Goodear

Recast the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Professional Wrestlers... GO! Your Air Bill is due and The Hardliner Collection Agency has been sent to collect... which professional wrestler would you least like to owe money? If the New England Patriots were a professional wrestler, which one would they be? The Dallas Cowboys? The Name your favorite sports team here? You are going to build a birdhouse, would you rather have a Steiner Screwdriver or a Burning Hammer?

NXT had a pretty good run of 2/3 falls matches that served as pretty good blow offs to a couple of angles. Cesaro-Zayn is the obvious highlight but Itami and Breeze also had a nice one and there were a couple others sprinkled in there.

In a Greatest Wrestler Ever poll you are giving credit to a guy for not being a full time wrestler?

The world has changed and we are all now anthropomorphic dogs. What breeds of dog would Jerry Lawler, Ric Flair, Santanico, Wahoo McDaniel and John Tenta be?

Lana and Dolph Zigler was a terrible combination with no chemistry whatsoever. Add to that the booking pushed Lana into a hypocritical stance where she would say she didn't have to be defined by Rusev one week and then would dress up to match Dolph the next. Just a terrible mix all around. Paul Heyman never did nothing for a host of guys most notably Cesaro. The pairing did nothing to elevate C into a upper level just when he was primed and ready to get there on the heels of his Wrestlemania Battle Royal win. The booking was more to blame than anything Heyman did but it sure didn't help even a little.

**Started writing before Loss' post ** Having watched the El Dandy vs. Angel Azteca match twice I'm left with it being a very sterile turn-based match that is more a chess match than a wrestling contest in the worst possible way. One guy makes a move and then waits for the other to counter into another hold. It loses something in the sense that you don't feel that there is a struggle taking place but rather a performance of holds. The lack of emphasis to transitions would make Kurt Angle blush as they seem to be worn out more from unsuccessful pin covers then from actual executed offense. Selling is also not emphasized to the point where you could reedit this match and take minutes 5-10 and put them to 15-20 and it would be hard to notice. This just illustrates how empty the whole thing feels when it comes to having any sort of narrative arc. The closest thing appears to be that they can counter things the third time their opponent attempts them (as demonstrated by the ending of the first fall when Dandy does 2 kneeling backdrops before getting caught on the third and Dandy countering a third Russian leg sweep). The match also suffers from a lack of escalation with the exception of the third fall plancha which is the only time that the match seems to have any life to it. Unfortunately they reset immediately thereafter to Dandy missing a dropkick which is the wrong note to play at that point. Other highlights include a Dandy clothesline in the first fall which was forgotten about less than 15 seconds later before Angel slapped on a surfboard. There are no heat segments or control segments beyond a hold or two. Even-steven's style can be a successful choice but it still requires some peaks and valleys. This was more of a very flat desert. I'm also struck by how flat the characters are here. Both are working a technical match but I'm left the match not having any sort of opinion on who each of them are. Nothing about the performance separates them from each other or demonstrates any sort of character beyond the barest of bones. Things outside Angel and Dandy's control are also frustrating as slow counting referee bleeds the the possible excitement out of the roll up near falls. Because the counts are so ponderous, it breaks the suspension that the guys are being held down for so long. The camera also enjoys panning to uninterested crowd members during the third fall which is frankly baffling.

I feel like I've spent a great deal of time trying to enjoy CMLL/AAA in vain despite not enjoying the process with a few exceptions (Rush, Negro Casas, I've enjoyed Pentagon Jr. in indy matches). I've tried a lot of the hyped performers (Blue Panther, Satanico, El Dandy) and still cannot get into it. I don't want to throw up my hands and say its just not for me because it feels like surrendering to the consensus that people that don't like the style just don't get it. I feel like I understand it. I just don't like it. Everything feels so generic and rote from a structure perspective that it loses any sense of urgency or importance. The fact that Matt is able to accurately describe 95% of trios matches is not a good thing because it illustrates such a rigidness to the form. That the characters in CMLL/AAA all feel the need to jam themselves into the same formula is a weakness that hurts their characters. The wrestling caveman shouldn't be working the same heat segments as the wrestling evil wizard. But the structure is so rigid that it reduces them to component parts. To take the dance metaphor in a different direction, CMLL/AAA feels like a series of waltzes all taking the same exact steps as opposed to freshening it up with a rumba or fox trot. I don't know dancing. Rudos tend to work the same heel tricks like swarming, mask ripping, biting or faking low blows. It takes away their uniqueness that there isn't really a change of pace like having a Stan Hansen to work heel underneath a Ric Flair in a different fashion. They are too wrapped up in the CMLL/AAA lucha box. Technicos are almost entirely reactive and have even less personality than the generic bad guys. They wait around to have bad things happen to them and come off impotent in the face of cheating or cheating referees. The momentum shifts feel arbitrary. I'm going to punch you back ala Jerry Lawler works when you have the fire Jerry does. When you have the nuance that Jerry does telling you that he's just about of had enough of this. Then then strap comes down and off we go. I don't feel this from the faces in CMLL/AAA the vast majority of the time.

Finally catching up with NXT which is pretty much the only thing I watch each and every week. Emma vs. Shazza Great performance by Emma here as she just dripped disdain for her opponent with the dropkick counter to the drop down, the amazing right hand and just her overall demeanor. Shazza did come off as a poor man's Alexa Bliss and didn't show me a ton. I think Emma did a great job here showing how she could pose a threat to Asuka despite the likely result being her getting p'owned. She needed to look dominant here in order to build herself as a threat, I think its a good example of working to the situation rather than trying to have the best match possible with an unknown. Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa Best tag match since the last Jordan/Gable match? NXT tag situation has become quietly stacked during the Dusty Tag Classic with lots of fresh pairings coming out the tournament with lots of room to grow. Jordan is really coming along becoming more comfortable in his performance and acting more like Gable in terms of personality. The 'Thank You'/'You're welcome' exchange was probably the best example of this and had me engaged in the shine. Gargano continues to strike me as the star of his team and has some really good timing and muted selling going on to sell the previous work. I think he needs a splash more personality added to him since we don't know him at all at this point. The Alley Oop/Back Suplex just doesn't lose its impact with repeated viewing. Nia Jax vs. Kay Lee Ray Jax seems very comfortable with her performance to me with the shifts from KILL CRUSH DESTROY to 'smile for the camera' being effective narrative beats. The element that she is slightly playing with her opponents until she gets annoyed enough to crush them in her paws just works right now in a jobber match structure. The spinebuster looks raw enough to be especially violent and the leg drop as a exclamation point worked. I think adding a rope bounce to the leg would help build the crowd up for the landing more. Dash and Dawson vs. Enzo and Big Cass I always leave a Dash and Dawson match thinking I need to see more from the Dash side of the equation and this wasn't much different. I loved the variation on using a Indian deathlock to set up the second rope stomp to make that work. Dawson's fake limp was effective as a mocking device as well. I like the direction NXT is going with D&D and think it could actually get them some heat if they can effectively ground people down in a way that's just exciting enough without popping the crowd. Tyler Breeze vs Samoa Joe Didn't really capture my attention the way the tag match did. I kind of liked Joe's selling at the outset where he looked like he just might shake off Tyler's shots at any time but didn't because it accomplished the duel responsibility of making Joe look tough without Tyler looking ineffective. I think I may have preferred Joe keeping the clutch on a little longer than needed as the finish to demonstrate his level of frustration with the situation but that is a nit pick.

Where did you rank Mighty Atlas? I never know when you are being serious or not but bless you for introducing me to this. Atlas was doing brilliant stuff here that could be used today with no modification for the times and still work. His character is crystal clear before he and Gagne ever even touch each other with the awesome bit with the wardrobe hanger. The match up has a clear finisher-built narrative with Atlas going for the full nelson, Verne respecting the hold in displaying a desperate need to escape, Atlas finally getting it to end the first fall (demonstrating the reason he keeps going for it) and then Verne finally coming off with a major counter because Atlas is one dimensional and getting the win. Just a clean, clear narrative function on display. Atlas is now ranked ... fourth? 89! DONE!

I tend to agree with the consensus that Taylor was solid but lacked the characteristics that would make a top 100 guy. As much as a cop out as this is, I think he lacked the intangibles to really make a mark in the ring as a memorable feature attraction. And while I am certainly in favor of considering guys who met their performance goals (even if those goals weren't 'have good matches'), I don't think Taylor ever really found the niche he could have as a second banana in a stable or as a secondary title contender post UWF.

I tend to be a lot more forgiving of guys that can't or didn't work heel than of guys who didn't have the range to work face. To me, especially nowadays, it is much more difficult to portray an inherently likable character than to twirl the mustache. I think its extremely telling that the majority of great baby face acts in wrestling history tend to start with heel runs so the crowd can create buy in for the character. I find myself weighing guys like Steamboat and Zayn more strongly than I possibly should just on the strength of their more difficult role.

Has anyone anywhere said this is what we're going on? Work rate is a terrible 'statistic' that should die in a fire regardless. It literally rewards a lack of selling, pacing and storytelling so there can be more moves. Its doesn't even successfully define its parameters. UGH.

I'm currently stuck at 88 probably because I find lucha AND joshi AND puro to be widely overrated styles. 'MURICA

I would suggest that Flair was far more likely to work his 'broomstick' match against everyone except long term veterans who would actively push him out of his comfort zone (Garvin, Funk, Steamboat) which to me stands in the way of the concept of wrestling being a cooperative project where two people 'dance' together in order to put together the best match. Flair can come off like a pole dancer where the other person is not allowed to add anything of their own to the performance.

I was thinking about how some people were talking about how the Rhodes Boys should have jumped the winner and thought the real money was to have the guys explicitly copying the style of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard jumping them in the parking lot and leaving Dustin and Cody laying. The revenge match on Dawson and Dash would be big money yo.

Its like the wide receiver who wants to make sure he catches a touchdown in the Super Bowl but doesn't care if his team wins. Its about stealing the show by having a great performance and not really caring about winning. It's what goddamn Shawn Michaels has wrought.

On on hand, I think that's why they called it an Iron Man match rather than re-gender the term like the annoying Lumber Jill match. On the other, I can see why as women, Bayley and Boss Sash don't want to be completely divorced from having to overcome so much as women. Its important that as women they are breaking boundaries.

I personally don't care about blood even a little anymore. After watching for so long, blading has become so super obvious that it exposes the performance for little return. I find blood distracts more than it adds a lot of the time. Hardways are of course different and still add something but I don't want people trying to do them if they can help it.

In discussing Flair's strategy from a kayfabe perspective, I just don't see how getting thrown around so much is a deliberate choice on his part to push the action. I think it fails the eye test in that regard and falls into the same problem with guys always trying to powerbomb Kidman or always trying to throw a clothesline at Cena after eating two shoulder blocks. You are forcing guys to do stuff they don't normally do and I think that's weak one-sided storytelling. I do however think a lot of strategy from Flair's perspective comes from him baiting hooks and looking for openings. He lives more on the edges of matches where he is more likely to try to sneak out a win than get a 'dominant' pinfall where he knocks a guy out for three. The beg off into an eye poke and the short knee are great examples of this tendency. I don't find his finishes to be particularly great though and think he's much more about the journey than the destination (unlike say Bret Hart who I find to have better finishes despite a similar roll up propensity). Back to Flair's work however and the 'body shot' nature of the chops. I feel like you could make this point better if there were more concrete examples of Flair wearing guys down but I feel like there isn't a lot of difference in minute 10 from minute 20 with Flair other than the amount of lift in Flair's hair. He is a great corner worker though and probably the best in the world at that (my other contender would be Bobby Eaton FYI).

She's so intimidating that a match up with Bayley is inevitable and welcome. I don't even know if she needs to go full heel to draw interest in the match up. She seems like the next logical contender after she runs through Emma and Dana.

Fucking A Pete I fucking think its a good fucking thing you don't have The Dangerous Alliance fucking swear jar. Fucking Shit. Fuck.

Seems kind of a waste to have this discussion and not have anyone there to actually argue the points you're attempting to dispute. Its relatively easy to brush off the conflicting opinions when you don't have anyone there to advocate them. This seems more like shouting into a echo chamber for that sweet, sweet confirmation that your guy is number one and best.

Well it is wrestling a program based on conflict, it would be pretty weird if everyone liked each other. I don't see a situation where you have one outsider in a field of 3 teams (2 of which have no internal issues) to flip out and go against the grain. Why should any of them get along when they have a singular goal of winning the Diva's title? What does Alicia Fox get out of being with the Bella Twins anyway?

The wrestling metrics question which I can see as a long term discussion point but doesn't fit Dangerous Alliance. Honestly I don't think you can just answer the question off the top of your head. I've been thinking about it for a while and I don't have a complete handle on it nor an I convinced its actually possible to come up with statistics that will actually demonstrate "hey this was a good match" since so much of wrestling is intangible. Even wrestling's most well known statistic work rate is nebulous as "work" is never defined to my satisfaction.

Way to shit on my question Will, damn man what I ever do to you? To be Flair to Flair, I asked it when you were just starting the show so I didn't get the feel of the program yet. Loved Grudge Match segment. I would have gone with Jericho, Sheamus, Bossman, Goldust, Cena. Jericho didn't have crippling injuries and to not put this delicately die in a hotel room. He's also relatively stable and can work up and down the card whereas Pillman never worked main events and wasn't going to be able to at any point in his career. Brian might be a better tag guy than single guy, but I don't think you lose too much with Jericho on that front as he has experience on that front as well. Sheamus is just out right better than Shamrock right now career to career and Sheamus still has years left in the tank. Shamrock does have an air of believability to him that Sheamus doesn't but I would rather have the stronger hand long term. Shamrock would also give you a bit more diversity to the line up but I think you can find that elsewhere with more upside. Bossman gives you the big fat guy you need in a promotion who can work heel or face. Great dynamic bumper with good strikes who can fill your mid card gatekeeper role at the drop of a hat. I think Will unfairly blames him for shitty 3 minute matches in the Attitude Era, but Bossman was sort of passed his prime by then anyway who was getting by with gaga and wacky super villainy. His first run with WWF and his initial charge into WCW were all quality. Finlay is great and a better worker, but Bossman has more intangilbles. Goldust has a lot more in the resume than Doink regardless of how good Borne was in the gimmick. Again, he fills out your mid card really well and can work with anyone. All time tag team worker who can step up to secondary titles and feuds easily. Cena draws more heat in countries not Canadian in nature consistently and is what you want in a kingpin position. Sells more merchandise, makes more stars, works harder on house shows, draws more mone, does more charity. Bret was better at finishes and working but main eventing isn't about that. Its about all the other stuff and Cena wins those battles.