El-P

Eddie is the greatest pro-wrestling fan you can think of, he's just so full of love for pro-wrestling it's so amazing to hear. So yeah, like I said, what self-respecting pro-wrestling woul want to deprive this guy from a chance to have his dream matches (and who wouldn't want to watch these anyway, it would be awesome) ?

I don't know what you guys expected. It's a still a show about pro-wrestling, you're not gonna get 20 minutes about what a guy wrote on his blog after he retired. He still came off enough of a dickhead with godawful opinions to me.

COVID. In twenty years ? That's a pathetic track record. And meanwhile, they have wasted an incredible number of guys because "they need to work the proper way". The WWE as a credible training environment and personal creative development is a laughable idea . They can't even make they own guys. As far as Okada, well, he was having MOTYC a few months after he came back from TNA (by that I mean he wasn't hurt at all). Plus, IMPACT today has *nothing* to do with what TNA was in term of how they treat talent. FinJuice, Kojima & Fantasmo were all super well booked, much better than they would have in WWE. But yeah, this is basically fantasy booking anyway, this can (and hopefully will) end up being a total non-story.

Also, hearing Eddie Kingtson talking about his dream matches being Ishii, Tanahashi and teaming with Mox at the Tokyo Dome against whoever, who really want to see an exclusive relationship between WWE and NJPW after hearing this ? I mean, you're not a pro-wrestling fan if you don't want those Eddie Kingston dream matches !

Eddie Kingston's interview with Meltz yesterday : "I watch one or two Bret Hart match every week. I want to pick up the little things he does. I won't tell what because I don't want everybody else to know !"

Tay Conti spent years in the PC sucking at pro-wrestling and learning nothing. 9 months in AEW/Nightmare Factory, she's legit really good already and looks like a surefire futur star. A NJPW Young Lion learning anything in WWE is a laughable idea.

It was only a matter of time. Can't wait until they tell Tanahashi that he needs to learn how to work the proper way.

Literally speaking Funny thing, Ibushi could probably have a great match working against Alexa Bliss and her powers. He's the guy who has a great match against a stuffed animal.

AEW is willing to work with just about anyone. WWE is just trying to squash any kind of alternative. NJPW has nothing to gain from this, no one in WWE means more than Omega or Mox would in NJPW. On the other hand, I'm thinking, does this mean the ill-advised NXT Japan plan is dead once and for all ? They tried to buy NOAH last year, didn't they ?

Yeah, this needs to absolutely not happen....

From that POV, I understand because although I can't stand WWE and the style, there are still shitload of super talented workers there, so *them* showing up in NJPW and being able to let loose over there, yeah, that'd be fun if they aren't already dead inside. But there's enough guys from AEW I'd like to see work NJPW so... Plus of course : No. NO !!!!! Well, I doubt that would happen, but again, I don't any NJPW guy doing good in Titanland. Yeah, they would sure get Suzuki or Ishii's style, for sure... Maybe Okada can have a Mania Moment against Shane McMahon...

Yano has been unbearable in the last two years. So yeah, a team with Miz would fit, indeed. On the other hand, if that would mean in the end AEW getting a relationship with NOAH, why the fuck not. Omega vs Marufuji ? Mox vs Shiozaki ? The Great fucking Muta teaming with Sting ? Well, they are worse things that could happen. I mean, pro-wrestling is more fun when you get interpromotional stuff anyway. But the idea that WWE would know how to book a NJPW guy is the most laughable thing ever. They can't even book their own american talent right. On the other hand, they can totally take Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa away from NJ. Like, please ?

This. I hope this doesn't happen, NJPW guys have *nothing* to gain working that dumpster fire that is WWE. Sure, some WWE guys in NJPW I guess would be cool (I mean, Daniel Bryan and the like, not the Miz), but AEW working with them is so much better on all front.

It was totally surrealistic. The fact Hashimoto was having an affair with Fuyuki's wife I believe at the time he died made the whole thing even more WTF.

No shit his former wife comes off the greatest here. Understanding the business, what worked and what didn't and why. She really was the star of the show. It's ironic because it's a lot more fair and so much harsher in term of the guy's character, but it also does a much better job humanizing him in the end, mostly thanks to the ex-wife (it struck me how she is still moved by how she found out about him cheating on her and the divorce and the last time they speak, but wasn't when she talked about his death, which does makes sense, but it's fascinating to me how human relationships work). Watching this, the "smut piece" comment by Dana makes it obvious she's a whitewashing alt-right Karen. Excellent episode (funny also how in 44mn they said *more* than in 90mn, really). It's kinda bittersweet to me to watch Corny in these, because he always comes off so good that it reminds me how much of a fan of his I was and how awesome he still could be if he had not lost his mind about AEW. I mean, Uncle Eric popping up from time to time on Dynamite is fine, but I would have loved Corny showing up so much. Next week is Grizzly Smith... Good luck to us with that one.

Probably. John Silver is not a surprise. He was only gone a few weeks. He's already been back on BTE. Daniel Bryan in AEW won't ever happen I'm afraid. Also, after the Christian Cage debacle, I'm pretty sure they learned their lesson and won't overhype anything this time.

The thing is, in 2001 (I believe), ARSION got on TV, so you don't have to rely on super clipped com tapes anymore. It's too bad that came when Aja left and Lioness got in, that really hurt the product to me and I gave up in late 2002 if I remember right. I'm sure I missed some good stuff still (I mean, Yoshida). I remember that one ! Yeah, like you said, too much fun to watch the father/daughter teams, quite unique too. Crazy how Fabi sucked really bad two years before, then left while Mary became really good in the meantime. Then Fabi shows up in 2000 and all of a sudden she's as good as her sister. Fabi Apache is most probably a contender for the Top 100, she's seemingly been a terrific worker for 20 years now. Back then Ohmukai (aka Chama as we'd call her as it was her nickname) was often heavily criticized for her tendency to pop-up and no-sell big moves, but she was just what you said, a bomb throwing worker and was quite fun and impressive at it (she had a great body type for that style). I still really enjoyed her then.

Marty Asami in NJPW is much worse at it. He's ruining *every* nearfall if you notice him.

So they're bringing legit sport broadcasters to put over Alexi Bliss doing voodoo ?

Except me I guess, maybe because I don't have a fetish for Finlay, who's overrated as hell around this place. Maybe if he did a flip bump on enzuigiris it would have woken up the crowds during his matches in WCW where he never figured how to get over, the awesome worker that he is... (disclaimer : I actually like Finlay, I do think he's been overrated quite a bit to say the least though)

Come one, guys taking flipping bumps on enzuigiris are awesome, just like Rikishi or Hennig doing a full 360° flip on clotheslines.

Strap match with Sting. The second (I think) Takada match. Maybe Inoki at the Dome in 96.

Everyone involved in every Fast & Furious movies in the last 20 years should apologize.

Honestly, the show was done as early as the pandemic + #SpeakingOut combo hit. They were still producing "stuff" until Lagana got outed and putting stuff up on their youtube channel. As soon as that stopped, it seems the whole deal went awry. People were leaving left and right (Thunder Rosa really is a trooper, not to ask for her release for so long when she's been pretty much on AEW talent for ever now), the hype was totally deflated and the comeback with the weekly PPV shows from another company was a non-factor. Then this stopped, then deleting everything from their Youtube channel was a big mistake in term of perception to me, because I'm sure some people would have enjoyed to watch the older shows back, while (almost) no one would pay to watch weekly 45 mn TV studio show with no crowd (the interaction with the studio crowd was a big part of what made the product appealing to its fans, as it was trying to re-create, for better or worse, the old 80's feel of studio wrestling). When you add in the fact they have even less talent than they had during the first season (which really wasn't that much to talk about as far as I'm concerned) and they apparently do recap (of what ?) show every three weeks, yeah, that stuff was cursed. They got unlucky like everyone else during Covid and I guess Lagana was the brain of the operation. Still hope for Kamille to show up in AEW or IMPACT eventually. Aldis is a strange case because his entire gimmick/character is to be the NWA champ. I guess he could do that routine in either promotion, or MLW too, but it could only last for so long.

Yes, Shawn Spears after Cody called him more of less a really good hand, which jumpstarted the heel turn and the subsequent chair shot angle.