El-P

TNA paying hommage to Hogan with the sentence "His contributions to this company will never be forgotten" is the most involuntary comical stuff I've heard in the long time. 😂 And so yeah, TNA coming off that "record breaking" Slammiversary with a live Impact show should draw well and be something special right ? Guess what, darkened building that looks half-empty, tons of empty seats visible as soon as there is enough light around. Tepid crowds reaction for everyone except basically Trick Williams, Leon Slater (good for him, should be in AEW), the Hardies and the main event of Joe Hendry (who is as clumsy as ever and honestly looks like he's already way past his overness peak) and Mike Santana. Mara Sadè debuted to complete apathy. And if you don't know who she is either, it's the former Jakara Jackson, so yet another NXT reject getting signed by TNA so she may be able to get back on NXT TV eventually while being paid by another company (well, at least she seemed pretty decent or at the very least with potential, as opposed to Indi Hartwell). All in all, a complete dull-ass, nothing happening show. Carlos Silva is a regular Dixie Carter if he wants to go live 52 weeks a year producing that kinda stuff that makes MLW on Youtube look lively and thinks this can draw 500K viewers on TV. Not sure my morbid curiosity for 2025 TNA will sustain for vey long.

This is one hell of an obit : https://www.thenation.com/article/society/hulk-hogan-racist-liar-scab-obit/

What did he do ? Pro-wrestling existed and was big way before Hulk Hogan. So what did he do ? He was the piece of the puzzled that turned Vince McMahon's company into the big bad wolf of pro-wrestling, with a vision of what it's supposed to be that sucks. Thanks for fucking nothing. Did I discover pro-wrestling because WWF was on French TV ? Yes. Do I *owe* them the fact I'm a lifelong fan ? Fuck no. The thing is, I would have stumbled onto NJPW on Eurosport just a few years later, like I actually did. And considering how I was into Japanese shit at the time, because in France we had anime long before the US and especially since the late 80's, it's a given I would have been hooked by this version anyway. I also *never* was a fan of Hogan. Meaning, when I was 14 years old and was a WWF fan watching Superstars, would barely see him anyway (we're talking 1990, that's when I began watching). And when I finally did, although I loved to finally see the "big star", because at that age that's what you do, I'm sorry to say I thought he kinda sucked. I hated the whole jingoist shit already. I remember watching him beating Taker (which I was a HUGE fan of back then) in three minutes and hating it. Then I had to watch him have a shitty match with Sid at my first Mania after watching fucking Bret vs Roddy and Flair v Savage. Then I had to watch him come back in 93 and ya know what he did at Mania 9. That's my memories of the great Hulk Hogan as a teenager. So, he did jackshit, mostly, in term of personal enjoyment, during my formative years as a fan. I thought he was corny and kinda embarrassing, and his match sucked. That was my teenage take on Hulk Hogan. Wait until the day Vince croaks. Watch for the reactions *then*.

Jetspeed vs FTR fucked. Every week I realize that there's a new match-up with Speedball I want to see in AEW. Ditto Claudio vs Mark. Gotta love how they take advantage of the cool setting. Hopefully this tag tournament ends the Hurt Business's reign. Babyface turn already ? Not the worst idea either. MJF don't need them, really. Don't threaten me with a cash in. I can't. Keep that WWE gimmick out of AEW. Athena vs Toni Storm needs to be a real match. The Forbidden Door build is tricky since it's the G1 so any NJPW involvement is gonna be late, unless it's guys like Despe and Takahashi (and they should be involved).

On the wrestling side, the most hilarious cliché about Hogan was "He works technical in Japan", when he actually was doing one armbar spot in every match, always the same. The fact is he just worked against much better talents and could not just rely on a over-patterned shitty style for "USA USA!" chanting crowds. Hogan was the picture perfect star for the Reagan years : steroid enhanced body, greed is good mentality, praise US imperialism, puritanism and hypocrisy. You can find every bit of this in the "kayfabe" Hulk Hogan character and his wrestling style. A selfish shithead who just took advantage of his status disguised as a hero. Which is why the nWo days where my favorites (and the only time I actually enjoyed him as a performer, really), because that's actually who he was and what he stood for. In storyline, Bobby Heenan was right. He was an asshole, but he was upfront about it. Hogan was a fraud. A fraud in kayfabe, a fraud in life.

I mean, they don't celebrate on X ex Twitter apparently. But Nazi app users don't mind racism.

Getting experience and seasoning in Corgan's NWA ? Sure, he would have learned so much more than going to AEW. 🙃 The guy is just not that great.

Two threads, even for the Huckster, seems a bit much. Can't wait for the revisionist history and the crocodile tears though. Ya know it's gonna come. The irony is that he was last seen in WWE being booed out of the building, on January 6 no less. Whatcha gonna do about that, brutha ?

One of the biggest and most important figure ever (arguably the biggest and most important in US wrestling). Perfect flagship for the Regan era version of pro-wrestling. Average worker overpraised for basic shit. Terrible human being.

Self-gaslighting ? Believing your own bullshit ? They also believe the Danielson treatment was actually a grand genius plan. No you dumbfucks, he got over despite the booking, not thanks to it. But now they think that's how it works to get babyface over. (BTW, how is Sami Zayn doing ? From being the most over guy on the roster to lose matches to Karrion Kross). WWE works like a cult. Fed-pilled fans believe "Mania moments" are real things, which is why they lose their mind when someone like Danielson says winning at Mania 30 did not mean that much to him. When you see how already Fed-pilled someone like Stephanie Vaquer is (that tweet after Evolution was cringe as fuck), I'd say AEW dodged a bullet by not having a chance of getting her. (or she'd had to be used the same way TAFKA Mariah May was) But anywoo, as far as Triple H goes, he was IC champ by late 96. He always was a Vince favorite because he was a body guy and he was smart enough to hang out with the right crew. He's a political animal, has been since day one. (he absolutely was a super hard worker in 95-97, which is the period where I actually was quite a big fan of his) Also, the Attitude Era generation still absolutely believe they are the hottest shit ever. Why you think Goldy got the "no time, show over" treatment ? Because he's still that WCW guy who "beat them" for a short while.

Desperado vs Jun Kasai for the IWGP junior title in a crime scene looking like deathmatch says a whole lot about how things have evolved since 25 years ago when Onita was treated like garbage because of his style. Despe really has been the bridge to the "normalization" (under quotation because it was still a special show, it's not like you'd see that at WK), but Jun Kasai is without a doubt the best deathmatch wrestler ever. I did not realized he was 50 years old either. Match was awesome, easy MOTYC level if you don't mind the bloodletting. And that was one hell of a bloodletting.

My best best is that they had an even biggest urge to do it *because* Trick is the TNA champion.

No post in this thread for more than one year. Ironically the last one being about last years's Triplamania being garbage. Things never change, and the board is sooo dead. Anywoo. CMLL is just so much fun and ridiculously hot.Just watched that Bandido vs Mistico match from last month. Great stuff in a packed house, total dream match. Mistico is 42 and banged up, but he turns it on like he's Terry Funk. Bandido is just on fire right now. The CMLL story is pretty incredible, from being all but dead after Covid to being (not even) arguably the second hottest promotion in the world.

Also, TNA champ (yuck) Trick Williams getting bitched out by old-ass Trump Taker after *that* Slammiversary is fucking hilarious. TNA reddit : "but it's great for TNA, Taker is the biggest star ever, we drew 7K, D'Amore couldn't" 🙃