Scarlet-Left

WWF drops Mark Fleming.

This was sort of my point (I think). WWE isn't like Uber or Lyft or whatever. Whereas various indie wrestling companies are analogous to gig work or not, the WWE doesn't actually treat its workers the same way. Its guys (mostly) don't set their own dates, they aren't free to work other jobs part time, and so on and so on. I seem to recall Sean Waltman (?) talking about the work he did for Smokey Mountain in the early 90s. Whereas Cornette was under the impression that Vince paid them to appear, there was no extra pay involved, you work where and when you're told to work because you're an employee of WWF under contract.

I don't really understand this conversation because it seems like no one's on the same page. The issue, surely, is that the WWE have always wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Is it not? Whatever you think of gig work itself, being a WWE performer is far more like being an actor on a sit-com than being an Uber driver. No?

Staturday Night's Main Event XIII from the Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal - 14th September, 1984 - Broadcast Live Arena Card: MAIN EVENT Ted DiBiase (C) versus Jesse "the Body" Ventura for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship SPECIAL CO-MAIN EVENT Bob Backlund (C) versus Magnum, T.A. for the WWF Heavyweight Championship Billy Robinson versus Bob Roop Rocky Johnson & Pat Patterson versus the Moondogs (Moondog Spot & Moondog King) "Superstar" Billy Graham versus S.D. Jones The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) versus a local team Billy Two Eagles versus Korstia Korchenko We join a match in progress, the finishing stretches of Johnson & Patterson against the Moondogs. Rocky is desperate to tag in, stomping up and down the ring apron, but Patterson is having tremendous difficulty breaking out of a headlock. Moondog King pins Pat Patterson for the three at an undetermined time. Vince McMahon informs us that the Moondogs will face the Road Warriors and, if they can best that challenge, the Wild Samoans. The Moondogs (Moondog Spot & Moondog King) defeat Rocky Johnson & Pat Patterson Footage airs of the finish to the Road Warriors victory earlier in the night, which the commentators briefly discuss before moving on to the subject of the night's main event. "Per Mister Backlund's request, we are billing his match tonight the co-main event. Certainly, it's a main event on any other night but tonight we have the world heavyweight champion on the card." The Road Warriors defeat a local team (aired out of order) A pre-taped interview of Jesse Ventura airs: "You've been hidin' from Teddy! You've been hidin' from the Body! Everybody knows it, you know it, I know it, and if I didn't know any better I'd predict that you won't even show up ... but the only thing worse than hidin' is runnin' ... and I think you're just man enough to show up on time. The real question is ... are you man enough to admit when you've been beat? A real man would give up the goose. A real man would just lay down and say, "You know what? You got me. I'm not on your level.", but, somehow, I don't think that'll be the case. I think you'll claw and scrape like a cornered rat, and cry and whine when they take the gold off you and hand it over to me." We cut to the opening bell as Bob Roop immediately goes on the attack, hurling Robinson into the turn buckle. The Briton eventually manages to get a hold on his challenger but Roop powers out of every move in Billy's book. By the third minute of Roop's dominance, Robinson appears rattled and resorts to stalling; dropping under the bottom rope, feigning attempts to lock up with Bob, and so on. The match doesn't go on too much longer after that, however, as Roop eventually knocks Robinson silly with a scoop slam and follows up with a hellish full nelson, thrashing Billy around until he verbally submits. Bob Roop defeats Billy Robinson in 06:21 With preparations underway for the special co-main event, the commentators run down the night's events, airing the finishes to Graham versus Jones and Eagles versus Korchenko. Whereas Billy Two Eagles managed to beat the Russian, Special Delivery Jones was no match for Billy Graham. Billy Two Eagles defeats Korstia Korchenko (aired out of order) "Superstar" Billy Graham defeats S.D. Jones (aired out of order) Gene Okerlund catches up with Rocky Johnson, questioning him over his loss to the Moondogs: "You know, brother, I only accepted the match as a favour to Pat. I've got a title to defend and no business in the tag team division. I'm almost glad we lost - he he - you know, it seems crazy to say that, but it's one less thing to worry about. Maybe if my partner was gonna' be wrestling at the same level as me, we woulda' had the match. But you know Pat, you know what kinda' guy he is. It was a bust." "Curious remarks from the television champion. Back to you." The commentators briefly discuss Johnson's words and the state of the tag team division in general before the opening bell. From the word go, Magnum lays in rights and lefts, knocking Backlund all around the ring. The champion's only respite comes after a tactical eye poke but whereas he seemed to think this handed him control of the match, diving back onto Magnum only results in a kick to the gut. Both men spend the fifth minute of the match composing themselves before resuming a more even contest. Backlund gains the upper hand several times with holds but he can't ever cinch anything in before a swift elbow or fist resolves the exchange. Five more minutes of this is enough for someone, as Yoshiaki Yatsu and Arnold Skaaland come marching down to ringside. The pair are caught off-guard by a loud pop from the crowd, however, as Andre storms down after them. Skaaland is blindsided by a chop to the head, which seems to knock him unconscious and Yatsu fares little better, bombarding the giant with ineffectual chops and getting a hard slap across the chest for his trouble. The crowd cools down just in time for a belly-to-belly suplex from the challenger for the one-two-three. Magnum, T.A. defeats Bob Backlund to win the WWF Heavyweight Championship in 23:46 The commentators are audibly shocked by the result of the match, which they briefly discuss before hesitantly moving on to their prepared subject. Beginning on Thursday the 19th, the WWF will air a collection of matches taped during the week, buffered by exclusive interviews with its wrestlers and managers, to make up for Saturday Night's Main Event being cut down to an hour. An advert airs for WWF Superstars, whilst Jesse Ventura stirs up the live crowd. But for Ventura's stalling tactics at various points, this match would've been a squash. Ted DiBiase is a house on fire and the two men regularly brawl around the ringside, narrowly missing a double count out decision at various times. A sleeper hold eventually puts Jesse away for good. Ted DiBiase defeats Jesse Ventura in 16:05 to retain the AWA World Heavyweight Championship

I have a few KC shoots and enjoyed them for the most part (Terry Taylor's UWF Sale one was a pleasant listen but nothing of substance was spoken). I'll check out an episode when he gets someone interesting on.

I don't listen to the podcast, apart from when I hear about stuff like the OVW deep dives. I don't like modern wrestling (exceptions abound, of course). Jim doesn't like modern wrestling. Brain Last barely ever even watches the shows he's asking Jim to review. So, what's the point? (I know the point is that some people enjoy hearing Jim rant, that was a rhetorical question). That said, as someone who's ambivalent towards AEW I had a listen to a clip from his 'Double or Nothing' review (the battle royale) and it definitely steered me clear of the product. It sounds like TNA; comedy nonsense on the undercard in convoluted gimmick matches, ex-WWE versus Indie darlings on top. I can recognise where Jim might be biased (as in, if he says so-and-so sucks or so-and-so is great without giving examples) but half the entertainment value of Jim's classic rants come purely from the trainwreck he's describing. If you tell me Orange Cassidy's great, so what? If you tell me Orange Cassidy sucks, so what? If you describe his gimmick ("wrestling's fake so who gives a fuck?" - basically), then I can draw my own conclusion.

I was very interested in the show, especially after I discovered that Tully was involved. Alas, I'm not watching five hours of programme at midnight.

Wrestling Twitter is a real trip. I never thought I'd hear that WWE was "not relevant" but, somehow, PWI was.

Should we put those workers on the wire or see if someone else wants to come in?

I would like to claim Natsuko Tora.

WCW Monday Nitro - 11/02/2019 Standard Tag Match Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Kofi Kingston defeat Joe Hennig & Taylor Rotunda in 9:12. Standard Singles Match Kana defeats Tessa Blanchard in 27:33. Standard Tag Match Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin defeat Robert Roode & James Storm in 18:46. Falls Count Anywhere Match Jon Moxley versus Windham Rotunda ends in a no contest. Moxley searches the arena for Rotunda, occasionally brawling with other wrestlers (Taylor Rotunda, Eric Young and Prince Devitt most notably) but, after twenty minutes the match is called off by Jim Cornette. Main Event Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeats Tim Storm in 13:07 to retain the world title.

WCW Saturday Night - 09/02/2019 Standard Singles Match Shayna Baszler defeats Momo Watanabe in 14:39. Standard Singles Match Joe Hennig defeats James Storm in 7:50. Standard Singles Match Johnny Mundo defeats Tim Storm in 12:59 to retain the television title. Main Event Claudio Castagnoli defeats Kofi Kingston in 18:07.

WCW Monday Nitro - 04/02/2019 Standard Singles Match Ronda Rousey defeats Nicole Savoy in 13:04. Standard Singles Match Joe Hennig defeats Eric Young in 12:32. Standard Singles Match Chris Jericho wins by count out against Windham Rotunda in thirty seconds. Rotunda fails to appear and Jericho laps up his first victory in the company. Standard Singles Match Davey Boy Smith, Jr. defeats Sheamus O'Shaunessy in 17:17. Standard Singles Match Cody Rhodes defeats Robert Roode in 11:58 to retain the US title. Standard Singles Match PJ Black defeats Fred Rosser in 8:43. Main Event - 30 Minute Iron Man Match Randy Orton defeats Nick Aldis with a final score of two wins to zero.

I'm looking to bring a few names in before my February event.

WCW Saturday Night - 02/02/2019 Standard Singles Match Johnny Mundo defeats Tim Storm in 15:44 to win the television title. This match plays out similarly to their encounter at the previous Clash. There are several times when Storm attempts to slow the pace of the match down but he fails to keep control of his opponent. Mundo takes it home with a roll-up. A clip plays, with the familiar words: "Blood Runs Cold" Standard Singles Match Kagetsu defeats Nicole Savoy in 17:35. The action here is even and intense but fall to the outside appears to unsettle Savoy and allows Kagestu to secure a pin fall after a German suplex. Main Event Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Kofi Kingston defeat Robert Roode & Chad Gable in 23:11. Roode simply cannot keep up with the others and consistently lets his partner down. The victory is sealed by Smith with a power bomb.

WCW Monday Nitro - 28/01/2019 The show opens with a recap of the events of the clash from the night before. A clip plays of a backstage confrontation between Randy Orton and Jim Cornette, during which the former demanded a title match. Cornette announces that, instead, today's main event will be a two out of three falls match between Orton and Aldis to determine the number one contender to the world title. Standard Singles Match Eric Young (with Alexander Wolfe) defeats Shelton Benjamin in 26:57. In a hard fought bout, Young's reliance on dirty tactics eventually landed him the win (which comes with a dirty pin). Post-match, Wolfe and Young couldn't resist the opportunity to deliver a beat down to Benjamin until Chad Gable ran in for the save with a steel chair. Standard Singles Match Joe Hennig defeats Chris Jericho in 12:24. A throwaway match but for the fact that Jericho was one of the competitors. Hennig, who was extremely enthused by his victory (a roll-up), offered the veteran his hand after all was said and done but received only an earful. Jericho went to the back muttering under his breath. Standard Tag Team Match PJ Black & Fred Rosser defeat Samuray del Sol & Extreme Tiger in 14:42. The first ten minutes of this match are even but Rosser and Black seem to get on the same page and kick things into high gear for the final stretch, securing the victory with a 450 splash from Black onto Tiger. Cornette announces that Saturday's main event will see the former tag champions take on Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Kofi Kingston. Standard Singles Match Konami defeats Nicole Savoy in 17:51. Throughout the match a narrative develops around Konami's increasing reliance on short-cuts and bad tactics. This does not play into the finish, however, which comes when Konami rolls through a crossbody from Savoy to get a narrow three count. Standard Tag Team Match Tim Storm & Johnny Mundo defeat Windham Rotunda & Taylor Rotunda in 6:13. The commentary team informs us that this match was set up at the request of both Mundo and Storm, who each had a grievance with Taylor. Windham Rotunda fails to show up for his brother, however. The match is turned into an impromptu handicap match by the bewildered officials and the younger Rotunda is beaten handily after a simple power slam from Storm. Main Event Randy Orton defeats Nick Aldis in 34:19. The first fall comes in the twenty first minute when Aldis catches Orton with a sunset flip. Orton turns things around with an STF submission win in the twenty eighth minute. The actions becomes extremely frantic in the last few minutes but ultimately ends with a superplex from Orton.

It's great that you put the effort in to deliver full match write-ups. I'll try doing one when I post Nitro tomorrow. Anyway, I'm rooting for Miyahara.

Clash of the Champions XXXVI: Race for the Gold - 27/01/2019 The opens with Samuray del Sol, Extreme Tiger, PJ Black and Prince Devitt already in the ring as the commentary team welcome us to the show. Elimination Match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship Prince Devitt defeats Samuray del Sol, Extreme Tiger, PJ Black and Buddy Murphy in 27:51 to win the cruiserweight title. Extreme Tiger is the first elimination, suffering a flash pinfall from PJ Black, followed by Buddy Murphy (pinned by Devitt). Black pins Samuray but is outclassed by Devitt in the last five minute stretch of the match, being pinned after a 'coup de grace'. Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WCW Hardcore Championship Jon Moxley defeats James Storm in 11:25 to retain the hardcore title. Moxley brings a baseball bat to the ring with him and immediately leaves the ring when the bell is called. Storm follows his lead and starts looking for a weapon in the timekeeper's area but gets blindsided for his trouble and beaten on. Storm eventually manages to trip Moxley and put some distance between them. It becomes apparent that the initial attack has injured his knee, however, and he is never able to capitalise on the few hits he gets in. Moxley eventually hits a DDT onto a steel chair and pins Storm on the entrance ramp. Standard Singles Match for the WCW Television Championship Tim Storm wins by disqualification against Johnny Mundo in 14:08. This match plays out as a typical speed versus strength contest, with Mundo seeming to possess the slight edge, until the final minute. Taylor Rotunda walks down to the ring, with a vacant expression and a blue substance running from his mouth down his chest. He gets up onto the ring apron and sprays blue mist into the champion's face. Mundo is outraged by this turn of events and takes his frustration out on Rotunda, who offers no resistance. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler's opponents for the women's tag titles are announced as Nicole Savoy and Momo Watanabe. Standard Tag Team Match for the WCW Tag Team Championships Sheamus O'Shaunessy & Claudio Castagnoli defeat Robert Roode & Chad Gable to win the tag team titles in 23:49. Whilst Gable puts up a tremendous fight, Roode is the obvious weak link in their unit and proves incapable of containing either of his opponents for long even when Gable has worn them down. Castagnoli pins Roode after a power bomb. Standard Tag Team Match for the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championships Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler defeat Nicole Savoy & Momo Watanabe in 12:56 to win the women's tag titles. Savoy and Watanabe get in more offence than the commentary team initially expect them to but the contest remains noticeably one-sided. In the end, Rousey tags in to deliver an arm bar to Watanabe for the submission victory. Standard Singles Match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship Cody Rhodes defeats Chris Jericho to win the US title in 17:14. Whilst not as one-sided as the previous contest, Rhodes does dominate the bulk of the match. Jericho is often visibly and audibly frustrated by his lack of progress but this never manifests in a turn-around. Jericho is pinned by Rhodes after a moonsault. Standard Singles Match for the NWA Women's World Championship Charlotte Flair (with Tessa Blanchard) defeats Kana in 26:23 to win the women's title. Though it has intermittent stretches of back-and-forth stiff fighting, the story of the match quickly becomes Blanchard's interference. On three separate occasions, Tessa saves Flair from sequences that should close the match, either by distracting Kana or the referee. Blanchard plays no part in the finishing stretch, however, which sees Kana submit to the figure four leg lock. Main Event for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeats Nick Aldis and Randy Orton in 27:50 to win the world title. All three men last until the twenty four minute mark, when Orton rolls Aldis up for a kickout just after three. Aldis argues the toss with the referee, letting Rey get the jump on a distracted Orton. After a few minutes of frantic hold-trading, Rey knocks Orton silly with a springboard dropkick for the three count (which, as with Aldis, is just barely secured). Jeff Jarrett presents the title to Rey before taking a spine buster from the enraged Orton. The shows goes off air with Rey celebrating and Orton being a escorted away by a mob of officials.

I'll be writing up today's Clash tomorrow, since I've got a lot on today.

Second Preview for Clash of the Champions XXXVI: Race for the Gold - 27/01/2019 Main Event for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship Nick Aldis (C) versus Rey Mysterio, Jr. versus Randy Orton ... Standard Singles Match for the NWA Women's World Championship Charlotte Flair versus Kana ... Standard Singles Match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship Cody Rhodes versus Chris Jericho ... Standard Tag Team Match for the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championships Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler versus ??? ... Standard Tag Team Match for the WCW Tag Team Championships Robert Roode & Chad Gable (C) versus Sheamus O'Shaunessy & Claudio Castagnoli ... Standard Singles Match for the WCW Television Championship Tim Storm (C) versus Johnny Mundo ... Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WCW Hardcore Championship Jon Moxley (C) versus James Storm ... Elimination Match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship Samuray del Sol versus Extreme Tiger versus PJ Black versus Prince Devitt versus Buddy Murphy (C)

WCW Saturday Night - 26/01/2019 The show opens with clips from Nitro's main event and the promise that the victor of tonight's main event will join Rey Mysterio in challenging for Nick Aldis' NWA world championship title. Standard Singles James Storm defeats Eric Young in 11:32 to becoming the number one contender for Jon Moxley's hardcore title. Storm and Young are equally wily but the former demonstrates far greater resiliency and pins Young after a super kick. The commentary team uses this match as an opportunity to explain the rules for the hardcore title; if the match can be won by pin and/or submission, then it is automatically considered "falls count anywhere" on top of the usual 'no disqualification' stipulation. Standard Singles Charlotte Flair (with Tessa Blanchard) defeats Konami in 13:57 to proceed to a shot at the women's title tomorrow. This match is a fairly even contest but Flair maintains a slight edge throughout and does not struggle as much as she did with Kagetsu. With Blanchard in Flair's corner, there is considerable speculation amongst the commentators that she might interfere or that Konami's allies might make an appearance but neither comes to pass. In the end, Konami submits to the figure four leg lock. Jim Cornette leaves the commentary booth once this match ends. An interview with Jon Moxley reveals that he is not taking his upcoming title defence very seriously. He jokes around and calls his opponent "washed up". Standard Singles Prince Devitt defeats Extreme Tiger in 26:09. This match starts out as a showcase but devolves into a frantic brawl towards the twenty minute mark, with both men seeming to take the contest far more seriously than either of the cruisers in Monday's match did. The commentators discuss whether or not this will play into the title match. Prince Devitt eventually picks up the decisive victory with a lung blower. Cornette comes onto the entrance with ... Buddy Murphy. He hands the WCW cruiserweight title to him and announces to the crowd that the 'Ring of Honor' wrestler has invoked his right to defend the championship on Sunday. The exhausted Devitt and Tiger nevertheless nod their approval or acceptance at this turn of events. Standard Singles Kana defeats Rachael Ellering in 10:45 to proceed to a shot at the women's title tomorrow. Whereas Flair seemed to struggle with her opponent, Kana dominates her outing. She submits Ellering with her cross face chicken wing. Standard Tag Sheamus O'Shaunessy & Claudio Castagnoli defeat Kofi Kingston & Davey Boy Smith, Jr. in 27:28 to proceed to a match for the tag titles tomorrow. Smith and Kingston pull out all the stops in this slow and stiff contest but fall just short. Kofi is pinned after a super kick from Sheamus. Robert Roode and Chad Gable come out onto the entrance ramp, with the gold around their waists. Roode speaks for the pair. "Congratulations boys, but if you think you just brute force your way past us, you've got another thing coming. See, my partner here is an Olympic athlete I'm the smartest man in this business. You may have the strength, but you have none of the grace. If you knew what was good for your reputation, you wouldn't show up tomorrow. Split up, see how you do in the hardcore division where all that matters is how hard you hit. Just a bit of friendly advice." The champs walk off and their challengers appear to laugh of the words of 'advice'. Main Event Randy Orton defeats Chris Jericho in 13:17 to proceed to the world title match tomorrow. Whilst Jericho gets some offence in every now and then, this is very much Orton's match. He seemed to cut Jericho off at every turn, slowing him down with head locks and chop blocks whenever possible. After a lionsault finds nothing but canvas, Orton locks in an STF and forces him to tap. The show ends with a full rundown of the card for Sunday's 'Clash of the Champions'.

I have no objections. I would also like to add Sting (inactive).

I was also going to give Gargano & Ciampa the Bashams treatment. Very interested to see how the IC and US title pictures shape up post-Rumble.

First Preview for Clash of the Champions XXXVI - 27/01/2019 Main Event for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship Nick Aldis (C) versus Rey Mysterio, Jr. versus ???? ... Standard Singles Match for the WCW Television Championship Tim Storm (C) versus Johnny Mundo ... WCW Tag Team Championship Match Robert Roode & Chad Gable (C) versus ???? ... Elimination Match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship Samuray del Sol versus Extreme Tiger versus PJ Black versus Prince Devitt

WCW Monday Nitro 21/01/2019 The show opens with fireworks as Tony Schiavone welcomes everyone to the return of Monday Nitro. Clips from WCW Saturday Night are shown, which leads into Jim Cornette running down the card, with emphasis placed on the main event and the Flair/Kagetsu match. Standard Tag Team Match Sheamus O'Shaunessy & Claudio Castagnoli defeat Joe Hennig & Taylor Rotunda in 12:47. Sheamus and Claudio debut the tag team name 'The Suisse-Eire Connection' and batter their competition. Hennig puts up a much better fight than Rotunda (who is pinned after a straight jacket power bomb) but his team's share of the offence is limited. Three Way Dance Johnny Mundo defeats Shelton Benjamin and Fred Rosser in 14:58. Victory here grants Mundo a shot against Tim Storm on Sunday. Benjamin eliminates Rosser early but succumbs to a dirty pin. Cornette is very high on Benjamin through out the match and there is significant speculation as to whether he will enter the tag division. A post-match interview with Suisse-Eire reveals that they are extremely confident in their ability to defeat the winner of the Kingston/Smith versus Young/Wolfe match and to take home the titles on Sunday. Women's Match Charlotte Flair defeats Kagetsu in 26:38. After a long slog, Flair eventually forces Kagetsu to submit to the figure four leg lock. Whilst Flair consistently overpowers Kagetsu, she struggles to keep her opponent contained for too long. Kana caused some drama halfway through the match, threatening to interfere, but she was ejected by Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Tessa Blanchard. The commentary focuses on how this match will play into Sunday's Clash, on which the company have promised to crown a women's champion and the women's tag champions. Cruiserweight Exhibition PJ Black defeats Samuray del Sol in 13:21. In a tightly contested match, PJ Black eventually manages to catch Samuray with a roll-up. The two shakes hands after the bout and the commentary team mention that the title's first champion will be crowned in a multi-man match. A post-match interview with Charlotte Flair, flanked by the three women who ejected Kana from her match, she announces that she expects a title shot on Sunday. Blanchard has agreed to withdraw herself from consideration and Rousey & Baszler want to go after the tag titles. "Who else is left? I'll take them all on in one night, if I have to!" Standard Tag Team Match Kofi Kingston & Davey Boy Smith, Jr. defeat Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe in 23:41. The match becomes quite vicious very quickly, as Young and Wolfe consistently abuse the five second rule against Kingston. Smith is the hot tag and the equaliser but Young proves able to pull the match back after an eye poke, if only for a few minutes. Kingston pins Wolfe after a flying crossbody. A ten second vignette plays afterwards, all fog and lightning, with the words written in silver: "Blood Runs Cold" Main Event Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeats Cody Rhodes in 16:07. Rhodes is frustrated throughout the match by Rey's speed advantage and his inability to keep the luchador in a hold for more than a few seconds. The commentary team mention that Rey will face Nick Aldis and either Randy Orton or Chris Jericho on Sunday for the NWA world title. The show caps off with another advert for 'Clash of the Champions XXXVI: Race for the Gold', including graphics for confirmed match-ups.