Cap

I think comparing drawing across periods is largely fruitless. Not only do you have the averages issues just brought up above, but there are just so many factors that go into the ebbs and flows of wrestling and its always felt to me like that has been disproportionately put on individual performers (for the good and the bad). Comparing even Hart/HBK/Nash to Owens/Rollins/Styles (or whatever) is apples and oranges. Wrestling's position in popular culture is completely different. WWE's business and goals are different. Even the way the product is mediated is different. The E has always worked hard to be a brand-first promotion so they hold all the leverage over their stars it feels like they have gotten more aggressive with that since branding techniques shifted during the social media booms and they started moving toward the network. They have needed stars to transcend the brand for their biggest boom periods and of course they make bank on that, but as far as really giving their talent the space to build their own momentum I don't get the impression that they are really THAT interested and really haven't for some time. It seems particularly pronounced since they moved to the network model, so I think today's stars are just being a dealt a different hand. I honestly can't bring myself to care much about drawing and numbers, though. I mean I get why they are important to understand historically, but as a fan its pretty low on my give a shit list, so I am probably way off base.

This whole Brock vs Goldberg thing became even more of a mess with the title for me. I am fine with Brock winning and HOPEFULLY finally putting someone younger over clean later. But the way its built the roles should be reversed. Brock as a challenger with one more chance to overcome his greatest hurdle is so counter-intuitive. He should be the biggest hurdle of all. Super-dad goldberg being finally thwarted by the man monster Brock who cares about nothing is such an odd payoff to put ALL your eggs into. As a showcase match it makes sense. As a title match that isn't the main, I could buy it. As THE title match with all the hype that will close the show, its odd. Reigns vs Taker also seems to have a lot less luster on it since Brock beat taker at Mania and Reigns never got the clean win over Brock while he was at his hottest. Both are matches I am fine with in general and maybe the stories are working for others, but they are just sloppy and shortsighted to me. Ugh... I am just hoping they do something good with Styles and Joe... preferably not a multi-person ladder match. This is what we get when they change plans constantly. It wouldn't be so frustrating if we didn't see how capable they are of thoughtful, well planned wrestling from time to time

I guess like most it only bothers me when it is exceedingly obvious. It doesn't bother me any more than someone moving after being slammed so they can get in position for the next move or when 2-5 people all get together and get ready to catch someone who is about to fly over the top rope onto them. All those things CAN be annoying, but generally they don't bother me.

If they booked HHH vs Shane and somehow figured out how to give us Joe vs Styles I would be excited about that.

God i hate when they hotshot belts before mania. I already don't love the logic of the rumble winner getting a shot at the biggest show, but I get it and I have come to enjoy it. Trading the belt(s) around right before on top of that is so frustrating.

I know it is complainy internet fandom at its finest, but the idea of HHH beating Joe at WM just two months after he debuted on the main roster makes my heart sad.

I will watch and I am really trying not to be down on the rumble or mania, but I am really deflated about it. I am not a huge fan of how things started getting laid out at the Rumble. It just doesn't hold my attention and most of what I have read here and there about rumors seem even less interesting. Lots of sporadic, hot shot booking if things play out in any of the ways the interwebs say they will.

I almost mentioned that. it is like next tier down for me, but when I was listing stuff that I would consider for the top spot, it was fringe. i honestly need to watch it again. I mean it is still an absolute classic in my eyes.

While I put Sangre vs MS-1 as my number one I would also really consider 6/9/95, Bock/Hennig, LLT '85 (i like it a good bit better myself), Jumbo/Tenryu, Clash 6, Kandori/Hokuto, Dandy/Satanico (12/90). That kind of feels like the short list to me right now. There may be others that are kind of fringe to me right now that get in the mix. As for "favorites".... there isn't really a huge distinction for me. With a hand full of exceptions, what I think of as my favorite matches shapes what I think of as "great" wrestling. It certainly isn't 1:1, but there isn't a giant divide either. At the top it is mostly overlap for me I think. Maybe something like Necro Butcher vs Super Dragon, Kobashi vs Hansen, Eddie vs JBL (judgement Day), Kandori vs Bull, or Dragon vs Nigel (Unified) would have the biggest jumps for me. However, I honestly think they are all great matches, I just know they are outliers (sans Kobashi/Hansen) of sorts. Those matches would place higher on a "favorites" list vs a "greatest" list if I were making that clear distinction.

Sangre Chicana vs MS-1 for me. Lots of matches are in the running and if I ever made a top 50 or 100 I'd have a lot of rewatching to do, but I'll take Sangre Chicana vs MS-1 over anything right now.

It is good Owens/Steen isn't on there. I would have been really tempted to troll vote for him. I went Bret. I don't think it is as run away as some. I can make a case in my head for quite a few of these, especially Martel, Patterson, and Jericho.

I am on board with the Miz is pretty good right now line of thinking, but I still only see him as pretty good in the ring and he doesn't excite me as an in ring performer. I think his charicter is off the charts good and he is still GOOD, but given how great Styles has been I would be somewhat disappointment in the matchup. better than shane? sure, but Styles vs Miz doesn't jump off the page to me as a way to maximize Styles on the big stage, especially since he got a pretty Eh match last year with Jericho.

I am not going, but White Mike Jordan (of CWF fame) is up against New Jack tonight in Greensboro and I know I will never forgive myself for missing this. Something tells me that is going to be a blast.

Apparently the Joe vs Cena match is being thrown around. I am soooo into that idea. I know people have their feels about someone like Joe winning the Rumble, but if I had my pick, that is the direction I would go to set up a shock title match with Cena. There are 15 other rumors out there though. I was talking to a friend last weekend who said he doesn't like to read rumors for stuff like this around Rumble/Mania time because he doesn't want to spoil anything. i am not even sure how you could spoil anything at this point. There are contradictory rumors at every turn. I would probably have a better idea of who was going to be doing what if I completely checked out.

Thumbs up to this re-pin. I use this for reference a lot as well.

Yeah, that match was a lot of fun, probably the best match of the taping. The big tag scramble thing at the end was a blast, lots of good markout moments, but Sterling vs Justice was tops. Aside from just being wildly entertained by White Mike the whole evening, Cain Justice was the biggest take away/discovery for me being relatively new to the product. Edit: Ohhh and Mance Warner was actually an early standout live. Not only did he have an excellent jacket he was quite entertaining and solid in his match. Even before the match, he was a nice way to start the show.

I have only rated 22 Flair matches so far (mostly high end stuff and random stuff I pulled up from 80s sets). I currently have 20 4+* matches. I am far too early in my keeping track of this to say, but I am guessing the short list for guys with most 4+ matches for me would be Misawa Jumbo Kobashi Flair Danielson Hero Hard Maybes - But I think would be just behind Kawada Casas Styles (if he keeps it up) Hero and Danielson both have modern stretches where they had really high floors with lots of matches making tape. Neither would touch the number of 4.75/5 matches the others have (not even for me, a huge dragon mark), but at 4+ I wouldn't be surprised if they had as more or many in 5 years or so when I have rated more/caught up more and Hero at least has put more time in.

60s – Gilbert Cesca vs Billy Catanzarro (Sometime in the 60s) 70s – Billy Robinson vs Giant Baba (7/24/1976)* - Runner Up: Terry Funk vs Jumbo Tsuruta (6/11/1976) 80s – Sangre Chicana vs MS-1 (9/23/1983) - Runner Up: Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (4/2/1989) 90s – Shinobu Kandori vs Akira Hokuto (4/2/1993) - Runner Up: Steve Austin vs Bret Hart (3/23/1997) 00s – Bryan Danielson vs Niel McGuinness (8/12/2006) - Runner Up: John Cena vs Umaga (1/28/2007) 10s – Daniel Bryan vs Jon Cena (8/18/2013) - Runner Up: Black Terry vs Wotan (8/21/2016)** *I haven't really ever dove into the WOS stuff, so that is a big blind spot for me, which seems particularly noteworthy in the 70s. **I really need to rewatch Black Terry vs Wotan. I have only seen it once and it could be anywhere from my number one match for the decade (so far) or a good bit down the list. So, for now it just gets the runner up spot.

That is a solid solid choice.

Finally got to take a look at this. fuck.... its incredible. I need to watch it one or two more times to really make much sense of it, but it blew me away. The last 30-60 seconds of the action was just another level of brawling. The bloody handprint on Wotan's back was a stunning visual and the finally grapple brawl in the gravel could 100% be them going in on each other for real. I honestly can't tell. It is just fantastic.

Had an absolute blast at the tapings last night. It was a show without the heaviest of hitters (Lee and Everett), but it was fantastic, such a good, fun experience. I am looking forward to going back.

That final episode of Battlecade was stupid fun. That is just great TV wrestling (great wrestling period) right there and it is also how you make a championship run legendary.

I am really excited for my first CWF show this weekend. I am going to try to get free early tomorrow and cram some recent CWF shows in in preparation.

Yeah, it has been pretty clear that this has been in the works, at least the possibility for this sort of expansion into the indies has been in the works for a while. I think they have been laying the groundwork since they saw how over guys like Punk and Dragon got. They were co-opting a style/genre/aesthetic when they were signing top indy talent (not that it was their only reason). They clearly leveraged those signings to strategically expand their reach and appeal, cultivating a narrative (always important in the E) that drew positive connections between indy wrestling and the WWE. Of course they were signing talented wrestlers that worked hard and -in many cases - got over. But they also laid the groundwork that makes indy wrestling a profitable investment for the E and makes a partnership with the E a theoretically plausibly positive for indy talent and organizations. It is a different world now though. I imagine - and I think I have mentioned this elsewhere - that promotions running semi independently with a WWE rep overseeing operations is the ideal. They probably want one or two indy brands, a lucha brand, a UK indy brand, maybe even a Japanese/Asian brand.... perhaps a smattering of others. All talent signed exclusively to move through their system only. You could see special appearances across promotions, everyone theoretically climbing their way to the WWE. They would get to more or less control over the wrestling universe, creating and controlling their own "opponents" and countercultures. I wouldn't even be terribly surprised if they set up other streaming networks that they controlled. It has been a fascinating last few years and we are just getting started. In some ways this may be one of (if not) the most interesting eras to be a wrestling fan.

HHH vs Rollins has lost a lot (all?) of its momentum, but I feel like that match is the MOST set in stone of any. I just can't see HHH not on the show and I can't see him against anyone other than Rollins. I am not saying they are going to scrap Brock vs Goldberg, but if that wasn't set in stone they would have a lot of room to work and that also feels like it lost some steam to me. Taker vs Goldberg and Braun vs Brock feels like something Vince would lose his mind over. Taker vs Goldberg vs Brock would add a lot of mystery to the finish. Just watching that segment on Raw I was really uninterested in the Brock vs Goldberg sub-narrative of the rumble and more interested in the chaos of it who is going to wind up with who. Styles opponent is the most interesting to me. He has pretty easily been company MVP since last mania and I hope they give him a chance to steal the show with someone (not named Shane preferably).