A place for that most Predetermined of sports, Professional Wrestling

SolitaireRose

There's a LOT going on in the world of Pro Wrestling, WWE just opened a new training facility and has revamped its developmental, Ring of Honor is in a transition period as they work toward a new champion and TNA is running behind on paying performers...

What are YOU watching and liking?

mwhitt80

I have an important question for you SR about a year ago you mentioned you were writing a crime novel involving one of our favorite sports. So how is it going?

John_Steed

maybe he's wrestling with it?

LibraryBoy

As I mentioned in the other thread, I've just started getting back into it after not watching regularly for 5 or 6 years. Started with WWE, since that was always my company of choice, and I'm liking it, but... I dunno. So Raw and Smackdown aren't different brands anymore? I think that's too bad... there's a big roster, but between the two shows, I've seen the same 7 or 8 guys every time I've watched - Cena, Orton, Kane, Daniel HoboBeard, CM Punk, a few others. I get that these are the top tier guys right now, but still... BIG roster, you know? That's why I think I'm liking NXT more... I don't know any of these folks, and there's more focus on the wrestling since it's a shorter show and they don't have time for long storyline bits that bore the crowd.

Other random WWE observation: I know Mark Henry's career took off over the past several years, but I'm sorry, he'll always only ever be the "Mae Young pregnancy hand" guy to me.

I've watched a bit of Ring of Honor, too, but not enough to really get a feel for everyone yet. I'm also always a week or so behind because I watch it online (we cut the cable cord a year and a half back). I've enjoyed it a lot so far, though.

CaptShazam

@SolitaireRose
I do not watch the current stuff but i have hundreds of DVDs of material from the early 80's to early 2000's.

I just finished the WWE produced "Wargames" 2 disc blu ray set. The early matches are fantastic but they soon buried the concept when they had the Shockmaster win the match for Team Sting.

I have a good amount of the ROH stuff from when they started up until late 2011. The stuff during Austin Aires,Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) and Nigel McGuiness title reigns is really good.

The last "new" WWE thing I have seen is when CM Punk beat Cena in Chicago (summerslam 2011, I think?)

LibraryBoy

Caught up on the previous week's (not this past weekend's) ROH online, and holy crap was that a good show. MsChif vs Veda Scott was a decent match... not sure Veda's as skilled as McChif, but both gave a good showing and I love it women's matches actually involve wrestling and not a just a bunch of hair-pulling (and bonus points for being a match between people who IRL are a microbiologist and a lawyer, respectively!). The TV title match between Eddie Edwards and Matt Taven had some pretty awesome spots, too. But that match between Adam Page and Silas Young was the real showstopper, the two of them just flying all over the place and taking some sick bumps. I almost feel bad for Edwards and Taven... they had a great match, but Page and Young was just that much better.

LibraryBoy

Oh, and on the subject of wrestling (and inspired at least in part by this thread), I started a Lego wrestling build over the weekend. There's still a lot I want to do with it, but I think it's off to a good start. Check it out over in the Lego thread.

dubbat138

I gave up on WWE and TNA about a year ago. But thankfully TCW just signed a deal with a channel I get. So I watch that. Plus I go to lots of indy shows in my area. If you haven't checked them out yet, goto Youtube and search for Wildkat Sports. They mainly run the New Orleans area. But have amazing shows. Next month they are bringing in Matt Hardy and Bestia 666 for a huge show.

Krescan

I have a friend that gets all the wwe ppv's. I don't watch all of them but I'll go over for the rumble and wrestlemania usually, I went for money in the bank because that's usually a good show

have to say CM Punk and Daniel Bryan won me over I finally "get them" cause it looks like they "get it" too

I wonder how many other "small" guys WWE passes on that would make them ultra popular again instead of the giant meatheads that don't know how to work.

mwhitt80

I have to ask a "mark" question:
So I've been listening to a lot of wrestling podcasts lately and almost universaly they take small shots at Rob Van Damme. I've never been a RVD fan, but what is the story behind his lack of respect with the locker room.

moving on to something different:
I'm longtime wrestling fan (Dad had us sitting on the bed with him watching NWA on TBS). I watched everything from NWA to ECW (2am on SportsSouth) on through to today. I've loved wrestling my whole life (32 years and counting), and sometime in late December I get to start passing it on to a whole new generation. Which brings me to my point.
In the late 90s and early 2000s I enjoyed being in the know, but right now I'm loving being a puesdo-"mark". It kind of makes wrestling fun again.

mwhitt80

Krescan said:

I have to say CM Punk and Daniel Bryan won me over I finally "get them" cause it looks like they "get it" too

I wonder how many other "small" guys WWE passes on that would make them ultra popular again instead of the giant meatheads that don't know how to work.

I love Punk and Daniel Bryan those guys are fun to watch, and put on great matches. The rise of normalish sized guys has been fun. We think about the WWE being filled with monsters (Andre, Hulk, Cena, Batista), but they put over a lot of small guys Bret Hart and Shawn Micheals were all pretty small for thier era. Jericho, Benoit, and Eddie Guerrea are shorter than me.
edit: forgot the smallest guy of all Rey Mysterio Jr.

CaptShazam

mwhitt80 a lot of people think that RVD, while athletic, is not really a good in ring worker. He is often accused of taking liberties with his opponent by working too "stiff" (especially with kicks) and having bad timing.

His best work came in ECW and a lot of other wrestlers (especially those that worked the old territory system) consider ECW garbage. Being the most prominent ECW regular that made it in WWE, that ECW baggage clings to RVD.

RVD's openness about his drug use probably has something to due with people taking shots at him. Not sure why though.

mwhitt80

right on. Like I said I was never a RVD fan (his frog splash always looked great though). I figured it had to with his attitude and being a bad worker. The way he's talked about seems more like it had to do with his work ethic/attitude & style (ie stiff, limited, or unsafe) than anything else.

CaptShazam

mwhitt80 said:

right on. Like I said I was never a RVD fan (his frog splash always looked great though). I figured it had to with his attitude and being a bad worker. The way he's talked about seems more like it had to do with his work ethic/attitude & style (ie stiff, limited, or unsafe) than anything else.

There is a old WWE produced RVD DVD set called "One of a Kind" in which he talks about how WWE limits his abilities and style. I think he has always struggled with that. He was meant for ECW.

The set also has a clip of him doing an elevated full leg split while lifting free weights. One of the more impressive and stupid things I have ever seen.

mwhitt80

you're going to make me go rewatch some of his old ecw matches. I loved his frog splash.

CaptShazam

RVD's frog splash was better than Eddie Guerrero's but if you want to see the master, Find matches with Art Barr. He was Eddie Guerrero's Lucha Tag partner (he died before Eddie went to ECW).

Barr originated the move (I think). Because he his limbs were so gangly he actually made you think he was a frog jumping when he did the move.

SolitaireRose

Been a bit since I've had a lot of time for the site, so...

...yes, I completed one of my novels about a former pro wrestler who became a PI, and the other one is about 85% written (first drafts). I'm going to start editing them when the second novel draft is done and I am thinking of going "eBook" with them.

SolitaireRose

I see that TNA has been dropping people at a rapid rate, including their head of creative, so hopefully the endless "Aces and Eights" story that has been going on forEVER. I'm about 3 months behind on everything, but I'm pretty excited about the return of RVD as long as he gives a damn...he didn't in TNA and his matches seemed like he was just going through the motions.

Brack

New Japan's iPPVs are where it's at. Yesterday's had good matches top to bottom, and there's been so many great matches on their shows this year it puts everyone else to shame.

If I hadn't been stung with a big car repair bill I'd have also sprung for the Dragon Gate show that's airing right now.

CaptShazam

Brack said:

New Japan's iPPVs are where it's at. Yesterday's had good matches top to bottom, and there's been so many great matches on their shows this year it puts everyone else to shame.

Do these get released on DVD that don't violate copyright law? I know about the places that do violate.
:)

mwhitt80

Have you guys been reading the Masked Man on Grantland? He's doing a really fun series on Wrestling Shoots.

CaptShazam

mwhitt80 said:

Have you guys been reading the Masked Man on Grantland? He's doing a really fun series on Wrestling Shoots.

I do read it. It is pretty much my last connection to the current product

Brack

CaptShazam said:

Brack said:

New Japan's iPPVs are where it's at. Yesterday's had good matches top to bottom, and there's been so many great matches on their shows this year it puts everyone else to shame.

Do these get released on DVD that don't violate copyright law? I know about the places that do violate.
:)

Unless you are willing to pay JP prices (and who is?), not at the moment. But $25 for a 4 hour ppv containing the best wrestling in the world at the moment is a pretty good deal. Probably works better for me in the UK, as the time difference tends to make the start around 8-9 AM rather than the middle of the night.

mwhitt80

So I'm listening to the Steve Austin Show podcast with DDP and they go into "juicing". I'm like what the crap; I can't believe they are going into the benefits of steriods use. Nope they were talking about vegetables in a blender. Steve cracked me up again.

On another note, I'm about to dip my toe in the WWE wrestling videos. I have a little one on the way and I want him (if it's a boy) to think Ric Flair is a superhero (I did).

CaptShazam

mwhitt80 said:

On another note, I'm about to dip my toe in the WWE wrestling videos. I have a little one on the way and I want him (if it's a boy) to think Ric Flair is a superhero (I did).

The WWE produced Ric Flair sets are pretty good. I got a complete 4 horsemen set from a "site" (i think around 20 discs) that has everything. The video quality has never dropped below good.

mwhitt80

I love being a wrestling fan today. I can find pretty everything from the last 40 years from across the globe with a click of the mouse. It's amazing.

dubbat138

CaptShazam said:

mwhitt80 said:

On another note, I'm about to dip my toe in the WWE wrestling videos. I have a little one on the way and I want him (if it's a boy) to think Ric Flair is a superhero (I did).

The WWE produced Ric Flair sets are pretty good. I got a complete 4 horsemen set from a "site" (i think around 20 discs) that has everything. The video quality has never dropped below good.

I got all three of the WWE made Flair sets. Plus lots of bootleg sets. There is a dvd floating around that is the Mid Atlantic 1978 year in review show. On it is a great Flair vs Steamboat match for the US title.

mwhitt80

I ordered and received 2 of the Ric Flair WWE sets. However it looks like I'm going to have to wait for baby #2 before we get a 3rd generation Ric Flair fan. Found out this morning baby #1 is going to be a sweet little girl. We'll still have NBA League Pass to share durning those late nights.

CaptShazam

mwhitt80 said:

I ordered and received 2 of the Ric Flair WWE sets. However it looks like I'm going to have to wait for baby #2 before we get a 3rd generation Ric Flair fan. Found out this morning baby #1 is going to be a sweet little girl. We'll still have NBA League Pass to share durning those late nights.

She can still be trained to be a Flair fan. You might have to avoid explaining what Flair means by Space Mountain to her for a while though.

mwhitt80

hahahaha. I can't have my little girl falling in love with a jet settin' son of a gun. You have made my afternoon, thank you.

SolitaireRose

mwhitt80 said:

hahahaha. I can't have my little girl falling in love with a jet settin' son of a gun. You have made my afternoon, thank you.

I still remember watching the WCW PPViews in the mid 90's. We'd laugh, joke and goof around until Flair was on the screen. Then, we were silent, watching The Man. It's not that we said "Hey, quiet down," we just didn't say anything until he was done.

Damn shame what's happened to him, but he was the best ever in that ring.