WeeAl

Lads, I can't catch up these days. Between life getting in the way before and after I went away on holidays, it's been an absolute pain in the arse trying to get caught up on all the wrestling, sport and all that carry on.

The last UFC card I got watching was before Holloway/Zombie. I haven't been able to make time to go back and watch any of that stuff in between. I'm not even going to try now, I'm just going to reset and maybe catch what handsome Drew does this weekend. 

Hopefully Dawson wind here too, as we know Bobby Greene's ceiling, but at least we'll be able to get a bit more of an idea where Dawson stands in the pecking order. 

57 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

 

There's a massive amount of wastage in the civil service and the NHS. 

Oh absolutely. Part of that is a wasteful culture, but a large part of it is the constraints of the system that's been created. Two such examples. 

A masterkey recently broke for one of our stores. Needs to be locked due to the chemicals and machinery that's kept in there, and that on the other side of the store you have a double door that opens to the outside of the building so, you want the internal door to be lockable as an extra measure. Problem being several people need access to this store, so I wanted more than one new masterkey cut in case of loss, it snapped etc. Again, knowing the arm would be put in, I still didn't expect a bill of more than £100. Turns out there was an excuse that the centre didn't want spare master keys floating around, so I had to look at alternative options. One being a key box on the outside of the wall. That was dismissed too.

We ended up getting a combination lock put into the door, as the other two options had been culled by various people.  Of course the combination lock, which I was told was the choice I had to go for, was the most expensive option of the three. When the supplier and contractor got hold of it, purchasing and installing said lock turned out to be £750. I'd have been more than happy with three keys at £20 quid a pop. 

A Friend of mine had to move a floor buffer one time in an admin building. A two floor affair. The only lift they had was one of those filing type lifts, fit to put boxes of charts and stuff in, but not a person. Unfortunately, the guy didn't lock the handle in place, and the handle dropped horizontally when the lift moved, pulling the buffer handle up through the plasterboard on the outside of the lift. He knew he was going to get in trouble for it, but didn't expect that they would threaten termination over it, using the excuse of the "extent of the damage caused". The extent being, a straight line hole in a plaster board wall going up a few feet. The price quoted by the contractor and the reason the fella was in such diff's, up until the union saved his bacon and calmed the situation down? £10,000.

One of the other guys in the department, joiner by trade, when he heard about all the fuss, offered to step in and fix it himself,  saying he could do it for £150. £180 if he wanted to keep a few quid for himself. Needless to say, he didn't - couldn't - get the gig and the budget got bled for another five figures. 

In the same vein as @ReturnOfTheMackand @SuperBacon have said there, our health trust got word today that we have to try and cut £25M in spending, between now and the end of the financial year, on such things as new/replacement furniture, equipment, stock, stationary, printing, travel, training etc. 

On the same day, before the word came down about the above, my boss had gotten our estates department to do him a favour and put up a small bit of an old bench in a repurposed area of the canteen, to try and fit some extra seating in via two or three bar stools that we were planning to purchase. He had recently gotten a couple himself for the house that were £70 for the pair from IKEA. Even though they are going to stick the arm in, it can't be too bad. 

So we went to the "proposed supplier" the first in line for the contract for such stuff. There's no prices on their website because you have to phone up, tell them what organisation you are and then you get put through to someone that deals with your account etc (so they can figure out how to charge, is the commonly held thought, right or wrong).

So, a single bar stool, that doesn't cook you breakfast, doesn't massage your back or give you a happy ending nor fuck all. It doesn't even look particularly nice. They want £587+VAT each. In Northern Ireland. The whole system is rotten to the core. Needless to say, our new coffee bar bench will now be repurposed again, as an empty storage shelf, for all the stock that we're no longer allowed to purchase. 

Not quite sure why people think Darby has gotten good on the mic. I think he's dreadful still and being in the same talking segments with someone like Christian shows him up on that front. Anyway, unfortunately Darby is likely to be winning here and ending Christian's reign before it really gets started. Unless Christian manages to put together a new group tonight with a bunch of people with dead dad's. Jungle Boy, Nick Wayne etc. Christian can adopt them all and retain his moniker as the world's greatest dad. 

I didn't like that Jay White and MJF segment at all. Felt like it went downhill once both started talking. Staring at each other from opposite corners, they had me interested then. I felt less invested by the end, which is not what they were going for I'm sure. I suppose it's a redirect and trying to come up with the new direction on short notice, but this is Tony's fault for having nothing else going on for his champion other than an absolutely worthless title defence at the PPV. MJF and White will knock it out of the park at Full Gear though, I'm pretty sure of that. 

Hangman and Swerve feels like it'll be pretty great tonight too. Both men need a win though. AEW, more often than not, put over the hometown guy (not always, as we've seen recently with Britt Barker etc) but it has me leaning more towards Swerve getting the W here. Hopefully we'll be looking at a series between them here though over the next couple of months. 

There's a particular spot that really needs to fuck off in AEW. Dives? Not what I'm getting at. Canadian Destroyer's? Gave up on complaining about that a long time ago. The spot I'm fucked off with? Post match handshakes. Jesus Christ. THREE of them on the one night? Another ROH trope that can do one. 

This ROH stuff needs to go too. Keep the world title if you want, but merge it with the pure belt. Unification of the TV/TNT, Tag, Women's and six man belts is a must. With the amount of gold rattling around in AEW, If you aren't a champion then you must be a jobber. 

It was clear as day that Mox was hurt right from the off. Match should have been ended on one of those rolling pin exchanges right away. Hopefully Moxley makes a recovery before long and it doesn't end up a Danielson/Cole type of lingering injury. I hope they keep the belt on Fenix for a bit now though, and try to run with the unfortunate situation and see what mileage they can get out of Fenix in this spot. Good time to separate him and Pentagon on TV as singles acts. 

Eddie beating Claudio was great. Really enjoyed that match, as well as the main event. The crowd were hot as hell for both matches. Not sure what's next for the four of them, but Claudio and Wheeler making themselves a weekly tag team, and Joe chasing the TNT belt would be fine by me. I've got to think it's Max and Cole at Full Gear?

Can't whistle. Can't for the life of me figure out how it works. Just a disaster from start to finish when I attempt. 

For the longest time, I couldn't blow up a balloon. I'd say I was in my early to mid twenties before that light bulb went off. 

Thought exactly the same when I came across that there. Absolute bastards are completely see through here. A crying shame that chump Paddy is going to have a W over Ferguson. 

Yeah it's part of the reason I cancelled my subscription before Collision started. I had to renew it with the 2nd (3rd) show as there's no way to keep up with the TV on a regular basis, especially a PPV week, without the FITE subscription. It's a huge problem though, and like you say @Lorne Malvo, they do it all the time and it feels like, if anything, it's gotten more common. 

Only just got around to watching this. Managed to avoid spoilers for over two weeks. Went onto Fite last night to order it. Bang. Main event spoiled with a picture of Moxley there with the belt. 

Still, a main event that was presented as, and felt big time. Then the bell went and they delivered in spades, just like you knew they would. 

My dear god, I never want to see that picture of Moxley ever again. I've struggled to get it out of my head ever since. Going to need to take a basin to bed here as I feel sick as a pig. 

10 minutes ago, Scott Malbranque said:

30 quid plus a fiver tip for a skin fade. 

Never have I been as delighted to be a baldy cunt. I'd need to be hemorrhaging money out me arsehole to keep up with that. 

11 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

50 quid????? 

It's Dublin. Scotty probably pays more for a haircut. 

Our Man! Gregory RO-Bama. Giving us something to feel good about there on a night with a shortage of it. Sure, one of those elbows was probably illegal, but fuck it, I'm glad there was a result I enjoyed. 

Sean O'Malley confirmed he belonged by following the Petr Yan with a statement total win here. Unfortunately. I'm no fan of his, but he produced here. Over produced really. I didn't think he would win, and expected Aljo to put on a bit of a grappling class here, once he got a hold of him. He never did though. Let's hope Merab can!

The ref should have stopped that fight when Zhang dropped Lemos towards the end. Nothing to be gained at that point only more lost brain cells for Lemos. Amanda showed how tough she was, but she was totally outclassed and outside of that submission attempt in round one, was never in this one at all. 

The Chris Weidman fight - at least it wasn't a knockout loss. Other than that, it was probably the next saddest way it could have went. Watching him out there, almost totally immobile, trying to encourage Tavares to stand still, was as disappointing as I expected it to be. I'm glad for Chris that he was able to get healthy enough again In order to get back to being able to do a camp and make it through a fight. But I hope this is it. I get not wanting to finish on that horrific leg break, but I expect this loss here? That will be as good as this comeback gets. 

Speaking of leg kicks. Another Irish man in the UFC that makes us all look unlikeable is Ian Garry. He did what few can do, and that's look good against Neil Magny. He beat the fuck out of him really. Wish Garry didn't seem like a bit of a bellend. Hopefully the Wonderman puts a gentlemanly smackdown on him. 

2 hours ago, Egg Shen said:

 

Anyone dreading the Chris Weidman comeback? I just don't see that thing ending well. Weidman seemed well on the slide before that horrific leg break 2 years ago. A prime Weidman would have taken care of any version of Brad Tavares, but I just see Weidman struggling everywhere here. Tavares is the definition of solid and unless Weidman can score some kind of smothering top game decision I see him getting pieced up in one of those sad UFC performances.

Also, probably the first time a prelim has been given the Countdown treatment:

 

Big time. Little good can come of Chris Weidman putting the gloves on at this stage, other than helping his bank balance. I think Tavares will give him a hammering - which considering that he's exactly as you describe Ebb, solid - will tell us all we need to know about Weidman. Tavares himself is past his best, but Weidman has looked shot to bits for a long time now. 

Shame about Riccabone. He's been that good that he's turned Nigel McGuinness into a good commentator in the space of a few weeks. I've really enjoyed them as a pair. 

"Ricky Starks is suspended." Ok, now we know how, storyline wise, they are going to go about picking Joe over Stark's for Wembley, and having Punk in something else at All Out. Fair enough. "Ricky Starks has a manager's license" Bollocks to that. Way to ruin your own suspension angle immediately! Starks to accompany Joe at Wembley, but Punk is going to beat the odds anyway and still get the win, as I'd be shocked if Joe goes over on that scale of a show. 

Luchasaurus Vs Brock Anderson 😅. Imagine actually writing that down on a booking sheet and then going 'yeah, looks alright to me, let's do it'. 

Toni Storm's two promos the last two weeks are the best thing she has ever done. Fabulous stuff. 

There Acclaimed and Daddy Ass' big reunion at Wembley? Me thinks so. 

AEW need to sort out this production issue and quickly. They missed both key parts of the main event finish, with Joe coming up behind Punk and putting on the choke and then the finish. Amateur stuff that. 

Well, balls to that then! 😅

Thanks for that @wandshogun09. I haven't used the app in a long time, just record (or try to) on the Sky Box. Got me thinking though, a subscription to discovery+, does that allow you to watch the TNT content? Can we do away with the £28 or whatever it is for the linear TV channel? 

Everyone will want to be a part of this Wembley card, and I'm sure Khan will try and oblige where possible. It's why I think the Stadium Stampede with BCC Vs Lucha Bros and Kingston? Vs Best Friends at All In, with Mox v OC for the belt at All Out makes sense. 

Hangman is out in the cold and I can't begin to describe just how little interest I have in Osprey Vs Jericho, so personally I'd go with Hangman/Omega Vs Takeshita/Jericho and tell Osprey that his plane ticket, that wasn't  ordered, will be at the airport check in waiting for him. 

Then a battle royale should take care of the rest. 

That The Bucks got that match out of The Hardy's in 2023 was a minor miracle, fair play to them lads. Gotta say though, The Bucks are miscast as faces. That was always the drawback of Hangman rejoining these guys. Hangman is the loveable cowboy and these pair come across as smackable little gits. 

RVD had way more in the tank than I was expecting. That was really enjoyable. If he adapts to walking up to the top post for the frog splash, as well as for the split leg climbing to the top then dropping into the split leg moonsault (can't remember who it is that does it that way, Andrade maybe?) Rather than trying to hop from the mat, then other than those two things he was pretty on point here. Definitely room to use him here and there going forward. 

Like most of the rest of yourselves, I follow this shite fairly closely and yet that Talk Sport segment was the first time in my life I'd ever laid eyes on Grado. If I was going to this Wembley show I wouldn't be expecting him to be there. Nor would I be overly keen on watching someone that has nothing to do with AEW when there are plenty of goofy characters on the roster that I enjoy, that probably won't be on the show. If this was going out as an ITV special on the Sunday evening, like I guess they had hoped for, then it would make sense. As is? There's 80,000 people there that have bought tickets to see an AEW show and people buying on PPV are going to be even more in the bubble than those people, and with an even lower percentage of British people among them. 

Grado may well be the fucking second coming of Jeff Jarrett, in which case he's obviously incredible, I'd don't know, but that wouldn't be my first or second thought should he wander out in the middle of an already bloated (probably) 4-5 hour show. 

That'll be a long night. Three, possibly four, five round decisions there. 

I'm stunned that Lewis didn't at the very least be seen about town with a new bit of eye candy, to try and raise the jealousy of the ex. Even if PFL offered him three fights, one for 2M and the other for some drastically reduced amount, like 100k each or something, he would still be better off than this deal. If he has to fight 8 times on this deal (not likely, but who knows) that's 8 fight camps, all the costs involved and the wear and tear of the camps and the fights themselves. Like you guys are saying, fight Francis and then maybe once or twice more for the sponsorship money etc and then go and out the feet up.

Madness that he didn't go that route, as it'd be even more shocking if they weren't interested. At the end of the day, he's as big a name and as marketable an opponent for Ngannou as they are going to be able to get. PFL probably would have offered to ice Lewis balls for him to make that happen, what with Lewis and Ngannou never having fought before, not even once . . . 

Smith and Spann is such a nothing happening fight as you say. Both men going nowhere. On a PPV these days I'd have it on the Fight Pass prelims, such is it's level of importance. That it's so high in the placement here is a bit head scratching alright. 

Holloway by stoppage in the third. It won't be pretty for Zombie. He'll give it a good fucking rattle, but ultimately he'll be too slow and unable to get out of the way of enough of Max's shot's that he'll overwhelm him, with the last of Zombie's durability allowing him to make the third round - either that or there's a tentative, almost friendly, first round. I hope KZ can make it more competitive than we're expecting, but we'll see. 

Gotta say . . . That there? It's not doing it for me you know. 

Card needs Volk, if he's not booked yet. 

2 hours ago, Vamp said:

I don't think it's helps Punk's case that when he came into AEW he immediately went over the hot young star in the company. When AEW started Omega lost to Jericho, PAC and did a storyline where he was having a bad run. The Bucks were knocked out early in a tournament to crown the first AEW tag champs. 

 

Which was, at the time, a big mistake. Kenny and The Bucks were losing to midcarders before they had been able to establish themselves as the real stars of the show to a new audience. I'd argue that it took months, essentially until the heel turn, for Omega and The Bucks to rescue their bad booking decisions from those early Dynamite shows. 

Punk absolutely should have been beating, if not Darby, then an opponent of Darby's standing, or higher, in that initial match. This was the biggest free agent in wrestling. You don't bring him in to beat a nobody, nor do you bring him in to lose off the bat. Anyone that was annoyed by that need's their head looked at. 

A bit of a waste of time that show was. This Gravity fella is no Bandido, brother or not. AR Fox - he doesn't have it. If it allows Darby to be siphoned off from Swerve with a win back without Swerve having to job, because he's onto more important things? Then I understand it. 

The booking is pretty mental in this company at the moment though. There are way, way, way too many people turning. The roster is completely up in the air, it's disjointed as fuck because each turn is getting no time to breathe because someone else is turning on either the same episode or the next one. 

That Collision show is starting to hurt on the ideas front, and it's starting to hurt quickly. They need to do something fast to change it, whether that's drop Rampage, drop ROH, change Rampage to ROH, make Dynamite three hours and do away with both Rampage and ROH. Something's gotta give. All that TV and no room for Jeff Jarrett? Like for fucks sake, come on. The two candidates for wrestler of the year should be on every episode. 

On that note. I'm well interested in Moxley Vs Cassidy. I'd have Cassidy win that at All In too. It'd cement him as an actual tippy top guy, not just a fan favourite with the mid card belt. It would make it from a B belt to a 1A belt. Have OC beat Mox by the absolute skin of his teeth, getting battered in the process. RUSH lays Cassidy out in a sneak attack segment on Dynamite. Challenges him for All Out. Cassidy on Rampage, is in the hospital and accepts. RUSH eats the leftovers in Chicago. OC goes away for a month until MJF needs a challenger at Full Gear.

I'd be tempted to put the title on OC there for a short run, building to Swerve taking it at Revolution. All of which, no doubt, is so far away from where they are actually going. Hopefully TK knows where that is though, because it doesn't feel like it at the moment. 

"What's a good way of stopping a fire?"

"Don't provide it with oxygen."

You can replace fire with moron, and suddenly, there are a few less ridiculous opinions knocking about.