Ridiculous quotes from WO.com columnists

[ohtani's jacket]

Bryan: "I'm always fascinated when I read about history [...] Gorgeous George came on a new medium in television; coming right after a very depressing period, which was World War II [...] "

 

Yes, what a horrible mark in U.S. history: V-E Day and V-J Day.

I don't get it.

[theonlyrice]

WWII: End of depression, US becomes a super power, baby boom, etc hardly a depressing time in American history

[Bix]

World War II is still depressing.

[goodhelmet]

WWII: End of depression, US becomes a super power, baby boom, etc hardly a depressing time in American history

Tell that to the families of 60 million people...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

[rovert]

For the record I’m European so maybe I see this differently.

 

I didn’t get that either as there was so much destruction; dislocation and rationing even post war. I know WWII kicked the US economy out of the Great Depression but still it was hardly instant fun times for all even in America. During that time a lot of Europeans fled to America including Jews, Irish, Italians etc and lived in poverty.

 

Anyway I thought the John Capouya interview was one as Alverez’s very best with Bryan’s preparation and skills as an interviewer when motivated shining through. What a find for John that George’s wife was still alive as well.

[ohtani's jacket]

WWII: End of depression, US becomes a super power, baby boom, etc hardly a depressing time in American history

Sure, if you ignore the Korean War, the Cold War, the witchhunts, social and political conservativism, segregation, fear of the bomb, rigid sexual attitudes, paranoia over juvenile delinquency, the materialistic nuclear family and the "other America" who lived in poverty, the 50s were a great old time. Regardless of all that, winning the war doesn't really make up for the fact there was a war in the first place.

[Dylan Waco]

You forgot the advent of the National Security State and tv murdering the American novel

[rovert]

You forgot the advent of the National Security State and tv murdering the American novel

Well being an Ad Man looked like fun, right? right?

[Log]

You forgot the advent of the National Security State and tv murdering the American novel

Well being an Ad Man looked like fun, right? right?

 

Yeah, until the 60's. It's all martini lunches and whores one minute. The next thing you know, you've puked all over yourself, and Duck Phillips is making you tap with the threat of his palm-strike of death.

[kjh]

"Where was Lance Storm in Ring Of Hell? He wasn't there!" - Bryan Alvarez

 

I think we can all agree that a book about Chris Benoit should have a whole chapter devoted to saying how awesome the clean living anomaly Lance Storm was, even though Storm wasn't really a major part of Benoit's life story. Oh and I also like to live in Lance Storm's world where unreliable sources always lie and reliable sources always tell the truth. It would make wrestling reporting so much easier.

[kjh]

Having listened to what Todd Martin said about Ring Of Hell on a preceding Figure Four Daily show (he does regular book reviews and was talking about books that exposed the business like Sex Lies and Headlocks, Fall Guys and Chokehold) who Lance Storm was responding to, I'm a bit bemused why Lance would feel the need to pick the Ring Of Hell scab again. Todd's review was balanced though leaning towards negative. I think what irked Lance was Todd's devil advocate argument that there was no obligation to say anything positive about the business by the author because it was a book focused on the Benoit double murder suicide, but it Todd made clear that he was playing devil's advocate and he thought the book was ultimately unfairly negative. I did like Bryan's shot at a group of fans that are very negative about the business to an obsessive degree. Gee I wonder who he could be talking about.

[Bix]

I did like Bryan's shot at a group of fans that are very negative about the business to an obsessive degree. Gee I wonder who he could be talking about.

So Beast is an Alvarez sock puppet?

[rovert]

Did anyone hear the 28th July 2010 Karl Stern show? In it he runs down DVDR's lists of the Best workers for each territory which have been a part of the 80s project. He pretty much disputes the Mid South list out right, on the WWF list he thinks Adonis was super overrated and was only "passable" in his physical prime; he was baffled at the exclusion of Tiger Mask and at Inoki's low rating for New Japan list. He doesnt share the love across the board on each of the territories for Murdoch despite him being in his own personal top 20 workers of all time. As he thinks Tiger Mask is better than Murdoch branding Murdochs two Top 5 rankings and Murdochs one Top 10 ranking as "ludicrous" and agreed with the statement that you guys are hipster-like smarks for doing so.

 

So there you go.

[Dylan Waco]

I honestly don't see how anyone who watched that set could think Tiger Mask was anything special after viewing it.

[goc]

Has he actually WATCHED the Murdoch/Reed matches from the Mid-South set?

[Dylan Waco]

Actually that's an interesting question - has Stern watched any of the sets? Presumably not since we are hipster douchebags for even engaging in such things. On the other hand calling yourself "dragon king" karl and having spent the last thirty years writing exclusively about wrestling is above criticism or so I would imagine.

[rovert]

Has he actually WATCHED the Murdoch/Reed matches from the Mid-South set?

Im 99% sure he hasnt watched any of the sets, Ive personally asked him on occasion to get on it especially for Mid South and Memphis. On the Mid South list he thought Mr. Wrestling II, Magnum TA and JYD (with the disclaimer that he knows he wasnt a workrate style worker) were top 5 material.

 

Actually that's an interesting question - has Stern watched any of the sets? Presumably not since we are hipster douchebags for even engaging in such things. On the other hand calling yourself "dragon king" karl and having spent the last thirty years writing exclusively about wrestling is above criticism or so I would imagine.

I dont recall the ins and outs of the story but dragon king was based on a friend's in-joke.

 

He is a person who watches old footage. The last thing I remember hearing was that he was making his way through the 1982/3 weekly run of Memphis TV and notably for Bryan & Vinny listeners he recently suggested to both of them to watch Jeff Jarrett's debut/the attack on Jerry Jarretts eye episode of Memphis TV. So he isnt a Meltzer type who doesnt revisit footage.

 

His comments are notable as he is a historian with Mid South falling within his area of interest and Im pretty sure has a vote in the WON HOF as well.

 

Anyone with a sub can listen to his comments which span about ten minutes beginning at around the 14 minute mark responding to a letter from "Alan".

[Bix]

He does realize that the worker rankings that Chris put together were based on how their matches ranked, right?

 

Whatever, this is the same guy who compared writing Ring of Hell to killing Jesus Christ. I still don't understand that one unless he's saying Italian = Roman or thought that Randazzo was an Sephardic Jewish name.

[rovert]

He does realize that the worker rankings that Chris put together were based on how their matches ranked, right?

I re-listened to it.

 

Yep that was all explained in the listener's letter with mookie's username being dropped as a part of the "methodology" being explained. Although he does lapse towards the end.

 

His only confusion is that if you guys were counting the build and drama for the Tuxedo Cage Match in your rating as he would put the the Flair/DiBiase bloody TV match as his #1 for Mid South.

[Dylan Waco]

For the record I have nothing against Stern personally and I know that he is a guy that watches older stuff (in fact if I'm not mistaken that's practically all he watches). I just can't really believe anyone could watch that NJPW footage and come away thinking "Tiger Mask more than lives up to the hype." I mean I"m not a fan of Dyno really but I can see what people would like about Dyno. Same with Inoki. But TM?

 

ftr over the years I've come to share his opinion of Adonis, or at least I'm somewhat sympathetic to it.

[rovert]

For the record I have nothing against Stern personally and I know that he is a guy that watches older stuff (in fact if I'm not mistaken that's practically all he watches). I just can't really believe anyone could watch that NJPW footage and come away thinking "Tiger Mask more than lives up to the hype." I mean I"m not a fan of Dyno really but I can see what people would like about Dyno. Same with Inoki. But TM?

Re-listening to it he does mention that he is currently review 1986 Memphis for his newsletter so there you go and he does more or less agree with the Memphis list bar being surprised at Koko's being ranked as high. Looking at the match listings he thought better than to comment on New Japan too much of it as hasnt watched all that much of it, so I guess there is your answer. But saying that was really perplexed by Kengo Kimura being so high. He describes himself as a big Hansen fan but he hasnt seen the Andre/Hansen match, he doesnt balk at it's ranking but by the sounds of him he isnt a Andre fan and has probably just saw him in the States. So he is in for a rude awakening if he ever sees the NJ set.

[Jingus]

I just can't really believe anyone could watch that NJPW footage and come away thinking "Tiger Mask more than lives up to the hype." I mean I"m not a fan of Dyno really but I can see what people would like about Dyno. Same with Inoki. But TM?

Why not? Different people like different shit. For example, I thought Aliens vs Predator: Requiem was far superior to the first Alien vs Predator movie, but unfortunately I seem to be in the minority on that one. Everyone has some really strange opinions on something which don't line up with those of the mainstream.

 

And why is your first instinctive response "did he actually watch the set?" When you hear an opinion you disagree with, don't immediately assume that the person must be speaking out of ignorance. Especially since Tiger Mask is a guy who is still rated highly by plenty of people, especially wrestlers. I know there's been a modern ubersmark backlash against him, but those TM/DK matches are still beloved by a whole shitload of people.

[Bix]

I *think* Dylan is referring to not only how disappointing Sayama was (not just psychology~! and whatnot; he was blowing spots left and right) but also how awesome Gran Hamada was doing a similar style.

[rovert]

I *think* Dylan is referring to not only how disappointing Sayama was (not just psychology~! and whatnot; he was blowing spots left and right)

Yet Murdoch is apparently Mr. Off Night in some people's eyes.

 

 

It is civil war: Tiger Mask vs Dick Murdoch

[rovert]

On the 24th August show someone emails him the spreadsheets of the matches and he is far more moderate as he begins to understand it more viewing how many voted, the pact that voters went into it without any preconceived notions etc.