From Their House to Our House - NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2021

[MoS]

I am really fascinated by this Karrion Kross push. They clearly like him, and I don't see why. Previously, when WWE would push someone I didn't like, I could at least see why they liked that wrestler. I don't, at all with Kross. He has a cool entrance, thanks to Scarlett. That's it. He cannot talk. He is a shit wrestler. He is boring. He doesn't even have the size or the physique. Like, yeah he is muscular, but so is basically every wrestler WWE has. 

[Timbo Slice]

At his size, he’s basically a super heavyweight given what NXT has run out there on a weekly basis, and he’s someone moldable that is okay with smoke and mirrors hiding his weaknesses. Problem is guy should never be going longer than 15 in anything.

[sek69]

He reminds me of someone you'd see pop up in the territory days when someone would randomly push some musclehead thinking he could be a big star, but they'd never end up being any good at all. 

[DMJ]

8 hours ago, KawadaSmile said:

speaking of nerds

 

The cringe level here is staggering, especially Triple H's comment. 

Truthfully, its never been cool to be a wrestling fan in the true sense of cool - I'm talking James Dean cool, or Bob Dylan circa 1966 with the long hair and shades cool. That level of cool is impossible for any wrestler to attain because wrestling is, even at its most grotesque and violent, still always a bit camp. 

But, that being said, Triple H is still wrong. Current wrestling is still uncool. Having a nostalgic appreciation of older wrestling is, comparatively, "cooler" because there's automatic detachment (and detachment is a critical part of coolness). So, wearing a true vintage Von Erichs tee-shirt to a BBQ? Kinda cool. Wearing an Adam Cole Bay-Bay shirt? Not cool now and I'm going to go ahead and say it won't be cool in 30 years either. 

[rovert]

7 hours ago, MoS said:

I am really fascinated by this Karrion Kross push. They clearly like him, and I don't see why. Previously, when WWE would push someone I didn't like, I could at least see why they liked that wrestler. I don't, at all with Kross. He has a cool entrance, thanks to Scarlett. That's it. He cannot talk. He is a shit wrestler. He is boring. He doesn't even have the size or the physique. Like, yeah he is muscular, but so is basically every wrestler WWE has. 

Middle-aged wrestlers/those from the Attitude Era are somewhat ashamed at what wrestling has become in-ring and physique-wise is my reading of it. A number of those figures are in WWE management. Kross is a "real wrestler" I guess. 

[NintendoLogic]

3 hours ago, DMJ said:

But, that being said, Triple H is still wrong. Current wrestling is still uncool. Having a nostalgic appreciation of older wrestling is, comparatively, "cooler" because there's automatic detachment (and detachment is a critical part of coolness). So, wearing a true vintage Von Erichs tee-shirt to a BBQ? Kinda cool. Wearing an Adam Cole Bay-Bay shirt? Not cool now and I'm going to go ahead and say it won't be cool in 30 years either. 

I wouldn't even go that far. My impression is that only WWF and WCW from, say, 1987 to 1999 have any kind of cool cachet with the general public. Territory wrestling, to the extent that people are even aware of it, is seen as dumb hillbilly shit that's too low-rent to even ironically appreciate.

In other news:

I hate to see anyone go crawling back to a company that threw them out like yesterday's trash, but it's his life and he knows what he's getting into. And a backstage role is likely more secure.

[Strummer]

As far as "coolness" I don't think wrestling has ever been as uncool as it was from 1992-1995. Even today

[Flyin' Brian]

38 minutes ago, Strummer said:

As far as "coolness" I don't think wrestling has ever been as uncool as it was from 1992-1995. Even today

WWF/E maybe but there’s some good stuff in 92. (Flair, Savage, Warrior, Bret, Bulldog) WCW had the Dangerous Alliance in 92 that’s great, Flair returning in 93, Flair vs Steamboat and Hogan coming in 94, Nitro starting in 95. 

[strobogo]

Kross isn't even that big. The dudes he's been in the ring with are tiny. Dude is going to get exposed hard next to a Cesaro, Orton, Drew, or Lashley. He's probably not even taller than Seth Rollins.

[SirEdger]

Reminds me a bit of when they did the Abyss/Judas Mesias feud in TNA where we were supposed to buy Mesias as James Mitchell's new monster and Abyss was easily dwarfing him. 

[sek69]

The height thing usually isn't a killer unless it's someone specifically pushed to be a giant and gets put in with someone the same size or bigger. Everyone bought Matanza as a monster who ate people's faces off in Lucha Underground and it's not like Jeff Cobb is some 7 foot dude. 

People pointed out that Mercedes Martinez kinda towered over Mei Ying but then she's a 1000 year old mystic being who yeeted her off the stage with a Tongan Death Grip so in the end it doesn't matter if she's tall or not. 

It comes off as people buying into the Vince deal where everyone has to be 6'5 and jacked to be considered a wrestler any anyone else is "cosplaying" as some call it. 

[sek69]

Also I thought more people would mention how Todd Pettingill (who used to get clowned on back in the day) came back after like 25 years or whatever and was better than all current WWE announcers. 

[JRH]

I would love to see Todd come back full time. He was let go from his radio gig a few years ago, so it's not like he's too busy. I mean, they brought back Raymond Rougeau, why not Todd?

[Rah]

Kross is billed as 6'4" but this is bizarroland where Adam Cole is a 6 footer so I'm not sure how much we can go by that.

How tall is Edge? I'm pretty sure KK was around his height in their segment together. Though I'd put money down he's only pushed so Vince & co can get an excuse to see Scarlett on TV.

[SirEdger]

48 minutes ago, JRH said:

I would love to see Todd come back full time. He was let go from his radio gig a few years ago, so it's not like he's too busy. I mean, they brought back Raymond Rougeau, why not Todd?

Yeah, but they recently let Raymond Rougeau go as they're now taking their French based guys (Agius & Chereau I think) to handle the French commentary on shows. But Ray saved his money and is financially set for the rest of his life.

[Mad Dog]

19 hours ago, MoS said:

I am really fascinated by this Karrion Kross push. They clearly like him, and I don't see why. Previously, when WWE would push someone I didn't like, I could at least see why they liked that wrestler. I don't, at all with Kross. He has a cool entrance, thanks to Scarlett. That's it. He cannot talk. He is a shit wrestler. He is boring. He doesn't even have the size or the physique. Like, yeah he is muscular, but so is basically every wrestler WWE has. 

To me he's like Kane with a shittier offense and none of the charisma or aura.

[JRH]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:20 AM, Flyin' Brian said:

WWF/E maybe but there’s some good stuff in 92. (Flair, Savage, Warrior, Bret, Bulldog) WCW had the Dangerous Alliance in 92 that’s great, Flair returning in 93, Flair vs Steamboat and Hogan coming in 94, Nitro starting in 95. 

Aside from Nitro, I think they meant wrestling's mainstream popularity among casual fans. Sure, every year has great matches, nobody is denying that, but as someone who was there, being a wrestling fan in 92-96 wasnt exactly going to get you friends (I had friends who still watched throughout those years, but I found only a handful of other people who also watched). Even the NWO was never a big deal in my High School (it took until the rise of Austin for more people to admit to being a fan). Although, surprisingly, the video games were still popular, at least RAW and Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game

[Flyin' Brian]

I was there in 92-96, in Southwest Virginia Flair was a big deal, and everyone knew the big names like Hogan, Savage, Warrior (if for no other reason than the slim Jim commercials and other media). It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t really shunned or made fun of either. Local wrestling events were held at my high school and the VFW, and more people liked it than not. 

[NintendoLogic]

I mean, Drake wore a Razor Ramon shirt a while back. I can't imagine any rappers wearing a Seth Rollins shirt 20 years from now.

[funkdoc]

i'd argue someone like Darby Allin is a good example of a legitimately cool wrestler nowadays - he represents music/aesthetic that's always carried respect among tastemakers.

i would agree that the New Generation period was def a low point for this tho.  Even a top guy like Vader whom everyone loves nowadays, normies then would look at him and go "haha a fat guy wearing a jockstrap over his face"