El-P

The Billy Jack Haynes episode is typically one of not knowing anything more at the end of it, apart from Haynes being a bad person and a lunatic. Watching's Sheik's episode a few days only after Sabu's death was eerie as hell. Even moreso, as I really never watched much of the Sheik apart from the classic Funk's matches in Japan and the infamous and disastrous Onita fire debacle, I really never realized how *similar* Sabu's mannerisms were to his uncle. Very interesting episode, but basically a historical piece as there was nothing that dark about Sheik's story. The Daffney one I looked forward the most, and damn the last part was tough to watch. It's crazy when you think that WWE put her on a fucking developmental deal for 9 months before releasing her. She was easily one of the very few saving grace of late WCW, but she did not have the look to be presented as a barbie doll sex object, so there you go. The TNA story is pretty well known. The Carters really were trash people on how they treated their empl individual contractors. The story about part of the settlement being a thousand dolls is peak TNA bullshit. Cool to hear from Foley, Crowbar, Caleb Conway and Taylor Wilde (too bad she vanished again after her super cool IMPACT comeback a few years back). There is probably a whole lot more that could be said about that story. Next week is also one of the most interesting, if done right. WWE exploiting (and really, promoting) racism : Muhammad Hassan. Let's go.

I highly doubt Cobb got Nakamura circa 2015 money, considering they basically low-balled a high potential young Stephanie Vaquer. Cobb is typically someone you'd think AEW would offer more money too. I mean, whatever, it's not like I'm gonna miss on any more worthwhile Cobb matches. The name change and outfit still reeks of dumb-as-fuck booking (not to mention the laziness of thought process of "hey, another island guy, let's put him in the Bloodline", which not only screams NWO 2000 level creativity but also says a lot about stereotypical roles, still).

Seriously, what the fuck ? I checked the Forbidden Door tickets. Again. I *could* go. But I'm not sure I wanna spend hundreds of euros for a wrestling shows, no matter how great it might be, not even counting the transport and hotel and food and shit in London. I wouldn't mind take some walks in London again, last time I was there was.... eons ago. But fuuuuck this is so ridiculously expensive. I'm guessing in Toronto they will go full Cope/Christian doing something important, like the tag-team championship against FTR.

It's exactly the case, actually. I don't wanna get my hopes up but... Eddie Kingston as a surprise entrant ? Which would make the inclusion of Gabe Kidd even more meaningful ? Also, the inclusion of Willow and Marina is cool as hell. Liked the show overall, but bigger arenas aren't the thing anymore for those weekly TV shows. And some of the segments were clunky as hell, especially the tag-team challenges, between MVP *still* being counterproductive, and none of the teams involved being over in the slightest. Those tag titles are dead in the water, and the Hurt Syndicate don't get anyone over. Cool to have Sky Blue back.

Nah, I'm good. Plus let's be real, if I was to become an admin, the *very first thing* I would do would be to ban one member that should have been banned a few years back but wasn't (don't ask, those you know know. I still have *that* screenshot somewhere though, so there you go). 😎 With that I have zero interest in GWE. Done it twice. First one was fun. It was an era. Second one, less so. I've reach the point where ranking pro-wrestlers is a completely uninteresting idea to me. My list would probably be funny as fuck though and would give any old-schooler brain trauma. As far as the forum goes, the activity it what it is. It's a forum. Forums are dead. It's sad in a way, but it's how it goes. Nothing lasts forever.

I was about to say that only one month ago Cobb looked like his awesome self in NJPW and that apart from body-type he really is nothing like Rhyno (I mean, he's short and stocky and that's about it) and about a billion time the worker, so I have no idea what happened if he looked gassed and stuff (no training in the meantime maybe, or just the classic WWE effect of making pretty much everyone worse unless you're a walking gimmick)... ...but then I saw that he was called JC Mateo. So you have Jeff Cobb, who's a former olympian and a well established name in the business after years in NJPW, and you change his name to... JC Mateo. 😂 Never change WWE.

This. And as much as I was really annoyed at points at the end of last year, and despite the rocky start of this year (few first shows only), basically 2025 is the most fun (and best) AEW has been since 2021 to me. And it is needed even more than before in the current context. Haven't seen Collision yet but I heard about the Zach Gowen angle, which sounds ridiculous and great. Also, I really, REALLY love those funky smaller theatre and shit. THIS is the pro-wrestling I love. Sure, a stadium once a year if doable, why not, likewise the Tokyo Dome is cool and all. But Korakuen Hall, ECW Arena, Hammerstein Ballroom, that venue in London that RevPro runs, this is the true spirit. And Daily's Place of course. Hopefully, one day AEW does those ridiculous Spring Break shows WCW used to run. Someone needs to be thrown in a swimming pool. Or the ocean.

I actually wondered for a minute, because I thought it could have been a joke. Then again, the fact it appeared totally plausible says a lot. Oh anywoo. Well, it's not like there isn't enough to fill this thread every week, and it would indeed have been very low on the totem pole of shittiness. Did I mention about Logan Paul, the MAGA crypto-scammer influencer, getting a world title shot on a "big" TV show ?

This is actually hilarious. (edited. Godamnit @C.S. !)

Enjoy the tradition of lucha libre with Joe Hendry and the Hardy Boys. I wonder if the audience is also supposed to learn English so they can chant "We believe" at Hendry, which is about the only thing about his matches (think "yeeet" and "yeah", only with one more word).

I even made the obligatory "Sabu tried to die because of course" joke. In retrospect, yikes. Janela basically admitting they got Sabu high as a kite to be able to perform and now Lauderdale is pissed at him because "It makes GCW looks bad" is classic old-school carny bullshit. This shit is turning really sour really fast. And yeah, if I'm Sabu's family, I'm considering pressing charges, really.

Wow, this is crazy, considering I was just watching his retirement match during Mania week. Sabu was and remain one of my all-time favorites. There was an intangible quality in Sabu's matches back then in term of producing this unparalleled aura of "controlled" chaos. One of the hardest working wrestler ever for sure, the absolute cult figure of indie wrestling for the tade trading era. No matter what anyone says, whenever a table is broken nowadays, and for the last 30 years : it is Sabu. Not Terry Funk in 89, not some stuff happening in Memphis in the 80's, not the Dudley Boys nor Public Enemy, it is Sabu. He's a guy who probably was his own worst enemy, but he's also someone who really never got the recognition he deserved. THE ECW original. Yeah. His Uncle might have been a huge star, but Sabu's influence on modern wrestling is gigantic. *points to the sky*

I'm sure it did play a role. Things were never the same after 68, and feminism played a part in it, although there was still a long way to go.

I would not say NJPW is in a dark ages period again. It's not even close to being comparable to the early 00's Inoki shit, which is akin to WCW 00's in term of destructive booking and awful product overall. The younger generation is plenty promising. However the global landscape has changed, which makes it a lot more difficult than it was in the 2010's, with so much money that can be made in the US for both foreigners and native workers. But yeah, Takeshita is just way above anyone they have in term of, well, everything. He's easily a top 5 wrestler in the world today, at worst probably top 3. He's charismatic as fuck to boot, he had the credibility. He's absolutely the guy NJPW should build around, that is if he wasn't basically an AEW guy, despite the dual contract. He needs to get that IWGP title reign at one point soon though, and a real, meaningful one too, not just a token "company exchange" reign like Mox last time.

I really wouldn't go that far. There is a before/after 68, but to say traditional masculinity was challenged in mainstream culture to this extent, not really. There had been changes thanks to the wave of feminist movement that went alongside 68, but I don't think it shook society that much on the regard of pop culture. Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo's movies were still super popular in the 70's. However, as far as society as a whole, and especially in term of media, there is quite a difference between the 60's and the 70's, and mostly after 1974 when Giscard d'Estaing became president. As absurd as it may seem now, Giscard's vision was one of a modernized country. He's the one who killed off the old ORTF system which had been very much a vestige of the old pompidolian France which was seen as so boring, hasbeen and passé by then. The catch culture on TV was very much a product of the post-war De Gaulle/Pompidou era. Giscard was much younger, he was much more progressive on social issues (although still a man from the right, but not the same as the previous generation) and France changed quite a bit in the second half of the 70's.

Both Dontaku shows had some really good highlights. Was really cool having Tanahashi vs ZSJ one last time. Naito's exit from NJPW was the most Naito thing ever. Like, yeah, whatever, I'm gone now. Meanwhile, Good Brothers are back. Again. With that connection I fully expect them showing up in AEW eventually (I mean, they most probably are tagging with the Young Bucks at Resurgence). It's kinda like a never-ending joke at this point.

They are overconfident because they have idiot proof money. Thekla to AEW ! I'll gladly have more of the cool Austrian spider-lady. Good signing.

A week behind on things. Damnit Kyle Fletcher vs Hangman Page was ridiculous. It took a while, but I thoroughly enjoy the MJF/Hurt Syndicate segments now. No idea where this goes in term of matches though. And the tag titles are still dead in the water. Toni Storm has reached one hell of a status. I saw the "I'm here and I'm queer" promo from Collision. Quite the statement too.

People previously cut by WWE being back heating up WWE TV while under TNA contracts is hilariously pathetic. 😂

And now Meltzer says it's actually a new WWE contract. Yeah, after cutting a bunch of people (lots of women) and one (bullshit) defense being "they made place for new talent", getting this rapist and woman abuser under contract is amazingly shitty. WWE be like. (wonder if Saraya regrets asking for, and getting, her AEW release)

Would be hilarious though if the "defense" of the company would be "Well, AAA signed Alberto to a contract, and since we bought the company we are supposed to honor these contracts"... Oh, the irony.

Apparently it's more vague than this. WWE doesn't really own AAA yet, so all of this is kinda blurry. Luchablog also reported that he had divergent infos about these (and other people not mentioned supposedly under contract). Well, AAA business be like AAA business still. I would expect no less from WWE, AAA and Konnan. But they announced the acquisition already. Don't tell me they are not controlling the promotion. If they don't have him drop the belt tomorrow and get the fuck away, it's as good as WWE keeping a rapist at the top of their Mexican brand to me. Psycho Clown is typically not under contract. Yes, he was the most popular AAA wrestler. Had not work a decent match in years from what I'd seen when I still checked AAA's big shows, but kids loved him. The Joe Hendry of AAA, or something...

Immediately thought about that. Yeah, that's never a good feeling to give. Also, are you telling me Nanae Takahashi is actually still an egotistical old fucker ? I will pretend to be shocked. When I saw Mayu's fist match was Nanae, I went like "Yeah, hard pass". Glad to you she's still have passion for putting over no one for real, even months shy of retiring. They could not even sell out Korakuen Hall for this. Marigold ain't taking over Stardom. Not happening. How long before Levesque reveals they bought Marigold and that he loves the tradition of women's japanese pro-wrestling ?

So, between Riley Osbourne alluding to the fact he was not medically cleared, Cora Jade alluding to the fact she was body shamed by "bosses, co-workers and fans", yeah, business as usual. But the really batshit news of the day, if confirmed true, is the list of AAA people under WWE contract, per Superluchas. Which contains : Alberto del Rio. Holy fuck. Really ? Also, La Hiedra is in the list. I believe she's a sister in Law of Cuatrero, and Stephanie Vaquer has a restraining order against her. After cutting a bunch of women, nothing better than to put a rapist/woman abuser under contract, alongside someone who harassed a victime of feminicide attempt. WWE, Now, Then. Forever.

I kinda like the trios title. But yeah, hopefully they do unite the Continental and International title. I don't even remember which one is which. It's honestly not even needed anyway, but the TBS title has been a secondary title for ever now, so I guess it's like the old NJPW hierarchy of IWGP and Intercontinental titles as major ones and the rest is midcard stuff. The ROH titles are absurd. They just added a Women pure title. They are like 6 regular women in ROH (that aren't JTTS) for 3 titles. But yeah, a women tag title that is meaningful, big time emphasis on the term, would be a welcome addition while you trim down some other belts. On the front of more good news, a residency at the ECW Arena is cool as hell.