Robert S

I could make a joke about boxing being mostly a work anyway but in seriousness, in martial arts usually exhibitions are an important part of the sport. For example I did Judo as a kid, and there when we presented our sport in front of our parents, at fairs etc. we did technical displays of the whole group on the one hand, but on the other hand there often were one or two worked matches between some of the top students. They usually got instructions like "do a nice technical match showing some cool stuff and decide among yourselves who is going over". BTW: audience-wise the biggest tournament of the year was the club tournament because there usually the parents of all children were there. They mostly reacted respectfully clapping for the victors etc., but a couple of times a night a big throw popped the audience. I managed to get that big pop twice, once for a Harai Goshi (my favorite throw, actually, that always worked perfectly against lesser experienced kids who reacted on attack attempts by simply trying to block), the other time for an Osoto Guruma (where I got Rock Bottom-like height).

I am still on the fence regarding going to the show. Flights still are pretty cheap (roundtrips are in the 120 to 170 Euro range), and there still seem to be decent but affordable tickets available. The date itself would also be fine (I have vacation the week before and the one after). Thing only is, I am lazy. ;-) (also, I suppose London in August is not the best time for tourist stuff)

Not that I don't agree that WWE will very likely not run Wrestlemania outside of North America (or at least not in Europe, the Saudis might be crazy enough to spend nine-figures on a Mania) within the next 10 years, but they went public 24 years ago and have done A LOT of things where bragging rights went over making money (the whole booking of the Invasion, for one). Endeavor taking over should change things, obviously.

You have a guy who is known for having a gambling problem jobbing in a promotion where a significant portion of the audience probably was missing a pinky, what's so weird about that?

Luger did a single TNA match (teaming with Jarrett against Sting & AJ Styles in 2003)

I wanted to write Akebono but apparently he did a squash before Mania (against Fast Eddie Vegas of all people) and a houseshow in Japan a couple of months later.

I didn't expect to hear Boney M. tonight.

Who booked this shit? A turn in the middle of the match without any dissension between the partners in the match until that point is bs.

Some of the usual front-row camera-huggers made it across the pond. At least green-shirt Ellsworth guy and Mr. TNT are there.

AFAIR they actually translated that joke 1:1, though obviously it did not make that much sense (without reading the tattoo in English, of course).

Big enough, though as I don't remember that specific scene I assume that during the translation process the joke was changed drastically.

Trying to shoot / stab / ... someone will still get you thrown in jail.

So he will be back just in time for Wembley.

Disregarding why Jungle Boy should get the shot, this is also on paper a bad match-up stylistically.

Canek's mask would also be in that league, I would think. Dos Caras maybe a step below that, I guess? How would Mistico/Caristico rank?

More like "peak Shah shittiness" considering he moved to the US in the late 60ies (I think).

As we Austrians like to say: Beethoven was Austrian and Hitler was German.

I think the closest counterpart to the Holy Roman Empire in pro wrestling was the NWA. Either that or you find a three letter promotion where all three letters are wrong (as the Holy Roman Empire was, as the saying goes (apparently initially by Voltaire), neither holy nor Roman nor an empire).

Or they should stop doing 4 hour shows.

Can someone explain to me what they see in Wardlow? He sucks in the ring, is not that big (at least not very tall) and is average at best on the mic. AA "biting" off Luchasaurus thumb was about as dumb as Rey "losing" his eye a couple of years ago. I could have also done without the TNA special at the end of the tag title match. Two refs getting bumped with gimmick shots without a DQ, a manager trying to physically prevent a ref from entering the ring, people getting thrown out of the arena without leaving etc.

I know a song from Beck that would be a perfect entrance theme for Cody...

Hmm... I thought this was going to be a Dusty finish, but I guess the title change stands.

Trish should tone down the spots she is doing as she can't hit most of them anymore.

There are other guys who are always at the same spot in the first row, for example for a year or so there is a guy with a Trinidad & Tobago flag. I would not be surprised if the front row is pretty much locked with the other people just not being that recognizable.

Gotcha, I am just allergic to all those oil / blood money fueled nouveau-riche clubs and react negatively anytime I read anything positive about them.