El-P

Damn, you got me good with that one. 😂 The induction of Kamala *now* would be in itself another case of "jokes write themselves at this point". I was joking about how they should induct Col. DeBeers, but really in term of incredibly racist gimmick, Kamala was up there, especially since he actually had a run on top against Hogan. The fact the guy spoke ill of the company for being financially exploited and they would induct him after his death would be an amazing 1-2 punch of whitewashing *and* putting focus on a black guy being portrayed in the most racist way imaginable this side of Saba Simba. Like I said, jokes are writing themselves these days, it's not even funny.

Pretty much this. And Mercedes Moné vs Athena. Maybe they'll do it sooner than All In, since maybe it'll be hard to keep them apart until July, but this match is absolutely happening and this is everything I ever wanted. It's possible they do Mercedes vs Toni at All In for all the marbles. The best worker vs the biggest star. Would make sense.

This vignette is... so perfect for 2025 WWE. And I'll leave it at that. 😇 (it's also incredibly terrible for reasons that should be obvious to anyone)

They don't even pretend anymore. Soon enough they'll have the Tate brothers in the audience. I'm sorry for anyone still genuinely enjoying the product despite its political agenda, but WWE (well TKO as a whole) are a full-on fascism supporting company at this point. Pro-wrestling of course is a just a blip on the radar, but this is just the worst timeline...

And Nagata going for the title against Goto at 56 was indeed beautiful. But not as beautiful as Taichi's emotional match against his best friend ZSJ. I'm guessing David Finlay wins it all. Shota Umino doesn't feel like the right move now despite the so-called "redemption road", with him going bald and bland. Unless Finlay manages to get him over big by being a dick, which he's really good at.

Football (soccer for ya 'mericans) culture probably. I read the results/reports. Wow. Going to Brüssel (which is an awesome city BTW) to do *that* show ? Considering how expensive tickets are, I understand the crowd wanting to at least entertain themselves...

Also, if Nakamura is done soon, like it seems to be the case, what's next ? The guy had exactly ONE great match when he debuted in 2016, against Sami Zayn, then apparently coasted for his entire WWE career (I mean, he had two disappointing matches with AJ Styles and that was like 8 years ago). Last time I saw him was against Mutoh in NOAH and he looked completely toasted. If anything, that makes one last Tanahashi vs Nakamura match possible, which probably would be quite the event (also possibly quite sad to watch, despite Tana just having a great match against Goto). AEW ? Don't think so. Unless Nak actually wants to have a last ride in the sunset working his ass off one last time, which I really don't think is credible at this point. He always was a "big match only" kinda guy anyway. Okada vs Nakamura grimacing their way into a comedy match in 2026 would certainly be *something*. Not sure anyone really wants to see that though.

Well, you sure jinxed it for everyone, now, did you ? Going from Takeshita vs Mike Bailey/Josh Alexander to TAFKA Baron Corbin vs Thom fucking Latimer for the NWA title is not even a drop, it's straight into the abyss shit. It sure started well. And I sure have zero interest in *those* cards now.

Cobb is still announced for NJPW Chicago show in April. And he doesn't have any title to not drop (like Vaquer and Ricky Saints. BTW, Omos never made his way back on TV, so him not dropping the NOAH title was just typical WWE fuckery) so he should probably finish his dates. I will sure miss him on NJPW cards. I was always surprised he wasn't pushed a bit stronger than he was. At 42, it's now or never to get a contract in a major US company. He would have fit better in AEW stylistically. I guess WWE thinks anyone from an island can be put in the Bloodline or something.... Hey, it was fun, from Matanza Cueto to a bunch of great G1 Climax. Fénix, I don't see it happening. They have done jackshit with Dragon Lee (and no, Speed doesn't count, who the fuck cares about working 2 minutes matches on the nazi network ?) and he's younger (and at this point better) than Fénix. Putting him with Penta makes them the old Lucha Brothers, and in WWE they are going nowhere great. In single, he'll probably have a 6 months honeymoon period, but after that point, it probably gonna be a nothing special run. I most probably have seen the best of them for the last ten years. Damn, LU was a long ass time ago.

Fuck yes. Either Speedball or Alexander. Gimme one or the other, then the other the following week. Billie Starkz going after Mone is *all* about building Mercedes vs Athena at All In Texas, and Athena winning the title in the stadium, right ? RIGHT ? (hear me well Coach TK)

The Fantastica Mania show from 02/28 was so awesome. Maybe the most purely *fun* night of pro-wrestling of the year so far. Goto vs Tanahashi was a thing of beauty. I almost bought Tana winning. Goto going through Nagata will also be beautiful, most probably.

MJF vs Hangman into Mone vs Momo into Ricochet vs Swerve : best 3 opening match sequence ever. Great match after great match after great match. Okada vs Brody was a Savage WCW match : "You beat my ass, then Rainmaker". Brody looked terrific. piss-break match (after 6 months or so in the company, the Hurt Syndicate are still producing jackshit, tag titles are deader than dead, fix this) Then... Toni vs Mariah : MOTYC (loved Mariah & Toni paying hommage to Ian & Axl) into Omega vs Takeshita : MOTYC (Omega is a genius at pro-wrestling) into Ospreay vs Fletcher : MOTYC (I have no words) Ridiculous. A few big spots & the bullshit "saved" a main event that had no business main-eventing. Closing the show with Swerve, which I totally expected (likewise getting rid of the stupid cash-in gimmick, hopefully they don't do it anymore ever), was the right choice, because the show had already peaked. 3 times. Ridiculous streak of classic matches, interrupted by a pathetic tag team title match (get the belts back on great tag teams; job Lashley to Swerve and off my TV they can disappear) and a misplaced (and really, which should not have been booked despite the decent build-up of the last few weeks) world title match (Swerve needs to beat Mox next month and the Deathriders storyline ends, it was a failure, time to wrap up, NOW). Almost a legit GOAT show. Almost. In term of pure peak quality, probably at the very top.

The last few weeks really have been terrific TV, and apart from the tag-team championship match every match on the show has been built really well (Mercedes vs Momo is what it is in term of build, but with an outsider working in Japan you can do so much) and every match (apart from, well, the tag team match) should be a banger, including a bunch of legit MOTYC level shit on paper. There really has been a distinct change after the few worrying week-to-week shows chockfull with awfully long promos and old guys after old guys. Made a better job at "restoring the feeling" than they have in eons. Really a tremendous winter season after a (very) shaky start. Hopefully they keep that focus train going.

Gotta love : 1/TKO lauching a boxing promotion with the Saudis. Really, it's just a matter of time before Mania happens in beautiful, progressive Djeddah. Gotta love the cognitive dissonance when that one happens (hell Rumble already happens next year, wonder if CM Punk will dance around that one) 2/Taker pulling his strings so his HOF wife (which in itself is funny already) replaces Mickie James in S2 of that reality TV show they are doing. 3/The Carmella stuff which really no one talks about because WWE is such a great place to work now and they treat everyone really well and have you seen the gates ? Wow. So great.

Neverthought he was gonna be anything more than a midcard guy, honestly. Really good worker, but not overly spectacular. Not much in term of charisma/character. Always been that way, including during his TNA days. It's amazing looking back at him winning the TNA title twice, for those who do remember (because it was nothing but forgettable). Ortiz was injured I believe, but same. Although, not exactly same because he always was the more charismatic of LAX back in the days. Still, he's been absent for ever by now. Maybe when Eddie Kingston gets back, who knows.

From all other form of entertainment point of view, 99% of pro-wrestling is B-movie level shit *at best*. I've seen some porn movies with better acting and more actual depth than 90% of pro-wrestling angles and acting. Pro-wrestling is inherently ridiculous. Shit, the Cena turn on Cody, in term of dramaturgy and acting, is fucking pathetic when you put it against even the most basic cheap-ass TV show. Cinematic matches brought something pretty unique, yes, *in the context of pro-wrestling*, because it worked from within and embraced the ridiculousness of it (well, for the most part).

Nope. The opposite, in fact. I'm all for an all cinematic wrestling promotion, really. Make something fresh and absurd. Pro-wrestling is stale. The pandemic years were the most fascinating times for pro-wrestling. I miss stuff like TNA's Wrestlers House and the Good Brothers shows. And of course, the whole idea of Lucha Underground, which was based on regular matches, but had that whole cinematic production around it. (and yeah, this was B-movie shit and it's why it was great, as opposed to the B-movie shit happening inside the ring as regular angles/matches and lauded by ridiculous "THIS IS CINEMA" claims)

Contract expired. The guy has been on contract for one year, has worked a handful of ROF match, was involved in one angle with Cool Hand Hang & Ruby Soho, never to be seen again. I actually thought he was really good too. But really now. Why sign all these people to never use them ? Apparently there will be more non-renewal, and with such a bloated roster, it's time to trim down people you don't use or don't plan to use in a significant way. And speaking of the infamous Knight family, Saraya has signed an extension in October, she hasn't done anything (not to mention talked about maybe wanting to go back to WWE one day, which is always a great way to get booked). Considering what she has brought to the table (not much), I doubt we'll see much more of her. Leila Hirsch is gone too. That is too bad. I always enjoyed her. She got fucked by injuries, but she had a lot of potential to be something different. I doubt WWE would pick her for obvious reasons. In TNA, no doubt. Fénix being gone is a good thing. There was no point just hanging on to his contract. It won't change anything to the dynamics, and as much as I LOVE to watch Fénix, the truth is, there's so much awesome workers in AEW, including on the lucha side, that his absence has not been felt on the programs. Now that the malcontents are gone (BTW, have you seen Miro first thing going to Quatar to do a job for.... Alberto. That certainly says a whole lot about *his* character. Good riddance), Coach TK should really be a lot more picky in term of who he signs. Only top tier workers (like Alexander/Speedball) or potential game changers (not that there are any on the market) or younger workers with true potentials, and only people who actually want to work there. As far as people not being used, whatever happened with Scorpio Sky ? Is he still under contract ? Last seen waiting in line to get into Private Party's private party.

It was quite interesting to me that Ronda actually became a champion first in StrikeForce, since the UFC would not have women fighters. Then UFC just bought the competition, which really must have sucked like WWF buying WCW, and Dana just handed Ronda a UFC Women Champion belt. You can't get more pro-wrestling than this (and crappy pro-wrestling to boot)

Well, that's why a monopoly is always bad. The one thing I got from the Pride episodes, is that it was a fucking circus. So, the pro-wrestling show comes back in three weeks with this, well, not too exciting line-up on paper. Wonder what episode is gonna kick-start it as they usually want to start with a bang.

One day there should be a serious historical, socio-economical and stylistic study on why WWWF/WWF/WWE has always been the dominant promotion and yet lamest style (come one people, be real now), and why maybe it has always produced the lamest style *because* of its dominant position (due to it being in a privilege position since its inception aka NYC based).

Honestly it was kinda bait & switchy, but not *really*, as people were talking before the fact that it was probably gonna be an angle anyway leading to another match. The fact it happened in Korakuen and was on free live streaming was a give-away that it was building to something else. Plus the intai talk of Tam Nakano going on for a while. But yeah, the rematch should be one for the ages, of done right. Probably less frantic than this one, I guess. Blood ? Would be quite the sight to have a bloody Tam saying goodbye. She really has been my gateway to current joshi puroresu.

I really don't give a flying fuck about MMA, but I did watch the Dark Side of the Cage episodes about PRIDE and Ronda Rousey. The PRIDE ones are fascinating. Remember the old "debate" about "Is PRIDE pro-wrestling ?". Well, of course not. But never has a legit MMA promotion was as much linked to pro-wrestling as PRIDE was. Including in term of being a shady-as-fuck company. The fixed Takada matches are evoked, although it's just a blip on the radar. The biggest focus is on the ridiculously dirty yakuza involvements. Also, watching old decrepit Helio Gracie at ringside, it's always a good time to remind people that this guy was actually linked to a fascist Brazilian movement in the 30's. There goes the "great" Gracie family. The Rousey episode was interesting for a newbie like me, although I had basically heard every bit of it through Meltzer during her WWE days. Between her mom being a complete asshole (I am so chocked to learn that a high level athlete raising her child to be a high level athlete is actually a toxic fuckhead, ya know) and her having to develop a particular style because she was already concussed like crazy from her judo years, it certainly puts an interesting twist to her personality. And yeah, again, she was SO pro-wrestling. I have no idea how anyone even tolerates the sigh of Dana White these days, unless you're, ya know...

Which is why this angle is ironic. Because from Dwayne to Cena to Cody, we have the alignement of the most picture perfect of WWE-made corporate champs, both kayfabe wise and in reality. And really, what John Cena's era of WWE represent is the dirt worst idea of pro-wrestling imaginable to me. All of it : the presentation, the in-ring style, the promo-style, everything. Dwayne was the first step. Cody is the last evolution. It's been incredibly successful, like a huge, empty and soulless Hollywood blockbuster is incredibly successful. All three together is like the perfect match for *this* angle at *this* Mania. But if that was all that pro-wrestling had to offer, I would have ceased being a fan a long time ago. (not to mention the contextual stuff that makes WWE unwatchable to me, but that's beside the point) On Sunday night I was watching the latest Mystery Wrestling show (promoted by Evil Uno) on Twitch. And you had Uno and Allie (the Bunny, who looked quite happy) shooting the shit about this and that (some really fun inside stuff, like how a simple bodyslam is the worst bump to take) while some absurd matches are taking place in front of a handful of people in Gatineau, Quebec. And have them mark out at Stu Grayson and Gabe Kidd having a complete banger that would not look out of place on an AEW show or the NJPW G1 Climax. And I was like, "Yeah, this is why pro-wrestling is so fun to me, still to this day".

Getting to watch a major joshi puro match live on Youtube for free is quite something. Korakuen Hall packed and hot as hell. Match was insane and terrific too. By the end there was almost 65K watching the stream, which is quite something.