Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

Beast

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1539

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Beast

  1. Beast
    This felt like a precursor to the famous Heenan/Perfect/Flair "we told you so" celebration after the Rumble. Very exciting knowing things get even better from here.
  2. Beast
    This plus the Steamboat return is the renewal of WCW post-Flair in real time. Fantastic angle, fantastic match, fantastic performances by all involved.
  3. Beast
    Shocked Bret was game for this, in what ended up being the only televised match he had versus Hogan. Hogan dominates both Bret and Sting to a laughable extent. Even with the Bret match being a fraud, the seven minutes feature Hogan outwrestling him before going after his leg. Bret doesn't get anything. If this had played out as a legit Sting save, with Bret having a big match and win over Hogan at Starrcade, this wouldn't be so bad. But what a horrible bait and switch for the match they'd built up the entire show as a first-time dream match. And a fresh Sting takes over and Hogan still kicks his butt until he misses the leg drop. Why is the heel having two matches against face main eventers and looking strong against both?
  4. Beast
    His "apologies" always include caveats about how he should have been more careful about saying certain things when possibly being recorded. He also didn't just use terrible racist slurs, he straight up said "I'm a racist" and laughed about pretending to be friends with a billionaire only to call him and his son the "n-word" behind their backs. Whether you think that deserves blackballing from WWE or not, it's not like the past 3 years show any indication he's changed and learned from getting caught. When people tell you who they are, believe them.
  5. Beast
    Match was a combo Texas Death/I Quit match. They announced the rules at the beginning; two ways to win. Cactus wasn't "forgetting" what match he was in when he asked Sting if he was ready to surrender. Fantastic match. Cactus looked amazing here, with strong offense and timing his big bumps really well. Sting's selling was top notch and he looked like he should be able to have fantastic matches every night with any opponent. Super impressive. The chair rebounding of the ropes looked vicious and the Nestea Plunge made me audibly gasp. What an awesome ending. Both guys came off strong. Sting was able to pull out the win, but Cactus dominated and held his own. Him getting "knocked out" had to be pre-planned, regardless of how hard that bump was. It was a perfect ending in that he didn't actually have to verbally give up to lose. It closes the chapter on their feud for now, leaving Cactus ready to still be a world-beater against less pushed foes like Hammer.
  6. Beast
    JR's reaction adds to the later surprise of Dangerously unveiling the Alliance. For now, he's got the hot hand in Rude, but why would anyone in WCW think he's anything more than a loudmouth? Rude is a bit too manic here for my taste and I'm looking forward to seeing the development of his smoother lead heel persona as he takes on the role of the head wrestler of the Alliance. He's pretty puffy as well, likely working himself back into ring shape after so much time off. This interview followed Rude's first TV match in WCW, versus Steve Armstrong. Armstrong and Smothers had already kind of turned heel with a promo at Halloween Havoc, but Armstrong plays the babyface and gets way too much offense for a Rude debut.
  7. Beast
    Arn is the man. His mere presence signals a hot promo is about to go down. I wonder when he developed this aura; beginning of the Horsemen run? And agreed on how perfect the glasses work for him. They only add to his menace and signify he's got more brains than anyone else in the promotion making him a very dangerous man.
  8. Beast
    Agreed on the first few vignettes, but it sounds like Vince was excited about playing off the inherent racism of WWE crowds. What's the point in making your crowd the heels? Where do you go from there? I guess that's why they moved so quickly into having Hassan and Daivari commit blatant heel actions. And Conrad mentions Ivory making a terrorist/plane reference on the episode of Heat where Hassan's debut was announced for the following Raw. There was no subtlety or sympathetic points to Hassan's character as soon as he started interacting with WWE talent. I see him in more of the Jinder mold in that he was booked near the top of the card for a while, but rarely looked strong. I'd put the 2004 JBL run in that column too, but I know a lot are more positive towards that. Hassan's push came out of nowhere and the heat he was getting wasn't in reference to wanting to see him face top guys. His last appearance on Raw was facing Cena and losing in under 3 minutes. WWE forced him into top slots, but never let him earn any staying power, instead focusing solely on his gimmick to get him over. I think the character had a lot of potential and I feel bad for Mark Copani in all of this. Bruce doesn't really touch on how WWE threw him under the bus and left him with nothing after 6 months of him doing what they wanted on TV, playing into American xenophobia.
  9. Beast
    Hassan episode is terrible. No real insight, it's one of those "Conrad reads week to week results" shows. Bruce describes Hassan as being one of the first 3-dimensional Arab-American characters on TV post-9/11, but every segment described has him feeding into stereotypes. Apparently Vince thought Hassan was a real shades of grey character for some reason. Bruce is adamant that Hassan was a top guy because he did matches/segments with Foley, Austin, Michaels, Cena, Taker, Edge, Big Show, Benoit, etc.... and that he was moved to Smackdown after being on Raw for only 6 months because he had done everything possible and it was time to face a bunch of new faces. Bruce's defense of airing the terrorist angle hours after the 7/7 bombings is embarassing. He refuses to accept any responsibility (for himself or WWE) instead saying things were out of their hands and that UPN basically forced them to air it with only a warning that appeared throughout the show for parental discretion. He is aghast anyone would admonish WWE for airing the segment and compares criticism of the decision to criticisizing lax airplane security in the US pre-9/11..... WWE played into the real vitriol many Americans had toward the Middle East, but Bruce is shocked viewers would think WWE was using terrorism as a heat-seeker. Conrad isn't really on Bruce's side during this, but he also doesn't nothing to push back. Only reason I listened is it was a shorter episode and I needed something for drivetime radio. Embarrasing.
  10. Beast
    I'll be the outlier, I really didn't like this at all. I haven't seen much Lucha at all so I'm likely missing out on some subtleties but I also don't see how this type of match would work in the US or Japan (in terms of universal appeal). What stuck out to me was how blasé both guys seemed. The first fall is fairly unexciting matwork, not done poorly, but also not really feeling like any sort of actual struggle. The quick pop to the outside with slaps was great and seemed to set the stage for what type of match this would be, but that was it. The ending felt anticlimactic, but as the 1st fall I expected things to come together later on. 2nd fall started great with Casas being the aggressor, but all of a sudden he became extremely tired. Like, Dandy is able to reverse a clothesline attempt into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and Casas is done. I read in one of the other reviews that his selling was "so good, because he's dead but is able to keep pulling himself up". I didn't get that at all. His selling was like taking a nap and then he'd get up and do the next spot. Without any context (past this being a title final and Casas being the rudo) I didn't get any sense of personalities here which to me in integral without English commentary to help me along. 3rd fall had bigger moves but again felt very disconnected and static. Moves were hit, back and forth, no real struggle, no buildup to the end. I feel like I'm obviously missing out on something because I respect that most of you love this, but this didn't get me excited to watch any more Lucha. This felt like they were going through the motions and Dandy especially was very bland.
  11. Beast
    Perfect match. I've never agreed with the common criticisms and this rewatch only confirms my thoughts. Every spot is memorable and it builds and builds featuring moves and segments that are specific to Perfect and Bret. The first half gives Bret a ton of momentum, but when Perfect takes over on a punch in the corner (while Hebner is distracted), he's a beast. Feels like the two are evenly matched but Bret is on a roll so Perfect does what he does best and starts cutting corners and cheating. Bret takes a ton of punishment, culminating in the Perfect-Plex kickout. Maybe there could have been a better transition to Bret's offense (because it's basically a Hogan/Warrior-type rejuvenation without the spectacle), but Perfect's game. In the end, it does exactly what it's supposed to do in that it puts Bret over really really really strong, while still making Perfect look like the top IC Champion he was. Even more meaning is added due to Perfect retiring for the next 15 months.
  12. Beast
    Dug the overall story by the end. Must be Fuchi's last hurrah, right? First real look at Fuchi. Came off as a tough dude out of his element against top dog Kawada. Knowing the context (only 2 remnants of the original promotion), I thought it was strange Kawada ate Fuchi up for a while, but I guess Fuchi's persistence and ability to take a beating and still give some back was an attempt to tell a feel-good tale? Was really just an extended squash, especially seeing Kawada kick out at 1 after taking 3 big backdrop drivers. Wasn't helped by the very, very quiet crowd. If I was a fan of AJPW at the time, this match would have made me even more worried as it was clear Fuchi wasn't going to fill any sort of meaningful role leaving Kawada as the only real big name left. Luckily the influx of interpromotional guys saved the day.
  13. Beast
    This is my first Joshi viewing (at least in many years) and this didn't do much for me. It was very much a spotfest, with a weird lack of transitions and meaning behind what was happening. Each one took a turn hitting a ton of moves and getting near falls and then all of a sudden it would be the other's turn. The finish was out of nowhere as Yamada was destroying Toyota only to get a pinning combination reversed leading to her finish (which looked almost botched, or at least pretty sloppy). Reading this thread, I get that Yamada had already wrestled that night which makes this story even more bizarre. If I squinted, it felt like two wrestlers trying even harder than usual because the hair was on the line, but going in blind it felt like Toyota was the one fighting from behind as Yamada was fairly dominant here. Not bad at all, but there's a clear evolution from this to the type of stuff that Meltzer loves today.
  14. Beast
    This is the Terry Funk show and a strong piece of evidence for anyone who thinks he's the GOAT. Race not selling the arm after Funk spent the first 10 minutes of the match working on it is a big negative, but Funk is on fire here. Multiple press slams, stomping the face during the armbar, great piledriver. He showed a ton of personality, even if this is pre-wildman era. Race, in contrast, was more of a generic tough guy. The finishes all made sense and were built up to well. I do think the final fall was a bit silly with how Funk kept going for the spinning toe hold and leaving his face open over and over and over. I can only imagine that would have paid off in the rematch later that month. And am I out of my mind, or did the ref call it because Funk (in a bloody daze) threw a punch at him while being checked up on? Not just a blood stoppage, but a "this guy doesn't even know who he's fighting anymore" blood stoppage. Strong '70s era title match. If anything, this gets me more excited to see more non-wacky Funk.
  15. Beast
    I like how earlier this was described as wrestling junk food. I'm a big fan. Maybe the most well known "WAR 6-Man"-type match in a major US setting? All 6 guys are on and the Dean-Scott, Rick-Cactus, Eddy-Cactus segments are really fun and cool to have on tape. Really good use of the Steiners putting them with guys like Eddy, Dean, and Scorpio. Rick especially was hanging right with everyone. Eddy's a good face-in-peril and the Steiners/Cactus add legitimacy to the smaller guys, especially because they treat them like real threats and sell for everything. I believe the original match had Benoit in place of Cactus, but Benoit had visa issues (maybe "visa issues"?). Also Luna Vachon no-showed for the Dreamer/Luna/Pitbulls vs. Raven/Richards/Dudleys match. So they had the Cactus heel turn pushed forward with him replacing Luna, turning on Dreamer and joining Raven, and then Raven providing Cactus as the replacement for Benoit all in one night.
  16. Beast
    The star ratings deal is not a huge issue or anything, but it's led me to realize I have no real reason to subscribe to the Observer site anymore. Observer since 2005, F4W Online since 2007, but I don't enjoy the current WWE product at all and have finally stopped watching or following online completely. And Dave's opinion seems less and less consistent and relevant. Excited for this full site to open in July and I am listening to the PTBN and PWO podcasts much more than the Observer ones now.
  17. Beast
    I would LOVE to see you tackle another era like the Highway To Hell project. That's one of the peak threads in this site's history.
  18. Beast
    My annoyance has nothing to do with what he rates 5-stars and above. It's him trying to rewrite history and pretend this has always been an option. Whenever anyone asks him about going above 5-stars for Omega/Okada, he pulls out the "it's been this way since 1989", when it's obvious that he didn't even realize he gave a Flair/Steamboat house show match 6-stars until some reader brought it up. He's pretending there's a method to his madness rather than just admitting he was blown away by these new matches and so he readjusted the scale. By pulling out the "1989 card" whenever he's criticized, it ensures he never has to give an actual reason or engage in actual discussion. And yeah, when there's ten 5-star matches, plus six 6/7-star matches in the past 18 months, it devalues his opinion. The people coming out to blindly defend him on Twitter are just as bad as those sent by Russo and Prichard. It also stinks of PR strategy so people will pay $65 dollars to watch him and Alvarez answer questions live at NJPW San Fran and All In.
  19. Beast
    I'm a Dave apologist, but his defense for the 7-star rating is turning me off. He keeps going back to the idea that he's been giving out star ratings higher than 5 since 1989, but: 1) No one, including him, had been calling a Flair/Steamboat house show match as the peak match in all of wrestling history. And the Misawa/Kawada 6-star rating is something no one even knew existed. I don't even know if it's written in the Observer from that period. Now he's constantly going back to these as evidence that the star-rating system has never had a ceiling. 2) He's retweeting people who say 5-stars means match of the year, 6-stars means match of the decade, and now 7-stars means match of a lifetime. So that means from when Funk/Lawler or Dynamite/Tiger or whatever received 5-stars, only Flair/Steamboat and Misawa/Kawada were better? And that now nearly every Omega, Okada, Naito, and Takahashi is better than 99.9999 % of all matches ever? I give Dave a lot of credit and defend most of his more controversial opinions, but this is plain bull. He's constantly harping on Bruce Prichard for lies and "working", but his attempts to defend "breaking" his star rating system after the fact is just as embarrassing.
  20. Beast
    I think it all comes from a place of disappointment, that the top wrestling reporter (or whatever) is essentially Scott Keith. Sorry, but that's the height of pettiness and taking wrestling ratings too seriously. This was the culmination of a series between two guys that Meltzer has praised every single time as building on previous matches. By his account (and many many other fans), this went above and beyond and was the best match of the series. Why wouldn't he call it the greatest match he's ever seen? And why does it matter to you? I can't believe all the hate that builds up here every time Dave loves a New Japan match. He's not an outlier and you're kidding yourself if you think the majority of fans that agree with him are doing so solely to seem as wrestling-smart as he is.
  21. Beast
    I can believe they were panicking and shell-shocked and didn't know what to do with the news Benoit was likely responsible, but then don't trot people out to praise Benoit that night.
  22. Beast

    WWE Hidden Gems

    Beast replied to NickH's topic in WWE

    Watching OVW footage from that era leads me to believe the actual footage itself is poor quality. Maybe that's why they haven't put a ton up on the network.
  23. Beast
    First I've seen of Dinsmore pre-Eugene. He reminds me of Matt Borne, in that everything small detail he does is interesting. I remember now how disheartening it was for him to be wasted as Eugene. Not that he didn't do anything on the main roster, but I wish he'd had a chance to play a Mr. Wrestling type role. He'd have done well as a Tim Woods tribute act. There were some fantastic tag maneuvers here, which is not a surprise with Cornette booking. Both teams had very fun, creative double-teams and there were a number of cool one on two attacks with Dinsmore and Damaja using the Disciples against each other. Cornette is unbearable on commentary. I've been watching some Attitude Era Raw's where he's fantastic and I think the difference is here he's the lead announcer overwhelming Dean Hill. With Jim Ross, Cornette has a lot more back and forth. Here he's just screaming and calling every single move and it's exhausting.
  24. Beast
    I've been on magazine buying sprees in the past and with something like this I'd probably buy even more.
  25. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a password protected forum. Enter Password
×
×
  • Create New...