Serena from the Straight Egde Society, reported to be released from WWE. The rumors are that she was not living out her character in public. If thats true, she is stupid. If they told her to be hardcore, you gotta live hardcore!
Luna Vachon--Dead.
Skip Sheffield--broken ankle. Who's next..............I'm not a big fan, but do think he could be good in the S.E.S. Got to get rid of that lariat finisher. After seeing Bradshaw do it to a tee, its got to be retired for awhile.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
WCW 2.0
I haven't posted on TNA in a while...I wanted to take in Hard Justice, The Whole F'N Show, and this weeks episode as a whole. So much is going on in TNA now that one show taken out of context doesn't give the whole picture. So, with that:
Hard Justice was by and large a good show. It was what it was: an ECW reunion show that really didn't do anything for TNA except make money. It did OK (by TNA standards) with it's buy-rate, and you basically had a bunch of guys almost my dad's age pull out all the stops to put on one last great show. In fact, most of these guys will probably not be on TV again anytime soon and that isn't a bad thing. Nostalgia factor was high and when all of these guys wrestle each other it looks OK. Throw a Jay Lethal or Kazarian in the mix and these dudes look every minute their age. If all this was what it appeared to be, I would have been fine with this trip down memory lane and ready to get on with the story, so to speak. But this is not all that it was...
The next weeks show, The Whole F'N show, delivered exactly what it said it would, a PPV quality show for free. Allow me to summarize in a long run-on sentence:
AJ and Angle solid not spectacular, Love wins title and looks really rusty, Asshole Anderson, Pope, and Morgan in a three-way, Morgan wins cheap in about 4 minutes, Shannon Moore fills in for someone TNA couldn't sign and gives Jeff Hardy a match, Beer Money brings the house down against MCMG 2 out of 3 falls (MCMG retain), and RVD beat Abyss in a hardcore match (Janice never really came into play in the match, despite it being a "Stairway to Janice" match. Thanks Mr. Russo!). The real story here was Tommy Dreamer and the ECW alumni coming out to give an emotional thank you and end up getting the beatdown from Fortune ft. Doug Williams and Matt Morgan. Real bloody like. Off camera, Abyss hits RVD with Janice and RVD is taken away in an ambulance. We need some help out here!!
And I mean with the storyline, because this past weeks Impact made little to no sense. Apparently, there is a tournament to crown a new champion, as RVD is too hurt to defend the belt (by the way, title vacations are the cheapest way to take a belt off a standing champ...they used RVD to bump up ratings and cast him aside). So, if Biscoffs "top ten" ranking system is a legitimate system, then why aren't #'s 1 and 2 (Jeff Hardy and Abyss) having a match to determine an interim champion? Instead it's unranked Doug Williams and Matt Morgan as two of the 8 finalists. Huh? And strangely enough, it's was Abyss v Hardy and his plumbers crack that kicked off the show. Why even have a ranking system at all?! Of course it's a booking tool, but you paint yourself into a corner when situations like this come up and you TOTALLY invalidated Kurt Angels climb up the rankings ladder (I believe he was at #5 when this tournament came up). This is poor writing/booking at it's finest...you spend 6 weeks building up this ranking system just to ignore it when it would make the most sense to use. Please save us, Paul!
Then Jay Lethal, the man you gave the super push to and used none other than Ric Fucking Flair to put over, loses clean and convincingly to Mr. Anderson. See you in the X Division, Jay. Your push is over. After the Knockouts make their weekly mess in the ring, Ric Flair and Fortune cut a promo that you could floss your teeth with. Generation to generation, none of this shit gets old. Of course, Dixie comes out and tries to ruin the party, and in doing so Ric Flair and Mick Foley engage in a shoot/improv promo that is out of control. Tommy, please don't embarrass yourself against AJ.(Spoiler alert: he loses, but looks pretty good doing it. More a credit to AJ than Dreamer, but I digress...) Golf claps all around, gentlemen.
Then Big Sexy comes to the ring with Sting. OK, I decided to time this...the Wolfpac took up 10 minutes of airtime while Nash gave everyone a lesson on backstage politics and referred repeatedly to shit that was happening on WCW probably 5 years before anyone even started watching TNA. This is what I don't get about WCW creative: they write as if their target auduience is me. And I remember DDP and Bill Goldberg, and ECW with Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko, but guess what? I am NOT your target audience. This is why all this shoot promo stuff is beyond me. Talk about what's going on with Samoa Joe and Desmond Wolfe "in the back" if you want to be "edgy". Nobody cares about what you were doing in 1998, Kev. Not even me.
Which brings me to todays breaking news, that there is turmoil in the TNA locker room and RVD isn't afraid to tell you all about it. It seems the younger guys aren't happy with the ECW guys getting facetime. Who can blame them? Pretty much the entire ECW roster couldn't have hung with Mr. PWI 500 even in their prime. My thought was always that EV 2.0 is only here to put guys over; established names to use as fodder to fatten the TNA roster on. And with wise booking choices, this could still be the case. But if these backstage rumors are to be believed, then TNA is turning into WCW all over again. Poor booking, a bloated and ageing roster and sensationalistic story angles get in the way of quality wrestling in a time when the market cries out for an alternative product. This is where I place the blame squarely on Vince Russo and his creative cronies. Their failure to see the writing on the wall and the insistance to stick with what THEY think is right and what THEY think the fans want slowly erodes a great roster and a dedicated fanbase. He was there when WCW went from industry leader to out of business in just under two years. You would think the powers that be wouldn't allow history to repeat itself...
PS. watching RAW tonight I saw randy orten perform his pathetic RKO on John Morrison and Ted DiBiase, and got to thinking about the Diamond Cutter. Watch this video, and see how it's done, son.
So vicious!
Hard Justice was by and large a good show. It was what it was: an ECW reunion show that really didn't do anything for TNA except make money. It did OK (by TNA standards) with it's buy-rate, and you basically had a bunch of guys almost my dad's age pull out all the stops to put on one last great show. In fact, most of these guys will probably not be on TV again anytime soon and that isn't a bad thing. Nostalgia factor was high and when all of these guys wrestle each other it looks OK. Throw a Jay Lethal or Kazarian in the mix and these dudes look every minute their age. If all this was what it appeared to be, I would have been fine with this trip down memory lane and ready to get on with the story, so to speak. But this is not all that it was...
The next weeks show, The Whole F'N show, delivered exactly what it said it would, a PPV quality show for free. Allow me to summarize in a long run-on sentence:
AJ and Angle solid not spectacular, Love wins title and looks really rusty, Asshole Anderson, Pope, and Morgan in a three-way, Morgan wins cheap in about 4 minutes, Shannon Moore fills in for someone TNA couldn't sign and gives Jeff Hardy a match, Beer Money brings the house down against MCMG 2 out of 3 falls (MCMG retain), and RVD beat Abyss in a hardcore match (Janice never really came into play in the match, despite it being a "Stairway to Janice" match. Thanks Mr. Russo!). The real story here was Tommy Dreamer and the ECW alumni coming out to give an emotional thank you and end up getting the beatdown from Fortune ft. Doug Williams and Matt Morgan. Real bloody like. Off camera, Abyss hits RVD with Janice and RVD is taken away in an ambulance. We need some help out here!!
And I mean with the storyline, because this past weeks Impact made little to no sense. Apparently, there is a tournament to crown a new champion, as RVD is too hurt to defend the belt (by the way, title vacations are the cheapest way to take a belt off a standing champ...they used RVD to bump up ratings and cast him aside). So, if Biscoffs "top ten" ranking system is a legitimate system, then why aren't #'s 1 and 2 (Jeff Hardy and Abyss) having a match to determine an interim champion? Instead it's unranked Doug Williams and Matt Morgan as two of the 8 finalists. Huh? And strangely enough, it's was Abyss v Hardy and his plumbers crack that kicked off the show. Why even have a ranking system at all?! Of course it's a booking tool, but you paint yourself into a corner when situations like this come up and you TOTALLY invalidated Kurt Angels climb up the rankings ladder (I believe he was at #5 when this tournament came up). This is poor writing/booking at it's finest...you spend 6 weeks building up this ranking system just to ignore it when it would make the most sense to use. Please save us, Paul!
Then Jay Lethal, the man you gave the super push to and used none other than Ric Fucking Flair to put over, loses clean and convincingly to Mr. Anderson. See you in the X Division, Jay. Your push is over. After the Knockouts make their weekly mess in the ring, Ric Flair and Fortune cut a promo that you could floss your teeth with. Generation to generation, none of this shit gets old. Of course, Dixie comes out and tries to ruin the party, and in doing so Ric Flair and Mick Foley engage in a shoot/improv promo that is out of control. Tommy, please don't embarrass yourself against AJ.(Spoiler alert: he loses, but looks pretty good doing it. More a credit to AJ than Dreamer, but I digress...) Golf claps all around, gentlemen.
Then Big Sexy comes to the ring with Sting. OK, I decided to time this...the Wolfpac took up 10 minutes of airtime while Nash gave everyone a lesson on backstage politics and referred repeatedly to shit that was happening on WCW probably 5 years before anyone even started watching TNA. This is what I don't get about WCW creative: they write as if their target auduience is me. And I remember DDP and Bill Goldberg, and ECW with Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko, but guess what? I am NOT your target audience. This is why all this shoot promo stuff is beyond me. Talk about what's going on with Samoa Joe and Desmond Wolfe "in the back" if you want to be "edgy". Nobody cares about what you were doing in 1998, Kev. Not even me.
Which brings me to todays breaking news, that there is turmoil in the TNA locker room and RVD isn't afraid to tell you all about it. It seems the younger guys aren't happy with the ECW guys getting facetime. Who can blame them? Pretty much the entire ECW roster couldn't have hung with Mr. PWI 500 even in their prime. My thought was always that EV 2.0 is only here to put guys over; established names to use as fodder to fatten the TNA roster on. And with wise booking choices, this could still be the case. But if these backstage rumors are to be believed, then TNA is turning into WCW all over again. Poor booking, a bloated and ageing roster and sensationalistic story angles get in the way of quality wrestling in a time when the market cries out for an alternative product. This is where I place the blame squarely on Vince Russo and his creative cronies. Their failure to see the writing on the wall and the insistance to stick with what THEY think is right and what THEY think the fans want slowly erodes a great roster and a dedicated fanbase. He was there when WCW went from industry leader to out of business in just under two years. You would think the powers that be wouldn't allow history to repeat itself...
PS. watching RAW tonight I saw randy orten perform his pathetic RKO on John Morrison and Ted DiBiase, and got to thinking about the Diamond Cutter. Watch this video, and see how it's done, son.
So vicious!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
TNA gets something right!
Now everybody knows that Nigel McGuinness is my favorite wrestler on the planet today, and this is after I said I'd never love again (It took me 3 years to come to grips with the Benoit Incident). Now I don't think for a second that a wrestler of his caliber should be tag teaming, but for me, personally, this is like TNA reached inside my mind and made my own idea real. It's like Oasis as wrestlers. Brilliant boys....cheers!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
'Cuz Disco Says So: Bryan and Bryan - Bizarro Supermen?
The kayfabe on RAW is that Wade Barrett threw Daniel Bryan out of the NEXUS for not having the right attitude. It's a strange shift for WWE to feel a need to explain Bryan's absence after a real-life firing; moreover, Bryan Danielson seems to be a giant experiment for the company in general.
For instance, giving him a work/shoot when he was eliminated from NXT was a huge risk. They also allow him (for the time being) to use his names almost interchangeably, completely and finally acknowledging that the everybody reads the internet and knows his name isn't really "Daniel Bryan." The fans know he wrestled in Japan and in Ring of Honor, hell, they can call it up in YouTube and see it. They also know he's going to be wrestling as Bryan Danielson for a while in the indies, as well as Daniel Bryan in the WWE, for a while until his contractual commitments are fulfilled.
So now we have it, the Bizarro-World duality of the WWE Universe. Bryan Danielson was fired by WWE management while Daniel Bryan was fired by Wade Barrett. Everybody knows it -- but that's the reality of "sports entertainment" in the 21st century. Twitter, blogs, podcasts, once the enemy, are now simply ignored and the suspension of disbelief exploited. WWE is threading the needle, carefully, and it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Down with Cena
It's true, It's damn true. The older, mature wrestling fans loath Cena, and he knows it. I too, once hated John. The tables have turned, and I kind of like him now.
Cena is a local guy, Needham Mass., I got to root for him.
Sometimes he makes me laugh. This week on RAW, he talked about Darren Young looking like him, and how his mom has a crush on Wade Barret. There were even a few laughs heard at the Mayflower Raw viewing!
Cena doesn't have the ego that says "I need to have the belt" to be important.
Huge star. You put him in a room full of Pro athletes, he is still the biggest star. They want to meet him. Wrestling needs that. The WWE had a hand in, but did not create his charisma.
Like Hogan, Cena is indestructible. But Cena is so much better than Hogan. Hogan had one power, the Hulk up. Cena is much better in so many ways. Hogan was a fluke. You have to have your top star have super powers, that's what people want.
Who else can fill that role? He's the best man for the job. There are better wrestlers, better talkers, but no one puts it all together as well. Who's going to be the hero?
"John Cena has been devoted to the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2004. He earned the foundation's highest honor, the Chris Greicius Award, at Wrestle Mania XXVI in Phoenix."
Retards love wrestling. Your kid has cancer and gets to make a wish--they want to meet Cena, and he is there. He has filled more wishes than than any other person, or organization, over the past few years. Fuck it, if your going to make the sickly happy,I'm not going to try and bring you down.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
HUGE Wrestling Event in Coney Island FRIDAY NIGHT
Press Release from Forgotten Championship Wrestling:
Forgotten Championship Wrestling and MCU Stadium will hold a professional wrestling event to raise money and awareness for America’s wounded servicemen and servicewomen.
FCW (Professional Wrestling) COMES TO CONEY ISLAND BROOKLYN. FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL AND VETERANS OF ALL GENERATIONS WITH PROPER ID.
FCW PRESENTS, “The Last Stop”
http://www.fcwrestling.net/
FCW (Professional Wrestling) COMES TO CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN, NY
FCW (Professional Wrestling) COMES TO CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN, NY
FCW is proud to present a wrestling convention, and old school wrestling for only $20.00. FIRE WORKS AND MORE. That’s entertainment! Additionally, partial proceeds from this mega event will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project, and Wheelchair Sports Federation as well as wounded warriors will be in attendance as FCW Guests!
SO COME OUT AND ENJOY A GREAT NIGHT OF FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!
FOOD AND BEER WILL BE SERVED AT THE EVENT!!!!!!!!!!
FOOD AND BEER WILL BE SERVED AT THE EVENT!!!!!!!!!!
Date-Friday, August 20, 2010
5:00 PM to 6:45 PM Wrestling Convention
7:00 PM to 9:45 PM FCW presents “The Last Stop”
Location-MCU Park (Home of the Brooklyn Cyclones)
1904 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11224
718-449-8497
8,000 seating facility
36 ft. Electronic Bill Board
7:00 PM to 9:45 PM FCW presents “The Last Stop”
Location-MCU Park (Home of the Brooklyn Cyclones)
1904 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11224
718-449-8497
8,000 seating facility
36 ft. Electronic Bill Board
CONFIRMED STARS TO APPEAR AT THE FCW SHOW
- ECW Original, Former WWE Super Star “Innovator of Violence” Tommy Dreamer
- WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
- Former WWE Super Star Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake
- Former WWE Tag Team Champion, Intercontinental Champion and Former ECW Champion, Tito Santana
- Former WWE Tag Team Champion Nikolai Volkoff
- Former WWE Super Star and Indy Legend Romeo Roselli
- Legend Wrestler Diamond Jim Brady
- Former WCW Wrestling Star La Parka USA
- Former WWE Star Teddy the Tank Reade
- Former ECW STAR Dancing with Dudley
- USO Liberty Bells
- USA Cheer Leaders
- Miss NY Teen USA 2010 Thatiana Diaz
- Indy Star Justin Cage
- Professor Paul Pope The keenest mind in the biz.
- FCW Heavy Weight Champion, Mr. Everything Johnny Ledoux
- The Indestructible Slugga
- Indy Legend Grim Reefer
- The Rock star Ryan Blackheart
- Samuel Mr. Excitement Elias
- Lil Greatness
- Just Jeff
- Damien H.S. Darling
- ROH Becky Bayless
- Mr. Deep Pockets Jimmy Dollars
PURCHASE TICKETS AT FCWrestling.net or BrooklynCyclones.com
Unified Tag Team Titles eliminated, replaced
If you caught RAW Monday night, WWE eliminated the Unified Tag Team Titles. From now on they will be known as the WWE Tag Team Titles. The Hart Dynasty was presented with new title belts by Bret Hart.
Haas & Benjamin vs. Kings of Wrestling-ROH Glory By Honor IX-9/11/2010
Former WWE Superstars Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin take on the Kings of Wrestling at Hammerstein Ballroom on 9/11/2010. Tickets still available on www.rohwrestling.com.
Monday, August 16, 2010
'Cuz Disco Says So: TWC sucks and other thoughts (Pt. 2)
Listen kids, I just love being surprised by wrestling every once in a while, and losing the PPV right before the main event (and barely being able to watch the Championship matches, and completely missing Undertaker's appearance) really took that away. Don't even get me started about Daniel Bryan! Bryan (Bryan Danielson) is literally one of my favorite guys out there right now and seeing him work in person last year at Hammerstein Ballroom made me a huge fan. His sudden appearance in the main event would've been incredible. Instead I saw a glimpse of him in replay, the ultimate spoiler. Even worse, the fact we were "live blogging" the whole thing rubbed salt deeply in the wound.
By now I've had a chance to view the whole show, and overall, it was pretty great. Even without the surprise appearances by Undertaker and Bryan, there wasn't a real snoozer. Even the Diva match was entertaining for in an X-Pac sort of way. In addition, it was great to see the Nexus guys show what they can do in a headlining event. Sheffield especially got a prime spotlight. Nexus and by association, NXT, makes TNA look even more dysfunctional.
And a bonus: From the announce table, Matt Striker not (Matt Stryker) stated in Canadian-esque reference to Chris Jericho following a codebreaker to Skip Sheffield, "Though his mind is not for rent, don't put him down as arrogant"... Rush fans rejoice!
You suck, Time Warner Cable. I hate you. Wrestling may be fake, but my hatred for your sub-par product is real.
Time Warner: I hate you
So last night I spent the vast majority of SummerSlam staring at a pixelated screen...we didn't even make it to the Orton match. So when the TV turned back on with 5 minutes left in the match we got to see:
A. Super-Cena beat the Nexus in a match that made the Nexus look weak and did nothing to further the storyline.
B. See that personal favorite/pariah Bryan Danielson was somehow involved with the match, but we didn't see how he made his debut.
Needless to say the PPV was ruined for both Disco and myself. It will be the last PPV I watch with Time warner as my cable service provider I can tell you that.
So i came home this afternoon hoping to watch the end of the PPV (the replay's signal seemed OK, so i DVR'd it in hopes it would be watchable before tonight's RAW)...and the cable is still out. Internet too. So I couldn't watch the RAW tonight, and the after the cable came back on at 10:30 I finally got to see the end of the PPV. Thoughts:
Kane/Mysterio Casket match was old school fun. Lotta near falls and they both seem to work well together. If you can get past the inherent silliness of a casket match, it was really well done. Looks like a great feud coming with the Undertaker and Kane on SmackDown, and to have Kane as seemingly the "more powerful" Brother of Destruction should put a bit of spin on it. How will the Undertaker regain the Power of the Druids?!
God I hate Cena so much...he really is the Hulk Hogan of the New Century, he might as well be telling all his Cenamaniacs to never give up and take their vitamins. I now understand why my dad thought '80s wrestling was stupid...anyway, even my DVR'd SummerSlam was kinda messed up, so I missed the Nexus intro, but I DID see Bryan Danielson's debut. I knew it was coming so it wasn't much of a shock, but it was nice to see him get a decent pop at a big time PPV. I couldn't help but think, though, that it was sad that a wrestler of his ability, demeanor, and size would have to ply his trade in this PG era WWE...I suppose the alternative is to be jerked around in TNA or make no money. I'm glad he's doing better than Nigel and Samoa Joe, but with his size, will he ever be more than United States champion?
This main event was decent...nice to see Danielson bring back the cross-face, and I'm surprised they didn't fire him for doing it...Bret Hart looked OK, even with the T-Shirt (wrestling in a t-shirt, as we all know, is a sign that your career is over), and the rest was as predictable as if a 13 year old wrote it...how will John Cena get out of this predicament? DDT on the concrete? Nothing is to much to overcome if you just never give up, kids.
I give up John. I see you...and you are giving pro wrestling a bad name.
A. Super-Cena beat the Nexus in a match that made the Nexus look weak and did nothing to further the storyline.
B. See that personal favorite/pariah Bryan Danielson was somehow involved with the match, but we didn't see how he made his debut.
Needless to say the PPV was ruined for both Disco and myself. It will be the last PPV I watch with Time warner as my cable service provider I can tell you that.
So i came home this afternoon hoping to watch the end of the PPV (the replay's signal seemed OK, so i DVR'd it in hopes it would be watchable before tonight's RAW)...and the cable is still out. Internet too. So I couldn't watch the RAW tonight, and the after the cable came back on at 10:30 I finally got to see the end of the PPV. Thoughts:
Kane/Mysterio Casket match was old school fun. Lotta near falls and they both seem to work well together. If you can get past the inherent silliness of a casket match, it was really well done. Looks like a great feud coming with the Undertaker and Kane on SmackDown, and to have Kane as seemingly the "more powerful" Brother of Destruction should put a bit of spin on it. How will the Undertaker regain the Power of the Druids?!
God I hate Cena so much...he really is the Hulk Hogan of the New Century, he might as well be telling all his Cenamaniacs to never give up and take their vitamins. I now understand why my dad thought '80s wrestling was stupid...anyway, even my DVR'd SummerSlam was kinda messed up, so I missed the Nexus intro, but I DID see Bryan Danielson's debut. I knew it was coming so it wasn't much of a shock, but it was nice to see him get a decent pop at a big time PPV. I couldn't help but think, though, that it was sad that a wrestler of his ability, demeanor, and size would have to ply his trade in this PG era WWE...I suppose the alternative is to be jerked around in TNA or make no money. I'm glad he's doing better than Nigel and Samoa Joe, but with his size, will he ever be more than United States champion?
This main event was decent...nice to see Danielson bring back the cross-face, and I'm surprised they didn't fire him for doing it...Bret Hart looked OK, even with the T-Shirt (wrestling in a t-shirt, as we all know, is a sign that your career is over), and the rest was as predictable as if a 13 year old wrote it...how will John Cena get out of this predicament? DDT on the concrete? Nothing is to much to overcome if you just never give up, kids.
I give up John. I see you...and you are giving pro wrestling a bad name.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Summer Slam 2010: LIVE BLOGGING! Part II
PART II: REFRESH YOUR BROWSER TO SEE THE UPDATES!
Disco: So, the cable signal is unwatchable right now. Biggs is on the phone with Time Warner.
Biggs: We're in an "Outage Area". Do you believe it?
Disco: Yes, I do.
Disco: It appears that Kane vs. Mysterio is ongoing. We do see flashes of what's going on, but no motion.
Disco: Update -- TWC gave us the PPV for free but now there is nothing at all to see. Black screen. This sucks, kids.
Disco: Stand by, we have been praying to the Mother Box that the video will return. Cable goddess, answer our prayers!
Disco: It's BACK!!!! With a eight minutes left of the program!!!! F-U TIME WARNER!
Disco: Look like Nexus wiped out Team WWE. BUT -- Cena makes Barrett tap out at the end after Justin Gabriel misses the 450 splash. BOOOOOooooo. Probably would've been a great main event....
Disco: WHAT? Replays show DANIEL BRYAN came in to help Team WWE??? How could we miss that? ARRRRRRGH!
Biggs: (SLAPS TABLE) Wish I hadn't even seen that. I want to throw my remote through the TV screen.
Biggs: At least we got to see the Diva Match (snicker). My service is cancelled tomorrow.
Disco: Our Live Blogging event ends in frustration and heartbreak. Thank you, Time Warner Cable.
Disco: To salve our wounds, we've decided to watch some Lucha Libre on Televisa Deportes (Galavision). It seems to be some sort of "good" La Parka vs. "bad" La Parka match. Some familiar faces, like Super Crazy and Konnan. Good night, all y'all, and thanks for tuning in!
Biggs: We're in an "Outage Area". Do you believe it?Disco: Yes, I do.
Disco: It appears that Kane vs. Mysterio is ongoing. We do see flashes of what's going on, but no motion.
Disco: Update -- TWC gave us the PPV for free but now there is nothing at all to see. Black screen. This sucks, kids.
Disco: Stand by, we have been praying to the Mother Box that the video will return. Cable goddess, answer our prayers!
Disco: It's BACK!!!! With a eight minutes left of the program!!!! F-U TIME WARNER!
Disco: Look like Nexus wiped out Team WWE. BUT -- Cena makes Barrett tap out at the end after Justin Gabriel misses the 450 splash. BOOOOOooooo. Probably would've been a great main event....
Disco: WHAT? Replays show DANIEL BRYAN came in to help Team WWE??? How could we miss that? ARRRRRRGH!
Biggs: (SLAPS TABLE) Wish I hadn't even seen that. I want to throw my remote through the TV screen.
Biggs: At least we got to see the Diva Match (snicker). My service is cancelled tomorrow.
Disco: Our Live Blogging event ends in frustration and heartbreak. Thank you, Time Warner Cable.
Disco: To salve our wounds, we've decided to watch some Lucha Libre on Televisa Deportes (Galavision). It seems to be some sort of "good" La Parka vs. "bad" La Parka match. Some familiar faces, like Super Crazy and Konnan. Good night, all y'all, and thanks for tuning in!
Summer Slam 2010: LIVE BLOGGING! Part I
REFRESH YOUR BROWSER TO SEE THE UPDATES!
Okay, let's give this live blogging a shot...
Disco: Big pyro start, theme song by Motley Crue-esque "Jet" ... I have high hopes. Lawler wants NXT to end... I want Lawler's announcing to end!
Disco: First match, Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston. Part of Kingston's "darker" not-quite heel turn. Looks like Kofi has new outfit, no more yellow. Kofi jumps through the ropes to hit Ziggler... Ziggler jumps away, Kifi with a big bump against the barrier.
Kofi choking out Ziggler, then .... A NEXUS RUN-IN! Nexus boot-party on Kofi, Barrett finally finishes with a:
Biggs: Fireman's Carry Slam, I would call it.
Disco: Barrett pontificates. Nexus united for a common purpose..."Nexus or against us"... Great heat from the crowd.
Disco: Backstage -- Jericho and Edge try to convince Miz to join up with "Cena's Army" Jury's out. Edge eating a Slim Jim.
Disco: Diva Match -- Alicia Fox defending title against Melina. Melina comes out in Aztec Warrior Goddess outfit (I'm guessing?). Big feather head-dress.
Biggs: Time to get a beer. Melina's head looks smaller. Totally had her cheeks done or something. And what is that weird symbol on her crotch?
Biggs: I hate those boots. Pooh-bear boots.
Disco: (Melina has HUGE fuzzy yellow boots)
Biggs: I hate Melina's "Matrix Move".
Disco: Melina wins - new Diva Champion. Melina in tears (kayfabe). LayCool (SmackDown champs) spoil the moment. Melina beattries to beat them up, but they turn the tables. Eventyally crash Melina into announce table. Take out Alicia Fox for good measure.
Disco: Straight Edge Society vs. Big Show: Handicap match. Big Show removes bandages to show that his hand isn't broken after all...
Biggs: Joey Mercury is small. Luke Gallows, Fake Kane.
Disco: They're calling Joey Mercury "Joseph Mercury" after using the names interchangeably the last few weeks.
Disco: Big Show wins.
Disco: Kane at coffin, talking about his vengeance. Sheamus strolls in, wants to borrow the casket. Kane says "no." They agree to disagree.
Disco: Miz takes the ring with MIB briefcase -- talks about how "Team WWE" is begging him to join. Miz says his decision is bigger than LeBron James' spectacle on ESPN, leading to Laker's loss of the Championship. Huge heat from crowd! (It's in LA's Staples Center.) Miz decides: He will join Team WWE and lead them to victory.
INCREDIBLE -- Miz says the crowd has to "raise their hands" if they want to say say something to him. They're not allowed say his tagline!
Biggs: This will be great in upcoming weeks!
Disco: WTF TIME WARNER: CABLE TV OFF LINE!!!???
Disco: We should be watching Sheamus vs. Orton right now. Black screen.
Biggs: I f--ing hate them! (Biggs tries to reboot the box. Says it might take 10 minutes)
Disco: Both cable boxes are out, but internet still up. Stay with us, America!
Biggs: Sheamus has to win this match to legitimize his reign. He needs to be a "force." Cena defended the tile 5 times in a row or something like that... Sheamus needs to do that.
Disco: Recently on RAW Sheamus said that if he wins, Orton has to go to the "back of the line." So I think he'll win tonight and Orton will take some time off to be with his family.
Disco: TECH UPDATE -- Box rebooted... all channels still blank. Our live blog is falling apart, ratings are plummeting!
Disco: ....AND WE'RE BACK!
Disco: We're well into the match. Orton dominating Sheamus. Orton gives big suplex off the top rope.
Disco: Sheamus counters RKO...tries to pin but Orton kicks out at the end.
Disco: Frustrated, Sheamus leaves the ring grads folding chair. Ref disqualifies him. Sheamus attacks w/ chair, misses drops chair, Orton kicks him in the nuts.
Disco: Orton drags Sheamus to announce table. RKO -- but the table doesn't break!
Biggs: Table didn't give way! Orton is not happy.
Disco: (replay) Looks like Orton hurt his back.
Biggs: The table's supposed to give way... that probably kills.
Disco: Funny, since the announce table didn't break, they're still using it, sans cover.
Disco: Rey Mysterio vs. Kane casket match. "God's Humble Servant" vs. "The Devil's Favorite Demon"... we're still having cable issues, but hopefully we'll be able to get through this.
Disco: OH NO! Cable signal degenerating!
Biggs: This is it. After baseball season, I'm switching to FIOS.
Disco: We are at sub-webcam quality right now. Big drop-outs, pixillation and freezes. Unwatchable.
Okay, let's give this live blogging a shot...
Disco: Big pyro start, theme song by Motley Crue-esque "Jet" ... I have high hopes. Lawler wants NXT to end... I want Lawler's announcing to end!
Disco: First match, Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston. Part of Kingston's "darker" not-quite heel turn. Looks like Kofi has new outfit, no more yellow. Kofi jumps through the ropes to hit Ziggler... Ziggler jumps away, Kifi with a big bump against the barrier.Kofi choking out Ziggler, then .... A NEXUS RUN-IN! Nexus boot-party on Kofi, Barrett finally finishes with a:
Biggs: Fireman's Carry Slam, I would call it.
Disco: Barrett pontificates. Nexus united for a common purpose..."Nexus or against us"... Great heat from the crowd.
Disco: Backstage -- Jericho and Edge try to convince Miz to join up with "Cena's Army" Jury's out. Edge eating a Slim Jim.
Disco: Diva Match -- Alicia Fox defending title against Melina. Melina comes out in Aztec Warrior Goddess outfit (I'm guessing?). Big feather head-dress.
Biggs: Time to get a beer. Melina's head looks smaller. Totally had her cheeks done or something. And what is that weird symbol on her crotch?
Biggs: I hate those boots. Pooh-bear boots.
Disco: (Melina has HUGE fuzzy yellow boots)
Biggs: I hate Melina's "Matrix Move".
Disco: Melina wins - new Diva Champion. Melina in tears (kayfabe). LayCool (SmackDown champs) spoil the moment. Melina beattries to beat them up, but they turn the tables. Eventyally crash Melina into announce table. Take out Alicia Fox for good measure.
Disco: Straight Edge Society vs. Big Show: Handicap match. Big Show removes bandages to show that his hand isn't broken after all...
Biggs: Joey Mercury is small. Luke Gallows, Fake Kane.
Disco: They're calling Joey Mercury "Joseph Mercury" after using the names interchangeably the last few weeks.
Disco: Big Show wins.
Disco: Kane at coffin, talking about his vengeance. Sheamus strolls in, wants to borrow the casket. Kane says "no." They agree to disagree.
Disco: Miz takes the ring with MIB briefcase -- talks about how "Team WWE" is begging him to join. Miz says his decision is bigger than LeBron James' spectacle on ESPN, leading to Laker's loss of the Championship. Huge heat from crowd! (It's in LA's Staples Center.) Miz decides: He will join Team WWE and lead them to victory.
INCREDIBLE -- Miz says the crowd has to "raise their hands" if they want to say say something to him. They're not allowed say his tagline!
Biggs: This will be great in upcoming weeks!
Disco: WTF TIME WARNER: CABLE TV OFF LINE!!!???
Disco: We should be watching Sheamus vs. Orton right now. Black screen.
Biggs: I f--ing hate them! (Biggs tries to reboot the box. Says it might take 10 minutes)
Disco: Both cable boxes are out, but internet still up. Stay with us, America!
Biggs: Sheamus has to win this match to legitimize his reign. He needs to be a "force." Cena defended the tile 5 times in a row or something like that... Sheamus needs to do that.
Disco: Recently on RAW Sheamus said that if he wins, Orton has to go to the "back of the line." So I think he'll win tonight and Orton will take some time off to be with his family.
Disco: TECH UPDATE -- Box rebooted... all channels still blank. Our live blog is falling apart, ratings are plummeting!
Disco: ....AND WE'RE BACK!
Disco: We're well into the match. Orton dominating Sheamus. Orton gives big suplex off the top rope.
Disco: Sheamus counters RKO...tries to pin but Orton kicks out at the end.
Disco: Frustrated, Sheamus leaves the ring grads folding chair. Ref disqualifies him. Sheamus attacks w/ chair, misses drops chair, Orton kicks him in the nuts.
Disco: Orton drags Sheamus to announce table. RKO -- but the table doesn't break!
Biggs: Table didn't give way! Orton is not happy.
Disco: (replay) Looks like Orton hurt his back.
Biggs: The table's supposed to give way... that probably kills.
Disco: Funny, since the announce table didn't break, they're still using it, sans cover.
Disco: Rey Mysterio vs. Kane casket match. "God's Humble Servant" vs. "The Devil's Favorite Demon"... we're still having cable issues, but hopefully we'll be able to get through this.
Disco: OH NO! Cable signal degenerating!
Biggs: This is it. After baseball season, I'm switching to FIOS.
Disco: We are at sub-webcam quality right now. Big drop-outs, pixillation and freezes. Unwatchable.
'Cuz Disco Says So: Tiffany Suspended, likely fired
Impact Wrestling is reporting: WWE suspended Diva performer Taryn Terrell (a/k/a Tiffany) indefinitely after being arrested Sunday morning following a domestic disturbance with husband Drew Galloway (Drew McIntyre). Another report mentions she's already been removed from the Smackdown intro, leading to speculation that she's been released from the company.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't realize that Tiffany and McIntyre were married. I imagine it's a lot easier to fire a forgettable diva than the brand's top heel.
Lucha Libre as I see it
I am fascinated by foreign wrestling, and here in the Big City, Luche Libre is readily available on TV. I decided to check it out this week and try to figure out whats going on...
In the Yucatan! AAA kicks of the show with a recap...apparently there is a lot of woman's and intergender tag matches. Hernandez from TNA was on last weeks show...and signs for Arriba Los Perros (Let's go, Dogs, I think) are everywhere.
First match is a classic technicos vs rudos match, with masked wrestlers Superfly and The Laredo Kids taking on The Commendantes (?). Great action here, lotta suicide diving . The ring floor looks like its thin carpet over concrete. Ouch. "Billy Boy" of the Commendantes beats Superfly with a vertabreaker. After the match there is a promo with both of the masked wrestlers presided over by a kind of Latino Mean Gene inside a plush home, perhaps the residence of one of the wrestlers. He does a lot of talking over video clips of Superfly and the Laredo Kid botching moves and pushing each other in the ring. Clearly, all is not well between the two technicos. Laredo Kid offers his hand in friendship...Superfly very reluctantly shakes hands and walks away.
Back in the ring, it's a six person inter-gender tag match...five chicks and one guy (actually, I think the guy is Alex Koslov, who I've seen in ROH). Pre-match promo has Koslov really slapping around one of the girls...wait...I think it's a guy! A tranny!! He tries to kiss Koslov and the match is on! I can tell that Kozlov's partners are "Jennifer Blade and Christine"...didn't catch tranny or his partners. There is some serious drama in this one, in-fighting on trannies team...maybe one of them were once allies with Blade and Christine....wait, the team has been called "Los Gringas Locos". Crazy white chicks...how original.
Anyway, incredible woman's wrestling here, a lot of high spots and the degree of difficulty puts woman's wrestling in the states to shame. Match ends after tranny finally gives Koslov a kiss and gets a superkick for his troubles. Post match, Koslov beats up the other woman pretty badly...I guess this kind of thing is OK south of the border. Crazy silver luchadore makes the save.
After a commercial featuring Carlos Mencia for "The Belly Burner"...
Backstage, Chessman is being looked over by a doctor. Konnan walks in and wants to know what's going on. The doctor says that Chessman will be unable to compete tonight. Konnan is pissed! Some things are just so obvious you don't need words...
Big pop...out comes Super Crazy(who put on a ton of weight), Damien 666, and Halloween. They are Los Perros Mal!! It's the DX of AAA. Their opponent, Hernandad 187, featuring Psicosis (I think), some random dude and....oh my King, It's Dr. Wagner Jr.!! Huge pop for the masked luchadore, who comes out with two belts and Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" as his entrance music. He is clearly a major player here in AAA. He also cuts a promo in ring and sounds like the Lord Humongous...this guy might be in my top 20 right now. Promo has something to do with it being his house (thanks 10th grade spanish!).
Hardcore match has a ton of action, though not much in the way of blood. Neither side can gain the upper hand until Konnan comes down to the ring and seems to tell Dr. Wagner he has no problem with him and turns on the rest of Hernandad 187. He begs their forgiveness a la Eddie Guerrero, and that allows the Perros to attack from behind. Konnan with a chairshot on the outside and a musclebuster from Damien seal the deal for the Bad Dogs.
After the break, it's a recap of a feud from good and bad La Parkas! It seems to be a major angle as these two La Parkas have quite the highlight reel. Evil La Parka (known apparently as "La Park") comes to the ring with Super Crazy from The Bad Dogs...you can tell he's evil from the monster eyes on his skeleton costume and his skull shoulder pads...anyway, he has "original" written in english down one side of his boots, which Super Crazy is quick to point out to the cameras. Next it's the good La Parka, who dances his way to the ring to the tune of Micheal Jackson's "Thriller". In the ring he pushes La Park out of the way and does his crazy dance (a few weeks ago I saw these two engage in a dance off in the ring). For all the pomp and circumstance, the match is a pretty by-the-numbers: punching and kicking, La Park pulling out every heel move in the book (low blow, outside interference, holding the ropes during a pinfall, et al), and alot of taunts to the crowd. This should come as no real surprise seeing that, essentially, it's two fat guys running around in full skeleton body suits.
Things begin to get really strange when Konnan comes out yet again and he brings with him his own referee. This heel ref storms the ring, beats up the other ref, and takes over officiating the match. How this is legal is beyond me. The crowd is INCENSED. Trash rains down on the ring. The new ref basically trips la Parka or holds his arms when he tries to throw a punch...it's a handicap match, for all intents and purposes. This, by the way, is an angle worth looking at in the States...I don't think I've ever seen a heel stable with their own referee...and it drives the crowd crazy.
After several near falls in which heel ref has a slow count or comes up lame when he's about to count "3", LA Park gains the upper hand with a vicious low blow. Victory is assured but LA Park is indicating to heel ref that instead of covering his opponent, he wants to do some dancing! His teammates plead with him to cover the writhing La Parka, but he insists on doing some weird dance in the corner. When he finally makes the cover, original ref charges the ring and puts a beatdown on heel ref. La Parka with the small package and it's "1,2,3"!!
The Bad Dogs storm into the ring and lay out the referee and put a boot party to La Parka...then it's Dr. Wagner Jr. and Hernandad 187 in to make the save! Oh, now it's more members of Perros de Mal from the back!! It's pandemonium, King!! But wait...space music? Out from the back is an old man and a bunch of masked luchadores and the transvestite from the match before. They must be a force to be reckoned with, as everyone in the ring exits in fear. The old man has some words of warning for Los Perros del Mal...
But I can't understand them.
In the Yucatan! AAA kicks of the show with a recap...apparently there is a lot of woman's and intergender tag matches. Hernandez from TNA was on last weeks show...and signs for Arriba Los Perros (Let's go, Dogs, I think) are everywhere.
First match is a classic technicos vs rudos match, with masked wrestlers Superfly and The Laredo Kids taking on The Commendantes (?). Great action here, lotta suicide diving . The ring floor looks like its thin carpet over concrete. Ouch. "Billy Boy" of the Commendantes beats Superfly with a vertabreaker. After the match there is a promo with both of the masked wrestlers presided over by a kind of Latino Mean Gene inside a plush home, perhaps the residence of one of the wrestlers. He does a lot of talking over video clips of Superfly and the Laredo Kid botching moves and pushing each other in the ring. Clearly, all is not well between the two technicos. Laredo Kid offers his hand in friendship...Superfly very reluctantly shakes hands and walks away.
Back in the ring, it's a six person inter-gender tag match...five chicks and one guy (actually, I think the guy is Alex Koslov, who I've seen in ROH). Pre-match promo has Koslov really slapping around one of the girls...wait...I think it's a guy! A tranny!! He tries to kiss Koslov and the match is on! I can tell that Kozlov's partners are "Jennifer Blade and Christine"...didn't catch tranny or his partners. There is some serious drama in this one, in-fighting on trannies team...maybe one of them were once allies with Blade and Christine....wait, the team has been called "Los Gringas Locos". Crazy white chicks...how original.
Anyway, incredible woman's wrestling here, a lot of high spots and the degree of difficulty puts woman's wrestling in the states to shame. Match ends after tranny finally gives Koslov a kiss and gets a superkick for his troubles. Post match, Koslov beats up the other woman pretty badly...I guess this kind of thing is OK south of the border. Crazy silver luchadore makes the save.
After a commercial featuring Carlos Mencia for "The Belly Burner"...
Backstage, Chessman is being looked over by a doctor. Konnan walks in and wants to know what's going on. The doctor says that Chessman will be unable to compete tonight. Konnan is pissed! Some things are just so obvious you don't need words...
Big pop...out comes Super Crazy(who put on a ton of weight), Damien 666, and Halloween. They are Los Perros Mal!! It's the DX of AAA. Their opponent, Hernandad 187, featuring Psicosis (I think), some random dude and....oh my King, It's Dr. Wagner Jr.!! Huge pop for the masked luchadore, who comes out with two belts and Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" as his entrance music. He is clearly a major player here in AAA. He also cuts a promo in ring and sounds like the Lord Humongous...this guy might be in my top 20 right now. Promo has something to do with it being his house (thanks 10th grade spanish!).
Hardcore match has a ton of action, though not much in the way of blood. Neither side can gain the upper hand until Konnan comes down to the ring and seems to tell Dr. Wagner he has no problem with him and turns on the rest of Hernandad 187. He begs their forgiveness a la Eddie Guerrero, and that allows the Perros to attack from behind. Konnan with a chairshot on the outside and a musclebuster from Damien seal the deal for the Bad Dogs.
After the break, it's a recap of a feud from good and bad La Parkas! It seems to be a major angle as these two La Parkas have quite the highlight reel. Evil La Parka (known apparently as "La Park") comes to the ring with Super Crazy from The Bad Dogs...you can tell he's evil from the monster eyes on his skeleton costume and his skull shoulder pads...anyway, he has "original" written in english down one side of his boots, which Super Crazy is quick to point out to the cameras. Next it's the good La Parka, who dances his way to the ring to the tune of Micheal Jackson's "Thriller". In the ring he pushes La Park out of the way and does his crazy dance (a few weeks ago I saw these two engage in a dance off in the ring). For all the pomp and circumstance, the match is a pretty by-the-numbers: punching and kicking, La Park pulling out every heel move in the book (low blow, outside interference, holding the ropes during a pinfall, et al), and alot of taunts to the crowd. This should come as no real surprise seeing that, essentially, it's two fat guys running around in full skeleton body suits.
Things begin to get really strange when Konnan comes out yet again and he brings with him his own referee. This heel ref storms the ring, beats up the other ref, and takes over officiating the match. How this is legal is beyond me. The crowd is INCENSED. Trash rains down on the ring. The new ref basically trips la Parka or holds his arms when he tries to throw a punch...it's a handicap match, for all intents and purposes. This, by the way, is an angle worth looking at in the States...I don't think I've ever seen a heel stable with their own referee...and it drives the crowd crazy.
After several near falls in which heel ref has a slow count or comes up lame when he's about to count "3", LA Park gains the upper hand with a vicious low blow. Victory is assured but LA Park is indicating to heel ref that instead of covering his opponent, he wants to do some dancing! His teammates plead with him to cover the writhing La Parka, but he insists on doing some weird dance in the corner. When he finally makes the cover, original ref charges the ring and puts a beatdown on heel ref. La Parka with the small package and it's "1,2,3"!!
The Bad Dogs storm into the ring and lay out the referee and put a boot party to La Parka...then it's Dr. Wagner Jr. and Hernandad 187 in to make the save! Oh, now it's more members of Perros de Mal from the back!! It's pandemonium, King!! But wait...space music? Out from the back is an old man and a bunch of masked luchadores and the transvestite from the match before. They must be a force to be reckoned with, as everyone in the ring exits in fear. The old man has some words of warning for Los Perros del Mal...
But I can't understand them.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
A Few Good Men
I watched a Few Good Men the other night. I should have just watched this. It's much better. "Why were Doug and Danny Basham at Ringside."
PWI 500
Well, PWI has issued it's rankings of the top 500 wrastlers in the business. I may actually pick-up the issue, if i don't see a $11.95 price tag on it. Gotta love looking at some of the names for the guys in the 400's . Without it, I would have never know of Mr. Ooh La La. Here are some thoughts on the rankings. Keep in mind, I think they rate from June to June of each year. Mostly based on wins and title accomplishments, not pure wrestling ability. Sting was #9 last year, nuff said.
1) AJ Styles--Good pick for the #1 slot. One of the best wrestlers in the world. I didn't catch hardly any of the TNA pay-per-views, But I assume he performed at the top level in all his matches. Heel turn with Flair was a nice touch. Was PWI looking to put a TNA wrestler in this spot? Maybe, seems the WWE had a weak year all-around.
2) John Cena--Hey, seems nobody likes the Cena, except for every single kid. That's about 90% of WWE's audience. He is there biggest star, gets on the mic, does some wrestling, and was around every week. There is alot he can do that most others can't.
3)CM Punk--Awesome wrestler, incredible on the mic, tremendous facial expressions. I know he got hurt, but I may have placed him above Styles. I don't recall him holding the title for too long, that may have affected his rankings.
4)Randy Orton--Should have been #1 last year, over HHH. As WWE's top heel, he carried them to Mania. His kiss on an unconscious Steph was moment of the year, but that was last year. Strong work this year, though I'm slightly jaded by the face turn.
5)Chris Jericho-- Solid! Wrestling and mic skills speak for themselves. He was putting people over, and taking alot of loses. The fact that PWI put him so high, is a testament to his ability, even this far into his career.
6)Batista--The animal is gone, and I have forgotten about him. He did have some good bad-guy promos. Shouldn't have been anywhere near the top ten.
7)Shensuke NakaMura--There always has to be a Jap in the top ten.
8)The Undertaker-- What the fuck. How many matches did he even have? The awesome power of the druids! He should rank high just for the fact he gets to bang Michelle MC cool. I've never forgiven him for his Mania match versus Giant Gonzalez.
9)Kurt Angle--Has been working away in TNA. But lets be honest, he is a shell of his former self. His body is so weird. Without his theme music, and "You Suck" crowd chants. this is the last time he will be in the top ten. On the other hand TNA fans have been telling me that he is putting on some terrific matches.
10) Sheamus--Crowd hates him, alot. Has been working, and talking. Biggs has warmed me up to him. He is a necessary evil.
Nigel Mcguiness had been in the top ten the past 2 years. Wow, he died in in TNA. Another ROH alum, Bryan Daniels, arguably the best wrestler in the world, foiled by WWE. How does the Miz not show up, he's been US Champ, Tag Team Champ, and has some of the best mic skills.
Next up: I'm going to be doing a top ten female wrestlers ranking, based on what matters most, hotness.
1) AJ Styles--Good pick for the #1 slot. One of the best wrestlers in the world. I didn't catch hardly any of the TNA pay-per-views, But I assume he performed at the top level in all his matches. Heel turn with Flair was a nice touch. Was PWI looking to put a TNA wrestler in this spot? Maybe, seems the WWE had a weak year all-around.
2) John Cena--Hey, seems nobody likes the Cena, except for every single kid. That's about 90% of WWE's audience. He is there biggest star, gets on the mic, does some wrestling, and was around every week. There is alot he can do that most others can't.
3)CM Punk--Awesome wrestler, incredible on the mic, tremendous facial expressions. I know he got hurt, but I may have placed him above Styles. I don't recall him holding the title for too long, that may have affected his rankings.
4)Randy Orton--Should have been #1 last year, over HHH. As WWE's top heel, he carried them to Mania. His kiss on an unconscious Steph was moment of the year, but that was last year. Strong work this year, though I'm slightly jaded by the face turn.
5)Chris Jericho-- Solid! Wrestling and mic skills speak for themselves. He was putting people over, and taking alot of loses. The fact that PWI put him so high, is a testament to his ability, even this far into his career.
6)Batista--The animal is gone, and I have forgotten about him. He did have some good bad-guy promos. Shouldn't have been anywhere near the top ten.
7)Shensuke NakaMura--There always has to be a Jap in the top ten.
8)The Undertaker-- What the fuck. How many matches did he even have? The awesome power of the druids! He should rank high just for the fact he gets to bang Michelle MC cool. I've never forgiven him for his Mania match versus Giant Gonzalez.
9)Kurt Angle--Has been working away in TNA. But lets be honest, he is a shell of his former self. His body is so weird. Without his theme music, and "You Suck" crowd chants. this is the last time he will be in the top ten. On the other hand TNA fans have been telling me that he is putting on some terrific matches.
10) Sheamus--Crowd hates him, alot. Has been working, and talking. Biggs has warmed me up to him. He is a necessary evil.
Nigel Mcguiness had been in the top ten the past 2 years. Wow, he died in in TNA. Another ROH alum, Bryan Daniels, arguably the best wrestler in the world, foiled by WWE. How does the Miz not show up, he's been US Champ, Tag Team Champ, and has some of the best mic skills.
Next up: I'm going to be doing a top ten female wrestlers ranking, based on what matters most, hotness.
'Cuz Disco Says So: Lance Cade Dead
Sadly, the words "heart attack" in the same sentence as "professional wrestler" typically indicates a death related to past and/or present drug use -- this won't look good for Linda McMahon, as writer Dave Metzer points out, along with this list (if you haven't been counting):
"Five wrestlers age 40 and under have died in the past 13 years while under contract to the company: Chris Benoit, 40; Eduardo “Eddy” Guerrero, 38; Owen Hart, 34; Brian Pillman, 35; and Russ Haas, 27.
"McNaught is one of several performers in recent years who has died not long after leaving the company, including Andrew “Test” Martin, 33; David “Davey Boy” Smith, 39; Michael “Crash Holly” Lockwood, 32; Louis “Louie Spiccoli” Mucciolo, 27; and Michael “Mike Awesome” Alfonso, 38."
Friday, August 13, 2010
Percy Watson vs. Husky Harris
I don't watch Tuesday night WWE NXT every week, not even every other week. It's a rough hour of wrestling programming to watch. Each episode is comprised of only 2 matches. The rest of the show is crammed with interviews, flashbacks and clips of RAW and Smackdown. The matches are usually pretty good but the show suffers from all of the filler material and the horrible announcing of Michael Cole.
I'm assuming the winner of the show will come down to Kaval and Michael McGillicutty. Both of these men deserve a WWE contract. Yet, it's 2 of the other remaining contestants that I would prefer to discuss today: "Showtime" Percy Watson & Husky Harris.
Husky Harris - I love you. The son of future WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda is a gifted athlete in his own right, proving it by his successful collegiate football career. His promos are really solid but his in-ring work is incredible. For a chubby guy, his matches are quick and fluid. He's good enough to go high impact or high flying. Not many men as young as him can provide a match that believable. He reminds me of a young Adrian Adonis, before the gay gimmick and the huge weight gain.
"Showtime" Percy Watson - I hate you. I hate your guts. You can't wrestle a match that anyone would pay to see. You have an impressive physique, but that's it. Your wrestling ability is non-existent. Your gimmick is the worst I've seen com down the pike in a long, long time. You wear red eyeglasses while you wrestle and say"Oh yeah!" every 60 seconds. So annoying. I don't want to see you ever again on my television screen, in any capacity. Go away. You suck.
I'm assuming the winner of the show will come down to Kaval and Michael McGillicutty. Both of these men deserve a WWE contract. Yet, it's 2 of the other remaining contestants that I would prefer to discuss today: "Showtime" Percy Watson & Husky Harris.
Husky Harris - I love you. The son of future WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda is a gifted athlete in his own right, proving it by his successful collegiate football career. His promos are really solid but his in-ring work is incredible. For a chubby guy, his matches are quick and fluid. He's good enough to go high impact or high flying. Not many men as young as him can provide a match that believable. He reminds me of a young Adrian Adonis, before the gay gimmick and the huge weight gain.
"Showtime" Percy Watson - I hate you. I hate your guts. You can't wrestle a match that anyone would pay to see. You have an impressive physique, but that's it. Your wrestling ability is non-existent. Your gimmick is the worst I've seen com down the pike in a long, long time. You wear red eyeglasses while you wrestle and say"Oh yeah!" every 60 seconds. So annoying. I don't want to see you ever again on my television screen, in any capacity. Go away. You suck.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
'Cuz Disco Says So: TNA sucks and other thoughts (Pt. 1)
Okay, so I don't watch TNA. Every time I think something on TNA could possibly be cool, they screw it up. For instance, this whole ECW angle that's been stewing for months. Now it's just a "one more time" nostalgia show? Suck it, TNA. I didn't see Hardcore Justice but I'm going to spoil it for you right now. RVD defeats Sabu with a five-star frog splash. (As if you didn't see it coming!)
No one is bringing up the obvious: It AIN'T ECW IF IT AIN'T AT HAMMERSTEIN! That's why No Way Out (2006) was so f'n good -- the big WWE stars finally went to ECW's turf and the fans went mental! I've never seen John Cena so hated and it felt so good...
Anyway, I'm too lazy to write an organized, concise, well-written column like Chico or Biggs so I'm just gonna list a bunch of observations from around the WWE Universe. If you don't like it, well -- you can suck it too -- everybody knows wrestling fans can't read...
BREAKING NEWS: Tyler Black from ROH and Wrestling Society X signs a WWE Developmental contract. Why didn't TNA pick TNA up? Simple -- they're too busy booking the Sabu vs. RVD Geritol match at Hardcore Justice instead of giving guys like Jay Lethal somebody to work with in the future. WWE has been shrewdly locking up all the best talent, so when TNA's fascination with nostalgia finally subsides most of the TV-ready talent will be gone. The young wrestlers left will command top-dollar due to relative scarcity, just adding to TNA's woes.
NEXUS 7: Nexus is great. Good unified look, good frontman, good name (very Blade Runner-ish, 7 Samurai, Magnificent Seven). It serves WWE on a lot of levels, for instance, fast-tracking 6 guys to network TV performance levels, creates a feud for Cena, gives Bret Hart a way to help "save the day," and builds Barrett into a great heel. If they do this right -- and I'm not sure WWE has the guts -- Nexus wins at Summerslam and RAW has to live through the Nexus' tyranny until the Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania. I also think (well, secretly hope) Bryan Danielson is the "anonymous RAW General Manager", which plays into the "big picture" that Barrett keeps alluding to.
CHAVO GUERRERO: Got his first win in months recently against JTG on WWE Superstars. Nice to see him get some sort of push. His music is still terrible, though.
KINGSTON/ZIGGLER TITLE CHANGE: Kofi's frustration with Chavo's cousin-in-law "The Cougar" Vicky Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler has boiled over. There's been talk of a heel turn for a while from Kingston but this is a good compromise. Matt Stryker telegraphed his new aggressive angle to the audience, saying something like, "This is not the smiling Kofi Kingston we used to know." So, hopefully the "smiling Jamaican" gimmick will be end and he'll get a new pair of trunks.
COTTONWOOD ELIMINATED FROM NXT: Eli Cottonwood, killed by a mustache.
(To be continued)
NEXUS 7: Nexus is great. Good unified look, good frontman, good name (very Blade Runner-ish, 7 Samurai, Magnificent Seven). It serves WWE on a lot of levels, for instance, fast-tracking 6 guys to network TV performance levels, creates a feud for Cena, gives Bret Hart a way to help "save the day," and builds Barrett into a great heel. If they do this right -- and I'm not sure WWE has the guts -- Nexus wins at Summerslam and RAW has to live through the Nexus' tyranny until the Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania. I also think (well, secretly hope) Bryan Danielson is the "anonymous RAW General Manager", which plays into the "big picture" that Barrett keeps alluding to.
CHAVO GUERRERO: Got his first win in months recently against JTG on WWE Superstars. Nice to see him get some sort of push. His music is still terrible, though.
KINGSTON/ZIGGLER TITLE CHANGE: Kofi's frustration with Chavo's cousin-in-law "The Cougar" Vicky Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler has boiled over. There's been talk of a heel turn for a while from Kingston but this is a good compromise. Matt Stryker telegraphed his new aggressive angle to the audience, saying something like, "This is not the smiling Kofi Kingston we used to know." So, hopefully the "smiling Jamaican" gimmick will be end and he'll get a new pair of trunks.
COTTONWOOD ELIMINATED FROM NXT: Eli Cottonwood, killed by a mustache.
(To be continued)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
WCW 2010
"those days are over, Kev. We passed the torch..."
Really? Well Nash, Hogan, Sting, Jarrett and Biscoff really have a way of showing up and taking away TV time from the very guys they keep saying TNA is all about. How long can this stuff go on? Let's review: Pope's push=over, Nigel McGuinness=not on TV in a month, Samoa Joe=suspended. And who would like to see the Nature Boy in a street-fight? Answer : NOBODY wants to see Flair in a streetfight...he put Lethal over, just let it go. Isn't that what having a stable like Fortune is all about? Shouldn't Flair be above sullying his hands with a New Jersey street thug. That's Kazarian's job...
Focus groups said that fans wanted to see ECW. OK, I understand that. ECW was great. I am in my mid-thirties, and I witnessed argueably the greatest period in wrestling history. ECW was a huge part of that. ECW changed history. But it's done. It's like watching a 50's rockabilly revival show at CBGB's in 1977: ECW changed wrestling, and wrestling has already moved on and done something else. I love ECW, and I still don't want to see Sandman, Sabu, Shane Douglas, Amish Roadkill, Jerry Lynn, or New Jack...the reason these guys didn't move on and succeed in other promotions is that they weren't that good in 1999. Hardcore Justice takes away from the young guys in TNA. Period. The only person I want to see from ECW is Paul Heyman, and that's because I know he's smart enough to book for the future , not for the past.
This week's TNA had one foot firmly planted in WCW's and ECW's past, and it stunk like yesterdays garbage. The past few weeks I felt that touches of nostalgia here and there didn't effect the overall product...but this week was different. The Wolfpack paint on Sting spoke VOLUMES. Please do not reform Wolfpack....it didn't work in 99, it won't work now. If you are over 45, GET OUT of the ring at TNA and please pass the torch, for real, and stop holding these poor, hardworking kids down. Do your job, put them over, become a road agent, and reminisce on what once was.
Really? Well Nash, Hogan, Sting, Jarrett and Biscoff really have a way of showing up and taking away TV time from the very guys they keep saying TNA is all about. How long can this stuff go on? Let's review: Pope's push=over, Nigel McGuinness=not on TV in a month, Samoa Joe=suspended. And who would like to see the Nature Boy in a street-fight? Answer : NOBODY wants to see Flair in a streetfight...he put Lethal over, just let it go. Isn't that what having a stable like Fortune is all about? Shouldn't Flair be above sullying his hands with a New Jersey street thug. That's Kazarian's job...
Focus groups said that fans wanted to see ECW. OK, I understand that. ECW was great. I am in my mid-thirties, and I witnessed argueably the greatest period in wrestling history. ECW was a huge part of that. ECW changed history. But it's done. It's like watching a 50's rockabilly revival show at CBGB's in 1977: ECW changed wrestling, and wrestling has already moved on and done something else. I love ECW, and I still don't want to see Sandman, Sabu, Shane Douglas, Amish Roadkill, Jerry Lynn, or New Jack...the reason these guys didn't move on and succeed in other promotions is that they weren't that good in 1999. Hardcore Justice takes away from the young guys in TNA. Period. The only person I want to see from ECW is Paul Heyman, and that's because I know he's smart enough to book for the future , not for the past.
This week's TNA had one foot firmly planted in WCW's and ECW's past, and it stunk like yesterdays garbage. The past few weeks I felt that touches of nostalgia here and there didn't effect the overall product...but this week was different. The Wolfpack paint on Sting spoke VOLUMES. Please do not reform Wolfpack....it didn't work in 99, it won't work now. If you are over 45, GET OUT of the ring at TNA and please pass the torch, for real, and stop holding these poor, hardworking kids down. Do your job, put them over, become a road agent, and reminisce on what once was.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)