Doog

As I feared they couldn’t help themselves and were still piping in crowd noise throughout a lot of the show. I was really hoping they wouldn’t do that. It’s going to be a feature forever now isn’t it

The Heyman/Edge segment on Talking Smack was sensational.

Seriously go out of your way to see it, so intense, even the Mrs who was in the room with me and has no interest stopped what she was doing to listen to it, captivating stuff.

I keep getting fairly excited about watching this with fans being back and it being WrestleMania n all, I’ve watched so little WWE since the pandemic so I know I’ll enjoy it.

But then it hits me that fans are there for this but then from RAW it’s straight back to the thunderdome until August with no fans whatsoever, so it just kills it as I know I’ll literally have no interest whatsoever once WrestleMania is over. It then feels pointless wasting 6 hours this weekend on something I’ll have no interest in to follow up until SummerSlam probably.

I’ve never really watched WCW before, got into wrestling in early 1999 and it was just WWF on Sky Sports that I used to watch, I was aware of WCW around that time but had little interest for whatever reason, think it was just because all my mates at school were watching WWF so didn’t feel the need to seek out anything else.

Anyway despite having the network since 2014 I’ve never really gone back to watch anything but having started listening to 83 weeks with Bischoff last few weeks it’s made me have the urge to give it a watch.

Ive seen bits of when the NWO formed and stuff so started with the Nitro after Starrcade 1997. I’m actually really enjoying it, it’s so different to WWF and feels so ahead of its time. The presentation and aesthetics of Nitro in comparison to Raw at that time in 1997/1998 is unreal, Nitro looks so much slicker and modern, especially when looking back on it today. 
 

What I also really like is how it feels like there’s no plan to the show as such, the segments all mould into each other and it doesn’t feel like you’re watching a TV show, with RAW, especially these days but even back then, there’s a very clear way that all the episodes plan out, it’s segment to segment, they have the graphic that advertises what matches are coming etc, there’ll be a promo, music will hit and out comes the other guy, with Nitro half the time there’s a promo a guy will come wandering out, no music, so it feels unplanned, the segment will end and then it’ll switch to something else but the wrestlers from the last segment will still be there and be wandering off or whatever, everything feels genuine and real. It’s chaotic but in a really good way.

Its the same with how the shows end as well, usually a wild brawl or an argument or whatever and it feels like the show can’t end there but it does, as opposed to a WWF ending where the baby face or heel convieniently gets to celebrate to the camera just as the show goes off the air or whatever.

Its brilliant to be honest and I’m really digging it, if I had a choice which show to watch id have picked WCW every week. I know it sounds like things go downhill soon but it’s very easy for me to see why WCW was beating WWF for so long.

Piped in crowd noise is there forever now unfortunately. Can imagine it’ll be a completely different product that you hear on television to what you see and hear being there live in the future. They’ve finally got it where they can control the crowd noise for the TV viewer, they’re not letting that up.

The Mrs grandad is just about gone from this unfortunately.

So frustrating, left the house once since last March and that was 8 weeks ago to get his vaccine.

Then got took to hospital 2 weeks ago as had some kidney issues, was in a week and then it was all good and he was due to come out, got an obligatory Covid test last Sunday night which came back positive and now he’s been down hill since, doctor phoned to say he’s got worse today.

So shit man, had to have caught it in the hospital and has obviously been one of the really unlucky ones where the vaccine doesn’t appear to have helped, it’s her Nan I feel sorry for, 40 years of marriage and isn’t even going to be able to say goodbye properly, it’s heartbreaking

Been watching WWE 2004 back recently on the Network and it’s Renee Dupree for me, once he moved to SmackDown in the 2004 draft.

I thought he was going to be a major star, the fact they gave him his own talk show and chucked him into a feud with a red hot Cena for the US Title straight away shows they probably had high hopes for him too.

Im not sure what happened really, he was young, he had a good look, he was decent I the rings and could talk but once he kept losing to Cena he ended up going into a weird tag team with Kenzo Suzuki and it was all down hill from there.

I have a vague recollection of him showing back up in WWE ECW, but it was short lived.

1 hour ago, Chris B said:

Genuinely curious to how old you are. 

That's absolutely not a criticism or piss-taking. That just means something very different for a 14-year-old to a 25-year-old.

No I get you, I’ve recently turned 33 so would’ve been 17 back in 2005 when Cena was rising to prominence. Maybe it says more about me and my mates being so uncool but he was the only wrestler they always asked me about, it was around the time his CD came out, and whilst I didn’t personally like it, the fact it was a rap CD drew them in and even the hand gesture was used a few times. I dunno, I think he was fairly decent around this time, but that was just the vibe from the few non wrestling fans I knew and talked too.

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

No fucking way any non wrestling fans in 2005 ever in a million years thought John Cena was cool. No chance.

You're confusing popularity with coolness.

Are they not linked somewhat? Not always of course but generally if you’re really into someone and like them a lot, especially a genre you otherwise have no interest in, then you generally think they’re cool to like them.

I’ve never been the coolest cat myself and neither were said mates so like I say it probably says more about us but Cena was the man back then.

I think this thread mainly exposes that wrestling fans probably aren’t the best judge of who’s “cool”. Not a knock on anyone as I’d include myself in the above as well, but when I think of describing a wrestler as cool I always think how would they be viewed outside of our wrestling bubble to the general public and non wrestling fans as such, and purely down to being a wrestler most of who has been said in here wouldn’t be seen as anything approaching cool.

On that criteria though (and again it’s just my criteria really but I think to be seen as cool it’d have to reach people outside the bubble) I’d say The Rock is the obvious one and Batista considering he’s a bit of a megastar these days.

John Cena was just the ultimate back in 2005 among my non wrestling mates but not sure how he’d be viewed these days.

Austin would be another obvious one, whether we agree or not knowing what we know, to the bloke on the street seeing what Austin did and how he looks he’s pretty much the coolest bloke alive.

Yeah it’s getting a bit revisionist with this “Moyes was never given a fair chance at Man Utd” rhetoric that’s been coming out.

He’s doing a good job with West Ham this season, it wasn’t much of an achievement keeping them up last season to be honest, they shouldn’t have been down there, let’s not forget he was an absolute joke at Sunderland and when he went to Spain also, but credit where it’s due this season.

The thing is, and this is not just with Moyes and West Ham, but I think it is so hard to judge any manager and club properly this season as it’s such an anomaly, it goes without saying these are not normal times we’re living in and football this season, especially in England, has illustrated that, there’s been some crazy results and performances,  many that defy belief. Aside from Man City theres no team with any real consistency whatsoever, literally with West Ham, Everton, Leicester and Leeds just to name a few there’s no telling from one game to the next what the results going to be.

It’s such a strange season and until fans are back I don’t think we’ll really know for sure the state some clubs are in and what their potential/current standing is. There’s no way in my opinion Leeds would have lost as many home games as they have this season if there was fans, Liverpool would not have lost to Burnley and Brighton if Anfield was full, on the other side of that, I don’t think Man Utd’s away record would be as good as it was if fans were there, home advantage pretty much doesn’t stand anymore. Managers like Bruce and Mourinho would be under a hell of a lot more pressure to perform a lot differently if fans were in, Arteta may not have made it through his bad spell if fans were there and Arsenal got those results at the Emirates (results which ironically may not have happened if fans were in).

Anyway, gone off on a tangent a little so sorry to change the subject slightly on Moyes, but like I say until fans are back I think it’s impossible to properly judge the quality of how teams are performing and whether it’s sustainable or not.

One that always stands out to me is when Curtis Axel won the Intercontinental Title in a triple threat match, possibly with The Miz in it but can’t remember the other one.
 

Think it was an opener to a PPV around 2013. Not sure if the date was also Mr Perfects birthday or farthers day or something like that, the pop wasn’t huge as such but the crowd was into it and when he celebrated it was quite an emotional moment in what was a pretty uneventful career for him.

Miz and Big E’s exchange on Talking Smack is worth seeking out, pretty intense and gives you an idea on where Big E’s head is at right now.

Kayla Braxton is a terrible host mind, Miz was fantastic as usual so hopefully he stays instead of Xavier but we’ll see.

Yeah been watching Impact weekly for the past couple of months now, the only wrestling I go out of my way to watch. Impact plus app is free with an account to watch the show the on the Wednesday after it airs in the states on Tuesday so managing to avoid any spoilers also.

You’re right it’s an easy watch and they keep things ticking along nicely and everything that happens on the show has a point and advances a storyline, it’s really good.

Chalk me up as another one loving Wrestle House as well, it’s ridiculous but it’s fun, accept it won’t be for everyone and that’s fine but I love it, love the theme music as well, a highlight for me.

Bound For Glory has been announced for October and I expect it to be a great show, impact are great at building to their events and there’s a few fueds bubbling that I assume will culminate there so it should be a good card.

Only slight downer from me though is the World Title, Eddie Edwards is champion and doing open challenges every week but it’s not the focus of the show, I’m a big believer your TV show should revolve around the World Title and the champion but it just doesn’t have a big feel to it at all, there’s no obvious challenger either so it’ll be interesting how they play it over the next couple of months to BFG.

Vince kicking off the show tonight and a couple of returns expected tonight/over the weekend apparently.

Its certainly peaked my interest, I haven’t watched any WWE since before WrestleMania but I’ll be watching this tomorrow morning. It might be dreadful but I’m fascinated to see how it plays out

Selling tickets tomorrow for next Thursdays live Dynamite. Able to admit 10% of capacity. Be good to get some fans back in, interested to see how it comes across.

Aside from Impact, which comes across really well without fans and I’ve watched it every week for a while now, I’ve really struggled to watch the Covid Era of wrestling and haven’t really watched any AEW or WWE, fans being back is something that makes me want to watch, even in such a small volume so will give it a try next week.

Yeah they need to get the belt off Braun, he was never meant to have it anyway and they only ended up going with him when Reigns went, he’s had his chance and it’s not working.

Put it back on Wyatt for a bit and then build up to Big E winning it towards the end of the year, Survivor Series maybe.

Better show this week, bit more focus and stuff moving forward.

Mcintyre/Orton is pretty much the biggest match they could do at the moment so it’s a decent main event for SummerSlam.

I assume Mark Henry showing up randomly and Ron Simmons being there last week means the new Nation faction is still at least on the table, not sure how they get there from him just chatting with the women but we’ll see.

Potentially giving weight to the theory that Covid was here a lot earlier than we realised and in fact April/May was the famed “second wave”?

Slammiversary tonight - anyone watching?

Been a bumpy road getting to it obviously but it’s generated a bit of a buzz and the card looks fairly good. 

Gallows and Anderson announced on social media earlier they will be at the PPV and there is a mystery former world champion competing in the main event also.

impact has been an easy watch in the non crowds era, probably because it’s not that noticeable for them as it’s hardly raucous where they tape anyway but the Shows and characters have been good, I’m looking forward to it.

Thing with Florida is most of the infections seem to be young people so that’ll be a big factor in the low death count I imagine. 

It’s not a great example of following the rules however it’s no different to what happened with the protests and packed beaches over the last month or so and they’ve had no effect on the cases and deaths, both have consistently gone down in fact, so whilst it’s not ideal I don’t think there’s a massive need for scaremongering over it

I mean the particular quote that’s been lifted from him there is a poor example - the 19 people he’ll be stood in the box with will have tested negative for Covid-19 the night before the game whereas at the hairdressers you can’t guarantee anyone isn’t carrying it.

Up to him what he wants to do and fair play if he doesn’t feel safe, with all the precautions being taken I think playing football will be one of the safest places to be mind, as I say everyone will have been tested literally the night before and tested negative, as happened in the German league this past weekend so the risk will be minimal.

Becky Lynch making a major announcement tonight.

Twitter seems to believe she is pregnant.

I’ve been watching some WWE on the network from 2002, the Eric Bischoff debut just happened - they really ruined it by having him appear backstage first right?

its kind of been airbrushed from history that him being announced as the GM isn’t his actual first appearance and we’ve all just seen him backstage with Booker T so are expecting him, I don’t understand why they did that.

One of the main reasons AEW feels so much better and fresher than WWE is the hot crowds so it does concern me that they’re going to lose a lot with having to put shows on behind closed doors as such. Real shame this, let’s hope they up their game with the video packages as that is something they are good at.