El-P

Yeah, the fact it's a gimmick match is odd. Not my favourite gimmick match either, but Ricochet vs Mark Briscoe on a major show, I gladly take. The Owen really has gained status with the winners going to All In and this years and last year's editions have really done a terrific job with it. Sammy Guevarra back on PPV wasn't on my bingo card either, but his team with Dustin is pretty cool. Hopefully they get something, anything out of the Hurt(theproduct) Business. Since it's jumpstarting the road to All In, the upcoming weeks should be pretty interesting in term of building the big matches too coming off the show. Hopefully everything goes well (as in : no injury).

I am like one week behind on things, but heard about Mina turning heel. Which is interesting. She can be a cool heel for sure and that does make the dynamic a bit more intriguing considering there's no chance she's winning. In a perfect world that would probably mean Mariah May coming back too, but hey, take what you can I guess. Double or Nothing should be quite the card. Okada vs Speedball ? Now I sure did not have that one on my bingo card when Bailey was still in TNA 6 months ago. Cool to see Chicken get a big PPV single match too. Hopefully nobody dies in Anarchy in the Arena. Does Darby drops down from a high place right on Mox's face ?

Him working the shitty WWE style is on the shitty promotion style. As far as being chubby, yeah, Jeff Cobb is chubby, what else is new ? Anywoo. I saw the clip of the finish of his match. Gotta say, it's the *softest* and lamest looking Tour of the Island I have ever seen. And I have watched Jeff Cobb for a good part of the last ten years. So I gotta say it : WWE totally ruined Jeff Cobb in one a matter of one week. Classic job. The Triple H announcement of them moving around Mania is hilariously crappy corporate PR bullshit. The guy looks and speaks like he's an AI already.

With Ace Austin not renewing with TNA, it's pretty interesting to look at how the roster is composed and has been evolving since the debut of what I call now "The TNA Cuck era". Basically you have the people WWE is interested in and will grab at the end of their contract : Jordynne Grace, Joe Hendry, and to a lesser extent guys like the Rascalz which probably could end up in NXT (well, back in NXT as far as Wentz goes). Heavyly featured in NXT to the point it's their entre character (which really sucks for the TNA product, the Jordynne Grace reign was a creative void and it seems she just beat people waiting for her contract to run out, then dropped the belt in meaningless matches to Masha, who in the meantime has been turned into a dull as hell English-speaking babyface). More and more WWE rejects no one is really interested in, some of them being featured back on NXT for pops, like JDC (Fandango for those who wonder), lately Elijah (who seems to be pushed at the main event level, so yeah, we're back in full LOLTNA circa 2011). Nick Nemeth (now tag champ with his comedy-lawsuit writing brother), TAFKA Alicia Fox (yeah, no shit), and some very recent firing like Indi Hartwell (and I would guess more coming on this side). The Hardies fit the description, although for them TNA is the perfect fit at this point of their career. People who WWE doesn't seem to care about, be it TNA veterans like Eddie Edwards or guys like, well, Ace Austin, or guys like Callihan or Mance Warner who just don't fit WWE's plans at all. The question is basically who is WWE interested in next (would they get interested in Mike Santana eventually, or getting back Mustafa Ali, I would guess Leon Slater would be on their radar, the big ? about Tessa Blanchard), which basically would make them the next in line to get the "rub" (which is no actual rub at all, it's just WWE heating up the people they are gonna sign in the upcoming months). If the answer is "really no one", would they even bother apart from sending a bunch of third rate NXT (or hell, EVOLVE) names ? Ace Austin was typically the guy fit for IMPACT during the D'Amore years. He was very clearly put on the back of the line to make place for WWE rejects and NXT projects. He's an excellent worker and only 28. Not an Alexander nor Speedball kinda guy, but I sure wouldn't mind see more of him after his TNA years. I would be very surprised to see him sign in NXT considering he never seemed under their radar at all. In AEW he's be lost in the shuffle unless he'd get a Kevin Knight start (he's actually a better worker overall), but he would fit right in in term of style.

Whatever it is, WWE pulling out of the NO deal is quite the fuckery.

Pretty much this. He could have had bangers with with former United Empire fellows in AEW instead. Kinda like the Lucha Brothers, I have been enjoying him since the LU days, so it's not like I did not get enough of Cobb.

Rumble is the second most important event for WWE and it's already in Saudi. What's the big difference ? Of course Mania is going to happen in Saudi eventually. TKO is totally tied with the saudis. You're gonna have all the worst kind of shitty influencers who live in Dubaï and shit too. I honestly wouldn't be surprised in the least to have Logan Paul main event BloodmoneyMania.

Bloodmoney Mania is coming. Maybe not next year, but it's coming. London in April ? Welcome to Rain-a-Mania.

He wasn't the biggest NJPW star. Of course he wasn't gonna beat the AEW guys in the context of that relationship. Also, AEW actually wanted Cobb a few years back, but at the time he was happy with his career in Japan and choose not to go (well, maybe *that* would have played a part in AEW not being that hot on him anymore, but who's to say, Cobb going to WWE had been obvious for a while now, maybe after the Tongans went too and got plugged into the main event scene for a while thanks, to, oh well, ya know) As far as "washed up". Tell me you never watched NJPW in the last 4 years without telling me you never watched NJPW in the last 4 years. I don't care how he looked in his WWE debut. Cobb was his great self in NJPW having great singles matches with El-P (no, not me) and looking awesome in tags for the entire beginning of the year. If WWE has "buyers' remorse" about getting Jeff Cobb, it's on them for being incompetent idiots. There was talks years ago that he was a flat-earther. Which, for an islander is even more hilarious. But honestly I never actually saw the source for that (same for Salina de la Renta for instance). Once the word is out there, it becomes a running gag.

The Billy Jack Haynes episode is typically one of not knowing anything more at the end of it, apart from Haynes being a bad person and a lunatic. Watching's Sheik's episode a few days only after Sabu's death was eerie as hell. Even moreso, as I really never watched much of the Sheik apart from the classic Funk's matches in Japan and the infamous and disastrous Onita fire debacle, I really never realized how *similar* Sabu's mannerisms were to his uncle. Very interesting episode, but basically a historical piece as there was nothing that dark about Sheik's story. The Daffney one I looked forward the most, and damn the last part was tough to watch. It's crazy when you think that WWE put her on a fucking developmental deal for 9 months before releasing her. She was easily one of the very few saving grace of late WCW, but she did not have the look to be presented as a barbie doll sex object, so there you go. The TNA story is pretty well known. The Carters really were trash people on how they treated their empl individual contractors. The story about part of the settlement being a thousand dolls is peak TNA bullshit. Cool to hear from Foley, Crowbar, Caleb Conway and Taylor Wilde (too bad she vanished again after her super cool IMPACT comeback a few years back). There is probably a whole lot more that could be said about that story. Next week is also one of the most interesting, if done right. WWE exploiting (and really, promoting) racism : Muhammad Hassan. Let's go.

I highly doubt Cobb got Nakamura circa 2015 money, considering they basically low-balled a high potential young Stephanie Vaquer. Cobb is typically someone you'd think AEW would offer more money too. I mean, whatever, it's not like I'm gonna miss on any more worthwhile Cobb matches. The name change and outfit still reeks of dumb-as-fuck booking (not to mention the laziness of thought process of "hey, another island guy, let's put him in the Bloodline", which not only screams NWO 2000 level creativity but also says a lot about stereotypical roles, still).

Seriously, what the fuck ? I checked the Forbidden Door tickets. Again. I *could* go. But I'm not sure I wanna spend hundreds of euros for a wrestling shows, no matter how great it might be, not even counting the transport and hotel and food and shit in London. I wouldn't mind take some walks in London again, last time I was there was.... eons ago. But fuuuuck this is so ridiculously expensive. I'm guessing in Toronto they will go full Cope/Christian doing something important, like the tag-team championship against FTR.

It's exactly the case, actually. I don't wanna get my hopes up but... Eddie Kingston as a surprise entrant ? Which would make the inclusion of Gabe Kidd even more meaningful ? Also, the inclusion of Willow and Marina is cool as hell. Liked the show overall, but bigger arenas aren't the thing anymore for those weekly TV shows. And some of the segments were clunky as hell, especially the tag-team challenges, between MVP *still* being counterproductive, and none of the teams involved being over in the slightest. Those tag titles are dead in the water, and the Hurt Syndicate don't get anyone over. Cool to have Sky Blue back.

Nah, I'm good. Plus let's be real, if I was to become an admin, the *very first thing* I would do would be to ban one member that should have been banned a few years back but wasn't (don't ask, those you know know. I still have *that* screenshot somewhere though, so there you go). 😎 With that I have zero interest in GWE. Done it twice. First one was fun. It was an era. Second one, less so. I've reach the point where ranking pro-wrestlers is a completely uninteresting idea to me. My list would probably be funny as fuck though and would give any old-schooler brain trauma. As far as the forum goes, the activity it what it is. It's a forum. Forums are dead. It's sad in a way, but it's how it goes. Nothing lasts forever.

I was about to say that only one month ago Cobb looked like his awesome self in NJPW and that apart from body-type he really is nothing like Rhyno (I mean, he's short and stocky and that's about it) and about a billion time the worker, so I have no idea what happened if he looked gassed and stuff (no training in the meantime maybe, or just the classic WWE effect of making pretty much everyone worse unless you're a walking gimmick)... ...but then I saw that he was called JC Mateo. So you have Jeff Cobb, who's a former olympian and a well established name in the business after years in NJPW, and you change his name to... JC Mateo. 😂 Never change WWE.

This. And as much as I was really annoyed at points at the end of last year, and despite the rocky start of this year (few first shows only), basically 2025 is the most fun (and best) AEW has been since 2021 to me. And it is needed even more than before in the current context. Haven't seen Collision yet but I heard about the Zach Gowen angle, which sounds ridiculous and great. Also, I really, REALLY love those funky smaller theatre and shit. THIS is the pro-wrestling I love. Sure, a stadium once a year if doable, why not, likewise the Tokyo Dome is cool and all. But Korakuen Hall, ECW Arena, Hammerstein Ballroom, that venue in London that RevPro runs, this is the true spirit. And Daily's Place of course. Hopefully, one day AEW does those ridiculous Spring Break shows WCW used to run. Someone needs to be thrown in a swimming pool. Or the ocean.

I actually wondered for a minute, because I thought it could have been a joke. Then again, the fact it appeared totally plausible says a lot. Oh anywoo. Well, it's not like there isn't enough to fill this thread every week, and it would indeed have been very low on the totem pole of shittiness. Did I mention about Logan Paul, the MAGA crypto-scammer influencer, getting a world title shot on a "big" TV show ?

This is actually hilarious. (edited. Godamnit @C.S. !)

Enjoy the tradition of lucha libre with Joe Hendry and the Hardy Boys. I wonder if the audience is also supposed to learn English so they can chant "We believe" at Hendry, which is about the only thing about his matches (think "yeeet" and "yeah", only with one more word).

I even made the obligatory "Sabu tried to die because of course" joke. In retrospect, yikes. Janela basically admitting they got Sabu high as a kite to be able to perform and now Lauderdale is pissed at him because "It makes GCW looks bad" is classic old-school carny bullshit. This shit is turning really sour really fast. And yeah, if I'm Sabu's family, I'm considering pressing charges, really.

Wow, this is crazy, considering I was just watching his retirement match during Mania week. Sabu was and remain one of my all-time favorites. There was an intangible quality in Sabu's matches back then in term of producing this unparalleled aura of "controlled" chaos. One of the hardest working wrestler ever for sure, the absolute cult figure of indie wrestling for the tade trading era. No matter what anyone says, whenever a table is broken nowadays, and for the last 30 years : it is Sabu. Not Terry Funk in 89, not some stuff happening in Memphis in the 80's, not the Dudley Boys nor Public Enemy, it is Sabu. He's a guy who probably was his own worst enemy, but he's also someone who really never got the recognition he deserved. THE ECW original. Yeah. His Uncle might have been a huge star, but Sabu's influence on modern wrestling is gigantic. *points to the sky*

I'm sure it did play a role. Things were never the same after 68, and feminism played a part in it, although there was still a long way to go.

I would not say NJPW is in a dark ages period again. It's not even close to being comparable to the early 00's Inoki shit, which is akin to WCW 00's in term of destructive booking and awful product overall. The younger generation is plenty promising. However the global landscape has changed, which makes it a lot more difficult than it was in the 2010's, with so much money that can be made in the US for both foreigners and native workers. But yeah, Takeshita is just way above anyone they have in term of, well, everything. He's easily a top 5 wrestler in the world today, at worst probably top 3. He's charismatic as fuck to boot, he had the credibility. He's absolutely the guy NJPW should build around, that is if he wasn't basically an AEW guy, despite the dual contract. He needs to get that IWGP title reign at one point soon though, and a real, meaningful one too, not just a token "company exchange" reign like Mox last time.

I really wouldn't go that far. There is a before/after 68, but to say traditional masculinity was challenged in mainstream culture to this extent, not really. There had been changes thanks to the wave of feminist movement that went alongside 68, but I don't think it shook society that much on the regard of pop culture. Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo's movies were still super popular in the 70's. However, as far as society as a whole, and especially in term of media, there is quite a difference between the 60's and the 70's, and mostly after 1974 when Giscard d'Estaing became president. As absurd as it may seem now, Giscard's vision was one of a modernized country. He's the one who killed off the old ORTF system which had been very much a vestige of the old pompidolian France which was seen as so boring, hasbeen and passé by then. The catch culture on TV was very much a product of the post-war De Gaulle/Pompidou era. Giscard was much younger, he was much more progressive on social issues (although still a man from the right, but not the same as the previous generation) and France changed quite a bit in the second half of the 70's.

Both Dontaku shows had some really good highlights. Was really cool having Tanahashi vs ZSJ one last time. Naito's exit from NJPW was the most Naito thing ever. Like, yeah, whatever, I'm gone now. Meanwhile, Good Brothers are back. Again. With that connection I fully expect them showing up in AEW eventually (I mean, they most probably are tagging with the Young Bucks at Resurgence). It's kinda like a never-ending joke at this point.