Laz

Absolutely on the tag cage. It's like when street fights enforce tag rules. If the entire point is to have a balls-out fight, why the hell are you enforcing rules you've specifically booked away?

Regardless of generation and awareness of varying relationship dynamics, that's a pretty shitty thing to do. Good thing it ain't true.

I don't really think so. It's WWE, so even though it's a Network exclusive in front of the Full Sail crowd something tells me that the matches they showcase won't be able to really put PWG, Chikara, Progress, or any other cruiser-filled roster in too much trouble. You're going to see much crazier high spots in Reseda, more grit in London, etc. Ultimately, it might hurt ROH, but that's more ROH's fault as a company than it is WWE's as a competitor. I think the real goal is to counter any possible advancement into the US that AAA/NJPW might be trying to make. I'm definitely interested in seeing the talent they use and the shows when they air, though. This is the kind of thing that shows Hunter "gets" the audience that shits all over the main shows but still watch.

Team ROH vs. Team CZW (ROH Death Before Dishonor IV) The cap off to my favorite feud of the past decade. Everything in this match was executed perfectly, from Hero trolling the ROH crowd to Bryan turning on Joe (since he cared only for his World title) and Homicide making the save, as it concluded the inter promotional feud and paid respect to every talent's history while setting them up for the future. This is the largest feather in Gabe's cap as a booker and he's yet to reach this level since. Cruiserweight Battle Royal and subsequent Cruiserweight title match (WCW Slamboree 1998) Bit of a cheat here, but it was one glorious segment and I count it as one whole thing. Jericho introducing the contenders for a match brought on via Malenko's suspension (for violating a "no touch" clause, instigated by Jericho himself), and his ridiculous burying of them, instantly made the match entertaining. As far as battle royals go, it's nothing special. Then the end happens. Juvi, just a few short months after losing his mask to Jericho, shakes the hand of El Ciclope and eliminates himself, granting Ciclope the immediate title shot. Jericho, confused, watches on Ciclope begins to willingly unmask...and it's DEAN MALENKO!! The next few minutes are a complete squash as Dean lays into Jericho harder than he's ever laid into anyone, and my favorite moment in wrestling history ends with Malenko holding the Cruiserweight title. Roderick Strong vs. TJ Perkins (PWG Threemendous III) This isn't a classic match. Hell, there's plenty of problems with it, I wouldn't rate it above ***1/2 on a generous day filled with intoxicants, and it's one of two matches on this show that doesn't seem to get much love anywhere. Watching it, though, was when I started falling in love with Strong's work and, in my opinion, when he started to really click it all together. He punishes TJ for the majority of it, seemingly taking out every bit of aggression over not being near the ME after being a PWG staple for years, and has found the perfect target in TJ since Perkins, too, has been a PWG staple for years. TJ doesn't go down without a fight, though, but this is the Strong show and finishes with an incredibly impressive combo by Roderick that both gets people going nuts (the End of Heartache finish debuts here, if I'm not mistaken) and also sets Roddy on the path to the PWG World title.

I actually liked King of the Mountain, I just don't think it should've been annual. And it seems the only well worked was the first one.

You know, I never thought of how stupid Ambulance/Stretcher matches are in relation to NHB/no SQ/etc. They sometimes make sense, but WWE just really abused it with cheap copout finishes. WarGames should've been built to with a match between random pairings to determine who gets the odd man advantage. I also think pin falls should've been allowed for dramatic purposes, but I completely love the idea of submission-only, too. You shut your dirty mouth, that needs to come back.

Damn. Beaten to the XPW punch. My vote goes to scaffolds as well.

I did a drunken review of a TNA show. I was 16. I couldn't make it through the show. Depending on the strain I smoke, I either get in the mood for something go-go-go and lighter hearted or super analytical. Since I usually watch movies and not wrestling, though...

Bauer and Greeny hype the hell out of an Eddy/Taker match from a house show loop in 2005, where the psychology was all over Eddy gouging at Taker's eyes.

I didn't care for Punk's work on the indies. I find his series with Joe to be among the most overrated matches ROH has ever done, don't care for much of his IWA MS work (beyond when he had a live mic), and feel like his pushes were never warranted by his ability. That said, his WWE work is among the best of anybody during his run. He has two matches I have no problem giving the full 5-star treatment (MitB 2011 vs. Cena and SummerSlam 2013 vs. Brock), his series with Morrison on ECW have that show some relevancy, and his feuds with Chris Jericho and Jeff Hardy were entertaining though not earth shattering. He also had a great match with Undertaker at WM29 that overcame poor booking and its foregone conclusion, doing it without gimmicks to disguise in-ring shortcomings (unlike HHH). Like others have said, the booking was obviously not in his favor for the majority of his run, and that he was able to get insanely over in spite of it is a testament to his ability. Was he on the level of Austin, Flair, Hogan, Rock, Cena? No. Was he given the booking and protection of them? Hellllllllll no.

The early PWG releases had commentary on a secondary audio track, and yes, it was mostly cringeworthy. Disco Machine had his moments (usually when mocking himself) and Excalibur was clearly forming his style. I suggest giving them another shot. Around 2010 is when they really started clicking, and InYourCase's timeline of DDT4 2011 to BOLA 2013 is probably their peak thus far. 2005 and 2006 have quite a few shows worth your time (I can't highly recommend Beyond the Thunderdome, but there's a couple of really fun matches, notably Dragon/Richards vs. Styles/Daniels), but anything from the second half of 2011 to early 2013 should prove fruitful. Except World's Finest (first event of 2012). That's one of those "for serious fans only" shows, best used to complete a collection. It's not awful but it's very middle of the road.

I didn't find it racist, just an example of his willful ignorance and (yes) conservative views. For somebody who likes to consider himself a liberal progressive, he sure does sound like the Tea Party types I've encountered when it comes to social issues and, in terms of wrestling, is so conservative that he's made himself irrelevant.

Excalibur is the modern day Joey Styles to me: he is so different from what the major companies do and is a perfect voice for the product he's attached to.

Breaking News! Jim Cornette, the same guy who booked the Wrestling Mummy and pines for the days of bears being brought out as special attractions, has a problem with a modern product! For fuck's sake, I'm not a fan of LU for a lot of the same reasons, but Corny has to be second only to Russo in terms of a lack of self awareness.

Given this is a show where characters die and/or we can see into people's dreams, you have a problem with intergender matches...why, again?

I can see it. How often have real couples been separated for the purpose of angles?

I'm actually fine with AJ getting that Jericho role. He's never been a great talker, cutting maybe a handful of promos in his career I would call legitimately good, and he's versatile enough that he can bump and feed to bigger guys while playing the strong arm on those equal or lesser in size. The real test will come with how he's treated in that role. If he's seen as an Arn Anderson, the guy that can GO but isn't on top (but always a threat to those who are), then I think even the jaded fans will be happy. If he's feeding the Authority's gerbils, though, then people are going to be fed up. Given how the company handles literally every talent on their roster? Ughhhhh...

I typically take a break every few matches to do something else and recharge my batteries. I love PWG but I can attest to the GO GO GO feel and style wearing thin with certain guys (AR Fox and the RockNES Monsters especially). Spot on, my friend. Part of it can be attributed to the WWE signings and ROH pulling contracted talent after Cole got hurt, this forcing heavier booking of talent that exemplify the ills of indy wrestling (like Fox), but it seems the last few shows have begun resolving the issue with the AAA/LU talent coming in and the return of Super Dragon, Chris Hero, and others.

That was around the time the full March to PG happened. Can't be "ruthless" or overly "aggressive" when you're trying to entertain the 7-year-old audience.

I think the term "Ruthless Aggression" was part of the '02 attempts at staving off the inevitable decline. It was the first post-Attitude sign of the company's fingers being away from the pulse of pop culture, so they tried doubling down on the Attitude style but really began focusing on the sizzle (wild angles, crash TV-style booking, erratic presentation) instead of the steak (compelling characters, built up matches, relatable story arcs). I'd be very interested in dissecting the Territory era, as that proposed timeline is very broad comparably to the others. There's likely different cuts for each territory, but I think it's worth looking into since my understanding is that overall presentation in 1965 was different than 1975. EDIT: I've seen Attitude's starting point being the April 1997 Raw where Austin attacked Bret in the ambulance. That was when the show really started changing.

The toy chainsaw attack is actually a play on a common Kenny Omega spot. If you think it's hilarious and entertaining then you'll enjoy PWG. If you find it dumb or offensive to what good wrestling should be then you won't.

InYourCase nailed it. That run was so perfect and varied that it's hard to not find something you like. It's still a spotty GOGOGO style, mind you, but less "moves that don't matter" and more "we hit fast forward." Things started falling off when every match began having a thousand false finishes, and got worse when Steen, Generico, Hero, Callihan, and other prominent guys were signed up and away. I haven't caught up on much 2015, but it seems like many of the errors have been corrected. I'll be snagging up a few DVDs next pay day. The key factor in enjoying PWG is that it's not a traditional product. There aren't storylines as much as there are broad character arcs, with the ascension up the roster maybe being the only true example of meritocracy in a US company these days. The more the fans react? The higher on the card you go. It's a party. It's mostly exhibitions. It's fun. I can't watch it every day, or even on a weekly basis, but checking it out on its sporadic schedule is just fine.

Theoretically, you can book for the pop and do a good job since pops are a sign that fans enjoy key story notes/spots. Ideally, the pop comes from their satisfaction with the product and its direction, their favorite hero winning the title or a heel deciding to do good, but it seems most of the pops now are cheap since they're coming from humorous one-liners and returning stars that exemplify how poor the current product is. So they do book for pops. They're just booking for cheap ones instead of aiming for legitimate connection.

Which is a shame, because both Orton and Sheamus would be perfect for it. Orton has kind of transitioned into the "gatekeeper" role anyway. I don't think the fans would be too upset if those two never won another World Title.At this point, I think most fans wouldn't even bat an eye if Sheamus was released. I know he has his supporters and whatnot, but there's really no arguing that he's been one of the biggest failures of the ME scene that Vince has ever out forward. Orton as a gatekeeper to the upper card is perfect.

The one time they've tried expanding his gimmick beyond "ass kicker of few words" (which is part of why he got so over) it ended in loud and barely contested jeers. "Roman Reigns: Father of the Year" and "Roman Reigns: Swell Guy" don't work.