strobogo

Petition to rename the Muta Scale to the Toni Scale. Also lmao this storyline with all the references to 30s 40s classics including Ben Mankiewicz doing multiple appearances during it ending up in a Bloodsport reference.

Lol that 2K25's story mode frequently makes references to AEW. Examples: If you chose to be from a "rival company", they'll show you in the 2Kverse NJPW, but the first wrestler you meet is catching up with Jade from where you worked together, the next wrestler you meet is Punk saying similar things about having worked together before you got to WWE, and a whole lot of the story is talking about Punk as brittle and locker room cancer everywhere he goes.

I think it's going to be hard for crowds to turn on Cody with all these kind of videos they put out even if it is mostly or only online where he connects to all the 70s/80s/90s guys everyone his age and younger grew up with but has that direct connection with Dusty and it feels authentic even if shmaltzy.

It wasn't fresh. Only in the context of pro wrestling. In all other forms of entertainment, it was not even B movie (which many of my favorite movies are B movies), but like Neil Breen tier movies. But combined it's the worst of pro wrestling corn and bad C movies into one very bad package.

With distance from the pandemic and original Hardys stuff, surely we can all agree that the cinematic matches are the worst versions of entertainment from both pro wrestling and b movie shit

It's probably not that deep, just the same idea as westerns and super hero movies being the top genre for decades at a time. Easy and familiar and most mass appeal.

It's hilarious that these exact arguments have been made in fan mags and Usenet for 60 years.

Imagine watching that segment and thinking it means nothing. What world are you guys in?

Yeah men's match sucked, non stop worst punches you've ever seen from 6 men who are supposed to be professionals at making stuff not look super phony.

That was certainly an unexpected twist. I wish there was a way to get Austin involved and some kind of Cena/Rock vs Cody/Austin segment.

Women's chamber ruled. Not sure what the discussion was before hand that all agreed to just beat the shit out of each other. I don't think I've ever seen a womens match that stiff in WWE before.

They've done multiple shows there for the past couple of years and all were insane crowds, I'm sure it won't be much of an issue, especially when they get the Sami/KO match that will almost assuredly be the closest version to 2010 Generico/Steen match they can get at 40.

Surely Ricky Starks debuting in NXT to feud with another former AEW guy where they can frequently allude to AEW but not actually mention AEW, and then his actual debut being a tag match with two low card guys is not what he was expecting getting out of his AEW contract. Just debuting someone like that on NXT now already feels like the ceiling is visible. Compare to MCMG or Penta, although even for them, Penta is already doing Main Event and feuding with not even IC/US title guys so who knows. Grass is greener and all that. I'm sure he's going to get more money at least but who knows how long he'll be happy with his position and how that will go for his career. Just looking at how NXT treats things, it might be a bigger deal if he went to TNA and then was part of the TNA/NXT crossover than just popping into NXT.

Fascinating that both Steen and Generico have had a 10+ year WWE run and both are some how able to capture the absolute best of Mick Foley promo/character/bumps but also still do the 10s/20s indie style. Bunch of the early ROH guys got big pushes over the years, but those two specifically have such a direct analog despite being very different not only from Foley but also each other. These two are going to be much more beloved over the years than Seth Rollins for sure.

Not interested in WWE TV or even PPVs mostly, but the decades of context between actual corporate Rock trying to get Cody Rhodes to be the Corporate Champ is a very intriguing situation. Even before this segment, my thought since the Rumble was they have to have Cena beat Cody at WM and set off a just as big heel run for him, and after this, if they don't do something like that water we dune here.

Most of that is correct. Tonga Kid is also known as Tama of the Islanders, also known as the Samoan Savage in WCW with the Samoan Swat Team of Samu and Fatu, who would go on WWE as the Headshrinkers. Tama is also Fatu's twin. Fatu ends up as Rikishi and in the HOF and father of the Usos. Tama is the father of Jacob Fatu. Only Rikishi is in the HOF I'm pretty sure. Samu had some low card solo runs under a couple of names in just about everywhere in the territory era in the early to mid 80s before RIkishi Fatu joined him as next gen Wild Samoans. Cagematch says actually the first run of Samu/Fatu was in 1986 NJ where both were under legacy names (Tonga Kid and Wild Samoan).

2k25 is going to have The Islanders in it, and I don't think Haku is in yet.

Hidden Blade Winged Angel is such a perfect 90s Japan combo finisher lmao

The family ghosting Vince but supporting Linda in her new role in the fascist regime. So brave. HHH spitting water all over the halls of congress is 1/6 tier psychic damage visual.

I've only followed the Harley Cameron thing peripherally on social media, but I say strap her up Saturday. This is the era of feel good wrestling moments, Cameron beating Mercades for the belt in Australia would be a huge feel good moment.

As far as Miro goes, the best of his AEW run was the best he's ever been and presented. I do not think any wrestling thing is on deck for him. He will almost assuredly get into the silent heavy in whatever John Wick-esque movies for years. I think he might be in the A version of movies in that genre and not the streaming version or DTV that so many wrestlers of the past 15 years. Miro could be a heavy in a Fast and Furious movie for sure. I do not see him wrestling ever again. Mr. Black is also very obviously going to be a lateral movement like Andrade with the only upside being probably over paid and maybe merch money.

I feel like guy could be a pretty big star and has the relationship with the QB of the era, but also can very easily see him peaking at IC/US level, which is probably pretty fucking good for 90% of people to get into wrestling. His hit and long absences in his AEW either could be TK issues, or issues with him not wanting to do what is asked of him or thinking shit given to him sucks. In WWE, if those absences are due to him saying fuck off, that will not fly long and they will not cater to him in such situations. I would say avoid NXT entirely. He doesn't need it, and the difference between indie/international star debuting in NXT vs directly to Raw/SD is still a real perspective thing. Wish the best for him. Hope he does well. Not aware enough of backstage machinations to know what his issues with TK/AEW has been for a while. Just pop the guy on Raw or Smackdown with a couple of weeks of hype and treat him like a huge deal like MCMG/Penta and the crowds will buy in unless he completely shits the bed. Hasn't been an easier era to debut in WWE as a star from somewhere else since the 80s, imo.

With Ricky Starks gone and very surely WWE bound, how long does the honeymoon phase last for him? For instance, Penta is already on Main Event despite a pretty strong push and hype.

Had that HBK 2005 Montreal promo pop up and lol at the heat and trolling, but also lol that in 2025 HBK in Montreal would get a hero's welcome and Hogan would get a house of boos. But also imagine a timeline where Bret actually did come out and just beat HBK's ass that night.

I kind of agree with it sucks to come here and have to constantly read about US politics stuff, but living in the US, every single human that isn't a billionaire should be furious 24/7. And it just happens that there is one specific company that is the hottest company in the world and biggest company to ever exist that has quite direct and explicit connections to the thing that should be making everyone in the US furious 24/7. Pretty fucking hard to avoid. Can't ignore it or put your head in the sand to enjoy your hobbies in a time like this, when there is an extreme amount of documented evidence of what governments trying to set up what the US appears to be trying to set up does just over the past 100 years, not even including history before that. "I just wanna enjoy my wrassles" is gonna be some bullshit for a while when the top company is directly connected to Trump and the current admin and also KSA (to the point of having Riyadh season logos on the mat for Raw). Not that I think WWE is going to do a full MAGA agenda anytime soon, but it is something that they erased Hogan for a few years but never removed Trump from the HOF website or footage even after J6.