Matt D

Hopefully the guy's mid-life crisis is over and he can start transitioning his fame and personal beliefs into youth drug prevention programs or something.

I'd be amused if Netflix's biggest issue was that new shows dried up temporarily because it's CEO had to go be a heel in Japan.

The main issue is that Punk is a hugely unlikable ass. Why are people dancing around that and talking about gym time and stuff like that? He's sort of OUR hugely unlikable ass, but that only takes him so far.

No, this is a lot of fun to read; maybe my favorite PWO thing since GWE ended.

I was going to say...

They should drop the cash to have Living Colour play Cult of Personality for Baron Corbin on the way to the ring for whatever pre-match show match he's in tomorrow. That's what I'd do if I was Vince at least.

The fun thing about this is that Punk is still a better pro wrestler than Brock Lesnar.

I like Punk more now that he looks more like Paul Boesch.

Maybe someone could convince him that it was the key to Howie Mandel's success.

I applaud your gumption.

Even that had Dusty putting a chinlock on instead of letting Gino stooge around for him. It was weird.

Maybe he helped bridge the gap to JYD though. All I know is that they really worked to hell out of that sleeper and it didn't seem to be working.

I don't know. Andre's a special attraction and he's always over in Houston. Likewise, Dusty is a special attraction elsewhere (like MSG) and he feels more over there. It's not just this match but other times we've seen Dusty.

Pete, We've seen a lot of Houston matches from this era now. Is it just me or is the crowd just not all that into Dusty? I think, even in this match, Lewin was way more over than him.

Dusty vs Gino So far as I know, this is the only match up between these two that we have. I think they had good chemistry. I would have liked a bit more of a shine with a bit more of Gino showing ass, but he gives a lot for Dusty to work with in the heat, even though it's primarily them working hope spots out of a sleeper. It's one of the best sleeper sequences you'll see. I'd be curious if someone can name a better. For some reason the crowd always seems underwhelming for Dusty in Houston, despite Boesch telling me otherwise. Gino was the guy who had to draw week in and week out in Houston, and they made him look strong and effective. Solid match with a lot of exactly what you would want from Dusty and Gino but maybe not quite enough for it (And all of in as a backdrop for Gino vs Lewin). I didn't like it as much as Dusty vs Patera, but it's still a great piece of history with two guys doing what they did best.

I'm not going to do a full write up. I really need to see it again. Where it clicked for me utterly was when I switched to the fancam footage. From there, I started over and was hugely engaged. I sync'd together the footage in the third fall as I watched, splitting my screen and it was one of the most immersive wrestling experiences I've had in a long time. It really was an experience and I'd like to go back again and map out more of a narrative. Talk about earned exhaustive selling though. The chair segment and the wrecked bodies it left behind is one of the best examples of how a single spot or sequence can just change everything. Truly amazing finish. I need to see it again.

Forget the bell: Would Brock vs Reigns be better if the chase/payoff to Rollins/Reigns had been better months down the line?

Semantic issue: I think maybe this match shouldn't have "five stars" in it. I don't give star ratings, but if I did, a match would have to hit in every area, or at least almost every, to get five stars. That's the highest mark. Plus, despite what was discussed, I think you can find matches from the 70s-back that have great finishes. It's not all that uncommon.

I am on my phone, so I will be be vague instead of using spoiler tags. I think the idea was to have a definitive pinfall while keeping both guys strong and because they would need to use Buzz as Rich's partner upcoming. There was a clear winner, both to the match and the feud, but at the end of the day it was about how evenly matched they were and how there was no shame in losing. Tonally, you have to factor in the match that followed too, which makes it less clean than it could have been.

Where I did absolutely love Buzz was in the pre-match where he kept shaking the top of the cage and came off like a trapped animal exploring his surroundings.

Off the top of my head, best use would be in the midst of a lot of other varied arm offense, maybe as connective tissue from one hold to another to rationalize why the other wrestler is allowing it without fighting back more or as part of a cut off of a hope spot (fighting out of a hold). Those are just quick thoughts, though.

1.) You're right. Control armwork by the heel in a five minute squash with a size discrepancy is very likely stupid. 2.) Let me toss out an example, and I realize that this is as far off from MMA as you can get. I really like old Edgar Rice Burroughs Sci Fi. Stuff from over a hundred years ago. The John Carter stories especially. They're fun and pulpy and brisk and hugely imaginative. They're imaginative because they have to be. We knew so little about the universe around us that he had to make leaps of faith or work off of bad science, or theories that have been long since disproven. We know a lot more about science now. Those stories were science fiction, sure, but they weren't, at the time, intended as science fantasy. They were intended as plausible to the extent that people could suspend their disbelief and immerse themselves into the story. If I were to look at them through the lens of modern astronomy and physics, I'd be miserable. Judge the storytelling and how the tools were used (in this case poorly), but don't judge the tools based on what they were never trying to be and what they simply couldn't know to be. You'll be miserable. Punching an arm is awesome, not because it would really work, but because it has a symbolic meaning. You just have to punch the arm at the right time, with the right selling, and to the right effect.

Can we have that show too, please? Since WWE is being so giving and all.

I'm not ready to put it into context yet. I do think it's innately different than something like Tully vs Magnum because Mad Dog being a crazy sadistic heel as opposed to a chickenshit one. This was very much what it should have been, with Rich outquicking and finessing Sawyer to begin, Sawyer getting an advantage due to Rich being overzealous. The armwork UNLOCKING the ability for Buzz to slam Rich into the cage, and then a lot of heat with some big comeback spots, and them going toe to toe for the finish. In general, I'll take a match, even a bloody cage match, which is heat-centric over one with a lot of even brawling. It's all the more appropriate considering who was in there. It's funny. I'm not sure people would have thought this lived up to the hype if it showed up ten-fifteen years ago, but after a bunch of 80s sets, I think it very much does.

Almost certain that babyfaces have been calling her that in promos since almost day one in NXT.