Dave Meltzer stuff

[RyanClingman]

Punk/Cena is up there for me personally, as by my star ratings they have had a *****  match at MITB match, one ****3/4  match on RAW, a **** 1/4 match at Night of Champions and a *** 3/4 match at Summer Slam 2011. That is a pretty great run of matches over a two year period, but for me personally Tanahashi and Okada have still managed to top it. These are all subjective, but they had a ***** match at Invasion Attack, a **** 3/4 match at the Tokyo Dome,  a **** 1/2 match last year (06/16), a **** 1/2 match at the G1 this year, and a **** match on 02/12 last year. So I would say that Okada and Tanahashi have had more great matches at a mainevent level, and given the fact that they have been having matches together for a shorter period of time than Cena and Punk I would have to put their program ahead for the best in-ring program of recent years (say 2002/3-2013). I can see the argument going the other way, but there is no question in my mind that Okada/Tanahashi has meant far more for New Japan business than Cena/Punk has for WWE's. Sure, you can say that the Cena program made Punk, but Okada/Tanahashi was the program to help elevate New Japan to the level it is at right now, so from a business stand point I would put Okada/Tanahashi ahead by far. Although, just to clarify, I did like the MITB match more than the Invasion Attach one, and I was also very high on their RAW match from this year. 

[sek69]

So in the latest Observer, Dave mentioned a video package WWC put together as part of their 40th Anniversary featuring all the guys who worked for them who've passed away. He makes a point of mentioning they didn't include Brody, but I'm not sure what he wanted them to do. Including him in a video promoting a show with Invader #1 in a top match seems like it would be worse, and as Dave mentioned it's not like they never mention him in other instances.

[stomperspc]

Even if you want to credit all of the Tana/Okada matches (and I certainly wouldn't, but for argument's sake) I still think that Cena and Punk have had more high quality matches together at this point.

I agree that Cena & Punk smokes Okada & Tanahashi as the best in-ring rivalry of the last several years. Dave is just not as high on the Punk vs. Cena matches as a lot of others are.

 

07.17.2011 (Money in the Bank): *****

08.14.2011 (Summerslam): *** ½

09.16.2012 (Night of Champions): **** ¼

02.25.2013 (RAW): **** ½

 

Compared to Tanahashi vs. Okada:

 

06.16.12: **** ¾

01.04.12: **** ¾

04.17.13: *****

08.10.13: **** ½

 

I think he underrates the Summerslam Cena/Punk match quite a bit and overrates pretty much everything from Okada and Tanahashi but at least his assertion that Okada vs. Tanahashi is “the greatest rivalry of this era” is supported by how he has rated the matches. Sometimes with Meltzer he’ll make a statement like that and what he wrote in the past will completely contradict it which at least is not the case here.

[blueminister]

lol at dave throwing out the expasterated "...it is what it is, you know?" about his broken foot like it was a bit of triple h booking

[Sidebottom]

So in the latest Observer, Dave mentioned a video package WWC put together as part of their 40th Anniversary featuring all the guys who worked for them who've passed away. He makes a point of mentioning they didn't include Brody, but I'm not sure what he wanted them to do. Including him in a video promoting a show with Invader #1 in a top match seems like it would be worse, and as Dave mentioned it's not like they never mention him in other instances.

I heard that too, but took it as him reporting the facts of the matter (as he should as a journalist - it was a notable exception) rather than him passing judgement or commentary.

[sek69]

So in the latest Observer, Dave mentioned a video package WWC put together as part of their 40th Anniversary featuring all the guys who worked for them who've passed away. He makes a point of mentioning they didn't include Brody, but I'm not sure what he wanted them to do. Including him in a video promoting a show with Invader #1 in a top match seems like it would be worse, and as Dave mentioned it's not like they never mention him in other instances.

I heard that too, but took it as him reporting the facts of the matter (as he should as a journalist - it was a notable exception) rather than him passing judgement or commentary.

 

 

In the actual newsletter he did, listing off all the people mentioned and then adding "yes, the 280 pound elephant in the room is Brody".

[RyanClingman]

It would be pretty difficult not to notice such an anorexic elephant.

[Loss]

This is an old Dave post, but Bix sometimes wants to reference it, so I thought I'd drop it here:

 

Jim Crockett Promotions, with no budget at all, no front office, just a bunch of touring wrestlers who did interviews, did 2 million in attendance annually in the mid-80s largely running one major show a night. That's more than WWE has done in North America running two different tours since around 2002.

 

Their syndicate ratings outside of prime time on weekends were usually around 7s, compared to mid-3s in prime time for today's WWF.

 

And 80s WWF was doing more than 4 million in paid attendance.

[Cox]

From today's update. I know bitching about Dave's shitty polls and his reaction to said shitty polls is old hat, but I can't resist.

 

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST NEWS STORY OF SEPTEMBER?

Jim Ross fired by WWE 40.8%

Mayweather-Alvarez breaks all-time revenue record for combat sports 27.2%

Wrestling voted back into the Olympics 12.9%

Jones-Gustafsson fight 7.5%

SummerSlam does lowest number since 1997 5.9%

CMLL 80th anniversary show 2.8%

WWE Night of Champions, WWE title held up 1.9%

New Japan Destruction PPV 0.5%

UFC on 9/4 does record low ratings 0.2%

WWC anniversary 0.2%

I'd be shocked if Jim Ross himself thought his being fired was even in the realm of stories two or three.

Stories 2 and 3 are also neither pro wrestling nor MMA stories, Dave.

[cm funk]

I don't see what's wrong with that. "combat sports" on PPV can also be applied to MMA and wrestling. Amateur wrestling has inseparable historical ties to both pro-wrestling and MMA, and the IOC dropping the sport was a HUGE story.

[El Boricua]

So in the latest Observer, Dave mentioned a video package WWC put together as part of their 40th Anniversary featuring all the guys who worked for them who've passed away. He makes a point of mentioning they didn't include Brody, but I'm not sure what he wanted them to do. Including him in a video promoting a show with Invader #1 in a top match seems like it would be worse, and as Dave mentioned it's not like they never mention him in other instances.

I heard that too, but took it as him reporting the facts of the matter (as he should as a journalist - it was a notable exception) rather than him passing judgement or commentary.

 

 

In the actual newsletter he did, listing off all the people mentioned and then adding "yes, the 280 pound elephant in the room is Brody".

 

If anybody wants to see the actual video, it starts around the 1:30 mark at the following link:

 

http://www.bumbia.com/wwc/lassuperestrella...355-152100.html

 

Besides Brody, other wrestlers they forgot include Bobby Jaggers (surprised he wasn't included), Dan Greer, Skip Young, Elijah Akeem, Gary Albright, Shinya Hashimoto, Abdullah Tamba, Ernie Ladd, Al Costello, Hiromichi Fuyuki, Tosh Togo, Tor Kamata, Mike Graham, Steve Doll and likely some others I can't recall at this moment. Granted, none had the high profile run Brody did.

 

My opinion is he should have been included based on what they were aiming for with the video package, but I can understand why he was not.

[Al]

If you've got such a huge elephant in the room, why even run a video package?

[El Boricua]

If you've got such a huge elephant in the room, why even run a video package?

Its usually damned if you, damned if you don't for WWC regarding how they handle mentions of Brody. Since the whole purpose of the video was to pay a moment of respect to those individuals who passed away that were part of WWC in some way during the past 40 years, I feel Brody should have been included. Still, no matter what they decided, there are a lot of people who contributed to WWC (in some cases immensely) that also deserved a brief moment of rememberance and it was a nice gesture to give them that.

[FLIK]

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-sto...estling-cartoon

 

Being both a fan of wrestling and anime i'm doubly offended Meltz would bother to put this idiotic column on the site

[Sidebottom]

From today's update. I know bitching about Dave's shitty polls and his reaction to said shitty polls is old hat, but I can't resist.

 

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST NEWS STORY OF SEPTEMBER?

Jim Ross fired by WWE 40.8%

Mayweather-Alvarez breaks all-time revenue record for combat sports 27.2%

Wrestling voted back into the Olympics 12.9%

Jones-Gustafsson fight 7.5%

SummerSlam does lowest number since 1997 5.9%

CMLL 80th anniversary show 2.8%

WWE Night of Champions, WWE title held up 1.9%

New Japan Destruction PPV 0.5%

UFC on 9/4 does record low ratings 0.2%

WWC anniversary 0.2%

I'd be shocked if Jim Ross himself thought his being fired was even in the realm of stories two or three.

Stories 2 and 3 are also neither pro wrestling nor MMA stories, Dave.

 

To be fair, the header states "news story".

[tekcop]

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-sto...estling-cartoon

 

Being both a fan of wrestling and anime i'm doubly offended Meltz would bother to put this idiotic column on the site

That's amazing. Ignoring the fact he never even mentions the name of the show in his "review," I'm not sure if he understands how anime works. One look at the show (and a quick glance at it's late night cable/satellite broadcasting schedule) and it's obvious it's not a kid's show, but instead oriented at older teens and adult otaku.

[W2BTD]

--The next New Japan iPPV will be 10/14 from Sumo Hall, headlined by the sixth major singles match with Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP title against Hiroshi Tanahashi. This is the best in-ring feud in pro wrestling of this era.

Best of this era....okay.

 

Oh, without question.

 

Closing in on possibly ever.

 

Welp, after tonight, in my mind this debate is over. They just had their best match yet, and I gave two of the previous five 5-stars.

 

Forget this era, the only rivalry I rate higher period at this point is Misawa/Kobashi. Tonights match was a god damn masterpiece. I'm out of adjectives.

[Dylan Waco]

"They are nowhere near a sellout even with their strongest main event match."

 

And after this I am even more positive than before that it's way to soon for Tanahashi to be in the Hall of Fame

 

Also this description attached to a Marufuji match sounds like absolute hell on earth:

 

"The match was all about reversing, blocking and side stepping the others' big moves."

 

I will watch at least part of the show, but I really should stop reading peoples thoughts on these. It's possible I would actually get some enjoyment out of these main events on occasion if people weren't setting the bar absurdly high.

[SpecialK]

"They are nowhere near a sellout even with their strongest main event match."

 

And after this I am even more positive than before that it's way to soon for Tanahashi to be in the Hall of Fame

 

Also this description attached to a Marufuji match sounds like absolute hell on earth:

 

"The match was all about reversing, blocking and side stepping the others' big moves."

 

I will watch at least part of the show, but I really should stop reading peoples thoughts on these. It's possible I would actually get some enjoyment out of these main events on occasion if people weren't setting the bar absurdly high.

 

It was pretty much a sell-out, all but the cheapest tickets had sold out the day after the lineup was announced.

[cheapshot]

"They are nowhere near a sellout even with their strongest main event match."

 

And after this I am even more positive than before that it's way to soon for Tanahashi to be in the Hall of Fame

 

Also this description attached to a Marufuji match sounds like absolute hell on earth:

 

"The match was all about reversing, blocking and side stepping the others' big moves."

 

I will watch at least part of the show, but I really should stop reading peoples thoughts on these. It's possible I would actually get some enjoyment out of these main events on occasion if people weren't setting the bar absurdly high.

 

It was pretty much a sell-out, all but the cheapest tickets had sold out the day after the lineup was announced.

 

From a live perspective, was the main event the better than the previous Tanahashi/Okada matches in your opinion? Many snowflakes are getting thrown around currently by various people.

[SpecialK]

Absolutely, although I can't say how much of that was due to the atmosphere.

[W2BTD]

Yeah, I have no idea what Meltzer was going on about all night with the attendance, the place looked full.

[Lee]

My God, that discussion on the podcast about the AJ Styles leaving TNA angle was the most excruciating 20 minutes of radio I've ever heard, Dave just completely ignoring Bryan's points (which I'd normally advocated but not here) and Bryan not realising he needed to give up, instead just leading Dave round and round and round in circles the whole time.

[gingears]

"I'm not saying they shouldn't try! I'm saying it doesn't matter!"

 

Yeah, that was a big mess of words. I don't think either one of them had a tight grip on their own point either.

[Karl]

That TNA conversation was driving mad. It was what I imagine purgatory to be like.