CavemanLynn

If we assume Trips and Nick Khan are one side of the board, and Steph could go either way but shows solidarity with her batty dad, do we know enough about the other five names to know how things would go if there's a struggle?

17 hours ago, RedRooster said:

Honestly, Jeff Jarrett is turning into the same kind of surprise package Sting and Billy Gunn both have, for me. It's an absolute miracle that he's as good as he is at his age. 

I'm not so surprised. All three have years on the clock which translates to that innate confidence you just don't get with guys who've been stiffing each other on indies for years. It means they know how to turn it on when it's time to fire up, but more importantly they have a real grasp of how OTT to go to get fun stuff over, without youthful self-consciousness.. Take that gif of Dub J hamming it up beautifully, skipping across the ring, while the lesser Jay just sits in the middle of the ring with his hands raised. The fistbump even adds a perfect little punchline to the whole thing, making it a mini spot rather than just a thing that happens and blurs into everything else. The more I watch, the more I appreciate the great timing and ring positioning of these guys and Dustin, that gets them more out of less. I hope the young'uns are taking notes.

The reference was lost on me. The phrase seems to have permeated social media elsewhere, and if it's from Alan Partridge, I doubt users below a certain age know where it comes from. Just trying to be as cool as a Keffer, I suppose.

"Can I just shock you?"

I wouldn't mind it if it actually led into a different or vaguely controversial opinion, but it invariably prefaces someone stating the common opinion or, even worse, just stating something utterly bland and normal. Someone in OT used it. Their earth-shattering reveal? "I watched NXT." Fuxake. If it's meant ironically or sarcastically, it's not coming across, especially as it's phrased in a way that doesn't seem like it would come out of someone's mouth. It also reeks of "I'm so special and edgy, me" terminal uniqueness.

Or it's just the evolution of language and I'm not a hip cat anymore.

MK lost all its charm when it went CG (except Shaolin Monks). It was designed for button mashing. Every character plays exactly the same. As soon as you learn a character's special moves, that's all you do. The run button removed whatever remaining think time you had, and the combos made normal moves special moves. Genius. Once they went CG, and tried to make it a legit martial arts fighter, it all got tedious, over designed in both gameplay and character design, and the Fatalities got uncomfortably gratuitous and humourless. Ripping out a cartoon spine in less than 24 fps with juddering sprites and hero poses? Lol. Ripping out a spine in grisly, hi def closeup, with each movement, crunch and twist lingered on in agonising, horrific detail? Ick, no thanks.

Danielson's "I just want to wrestle" attitude is fine if you've got a house show circuit for him to scratch that itch. They have their YouTube shows, but as much as Danielson says he's just there because he loves to work, he's no doubt on a hefty wedge which comes with the need to recoup that investment. Having matches with experienced nobodies isn't that. Having matches to train up and comers is meaningless unless your own star is protected and therefore worth beating. That means getting meaningful wins.

Punk may have been more overtly toxic, but Danielson may be a more subtle but still big problem. If he's not going to elevate and train AEW's future, then he's undermining himself and the company by treating it like a playground. When he's on, he's on, and he's brilliant. But he needs a kick up the arse.

Rampage with a destroyed set would be the first time the show name made sense on screen.

The Rock's spent at least the past decade cultivating himself as a "brand", with all the contractual creative control ridiculousness that entails, so any failure punches a hole in his entire USP rather than it being a blip on a CV. The Rock needs another genuine big win soon after his failure to get a Middle Eastern unkillable despot over as a face with American audiences (who'd've though, eh?). Even Big John's whatchagonnado?-shrugging CNN news anchor with aaaaaabs shtick feels like marketing as the WASP Rock. Big Dave, despite being only 5 years behind Dwayne in terms of film career, actually seems to want to be a good actor, has made some really smart choices mixing the obligatory Disney and MCU roles with some smarter auteur stuff, with no elevated aspirations beyond doing that job really well. His one scene in Blade Runner 2049 is better than Rocky and John's entire filmographies.

1, 12, 13, 18, 25

Can't believe how hyped I got by Ryan Gosling hitting the Ryu pose in what looks like a YMCA dance fight.

The ROH invasion helped drive down my enjoyment of Dynamite by being exactly what it's always been - the home of work rate and "real wrestling." It's boring. What I hope is that by splitting away even a little, Dynamite can get back to what it was, which was the perfect blend of quality ring work and sports entertainment characters, bang smack in the sweet spot between ROH and WWE.

That article basically says a mad old bastard is moaning that he's not the boss any more, but blames everyone else for making him do the right thing and step down instead of himself for his decades of rotten behaviour that make these allegations plausible. Greg Valentine (of all people) reckons he and the defendant were stoned 20 years ago when she might have brought up the incident, but he didnt fancy her so there's no way his apparent mate Vince would've had her, obviously.

The only way he's getting back in is if his own daughter lets him.

46 minutes ago, BigJag said:

Have you checked the classifieds section?

There used to be a boot maker in the Northampton area. I'll have a look through my emails to see if I can track down his details.

It may be worth having a chat with a local metal fabricator about the ring. Or maybe look for boxing ring suppliers.

I did check in on the Classifieds, but I admit to giving up when the first two pages were just hawking DVDs.

I wouldn't go to a metal fabricators without a brief, and I doubt I could get an experienced ring builder to give me a schematic.

1. Is there anywhere in the UK to buy a budget wrestling ring, new or used, that isn't Wrestling Rings UK? I'm looking for a small ring for training only, but the only company that comes up on any searches is WRUK, and the last couple of rings I've known about from them have been severely delayed with other issues.

2). Where can I get Austin Hall Eagle style Pro boots, a la Barr Windham and Dusty Rhodes? 

It's all compounded by the added logistics of going on the road. It's one of the reasons the sense of fun has gone. Those pandemic days next to the Jaguar stadium had a real vibe of a crew rallying together and doing what they could to put on a great show and keep spirits up with limited resources, and it not only led to some iconic gimmick matches like the parking lot brawl, Arcade Anarchy and Stadium Stampede, but also a real sense of camaraderie and welcoming. Touring seems to have massively narrowed their focus and creativity, and everyone seems kind of tired trying to do what they can in the short time they have. There's also a sense of splitting in the roster, not just in terms of the angles, but in terms of who's pushed and who's not. Of course it's subjective, but The Acclaimed vs FTR being thrown out there feels like trying to placate vocal fans while TK can find more ways to give Jay Lethal 10 minutes every show. Same as Willow Nightingale got the #IsAllElite treatment and a title shot as soon as she got over, instead of getting the investment of a decent storyline and contender's journey. 

With the wealth of on and off screen talent they have, they really shouldn't be struggling for consistent quality TV by relying on one guy's overworked brain. 

Dustin doesn't need to win the belt, but I trust him to make the journey and his "chance" something really special. I think it was a promo he did during the pandemic, when he got told he'd earned a TNT title shot. Surprised, overwhelmed, humble and grateful, then building into pure, determined babyface fire. Hell, I'd be happy if they did a version of that, having him announce it's his last year then having low key bangers with a variety of opponents, only to be told one day, "Uh, mate, you keep winning, so you're actually number one in the rankings." Give him an Eliminator, in front of a home crowd, and pay whatever it takes to get a hug off Cody as the streamers fall afterwards.

What a career. Maybe he never fulfilled his potential, but his AEW renaissance has been the best finish to a rollercoaster of a 4 decade run. It's amazing, looking back at his first few years, and seeing how fully formed he was even at the start. In a world where you'd expect a bit of nepotism, he truly was the Natural. Then a wild ride through the "big leagues" and down, being made a pawn in some spiteful games at the expense of his legendary dad, but still managing to turn things into something quality through sheer force of talent and dedication. Losing his way and hitting rock bottom, only to find himself, clean up, and settle into being one of the low key best hands there is. He was an absolute pleasure to watch in AEW, always putting on a masterclass in simple psychology and ring positioning; a lot of trainees I've trained alongside mistakenly wrote him off as lazy, when the fact is he was always exactly where he needed to be and exactly the right time. It must've been a breeze to work with him. I know he has his school in Texas, so he'll likely be keeping his hand in in general, but he's definitely a guy I can see hanging around backstage looking to help with agenting and actually being likely to be heard, having been in there with many of those guys coming up.

The fact that a lot of people here have focused on that fact no one can win until everyone's in shows how much the point has been missed. It's about how much damage you can do to the opposite team BEFORE the numbers are even and pins become available. As ever, BomberPat hits the nail on the head. The heels should be toying with the outnumbered faces. Holds should be wrenched on without the hope of a rope break or submission. It's ENTIRELY about the valiance of the faces to gut it out, never give up, and keep fighting back no matter the odds. It's another sad indictment of the wrestlers taking more stunt risks for less payoff.

Did he want Ricochet or Ali to win?

27 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

..why is Tony like that?

Probably because he wants to be his vision of ECW Paul Heyman, which he's translated to wearing an ill-fitting mid-length jacket, looking like you've not showered in days, and yelling into the mic til he's hoarse.

32 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

Reminder: 2 Cold Scorpio was class. Way ahead of his time. Blew my mind when I first saw him pop up on WCW Worldwide in 92. His flying is even more impressive to me because he wasn’t a small man. I even enjoyed his tag team run with Marcus Alexander Bagwell who was “rookie of the year” for what seemed like about 4 years. 

 

I burst out laughing at his leap and sleep spot. Brilliant stuff. Always had a great rhythm to his wrestling. Incredible just how agile and light he was, a real eye-opener comparing that to the clear co-operation going on today with youngsters yanking each other to their feet.

They really don't need to turn MJF face. In fact, I've found his recent forays into facedom (like in that post-show promo) pretty disingenuous because he has done such a great job of being a thoroughly unlikeable loudmouth prick these past few years. There's no reason he can't get the big win, lap up the cheers of the fans on the night, then come back promoing about how he always knew (and THEY always knew) he was the best, he never needed anyone's help or the fans' praise, those who are cheering him now but booed him before he stood up to the boss can shove it, etc. The issue is giving him hot opponents who can still work with what made MJF great - drawn-out angles leading to occasional matches showcasing his chickenshit heel shtick. Is 20 minutes of MJF in the ring as good as 10 minutes of MJF on the mic? Not as far as I've seen, and that's speaking as a huge fan of the guy.

As the match with the most genuine intrigue, I'll probably Watch this Wrestling, but Fite have been getting a free fiver off me for the past few months, as I'm back to skimming the private sites for the segments I hear good things about.

If this is going to be coming back, I hope they have someone with some awareness running the thing because the last run, in trying to mimic the stereotype of what your nan thinks American wrestling is but in a tiny studio with an autocued crowd, massively exposed the lack of star appeal in the roster. Also, if the point made earlier about the censor's problems with showing impacts is true (meaning they see wrestling as a weird paradox of being entertainment for kids yet too violent for kids), then the insistence on big slams, indie striking exchanges and (fuxake) ladder spots makes even less sense. It'll be interesting seeing what unfolds, but I'm expecting more of the same, with Aldis continuing his run of spotting past-it promotions with power vacuums at the top of the card.

Can't wait to see the "cream" of Britwres plus Aldis cutting REAL AMERICAN WRESTLING!!11!! promos in front of 15 crowd-sweetened kids and Fred Dineage.

That obnoxious, entitled family of utter cunts in the On The Beach advert.