El-P

Worthy of HOF is pretty subjective, honestly... I mean, with all due respect, Koko B Ware is in the HOF... I guess the rumors are gonna be about Lesnar now, since he has basically vanished from the surface of this Earth for so long now. Come on people, bitch about that one and then it doesn't happen anyway.

That would be all kind of awesome, but I don't believe it for even a second. I'd take Dario Cueto...

Of course it's not Punk. The "It's not who you think it is" was clearly a way to immediately deflate that balloon. Ok, I don't care, we're gonna reach ridiculous status now : Ronda Rousey.

To be fair about BTE, they really don't do much angles at all. It's really goofy parallel stuff. I'd say about 10% of it really relates to the actual storylines in a "canon" way (like, I don't think the Good Brothers giving Cutler some viagra while he's sleeping at the hospital can be considered "canon", you see). But those 10% are indeed fun for those who watch, because it can be teases of things that are to come. It's mostly goofing around though, but it for sure allows some people to showcase their personality. That's how John Silver got himself over. To which audience exactly, I don't know, but Silver for sure is where he is know because he was so damn funny on those Dark Order bits on BTE.

If one of them has to be a bit of a disappointment, might as well be Savio Vega. I'd take Raven in a heartbeat. Total HOF worthy.

Nope, they are two different people apparently. Also, having seen RVD in IMPACT last year (where he was pretty fun having his middle-life crisis and being a total douchebag with his stripper IRL girlfriend), he better not be the guy for the ladder match.

This. This is exactly what happened when WCW got hot. People popping on Nitro all came from WWF. The feeling was not "they are WWF products", the feeling was "WCW is the place to be". Right now, AEW is the cool place to be. WWE cast-off feel totally affected TNA in the wrong way because whoever was fired from WWE then showed up and was automatically put over the TNA guys as much bigger stars, even when they were nothing but midcarders in WWE (Christian). The only guy who actually brought something positive to TNA was, ironically enough, Kurt Angle. Agreed. After a 20 years monopoly, anyone that is already "made" on the US scene had to be made by WWE (although like I said Angle's best work actually happened in TNA but that doesn't count for any HOF). Like I said, I could see Bully Ray showing up, that would be cool, he really never was a WWE guy since he re-invented himself totally in TNA and when him and D-Von had a "legend" stint in WWE of course they were the Dudleys again... You're right, he said "a HOF worthy talent". Good job, we all are conjecturing about how Angle would not be a good idea and all and it's Coach Tony K just trolling us with his fake spoil and having a laugh...

AEW don't need another ex WWE (well, more TNA actually since he made most of his career there and had his best years there too) guy in his 50s, especially one who can't work anymore. Angle was great but I don't see what he could bring to the game at this point. As far as older guys go, I was thinking about Bully Ray... And so there's also a surprise guy for the ladder match.

Maybe it is, but personally I don't care because I do watch BTE and I enjoy all the small detail they put into their stuff. It's not like it makes the angles unreadable in the grand scheme of things. You get the big picture, cool. But if you are a longtime follower and watch BTE, you're gonna get more out of it, which is really cool because it rewards the faithfuls. I thought that particular line against Jericho was a complete misfire as an insult (although the sentiment was pretty much a putdown in a "You suck !" way and that's it). But the thing is it was just one line in a long promo that had them talked in lenght about their father in a very pissed-off way, so it's just not fair to say they reacted to the angle of their dad getting beat up and bloodied by making a cute line about WWE. That was not the case. Again, that line did not work for me either, but really it was just a one-line insult, it was not the crux of the promo at all.

WrestleMania XXVIII (2012) – Undertaker vs Triple H « But I waaaaaaaaaaant my second epic match with Taker at Maniaaaaaaa !!!!!! » Ok, now you really have zero chance to follow it up, so you should probably not do it. I mean, they kicked out of their respective finishers GALORE already. So what’s next, what is the next level ? Well, more gimmicks. The Hell in the Cell, which had been given a horrible name in that context after the WM 15 debacle. And a special referee in the person of Shawn Micheals, whom Taker retired, with the question being : will he screw his old rival for the benefit of his old friend ? That’s a lot of potential gimmickry even before the match starts. But honestly, that’s not where we are going. We are going somewhere fun. And by fun I mean : a fucking clown show. And by this I don’t mean Taker’s shaved head with a semi-mohawk, the last evolution of Taker, I guess. The mere fact they use the Hell in the Cell gimmick is really the first comical element because apart from the very beginning of the match, which is somewhat solid, typical HitC work (you know the drill, bumping into the cage and whatnot), they basically don’t use the Cell *at all*. Like, they don’t even touch it. JR going on about how HitC changes lives later in the match absolutely makes him sound like a total goof. But anyway, after these pretty solid beginnings, although the lack of blood is pretty striking in a negative way, there’s this huge spinebuster spot on the stairs, which looks awesome and brutal. Soon enough they go into full callback mode with Trip bashing Taker repeatedly with the chair, the strategy which got him the upper hands the previous year. It’s not any different mind you since it was already legal then. But then, oh joy, we move into real clown show time, as apparently since they have exhausted the pro-wrestling aspect of the drama in the last three matches, the solution now is to do *verbal spots*. AKA piss poor high-school drama class acting and dialogues between Shawn and the other two, as the former sexy boy wants Trip to stop and Taker to give up (the « It’s only one match !» line is absolutely hilarious, as it totally negates what they have been working toward the last three years, the build of the absolute Myth. It's not "only one match" you dumb fuck, it's the fucking LEGENDARY STREAK at stake !). Since chairs aren’t enough, we get the sledgehammer and this time Taker eventually gets bashed straight in the face with the hammer part, yet this is not enough to get the pinfall. Ok. So, we’ve basically establish that a shot in the face with a weapon who would kill someone is not enough. Welcome to random-as-fuck clown show now, as really nothing else matters (hey, BTW, the cage got its own entrance music by Metallica, how cool is that ? This useless cage got a better production than probably most guys from the following generation will ever get) anymore. More DORAMA (as they would say in the Tokyo Dome where this match would get 5* stars apparently) ensues when Shawn grabs the hammer away from Trip as he tries to murder Taker. Then Taker puts Shawn into the Hell’s Gate, which makes no sense whatsoever because Shawn wasn’t about to ring the bell or anything, and now they re-do last year’s finish but there’s no ref (doh!). Taker is officially dumb. Charles Robinson does his hilarious awkward run on the ramp for a nearfall after a chokeslam (to an unconscious Triple H mind you, guess it woke him up or something). Taker ain’t happy so he chokeslams the second ref. Yeah, Taker is in fact dumb. Then they do the only real spot that works well and makes sense, as Shawn, now pissed off, hits the superkick and Trip follows with the Pedigree for a great nearfall. But then, I guess he feels remorseful or whatever as he pleads Trip again to not use the hammer, so now Trip throws him outside. Ok, whatever, this has no rhyme or reason, really. After that point Taker does the Tombstone and Shawn counts, because he’s been pushed around so he’s pissed again. Of course it’s not enough because it’s been established the previous year that it wasn’t enough and the Tombstone is now Open Bar for everyone to be kicked out of. Let’s kick-out of a Pedigree too, because our finishers are kinda useless to ourselves now... And now Shawn looks depressed, maybe being involved in this debacle after his awesome send-off, not too sure. Depressed Shawn would have made a great meme. Semi-smart callback to the previous match with Taker using a chair to bash Triple H, that’s the payback he asked for. Of course Shawn tells him to stop. Damn, it really looks like a threesome where one participant just isn’t getting any and complains to the other two now. Speaking of which, Triple H tells Taker to suck it, so Taker gives him the big hammer while Shawn refuses to watch. Don’t be like that Shawn, you had your fun. Plus Triple H is now paying you homage, or stealing your stuff, not sure, by doing the exact same slow climbing up Taker’s leg before the Tombstone and the finish. Yeah, that certainly was the End of an Era, the Era of the great epic Taker matches we had the last few years. This was a complete mess of an attempt at drama through nonsensical spots and laughable acting, but at least it was *always fun* to watch. I’m sure this was not the intent, but it’s like a great bad movie you enjoy because it’s so ridiculous and stupid, with one legit great moment (the double finisher spot on Taker, legit great nearfall). It could also be read as « the End of an Era » as the three guys left together in a show of respect, as the new generation of workers who will never be as big of stars and will never know how to work proper are now on top for good. We know where that mentality led them. So, this was a failure, but it was a very entertaining one. So bad overall that it was actually good. A legit nanar as we say in French to call bad movies that are really fun to watch. 11-9

Come on now, you know the very first supercard on PPV was WrestleMania. Starrcade was some regional show in a smoke filled southern arena.

That was to be expected considering the news. I guess we'll have some kind of tribute next week on AEW from Schiavone.

Damn, you're right, that was cool. That went over my head, I was thinking "Keiji Muto" (that's where Brodie picked it up I believe since it has been Mutoh's signature for ever).

I lost my mind when Atsushi Onita popped up on the screen. I referred a few days ago how Tony Khan was really "one of us", and that show screamed of this. And really, how can you not love a show with : 1/WCW-like celebrity match with Shaq going into a fucking table 2/Aja Kong in a video clip / joshi puroresu match for the next PPV 3/Atsushi Onita cutting a promo in Japanese 4/Tully Blanchard doing the fucking sling shot suplex. In 2021. 5/Tony Schiavone having interactions with JJ Dillon and Paul Wight, again. I thought Jade looked quite ok considering we don't even know if she had 10 matches under her belt and none on TV. See you in 5 years. And Red Velvet also shined considering she's green AF.... that is until she had to set up the table (she's a tiny woman, it showed there), she was probably really nervous and I felt bad for her at that moment... Missing the spear was AAA camera work, but hey, shit happens. The match was tons of fun and way better than it had the right to be. Shaq going through the table was the perfect spot to try and get some mainstream attention. The Jericho line was a missfire indeed (because honestly Jericho would probably main event Mania since he's only 50 years old), but that's the only one of an otherwise great segment. Max Caster has some charisma but I'm not feeling it otherwise. That match certainly happened. On the other hand, those two Private Party guys are improving by leaps and bounds, it's so fun to see them evolve. Nyla vs Mizunami was really good (best match of the show probably). The right woman won too, they would not fly her to have her lose. The PPV match should be a banger, as they say. BTW, Shida in street clothes . The irony (or not) of having Tully Blanchard win a match on TNT the day Jim Crockett Jr. dies. Life is so unpredictable. No More BS is a genius idea for a Wight T-shirt. Miro's promo was kinda meta too. I do wish Schiavone would have thrown the "This is the greatest night in the history of our sport", because that TV show was mostly awesome. And again. ATSUSHI ONITA ON MY TV ? Fuck yeah AEW. Yeah, Coah Tony K, you lurker.

I guess so. That being said, let's not pretend it has nothing to do with Vince having the attention span of a teenager on TikTok when he comes to giving someone a serious push.

The issue is that the WWE style is basically the dullest, most patterned style ever. You can't be different, you can't work a different way, which is basically the essence of pro-wrestling and why it's fun to watch. Trying to make everyone work the WWE style is why I could never care for this company for the last 20 years every time I gave it a try. This is why people like Mox or Brodie left. This is why FTR left. This is why they will never be able to have a true latino star coming from Mexico, because in the end he'll be working like Sheamus or something (or end up like all of them doing stupid shit on the undercard). What used to be fun about WCW is that it was a clusterfuck of different workers and styles.

The mere idea of "learning the WWE main event style" is everything wrong about this company and why it has sucked stylistically for so long.

NXT hasn't been seen as developmental in forever now, even way before AEW came into existence. It had already turned into the cool "Indie-dream-matches-with-WWE-production promotion under the benevolent figure of Triple H-the-future-savior-of-WWE" before getting a bit less cool once people understood that their favorites were gonna mostly amount to nothing once called into the main roster. NXT then turned into basically the "Let's kill that pissant company that is pretending to be competition" part of the brand and got its ass kicked, despite wearing the WWE stamp which only means 40 years jumpstart of equalling pro-wrestling worldwide. Even expecting a brand new company with guys who made their fame on the indies (PWG, ROH), Japan (NJPW) and Youtube (BTE) competing with a WWE program seemed ridiculous at first. Yet, they did not just compete, they basically fucked NXT up in the key demos. Not that it matters anyway since Vince has screwed pretty much every can't miss prospect coming up from NXT by himself.

My analogy will be much more accurate and funnier too. At least that's the first thing that came to my mind.

WrestleMania XXVII (2011) – Undertaker vs Triple H This match is almost like a confession of helpnesness. They know they have no shot whatsoever of following the last two (at least) matches. After the Micheals classics, the Streak has absolutely reached up to the Myth and there’s nothing big enough to measure up to it, not to mention no way to have as great of actual pro-wrestling matches strictly technically speaking. I wonder why John Cena did not get the follow-up, because if there ever was a time, that was it. But since we’re in mythical times now, you gotta go with Triple H. You can almost feel the ego of the guys swirling after the Micheals matches : « Hey ! I fucking want MY FUCKING EPIC with Taker ». Triple H is a guy who’s entire stint has been something of a fabricated legend, he was never the big star like Austin & The Rock were but he got something more : the actual power. And there’s something almost meta about this one is that possibly, Triple H could break the Streak *in reality*, which is part of what made the appeal of the match. And as it’s been demonstrated two years before, now it’s all about signs for the sake of signs, they don’t have to build any rivalry or angle or storytelling, because looking at the Mania Sign is enough for them (the ultimate goal is that it should be enough for anybody, but alas it doesn’t really work that way, although maybe it kinda does actually considering how huge Mania got despite WWE’s dwindling popularity). And also since we’re in mythical times, we get monstrous production with Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls almost as a little trick, as it could have been Taker using it. But of course it’s Triple H disguised as some kind of highlander warlord with an army of soldiers with giant shields. BTW, they talked in the leading up promos about being the last two outlaws in the land, in a very western-like scene, which is completely outrageous considering there’s nothing more *in the system* that Triple H and Taker (whom despite his gimmick, is as much of an « outlaw » here as he was a « satanic figure » against the « angelic » Micheals : each times they are nothing but two opposite Kings on the same chess game, which is the Mania brand). And of course you get maybe the most striking Taker’s intro ever as they use Johnny Cash’s « Ain’t No Grave » instead of Taker’s music. Which not only is really cool and all, but also means the match has actually already started by that very point (although we don’t know this yet). Because like I said, there was a confession of helpnessness in all of this : they can’t follow the Micheals matches but they want to reach mythical epicness. So what to do ? Drama. Full on drama. Which is why they use the no-hold-barred stip which basically makes it clear that it’s gonna be bells and whistles, tables and chairs and gimmick and shit. And it also allows Triple H, who’s not the most spectacular worker out there, to be able to do spectacular things. I mean, about thirty seconds in the match and they already are outside bumping into some plastic walls around what I guess was Micheal Coles’s announcing spot (which really looks like a regular anti-COVID announcer's desk today !), and rearranging furnitures on the tables like it’s 1999. Kinda abrupt. And they actually tease finishers on tables too already, with Trip doing this huge bump off a back-bodydrop, off the table to the floor. Taker will also re-do his infamous plancha, this time hitting it clean. And then later he gets reversed into a belly-to-belly suplex on a table. So very quickly, they fall into this super slow and looooong selling of the first Micheals match, with them doing nothing in-between spots, so the TV audience can rewatch, sometime several times, the spot that just happened, which is a way to fill the time with fake action because it’s just a duplication. There’s no other way to say it, this match gets super heavy handed from there, as they do basically nothing but spamming finishers, sometimes countered but very quickly hit and kicked out of, like the first pedigree which comes from seemingly nowhere and way too soon, followed by a Last Ride and even a Tombstone. And in-between, long, loooong period of nothing happening. And yes indeed, the crowd does react to it, but for me it doesn’t do it even as far as credible near-falls : after the first pedigree gets kicked out of, you know Taker ain’t gonna beat Triple H with his own finishers either. But what they are aiming for is DRAMA, which is why they have to do this. What really matters is the *third* pedigree because by that point, there’s this feeling of « uh oh, is Trip gonna actually DO THIS ? » again in a very meta way to me. So yeah, that one works out of the legit fear of something you don’t want to happen actually happening aka the favorite son-in-law feeding his fragile ego. It’s really Snail Pace City though and Taker has never looked so slow, as apart from the insane plancha he hasn’t done any of his quick offensive flurry (he however did do his flying clothesline which really looks odd now, more like a complete flip above his opponent), because drama apparently has to be slow and heavy. Heavy handed especially, as Trip now bashes Taker repeatedly with a chair and does the « stay down ! die already ! » routine ! Trip wants his Micheals-like drama, and the story is pretty clear now : Triple H is stronger than Taker (lulz), but nothing he can do can « keep his body down », as Johnny Cash sings. Ok, so that’s where they are going. The apex of the match, after Taker as been so destroyed with chair shots that he can’t even sit up anymore, is Trip doing the impossible (I mean, who else, right ?) by putting Taker into his own Tombstone (get it ?) for what is, and I have to recognize, an *awesome* false finish, this one was almost worth the long and slow journey. This lead to the finish of Triple H going for the old sledgehammer only to get caught in Taker’s Hell’s Gate, for which he doesn’t have to stand up, and as Trip is going to hit Taker while in the hold, he finally opens his grasp as the hammer lands on the floor. And Trip taps out. And so the Johnny Cash song plays again « There ain’t nothing that will hold my body down ». So, it’s really a different kind of match, and as it is going on I can’t say I’m a big fan of what’s happening as the almost desperate lack of dynamic (they spend sooo much time doing nothing after hitting a big spot, yes, I just said that selling can equal to nothing and therefore be a detriment) makes it kinda tedious for a while (the crowd doesn’t have the sustained heat it did for the first Micheals match either). That being said, they obviously were working toward a specific goal and in the end they managed to have this one epic masterful false finish before the logical and satisfying end, so yeah, it did work overall. But does the end goal justify the heavy handedness of most of the match ? I’m not sure, as I actually did not enjoy a lot of the match itself. As far as the Myth goes, it’s the first time Taker did not walk back on his own power and was carried away, so there was definitely this sense of drama, almost a tragic ending to it despite the win. Maybe it should have stopped right there, or maybe someone should have beat Taker the following year. Quite the *spectacle* indeed, although as an actual pro-wrestling match, it doesn’t measure up to any of the last four previous years. But they were aiming for something else and in the end, succeeded. 10-9

These are indeed fascinating times... As far as the NWA goes, what is the NWA today ? Most of the talents who appeared on Powerr are gone, the good and interesting ones at least. Please, keep Aaron Stevens as far as possible from an AEW or IMPACT ring, thank you very much. Thunder Rosa is pretty much identified as AEW anyway, the day her contract runs up she should sign immediately after the time they put into her. Really, I see no one but Aldis & Kamille being of any interest to work AEW (I'm not into Tim Storm at all, sorry). BTW, the more things evolve, the more ROH looks like a promotion that got its death sentence at the MSG show in 2019. As far as erasing the stuff from Youtube, yeah, it's a pretty bad move and also comes off a bit petty. People enjoyed watching it because it was free and easy to access. Also, one part of the charm, for better or worse, of Powerr was its studio setting and "old-scool" cosplay atmosphere with guys interacting more freely with the crowds during promos. Same stuff in an empty studio... not seeing it appealing to those who liked the first two seasons. Paying for this ? Nope.

"I came, I saw, I got my ass kicked." Paul Levesque. 2021. I wonder if Trip is now gonna be like, "This was a semi-marathon not a sprint" or something now... Which they have already run on TV or something a few months ago, as I remember that week IMPACT showed extracts of the TNA match in their IMPACT+ flashback of a week, in a very snarky way. For years we've heard about this really good Bobby Lashley stint in TNA (which I haven't seen) and I believe the Drew match was one of the pimped ones, and now it seems this is gonna be a Mania title match 5 years later ? Not exactly ahead of the curve, uh... Well, I guess it's good they did not go for Randy Orton vs Edge, which is a main event from 10 years ago. Wait, from last year, I stand corrected...

Let's not forget the "giant" gimmick was much easier to book when guys weren't on national TV every week and there was not nearly the same access to footage from elsewhere. The mystique is easier to attain when a guy shows up three times a year in a territory than when you're an a weekly TV show where you have to work competitive matches all the time because the audience is just not gonna stay interested in a tall guy squashing people for very long.

Sting has always been credited on being game as hell with Vader. As far as WWF goes, Cactus obviously could have renewed his feud and have some terrific matches. Dustin if he had not been so out of shape and working a stupid gimmick. Austin & Bret worked really well with him and could have had some great matches if the opportunity was there. Of course his pal 2 Cold, who was reduced to a JTTS in no time despite being given a great production (what else is new ?). They could have had a long term feud with Shamrock, instead of having the later work "Loser eat dog food" match with the Bulldog and made to be "just another guy" in the span of a few months (what else is new ?). Taker to some degree but I guess the big guy lamenting the fact there aren't tough guys in pro-wrestling anymore wasn't as tough as this bodybuilder surfer guy, who would have guessed ? Shawn, if he wasn't such an unprofessional douchebag.

Just before he entered WWF, and while he was already super banged up and injured, he had that killer match with Inoki at the Dome. As soon as he left WWF, where he was deemed a "fat piece of shit" and ended up doing jobs for Mark Henry and Kane, he had killer matches with every one of the AJ main event crew. That's pretty telling if you ask me... WWF just did not get what Vader was at all.