Kronos

The weirdest bit is not the article itself -- though I have never heard of this guy, and you are right that it comes across like he's Jim Neidhart or something. The weirdest part is the series of comments across the bottom of the piece. Screams WORK to me. Why would an attorney actually post something like that there? It's all bizarre. . .

That cartoon was awesome! Also, I never even go to the ROH boards anymore except for DVD reviews of their shows. All it does is make people into snobby smarks who crap on everything every other promo has done. . .

So, I have been working my way through UFC 85, and it's the first such show I have ever watched. I have tended to avoid MMA because I figured it just devolves into mat brawling, etc. Here's some thoughts, though: 1. Yes, it devolves into mat brawling sometimes. But the rounds are quick, and it's cool to watch the guys work their way out of the holds. 2. I always figured MMA was just so much more violent than wrestling. And it is bloody at times. But truthfully, I think maybe that a UFC match is safer than your typical ROH match. As a rule, no one is getting Jay drilled or package-pile-driven or cop-killered. And no one goes flying onto their heads or knees on the concrete floor outside the ring. The ref even ended a match because it looked too rough. It would appear that safety may be a bigger issue here than in a lot of rasslin. 3. The fights themselves tended to be much more exciting than I would have expected. I think I could get into this stuff. I am going to pick up some of the back shows on DVD, thanks to the detailed guide on this board. They tend to be pretty cheap, even when new. Just thought I would share, since this MMA forum was kinda dead.

Damn, thanks to Will, I have enough Rick Steamboat to last me until Christmas. Life is good. . . Just starting to watch the Bob discs tonight. I am on the Graham/Bob silent 8 mm footage. Some pretty fun stuff. Random babbles b/c I am tired: Bob just missed a drop kick and landed on his arm; I shouldn't wonder if he didn't hurt himself. Graham really does suck, doesn't he? Is this the match which Billy talks about in his book that he was going to fake a knee injury so Bob wouldn't go over as solidly? I think I saw Chuck Connors in the ring before the match. . . The tag with Jumbo and Baba from 1974 was some freaking beautiful footage; however you got your hands on that one, I'll never know. Okay, the Inoki match is now coming on, so I am going to climb into bed and enjoy it before I go to sleep.

Well, that's a good point about it bringing in viewers. I guess I was thinking from a prestige standpoint. I always feel like changing titles on the TV is less prestigious that doing it on PPV. But perhaps that's more from a mark than a business viewpoint. I can't wait to watch this one. I am happy for Punk, and wouldn't I love to see him feud with JBL -- who has become one of my favorites.

On RAW, not PPV? Damn it, what a waste. Kinda like Foley's win back in the day.

Jeez, as if he didn't know that Trish Stratus is the greatest Canadian rassler ever. . .

I agree completely about Graham. I have wanted so badly to like him over the years, and his promos are generally fun (to hear him tell it in his book, he and Dusty basically copied each other's mic styles). But I just can't do it. I usually can't get through his matches before nodding off in boredom. I think we are really hurting for 70's stuff, too. I have a Destroyer comp disc I picked up from IVP, and I also have an Inoki disc IIRC. Might have to include one or two of those matches just for the hell of it. I'll be on those Bob matches soon -- thanks for the suggestions. Right now, I have to finish watching UFC 85 (my first MMA program ever to watch).

Okay, so a couple of us are working on a Favorite/Greatest of All Time comp at Cmax amongst other boards. We took nominations, and we have a pretty hefty list of things that will eventually get voted down to something manageable (like 100 matches or so). It's an unfair premise for several reasons, not least of which is that almost everything nominated is from after 1995 or so. However, we're having a good time gathering the matches, and it will be a really fun comp in the end (I mean, honestly, when will Cheerleader Melissa ever again be on the same comp as Kerry Von Erich or Nick Bockwinkel? -- now, that's just freaking awesome). That said, I've gotten some good suggestions from Will about some places to flesh out the list. Someone seriously missing, though, is Bob Backlund. I have Will's Bob comp now, so I have lots of matches to choose from. If you had to pick one Bob match that was representative of his style and fun to watch, what would you say? I also might like to hear some suggestions about Superstar Graham matches, too. I am thinking of including about 5 of his matches. What do you think?

I tell ya, that Foley will whore himself out to anybody!

Hmm, interesting. I have never seen Arn do it -- will have to watch out for it. I imagine KENTA would not be tributing Arn, though, so he might be doing it for Muta. Good times.

Here's a random ignorant question. [bTW, I feel safe asking ignorant questions on this board, unlike on some. Thanks, guys, for developing that kind of environment!] So, I just got my hands on the 2006 set (Thanks, W! ). On the first disc, you have the spectacular KENTA vs. Marufuji (NOAH 1/22/06). Towards the end, just before the Go-to-Sleep, KENTA does his thumb across his throat in the exact same rather unique motion Benoit always used. Here's my question: Is this motion something he would have taken from Benoit, in tribute? Or perhaps is it something used in Puro, a motion that Benoit learned there? Or is it coincidence, and I am reading too much?

Here's a random thought: Is the Cauliflower Alley event always in Vegas? Can anyone buy a ticket and attend? If so, I might try to go next year, just for the fun of it.

That wouldn't be so bad, now would it? /dirtymindmode

Last night, I was finally catching up on my PPV watching, and I saw most of Backlash 08. Can I just say that the bulk of this show was just plain boring? Okay, I have yet to see it all. But the MPV/Matt match was surprisingly a snoozer, and the Kane/Chavo was even worse. Seriously, Kane has never looked so fat and slow. Maybe he should hang it up? Show/Khali will get a second viewing because I was falling asleep, but I don't hold out hope. The Divas match was actually kinda fun, mostly because Mickie gets to be in-ring a lot. (Truthfully, who else on the Face team can really go? Michelle McCool was actually better than I expected, but still. . .) HBK/Dave started slowly, and I haven't finished it. And I have yet to watch Edge/Taker or the 4-way Main Event. So it may be that things will get better. Anyone have any thoughts on it?

I don't have anything substantive to add here. But this line totally cracked me up!

Yes, though Bubba/Brother/Buh-Buh Ray has never been the superstar that Dusty was in his time.