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Everything posted by strobogo
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I would compare the pre-post LIJ Naito to pre-post CMLL run for Nakamura, but not quite as extreme. Pre LIJ Naito probably had a better resume of more exciting matches than pre coke Nak, but he was a similar quite dry good wrestler guy but with more focus on speedy spots/flying stuff as opposed to old strong style stuff. If you're really into 2015-2016 Naito, idk what to suggest for his prior stuff as that was the biggest year of change in his style and then he slowly blended his old style with the new style as he got more popular with audiences again.
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I think he suffers from the WWE style and booking/traveling style where he's working a whole lot more than he was in TNA/NJ and so he just can't go put on 5 star matches constantly. The pre-COVID WWE schedule was basically like going through the G1 every month, year round. And even during the G1, guys have a bunch of tags and breather matches built into their blocks. I think he's been about as consistently very good against everyone in all situations as anyone in WWE in the past 10+ years, basically being in the same consistency tier as only Bryan, Sasha, and New Day as a unit in the same time frame. I would agree that he doesn't have a big list of classics in WWE that he should, but neither do a lot of other top tier great workers like Joe/Nakamura/KENTA/Owens/Zayn etc so you have to take the WWE handicap into consideration in something like that, as well as realizing AJ didn't come to WWE until he was nearly 40 and Vince didn't even think people would know who he was. He's a dude who immediately fit into the WWE puzzle and it seemed like he'd been there for 10 years within a few months, a complete utility player who can be trusted to do ANYTHING with ANYONE and get it over, make the other guys involved look good, sell it on his promos (which was long the biggest knock against him, but he's probably a top 5 promo guy in WWE his whole run). I can't think of another guy they have besides Bryan that they can put in the headlining main events of huge shows, mid card title matches with young guys, working with legends, being a stoogy borderline comedy heel, being a sadistic heel, being a 100% white meat baby face both in an underdog role and best in the world role often at the same time. There's always the comparisons with HBK and you know, HBK also some feuds and matches that should have been much better than they were (like almost the entirety of his face run in 1996 for instance) that people don't seem to hold against him.
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I don't think his matches against PAC were anything to go on either guy's resumes, the Page match was a let down after the what....year of build to some kind of confrontation and it was a one and done good G1 tier match instead of what should have been promotion/character defining for Page but there was no follow up either. Fenix has been handled so poorly in AEW it's insane. Can't say much about the TNA run as I've only seen the first 6 man tag a few months ago and then completely lost interest in the whole TNA/AEW thing that seems like it's almost entirely Don Callis securing the bag for himself after his TNA contract is up and getting Gallows and Anderson back with Kenny, which I resent because Gallows is just the worst. What I've seen with Kenny in AEW is a guy who doesn't seem nearly as motivated (even pre-COVID) in his own company as he did wrestling in Japan, some of which seemed to be character and some of which did not, and a guy who really needs a higher caliber of opponent to kick into that next gear than what AEW has provided for him thus far.
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I think AEW is probably going to hurt him as it's a lot easier to look like the best in the world when headlining with on top of their game Okada/Ishii/Naito instead of weekly American TV matches. Other than the Bucks vs Omega/Page tag which wildly exceeded expectations, everything he's done since moving to AEW has been a let down, imo. Even when working against some top talent. Maybe especially against them. I've only seen brief glimpses of Big Match Kenny that was setting NJ and the internet on fire in 2016-2018, which seems now pretty clear to me to be just as much the specific opponents he was working with as it was him during that period. If that goes on for another couple of years, well...
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In theory, Okada should probably be in or entering his prime by the time the next GWE comes around and it's probably going to be up to Gedo's booking where he ends up.
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Nak is a real snoozer before he discovered coke in Mexico. Almost like a satire of serious boring puro from the era.
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Few people in the wrestling world I want to hear less from than Chris Jericho these days. Would be a lot more interested if they had Cody/Kenny/Tony on.
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Joe's WWE run has been so frustrating. Besides all the injuries at the worst times, his revival was so huge compared to where he was from probably 2009-2015 where he was just completely out of shape, motivation, and passion, to the years too late jump to WWE and then.....he's doing incredible work but none of the matches really matched the level at which he was working. Be it with Balor, Nakamura, AJ, Roman, Rollins, Zayn. I can't figure out what the deal was, but nothing ever seemed to ramp up no matter how good Joe's work individually was in any given match.
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Joey Janela is probably the first guy I'd cut because god he fucking sucks at everything. Shitty in the ring, shitty at promos, shitty look, shitty body, shitty everything. The only thing of value he offers is he'll do crazy bumps, but so will 90% of the roster who are also athletic and better at wrestling and/or promos. I'd then cut Billy Gunn's sons because they're annoying as fuck and it's like a nightmare team of Mr. Ass and Rockabilly eras. After that there's a 50 guys I've never even seen in action because they're only on Dark so I'd have to actually see them before I could make judgements on their value and quality.
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Sasha has been the best talent in WWE outside of a few stretches where Bryan/AJ/Ali took over since late 2014. She should have already been on her second or third WM main event. Great to see her get her spot and do it with a star making performance. Everyone's best matches are with Sasha, especially in a big match setting. I hope they do a rematch at Summerslam because they have a unique chemistry and can do some stuff together I don't think they can do with anyone else and I'd like to see more of it.
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Had some Brock at 19 flashbacks when she hitched on the ropes before the 450
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The crowd is much smaller than it looks on TV. Everything past the lower bowl/floor seats are cardboard cutouts. It's also been raining off and on most of the show, and there's also been piped in noise from time to time.
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Already multiple cool as fuck spots in this. Waiting for Banks Statement with Bianca's hair wrapped around her neck/face
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The list of people who have done the Canadian Destroyer over the past couple of years: Bad Bunny David Arquette Ricky Morton Buff Bagwell
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Alright it's after 11 let's wrap this up and get to the main event please
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I think Austin can come out as long as he wants since he didn't have years of embarrassing himself and ruining his legacy. He also still looks like Stone Cold and not a fat old hobbled sad guy. In fact he probably looks better now than he has in 10 years.
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Lmao I like Mandy, she seems like a goofy soccer mom at heart
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Disagree, this has been fine and on par with WMs of the past few years imo. Definitely better than all but the first Saudi show which was the better WM that year.
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Every day we stray farther from Vince Sr.'s light
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Shane also out mat wrestled Kurt in a couple of exchanges in 2001
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All I can hope for is Shane's insane bump is the way to write him off TV for good.
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Am I mistaken or is this Shane/Braun angle the same storyline as Shane vs Big Show some 20 years ago?