"He's ambitiously stupid" - Why Scott Keith's new book is scary bad

[PeteF3]

The one that grates on me the most is where someone or something is mentioned in the Obsever Recaps that we know goes on to be huge, and he makes literally the exact same tired joke about it. Something like "A kid named Steve Austin debuted and was said to look really good" followed by Keith adding "Like this Austin kid will ever get over and become the biggest star in the business, HAHAHADEDFUNNYLAFF".

 

You get a million of these in every wreddit Observer recap--the guy who does them downplays it and the jokes in general, but yeah, they're in the comments, usually multiple times.

[SteveJRogers]

 

 

The one that grates on me the most is where someone or something is mentioned in the Obsever Recaps that we know goes on to be huge, and he makes literally the exact same tired joke about it. Something like "A kid named Steve Austin debuted and was said to look really good" followed by Keith adding "Like this Austin kid will ever get over and become the biggest star in the business, HAHAHADEDFUNNYLAFF".

You get a million of these in every wreddit Observer recap--the guy who does them downplays it and the jokes in general, but yeah, they're in the comments, usually multiple times.

Hell with that, its a hackish quip for looking at anything retro, in any medium! I dont know, but that Montana kid on Notre Dame might have something!

[fxnj]

Without working holds a match would consists of running the ropes, a wrestler taking a bump, getting right to his feet unimpeded, running the ropes again and bumping again. Without headlocks and armlocks, matches would look like fire pro.

The term "resthold" is the product of guys not realizing the importance of holds in building a match and not putting in the effort to work them in an interesting fashion.

[Matt D]

I went to an NXT show in Baltimore (Bel Air, MD) two years ago. The crowd was mostly good. They were into everything. In fact, they were in to the match I'm about to talk about. It was No Way Jose vs Elias. This was his first or second match back from injury. Given who was in there (and maybe the bit about the injury), it was worked with chinlocks, in and out. There was a solid sense of struggle. They brought the crowd up for hope spots and then down for cheap cut offs. Jose was charismatic. Elias was hated. They worked the hold. It was the entire middle portion of the match (the whole heat really) and once Jose came back, they went to the finish. This was the last match before intermission and all of it was plenty over. Perfect match with the perfect wrestlers at a perfect time on the card for a perfect crowd.

 

The guy behind me griped about how they were just doing a resthold though.

[NintendoLogic]

There's a pretty big difference between Ricky Steamboat working an armbar in the opening minutes to establish the story of the match and Ultimate Warrior applying a bearhug a minute in because he blew himself up sprinting to the ring.

[Mrzfn]

A chinlock has to be used for a greater narrative purpose and executed with some sense of struggle. Ultimately, though, it, like Keith himself, is just a tool.

 

I think people are really underselling what a great post this is.

[clintthecrippler]

There's a pretty big difference between Ricky Steamboat working an armbar in the opening minutes to establish the story of the match and Ultimate Warrior applying a bearhug a minute in because he blew himself up sprinting to the ring.

This. A lot of the anti-resthold rhetoric is a product of fans weaned on 80s WWF. I never saw an Observer until 1998 but even at 8 years old I knew that if the next match on 1986 Prime Time Wrestling was Magnificent Muraco wrestling Dan Spivey from Toronto, and four minutes in Muraco put a lightly applied chinlock on, the match was going to be a 20 minute draw and it was going to be a slog to get to the end.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Also, you grab a hold and call a spot. Is it that complicated?

[shodate]

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

[Grimmas]

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

Did you read through the thread? He says stupid and wrong stuff and refuses to admit when he's wrong. He spreads rumours and pushes the very worst smarky wrestling ideas.

[Victator]

He is like 2002 opinions the person.

[shodate]

 

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

Did you read through the thread? He says stupid and wrong stuff and refuses to admit when he's wrong. He spreads rumours and pushes the very worst smarky wrestling ideas.

 

Worst Smarky Ideas such as?

 

Does he have odd views like me? it seams that people have distatse for people with odd views

 

the rumour mongering is what alot of wrestling Journalists partake in do they not?

 

that is my reading of it

 

my not defindginf him here i just asking

[PeteF3]

I would say the opposite of odd--for a 2000s era smark fan I'd say his views are downright cliche.

[Laz]

He was a very popular reviewer in the early days of the IWC. Many of us here even posted on his old board until it shut down in 2002/2003, and many of us went on to the board that popped up after Keith shut down his site.

 

The issue is that he has not grown critically in nearly 20 years, is highly prone to perpetuating false rumors because he either believes in them or thinks they're still humorous, and is highly prone to temper tantrums. That old board he ran where many of us posted? Its downfall can be traced to Keith having petty arguments with moderators and posters, occasionally banning people for disagreeing with him.

 

He's a jerk who happened to get really popular online when wrestling was super hot.

[ButchReedMark]

 

Also, tje most awkward photo pose ever.

[Strummer]

Speaking of his dated opinions, I genuinely wonder if Scott still think Dusty Rhodes was a terrible booker. I mean he got a good amount of online fans to believe that for YEARS. Obviously Dusty had his rough patches but I think people have gone to the other side on that one

[Grimmas]

 

 

 

 

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

Did you read through the thread? He says stupid and wrong stuff and refuses to admit when he's wrong. He spreads rumours and pushes the very worst smarky wrestling ideas.

Worst Smarky Ideas such as?

 

Does he have odd views like me? it seams that people have distatse for people with odd views

 

the rumour mongering is what alot of wrestling Journalists partake in do they not?

 

that is my reading of it

 

my not defindginf him here i just asking

Fuck everything is not about you and your opinions are not disliked because they are odd. They are disliked because of your shitty attempt to back them up.

[El-P]

He is like 2002 opinions the person.

 

You're being way generous. Scott Keith is a relik from the previous millenium. I have no idea why there's still a thread about him going on here tbh. It's like complaining about Compuserve or the latest update of Netscape.

[Jetlag]

Grimmas why are you still responding to Shodate. I thought you put him on Ignore like 4 weeks ago.

[shodate]

 

 

 

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

Did you read through the thread? He says stupid and wrong stuff and refuses to admit when he's wrong. He spreads rumours and pushes the very worst smarky wrestling ideas.

Worst Smarky Ideas such as?

 

Does he have odd views like me? it seams that people have distatse for people with odd views

 

the rumour mongering is what alot of wrestling Journalists partake in do they not?

 

that is my reading of it

 

my not defindginf him here i just asking

Fuck everything is not about you and your opinions are not disliked because they are odd. They are disliked because of your shitty attempt to back them up.

 

you never explaien what you meant by the worst smarky ideas either ?

[Grimmas]

Grimmas why are you still responding to Shodate. I thought you put him on Ignore like 4 weeks ago.

I unblocked him, because he wasn't banned. That was a bad idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

Did you read through the thread? He says stupid and wrong stuff and refuses to admit when he's wrong. He spreads rumours and pushes the very worst smarky wrestling ideas.

Worst Smarky Ideas such as?

 

Does he have odd views like me? it seams that people have distatse for people with odd views

 

the rumour mongering is what alot of wrestling Journalists partake in do they not?

 

that is my reading of it

 

my not defindginf him here i just asking

Fuck everything is not about you and your opinions are not disliked because they are odd. They are disliked because of your shitty attempt to back them up.

 

you never explaien what you meant by the worst smarky ideas either ?

 

His opinions seem to parrot early 2000s "insiders". Slow is bad. Movez are great. Tenryu, Luger suck. Dynamite Kid rules. Nothing he says seems like anything that is his actual thoughts, just something he read that was said at the time.

[shodate]

 

Grimmas why are you still responding to Shodate. I thought you put him on Ignore like 4 weeks ago.

I unblocked him, because he wasn't banned. That was a bad idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

why od people dislike this guy Keith just asking

Did you read through the thread? He says stupid and wrong stuff and refuses to admit when he's wrong. He spreads rumours and pushes the very worst smarky wrestling ideas.

Worst Smarky Ideas such as?

 

Does he have odd views like me? it seams that people have distatse for people with odd views

 

the rumour mongering is what alot of wrestling Journalists partake in do they not?

 

that is my reading of it

 

my not defindginf him here i just asking

Fuck everything is not about you and your opinions are not disliked because they are odd. They are disliked because of your shitty attempt to back them up.

 

you never explaien what you meant by the worst smarky ideas either ?

 

His opinions seem to parrot early 2000s "insiders". Slow is bad. Movez are great. Tenryu, Luger suck. Dynamite Kid rules. Nothing he says seems like anything that is his actual thoughts, just something he read that was said at the time.

 

i

Tenryu sucks well that just stupid tenryu is an all-time great i like jumbo more thast nither based on what iv seen luger was never good

 

and i like well executed not just empty work rate like it seems Keith does

 

I say this cause in another topic someone said im like him not sure who but someone did.

 

Empty moves lack Logic there bad

 

there are very few executionophlies or techniquephiles anyware in any fan circle for wrestling hence why HBK is rated so high by so many people for example

 

enclosing i think Keith's Views 90% shith based on what your said his views were

[Matt D]

In short, he was an early adopter, sort of a pioneer on the digital stage, one who was adept at producing a lot of content in a short period of time. In an age when it was a lot harder to easily access some random 1993 (or 1989 or 1994, etc) PPV, his reviews were more or less the easiest way to learn about them for an entire generation of younger fan at the beginning of the internet age. Since he gobbled up a huge amount of that intellectual and factual space, this allowed him far more influence than he would have had otherwise. Ultimately, he propagated dumbed down and less nuanced Meltzerian views, which probably still have a trickle-down effect even today.

[Laz]

In short, he was an early adopter, sort of a pioneer on the digital stage, one who was adept at producing a lot of content in a short period of time. In an age when it was a lot harder to easily access some random 1993 (or 1989 or 1994, etc) PPV, his reviews were more or less the easiest way to learn about them for an entire generation of younger fan at the beginning of the internet age. Since he gobbled up a huge amount of that intellectual and factual space, this allowed him far more influence than he would have had otherwise. Ultimately, he propagated dumbed down and less nuanced Meltzerian views, which probably still have a trickle-down effect even today.

And he tucks t-shirts into shorts. Never trust a man that does that.

[SomethingSavage]

He's all the worst traits of the Lapsed Fan in written form.