El-P

Almost 30 years old reference and still funny. The Bret Hart tribute spots have been a fascinating part of Punk's AEW run, thanks for keeping up with it.

I was watching PAC this week on Dynamite and it struck me that he's been one of their best workers since the start of the promotion, and that's saying something considering Omega (GOAT contender) and the Young Bucks (GOAT tag team contenders) are right there. I haven't seen much of him elsewhere (seen some NXT stuff, which was already great), but from this sample of the last three years alone, I can't think why he's not making it. Let's be real, transpose him in WCW in the mid to late 90's, and he's talked about to this day as the very elite of the company along with Eddie, Rey and you-know-who. Considering he's not done at all and he had quite a few years of being just as great before, yeah, PAC probably ends up on the list when all is said and done.

It's all a matter of perception. When I say it's on them, I'm not saying people are wrong for getting bored, but that basically what was great 7 years ago is still just as great today, only indeed there isn't that much variation and after a point, it's only natural some people would get bored especially if they would like something else out of Okada. It's even more true when it's been watched in real time, with a real-life timeframe, as opposed to jumping into a back catalogue and watching stuff not as they happen but however the viewer construct his own relationship to the body of work of worker X or Y. In real time, when, at some point maybe you want something else. Plus there's no hindsight (which also changes the perception of watching a past body of work, when you know this period is supposed to be "bad" and the next is supposed to be "better" or "different" etc...). So if you actively want something *else* and it doesn't happen, and even if it's pretty much the same kind of stuff that was considered great a few years back, you're gonna get bored by it. But whenever someone says "It's not what I wanted" about anything, it is absolutely on them, because the perception is completely biased by expectations, including expectations of something that was never promised or even teased or showed by the outside source. Not a moral judgement nor a criticism, just a fact of life. And since : Well, I understand why you'd say you're bored. But my point is that really he's still as great as he was before when he wants to be. It's not like his work has collapsed, it has just not happened as demonstrated by the WK matches, which to me where out of this world great. Of course we can agree to disagree about that too. Even I at points I've been "Okay, another Okada match basically" at the beginnings, then during the finishing stretch and by the ending I was blown away and like "That guy is undeniable.". Probably because he's a slow burn worker and yes, doesn't deviate a lot. He's a variation on a theme guy, and it's fine. One reason I think so highly of him actually comes from the fact I feel he's just *too great* even when I'm not going in very excited about his matches.

I can't be the only one thinking about Regal as the mentor when Danielson made his pitch to Mox. Quite the interesting turn of events. Much more interesting than just "Let's have a match". Danhauser is already over. Ah ! I don't care what anyone says, I love heel Brandi on the mic and Lambert is gold. Even if this has car-crash appeal because of bizarre dynamics. Of course PVZ. Glad she's back, she's a natural pro-wrestling character. Can't be much worse than Rousey's stuff last week on RAW anyway. Yeah, Ruby Soho just isn't it, sorry. She lacks so much ooomph in her work. Glad Nyla won. Match was ok. Knights of the Dark Throne really are a cool tag team, although I liked Black's solo music better. PAC is low-key one of the greatest worker in AEW and has been since the start, always a pleasure to watch. Those mexican fans doing the homophobic lucha chants "culero" and "puto" on the first row during this match on the other hand... That really should not be encouraged. I know it's a staple in Mexico still, sadly, but come on now, it's still homophobic bullshit. Main event certainly was something else. I understand why some would think it went too long, and maybe it did, but CM Punk was super compelling and MJF too, really, the guy has improved a lot in the last few years. Gotta love the fake "fuck finish" at first to actually end with another fuck finish, but in the grand scheme of things it's actually really smart. They are building new stars here. And Punk is still protected as MJF cheated. And it's another important step in the Wardlow/MJF storyline. Since they never had someone lose in their hometown before, it's actually more shocking and notable that this happened in this match, to CM Punk of all people. It was the right time with the right guys. At this point MJF really feels like a guy who's totally ready for the AEW title. Took them three years, as the guy was an indie name and was working MLW then. Now he's a legit main-eventer with credibility to boot. Job well done.

Not really. During the two strongest era in modern WWE history (speaking of Vince JR.), the undercard and mid-card was absolutely not sacrified to make the big star look bigger. On the contrary. There was an effort to make the most people look like star. The IC title guy was a star. The Tag Team champs were stars. Some characters like Hacksaw Duggan or Jake Roberts who never won belts were stars. There absolutely was a concerted effort in getting the most guys over, and the focus was not solely on the two/three top guys. Sure, but the huge difference is between then and now, is that when they saw that the Godfather, Kama fucking Mustafa Shango, was getting more and more reactions simply because he looked cool coming out with sexy women, what did they do ? They got him more and more TV time, got the girls to slut it up a notch and before you know it, the guy was getting some of the biggest pops of the shows. Same for the New Age Outlaws. Weren't supposed to get over. Got over. So they got pushed and got more over. So they got pushed even more until they became big stars on the show. Today ? Rusev gets the Rusev Day chants ? Nope, not gonna push him. Adam Cole gets over as fuck in NXT ? Not planning on pushing him on the main roster because "not tall enough". And even worse, people who are over and who are pushed to the "top", like Big E., get a shitty title reign where they look like crap and second fiddle, because you are not allowed to look like a star as it would hurt the perception that there is only Reigns and Lesnar. So it's actually very different and it's not just because they suck at booking (which they do), it's deliberate.

As long as Shane-O Mac is not the replacement, I'm fine with anyone else.

He isn't going to be on TV at all. I mean, at *very best*, he was in character but it's still way fucking stupid to say shit like this on video and it would take some real explaining to do. Any lesser than this and it's a no-no. Let's be real, this is high-as-a-kite-nazi level insanity.

He was *not afraid* of facing Taker in a Hell in a Cell match. Even Brock sold the fear of Taker at Mania. Shane-O did not.

This is from 2011. The guy was then working for TNA and NJPW. Then was employed for 9 years by WWE. And someone posts it on Twitter JUST NOW. Of course what he says is unbelievably dumb not to mention 100% antisemitic. You gotta love the timing of re-posting that shit on Twitter just *now* though (you even get an idiot saying "AEW fans are gonna look out for excuses"). Maybe it's just the guy finding out something that was "known" (but apparently not talked about publicly) because his name popped up in the news. Why was stuff like this not public knowledge though ? I mean, it's some wicked shit. Now, some old comments on the Youtube video say he actually was in character, which of course was insane new-age guru, so who knows. Doesn't make it less stupid and offensive to say shit like this even if he was in character. Internet cookie points getter are gonna have a field day with this, for sure. So, who faces Mox tomorrow ?

Plus, it was no miracle or proof that Shane-O was any good. AJ Styles is simply that great at pro-wrestling. I'm almost at the end of his TNA stint, and I'm pretty much convinced he's a top 10 pro-wrestler ever, at worst.

That's been the strategy of the promotion, which is brand oriented. Let's focus on one or two HUGE names that we are sure are gonna be locked 4 Life with us because of the absurd money we pay then and give them the overpush of overpushes for years and years. Meanwhile, let's make sure no one else looks like anything special to make those two even bigger than they are. So instead of building a strong foundation with even stronger people on top, they are banking on the difference of perception between the two or three top people and a valley of peons, which means sacrifying pretty much everybody (while also making sure they they never get too much personal value, especially now that there is a legit competition). It makes for a completely useless and dire environment and dull as dirt long-term planning, since the only clear goal is that big match at Mania for the 2 or 3 same people on top. I mean, we're already talking about how Ronda vs Lynch is the plan for Mania *next year*. Ok then...

If true, it's really, REALLY funny as hell.

Wow, that was quick. This company is ridiculously stacked though. I mean, remember they signed Tony Neese a few months ago. And Jay Lethal. These guys have barely been on TV (and I don't keep track with the Dark shows anymore, they are cool but just too much to watch at this point). Just. Not. Enough. Spots. It's actually an issue because you just can't give everybody enough time, even if it's in a straight midcard feud. On the other hand, it keeps things a lot fresher, so that's undeniably a big plus.

Funny how the halo effect works....

He managed to work some of the greatest matches ever for ten years and get many many MANY guys their single best matches ever (like this year again in the G1 with Tama Tonga or Chase Owens, not exactly world beaters) and who knows how many of those "boring same matches" that actually are gonna be all-time classics he'll have under his belt in the next years. If some (some, not "a lot", the consensus of him maybe being GOAT is very real) people are bored, it's on them in term of perception, really (which is understandable to a degree, like getting bored of *anything* that you watch for too long, even if it's great). Also, he had no reason to deviate from his approach when facing Scurll, why would he ? People at All In probably also paid to watch an *Okada* match, and he delivered a great Okada match against a guy who already was familiar with the NJPW style. Deviating from a style that has produced arguably the greatest matches ever just for the sake of it makes no sense, and even less when he's working in front of an audience who rarely get to see him work to begin with. And his style absolutely has evolved over the years. Not huge variations, but variations nonetheless. Also, it's not like he's always imposing his style of match either, his matches with Omega were very much dominated by Omega's approach.

True, sadly. But porn still is the sleaziest of the sleazy. A few years back there was this question asked about whether the pro-wrestling industry was better of worse than the porn industry. Back then the answer did not seem very clear. Now things have really gotten better with pro-wrestling though. The irony is when guys like Randy Orton talk about "back in my days" shit.

I've never seen the 5 superplexes in a row spot (I've seen the trading superplex spot which was a Masa Chono staple though), and it seems hell of a lot cooler than doing porn, which is mostly a horrible business filed with horrible people exploiting other people. (I'm not against it of course, but I don't think there's anything particulary cool about it especially in today's landscape where the workers, again mostly the women, are treated like pieces of meat and exploited more than ever before. End of off-topic) Also, apparently it's a leak of a private video, so it actually sucks for him.

So, this pathetic rich daddy's boy attention whore basically booked himself to eliminate Kevin Owens, whom they just have signed to a fat-ass contract. It's hilarious. This guy is such a joke and the fact he's seen by the WWE audience as the "cool" McMahon is such a con-job. He's gonna crap Mania again with yet another one of his shitty match and get TV time that should be allotted to build new stars. Not to mention get some Blood Money because he really needs the paycheck, ya know. I wonder if that also doesn't mean he's slowly getting actual power back now that Lesveque has seemingly been wiped out of the picture. Can you picture Shane-O Mac running the creative ? Holy shit, the horror.

Agreed. I haven't watched a WWE show since the first night of Mania last year, and when you're not used to complete and utter stupidity (which you don't have when you watch AEW or IMPACT), it seems even dumber. So basically. Roman vs Rollins I thought was excellent. Before the shit finish. Like I said, Ronda won the Diva Memorial Royal Rumble so it did not matter that the match wasn't very good. Like, really now, watching this it looks like there isn't anyone new *at all*. Pretty much all the old-timers who aren't big stars (Bellas, Lita) or Taker's Wife got treated like dirt. Much respect to Mickie James and Scott D'Amore BTW, they ain't nuthin' to fuck wit : IMPACT title belt with graphic and a mention by the announcers, Hardcore Country music theme, elimination of Taker's Wife, staying for quite a bit and notable elimination by a legit WWE star and not some jobber. I applaud. So yeah, Ronda vs Charlotte is gonna be interesting if only to see when Ronda starts to melt down and if Charlotte pulls a "Doesn't work for me brother" moment. BTW, remember when Becky Lynch was the hottest wrestler in the world, was gonna main event Mania against Ronda ? Man, they have done a number on her. No one gave a shit about this match. Doudrop is about a thousand times better than Nia Jaxx, and I mean by that she's pretty good, but this match was kinda there. And everytime I heard "Doudrop" I cringed. Poor Becky. Lesnar vs Lashley was... there. Lashley bumped straight on his shoulder, no idea how he did not injure himself. Match was nothing after the first few suplexes. Then of course another shit finish with a swerve, because hey. Miz & Maryse vs Edge & Beth was ok I guess if you don't mind Miz godawful execution. After all these years, he still can't make one kick look worth a shit, it's crazy. Yeah, he does funny faces and the act with Maryse is fun, but he's only tolerable when his wife is around, really. Also, Phoenix really is a product of looking good in the Divas era, much like Victoria, because really she isn't very good at all. Edge got a paycheck, but at least there was one good worker in the match to make it look watchable. Damn, he looks every bit of his age though, especially with that beard. Maryse est super, merci pour elle. By this point, I admit I only paid half-attention to the men's Rumble, as I was watching something else on Twitch. Just wanted to see the big surprises, ya know, people chanting Judas or Cody Rhodes showing up because he's NOT UNDER CONTRACT (yeah Fightful, we got the clickbaiting point, I mean, how did those ridiculous rumors even started ?), or even I dunno, GUNTHER or Bron Breakker. I got Bad Bunny doing an exploder (which was cool) and Shane-O-Mac (which sucked and will suck even more when he gets yet another unbearable Mania match). Looking from afar, it looked dull as dirt. The finish made it completely irrelevant too, so there. Worst major show I've seen in forever. Rollins vs Reigns was the best match. Before the shit finish. Enjoyed the Ronda part of the Rumble too. Hey, I tried, and I even got in with a positive mindset. One thing is for sure though, Mania is gonna be on fire. Literally.

30 years ago Ric Flair won the Rumble in what is still considered one of the best. First PPV I ever watched too. Crazy to think that neither MJF, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy or Sammy Guevarra were even born then.Sasha Banks was one week old. Charlotte was five. Charlotte's in the Rumble, right ? There's no way this isn't referred a thousand times tonight, her possibly winning 30 years after the legendary win of her father.

That would be more akin to TNA actually ! All I remember is that godawful Glorious song which was gimmicky as hell (really, only to have him do like he used to in Beer Money during his matches) and musically reminiscent of that amazingly horrible Paul Orndorff theme in WCW at the beginning of the Nitro days. I did enjoy te KENTA hIdEO HiTaMI match though, from memory, although with the PTSD I got now from watching his TNA main event stint, no idea what I'd think about it today.

Edge won in 2021, I guess Lita can win in 2022. Building the future, always.

Symptons are just that though. Laugh and fear aren't the same thing, one actually supresses the other one (the infamous "Laugh kills fear" quote from the Name of the rose" is very true). Plus, not talking about nervous laughs here, there are really a lots of different laughs. But anyway. I don't think the whole Danhauser gimmick is supposed to be scary or creepy in the least.

Very eloquently put I must say ! Basically a clown is a living, breathing cursed image. That being said, some people still find clowns to be funny. Yeah, I have no idea either. I'd love to get an "uncanny valley" character in pro-wrestling. Would be difficult to do though, because it usually takes special effects and digital visual work. But even a character like what Poppy used to do would be a pretty interesting proposition. That would not fly with most of the older fans of course but who cares. I mean, even Kris Statlander being an alien kinda bothered some people. Now I have no idea what she's supposed to be, she's just a girl who boops people on the nose I guess.

On me too, although this is their best version : Bowens (who really has gotten really good) in the ring and Caster as a manager. I also like this Andrade the best thus far. They have really struggled with him (totally screwed up his debut did not help), but Andrade vs Darby could be awesome. The Anderson double duck spot was really cool. Yeah, Brock is getting better. Lee Johnson is already there, hopefully he gets a bigger role soon (I mean, if the Gunn Club can...). Of course working against FTR helps looking really good. Main event was a good spotfest orgy. Private Party have been kinda forgotten about despite being much better now, especially as heels. This company has just TOO MANY TALENTED PEOPLE. I mean, where is the Bunny ? After that great garbage match, you'd think she'd get some more TV time. Jade Cargill getting the straight-up Goldy Count is exactly what she needs. Odds on her reaching, say, 50 before she loses a match ? I don't think they'll go to 100, especially since they won't cheat like WCW did.