Lenin

Yeah there was a news article/interview transcript posted and he mentioned having the ring installed. It might even have been a discussion on his podcast actually....it was definitely said and it definitely caused some discussion here.

Given how long it's been, the advances in medicine and the fact that Sting, Edge and Angle have all returned after being told a similar story about never wrestling again, Austin might just be able to pull off a 5 minute squash match. 

I can't see how Austin agrees to do it unless he can actually 'go' to some extent. The Cena/Taker squash a few years ago was a complete was of time. KO is a safe enough worker that I think they attempt something proper.

I saw something on the newz sites noting that the WWE don't see one Heavyweight Title being viable for two brands in the long-term.

Which makes the outcome of Lesnar/Reigns absolutely pointless.

Vinnie Mac (or more than likely Adam Pearce and Sonya DeVille) will come out on the Raw after and announce that MITB main event will be for the Raw Heavyweight Title or something equally predictable.

It would be brilliant to see Roman going between shows and killing everyone for a while. Would cycle folk into the main event less regularly but the main issue is that McIntyre, Lashley, Owens, Seth etc have already been pumped by Reigns so there's not enough challengers for one belt let alone two.

It was mooted years ago on here but one show could make do with the IC and/or US titles for a bit, elevate folk to move into SD to challenge Roman. 

Anyway, I won't be watching for the first time in many years. There's absolutely no heat in any of the feuds and whilst Roman/Brock could be incredible of given time, it will likely be another sub ten minute payday which furthers nothing. 

I'm chuckling away to myself thinking about the possibility of Vince promising KO a main event at Wrestlemania against SCSA in order to get him to sign a new deal. And in true Vinnie Mac style, it's not quite the carrot that was dangled.

3 minutes ago, Doog said:

there's so many more over and interesting characters about at the minute that he doesn't really fit in at the very top of the card.

You've said it so much better than I tried to earlier. I get the counter point that was made by Louch about champions not losing matches but even as a character, Page has lost the lustre. He's achieved what he was supposed to as the 3rd pillar (ergo AEW Champion) and nothing since has been up to the same standard. Partly I think because I checked out after he won it as that was the whole point. Punk and Danielson and MJF can and have proven that they can carry feuds of various types. The first post title run Page has had has felt completely irrelevant. And yes part of that is me because I know nothing Page does is likely to reach the same level of personal investment but it is what it is. 

Another PPV and another AEW title match that was just there. Adam Cole's debut was fun but he's done nothing since and was never a threat for the big title. The match with Page was fine but the feud has been a nothing feud. Page has had his redemption story and title run but for the greater good it's probably time to stick it on one of the big boys, Punk, Danielson or Moxley. That's where the action is at. That's no disrespect to Page, his matches are perfectly fine but there's nothing more than that going on with him. 

Name dropping fellow nonces. Brilliant. We'll know it's definitely him when he starts messaging folk threatening to batter them. Because that's what pure successful folk do. 

4 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said:

MJF beating Punk and moving onto Page next could be an interesting next move,

Especially as MJF is the fourth of the four pillars isn't he? I think it's too soon for MJF to hold the big one to be honest. Him winning it off of Danielson or Punk a bit down the road might be the way they go. Page does need a high profile program though because Adam Cole just isn't it. 

One title is definitely the way to go but who on earth is going to defeat Roman? The Rock? Please no. 

5 minutes ago, chokeout said:

He has back tracked slightly and said there has been bombings, he's just not witnessed them. 

Also 'mosiac hunter' is a funny way of describing a (allegedly) horrendous sexual Predator and former sex tourist. Off topic but the guy is a piece of shit. 

Haven't seen the back tracking, fair enough as it contradicted a lot of others on the ground who said planes were downed in and around the capital. 

I have seen the odd YouTube video accusing him of being a fraud but I haven't heard anything about predatory behaviour. So I will do some research this afternoon as I have a soft spot for his videos showing all the places I've been over the last 20 years or so. Any links to source material appreciated.

As the propaganda war continues, Bald & Bankrupt (infamous Soviet mosaic hunter) has put on his Instagram story this morning that there is absolutely no sign of missile attacks on Kyiv (he's there just now streaming) and there is no panic as described on the BBC. 

Agree with the hidden comments above. It's given the media a field day and, whilst it's escalated worse than I anticipated, it's essentially what's been going on for the last 20 years in various guises. We're only hearing about it now because 1) Boris is in trouble and 2) the over reliance on Russian energy and funding has neutered us and the rest of Europe.

Putin has seen that it's now or never if he wants all of Ukraine because we're impotent. Didn't imagine he'd have the balls to do it but there we go. Nervy few days ahead.

On 2/22/2022 at 11:04 AM, 69MeDon said:

In reply to @Suplex Sinner: I thought Western intelligence reckoned the plan will be to go and take Kyiv, install a friendly/puppet regime and then hang about as "requested by the Ukrainian government"?

That's accepted western thinking but it doesn't take account of what's really been going on in and around the region for the last 18 months. Western media has been hyping "imminent war" much more than even Ukraine has. It's a distraction tactic. A good war sorts out domestic problems.

Russia has occupied several friendly states in the region and carved up Ukraine which is what it's intentions (according to people on the ground there) wanted. 

A full scale war is of no benefit to Putin.

Not surprised in the slightest, just that it took so long to come out. Quite a few nonces in amongst that peer group from back in the day. Some outed, some not, some can't be.

As the above poster said, a bell-end of the highest order. 

Watching with interest as someone that lived and worked over there for a years to see how this plays out. "Western" media has portrayed it as intended to be a full scale war, that they'll flatten Kyiv the way they flattened Grozny and it's unlikely to the the case.

A couple of scenarios that Ukrainians and Russians on the ground signposted via twitter have or are coming to pass.

Firstly, Putin has been unhappy with Lukashenko for quite some time (18 months approx.) and there was real talk of Putin changing him for someone more compliant and less inflammatory. That died down for a bit but the migrants crisis (October/November 2021) brought unwanted media attention and Lukashenko did an interview with Steve Rosenberg of the BBC in which he made bold claims about Belarus smashing anyone that disagreed with them. The media backlash riled Putin. Why is this relevant? There's now around 30,000 Russian troops in Belarus "indefinitely" so a regime change there is infinitely easier than it was previously.

Secondly, taking the whole of the Ukraine isn't feasible or justifiable but by encouraging the Russians in Donetsk and Luhansk to declare independence it gives Russia a "justifiable" reason to send troops...to "protect" Russian citizens. That theory was floated a fortnight ago by several natives and it has come to pass. 

Putin knows NATO aren't giving Ukraine membership status any time soon. So he's systematically carving it up to reduce their power and influence and ultimately create a barrier between Ukraine and Russia proper. Having 100,000 troops breathing down your neck is going to force compliance sooner or later. And the world showed in 2008 when Putin invaded Georgia that the threats were empty. There was no international response. Nobody rushed to defend them just as nobody is going to rush to defend Ukraine. 

Russian media (state controlled TV which makes up a majority) have been wall to wall covering this as the Ukraine getting ready to invade, genocide in Donetsk/Luhansk (as there was in Serbia in the '90s) so that any response is "justified." There isn't one news channel that's transmitted anything close to the truth in the last 24 hours. 

And if he does flatten Ukraine, then everyone is buggered because it's not a war that Europe wants or can win, especially with Russia likely to have Chinese backing. 

Anyway that's a ramble. Fascinated (that might sound morbid) by developments since I was last there in November and hope that it is just a land grab of the predominantly Russian demographic areas mentioned above. Anything more serious will have consequences for years to come. 

23 minutes ago, Statto said:

Absolutely ludicrous bump. No need.

I've never been a fan of that "reverse Alabama Slam" of Drew's. Hope this might be the last we see of it.

Thanks for posting the Lesnar clip. It's still a horrible bump but one of the write ups made it sound as though Theory had taken the F5 as you would in the ring so it's a relief he took some of it through his legs and lower back. And the fact I've just typed "legs & lower back" shows how bad it was if that's a better option.

No idea why they try these bumps, especially when the matches mean next to nothing.

Lesnar racks up another title win...maybe beat Flair's record.

The Moss bump is horrible, proper Sabu efforts. Apparently Lesnar nearly killer Austin Theory as well but can't find the clip of it to see if it is as bad as described.

For some reason I still can't take Matt Cardona seriously. Something doesn't click for me.

She reminds me of Ricky Gervias' wife in 'Special Correspondents' in as much as she give the vibe that it wasn't really about the cause for her. Unsurprising all the same that it's come to pass. 

Can't say any more that's not already been said - absolutely phenomenal work and the unexpected pay off at the end was class. To the point that I phoned three mates, none of whom like wrestling or know anything about this place and tried to explain just why it was the funniest thing ever posted. Simply incredible. POTY sewn up within the first month. Brilliant. 

43 minutes ago, Nick James said:

The fact that 'Prison FC' was trending just shows how these things seem to be seen more as a joke that than the outrage that it should. 

Prison FC tweeted earlier 'Welcome to our new signing' or something crass to that effect too. It's not funny how little folk take this seriously.

Edit:

https://twitter.com/PrisonAFC/status/1487708071019171840?t=TDcykG0ZkaqcjPCGqX95AQ&s=19

I think Lashley is taking the title and Brock enters and wins the Rumble to continue the inevitable road to a Groundhog Day Mania Main Event against Roman Reigns. Everything else is meh. 

5 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Apart from the lips, I don't think she's had too much done over the years from what I can tell. I'm just glad she's not with Del Rio anymore. That was always more concerning than anything else.

I think that can be attributed to being young and naive to some extent because Del Rio was and is a nasty and spiteful piece of work. 

She's out safely and doing well with her streaming stuff and making a decent amount so it's good to see someone emerge from that type of situation and do well.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/backstage-update-wwe-nxt-2-0-creative-team-head-bruce-prichard/

Additional details on the NXT hatchetjob have been posted on 411. 

I guess most of it has been covered in terms of the lack of autonomy, a RAW/Smackdown writer now in charge with supervision from Bruce Pritchard.

I really do wonder what's happened behind the scenes for this to be the result of 6 years of work for HHH. Most of his team released, most of 'his' wrestlers have been released and the obvious RAW-lite presentation and match lengths of the new NXT must be hard to swallow.

It would be very interesting to see HHH turn up somewhere else in the  world in some capacity. As stale as the gold and black had gotten, the first few years under HHH were phenomenal and had that AEW, unpredictable, simple yet effective storylines. Could he do.ot again elsewhere?

Just now, DavidB6937 said:

Unless she got a face change for Christmas, I think she might be taking the piss a little.

Yeah that's what I was saying she's used a filter (judging by the comments on the original tweet) and it generated a lot of discussion so thought I'd see what the chat was on here.

Afternoon all,

I noticed that the other thread has been locked when I saw that Paige has tweeted her '10 Year Challenge' photos which generated a bit of discussion as you can imagine:

Obviously some sort of filter has been used but has she potentially gone off the rails a wee bit? I know a lot has happened in ten years but I don't necessarily think that plastic surgery is always an improvement.

Anyway, happy new Twitter thread folks.