El-P

DA FUCK ?!! Cody @ Mania rumors in 5... 4... 3... Seriously, this is some pretty big news. So, the rumors of EVP's not sharing the same visions anymore really were true.

Austin is 57. (when WWF deemed Hogan and Savage too old to be stars in the mid 90's they were 41 and 42) At this rate, when I'm 65 if I live that long, Roman Reigns is gonna main event Mania.

Next inductee : Samoa Joe. Of course.

I haven't listened to a Conrad podcast regularly in years, and I don't even remember when was my last attempt at Brucie's. But this prompted me to try Jeffrey's, as really, let's be honest, I've pretty much been a Jarrett fan from day one and still maintained a soft spot for him even at his worst (the Russo WCW stint was rough though) and the guy has a fascinating career. I've listened to the WWF 95 stuff, and I'm glad I did. Pretty much what you said, and Jeff is indeed pretty charming. Gonna keep on diving into this, as of course the TNA stuff interests me a lot too. Really good stuff.

Pretty much. True, but the comparison also doesn't really mean much because of the difference in contexts. NJPW was heavy on multimen matches that mattered then (as opposed to now, sadly), whereas Bret always worked in a context where multimen matches really did not happen very much. It reminds me of the argument of worker X (usually Rey) from 00's and 10's WWE being the best TV worker ever. Well, of course he is, because WWE was super heavy on putting on good TV matches (in a very patterned style which was conducive to have those) during a time where they had shitloads of TV programming to fill, nothing was easier than being the best TV worker in that context for a really good worker (not naming anyone specific here), but what does it really says in the grand scheme of things when comparing peak work ? It is tricky. Bret worked at a time where WWE was not structured that way, therefore he could not be the best WWE TV worker, simply because of the context. Which is probably why I tend to lean more toward the peak work. Getting back to Fuji vs Bret, if I only take in account the straight output in term of numbers of very good + matches, I'm probably sure Fuji takes it, but if I look at the peaks, factoring many elements, I would take Bret (which I did). I had not seen it, but if you believe Wiki, when Bret introduced Fujinami at the WWE HOF, he said he always wanted to be the great worker Fujinami was. From one to another, nice. Yeah, Bret back in WWE working against the younger generation or in TNA (I mean, why not) against the Styles and the Joes and Daniels of the world would certainly have been quite interesting and produced some excellent stuff. Fuck Goldberg for robbing pro-wrestling of those years.

So, WWE doesn't want anyone with indy experience, because being a pro-wrestler is not a good thing to become a WWE Superstar (and influencing the world). Meanwhile... See you in 10 years...

Against a salty Charlotte, no less.

Ronda Rousey, the comeback no one actually wanted to see. (and I say this as having loved her first stint) Seriously, she couldn't seem to give less of a fuck. (I know people are gonna and are already putting the blame 100% on Charlotte, but let's be honest, what the fuck was Rousey doing here ?)

A total embarrassment for everyone involved. Sometime it's hard to watch *any* kind of entertainment when you realize most of these people are complete corporate braindead dumb fucks. Not to mention idiotic fans going along with it. Some of this thread is funny as fuck though :

Yeah, I thought that was hilariously stiff ! Those aliens just have no filter.

I guess this is the weekly AEW thread now. Crazy how the Bucks and Roppongi Vice can have seemingly a great match in their sleep. Paying close attention to the Bucks is always fascinating in how they are masters of pretty much every aspect of their game, from the way to occupy space, the little detail selling, the spot to troll the crowd and of course the actual working of complex sequences without missing a beat (Nick Jackson is legit one of the greatest flyer ever not only in term of what and how he does it, but how he works the set-up spots). Just a pleasure to watch. Rocky Romero has to be one of the most underrated worker of the last 20 years too. Hook is the rookie of the year, not even close. Clearly going Thunder Rosa vs Baker at the PPV. Time for Baker to do the J.O.B. Gotta love the Gunn Club total Shawn Micheals's 1992 tribute outfits. They are competent workers, Austin in particular could be more in time. Very good match because Jungle Boy is just that good and Luchasaurus shines in tag, this is really the perfect setting for him. No one believed the Gunn could win the belts though, so Colten "NXT face", as they say, really came off goofy, this stuff only works well when you actually get a very credible false finish or at least very strong near-fall. Still, enjoyable main event to build up the champs even more before facing some high end tag teams. Darby vs Sammy on Dynamite next week is a helluva strong match. Does that mean we get Andrade vs one of them at the PPV (either non title or title, as I don't see Sammy losing the title anytime soon again) ?

Yeah, Jade busting out the Cobb finisher out of nowhere had me pop big time. Obviously she could do it because the other girl was super light, but still impressive.

Yes. There's no muslim woman in Saudi Arabia that the young girls are looking up to in term of fighting for women's rights. Which is why they cry when they see powerful and free American WWE female Superstars and chant "This is hope" in unisson. This is why Lita is going and is proud to go too... You know Stephy invented feminism in the Middle-East, right ?

I have no idea how it's even a debate that Keith Lee did look heavier than he was before and that it's better at his age and considering his style and the fact he got COVID to lose some weight eventually. Of course idiots on Twitter already are calling "body shaming", because that's what idiots on Twitter do. Actually, it's not. Keith Lee got over by being Keith Lee aka a big guy who was doing some really athletic stuff. Not saying he should not adapt his game if his body his betraying him, especially in a company where so many guys can make him look good, but there are already big dudes who slam fools around (Miro, Wardlow, Archer, Hobbs). Turning Keith Lee into Mark Henry (hi JR!) is just not what is expected out of him, especially since it's basically what WWE tried to do to him, forcing him into being someone else. Sure, he's got tons of charisma too and will have the benefit of a rather long honeymoon period I think. But if he doesn't deliver in the ring when someone is not bumping like a freak like Cassidy did (that alone should assure him of a new contract), things may get tricky in the long run. Look at Ruby Soho. Got huge pop when she debuted, looked like a total star. But she really has not delivered in matches, now she doesn't look half as hot as when she started. Keith Lee may be a huge star for AEW, but there are some questions (like the work-ethic of Andrade was questioned at times). Raising them shouldn't be an issue. Loved the debut, glad he's there, hoping for the best.

Lita's intellectual gymnastic to rationalize the fact she's going to work the Saudi shows a few years after criticizing WWE for going there (reminder : she said in 2018 that the PR was hypocritical and that it was all about the money, and saying it's to move the culture forward was just a cover up) is quite something. So now it's about women empowerment and bullshit like this (gotta love the very colonialist idea of women over there crying because OMG those American women are so strong and show us the way). Of course it is, *now* it's for the culture, ya see, because there are women on the card so it changes everything. I'd rather have people just admit "Yeah, it's business, everybody does it.", really... It's less offensive than bullshit rationalizations and hypocritical takes galore.

It was. Not to mention he was just thrown in there at the last moment to have an actual Forbidden Door appearance.

Damn, he was only 45. He WOULD be a youngster in today's WWE !

True, especially considering what style Keith Lee works (or used to work, Meltz is spot on when he says Lee needs to drop some weight, Cassidy indeed made him godlike today but Lee's style is all about being really athletic for a big guy). That being said, I'm pretty sure some Twitter idiots would have called JR racist if he had done it, because how dare you compare Keith Lee to a white guy and all (when in fact)... Really though, to me it was almost a "Carlos Colon being called a youngster" moment.

I was wondering if she actually was his girlfriend or not during that "spot". Apart from a few minor formatting issues, it was an amazing episode of Dynamite, the best of the year overall thus far. Punk & Mox vs FTR was a terrific match and quite the unexpected alliance. Dream match indeed, and one I had not think about. Page vs Archer over-delivered. Super creative in a good way, with two of the most ridiculous spots I've seen in a while (or not, considering how many insane stuff happening on a regular basis). The ending was so perfectly executed and amazingly thought out considering the entire match was built around the idea Page could not do the Buckshot. The 1-2 Punch of also falling through the tables *because* the tope rope had been removed (to prevent said Buckshot) was brillant and insane at the same time. They really should do a T-shirt that says "I <3" on the front with a cute design and a bloody "GORY SELF MUTILATION" on the back... Andrade vs Sammy vs Darby is a feud I can get behind. Ditto Penta dragging his evil LU character back. Really too bad Cesar Duran and Karlee Perez are in MLW limbo... Santana & Ortiz getting with Eddie and finally getting the tag belts would be a good way to go at this point, with Jericho turning back heel maybe (he really did a good job letting Santana & Ortiz shine as well as Sammy here). The LAX line was pretty stiff ! Matt Hardy walking out on Private Party ? Hum... Can you feel a Hardy reunion in a few months ? Jade Cargill doing that Jeff Cobb finisher after catching A.Q.A (what's up with that outfit with those dangerous suspenders and metallic clippers, I would not be happy working around those) in mid air was something. JAY WHITE !!! Only one of the most brillant pro-wrestler in the world. I marked the fuck out, I won't lie. Meltz had mentioned him so I was thinking he could show up. Keith Lee, of course. Looking like a STAR. JR almost had a Gorilla Mansoon moment, calling him a "young Mark Henry". Yeah, he's 37... Between him and Adam Cole, WWE really shows their complete and total incompetence. And speaking of Cole... This. And really now : This is pretty ace. The guy is paying attention, that's really cool. And it gives me some Jay White in AEW. One day this Omega vs White match has to happen somewhere too. Yeah, pretty killer show setting up so many really cool shit to come.

Jay White is still under contract to NJPW as far as I know. He's showing up here like he does in IMPACT. Forbidden Door indeed.

It's probably Yokozuna, and he's gonna join you know who. Or Kyoko Hamaguchi (no idea who's gonna get that reference though). Ok now, Keith Lee has been pretty much a given for a while now, Meltz has been saying for weeks that they have been talking. Doesn't mean it's him *tonight*, but it's pretty much a Danielson case at this point. Also, TK never talked about two surprises. He said ONE. He said there was other things to look forward, maybe some announcements too. A.Q.A (formerly an NXT girl) debuts tonight against Jade Cargill, so there's that already. I gotta feeling that's if it ends up not being Keith Lee, people are gonna bitch, which is probably why TK did that Tweet about "if it's not one of your guesses, doesn't mean they won't show up later".

Jinsei Shinkazi is maybe the most graceful pro-wrestler ever. Beautiful.

Yeah, that was actually the joke, AEW using Corny's infamous gimmick...

Just do a Forbidden Box, to piss off Corny or something.

I mean, if the whole "Forbidden Door" stuff is just some gimmick line at this point and doesn't actually mean anything specific, Keith Lee is the most obvious choice by far considering the hype he's giving the announcement.