Matt D

MITB works so much better at Wrestlemania, at the very least as a way to get guys on the show.

I fully admit that I thought Taker would just dramatically sign his name. It reminded me of the set up for Taker/HHH. That was such a better way to do it though. My first hope (fully thinking he'd just sign) was that he'd make lightning come down and sign his name. Screw that real sports build. I want magic Taker Lightning. This was good too though.

Okay, yeah, Ambrose coming out to save the day was pretty great.

Far, far less than you'd expect. It's the most frustrating thing about the last year or so.

These are like the mini-segments you see on like a HBO between movies/programs starting at the top of the hour. They recorded one for Regal too. Like Word of Mouth on TCM?

Dustin's one of my five favorite wrestlers ever I think, but I've heard his shoot interviews and read enough of his book and I'm not sure that's a good idea.

I would have loved a Neidhart's Raiders style angle where Razor went heel and stole the Million Dollar Corporation.

I am going to remain networkless for the near future, so if someone else wants to take the reins, be my guest and I will jump in when I can.

Or you could cut a promo on them pretending to be Bam Bam Bigelow.

Eskeletor and wrestling's Mumm-ra?

Why didn't they turn Razor in 95?

It's just that the pack has changed a lot over the last few years, I think. I'd put the cut off point at 2011 with the Punk vs Cena and the Christian/Orton feud and then Henry/Show/Bryan fueding towards the end of the year, which rolled into 2012 with things like Brock vs Cena and the Sheamus/Bryan 2/3 falls match and Cena/Punk rematches and a brief Bryan/Punk feud and Mark Henry off and on doing great things, which then rolled into 2013 with the Shield and a thousand six mans and Henry vs Cena and the rise of Cesaro first in the mid card having miracle matches with Kofi and Miz and then the Rhodes bros teaming and etc. etc. I've been watching 1994. I like it well enough, but we're not there anymore. We're spoiled beyond belief and I'm glad you've made it to the party.

I think it's great to see Charles' excitement in watching stuff in real time while following the weekly product which is something he's just getting back into. I do think that the WWE has been as good as it is now or close to it for much of the last few years, certainly since 2011 and maybe a year or two earlier. Probably not exactly on a weekly level since the 3 hour Raws have allowed for a lot more good matches, but if you factor the C shows maybe. That might be where some of the disconnect is coming.

Christian coming in and just destroying the shoulder was pretty glorious. Is it too much to ask that Christian ends up with Zeb somehow?

Really enjoyable match with tons and tons of memorable moments and some really great character work but Bryan really does drop his selling quite a bit. I wonder if it's the Backlund complex.

It's such a little thing but the way Cesaro perfectly staggered into position to take the Shoulder block off the top was really good. It was so believable for him to land like he did and then end up right in position.

I'm happy for Christian that he didn't get pulled.

I thought they had it just right with Ambrose being unleashed, but then it was a bit weird, though still sort of fitting for the setting. WWE matches never work like lucha rudos brawls. They just don't. That doesn't exist in this universe. I don't have a ton to say. I like how Ambrose and Rollins both got FIPs and then the odds were against Reigns the most of all. I've never liked Ambrose more than when he was doing those crazy flurries charging at Bray. I thought they didn't get the Superman punches looking quite as good as usual here, but it's fine. I thought Rollins' burst of offense was really good. It was to the point where they could have shown the entire thing on the reply and it would have made sense. And that moment of Reigns powering out. They can reshow that for years.

You know, I'm not sure if Titus works as well as he should like a big guy, but I like his canny touches. It reminds me a bit of old Ernie Ladd

The Rock getting a mania spot helps everyone else in the company. NAO getting one means two other guys are screwed out of a slot.

My gut says that they're locked in at this point. Little details can change (Does Kane or Brock take out Christian and take his place? I'm leaning towards no because they positioned him as a heel in the last week) but in general, I think it's too late for them, internally, to change the trains. That's not how they usually operate. I do hope the Usos go over. They deserve it in a big way and it'd probably ensue them a Mania spot when the Outlaws really don't deserve one. I bet they'd go all out on their Mania entrance too. I actually think Swagger beats Big E and Cesaro loses which leads to sort of a flip flopping of the last few weeks of problems with the Real Americans and leads to the Cesaro face turn for Mania or the night after.

I don't think there's a right or wrong question to that answer. If there's a book where multiple readings and analysis makes the book richer and where the more effort you get in, the more you get out of it, is that inherently worse than a book that's more direct and easier to process? Again, it's subjective, but I've always appreciated things that paid off more effort with more reward.

I really put everything down so A) I don't miss things (and a lot of times I doubleback a bit if I blink and don't see how a transition happened or someone escaped a hold, etc), and B> So I can find a throughline in the end, whether it's there or not. Usually if it's there I catch it on the way but it's easier to read through A lot of times it's so I can weigh things later and tell matches apart, especially for the 80s projects. I almost always work with two screens when I'm doing this (because that's my set up at work and I do a lot of this on my lunch break) or on one screen with a smaller window for the text beside it, so I'm never looking away from the match, really. I'd like to think there's a difference between what I do and what Keith or Martin does.

In some ways i have to watch things differently because I usually don't have time to sit and watch a match all the way through if it's not happening in real time. And sometimes I don't have time to do a full write up. That, in and of itself, will change how I interact with what I'm viewing. I also watch jobber matches with a bit less attention and sometimes even just listen to the commentary while I'm doing something else if I'm watching shows in order from, let's say 94. At that point I'd double back if it was something interesting. I never APPROACH it differently, though. The brain doesn't shut off. Ever. So I make the best of it and enjoy it. It might be a little different if I was watching a show at the arena/armory, whatever. I'm not sure. I haven't been to a show in ten years.

I think we've taken this about as far as we can. Now tell me how I enjoy stuff in the same way as America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny.