Ray

Midnight Express

Rock & Roll Express

Midnight Express

Rock & Roll Express

Steiners

I don't think Mick Foley was very good at taking normal wrestling bumps. He just didn't have the athleticism. Willingness to take crazy bumps is not my top criteria for being a great bumper.

Midnight Express

Midnight Express

Midnight Express

Midnight Express

In the second half, yes. Once they get past the matwork at the start it's great. The opening with boring, clumsy matwork did not click at all and made no sense for the situation. Austin despised Bret and talked about kicking his ass. He didn't do that. Instead he tried to work holds and the result was ugly. I certainly wouldn't. Mania 13 is a vastly more dramatic match and they get things right from minute one, unlike SSeries, which takes a long time to get going. It baffles me that anyone would choose SSeries over Mania. I didn't say that and that's certainly not what I meant. No offense, but you couldn't be *more* wrong on this. In 1996 "Stone Cold" was a violent psychopathic heel. A total loner who didn't give a shit about anyone. In 1998 he was a beer-drinking redneck rebel babyface who sang along with the crowd. VERY different characters. It has nothing to do with laziness or doing what's expected. He stopped doing matwork because he didn't need to because he became a better storyteller and focused on that. When I watch Austin-Rock from Mania 17, I don't think "Man, why doesn't this have more MATWORK~!" Do you not see the difference between working with Bret Hart - in ANY type of match - and working with Kane? Even when matwork is the exact opposite of what a character should do?

Most of the Austin-Steamboat matches are "good" at best, and Austin looked *awful* when he tried to hang with Bret on the mat at the start of the Survivor Series match. How can you say that? He was tough-as-nails redneck rebel. His style had to change to reflect that. A badass rebels doesn't try to win mat contests, he opens a can of whoop ass on you. His style changed for the better, with more focus on character/story and less on attempts to work holds. His *matches* in 1997 may have been better than his matches in 1998, but that's because he wasn't working with BRET HART anymore, not because his style worsened.

People always focus on Austin's injury as the sole reason for his change in ring style, but it's really not true. A lot of the change was related to his character, his status in the promotion, and the type of opponents he faced. In 1998 Austin became the undisputed top babyface and a mega-draw. How did he do that? By playing a tough-as-hell badass redneck brawler. Why would such a character do matwork? People weren't paying to see him work headlock counters, they were paying to see him kick ass and raise hell. In 1997 he's working with Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Owen Hart. In 1998 he's working with Undertaker, Kane, Mick Foley, and a green Rock. Not exactly the type to work that style. And Austin did not excell at matwork. I'm one of Austin's biggest fans, but I have no idea how this idea got started or why it perpetuates. He was basically average, and I can't think of many matches where he looked any better than "good" on the mat. Honestly - I'm not saying the injury was a good thing - but one could almost say the change in style forced him to become a better storyteller and focus more on characterization than physical work, which is a good thing for someone who was physically limited even before the neck injury.

Midnight Express

Rock & Roll Express

Steiners

Arn & Tully

Midnight Express

Booker T I agree with Loss' comments on how he's been booked so poorly. I'm not his biggest fan, but he's a solid wrestler who knows his way around the ring. I saw him pull a watchable five minute match out of Heidenreich of all people. Tito Santana I haven't really seen enough to make a judgement. Jun Akiyama Like everyone I loved him in mid-90's AJPW. Awesome at playing his role in all those tags with Misawa. He can still have a great match when he wants. Necro Butcher Fun gargage wrestler. It's not my style, but I enjoyed his matches with Mr Insanity and Samoa Joe. Hulk Hogan Honestly, one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. He was never great or even close to it, but the amount of sheer hatred his ringwork gets is absurd. He knew what he was doing in that ring and he'll probably never get any credit for it. He could tell basic (but still engaging) stories, he was great with timing (especially on comebacks), and he's one of the best ever at working a crowd. And one more thing that just popped into my head - people bash Hogan for being "too cartoony." Why is that such a bad thing? I'm a film fan. The other day I watched Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal." Then I watched "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle." And I enjoyed both. Applying the same logic to wrestling - is it not possible to enjoy both serious, intelligent wrestling (such as Misawa vs Kawada) and cartoony fun wrestling (such as Hogan vs Warrior) ? Variety is a good thing. Mike Awesome Already been said - great for heavyweight spotfests. Kyoko Inoue Fuerza Guerrera Haven't seen enough of either to make a judgement. The Rock Same thing I said about Hogan, only moreso. I think Rob Edwards said it - he's the ultimate version of Hogan. Rock knows far more about working matches than people ever give him credit for. The guy also brings an unparalleled level of energy and excitement to his matches. Just a shame he's so sloppy with his moves. Edge I like him. Basically the modern definition of a carriable wrestler. Put him with someone below h9im and you'll get nothing. Put him with Benoit/Eddie/Mysterio/Angle/Michaels and it's easy to get a very good match out of it.

Indeed. I mean, how many times have we seen that fake "Oh my god, Flair's turing on HHH!!!!.....oh wait he's not, it's a swerve" storyline? I don't think Flair has enough left to really do a feud, but it's something fans have clearly wanted for a long time, and every time they screw over fans with the swerve they decrease interest and potential to draw money. Sometimes I wonder how this promotion still exists. Anyway, the less HHH the better.

The idea that Misawa, Kawada, and Kobashi aren't good anymore is nonsense. They're still great when they want to be, and I don't doubt for a second that they could have great matches on this show. What in the hell are you talking about? Kobashi when he was ten years younger was worshipped as one of the best in the world.

Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard

Midnight Express

I think 'spotmonkeys' is a bit harsh, but I'm with Loss - The Rockers.

Rock & Roll Express