Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
2023/08/05 21:17:16
Subject: Re:The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
Shake-up in the announce teams for the Red Brand and the Blue Brand according to Wrestling INC:
As reported by Variety, Cole and current "WWE SmackDown" broadcast partner Wade Barrett are set to make the jump to "WWE Raw," while current "Raw" announce team Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves are swapped over to "SmackDown." However, rather than a straight-up trade, Cole will also remain part of the "SmackDown" team, working alongside Graves and Patrick.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2023/08/05 21:41:06
Subject: The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
Absolutely loving the chants at MITB. So amusing to here proper, British swearing.
Automatically Appended Next Post: It is time.
But with Old Man Soft doing to the opening monologue, not what I’d call an auspicious start.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh good. Let’s open with Logan Paul. Now, the fact he’s a bit of a knob entirely aside? He does have the moves in the ring and is far from phoning it in. But to see someone get top billing because they’re famous doesn’t sit right with me. Not when there are folks that have worked for years on the Indy Circuit honing their skills.
You’re WWE for heaven’s sake. You are the industry juggernaut. You don’t need stunt casting.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Shayna Ascended entering the ring there.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Summerslam was a bit dull for me.
Women’s Triple Threat was the highlight for me.
Men’s Royal Rumble was crap. Like completely crap. When you know Sheamus “Jobbers Gonna Job” is the second man left, you know the other guy is gonna win.
The rest were broadly OK. Nothing too fancy, but for one of the biggest PPV’s (if not the biggest?) just felt a bit of a damp squib.
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2023/08/06 09:06:10
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
2 Words on AEW Collision: Cash Wheeler's mom seems to be a bit above pro wrestling. Or she's the baddest woman on the planet, grinning at Big Bill there. Speaking of which - I always liked Brian Cage, I especially like his tag team with Big Bill. The first I think has been really, really good for a long time now, and Bill seems to have really found his character now and does good with it.
Statlander/Martinez for the tbs title was good, the post-match was painfully by-the-numbers, because in AEW goodies are never allowed to celebrate. It's cool to see Diamante again. I like her. And of course Willow Nightingale is the bomb, but it was all very basic I felt. At least it wasn't bloody Skye Blue who came out to help Statlander.
Scissor Club segment I did not care for, do not care that much about them on the whole since they turned babyface at all. Bang Bang Gang segment was good. I very often hear how Juice Robinson outclasses Jay White, but I'm not convinced. In-ring I'll say that they are just about on par, and on the mic Robinson is just loud. But a bit too much so in my mind. The Gunns aren't funny, but that's okay, because they're annoying heels. White is a good counter-part to all this screamy spray-tanned-ness in that group.
Can't get behind Toni Storm, Trios Match was cool (because the House of Black is da bomb), Samoa Joe is amazing and the Christian Cage interview was the funniest thing I've seen in a while on wrestling tv. The visual as he's holding the unhappiest kid in the world like a puppet was so great. At first I thought that they'd brought the girl Jack Perry had been hiding behind on Dynamite.
Main event Punk vs. Ricky Starks was very good. Starks is a proper dastardly heel again, as he should be by nature.
All In will be INSANE.
I watched SummerSlam last night.
Had skipped MitB (first WWE PPV I haven't seen in forever actually. And I love PPVs from the UK, due to the chants especially, but my WWE watch peeps were occupied and somehow the time window passed.)
Logan Paul is so easy to hate. His twattiness is as real-life legitimate as Lesnar's scariness. He stands for everything that is wrong, and the fact that he's actually really good at this Wrestling stuff makes it all the more annoying. Also - because I'm an easily-led mark - one of the things that annoys me the most about him is how he STOLE the Buckshot Lariat from Hangman Page, one of the purest babyfaces. Paul knows SO well what he's doing, which is also annoying. Cody - Lesnar was great.
Spoiler:
Brock Lesnar is one of the very best things about WWE. And cody is such a hero.
The Slim Jim Royal Rumble apparently got WWE a LOT of money. Wasn't Luke Gallows supposed to be in there?
Spoiler:
Anyway, LA Knight was a big favourite for this one. Somehow I was too hung up on the Slim Jim aspect and thought Otis would win. Turns out he got eliminated very, very quickly. I was hoping for LA Knight not to win, because it's such a stupid match to be able to brag about, and his first big win should have been somewhere else. But oh well. It was an alright battle royale. Having 90% of the contenders in there and then giving 3 more extra entrances is always weird.
Gunther vs. McIntyre was a great match.
Spoiler:
the second best of the night in my opinion.
Rollins vs. Bálor was as solid as you'd expect. Instantly we were thrown by Cole's comment that the SEVEN was a tattoo.
Spoiler:
Some alright drama in the end. I just can't get behind Rollins any more. Would have loved to see Bálor win, because Rollins carries the title in the sense of badge of honour for a loyal worker well, but there really isn't much done with it I think.
MMA Rules match Rousey vs. Baszler I felt kinda bad about. Sure, I don't care about Rousey in the slightest and hoped that this would spell the end of her run in WWE [which acccording to today's news it very well might be]. We know that she doesn't care, the audience doesn't care about her in the ring or on the mic. And Baszler deserves so much more. MMA rules was a bad idea to begin with, but the crowd at Summerslam was pretty nasty right from the get-go. So I felt bad for Shayna for the audience's "this is boring" and boos.
Spoiler:
Rousey should have tapped out. I said it before; I would love to see WAY more tap-out finishes in pro wrestling. If you wanna make the thing feel more 'real', finish more matches this way. It doesn't make the person who loses via tap-out look weak, it makes the hold looks strong. All of a sudden the concept of the "rest hold" would get less and less as well as holds are made to look stronger. TJPW used to end a TON of matches that way, it's perfectly OK. Now they do it less it feels like, but I'd like to see more tap-outs there again as well. That whole 'passing out' stuff always feels so theatric and should be saved for few big babyface losses or something.
[ Triple threat womens championship match Belair vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte. Probably my favourite match of the night.
Spoiler:
All of us three who watched did not want to see Belair win. Wouldn't wanna have to sit through another title reign of her's. Initially I wanted Asuka to retain, as the match went on I was perfectly OK with Charlotte to hold it again. Charlotte is just so bloody good. Ring gear looked cool as well. I like Red Charlotte. Match was frantic, Belair's knee injury (I think cole said she had "her knee injuried") spot was a bit annoying. I mean it looked kinda real for a bit with the black-shirts running to her, but then also a person with a big camera ran to her as well, so it was quite clear that it was worked. The return to the ring got her a 5 on the Cody-Over-the-Top-Heroism-Scale, but ultimately it was just so she could get pinned and keep Asuka strong. Anyway, really cool match. I's the women's title matches on these cards which usually are the sleeper hits in WWE PPVs these days I think. Oh, and we cheered big for Io Sky cashing in.
Main event Jay Uso vs. Roman Reigns in a tribal thing. I love Roman Reigns main event matches, most of all his interactions with the crowds. In the beginning I had NO idea how this one would end.
Spoiler:
Shame it did the way it did. Jimmy turning AGAIN and Sikoa getting a bit more miffed at Roman makes the whole Bloodline story feels like it's just turning around itself and has nothing new to offer..
The whole show felt a bit uneven. There were good things (women's title match, Brock/cody to an extent) and bad things (MMA thingy, Logan Paul didn't really work for me either despite all the heel work, Battle Royale) and okay things. Overall a very long show with lots of unnecessary ads. While I found the location to look pretty cool, summerslam just shouldn't happen under a roof. It was alright, but felt decidedly unspecial for a Summerslam, I agree with MDG.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2023/08/08 00:29:32
Agree with much of your thoughts on Rollins - he just is...meh...as the champ.
Interesting to see the split in crowd reaction for Punk and Starks at the start, and then the well executed heel turn and subsequent crowd change as well!
AEW overall, while still not perfect, still holds my interest more than WWE these days...
2023/08/07 23:55:17
Subject: Re:The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
PWInsider reports that Pillman is expected to be at this week's "WWE NXT" tapings on Tuesday, though it is not currently known whether he would be appearing on TV or wrestling a match. Furthermore, while it has yet to be confirmed, it's believed that Pillman has signed a contract with WWE, and will be working with the promotion going forward. It was previously reported that Pillman attended the Performance Center last month for a tryout.
I'm excited to see him in the WWE (since I live just south of Cincinnati, I'm a mark for anyone who's from the area, e.g., Pillman, Jon Moxley and even 'Wildcat' Chis Harris )
The article also notes that Nick Aldis will be backstage at RAW tonight.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2023/08/08 00:07:02
Subject: The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
Agree with much of your thoughts on Rollins - he just is...meh...as the champ.
Interesting to see the split in crowd reaction for Punk and Starks at the start, and then the well executed heel turn and subsequent crowd change as well!
AEW overall, while still not perfect, still holds my interest more than WWE these days...
To be fair, it's a 'meh' championship as well. With Reigns still being in the position he's in and holding the actual big championship they could just as well have given the US championship to Rollins and it would have meant the same.
Yeah, just running by Liger is one thing, but whipping Ricky Steamboat cemented his status as a dastardly heel. The reactions Punk gets are really, really interesting right now.
Overall I also enjoy other promotions more than WWE. I do watch the PPVs and generall find myself entertained (and the Bloodline story has been masterful up to ...well, not too long ago), but always find myself a bit annoyed with the WWE-isms. Especially now that we're not allowed to say "wrestling" or "blood" any more again, but advertise gambling. It's that sorta stuff. The quick camera cuts have gotten better though.
@Ghaz: Cool. I like Brian Pillman. And it's good to have indie lads in NXT again who learned this even before getting to NXT. Nick Aldis is great. I remember reports that he was being considered as a producer for WWE?
I love this brand. I truly, genuinely, adore it. It’s not as flashy or dramatic (maybe that should be “dramatic”) as RAW or Smackdown. But it’s the Wrasslin’ basics done really, really well.
Somewhat slower paced, which helps the camera angles maintain Kayfabe. But far from feeling amateur. Every single performer gives it their all, and it feels like they’re allowed to give it their all.
It’s just brilliant!
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
Got tickets for Wrestlemania night 1. There were 2000+ in the queue ahead of me, so had to exceed the budget since all the cheap seats were gone, but on the plus side the seats are really good and my wife was very understanding.
2023/08/15 20:04:36
Subject: The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
I love this brand. I truly, genuinely, adore it. It’s not as flashy or dramatic (maybe that should be “dramatic”) as RAW or Smackdown. But it’s the Wrasslin’ basics done really, really well.
...
Well, good that you enjoy it. I watched the first episode of NXT 2.0 I think and I listen to the weekly reviews on the Cultaholic Podcast (reminds me of the time I didn't watch Wrestling, but enjoyed Spoony talk about TNA. It seemed like such a strange, distant world ). It isn't as dramatic as the main roster weekly shows? I thought it was all wacky and over the top?
I do the the "enjoying the wrestling bascis" though. I love a nice, pure wrestling experience. Which is why I watch the Japanese stuff I do, especially the small "house shows". It's a bit slower, but builds up (especially main events) and you can really just see the moves done, without any commentary, just the occasional "ooh" from the audience and rhythmic clapping. Btw, this is all I do at wrestling shows too. So I can relate.
@bbb: Cool, I'm sure it's going to be a blast. And of course you might get to see Reigns lose his Undisputed title, which at that point should be kind of a historic event (even though WWE love to call every single fart that hasn't been done exactly the same before "making history" ).
Me, I'm looking forward to All In of course. One day after my birthday too! Until then I should catch up on some things, but somehow I didn't watch all that much wrestling lately. Got into an audio play series, had to get a lot of work/preparation for a show I was invited to short-term... i really should just sit down and watch some wrestling on the tv.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2023/08/19 11:06:53
Subject: Re:The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2023/08/24 13:33:48
Subject: The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
Nice to see WWE had both Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan on stage for the ten bell salute to Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt on Smackdown.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/08/26 00:28:52
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2023/09/03 18:15:03
Subject: The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
why did the referee keep opening the door for evberybody who got within 2 metres of it all the time? It was mighty confusing and rendered Trish's attempts of getting out of the cage via climing very weird.
Otherwise, it was a fine PPV. Even though some stuff could just as well have been on RAW. Also: The amount of ads on these things is getting absurd.
Cena is great and the miz is a really good wrestler. And props to Trish Stratus. Also: CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH!!!11
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/09/03 23:01:35
A really cool one at that. The night could have been disastrous, with a PPV in Chicago and CM Punk getting fired just days before. But AEW did the thing well; the fans really didn't have a second to get tired, and the crowd was really into it. Sure, there were a lot of CM Punk and "we want Punk back" chants (and it's very ironic that AEW is now the company facing CM Punk chants. ), but in general there was noise and good atmosphere. Especially during the Miro - Powerhouse Hobbs match. That was just a lot of fun. For me as a sad dumpling in front of the screen, for the people for Ort, for the wrestlers in the ring.
Spoiler:
Oh, and seeing Miro and Lana back together in a ring was just nice. And Brian Danielson is just a godsent to all of us. Hope he's well. Props to ricky starks.
Really just a bunch of awesome matches and a PPV that played very much to AEW's strengths. I liked it even better than All In.
Now I'm watching the media scrum. Christian is amazing, Statlander once more seems like a really, really, really nice person, Danielson is a GOAT.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2023/09/05 11:42:57
Shayna Baszler (a knowh 40K fan) is now using Rhonda Rousey’s Piper’s Pit finisher. What does she call it?
Exterminatus!
Spoiler:
Oh, Nia Jax returned as well…
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/09/12 03:06:19
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2023/09/12 09:00:57
Subject: The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread
Yeah, and with GW I don't even mind it. It's made to be broad and mainstream to an extent. And mainstream's so desperate for attention and they know that even just mentioning "broadly popular half-nichey stuff" gets them attention from the people.
Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of Wrestlers catering to "nerdy" stuff. With Shayna Baszler it's okay, because she's got that legit air about her. But on AEW (and you know that I really like AEW) for instance you see a lot of unnecessary cosplay, like Statlander's attire at All Out, Cargill dressing up as "popular superhero de jour" or Nyla Rose (who's supposed to be a monster) making her attire Mega Man X themed. There is a serious need to keep things separate and not just mush what ever we like into one and rub it in people's face. But that's just my particular opinion on that.
Spoiler:
Yeah, Nia Jax is back. I always kinda liked her. She's not a good wrestler by any means, but she cuts an impressive figure and she seems to be up for all sorts of McMahonian silliness if need be. It's weird that WWE got to get her back whilst they had Piper Niven on the roster for years now who could fill a similar niche. Maybe Niven has a too friendly face or something.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/09/12 23:12:44
Sigur wrote: Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of Wrestlers catering to "nerdy" stuff. With Shayna Baszler it's okay, because she's got that legit air about her.
Does a visit to Warhammer World help? Both her and Claudio Castagnoli are legitimate Games Workshop fans
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
Or she's the baddest woman on the planet, grinning at Big Bill there. Speaking of which - I always liked Brian Cage, I especially like his tag team with Big Bill. The first I think has been really, really good for a long time now, and Bill seems to have really found his character now and does good with it. 
)
