Laz

HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA REAL PRO WRESTLING v2

I watched both Dynamite and Collision last week in full, probably my first time watching a full AEW show since the lockdown episodes, and enjoyed the hell out of them overall. There were a few things I wish they'd do (space the promos out a bit more, cut down on match time a little more for the sake of pacing, get rid of Lance Archer), but killer double shot overall. The MGM Music Hall at Fenway is a great venue for wrestling. Someone on another board said it feels like Boston's version of Hammerstein, and I'm inclined to agree. My ratings for the matches, for what they're worth: Mercedes/Athena: ***3/4 Hangman/Alexander: **3/4 Hurt Syndicate/Gates of Agony: ** Ospreay/Takeshita: **1/2 Death Riders/Opps: **3/4 Knight/Archer: N/R (fuck Archer) Alexander & Takeshita/Romero & Ishii: ** Cole/Claudio: **3/4 LFI/job guys: ** Komander/Wayne: **3/4 Mercedes & Harley/Statlander & Hart: ***

That's been my biggest gripe about the indies for about a decade, really. Outside of the pure garbage deathmatch stuff, where's the independent company that's looking to do things in a legitimate different way than what we're getting on prime time TV?

I'm very torn on the ID system. On the one hand, it allows WWE to scout talent better while also allowing that talent to continue plying their trade in different settings. ID talent aren't stuck in front of one audience with one mindset of instructors, and having a variety of styles and talents on the radar can only mean good things for the future. The recent announcement that there will be ID titles that are to float around the indies feels reminiscent of the classic NWA territory system, which is exciting. On the other hand, purely as a fan? I don't particularly care for it. This move means that even more indies and talents will adopt a WWE-inspired style, which is something that I've done my best to avoid for years now. We know the garbage promotions won't care about it, but this feels like it will just limit the talent pool willing to do something different than what you'd see on Monday and Friday nights out of necessity due to the expectation by fans all over of expecting the standard WWE flavor of in-ring action. I'm afraid, and justifiably so, that it's going to stifle creativity in that regard, just as any prior "feeder system" deal has.

From what I've read about how he bucked the norms in the Montreal indie scene around the early 00s, it seems that PCO hasn't given a flying fuck since that last WWF run.

I do believe the qualifier of "if he were standing next to a knee-high bush" was used.

HOODSLAM is the cannabis-crazed Adult Swim version of cartoon wrestling. It was started by a few SoCal indie workers who weren't getting booked by other companies, so they started their own company that emphasized insanity and tomfoolery over anything else. And then became the highest drawing of the SoCal scene. The company has featured a gimmick based on the Angry Video Game Nerd, a feud between characters of the Street Fighter video game series and the HOODSLAM roster, Drugz Bunny, and even a time travel angle. I'm sure you may already be familiar with the Insane Clown Posse, but their company Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Championshit) is now running regular shows as the group has limited their touring due to health issues. This is basement-level humor from people who think a Michael Jackson impersonator is top-tier booking, but there's an energy to it that's undeniable. Older tours and video releases are also pretty widely available, so maybe you can even check out the glory of Fat Fuck Barrel Boy. As the commentator says, "he's a big fat fuck in a fucking barrel, what's not to love?"

As someone who greatly enjoyed Joe Hendry during my 5 year love affair with all things Insane Championship Wrestling? @El-P is more or less accurate in his assessment. He's charismatic and has a unique angle to get himself over, but once he hits the ring he's just another guy, and that was the case even when schmucks like Chris Renfrew and Red Lightning were in the main events. He's not terrible, but take away the songs and Joe Hendry is a midcard act in any company. I decided to give Impact/TNA a more serious watch earlier this year, when the rumors of the TNA return were gestating, and enjoyed it. I tried watching a handful of times since the return of the original branding and all I see are reasons I stopped watching WWE over the past 15 years.

In terms of personal preference? Bryan, Joe, Styles, Punk. In terms of overall importance? Punk, Styles, Bryan, Joe.

I love going through the r/JimCornette sub and trolling on folks that willfully ignore how stupid so many of their arguments are. I don't like AEW, I don't care much for WWE, but it's fun exposing their biases.

Ooooooh, good one. Punk, Joe, and Styles maybe?

Hmmm...just some brief spitfire ideas here. -King of the Indies 2001 leads to ROH in the same way that ECW's demise and JAPW's roster leads to ROH. It's a trifecta thing. RF needed a new cash cow with ECW gone, Gabe still wanted to be in, and they saw in Bryan (and others) what was a direct opposite to the majority of the industry at that time. He wasn't a deathmatch guy like you'd find in CZW or XPW, he wasn't cut out to be a Monday night player, and he had credibility with the who's who of available talent. -ROH changes how matches operate throughout the entire western scene, for better and worse. Bryan was a key player early on but wasn't clicking like Gabe probably wanted him to, so I can't say Bryan offered an insane amount of influence here. The lion's share has to be with LowKi, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, and CM Punk. Bryan has an all-time run from late 2005 to 2008, with just so many amazing matches in that timeframe, but he's not THE REASON to watch. Instrumental in cementing ROH as an alternative and elevating its credibility, but it took him a little while to make it work for him. -It's the WWE run that makes Bryan matter. As much as I love the matches with Nigel and Joe and KENTA and Morishima, it's the prime time portrayal of a nerd, that "B+ player," that makes him matter. He capitalized on the public fallout between Punk and WWE in a big way, where the shoddy booking actually did elevate him. It's through this that the indies go into overdrive, IMO, and that's how we get AEW today. Is Bryan the most influential talent of his generation? I wouldn't necessarily say so. Is he the overall best when it comes to in-ring performance? Yes. Maybe that's also a tally in his favor, because he was a major figurehead for an industry shift toward talent being able to work high quality matches on a regular basis instead of relying solely on the angles and big moments to carry them.

I haven't seen the list, beyond the Learning Tree stuff.

It reminds me of when Austin switched from being more technical and athletic to more methodical (after the knee injury in WCW) and then to less mobile but wayyyyy more brawling (after SummerSlam 97...when he turned into an absolute legend). It could maybe work for Orton to stick to brisker paced brawls peppered with a handful of spots, mostly hitting the RKO.

Did we watch the same match? I'm not anything close to a fan of Cody and expect KO to be a shell of the Steen that I've loved since first seeing him in 2005, but I thought this was a hell of a match and is actually my MotY at the moment.

It could also have nothing to do with the on-air product and everything to do with streaming services, which he's dealt with in the past.

If you're still interested in doing this, I'll always recommend the first 5 years (2002-2007) of ROH as being one of the best wrestling products to ever exist. It felt like there was a true MOTYC every other card, like the bar for what a good US in-ring product was supposed to be was getting raised with every show. If it featured Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels, LowKi, Samoa Joe, Paul London, CM Punk, Nigel McGuinness, or the DragonGate crew in that timeframe then it's worth watching. Notable mentions to the Briscoes as they started to really build themselves into what they did best around 2006; Homicide bringing a good blend of violence and some very good wrestling in spurts; and whenever AJ Styles could show up due to the TNA deal (when the company flip-flopped on allowing contracted talent to work there). For the worst? 2016-onward is pretty dire. When you're pushing Matt Taven and Vinny Marseglia as top guys you known you're in dire straits. Taven is a perfectly capable midcard heel. There was a period where Rhode Island indie XWA was acting as a feeder system for ROH, and he (as well as Mike Bennett) put in some really fun work there, but he's a case where his strengths still would've capped him as a lower card guy during the New Generation/Attitude eras, but he was trying to work as a "Ring of Honor main event" player. Which means he'd eschew whatever personality he had to focus on typical highspots (dives, bombs, etc.). Kind of a shame, really, because he carries this casual smugness about him that could've worked well if Delirious booked him right. And Vinny...how that guy has as high profile a career as he does is insane to me. He goes from a generic Orton-type to copycatting Bray Wyatt to whatever the hell he's doing now. And he, like Taven, was pushed far too high for what he brings to the table.

I guess I really am in the minority in thinking Danielson/Ospreay wasn't anything special, eh?

Knowing TTK as I do, I'd wager 70% serious, on the downside. To answer the main question, I'd invest in a good booker, first and foremost. He had the production and the talent pool, but he didn't have the mind that others did. He wanted to be the star, and while I think he definitely had a certain kind of charisma that would've attracted attention? He had no business running a wrestling program with the ideas he had.

It's funny, because Deadlock Pro, a company started by Twitch streamers that specialized in presenting the goofiest wrestling video game matches they could think of, feels like what MLW should have been.

No. No it did not. Now, has there been a recorded entrance of someone coming out to Don Felder's "Take a Ride (Heavy Metal)"? Seems like it would be a perfect entrance theme.

In lighter news, XPW brought back their King of the Death Match tournament...and it was 7 hours long. I...I don't even know how...

1985: Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper 1995: Bret Hart, Toshiaki Kawada, Cactus Jack 2005: Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles 2015: John Cena, Tommy End, Ricochet 2025: Jade Cargill, MJF, Danny Rivera

Everything surrounding AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe from the summer of 2005 through late 2006. Unbreakable may have seen them in the ME, but the majority of their work took place in the midcard, delivering a smorgasbord of great workrate-driven matches that also showcased storytelling growth between the three.

MVP smokes weed. When he still did the VIP Lounge with Alex Greenfield, they'd occasionally swerve into chats about their favorite strains and thoughts on legalization.