El-P

I've been kinda out of the loop, for various reasons, and I just saw the news on Bix's Twitter feed this morning. I had thought about him when I saw that DEAN sign on Dynamite, but I had no idea. I'm very sorry to hear the news. My condolences to his family and friends. Like so many others at that time, Dean was super important in shaping my discoveries of other kind of wrestling when I got online in the late 90's. I stumbled onto the DVDVR Reviews pretty quickly when searching for stuff about pro-wrestling. I remember I could't wait for the next issues and it was always so much fun to discover what Dean Rasmussen in particular would write, because he was funny as hell. In 2000 as I moved to Paris, I did not had the internet over there, so what I would do when I was back at my parents for a week-end, I would print the latests DVDVR reviews so I could read them on the train back to Paris. To this day I have memories of reading some BJPW and GAEA reviews as the train was stopped in some small train station... Over the years I had been a regular on the infamous light green board, and although I don't remember that many specific direct interactions with him (maybe there were, but it was a long time ago), Dean was always very nice to me, like he was to everyone. The last time I posted there was eons ago, and I was reviewing some old FMW stuff, and of course Dean was all about my pimping of Sambo Asako, because of course he would. The fact I always tried to make whatever I wrote to be funny and entertaining (like the WCW stuff) come straight from having so much fun reading Dean's reviews. Even when he was bashing stuff, he was so damn funny you could never be mad about it. So yeah. Very sad news. Dean was one *huge* part of the internet pro-wrestling board culture. That Coach Tony K guy knows. A billion zillions stars for you DEAN~!

There's apparently no hype on PWO about Stardom anymore, but the show on Sunday is gonna be the biggest joshi show in years, with a killer top line-up. Of course a big part of the intrigue is whether Moné keeps her title against Mayu, in which case that means she signed for one more match, as Giulia already challenged her. Now that would be quite the big time main event, whenever it occurs. And from there, who knows ? Does she really want to come back to WWE under *gasp* Vince ? Mina Shirakawa vs Saya Kamitani could see the end of Kamitani's reign (and streak of terrific defenses), as it would be quite the closure for Mina, who has improved a lot in the last year or so and who had her face shattered last time they met. And of course Giulia vs Tam Nakano, which on paper looks like a total killer match, but not the time yet for Nakano, although it will have to come eventually, I guess. Clearly one if not the most interesting show until the Summer.

Finally got to see Rebellion. Best IMPACT major show from top to bottom in a long time. The two main events were terrific, and there's a happy couple right now (although it's not acknowledge on screen that they are, and won't be since Maclin is a heel and Deonna a babyface now). The ending parts with Trey Miguel & Mike Baley were high art. PCO vs Eddie was exactly the brutality expected (damn, PCO was on WWF TV in the Spring of 1993, and he's having his best years now). The multi-person garbage brawl had its share on insanity and comedy (the ladder spot with Bully and the ref was hilarious, really, great trolling), Sami expectedly turned on Deaner (typical case of what's obvious is actually good). Just good stuff all around. Nick Aldis showing up certainly was a surprise. I never was a big fan, but he's a great promo and has developed his best identity in the NWA, with the benefit of the ever reliable IMPACT booking (as demonstrated tonight, so many of those matches were logical conclusion or development to very long-term storyline that have pretty deep roots) and working with a some excellent worker on top, Mr. Aldis could have his best stint ever. I'm guessing Mickie having such a string stint there for the last year and a half played a part. As far as Jordynne goes, well, she's a great get for whomever gets her, especially now that she's peaking both in ring-work and presentation. If she gets picked up by AEW, she needs to be in conversation for the top belts right away and presented as a total star. WWE, well, I dunno what Chelsea Green (who was at Mania still) and Emma would have to tell her about their stint there since she signed back, but probably not the greatest destination. Although maybe Trip would enjoy a fellow bodybuilder. But yep, excellent showcase by IMPACT, especially considering the bad hand they've been dealt with.

I'll add this and I'm so out of this argument. The irish whip thing is funny. Like there was different degree of implausibility that went from acceptable (the irish whip, which can be done in a context of very much "struggle" based matches) to unacceptable (whatever crazy spot or sequence you can think of). In reality, the degree of plausibility of the irish whip is exactly this : ZERO. Null. Void. Nada. And I'm not even the one saying this, I've heard Bryan Danielson (some dude) say it : if you throw someone onto the ropes, there's no world in which he bounces back. It's ridiculous. The plausibility is FUCKING ZERO. From that point on, considering we're already at zero, there's nothing less plausible. It doesn't matter that people believe it's "more credible" because it's been there seemingly for ever, it's just that they have been used to it. There's no degree of implausibility between an irish whip and a Canadian Destroyer. None of it is happening in this world. It's an equal level of plausibility : zero.

It is. End of story. Whatever works works. Plausibility doesn't matter. Not theoretically, but it actually doesn't. The biggest stars in pro-wrestling history are ridiculously unplausible, from Inoki's shitty-ass enzuigiri to Hulk Hogan's pathetic hulk-up and idiotic legdrop, to Steve Austin throwing a billion punches to the face of his opponent which never ever leaves a mark to Dwayne Johnson's PEOPLE'S ELBOW. The advantage of pro-wrestling going from a con-job to a craft appreciated for what it is is that it opened the landscape to a whole new dimension. Pro-wrestling actually takes itself, as a craft, much more seriously than it ever did before, that's the paradox. It is. It's a glorious stupidity though. But it is, in essence, completely ridiculous.

You know what it makes me think about ? And with your avatar (which I have never really identified, it's Immortal, right ?) I guess you'll get the reference. I was reading an interview with Fenriz (from Darkthrone for those who don't know) where he talked about how when he was younger metal music had something magical to him. And when he started to play music, it stopped being magical. And at the same time, he loves house music and techno but he never even tried to understand how it was done because he wanted it to remain magical.

No one. It was part of the joke post about boomers complaining about contrived wrestling, which has always existed. A joke post that some got and others did not apparently. Humor is like ring psychology, not everyone has the same idea of what it is.

Matt is correct.

Well..... You realize that my joke post wasn't even a direct reply to you, right ? No. I gave you very factual reasons to why he's doing what he's doing. Plus, yes, lucha. The irony in all of this, is that I'd much rather watch ZSJ vs Tom Lawlor than Komander vs Vikingo, so, it's not like I was even preaching for my personal tastes of choice.

It really didn't. It was supposed to be funny first and foremost and in good spirit. Because "Cooperative flippy-doe" and "Acrobat#512" is not at all mocking people passive-agressively, you see. Come on now. It's been going on for years now, people making fun of mOvEz, thinking they come off way smarter than people who chant "fight forever", because they like "smart work" and "psychology" (but don't actually get what they talk about, and hey, I'm pleading guilty, I've been there). It's really the pot calling the kettle black. There was someone on Twitter some time ago who posted a newspaper article from like the 30's I believe, and it was pretty much the template for my post, right down to the "it's all gymnastics now and has no credibility anymore". So yeah, probably some people were saying that stuff about Carpentier and Rocca, and it's fun to copy-paste the boomers argument from today to 1956 or something. The old guys sure did say this about Flair when he popped up : tumbling nonsense, no believability. Same old story. The older generation (and the younger people with a fascination for the past) crapping on whatever they did not grew up on. I don't begrudge anyone for their taste. I could not care less, everyone likes what they like (duh). The issue is people thinking what they like is the only way to go and everything else is wrong. It's especially true when it's a matter of thinking you're smarter (and more importantly, showing it to everybody) because you like "The amazing psychology of Buddy Rose in the Portland territory in the early 80's hey, look at me I'm so intelligent and know so much, wow" as opposed to "lolilol stoopid gen-Z crossfit wrestling flippy-doe mOvEZ".

My predictions are as follow : Punk vs Jericho match will have some Bret Hart sequences reproduced in a sloppy way Jericho will put CM Punk over PWO will complain about Chris Jericho Punk will make a snide remark about something unrelated in a promo FTR will beat some JAS guys Dax Harwood will tweet about how much he loves working with JAS PWO will complain about Chris Jericho CM Punk will reveal that he's hurt but coming back soon Dax Harwood will make cryptic complaint about Dave Meltzer Chris Jericho will put over Dax Harwood in a singles match PWO will call Chris Jericho a carny CM Punk will comeback and get hurt again while trying to do a figure four around the post PWO will complain about Chris Jericho CM Punk's contract won't get renewed Dax Harwood is gonna whine about it on his podcast PWO will call Chris Jericho a piece of shit

Thanks !

If that happens, let me grab a beer and a bag of chips and chill out while I'm watching the world explode. Between the super-über-hardcore Punk fanboys, the irrational haters of Jericho (yeah, sorry, but it has reach a point of comedic ridiculousness), the incoming shooty-shooty promos, the crappy social media games, Sammy Guevarra in the locker room being his own self, Dax Harwood being Dax Harwood, CM Punk always on the verge of CM Punking the thing, Jericho pulling strings left and right, holy shit if that's not at the very least stupidly entertaining, I dunno what will. This. And also, if the thing implodes, at least the damage will be somewhat contained. Meanwhile, The Elite will keep on having fun just having great matches with whoever comes around without the everlasting incoming drama. I just hope this is not gonna hurt AEW in the long run like I said. And if they manage to stay all pro and make the best out of it, everybody wins. Well, except Dax, who'll manage to bitch about something, anything, probably.

Clark Connors getting in the BC is pretty decent, and hopefully he loses those diapers looking tights, but Dave Finlay is nowhere near close any of the former BC leader, neither as a worker neither as a character neither as a potential main event guy. And yeah, Despi vs Ishii was awesome, how shocking. I have no idea how Ishii still goes like this. KENTA vs Edwards was also the best KENTA match in eons, which, as an IMPACT followers is not exactly a surprise, Eddie is just that good and there was a cool little dynamic as they crossed before in Japan when Eddie was a young boy. The three-way main event was great too, the brunt of the match carried by MCMG vs Aussie Open with Okada being lots of fun in this context too. There's this spot where he kicks Davies head from behind, once, not sold, then twice, and Davies retaliates by blasting the fuck out of Okada with a chop, masterfully sold. Tanahashi looks rough though. But he's still Tana, so he makes up for it. Maybe he'll end up like Mutoh, retiring at 62. Aussie winning, so there are your new belt collectors (there was an FTR chant during the post-match promo) and them probably having a tag title match with Tana & Okada at Dontaku now is quite the sign NJPW is going full bore with them, which is deserved. They clearly are the best tag team in the world right now. Undercard had some fun stuff like the multi-men opener and ZSJ vs Tom Lawlor. And SANADA looks... kinda... not like the World Champ caliber guy he should be. Yeah, I'll give it time, but it's obvious when he's facing Naito and Hiromu than he's just not from the same cloth.

I just checked it out. The irony is so strong. Guess what his last posts were about ? You'd never know. How CM Punk is impossible to work with and how he's never taking responsibility. (and called him a sociopath too) I guess, la boucle est bouclée...

You mean like Eddie Carpentier and Antonino Rocca ? Yeah, agreed. Those guys are ruining the business, their stuff looks ridiculous and contrived. Pro-wrestling was so much better before the war, honestly. Now it's all gymnastics and stupid comedy. Hell, even that Lou Thesz guy is doing too much goofy maneurisms that totally kills his supposed credibility, he's good technically but he acts like a clown too much at times, it's impossible to maintain suspension of disbelief. By that rate, in a few years people are gonna kick out of bodyslams, totally exposing the business. Pro-wrestling is a dying art, I'm telling you.

Some really good stuff on the NJPW show from Washington. I'll let you guess what is what... In others news though, with David Finlay having his own Rebel Club inside the Bullet Club, they've reached the nWo spilt era, except both are nWo Black & White under Stevie Ray.

Über patronizing tone aside (Acrobat #512 ? Really now ? Sounds like Larry Zbysko failing to put over Rey Jr. on commentary in 1996), Vikingo has been talked about for years now as his generation new prodigal son. Also "pure lucha" doesn't exist, apart in the mind of gatekeepers (and oh boy lucha libre sure has had a shitload of them over the years, and no, I won't say no more about this). And to get back to the point I made a few pages ago, I dunno what happened, people are either way to spoiled or way too grumpy these days, but the mere fact Jay White vs Komander even happens would have been like "HOLY FUCK THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVER" 25 years ago if it happened on Thunder. I have no idea how anyone can actually bitch about something like this... I don't even expect anything particulary great (and who knows, maybe it will be, never doubt Jay White), as you can't ask for much more of a clash of style. I dunno, it's just... fun, that it happens and that I get to see it.

Of course it does. He gets over because of how he works. The hype about Komander was always "the guy who does crazy shit and runs the ropes". If he's you're average luchador, he's not getting over like he does and he's not getting booked like he is. Of course not. That would be useless for everyone. Jay White is not a "squash a guy in three minute" (hell, that's even the opposite of what he is). And Komander could neither shine nor learn anything from this, plus he's already been established as someone as opposed to a jobber (going toe to toe with Vikingo, who pushed Omega super hard). No one really showcase their abilities. That would make no sense at all. Plus, if you need a jobber, Silas Young is right there (yeah, I'm being sarcastic and did not get that one at all either).

There's also something about Kommander, he's still very green in singles matches despite starting a decade ago (yeah, when he was 12, crazy lucha libre culture). His stuff is easier to plug in when he's in a multi-men clusterfuck of crazy highspots. And really now, as much as I love Vikingo's stuff, with all the stuff I've seen from him lately, there's a HUGE difference between the match he had with Omega, and everything else. Guess why... Not to say Vikingo is not great at what he does, but he's very much a modern AAA spectacle guy. What he does is just insane, but if you don't enjoy this style of matches (which yes, often come off like a collection of great, insane spots, and why not really ?), well. That being said, I know by experience that this is the easiest stuff to show non pro-wrestling fans so that they have a blast. In essence, this is also why lucha libre is the most popular, in the true essence of the word, style of pro-wrestling (Arena Mexico becoming a tourist destination being another example).

Watch the crowd react. Any crowd he's in front of in. That's why. And to extrapolate on very concrete reasons. Komander is a 24 years old luchador with no lucha ascendance. He's getting booking on big US indies, he was all over the place during Mania week-end. He got on the latest ROH PPV. He's getting on the second biggest pro-wrestling company in the world national TV programs, in big matches (Jay White next week). And he's gonna be in the main event of AAA's Triplemania tomorrow. That's why. He's getting over, he's getting paid, he's getting famous. So, people having to wait a little bit more (and really, not that much more than your standard lucha spot dive sequence) to catch him really doesn't weigh a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.

Yeah, absolutely great stuff. So many great details like the visuals of the empty arena, the hat casting a shadow over her face, Jordynne & Deonna watching from the control room. IMPACT are just masterful at producing these (in a completely different style and mood, the PCO/Eddie Edwards vignettes have been terrific too). And Mickie James being her amazing self in term of promo and presenting herself.

Yeah, Tony Neese is actually awesome. He absolutely found his footing and role and delivers everytime, against everyone he's being put against. He's such a pleasure to watch. And I never want to hear he's got no charisma, because he found his own now. He's like the greatest Barry Horowitz ever (as opposed to the greatest Tim Horner ever). Also, I love everything about The Righteous (I already watched and enjoyed Vincent for a year in IMPACT, and had seen a little bit of them in ROH before). They basically are the Wyatt Family done right, with one member being John Goodman.

No one will stop watching AEW because Punk is on TV, let's be serious now. This is all an inside-the-bubble drama. At worst, he'll get the Cody treatment while trying to be a babyface. Which I'm sure he would react in the most professional and thought out way imaginable.

Totally agree. Things like this are why IMPACT is such an enjoyable week-to-week show to watch, despite the fact you don't get the same level of matches than you would on AEW (although they really have some killer matches too). They have a great attention to details. They have been given a really shitty hand losing both their long-time champs to injuries at the same time, and they managed to make the absolute best out of it thus far just in term of presentation. Which is why I'm confident they'll make it compelling whenever Mickie & Josh are ready to come back.