Ridiculous quotes from WO.com columnists

[FLIK]

Whoo is Alex Marvez?

He's been a long time associate of Meltzer's. Back in the day he was one of the guys who has his picture in the banner of the Observer website back before the F4W merger.

[FLIK]

Randomly thinking about this, Bryan Alavarez having a wife who's business is called I TAP BOYS should forever disqualify him from making fun of TNA's name for the rest of his life.

[sek69]

Considering he's the first guy to bash someone for being sloppy, hearing Bryan defend Low Ki for knocking that Evolve dude out (missing the point that the issue was him trying to do spots after the guy was clearly knocked the fuck out) was amusingly baffling. In his opinion, if you knock out someone with a move like a rolling kick, it's the fault of the guy taking the move because the guy doing the move is rolling forward and can't see where he's going.

[Matt D]

The guy was in the corner. He didn't really have anywhere TO go. The manager fanning him with his shirt was hilarious though, subsequent dickery nonwithstanding.

[rovert]

I think this may break dylanwaco and a few others. From the "Joe Babinsack looks at the best prospects on the independent scene" article:

 

Davey Richards

 

The legacy of the Dynamite Kid lives on in Davey Richards, and he’s obviously vastly aware of that legacy, when once again he threatens retirement in another year or two. He’s a guy with so much passion and talent and pure understanding of this sport that it will be painful to see him leave early.

 

Without a doubt, the dream match of my mind is Richards versus Rey Mysterio.

 

Even in a WWE ring circa 2012.

 

Davey Richards has everything to make him a standout in such a match, but we’re talking about a promotion that couldn’t book Low Ki against Mysterio, so there’s little hope of them coming to their senses. Like Low Ki, Richards would win over the audience in any competition, and with even five minutes in the squared circle.

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-sto...dependent-scene

[Loss]

Why do you always think we're going to be FURIOUS when people have differing opinions?

[Jingus]

...because it happens often? "Mark Henry sucks!" generally draws a fiery response.

[rovert]

Why do you always think we're going to be FURIOUS when people have differing opinions?

Mainly joking! But this in particular is SO amusingly appalling to me at least. Am I alone?

 

Silly shit like would Davey just lay there on the ropes for a 619 to more philosophical issues of a match with two wrestlers at really different ends of the selling spectrum.

 

...because it happens often? "Mark Henry sucks!" generally draws a fiery response.

I wasnt aiming for this type of thing at all.

 

My post was more light hearted. It is Friday, guys.

[Loss]

...because it happens often? "Mark Henry sucks!" generally draws a fiery response.

Is it really "fiery"? Or just a strong disagreement?

[NintendoLogic]

...because it happens often? "Mark Henry sucks!" generally draws a fiery response.

Is it really "fiery"? Or just a strong disagreement?

 

And the occasional accusation of racism.

[Dylan Waco]

lol the Mark Henry wars "he can't move fast doesn't do flipz" v. "you are a nazi." Yep. That's the whole spectrum of debate on the matter...

 

On the link rovert posted, I'm more surprised that Babs is a Rey fan than I am that someone from that camp would be eager to see Davey v. whoever.

[Chess Knight]

 

He’s a guy with so much passion and talent and pure understanding of this sport that it will be painful to see him leave early.

Isn't this 'guy with so much passion and pure understanding of this sport' the same piece of shit who left a Twitter message saying wrestling was grown men pretending?

[Dooley]

 

He’s a guy with so much passion and talent and pure understanding of this sport that it will be painful to see him leave early.

Isn't this 'guy with so much passion and pure understanding of this sport' the same piece of shit who left a Twitter message saying wrestling was grown men pretending?

 

He's a piece of shit because he stated a fact? Are you going to respond with vitriol if he declares water to be wet?

[Loss]

Sorry rovert.

[goodhelmet]

Babinsack has already been proven to be an idiot and a bigot. Why would it be a shock he enjoys Davey Richards?

[NintendoLogic]

Loves Davey Richards, has deeply retrograde views on human sexuality...has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe Babinsack is Resident Evil?

[goodhelmet]

Nah man, Babinsack is someone I just ignore. I could never ignore WP.

[rovert]

Another doozy:

 

 

Notes on Bruno Sammartino at ROH show last night by Joe Babinsack

 

 

There was a time Saturday night in Rostraver, Pennsylvania when the crowd (twice as big as many would have expected) was chanting “Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!” that decades melted away and we were all back in the heyday of Bruno’s career, and he had the audience in his hands, and he enjoyed one more of a multitude of pops that defined that career.

 

I had the utmost honor of traveling with Bruno and his son Dan to the event. Bruno asked if I was ok in the back, almost suggesting that he could switch positions. I’m not sure he understood why I said I would be embarrassed to sit in the front while he – the Living Legend, the utmost gentleman, the all time great Champion, would sit in the back.

But there’s something about the man that overwhelms you with respect.

 

Here I am hitching a ride to a Ring of Honor show with him as the special guest, and Bruno’s getting me a bottled water from the kitchen, his son’s buying me food and drink, I’m getting special treatment?

 

While Bruno’s doing all the hard work of signing hundreds of autographs during the ‘meet and greet’; the trio of Chris Cruise, myself and Dan Sammartino are dangerously breaking kayfabe forty and twenty and ten feet away, talking about the business, learning about Dan’s interest in things, harassing Cruise about telling Dan that “you can’t miss” the Ice Garden, according to his directions.

We almost missed it twice!

 

While I regret not staying and watching the show fully, I enjoyed every minute of the night, and as always, I learned so much about this business, so much about the personalities, so much about how Bruno interacts with fans – many of whom are far too young to have seen him in his primed, many of whom are sporting black t-shirts festooned with such slogans as “Kill, Steen, Kill” and yet a sizable percentage are of the graying hair, old school wrestling, “we love you Bruno” generations and the smiles and interactions of those fans are, from many conversations with Bruno, the greatest reward of his career.

But I’m sure that response, between matches one and two on the card, when Joe Koff introduced to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh’s most celebrated “adopted” son, was also another reward.

 

I met Mr. Koff two hours earlier, and he had that sense and awe and appreciation of meeting his childhood idol. He maintained that feeling in his introduction, talking about knowing Pittsburgh only through Bruno, about growing up watching him on Channel 5, and the honor it was to present him a plaque from ROH to celebrate his career and thank him for his appearance.

 

One interesting bit of information I learned was that New Yorkers (including those watching at 11pm in White Plains) were watching four hours of the WWWF/Capitol Sports programming a week in the sixties. People today swear that WCW was doomed by producing Thunder and expanding the hours, and that the WWE is having problems because of too much time on the air. How did they manage to do that back then!

As Joe Koff was introducing Bruno, the ROH roster came to the ring, surrounding the squared circle for Bruno’s speech. Almost everyone was there, save for two heelish types that were watching from behind the curtains, but they all had respect. (I was watching you, Kevin Steen, just to make sure!)

 

It was awesome to see it from my vantage point, to see the reception and the respect, to share a glance with an unmasked but unmistakably bearded creative figure that distinctly let me know that this was what ROH wanted, and this was the fan reaction that they expected. As if a Pittsburgh crowd could have any other response.

 

Bruno, in old school fashion, delivered a speech without notes, without scripts, without a doubt that he’d say the right things and get over the company and put everything in the best light for the sport. He talked of the athleticism of the roster, the look of the talent, the passion they put forth in the ring.

 

Bruno was there at the center of attention, wearing that Hall of Fame ring from that real Professional Wrestling operation in Amsterdam, NY, and now holding a nifty little plaque honoring him for his achievements. He alluded to some other promotion, but wasn’t about to dwell on it. (He rarely does – there are no regrets, there are no hints of the infamous “bitterness” that so many people who don’t know him attribute to him). But more on some of that later.

 

Bruno was definitely interested in ROH, and I’ve provided him with some details and the talent and their distinct passion for the sport. While we walked to the back, Jay Lethal and Kyle O’Reilly were in action, and they were fast, technical and on the same page. ROH is all about vastly talented, younger guys who are keeping the sport more alive than other efforts.

 

Hopefully ROH can continue capture the passion and respect, the crowd responses that chant “ROH! ROH! ROH!” as well as “Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!” and make that a certification of the biggest star of generations past on the efforts of today’s generation of talent.

This was not Bruno’s first appearance at ROH, but those past two seemed to have gone astray – at least the last one. Bruno’s not someone who wants to get involved in the ring, but in the past, there was a mentality that having him appear meant having him throw a punch. Ironically, that punch was directed at Larry Sweeney the last time, but deals and deals and agreements are vastly important to Bruno, and he was, well, soured on ROH for a while.

 

Fortunately the current ownership only wanted to respect him, and not get him involved on those levels, and I know that, too, was well appreciated.

####

I also met Gary Juster, Kevin Kelly, various ROH individuals of importance and quite a few of the wrestlers (Prince Nana and Rhett Titus and BJ Whitmer were especially gracious, and not to break kayfabe or show myself as a hopeless mark, but meeting one of the Briscoes even in passing was cool. I wanted to talke to guys like Roderick Strong, Jimmy Jacobs but it wasn’t the time.)

 

I’m still annoyed that Chris Cruise offered to introduce me to people, but failed to introduce me to Maria – three times when she walked by. THREE TIMES!

####

The scary part about meeting people you write about is not knowing how they will respond – on one hand, if no one knows who you are, it is crushing. On the other hand, knowing that a lot of people read your stuff makes you hesitant about being critical.

I got the looks of recognition that made my day, but also the looks of Kevin Kelly that made me realize that I have been rather harsh. (Yet Dave Prazak sent me six SHIMMER screener DVDS, so where is my loyalty? Yeah, you got it)

 

But to be completely serious, there’s nothing more awesome than having Gary Juster tell Joe Koff that I’m the guy who wrote the stuff he sent over, and later having Mr. Koff thank me for my words. (as if being on the DVD list and getting such access weren’t already thanks!) There’s also awesomeness in having someone tell me “this is off the record”, but yeah, I know all about that.

####

One thing to wrap things up and to give a bit of a scoop:

There were some conversations between Bruno and a certain figure at that other promotion, about the Hall of Fame, and about a WrestleMania scheduled in the “New York/New Jersey” area, which on the surface seems like an interesting match.

There are aspects I’m not able to discuss, but the utterly amazing part of it all is that Bruno was offered a limo ride, a party, a big reception and it was suggested that he would get a big pop in Madison Square Garden when inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 

However, there should be no confusion that Bruno’s situation with the WWE Hall of Fame isn’t about being honored, isn’t about forgetting the past, and definitely isn’t about Bruno selling out to suddenly say that the WWE is doing justice to the sport, its reputation and to the older talent that built the company.

 

But think about the concept of the WWE suggesting that Bruno would get a big pop in MSG.

As if the man who sold out MSG around TWO HUNDRED times, and had the fans chanting “Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!” would be seduced by such offers, as if he were a mark.

I’m pretty sure Bruno’s very satisfied with that ring on his finger, and that reception he got in Rostraver, and he remains very much retired from personal appearances – unless the opportunity, the respect and the situation warrants it. All of which played out in ROH, but remains even more unlikely elsewhere.

 

Joe Babinsack can be reached at [email protected].

[goodhelmet]

The whole purpose of providing links is so I do not feel compelled to click on the link and read this crap.

[rovert]

The whole purpose of providing links is so I do not feel compelled to click on the link and read this crap.

Not all people have access to it here.

[Cox]

I envy those people.

[goodhelmet]

The whole purpose of providing links is so I do not feel compelled to click on the link and read this crap.

Not all people have access to it here.

 

USe the spoiler tag next time

[Cox]

I think this can best be summed up as a message from Bruno to Babby saying "Kizafizabe, mizark."

 

From Sal Corrente regarding Bruno Sammartino and today's show:

 

It has come to our attention that someone has claimed that Bruno was unimpressed with Triple H. That is an absolutely false statement Bruno had no issue what so ever with Triple H. He liked Triple H and enjoyed their conversation but for reasons personal to Bruno he has decided not to accept the induction in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM IS THE REFUSAL A REFLECTION ON TRIPLE H or his presentation or conversations with Bruno.

[sek69]

Group photo from the F4W get-together in Vegas for the last UFC:

 

 

 

 

Is Dave secretly a fan of the forgotten NES classic Mother?

 

 

[Guest Nell Santucci]

Todd Martin is better than his replacement "Rob McCarron" (the perfect jobber name). It's annoying that people like Rob write Raw reports while gripping under his breath the entire time. Just get someone else to write the Raw report if you're going to whine 95% of the time. Who can do a good job with such a crappy attitude?