Dave Meltzer stuff

[SPS]

Wow, I was late to get internet but have been online for over a decade and haven't ever heard of this site. What was it's big appeal? just free internet wrestling news?

[Mad Dog]

Was he one of the commentary options in EWR? I know Scott Keith, Dames and I don't remember the other guy... Drunk Irishman or Drunk Scotsman maybe?

[Loss]

If you have been to Lords of Pain, it's similar. Just second-hand news sourced from the same old places, but a gateway site for a lot of newer fans.

[Mad Dog]

Yeah, I'm always confused when I see people post things from Lords of Pain. It's either wrong or a rewrite of Meltzer stuff.

[SPS]

Ahh okay, makes sense then. Thanks for all the info.

[DMJ]

Yeah, I'm always confused when I see people post things from Lords of Pain. It's either wrong or a rewrite of Meltzer stuff.

 

There was a time I actually thought Lords of Pain had a decent forum (before I was saved by this one), and while I still check it out every now and again, it has completely eroded to a handful of posters trolling each other.

 

I thought they had some decent column writers for awhile too (early-to-mid-00s) on the main page and specific blog/columns forum too, but now you'll basically just find fanfic and TLDR arguments about why Reigns/Cena going heel would save the WWE. Their most famous columnist on the main page, Mr. Tito, was a daily read for my friends and I in 99', but 20 years later, he's almost become Alex Jones-ish with his over-the-top, outlandish, self-congratulatory opinions (that are often broad enough to never be totally wrong, but also almost always alarmist and clickbaity).

[JNLister]

Yeah, I'm always confused when I see people post things from Lords of Pain. It's either wrong or a rewrite of Meltzer stuff.

 

Or a wrong rewrite of Meltzer stuff.

[SirEdger]

Was he one of the commentary options in EWR? I know Scott Keith, Dames and I don't remember the other guy... Drunk Irishman or Drunk Scotsman maybe?

 

There was Scott Keith, Dames and Scotsman. I think there was a 4th option too but I'm having a blank on that one...something like CRZ.

[Mad Dog]

It endlessly cracks me up that Meltzer almost always has his face buried in a notebook taking notes whenever he gets caught on camera at a PWG show.

[El-P]

I don't usually do that but I can't resist that one.

 

"Will Ospreay may be the most talented guy in the business today." Da Meltz 10/02/18.

 

Ok. So, the bastard son of Petey Williams & Amazing Red on coke is the model from pro-wrestling today.

Funny thing is that, while praying the match with Takahashi to no ends, he still managed to say that well, if they cut off the 5 or 6 most dangerous spots he would probably have loved it even more and that Ospreay is basically destroying himself and will end up being the next Dynamite Kid (despite having a "great mind for wrestling") and that Takahashi is the one who has the star charisma. So yeah. Meltz loves the crazy moves and flips but... the reasonable part of him, the one who praised (rightfully so) the Nagata vs Kitamura opener and the SANADA vs Okada match, has to know, deep down, that Ospreay is a dumb fuck spot monkey wanker.

[PeteF3]

He also thought Sabu was the best wrestler in the world in 1994, again paying a bit of lip service to the "He's going to be in a wheelchair before his time" talking point but not really further acknowledging it.

[C.S.]

He also thought Sabu was the best wrestler in the world in 1994, again paying a bit of lip service to the "He's going to be in a wheelchair before his time" talking point but not really further acknowledging it.

 

Could it be argued that Sabu was the most original and compelling worker in the world in 1994? No one else back then was anything quite like Sabu.

 

(Note: I'm hardly a Sabu super-fan, but there was undeniably a mystery, aura, and "danger" around Sabu back then that today's "good workers" would kill for.)

[sek69]

All that was true, but Sabu wasn't the best wrestler in the world in 1994. He had an aura no one else had, but he was a sloppy mess as well. He was just a sloppy mess doing things that were innovative at the time.

[El-P]

Ospreay isn't compelling for shits. Original ? Not even that, he's just a flippy guy doing flippy stuff, unlike say, RVD who at least was idiosyncratic (and still remains so, no one works like RVD). Creative as far as adding layers of crazyness yet also stupidity to his acrobatics ? Yes, straight from the Petey Williams/Amazing Red school of inventiveness in the early/mid 00's. Hardly something that should be heralded, unless Canadian Destroyer and Spanish Flies are your idea of great work.

[NintendoLogic]

For what it's worth, his exact quote was that Sabu was "night-in and night-out the best performer in the country today." He's also stated that he defines working as "reading the crowd and the ability to figure out how to work a dead crowd." It's entirely possible that Sabu was better at consistently getting responses from crowds than anyone else in the country in 1994.

[The Thread Killer]

I am pretty sure Meltzer also made a specific quote in 1994 that Sabu was better than Bret Hart (at that time) which I remember upsetting a lot of people.

[Johnny Sorrow]

For what it's worth, his exact quote was that Sabu was "night-in and night-out the best performer in the country today." He's also stated that he defines working as "reading the crowd and the ability to figure out how to work a dead crowd." It's entirely possible that Sabu was better at consistently getting responses from crowds than anyone else in the country in 1994.

And thats a perfect example of people not getting that performer means the whole package, not just the limited sense of work thats out there.

[Matt D]

 

For what it's worth, his exact quote was that Sabu was "night-in and night-out the best performer in the country today." He's also stated that he defines working as "reading the crowd and the ability to figure out how to work a dead crowd." It's entirely possible that Sabu was better at consistently getting responses from crowds than anyone else in the country in 1994.

And thats a perfect example of people not getting that performer means the whole package, not just work.

I really like some of his promos from that year.

[Johnny Sorrow]

 

 

For what it's worth, his exact quote was that Sabu was "night-in and night-out the best performer in the country today." He's also stated that he defines working as "reading the crowd and the ability to figure out how to work a dead crowd." It's entirely possible that Sabu was better at consistently getting responses from crowds than anyone else in the country in 1994.

And thats a perfect example of people not getting that performer means the whole package, not just work.

I really like some of his promos from that year.

Its a truly great performer who doesnt need to talk to be that over, dude.

Unless Ive missed the existence of Sabu promos, anything is possible.

[Matt D]

 

 

 

For what it's worth, his exact quote was that Sabu was "night-in and night-out the best performer in the country today." He's also stated that he defines working as "reading the crowd and the ability to figure out how to work a dead crowd." It's entirely possible that Sabu was better at consistently getting responses from crowds than anyone else in the country in 1994.

And thats a perfect example of people not getting that performer means the whole package, not just work.

I really like some of his promos from that year.

Its a truly great performer who doesnt need to talk to be that over, dude.

Unless Ive missed the existence of Sabu promos, anything is possible.

 

[Johnny Sorrow]

 

 

 

 

 

For what it's worth, his exact quote was that Sabu was "night-in and night-out the best performer in the country today." He's also stated that he defines working as "reading the crowd and the ability to figure out how to work a dead crowd." It's entirely possible that Sabu was better at consistently getting responses from crowds than anyone else in the country in 1994.

And thats a perfect example of people not getting that performer means the whole package, not just work.

I really like some of his promos from that year.

Its a truly great performer who doesnt need to talk to be that over, dude.

Unless Ive missed the existence of Sabu promos, anything is possible.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sal Bellomo is now cemented in my own GWE or whatever it is.

[Bix]

Ospreay is physically talented enough that I don't think that's a huge stretch on Dave's part?

 

Also Red got (and continues to be) quite good when he got more experience like his Japanese tours.

[EricR]

Ospreay isn't compelling for shits. Original ? Not even that, he's just a flippy guy doing flippy stuff, unlike say, RVD who at least was idiosyncratic (and still remains so, no one works like RVD). Creative as far as adding layers of crazyness yet also stupidity to his acrobatics ? Yes, straight from the Petey Williams/Amazing Red school of inventiveness in the early/mid 00's. Hardly something that should be heralded, unless Canadian Destroyer and Spanish Flies are your idea of great work.

 

To be fair, I think Red is quite a great shout better than Petey Williams, and he wasn't the one doing Spanish Flies. I think Red is a pretty underrated worker.

[Timbo Slice]

Ospreay's biggest issue is that his athleticism overshadows any semblance of structure in his matches to a point where it becomes a distraction. The Ricochet stuff still doesn't do anything at all for me. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I get why Dave would say it, but him being talented doesn't necessarily make him a great wrestler.

[El-P]

Ok, forget Red and put SAT °1 instead. You get my point, people.