Live Wrestling: What are you watching, what are you going to watch?

[SomethingSavage]

None.

 

I've seen more wrestling than 99.9% of the population and I have no desire to really go to any shows. The only thing I could maybe see myself going to is an NXT show.

 

The shows are expensive. They conflict with my schedule and I can watch just about anything I want for free anyway.

None.

 

I've seen more wrestling than 99.9% of the population and I have no desire to really go to any shows. The only thing I could maybe see myself going to is an NXT show.

 

The shows are expensive. They conflict with my schedule and I can watch just about anything I want for free anyway.

Well, yeah. But attending is a lot less about "watching" wrestling and a lot more about experiencing it - for me, anyway.

[bradhindsight]

I'll probably get a ticket to Global Wars in Columbus,

 

I thought it was cool that ROH made sure more of their regular stops got these co-NJPW shows. Columbus and Pitt (and to an extent Buffalo) are big stops for them.

[Ricky Jackson]

Just saw my first NXT show tonight as they came to Vancouver for the first time. I give it a thumbs up, although the Asuka match was sadly a bit too short for my liking. Bobby Roode's entrance in the main event tag match was pretty great, and he was very over, even after he did the heel promo at the start of the match trashing Vancouver after setting it up by saying he was thrilled to be wrestling back home in Canada.

 

Roode and Asuka both have tons of charisma.

 

I didn't get a match card - maybe a certain podcaster extraordinaire who was also at the show can fill in some gaps.

Yep, great experience. It was appropriate that the simulation of an old territory that is NXT held a show in an old barn of arena in Vancouver that's over 50 years old. To add to the ambience, two idiot fans in the second row got into a violent confrontation with security and police just as the participants in the main event were coming to the ring. Never change, west coast Canadian wrestling fans. My favorite match was AOP vs Heavy Machinery. Big time hoss fight with the ring literally shifting multiple times. AOP seem fairly polished these days. Velveteen Dream vs Aleistar Black was also good, as they were given main event time and the crowd was hot for the match. And of course I got to see Asuka *swoon*. Awesome evening with a bunch of hardcore wrestling fan pals (including Shrike02) and easily one of my favorite live experiences ever

[NotJayTabb]

Going to a House of Pain show in Nottingham tomorrow. It's a decent looking card, the match between LJ Heron and Garrett Bond (son of WoS star Dave Bond) should be great.

 

Went to the WCPW show in Manchester last week, which was a Japan qualifying show for their World Cup of Wrestling. Not a huge WCPW fan, and I'm neutral to modern NJPW, but it seemed like probably my last chance to see Liger in person, so it felt worth it. Decent show all in all. The main event of Ishii/Rampage Brown was excellent, War Machine vs Swords of Essex was decent and I enjoyed all the NJPW matches. Only negative was the insanity of bringing in Matt Riddle as an unannounced special guest, and then having him lose to Alex Gracie of all people. Match was pretty poor too

[Mad Dog]

 

I'll probably get a ticket to Global Wars in Columbus,

 

I thought it was cool that ROH made sure more of their regular stops got these co-NJPW shows. Columbus and Pitt (and to an extent Buffalo) are big stops for them.

 

 

I sadly hate the venue they've decided to start using regularly.

[Shrike02]

 

Just saw my first NXT show tonight as they came to Vancouver for the first time. I give it a thumbs up, although the Asuka match was sadly a bit too short for my liking. Bobby Roode's entrance in the main event tag match was pretty great, and he was very over, even after he did the heel promo at the start of the match trashing Vancouver after setting it up by saying he was thrilled to be wrestling back home in Canada.

 

Roode and Asuka both have tons of charisma.

 

I didn't get a match card - maybe a certain podcaster extraordinaire who was also at the show can fill in some gaps.

Yep, great experience. It was appropriate that the simulation of an old territory that is NXT held a show in an old barn of arena in Vancouver that's over 50 years old. To add to the ambience, two idiot fans in the second row got into a violent confrontation with security and police just as the participants in the main event were coming to the ring. Never change, west coast Canadian wrestling fans. My favorite match was AOP vs Heavy Machinery. Big time hoss fight with the ring literally shifting multiple times. AOP seem fairly polished these days. Velveteen Dream vs Aleistar Black was also good, as they were given main event time and the crowd was hot for the match. And of course I got to see Asuka *swoon*. Awesome evening with a bunch of hardcore wrestling fan pals (including Shrike02) and easily one of my favorite live experiences ever

 

 

I should add that I played hockey in this old barn in the late 80s and early 90s. It really is a barn in the sense that it's called the Agrodome! Velveteen Dream had a short video promo before his match where he appropriated Bret Hart's catchphrase - tremendous fun and he got a lot of heat for it - and he teased using the sharpshooter during his match, which again got the crowd riled up. Great stuff. Aleistar Black has a unique gimmick and he really seems like he can wrestle. Reminds me a bit of Sheamus, and that's a compliment.

[Shatter_Machine]

 

I'll probably get a ticket to Global Wars in Columbus,

 

I thought it was cool that ROH made sure more of their regular stops got these co-NJPW shows. Columbus and Pitt (and to an extent Buffalo) are big stops for them.

 

I really love the idea of them doing the Pittsburgh-Buffalo back-to-back days thing. Last time they did it, September of 2016, I went to both shows and it was a blast. I'm not going to either of them this time because I can't afford it, but I'd really like to. I'm glad they don't try to do it during the winter, because that's a fool's errand in this part of the country, but it's Erie to Buffalo to Erie to Pittsburgh to Erie, so it's no more than 2 hours in the car on any leg, and neither trip is bad when the weather's nice. I just wish that New Japan would commit to some higher level talent than they have so far, which is another reason that I'm not as hot to get tickets. KUSHIDA and Hiromu Takahashi are fine, but KES and YOSHI-HASHI aren't exactly blowing my skirt up.

 

I'd like to have time in my schedule to get to Cleveland and Pittsburgh for indy shows more. Shit, I'd like to have time in my schedule to watch live wrestling on TV more.

[The Thread Killer]

I was watching NXT tonight and I saw that they are coming back to Toronto on September 9.

 

Last time NXT announced they were coming to Toronto, they were supposed to be appearing at the Mattamy Athletic Center (which is the old Maple Leaf Gardens) I bought tickets. I was really excited because I wanted to go back to Maple Leaf Gardens where I had seen countless shows over the years, and also I was hoping to see Nakamura live, in a small show environment. (They got rid of most of the seating from the old arena and the new venue is much smaller and more intimate.)

Then of course, the tickets sold out in a heartbeat, so they decided to change the show into a Takeover, and move it to the Air Canada Centre the night before Survivor Series. I cancelled my ticket because I didn't want to go to the damn Air Canada Centre, I wanted to go to a smaller show.

 

I haven't been to a live show in years, but I really love NXT and I'd really love to go back to Maple Leaf Gardens again, so I'll probably buy tickets, assuming I can get them. I just hope WWE doesn't change the venue or whatever, and screw me again.

[Mad Dog]

That's why I stopped going to NXT here. You have to sit there and jump on tickets the second they go on sale if you don't want to pay almost $100 for one.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

Going to a House of Pain show in Nottingham tomorrow. It's a decent looking card, the match between LJ Heron and Garrett Bond (son of WoS star Dave Bond) should be great.

 

Went to the WCPW show in Manchester last week, which was a Japan qualifying show for their World Cup of Wrestling. Not a huge WCPW fan, and I'm neutral to modern NJPW, but it seemed like probably my last chance to see Liger in person, so it felt worth it. Decent show all in all. The main event of Ishii/Rampage Brown was excellent, War Machine vs Swords of Essex was decent and I enjoyed all the NJPW matches. Only negative was the insanity of bringing in Matt Riddle as an unannounced special guest, and then having him lose to Alex Gracie of all people. Match was pretty poor too

 

I watched the show on their Youtube page and it seemed like a decent nights action. Like you I enjoyed the the Ishii/Rampage Brown match. Rampage Brown is a real favourite of mine. Oddly, and I guess they may out them up separately but the Swords of Essex/War Machine match and the Riddle match weren't included on the full show they put up. In particular I was looking forward to the tag match and seeing the Swords hopefully being thrown around by War Machine.

 

WCPW are obviously not for everyone, but I think the World Cup they've been running has been pretty entertaining and the round of 16 onwards looks to have a lot of compelling matches.

[The Thread Killer]

That's why I stopped going to NXT here. You have to sit there and jump on tickets the second they go on sale if you don't want to pay almost $100 for one.

 

Tickets go on sale this morning at 10:00 am. I just got my paycheck for the past two weeks, and it looks like I won't be going to NXT after all. I have three dogs, and two of them had to see the vet in the past couple of weeks, so there goes a big hunk of my pay, right there. I won't be able to afford NXT tickets with what's left, unfortunately. I'm not as upset about that as I was when I had purchased tickets and then they rescheduled the show. Last time they came around, Joe, Nakamura and The Revival were all on the NXT roster. While I enjoy the current NXT roster, there is nobody on there now that I am dying to see. It would have been fun to go, but it looks like it's not in the cards.

[Mad Dog]

If you go solo you can usually find a ticket later. I know the last NXT in Columbus you could find tickets weeks later which was a first.

[NotJayTabb]

 

Going to a House of Pain show in Nottingham tomorrow. It's a decent looking card, the match between LJ Heron and Garrett Bond (son of WoS star Dave Bond) should be great.

 

Went to the WCPW show in Manchester last week, which was a Japan qualifying show for their World Cup of Wrestling. Not a huge WCPW fan, and I'm neutral to modern NJPW, but it seemed like probably my last chance to see Liger in person, so it felt worth it. Decent show all in all. The main event of Ishii/Rampage Brown was excellent, War Machine vs Swords of Essex was decent and I enjoyed all the NJPW matches. Only negative was the insanity of bringing in Matt Riddle as an unannounced special guest, and then having him lose to Alex Gracie of all people. Match was pretty poor too

 

I watched the show on their Youtube page and it seemed like a decent nights action. Like you I enjoyed the the Ishii/Rampage Brown match. Rampage Brown is a real favourite of mine. Oddly, and I guess they may out them up separately but the Swords of Essex/War Machine match and the Riddle match weren't included on the full show they put up. In particular I was looking forward to the tag match and seeing the Swords hopefully being thrown around by War Machine.

 

WCPW are obviously not for everyone, but I think the World Cup they've been running has been pretty entertaining and the round of 16 onwards looks to have a lot of compelling matches.

 

 

They announced they were filming a new series of their web-show and they changed the rope colours for the NJPW matches, so I think the tag match and the Riddle match are being broadcast on a later date.

[Mad Dog]

And of course RoH wants NXT prices for the show in a venue where $75 gets you second row at a super shitty angle where you can barely see anything. Pass.

[Mad Dog]

Also, if you're a promoter and use a venue that has standing room only areas, you should be punched in the face.

[The Thread Killer]

Like that weird club that ROH runs in New York? (I forget the name.)

[Mad Dog]

Yeah. You can be second row and pay second row prices and be further from the ring than someone that paid a lot less. The ring is also in a pit and if you're not balcony it's hard to see.

[joeg]

Anybody else thinking of going and seeing Evolve 90 in a couple of weeks? I've attended a lot of rock shows or wrestling shows in weird venues. This place is in a strip mall. You have to walk through an abandoned storage space to get to the ring, then to get to the bathroom have to walk through a flea market. But Lio Rush vs Riddle and Lee vs Thather might be worth the treck.

 

I don't get why indie companies cant run shows somewhere that's accessible to the general public, where every seat is a good seat, somewhere in/near the city, near public transportation, near I95, near restaurants, near bars. I don't understand how that is so hard. Is it that hard for promoters to find a place like the ECW Arena in every city?

[Mad Dog]

Let's also add, run a place that isn't in the ghetto.