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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2021 13:44:51 GMT -5
Looks like Braun Strowman is going to AEW too, and CM Punk (who I don't like, talks too much....)
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 22, 2021 14:28:34 GMT -5
I hope that if Daniel Bryan really is leaving WWE and/or Punk is coming back that at least one of them goes to ROH to make it more attractive to networks so maybe I can finally watch it outside of YouTube clips. But I assume AEW is far more likely for both if they stay in the US. I admittedly still haven’t been able to get fully into WWE. I think part of that is there is just so much of it (seven hours a week is a lot). That said, Nikki A.S.H. is maybe my favorite gimmick right now and I do like the actual wrestling of a lot of people (Riddle, Styles and Cole come to mind). AEW can only house so many guys... they already cycle talent on and off TV alot... adding another huge name would be challenging to say the least. Be great if RoH could get some talent again and get a TV deal, for sure. I'll believe Punk when I see it. All that said, a feud with Punk and MJF would definitely make me geek out. Jericho could ride off in the sunset (he's been a LONG time now without touring, it's weird), or just do commentary... I'd love to see him stop struggling in 15 minute spot fest matches and replace Excalibur in the broadcast team.
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Josh
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Post by Josh on Jul 22, 2021 15:10:07 GMT -5
I agree AEW has a glut of talent, and there’s absolutely going to come a point where it bites them in the ass (maybe they’re there), but I also feel like they can’t pass on Bryan or Punk if given the chance. In addition to what it would do for ROH, I’d like them both on that roster just because of the packed AEW roster and how I’d rather guys like 10, Miro, the Sydals and Top Flight get elevated some more, as opposed to bringing in even more headlining talent. I felt like that would happen one Omega (and presumably Young Bucks) drop their belts and take some time off, but Bryan and/or Punk would absolutely block some of that. On the other hand, signing either/or might also cool their signings, because who else could they get that would top either of those guys? Cena’s the only one I can think of, and that’d be less about him in AEW than just the fact they got him from WWE.
And yeah, a Punk/MJF feud would be great. Just the promos would be enough to keep me watching.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 22, 2021 17:43:32 GMT -5
Yes, we all know you think wrestling died years ago. I’m looking forward to his match with Jericho. Just a joke, son; no offense intended.
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Josh
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Post by Josh on Jul 22, 2021 17:50:28 GMT -5
My apologies. I was reading Twitter at the same time, and letting the crap being spewed there color my reading of your comment.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 22, 2021 18:24:53 GMT -5
My apologies. I was reading Twitter at the same time, and letting the crap being spewed there color my reading of your comment. No blood, no foul. Look, I'd love to see AEW have a nice long life, as an alternative to the WWE. Heck, I'd love for ROH, Impact and the NWA to all flourish and provide a long term niche. I just think AEW needs more of a central vision and needs more experienced mentors to guide these young guys, even Cody. Their booking seems a bit disjointed and a lot of the young guys haven't learned WHEN to do their big moves. A good chunk of the guys I liked in NWA Power have ended up there, so more power to them. The path to success, though, for any of these groups, is to establish their own flavor and style, not ape the WWE. That was how Crockett challenged the WWF, until he went nuts spending money and how it was in the territorial days. Florida wrestling was different from Crockett (until Dusty started booking for Crockett), which was different from the WWF (under Vince Sr, which was different than Junior's WWF), which was different than the AWA, which was different than Memphis, which was different than Watts and Dallas. TNA was at its best when it was developing its own talent and pushing things like the X Division. The more they tried to ape the WWE, the more they looked like bush league. That was one of their pitfalls, the other being Dixie Carter pushing herself on tv and using Russo's half-baked booking ideas.
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Post by Batflunkie on Jul 22, 2021 21:40:32 GMT -5
I hope that if Daniel Bryan really is leaving WWE and/or Punk is coming back that at least one of them goes to ROH to make it more attractive to networks so maybe I can finally watch it outside of YouTube clips. But I assume AEW is far more likely for both if they stay in the US. I admittedly still haven’t been able to get fully into WWE. I think part of that is there is just so much of it (seven hours a week is a lot). That said, Nikki A.S.H. is maybe my favorite gimmick right now and I do like the actual wrestling of a lot of people (Riddle, Styles and Cole come to mind). I think the problem is that WWE is in a bit of a lull period, it happens every so often when they don't have any real bankable talent and keep bringing back older stars to get the ratings up
I started losing interest real quick once they broke up Heavy Machinery
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Josh
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Post by Josh on Jul 23, 2021 8:58:11 GMT -5
The booking/writing is what gets me more than the in ring work (although I’m not in love with that either). Like I said, I love Nikki A.S.H., but it’s weird to see that arc just now peaking and there’s already seemingly the same “believe in yourself” arc coming with Piper Vixen. Then there’s RK-Bro which is probably the most ham-fisted face push I’ve ever seen (even if Riddle is one of my favorites in the ring). And is Jaxson Ryker really supposed to be a face now? Because that penance gimmick feels about as heel-ish as you can get, and he just looks like a bad buy. Even without the gimmick, I wouldn’t buy him as a face. Alexis Bliss is probably the best example of my problem with WWE right now. I would absolutely buy that gimmick in AEW, but in current WWE it feels out of place. But maybe some of that’s because I missed the origins with Wyatt. I’m also not sure if she’s supposed to be a face or heel, either. She’s teamed with Nikki during the A.S.H. gimmick, but her gimmick feels clearly heel.
That said, it’s not all bad. I like what MVP, Lashley, LA Knight (of the very little I’ve seen), and The Miz are doing outside the ring. And as I type that list out, I’m realizing that I maybe just don’t like how WWE handles faces. Or more specifically, anything that isn’t obnoxious heel or clear-cut face.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2021 22:48:55 GMT -5
Everyone reading this post in this thread....
...you will acknowledge me.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 27, 2021 11:21:46 GMT -5
Mexican legend Brazo de Plata has passed away.... Don't let the girth fool you, Brazo de Plata, aka Super Porky, was one of the most popular luchadors in Mexico, over a span of 40+ years. He debuted at 14, part of a legendary family that included brothers El Brazo and Brazo de Oro. In his young days he was a muscular masked luchador, like his brothers, and they were massively popular in tag-team and trios matches (6-man tag-team). In 1988, he and his brothers put their masks on the line against the masked brother team of Los Villanos and ended up losing. As per lucha libre rules (which were actually enforced by a legitimate commission, to prevent promoters from swindling fans), they unmasked and revealed their real names. It didn't affect their popularity and they became bigger stars. Plata packed on the pounds, but had a tremendous charisma and was often called the "Mexican Dusty Rhodes." He worked for all three major promotions, in Mexico (EMLL/CMLL, UWA and AAA) and also for the LeBell promotion, in Los Angeles and, briefly, for the WWE, when they started a juniors division, in 2005. He was Jose Alvarado Nieves, son of Shadito Cruz, whose 6 sons all wrestled. 5 of the sons, including Plata, had children who wrestle now.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 3, 2021 23:39:50 GMT -5
Wrestling has lost another legend: Jody Hamilton, aka The Assassin.... Hamilton was from St Joseph Missouri and brother of Larry Hamilton, aka The Mississippi Mauler. He began wrestling in 1956 and became the youngest wrestler to headline Madison Square Garden, teamed with his brother, as they faced the top draw of Antonino Rocca and Miguel Perez. He would go on to team with Tom Renesto, as both the Bolos and The Assassins, throughout the south and elsewhere, including the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Calivornia, British Columbia and Japan. Hamilton also worked as The Flame, in the Pensacola Florida/Alabama territory of Ron Fuller (Southeastern Championship Wrestling, later renamed Continental Championship Wrestling). After back injuries forced him out of the ring, in 1988, he started a wrestling gym/school and his own independent promotion, Deep South Wrestling. The gym eventually became the WCW Power Plant and Hamilton was in charge of training such stars as Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page and Bill Goldberg. He had a further hand in WCW, via his son, Joe Jr, who worked as referee Nick Patrick (he also wrestled a bit, under that name, in Continental and a few other spots). Hamilton had a legendary feud with Mr Wrestling 2, in Georgia, that was a master class in delivering compelling promos that got audiences to rush out and buy tickets to see two masked men go at it... Notice the slow burn. Wrestling 2 is the humble babyface, fighting for virtue and honor. Assassin isn't your normal heel. He doesn't scream and yell; he speaks in a deliberate, intelligent tone of voice, ticking off his points, in a commanding manner. He gets his digs in by sounding superior than his opponent, needling him. 2 comes back at hi and gets a little surly, and Assassin needles him some more. 2 starts getting hot and raises his voice and Assassin chides him for losing control of his emotions. He keeps needling, getting under 2's skin, until he has had enough. Soon they hit the ring and Assassin unveils a set up, as his partner hits the ring and ambushes 2 and they strip him of his mask. Wrestlers come to 2s aid and help hide his face from the camera and drive off the Assassins. then, 2 later comes back and delivers a frightful interview, his face covered in a towel or shirt, with partner Mr Wrestling (Tim Woods). Later, the Assassins have a match and Mr Wrestling 1 & 2 hit the ring and return the favor with their own ambush, eventually stripping Hamilton of his mask, so that his partner had to hide his face. this was leading to the big blowoff match, with the masks on the line. A promo on Dusty Rhodes, in the Florida territory.... Also passing away was Ted Lewin of the Lewin wrestling family. Lewin wrestled with his brothers Donn and Maniac Mark Lewin, as well as brother-in-law, Dangerous Danny McShain. That's Ted, on the right. Lewin and his brothers were big fans and trained and wrestled in their backyard. Their older sister started dating a wrestler, Danny McShain, who encouraged them and helped them break in. She later married McShain, who teamed with the brothers, on occasion. Ted only wrestled to earn his tuition to the Pratt Institute, where he trained for a long career in commercial illustration, specializing in children's book illustration. he later combined the two when he released a memoir, for the YA market, title I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler... The book was good for any age and was filled with stories of Ted and his brothers in their early days, plus paintings and illustrations Ted did of his fellow wrestlers and the life of a traveling pro. Older brother Donn was a decorated Marine and veteran of Guadalcanal, Guam and Iwo Jima and entered wrestling first, after competing in bodybuilding. He wrestled for many years, before retiring to become a noted breeder of exotic fish and alligators. Brother Mark was the real star of the family, headline several territories, particularly Detroit, as the babyface opponent of The Sheik, as well as the top babyface for the very popular World Championship Wrestling promotion, in Australia. Mark was also part of the legendary feud in Florida, in the early 80s, as part of Kevin Sullivan's demonic army, who battled against The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 4, 2021 20:52:48 GMT -5
I was pretty mad last week when Page and the Dark Order lost... it's past time for Page to win the belt, IMO. I'm starting to be concerned that the bookers are going to keep themselves on top too long.
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Post by Calidore on Aug 5, 2021 9:34:16 GMT -5
And another all-timer gone. "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, revered for being one of the greatest workers and nicest guys in the business, has passed away at 62. I've been half expecting this, given his numerous health problems and especially the recent passing of his wife, but still very sad. Jim Cornette is no doubt devastated, but I'm expecting a tribute for the ages from him when he's able.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 5, 2021 11:28:42 GMT -5
Truly sad loss of one of the greatest tag-team wrestlers, of all time. Bobby began wrestling at the age of 14 and was a natural, from the start. He hung out at the matches and was able to get a job, setting up the ring, in the Gulas territory, in Tennessee. After the ring was set up, the ring crew was allowed to roll around in the ring and it soon became apparent that Eaton was destined for greater things, as even veterans would watch him. Veteran Tojo Yamamoto took him under his wing and taught him the basics and tagged with him. Bobby soon became a standout and Gulas put his Mid-American title on him,. Bobby's work was so good that Gulas put him in a tag team with his less-than-talented son, George, as the Jet Set, to make George look good. Bobby did all of the work and George got the finish.
Bobby eventually moved on to the Memphis end of the region and worked in tag-teams with various partners, but most notably with Koko B Ware, then known as Sweet Brown Sygar. They were a heel team, managed by Jimmy Hart and they ran wild across the territory, including matches with the legit brother team of Ricky and Robert Gibson, which I caught a small part of, while visiting relatives.
In 1983, Bill Watts met with Jerry Jarrett about doing a talent swap, to liven up their territories. Watts took Bill Dundee, as his new booker, a young tag-team that had been put together to mimic the success of the Fabulous Ones, known as the Rock N Roll Express. a young manager, Jim Cornette, veteran Dennis Condrey, who had been part of the 3-man Midnight Express, with Randy Rose and Norvell Austin, and Bobby Eaton. Bobby and Dennis were paired as a heel team, using the Midnight Express name and Cornette was made their manager and a legend was born. At first, Eaton & Condrey feuded with Mr Wrestling 2 and Magnum TA, leading to Wrestling 2's heel turn on his partner. Then, they segued into the launch of the greatest tag-team feud in pro wrestling history: The Midnight Express vs the Rock N Roll Express. They tore up rings across the Mid-South territory and brought it back alive in the Crockett territory, just after they had secured national tv, on Superstation WTBS. Week after week, Eaton, Condrey and Cornette riled crowds and secured wins, by hook or by crook. Then, Condrey abruptly quit and Stan Lane, formerly of the Fabulous Ones, was slotted in and the new team clicked and the legend continued.
Cornette eventually tired of fighting with management and was preparing to create his own territory. Lane was going with him; but, Eaton had a young family and decided to stay. he dropped down to mid-card singles and tags, though he had a memorable run with Lord Steven Regal, as The Blue Bloods. Eaton eventually shifted into a trainer role, but he had trouble teaching, as everything came naturally to him and it was hard to communicate how he did it. he eventually opened his own school to train rookies.
Cornette once told a story of the New Freebirds, Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, refusing to sell for them and Steve Dr Death Williams forcing them to do it with repeated hard chair shots. It spilled into the back and was turning into a shoot, when Bobby, the quiet one, yeld at the Freebirds that they weren't there to just get them over. Terry Gordy, who had been backing his friends, realized Hayes & Garvin were in the wrong and said "F-it" and dropped a chair and sat down, and Hayes and Garvin woke up, because Bobby was respected by everyone and if he was yelling at you, you were wrong.
Cornette and others have told stories of Bobby's generosity. He carried around spare gear, sewing kits, toiletries, and necessities and offered them up to guys who forgot something. When they once stopped for beer, in Texas, a wino hit up Bobby and he brought the guy a sack full of groceries, toiletries and some alcohol (which wasn't a favor, but Bobby was a soft touch).
Bobby Eaton is possibly the one man in professional wrestling that no one has ever said a single bad word. That in itself speaks to his character. His father-in-law Bill Dundee had forbid his daughter from dating wrestlers and was furious when he found out she was going out with one. That furor subsided when he found out it was Bobby, saying "He's a good guy."
RIP Beautiful Bobby
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 8, 2021 11:00:25 GMT -5
Jim Cornette celebrates the life of his friend and "client," Beautiful Bobby Eaton....
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