Undefeated Steak

I've started watching World War II in Colour on Netflix, 3 or 4 episodes in now. It's fascinating. If you're a history buff then I'm sure it's nothing new to you but I feel like it's the perfect introduction if you're like me and know next to nothing about it. I'm amazed at how much footage they actually had of the war. 

History is a subject I'm really not good on, and I often feel ignorant if some things come up in conversation. I knew nothing of what Europe was like in the lead up to the second war, and it explains the rise of Nazi power and the conflicts between Japan and China, and the Spanish Civil War well. 

The episode I watched last night covered Germany's attempt to take over the Soviet, and the scale of it is unfathomable. Taking 300,000+ prisoners at a time.

Well worth checking out if you're like me and have never flicked the History channel on.

Nice topic idea. I like having a browse around charity shops, especially when you're in an affluent area. They're like bookies in that there's usually a load of them near each other which is good.

I spent ages looking for a laptop bag/satchel a couple of years ago but didn't wanna fork out £150 odd for one. Found a really nice one for about a fiver in a Mind shop. Also found a couple of smart Ralph Lauren shirts that I picked up for about £15 for the pair. Got a stack of other clothes from charity shops too. 

Always good for books as you said, Keith. Found some brilliant books over the years and at £1 a pop you don't mind if they're not any good. I read far too much to be able to spend £20 on new books from Waterstones. 

The pricing in some of them makes me laugh though. You can find a pair of immaculate Levi's for a fiver in the same shop as they're selling a stained Burton's jacket for £20. 

10 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

People that watch things on their phone, without earphones are the biggest fucking cunts on earth.

Hangings too good for them.

Up there with someone making you watch a totally unfunny YouTube video while they stand next to you. Nothing in life is more awkward than those 90 seconds of torture. 

Beautiful

Probably bordering on shitpost rather than random thought, but I like to think that in an alternate dimension Randy Orton became a mega star. On paper he might be my favourite wrestler but it just never really clicked for him to make it into that top level. There's been glimpses of greatness from him and I reckon if he hit his peak in the late 90's he could've been every bit as over as anyone at that time. 

Miss Trunchbull, Matilda.

Doesn't miss a beat. Plays the perfect villain against Bruce in the cake eating scene. Don't think I've seen better crowd control when the school hall starts cheering and chanting (no stupid chants either). Works like prime Lawler throughout and finally hits the mat like a Windham when she falls down. 

Been doing a bit of reading on the Taiga forest in Russia. Wiki says it's 17 million square KM - the UK is only 240,000 square miles. I know next to nothing about the stuff that's posted in here but I'm guessing there has to be some cool sightings/conspiracies of what's been discovered/undiscovered in a forest that size. Any good ones? 

It's easy to overlook the younger generation and their viewing habits. All their viewing time is on phones, video games, Netflix and online. Most people under the age of 30 gave up on linear TV years ago. I doubt anyone under the age of 20 watches more than an hour of linear TV a week without their parents. It's an entirely different world from when we used to watch. I wonder how many recent mainstream TV shows would've flopped if they weren't available on Netflix or torrents.

WWE have over 30 million YouTube subscribers so if we're looking at it from a fan/non-business/financial perspective, then it could be argued that WWE have more viewers than ever. They just don't watch it on TV. I don't think Raw numbers will ever recover, even if they have the next Austin or Hogan and WWF 98 creative, because it's all online.

It would be mad to question why WWE PPV buys suffered for long. The landscape just changed so much.

I bet there's not much difference in the number of kids in the UK who watch WWE on YouTube as there were 10 (shit, that would only make it 2009), 20 years ago who watched on Sky.

Going back to a point earlier in the thread, if WWE are going to hit those heights of the late 90's again, I think it will be a video game or movie or some other area of the franchise rather than TV that will help them achieve it. 

Some really thorough and interesting points in this thread, though - @BomberPat especially made a great post.

Been struggling to find any new-ish hip hop that I like but came here to say how good Rapsody - Eve is. Easily the best hip hop album I've heard in a long time.

If art is considered dance (which it is) then I see no reason to discount wrestling. It's two performers working together to tell a story and that evokes emotion and connects with an audience who can interpret and enjoy what they're watching.

The problem is that the question is pointless. A 6-year old drawing a picture of a house could be considered art, so it's not really worthwhile to argue over whether or not wrestling is art.

Ultimately, it's just a form of entertainment. No different from cartoons, music, comic books, board games. Something people watch because for whatever reason they enjoy it.

FWIW, I will say that I believe many wrestlers don't get the credit outside the industry for the sheer talent they do have. What the likes of Jerry Lawler, Shawn Michaels etc could do on a good night takes every bit as much talent as a great dance or ballet routine would.

3 hours ago, Lord-Mountevans said:

It must be cool to have the ghost of Eddie Guerrero working on the other side of your serving hatch.

😂 

Last day of the PPI claims today. End of an era for some of the worst ads ever written. 

Question is, what's going to replace them? 

It's baffling realising that Vince was almost 40 when he took over his dad's wrestling company. I know it wouldn't make much sense when you actually think about it, but I always thought he was a lot younger when he took control. 

Where's the most centrally located chippy in the UK? We need a backup.

I don't walk over 3 drains in a row. Started in school, still do it. 

If I'm having trouble falling asleep, thinking of wrestling always helps me nod off. Not sure if that says more about the current product though.

If I'm walking past to overtake someone I imagine I'm in an F1 style slipstream and make a move past them.

Blimey, I didn't realise how sad I was until I typed that out. 

4 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Up to them. Why do you care?

This is the attitude I normally take and it's not necessarily that I do care. I've re-read my post above and it does make me sound like a dick - I don't mean for it to. The conversation I had went from me casually asking why someone would feel like they want to identify as non-gender. I'm really not expecting people to have to explain their choices, but I also feel there must be some kind of reason for somebody to decide they're identifying as non-gender.

I've been called 'stupid' and 'close minded' because I said I struggle to understand why somebody would identify as non-gender. Apparently I need to educate myself on it. I'd like to think of myself as liberal and open-minded but I'm struggling here. Anybody care to explain what gender-neutrality is all about. FWIW, I totally understand why people would get behind movements to bridge the gap between the genders or stand against marketing and advertising that might degrade or sexualise a gender, but I'm specifically talking about an individual identifying as non-gender, and why they would? Thanks. 

Edit: To clarify, I'm not trying to be judgmental here - was genuinely hoping for someone to explain why someone might identify as non-gender and decided to ask here as it's usually a level-headed and progressive place. 

Post of the decade. Imagine how many PPV's they could sell on the back of that. Cracking stuff.

@UK Kat Von D Fair play to them if that's what it's down to. Always thought for an industry that spends so much time talking about selling tickets, most companies do a terrible job at marketing and advertising themselves and their products/events. 

I've obviously missed a lot of their marketing as the little I've seen hasn't been too dissimilar to what we've seen before. I know they've got big financial backing so I guess they're willing to spend on actually pushing their events. 

Sound like they know what they're doing. The best booking in the world isn't enough to create a successful long term business without a solid model.

I'm out of the loop - how are they managing to sell 12,000 tickets in 15 minutes?

The card looks good and I've heard positive things about the shows, but it just seems *so far* ahead of what any other American non-WWE company have done in the past however many years.

I don't think TNA or ROH ever came close to doing the numbers AEW are, even at their heights as relatively established companies.

There's a Fanta ad that says something like 'You've been deprived of your team 4-4-2 long' and it's so bad I doubt I'll drink it again. 

I managed to get quite a lot done.

HBK - Undertaker from WrestleMania 25 is vastly overrated. Wouldn't even put it in the top 50 matches, nevermind calling it the best ever like some people do.

Someone tweeted a painting they did and it took a long time to check it wasn't just a photo. It takes some talent to paint like this.

Not me but someone I was in rehab with. 

Andy shared a room with Mike. Mike had some envelopes and Andy noticed Mike's surname. It wasn't an unusual surname but for whatever reason Andy told Mike about a bloke he knew with the same surname. 

Now, A and M had never crossed paths before. Didn't even live in the same area. 

They exchanged some info about the bloke, what he looked like and what he did as a career etc. Andy knew there was some connection between Africa and the bloke they were talking about. 

It turned out the bloke they were talking about was a regular in Andy's local and they were good friends. Not that interesting. The crazy part was that the bloke was Mike's dad, who he'd lost contact with almost 30 years ago and was never able to find out where he lived. 

Mike and his dad have now reconnected. The fact that the two people who'd never met shared the same room in rehab and not only did Andy notice his surname, but actually bothered to mention it considering how common a surname it is was baffling.