Michael_3165

From my experience they are just standard metal chairs you can get at the local store. I've never heard of the back/middle being popped out or anything like that - I'm unsure what that would achieve other than make it flimsy as fuck. The idea is to make it look like it hits when in reality you try to get a hand up (obviously). Remembering that many chairs that have been used have had announcers/time-keepers etc thrown out of them so they must be able to hold the weight on a grown person.

The last thing I'd want is a flimsy thing where the middle can fly off and take off half my scalp tbh! 

Ospreay vs PAC sounds a bit of a let down - mainly because I find PAC altogether dull as dishwater. He is great in many ways but I don't care about him enough to get invested in that match. I'd be very surprised if we don't get Okada at the top of the card though Danielson also needs to be heavily featured. 

I'd stick Ospreay vs Okada on as the main.

Danielson vs McGuinness if he is healthy enough.

Anyway nuff about All In... this looks a great show. 

I'd go for... 

Vader vs Lesnar in a "I want to pull out your eye and make you eat it" match - I would be fascinated to see how both parties dealt with the whole situation, especially given Vader was a bit rough around the edges and Lesnar is a legit hardcase.

Sid vs Yokozuna - Cos why not? 

Steiner Brothers vs Bucks or LOD vs Bucks. - watching Hawk just walk away or no sell their bullshit would be beautiful.

• First WrestleMania watched?

WM13 and I bloody loved it (and still do!) Of course THAT submission match will go down as a classic and cemented me as a life-long Bret Hart fan but there was some other fun on the show that a 12 year old me loved. The Street Fight with LOD and Johnson vs Nation of Domination was fun, and I'd never seen anything like it before. The four way tag wasn't bad as an opener and I adored the Undertaker so the main event - whilst dull as fuck - was a spectacle with two giant men bashing the crap out of each other. I have a soft spot for Bulldog & Owen vs Vader and Foley too. 

• Favourite WrestleMania?

I have a soft spot for WM19, that was one hell of a stacked card. Vince's  bleeding McMahon-face, Rock vs Austin, Lesnar vs Angle, Michaels vs Jericho. A lot of good fun all round though there were some stinkers (Taker vs Show and A-Train, ergh!) but every show has one match that is a bit iffy. I suspect the "feel" of the show with a rather unique stadium was also a factor; that weird outdoors but not feel.

For some reason I also like WM8. It may be that it was the first time I saw a proper stadium show (on VHS), but it was bright, bold with a good crowd. The intro was decent. Of course we got Flair vs Savage and Hart vs Piper that were both very good. I am a Sid mark (no idea why, just love his size, look, intensity etc) and the Warrior coming in at the end was electric. 

• Have you ever been to WrestleMania?

No. Unless they come to London I probably won't. 

• Best/Worst WrestleMania matches.

Andre vs Hogan for me. Yes it was a moment but holy fuck was it boring. Andre barely mobile is never good and that botched headbutt to the ring-post? Come on!  Also Martel vs Roberts blindfold match, any number of women's matches will probably take it (from the 80s up until mid 2010s).  Show vs Akebono, Sid vs Taker, Taker vs Gonzales. Ergh.

Michaels vs Angle, Jericho, Undertaker, Razor. Hart vs Austin, Piper, Owen. Austin vs Rock. Plus I've been impressed with many matches in recent years (though I don't watch the shows anymore, I do catch occasional matches).

• Best/Worst WrestleMania moments.

Hogan swooping in at WM9. Any of the celebrity related bullshit. Wrestlemania ending up being 8 days long.

Michaels flying in from the rafters was my memory of WM for decades. Andre getting slammed (not the rest of the match mind). Savage's title wins. Hart lifted on shoulders at X. Austin bleeding out his face in the sharpshooter. 

• Favourite WrestleMania theme and/or intro?

The WM13 intro for me. It was moody, solemn and focused very clearly on a few of the matches. The voiceover guy was brilliant for this too. It really captured the essence of each feud in a minute. So good. 

• Favourite WrestleMania announcer call? ("The boyhood dream has come true" etc etc)

"I can't believe Hogan would stoop that low!" (complete with inflection as Savage hits the elbow). Just SO good. I think Ventura is hugely under-rated as an announcer. Also "I just had an out of body experience!" (JR at WM25).

38 minutes ago, FUM said:

“Against members of the WWE” is quite the spin when discussing your stepdad.

I'd imagine that he has been culled from the family unit right now. I may be wrong but I don't suppose he is welcome for sunday roast. 

Not read the thread but this shit is wildly disgusting assuming it is all accurate. I've added spoiler tags to avoid upsetting anyone as they are rather degrading actions and reading it is mighty unpleasant.

It is hard to say how long this may have been going on for, particularly as this seems relatively new. Yes there were always anecdotal comments made about how he was toward male performers but (and I may be wrong) this is the first set of big revelations about women (?) You'd have thought that these would have been uncovered years ago. It leads me to wonder whether the number of hard chair shots to the head have finally caught up with him. Of course this is absolutely no excuse and if true he needs to go to prison for a long time and is clearly a menace to society and extremely dangerous. That said, one only needs to think back to Benoit and the head trauma he had from chair shots etc to wonder whether Vince has CTE or other type of neurological problem (e.g., I'd not be surprised if he has dementia of some description, typified by impulse control issues and problems with disinhibition). Vince was 53 when he started wrestling and taking those brutal head shots from Austin, Taker and Foley et al clearly wasn't healthy for a man of that (or any) age. 

It seems he was probably a prick for years anyway - you don't get where he is without stomping all over people and being at least a bit psychopathic. His toilet "humour" and angles with Stratus and Stephanie are cringeworthy and uncomfortable to watch back with 2024 eyes. I always found his obsession with incest angles to be disturbing and even Stephanie and HHH expressed embarrassment in one of the DVDs when the topic was raised (I think it was the McMahon DVD). 

So yeah, just trying to make sense of it all really. It is horrible for the women involved and also his legacy, company and the history will now all be tarnished with his shitty behaviour. 

Surely HHH has to go. I can't imagine that he didn't at least have an inkling that something wasn't right. Unless, as I said, this is neuro-degenerative. I'm utterly astounded that Mick Foley, Taker et al haven't had many more problems neurologically and I think these instances are going to become more prevalent in the future as those Attitude Era guys get old and decrepit. Look at poor ol' Verne Gagne, killing that vulnerable old man with a slam (or some other move) in a nursing home. 

Things that may have been mentioned but still bug me...

The blatant catches of dives. This will never get less irritating. If you cantmake it look decent don't do it. 

Bleeding on every AEW show I've watched. Danielson and Moxley seem to have heads like watermelons, the amount of bleeding I've seen from them. It isn't edgy, stop it. Save it for something major. 

Stupid shit like skewers in the head. No  it's bullshit. 

No rules followed in tag matches. There is NO point having tag matches if everyone can just get in and out. It's ridiculous. Tag wrestling is the best when they actually  tag in and out. Shocking!!

1 hour ago, Dr. Alan Grant said:

I want this guy on Dynamite. If Tony Khan has a burner account on here, make it happen. They gave that crap pizza guy a one off appearance, they can do the same for a wrestling Michael Jackson. Then Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends can all do a half arsed Thriller dance with him. 

Cornette is going to lose his mind. This might send him into having a coronary and die. 

Bret's elbow from the buckle was beautiful. 

Not seen this either  but read a lot about Kerry. I'd like to say that she is a one off, but over my 20+ years in the NHS I've found it is rife w people like her in middle management. It is what happens when you push thick people into higher positions to keep them far away from patients. I have at least two like her above me at the moment, they actively shout, swear at staff etc. Then play it safe in formal meetings. Ergh. 

That said, she seems vile. I'd be surprised if she isn't disciplined by her NHS trust for bringing their organisation into disrepute. Imagine being gay and working around her. Even if she isn't outright homophobic (I'm bisexual and don't like to assume people are) it isn't going to be a productive environment to work in.

They need to get rid.problem is they get people on these shows who are like this, specifically to pop a rating. 

Rock circa 1998 to 2001. I just didn't get it. He was a bully, a clown and arrogant and yet everyone loved him. Similar to Austin back in the day, someone who lacked integrity and was antisocial to the extreme. 

Looking back I can see greatness in Austin and Rock had something extremely special but at the time I found it hard to root for people who were actually rather nasty characters! 

Moxley I just don't get at all. I have no interest in him and don't buy his gimmick either. I don't see how he is a ratings mover in any way and feel WWE didn't use him well because he doesn't bring anything meaningful to the table. Austin was right to grill him in the podcast on the Network. 

Mr Perfect was another who I knew was good but didn't see what all the fuss was about. He has often been cited as a great, but I much preferred Owen Hart. 

I echo Danielson and Punk sentiments, especially Punk. Kingston is a big fat fucker who I can't take seriously. I'm sure Danielson and Kingston are good folk though. Also same for Benoit (I'm not that squeamish about his life and death), I just found him bland as fuck. I never cared if he won.

1 hour ago, Mr_Danger said:

Can anyone elaborate on what Punk did to make Tony Khan fear for his life? Only just caught that snippet yesterday and I can’t be arsed scrolling through a million buzzfeed articles to find out.

He is the son of a billionaire, I doubt anyone has even shouted in his direction. A few raised voices and an aggressive posture may have been enough. Who can tell what one person deems a threat to their safety? 

Njpw have really dropped the ball w RQIII. The promotion of it has been non existent and the card looks lacklustre at best. Ospreay v Sabre doesn't inspire for me and other than Ishii v Takagi (a great match on paper) the rest is a bit meh. 

Such a shame, I would have ripped their hand off for  NJPW show a few years ago, but I can now take or leave it. Which I never thought I'd say. 

It seems they have given up on the UK project or at least not investing as much as they need to into the cards when here. 

Does anyone know how many tickets have sold? I hope if it doesn't sell out that they don't take that as a lack of interest but rather them not bringing enough to warrant a trip a few months post All In (I think the timing is insane, should have waited at least 6 months)

Love Orndorff's Mr Wonderful WCW theme

24 minutes ago, theringmaster said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12540537/Shocking-moment-wrestler-urges-young-CHILDREN-yell-homophobic-slurs-rival-family-show.html

 

Whilst not a 'speaking out' incident i feel it falls in to this thread.

 

Al Snow Wrestling Academy/Slam, not surprised one bit to read all this. Old uk legend Mr Rose also get's a mention. The show was in 2022 but it's still shocking to see this in this day and age.

You'd be surprised. I'm bisexual and not out at work etc. You wouldn't imagine the amount of homphobic slurs said when people don't realise who they are speaking w. 

What a prick blaming his shitty behaviour on depression and self loathing. He says he hopes he provided joy over the years, and maybe he did, but if he has given permission for one child to call another a slur? Fuck him.

Braverman comes out (no pun intended) saying that being gay is not a reason to want to come to the UK if one fears being persecuted by another nation. What a fuckin nasty piece of work. She also says that multiculturalism has failed and is a risk to the UK. Can she hear herself? Her family came to the UK and now she wants to draw up the bridge? Fuck her. Disgusting.  

A last blood match. 

8 participants, similar to Stadium Stampede. Except the person to bleed last is the winner. Moxley will always be the first eliminated followed by Danielson and it'll last about 30 seconds. Of course an AEW specific stip.  

There is clearly something pathological w Punk as a personality. When a person is so antisocial in every company he has been in, he either can't see his toxic behaviour or simply doesn't care. I suspect it is the former. He had to be the victim/hero in his own narrative and I suspect that he can't reflect because to do that would shatter his sense of self. 

To be successful in any life area one needs to be prosocial. Sticking to "the man" doesn't achieve anything. Punk has so much talent and yet he can't help himself. He has to burn every bridge he has. He could have been a multi time champion, a legend in the business,  main evented wrestlemania, made so much more money and gone into other things. Whilst he achieved some of that, he will never meet his potential because he can't relate to others around him. 

His incredibly short lived MMA career speaks volumes. He couldn't stick at it because he knew he wasn't likely to improve and rather than chipping away at it, he threw it in. 

I think it's best for all involved to move on. Punk needs to retire, go live in some quiet area of the country, and take up some hobbies. How anyone can tolerate the man is beyond me, and it seems he dislikes many people. Sadly doubt he will ever be happy,  it's like he can't allow himself to just be without a shit load of drama. He needs to grow up and take some ownership of how things pan out for him. 

Yes AEW may miss the name CM Punk on their advertising and cards, but the hassle he brings and the environment he created sounds unsustainable. 

I do like looking at his match ratings in general because he likes alot of what I do. Though he does go a bit wacky sometimes. 

Didn't see this posted anywhere else here... 

Old Dave's ratings for All In 23'...

• Aussie Open (c) vs. MJF & Adam Cole – ROH World Tag Team Titles **3/4
• Jack Perry (c) vs. Hook – FTW Title ***1/4
• CM Punk (c) vs. Samoa Joe – “Real” World Title ***1/2
• Bullet Club Gold vs. The Golden Elite ****1/2
• FTR (c) vs. The Young Bucks – AEW World Tag Team Titles ****3/4
• Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Penta & Eddie Kingston vs. Blackpool Combat Club, Santana & Ortiz ****1/2
• Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Saraya vs. Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker – AEW Women’s World Title **3/4
• Darby Allin & Sting vs. Swerve Strickland & Christian Cage ****1/4
• Will Ospreay vs. Chris Jericho ****3/4
• The House of Black (c) vs. The Acclaimed – AEW World Trios Title **1/2
• MJF (c) vs. Adam Cole – AEW World Title ****1/2

I have no idea where he gets these ratings from  or what criteria he uses. How on earth did he rate Jericho v Ospreay, the 6 man ft Omega or FTR v Bucks as 4.5+* ? 

He has lost all credibility some time back, but it just goes to show how bias he is about his lads. Those matches in the same league as Michaels v Taker HIAC or Hart v Austin WM13?  Ludicrous. 

1 hour ago, David said:

Yeah, you're not getting the comparison. I'm saying that just like those gossip mags seem to thrive and live on spreading rumours and bullshit about Harry and Meghan, you have to think that Meltzer and Alvarez (along with the plethora of Facebook wrestling groups) are loving the fact that any kind of report involving Punk is pulling in the clicks and interactions from both sides of the AEW Elite/Punk divide. That's why the guy can't take a shit without someone sending a full report to Meltzer, commenting on how the smell upset Wardlow or something.

As unlikable as Punk is, he can't seem to do anything right in the eyes of some. Christ, even when he supports worthwhile causes, donating all proceeds from the merchandise he's selling, which is quite considerable if the numbers from PWT is to be believed, there's people saying he's just jumping on the bandwagon, or that he doesn't mention the cause every week so he must be at it.

If he did turn around tomorrow and quit, disappearing from the industry to watch hockey and hang out with Larry, the likes of Meltzer and similar "reporters" would see a fairly sizeable dip in traffic I reckon.

Just like those gossip mags thrive on Harry and Meghan stories would suffer a fairly sizeable drop in traffic and sales if the couple actually did want privacy and dropped out of sight.

I agree w most of this. 

Sadly conflict sells. Punk donating to good causes simply doesn't get eyeballs. Because few care about reading good things. They want to read about drama and misery. It's why vile media like The Sun and Mail sell hundreds of thousands of copies a day. Because it sells. We as a society need to stop feeding the beast that is misery porn  but we won't.

Personally I find him a whinging pain in the arse and at the same time he does have heart and cares about things happening around him. It's nice to see a wrestler support lgbt rights, given the businesses history of homphobia. 

As for bandwagon jumping, that's alot of resources taken for something he'd get nearly no benefit from. If he banged on about causes all the time it's get tedious quick. I say that as someone in the lgbt community..less is more sometimes. 

Punk needs to zip it and just do his job without any drama or fuss. Don't rock the boat or get involved w anyone. I suspect that he thrives on the drama though. 

What astounds me is how TK has absolutely no control here and even less balls. If its true Perry ignored orders not to do stupid shit, he should be fired. There must be order and consequences, otherwise people will run riot. 

He needs to tell Punk to wind his neck in, keep to himself and don't interfere in other people's BS. And he needs to send a message to the roster, if you fuck about and go against what I want, you are done..

He won't though, because he doesn't seem to have the guts to put his foot down. 

If Perry tried that shit in WWE he wouldnt last two mins. 

Sadly Punk thinks he is the AEW version of the Undertaker re discipline, which would be fine if anyone had an ounce of respect for him.

The whole thing is a mess. Just bin them both, this isn't going to lead to anything but a toxic, demoralised roster. 

8 minutes ago, westlondonmist said:

you're right it's definitely on the parents and loads of the kids I saw were with parents with wrestling tees so they knew what they were in for or could be. Wembley Stadium was the right place as it needed big spots and it was Stadium Stampede. The skewers got a big reaction from the crowd and the fact people are talking about it says it worked.

Worked or was moronic, it's hard to tell. 

Again if people have to do that shit to get people talking, I question their ability. Crazy bumps is one thing, allowing someone to stab you in the head is completely different entirely. That said, I am biased. I've never liked Moxley particularly and I feel he is rather over rated. I watched his G1 matches iirc and wasn't fussed either way. I just don't "get" his shtick. But I'm sure that's just me. 

I did like Foley in the days when he toned down his stuff. The difference being though that Foley had likeability, whereas I struggle to see anything interesting in Moxley. Maybe if he stopped cutting himself up and doing stupid shit, he wouldn't have needed to use substances so much. Who knows?

37 minutes ago, JLM said:

Yeah a dad in front of us had to try and cover for Mox  (kid mist have been about 9 years old) by telling him  Penta had put spaghetti all over Mox’s head. The lad thought it was hilarious and also had a big Scissor Me sign and foam finger thingy. Think the violence is less child appropriate than the Scissor me merch really. 

This...

Scissor Me Daddy Ass is much less inappropriate than some mark getting skewers banged into his bonce. I even felt it was too much and I don't mind a bit of barbed wire and thumb tacks. You have to wonder how talented someone is when they have to resort to stupid shit to get "popz". As Bret Hart would say, there is no art in intentionally hurting yourself. 

AEW need to really decrease the blood use. Every match I've seen of Danielson he has bled. It seems that they lean heavily on it to get a match over. Less is more IMO. 

3 minutes ago, unfitfinlay said:

I honestly thought folk were exaggerating about dickhead attention seeking fans who try and get themselves “over” but I had one right behind me.

Cunt just wouldn’t shut up. Fucking roaring his shite patter all night. It genuinely took away from the show. Its really hard to focus when you’ve got some dickhead screaming “Fook Tha Young Buuucks!” in your ear in a stupidly fake voice (sounded like the Bat Dad from South Park), especially when they weren’t even wrestling. Kept spilling beer on my row as well. The boy next to me has the patience of a saint, he got covered.

I was genuinely considering swearing off live wrestling - this is only the second live show I’ve been to (Stardom in April being the first) - but that Main Event managed to turn it around. Fucking incredible. I can’t believe I rolled my eyes when these two got programmed together. It’s made both feel like proper, legit superstars to me. Really glad we got the feel good ending as well. Genuinely saved my night.

I’ll be back down next year, hopefully with a few others since there’s far more time to plan. 

Weren't in 122 were you? We had some gobshite that just wouldn't stop talking. On and on and on and nothing! My wife was getting a kicking from his foam finger (ooh er!), he spat beer all over our backs and crotch chopping at the back of my head. It wasn't helping he was coked off his nut (so he said re a toilet break!) 

Set was brilliant, got better as got darker. 

The show was fine. Much of it was average in ring w FTR v Bucks, Kenny et al and the main event really standing out. I loved the story telling at the end even if the facials were a tad hammy. So great how they booked the ending. 

Great to see Sting though Allin won't last til 40 at this rate, Stampede was okay but way too much shit happening and some of it was a bit too much (sticks in the brain? Just no). 

Saraya getting her win made sense and I quite like her so that was a nice moment. 

Paul Wight live is always good to see. 

All in all it wasn't bad at all. It felt a WM level show aesthetically. Maybe being far away took away the connectedness w the matches, my wife preferred NJPW in a smaller venue, as did I. 

I think some (not necess here) have gone overboard w the praise for some of the matches and caught up in the buzz (I'd have been the same 7 hrs ago).