Matt D

First and foremost: while I appreciate the thoughts being attributed to me, and I was trying to make a reasonable point at the least (if a sophist's one), nothing I say during DVDVR March Madness should taken as an actual belief, especially if I do a pick 'em ballot over there. Then I might be trying to finagle things so that I win. I never win. I usually do great and lead after two rounds and then crash and burn like someone with anger management issues playing Risk. It's like a madman's debate club over there in March. That said, here's what I will go on the record with here about Brock. While his matches are very special in the moment, I think he's harmful to everyone and everything around him over any other term (Short, medium, long). This is mainly for two reasons. Reason #1: He gets to use offense like no one else in the company, thus escalating the stakes, while at the same time, not having that offense actually do more damage. It's not about logic for the sake of logic. It's about internal consistency from match to match and show to show, especially for a part-timer. His German Suplex is presented as both more and less devastating than almost everything in the company does. It's horrific, but guys can still get up after twenty of them, or whatever. That's part of Brock's deal, a lot of immediate-term good but potential long term damage. I also think that his act does have diminishing returns. It wouldn't work if we saw him every week. That's ok, even if it gives him an edge over the rest of the roster. Attractions are attractions. I do think the cracks are starting to show as it becomes more and more self-referential with the suplex city thing though. Reason #2: He in general is presented as superior to the roster, a bigger deal, more invulnerable, more important, an attraction. The problem is, he's also presented as more legitimate. I liken him to early 90s Undertaker. Taker could take more damage, do more damage. His choke was as deadly as anything in the company in fall 91, but at the same time he was presented as less than real. He was fantasy. He was less legitimate than the rest of the roster. A guy like Bret Hart or Ric Flair could look differently competent in comparison, because they were skilled men and not a monster. Brock on the other hand, due to his wrestling and especially MMA background, is presented as MORE real, not less. Therefore, he makes the rest of the roster look less legitimate. Brock feels special every time he's out there, but in part, that's because he's provided the tools and the presentation to make everyone else look less special. If he was better, could he find a way to elevate everyone around him with his specialness? Maybe. Right now he's the world's most potent weapon poorly utilized. I think the most remarkable thing was how over Reigns was at the end of Mania last year, because that was the weapon aimed and used for a purpose. All of that capital Brock had built up in the previous year was being used to make Reigns, and then they didn't go with it. Now then, only part of that actually works against him for the sake of this process. He's not on my ballot, not even in consideration, really. He's a great spectacle. He's got a lot of tools. I think he might have been on my list if he never left. I've been lucky enough to see that spectacle live at least twice, once vs Taker at MSG for a cage match, once in Philly for the Rollins/Cena triple threat. I wouldn't fault someone for having him.

I think the big question is whether or not Shane can get down to 205.

They're running out of attitude era stars to bring back?

Hey, maybe he'll bring back WCW.

Shane > Rousey (Don't quote me on that six months from now) (EDIT: Two months)

I hope this isn't Rousey. There's a not a lot that could make me even less interested in Mania than them throwing the Sasha/Charlotte match under the bus by presenting her as many thousand times more legitimate then their own wrestlers.

Match quality is the single least important metric for the WWE HOF.

It's outright embarrassing to push a babyface pimp character into the hall of fame in 2016. There is zero upside. Vince has no perspective. I have to think that they're hoping this gets mainstream publicity, even if it's the sort they really don't want. In the last month they've released statements that they aren't racist and that they aren't sexist. In the last month.

It's probably more of a manifesto.

It should just be the Godfather.

Terrible decision

I thought Jericho looked pretty bad last night and brought the match down a ton, though AJ looked very uncomfortable as well. But I don't understand for a second how we know what match anyone wanted to have last night, much less whether they had the leeway to go in their own direction. Unless I'm missing something I don't see how we can come to any conclusions about that kind of intent. That's the sort of lack of confidence that leads someone to wrestling a match like last night's.

Also, one argument that I've made throughout this process is that it's worth looking at a wrestler's post-prime. It was never about penalizing them or rewarding them accordingly. It's about understanding. These are human beings, not wrestling machines. Last night revealed tendencies of Jericho's work that I think you can find throughout his career, even if rarely as clearly as they appeared last night. He's a wrestler who was never good at working up to his limitations. AJ Styles is quite possibly one of the best wrestlers in the world. Jericho, as someone who's had good matches in the last year, even, could have had a great match with him. He could have had twenty great matches with him, each one different. He absolutely could not have the great match that he WANTED to have with him. There's something to learn from that which can be extrapolated, like a lens, to examine Jericho's previous work.

It's funny that Foley was brought up, because that was a lot of what we were talking about, Foley, Shawn, and Jericho. There's a lot to compare and contrast there when it comes to storytelling, ambition, and buying into one's own hype and having that affect output.

Does the political hit talk make Johnny froth at the mouth like a rabid dog?

I don't think that was the point, it was just an opportunistic counter. Brie had the Yes Lock on but Ric was looking to put Charlotte's leg on the rope, so Brie grabbed the leg to transition to the crab to keep her away from the ropes, and Ric. I literally came in on the crab so that makes sense. Thanks.

Won't the 42 days of build to Hunter vs Reigns be fun?

I actually don't mind this layout too much. They had a number of marks that they had to hit before the chapter break before Lesnar is taken out of the match and Ambrose and Reigns have to put their friendship on the line, etc. They just had to get in all of that stuff first because it had to fit into the match somewhere.

And the suplexes of diminishing returns have begun already.

Also, it'd be hilarious if Trips convinced Vince that what makes the most sense is for Ambrose to win tonight, Hunter to beat him at Mania and Reigns to win the title at Summerslam.

I have no idea why they didn't do HHH vs Ambrose and Reigns vs Brock at this PPV.

Just got home from Maltese Falcon. Playing catch up. Did they build up the half crab at all to make it seem like a potential danger spot for Charlotte? Has anyone tapped out to a half crab since Lance Storm was in WCW in 00?

I had a talk with Loss yesterday that covered Jericho in a way that was so different from anything mentioned here that it's not even worth it to recap it at this stage, because it'd feel like a completely different language and frankly, no one wants to hear the two of us go at it again this close to the end of the process. It's enough to make me just shake my head though. We're just a few weeks from this all being over.

I think things like the Cornette Wendy's footage or the RVD match online rant sort of show that he was always kind of a tool. He was just sort of our tool at some point?

I thought I remembered a match where he took that first rudo role because no one else who normally would was with him where I thought he did a good job with it, but the best I could find was the 2004-10-8 - Arts Exhibition "Arena Mexico" University of Essex match vs Hijo del Santo which was a weird one given the audience so he was playing it more broadly than usual. Not even a trios.