissy fits? Actually felt embarrassed for Cole trying to hold things together. It's as bad as any Heenan-Schiavone bust ups on Nitro.

Is the Savage Documentary any good?

A good listen here, as usual. The Enforcers v Steamboat and Rhodes was one that somehow eluded me, in that I never heard that much praise for it in the early '90s. My main opinion-influencers back then were Fin Martin with Power Slam and, kind of separately, Rob Butcher's video trading listings with star ratings. Anyway, for whatever reason I never heard of this as much more than a standard enough tag. I finally got round to seeing it in 2007, and the thing that struck me immediately I was the insane heat throughout. I watched it again last week and it holds up as a classic, I think. However, there's an absolute ton of great tags coming up on WCW tv until at least May '92. I'll be curious to see if you do a 1992 tv special and still feel it holds up or if it becomes one of a great many exceptional matches.

How do you mean, Dylan? I can't see the comparison.

Good stuff lads - worth the wait. It reminded me an awful lot of arguments against Dusty and the collapse of JCP. Huge difference in that he was actual booker and talent, but a lot of it comes down to whether it's on Dusty or if the Crockett's should have reined him in.

I thought this got really fascinating with the DiBiase talk. Will's point of view - watching him in Mid-South, then thinking he's a just another character in WWF - was interesting, and contrasted so sharply with Parv's love for Million Dollar Man and general mid-to-late 80s WWF kitsch. Attacking Parv's youth and the general 'you weren't there man, you'll never know' tone was amusing. As was the counter-accusation of anti-WWF snobbery by Parv. With this, and Parv's noncommital response to whether NWA could have been bigger in the 80s on the Hogan show (I thought Will had him when he started quoting Great American Bash attendences...), I think there's a very interesting podcast waiting to happen on the generational differences in perspective.

I remember Bruce Mitchell saying the Steamboat-Tully series prior to Starrcade 84 had escalating time limit draws. Up to 45 minutes, I think. Then Dusty came in and beat Tully for the tv title in 10 minutes or so. Ah, Dusty....

Yeah, really enjoyed this. Nice use of 70s clips too - Andre standing in the corner, about to referee a Steamboat-Flair match was cool. Also, I'm getting used to black and white when blood appears on screen - adds a little old school charm, even if it's by necessity. One thing that annoyed me was the implication that it was all downhill for the Crocketts after Bash '86. I feel that's cutting their glory days short by at least a year.... Does anyone have a schedule for upcoming episodes? From the intro, I'm assuming HBK-Taker, HHH-Rock, Piper-Hogan are all in the pipeline

I'm watching the UK vhs release of SuperBrawl 2. It's bad enough that they butcher Liger v Pillman, but then a Terry Taylor interview plays for Bagwell v Taylor...which isn't on the tape. Brilliant!

The spinebuster Arn gives Michaels is, IMO, the most beautifully executed move in the history of wrestling Where's a good gif when you need it?

Wow. I haven't sat up for wrestling since university days in '98. I have the 'advantage' of not personally knowing any fans, so the chances of spoilers are minimal.

'There is also this that proves the point that e-books tend to be lazily written and poorly edited pieces of cheap trash' That's the preconception with which I'm approaching this, so I'm a little wary. Thanks for the tips!

I've done some snooping and discovered I'll acquire a kindle over Christmas. I see Fin Martin's Power Slam ebook has been delayed until February. Oh well.... Has anyone any recommendations? Or is there a site with good, reliable reviews?

I'm a painter and decorator, working alone most of the time, so I can burn through absolutely sh*tloads of podcasts. When the product comes really hot and heavy I prioritise time-sensitive ones. It's easy to let Austin, Jericho, Cornette and JR build up for a few weeks. Almost always get through Parv, Will and any other PWOers within the week they go up.

Thanks for putting these up here. I'm looking to give more recent RoH a watch soon - these will be a helpful guide.

Dove straight in with the 20/04/91 six man tag. That 50 minutes of wrestling flew by. Absolutely first class stuff. I'm coming home, All Japan!

Thanks Bill. Nothing essential missing so far, then?

Part 2 of Austin-McMahon Rivalries was a nice little recap of 2000-02. They had the decency to allow Jericho and JR to question Austin losing to Lesnar in June '02 with no build Anyone know what's on next week's Rivalries?

Always had this pegged in my mind as a middle of the road WCW ppv from that timeframe, might need to look again to see what all the fuss is about....

I started watching AJPW in 1994 and have drifted in and out since. Steven, I'm wondering if you think the matches listed would serve as a bare bones refresher course, or are others needed?

Good show. I prefer Angle-Lesnar in this over the WrestleMania match. Just wondering - do you know if there were any plans for Orton, Nash, HBK and Jericho for the show before Elimination Chamber was added? Seems odd that they were all supposed to miss out on SummerSlam.

Really enjoyed this one, guys. Roll on part two...