El-P

Good !

The current roster is as strong as its been in 10 years or more in terms of actual talent. I would agree with that. (and it would be a sort of backhanded compliment too, actually)

Yeah, Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Gallows & Anderson and plenty more of that boring, mediocre ilk. Not *that* stacked, really. Yeah, you've got 40 year old AJ Styles still one of the best worker in the world, Braun Strowman is really cool, the New Day & Usos being a blast, Sheamus & Cesaro being really fun, so is Rusev but he's not really featured...Nak is not half of what he was in New Japan. Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar being really boring, unengaging main eventers (don't even argue, I've watched all the supposed "great" Roman stuff in the last few years and I don't see it at all, he bores me to death 95% of the time). There's a reason why I'm more interested in the women on that roster. It's not even a scratch on what the roster was in the early 00's both in term of quality workers and star power...

That's the funniest post in this thread.

How long before he jobs to Roman ?

The correct position Well, I don't care one bit about football, but yeah, "soccer" doesn't exist. And yeah, it is quite hilarious when you put everything in perspective.

No one posted Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! yet ? Damn.

Agreed. The whole is much better than the sum of the parts. Cody by itself still isn't that interesting. It's the entire act that's really good.

WINNER I don't know. I feel like Jack White would wrestle like it was the 1930's and find anything past that inauthentic. This. Jack White is the Vaudevillains. Except they were actually fun to watch.

For fuck's sake. This kind of spot was embarrassing and awkward to watch 25 years ago.

Are you being serious ?

Because HUSTLE was a fucked up spaced-out psychedelic version of pro-wrestling. With a wee bit of hentai. Now, you can discuss whether this particular kind of hentai/comedy is part of rape culture or not, but it's not exactly the same thing as a traditional pro-wrestling context with a cut-and-dry babyface forcing himself on a heel female valet. Not quite. Nobody is preventing anyone from discussing anything. But nobody has made the point that someone could sexually assault a girl after seeing babyface-Tatanka do so. The point was : it is really offensive and ridiculous to still do that stuff in 2018 2016. If you say it's not a big deal because nobody would assault a girl because of it (and I agree with you on that last part, it's not like people need pro-wrestling to act out like assholes), my answer is : this is not the point.

It is not the point. It's simply yet another instance of Rape Culture in pro-wrestling, which is what this thread is all about.

Well that was pretty funny. Scott Steiner usually is, and I find old-sunken chest Big Poppa Pump to be quite a decent worker considering his limitations. Also, that Kurt Angle "My apologies to Karen" promo on iMPACT following Sacrifice was a legit laugh out loud moment for me, and it very seldom happens in pro-wrestling. In what should be referred as "scripted promos" era (basically the 00's and forward), Angle has to be considered one of the best mic worker. He was absolutely brillant here.

I get it. I'm just being facetious.

Okay, now it's on. I want to see shodate and Parv argue to no end.

Another proof that WWE's writing and directing style is the worst, since both these guys comes off better than they ever did at any point in WWE, and this segment murders anything on WWE TV. It's simple, they talk like real people, they don't do awkward pauses, etc. It feels "real", or at the very least, organic.

Yes, I heard Cornette and Dutch talk about it. Apparently Jarrett asked Dutch to try and keep Russo under control once he would be gone, but it took a few weeks before he managed to have Dutch fired, then Corny. It's crazy how Dixie got manipulated by this guy to the point she would rehire him secretly later. You can feel Corny trying to make sense ouf of the stupid booking and gimmicks on iMPACT like I said, it's kinda fascinating to watch. Quite fun/interesting to binge watch TNA 07/08 thus far, despite Russo there is quite a lot of good stuff, and you can really manage to see what Dutch for responsible for (the good stuff that made sense) as opposed to Russo usual bullshit (gimmick match overload, hotshotting, swerve, misogynic stuff, WWE references and copycat angles/characters). I wonder how long the balance will work out before Dutch gets fired. The build to Lockdown 2008 was clearly mostly Dutch while the Sacrifice stuff, which was mostly terrible, was typical Russo.

You said it's a "win/win". Because if it fails, "Cody & the Bucks are taken down a peg". Which would be a good thing (not because of the superkicks but because of their attitude, ok). So, a fail would be good too (either that or I don't get the meaning of the word "WIN" in that context). Ok. So, you don't want to see them fail, but you would enjoy to see them fail.

So, Sacrifice 2008 has the second very loud "Fire Russo" chant, during Roxxi Laveaux getting her head shaved. That was quite the moment, as the entire PPV (and build) reeked of Russo bullshit and tropes (the crappy gimmick tournament, partners not getting along, swerve and swerve teases, dangerous gimmick matches). The "loser gets his head shaven" after the women's Ladder match (which followed a Battle Royal, of course) wasn't a doing of the heels in storylines, it came from the office (aka Cornette). So even though the Beautiful People, who are finally named as such, are doing an excellent job trying to get heat on themselves (which was the idea that should have been worked in), the audience just reacted like the head shaving was simply Russo booking the humiliation of a women for no purpose. Hence, "Fire Russo" and "bullshit" chants. Well, "This is awesome" may be an annoying chant (moreso in today's wrestling when idiots chants it all the time), but those TNA fans had it right also at points. The segment itself was very well done, with the other women staying close from Roxxi while the Beautiful People were just harrassing her. The ladder match was actually quite brutal in a good way, Gail and Roxxy really beat the shit out of each other with the Beautiful People running in and out to prevent Love from getting her own head shaved (yeah, over complicated gimmick, as Gail had "immunity" so she couldn't lose her hair). The fans did chant "Roxxi" after the deed was done, but you can feel she got sympathy against the "writer" and not the heels. It also kinda killed the PPV atmospshere, which also had Kurt Angle not working because of a new neck injury. After the great build to Lockdown the month prior, this was Russo having his ways and fucking up the entire momentum of the company again. 2008 is quite the interesting year.

What. The. Fuck. What's wrong about pro-wrestler getting over and making money without having to be slurped into the WWE machine ? Like it or not, the Bucks (and Cody right now) are proving you can be a pro-wrestler, get over, make a living, work abroad, without dealing with the WWE bullshit. They demonstrate you can have a "business model" that's working in today's context where there's only one major mainstream company. Yeah, let's humble them because they do "too much superkix and movez", or something. Yeah, I'm with Johnny on this one (shit happens). I have no earthly idea why anyone would want this to fail, *especially* for ridiculous stylistic tastes.

That's a real problem since the monopoly days because the same guys stay in the company forever (Randy Orton is only 37, he's been there non-stop for almost 15 years. Compare how long Dolph Ziggler has been on TV with Owen or Perfect for instance) and it gives a distorted perspective on a lot of workers of this era. Agreed. This is the one really unique and memorable Usos vs New Day match. If they had one match that I can legitimately call a classic, it's the one.

In-ring work maybe, and that's debatable since the Shrinkers weren't exactly working in the workrate-friendly environnement the WWE is today. Promo, well, the Shrinkers didn't cut promos, they would grunt. Which was more effective than most of current pre-written material, really. "Character work" is a term I can't stand so I won't go there, but let's say the Shrinkers, despite the funky savage gimmick, looked like two guys who would legit chop your head off (the image of that Samu clothesline at Mania 9 remains stuck in my head forever) while the Usos look like two college guys cosplaying gangstas. Kinda like Mob Deep, when you think about it. But not as great as Mob Deep. But hey, like I said, I like the Usos, heels or faces, a lot. I do think the New Day gets a bits shortchanged in the pimping of their matches together though. Big E. is the law.

Come on now. They went from cartoony Fluokids Samoans to the Samoan Gangsta Party Redux. They are an excellent (maybe great, I wouldn't pronounce myself to that extent) in-ring team, but let's not get carried away either as they aren't as good or better as characters than their dad and uncle (I was a Head Shrinkers mark). Their heel turn in term of presentation evoques more of the Godwinns-turning-heel to me (as in, from one cartoon to another)... The pendulum effect is already looming here.

Who basically all ended up in TNA anyway.