Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread **Spoilers Possible**

[SirFozzie]

You're missing the Japanese ones, the Fire Pro Series, Giant Gram 2000, VJPW, ietcetera

edit: I have to admit, I sometimes want to add the VWA/Saturdaynight Slam Masters Series to TEW, just so I could have Giant Panther and Mike Haggar take on Scorpion (Saturday Night Slam Masters, not MK) and Starman.

[Toddzilla]

I played the hell out of some Toukon Retsuden 2 back in the day, had to learn how to do the PS1 disc-switch to get it to work.

[miami_fan]

Vince McMahon, WWE founder, resigns amid sex trafficking allegations | CNN Business

Does this mean there are going to have another week of "Thank You Vince" chants?

[Toddzilla]

If people can still defend and support Trump, anything is possible I suppose.

[dubb93]

Cornette’s podcast could be pretty interesting on Monday.

[RainMaker]

The text messages are so bizarre. Like who the hell talks like that and why would you send that stuff in a text that can be saved???

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

The text messages are so bizarre. Like who the hell talks like that and why would you send that stuff in a text that can be saved???

Billionaires aren’t used to the rules applying to them

[RainMaker]

I always wondered if older people don't realize that stuff is forever.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'll be interested to hear -- as we often do these days -- who the road agent for the WWE women's Rumble was.

The finish was well executed and well rehearsed. And was so without looking like it was being played safe.

I didn't love the entire match, if anything it reinforced my belief the 20 entrants for the women is plenty (unless they do a lot of outside talent), but hat tip for the go home sequence.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And hey, we can snap into a Slim Jim

[Mota]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Billionaires aren’t used to the rules applying to them

He grew up in an era where when the wrestlers would get into trouble, sending someone to the police station with a briefcase of cash and merch would get it all cleared up.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'll be interested to hear -- as we often do these days -- who the road agent for the WWE women's Rumble was.

The finish was well executed and well rehearsed. And was so without looking like it was being played safe.

I didn't love the entire match, if anything it reinforced my belief the 20 entrants for the women is plenty (unless they do a lot of outside talent), but hat tip for the go home sequence.

Agreed. They just don't have 30 women that are talented enough for a good Rumble. 20 might be stretching it but would be better.

There is such a massive talent gap between someone like Bayley and your average NXT wrestler.

[SirFozzie]

They have to really pull the trigger or Cody Rhodes will have the stink of failure on him forever.

[RainMaker]

Is it me or is Punk a shell of himself in the ring?

[JonInMiddleGA]

As Rumbles go, that umm ... was one?
At least the finish is acceptable.

Absent any surprises, honestly, felt flat.

[RainMaker]

No real surprise entrants, no memorable spots. Pretty meh.

Owens-Paul was the match of the night.

[Toddzilla]

2 thoughts:

1. Pretty cool that 2 AEW wrestlers closed out the Rumble But seriously, that was first class professional wrestling at the end, just great drama by two great storytellers.

2. Sadly, HHH titanic failure at the post-PLE presser will overshadow the event for ages. Seriously, why even go out there and take questions if that's how badly you're going to handle them? I think HHH would be so much better off had he just skipped out - no colossally embarrassing sound bites that way.

For context, listen to Cody's reply. Handled as well as could possible be expected.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

2 thoughts:

1. Pretty cool that 2 AEW wrestlers closed out the Rumble But seriously, that was first class professional wrestling at the end, just great drama by two great storytellers.

2. Sadly, HHH titanic failure at the post-PLE presser will overshadow the event for ages. Seriously, why even go out there and take questions if that's how badly you're going to handle them? I think HHH would be so much better off had he just skipped out - no colossally embarrassing sound bites that way.

For context, listen to Cody's reply. Handled as well as could possible be expected.

I've noted in the past, Cody's performance there was no surprise. He's quite possibly the best in the world at that sort of thing/situation.

That said though, how much did anybody expect Trips to be able to say? He's an employee not the owner(s). It's a legal situation and I'm sure that the legal department has anyone in any position of authority on a short leash.

While I'm sure empty virtue signalling would have made some folks giddy -- oh hell, let's be real, nothing he said or did was going to make most quarters happy -- it's delusional to believe that it was anything except that: empty words.

Why take away from the performers who came to work & did their jobs, some of them pretty well, to focus on empty phrases?

[Schmidty]

I watched some YouTube and saw what TripleH said. It was lame in a way, but there was nothing else he COULD say. I don’t fault him at all.

[Toddzilla]

HHH saying "I haven't read the lawsuit" does not mean "We are taking this seriously"

again, I'll point to Cody Rhodes who answered the question as close to perfection as possible.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

2. Sadly, HHH titanic failure at the post-PLE presser will overshadow the event for ages. Seriously, why even go out there and take questions if that's how badly you're going to handle them? I think HHH would be so much better off had he just skipped out - no colossally embarrassing sound bites that way.

I know everyone loves HHH these days because he books their favorite wrestlers better than Vince did, but can we just remember that he and his buddy HBK were legitimately awful people for the better part of a few decades?

Maybe the fact that points at people on photos these days doesn't mean he's the good guy.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

I know everyone loves HHH these days because he books their favorite wrestlers better than Vince did, but can we just remember that he and his buddy HBK were legitimately awful people for the better part of a few decades?

Maybe the fact that points at people on photos these days doesn't mean he's the good guy.

Was he a bad person for two decades? Yea he cheated on Chyna and was very protective of his spot but I’ve never read that he was anything like HBK. For starters HHH didn’t have a drug or alcohol problem and thus was always in his right mind. Most of HBKs issues boiled down to his drug and alcohol problem. I’d be interested in hearing stories though.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Was he a bad person for two decades? Yea he cheated on Chyna and was very protective of his spot but I’ve never read that he was anything like HBK. For starters HHH didn’t have a drug or alcohol problem and thus was always in his right mind. Most of HBKs issues boiled down to his drug and alcohol problem. I’d be interested in hearing stories though.

Beyond the politicking, his worst documented move may have been instilling Bill DeMott as the head NXT trainer and allowing for years of a culture of abuse, long after any initial allegations against DeMott emerged.

Also, burying Ryan Nemeth to the locker room when he tried to draw attention to allegations of sexual assault within NXT seems like a pretty shitty thing to do.

[Toddzilla]

if you don't believe HHH and HBK knew *in great detail* what was going on with Vince, I've got a spaceship to sell you

[Mota]

Yeah, when Vince was playing "pass the employee as a sex slave" onto Laurenitis, and he was sending people pics of the employee around the company, you can guarantee that HHH was one of ones getting them and hearing about it.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Is it me or is Punk a shell of himself in the ring?

You can say that about his entire AEW run. He used to be my favorite wrestler, but during his AEW comeback, it was obvious that this wrestler was long gone. Ten years have passed since his WWE run, so it's really not shocking that his physical abilities have severely dropped since then. He wasn't especially athletic even then, so a few steps slower and it becomes very obvious.

He does most of his business with the mic though, so if he does somehow manage to be passionate about what he does, he could still make something decent of himself.

[molson]

Sounds like Brock was scheduled to be in the Rumble and start the build for a Mania match with Gunther, but, that's off. They'll have to find something else for Gunther. It looks like Brock's done, they removed him from some video packages too.

I always enjoy the Rumble, but, we've gone from having 2-3 guys having a chance to win, to now the Mania main events are actually built before the Rumble even happens (Rhodes/Reigns and Punk/Rollins). So a guy can only win if he's already in a storyline with one of the champions. And any Roman non-Mania maych has no drama because his belt could only possibly change hands at Mania.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Mota

Yeah, when Vince was playing "pass the employee as a sex slave" onto Laurenitis, and he was sending people pics of the employee around the company, you can guarantee that HHH was one of ones getting them and hearing about it.

I don’t really have any interest in defending HHH because I got no dog in the fight, but that’s his son in law. I seriously doubt he was running up to him and including him in anything sexual. I’d be more likely to believe that Vince would purposely leave him out of that loop than include him in it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Unconfirmed reports today that Punk may have torn his tricep during the match.

His status is rumored to be addressed on tonight's Raw.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by dubb93

I don’t really have any interest in defending HHH because I got no dog in the fight, but that’s his son in law. I seriously doubt he was running up to him and including him in anything sexual. I’d be more likely to believe that Vince would purposely leave him out of that loop than include him in it.

I think assuming Vince has anything that resembles decency or morality is what got lots of people into this mess in the first place.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

I always enjoy the Rumble, but, we've gone from having 2-3 guys having a chance to win, to now the Mania main events are actually built before the Rumble even happens (Rhodes/Reigns and Punk/Rollins). So a guy can only win if he's already in a storyline with one of the champions.

So the actual number of possible winners has barely changed?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Unconfirmed reports today that Punk may have torn his tricep during the match.

His status is rumored to be addressed on tonight's Raw.

He looks like he hurt something during the match. I think he's still good for wrestling but I think he's had like 3 major injuries in like 10 matches since he came back. He just might not be cut out for this.

[molson]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

So the actual number of possible winners has barely changed?

Yes, but it's somehow even sillier to me when they start the Mania main event build before the contenders even win their spots in those matches.

Of course, unfortunate injuries have a way of throwing a wrench into things.

I get people like that they do more long-term storytelling now, but, I think Mania has actually gotten too important, and makes the rest of the year kind of flat.

[Toddzilla]

"Fragile ego, fragile body, weak mind, weak spirit."

[JonInMiddleGA]

Punk confirms the injury, proceeds to lean as hard into a face promo as anyone since Dusty was a son of a plumber.

[Mota]

I found it hilarious to see some comments online about Punk trying to excuse him because he's been out of the business for the last 10 years, ignoring the fact that he trained for UFC for about 2 years, and was a part of AEW for 2-3 years.

But yeah, the guy should probably do some stretching or yoga, it'll suck for him to rehab for another 4-6 months only to put on a few 2* matches and then get injured again.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Punk confirms the injury, proceeds to lean as hard into a face promo as anyone since Dusty was a son of a plumber.

I don't get him trying to be the white bread babyface. He's so much better as a heel or antihero. Outside of his MJF feud, I've found everything he's done to be boring since coming back.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't get him trying to be the white bread babyface. He's so much better as a heel or antihero. Outside of his MJF feud, I've found everything he's done to be boring since coming back.

All I could figure was that maybe they wanted to push him back into the face camp while he was out so he could do Make-A-Wish appearances or something. Might as well get SOMETHING out of their investment.

[molson]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Punk confirms the injury, proceeds to lean as hard into a face promo as anyone since Dusty was a son of a plumber.

Drew McIntyre was hilarious in that segment.

"I've never been much of a spiritual person, but I want you to know I prayed for this. And it happened".

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

Drew McIntyre was hilarious in that segment.

"I've never been much of a a spiritual person, but I want you to know I prayed for this. And it happened".

Oh it was fantastic, brilliant heel work

[Toddzilla]

It will be criminal negligence if HHH lets Drew get away

[RainMaker]

One thing I like with HHH over Vince is he lets heels be tough. Vince loves chickenshit heels which works for some characters (Miz for instance), but not for big monsters. If Vince was around, he'd have Drew terrified of conflict while HHH has him beating the shit out of everyone and being an asshole about it.

[RainMaker]

Looks like Johnny Ace didn't take long to flip on Vince.

Co-Defendant in Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Says He Was a Victim Too

[Mota]

I guess the whole argument of it all being fabricated goes away when the co-defendant flips like this. Now you have 2 of the 3 people in the room saying that it did happen.

[molson]

Probably not coincidently, Vince is being investigated by federal prosecutors now.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroe...h=3d25f18b74d2

[dubb93]

Looks like we got our answer last night that The Rock will be involved with Roman at WM. The remaining question is what to do with Cody now. If it’s going after the RAW title I hope they find a way to get the title off Seth before then as that is the one match that Cody has already done to death in his two year run. If I’m not wrong I think they have had 3 singles matches at PLEs in the last 2 years. I hear Gunther has nothing to do. Idk what they think about making him a transitional champion, but it’s a much better match IMO than Seth-Cody again.

[Mota]

I think this is going to kill Cody as a main event face. Either that, or the fans will Daniel Bryan him to the Roman match.

Why not do Rock vs Roman on Saturday and Cody vs Roman on Sunday?

As someone who is going to be driving 8.5 hours to get to Philly for the show, I feel like they are going to have to pad it a LOT to make it two nights worth seeing. It's really a one night card.

[dubb93]

I’m clearly in the minority here as far as internet fans go but I like Rock vs Roman. It’s a match that has been talked about since Roman became the head of the table and I’m glad we are finally getting it.

As far as Cody I don’t think anything hurts him at this point. He is basically reliving his father’s career. I don’t even really understand why beating Roman became finishing his story. To me his story is fulfilling his lifelong dream to do what his father never could and win a world championship in WWE. Cody is on the RAW brand. His champion is Seth. To me his story is finished if he beats Seth, but obviously a large segment of the fan base disagrees. At this point the best way to handle it may be to have Cody decisively beat Seth but have Damian cash in before he score the victory. Hard times make hard men.

I also can concede that the end of the Rumble was booked very poorly if you aren’t going to do Roman-Cody, which makes me think there could be more to this story than Cody just giving it up.

As far as filling the show, PLE matches have gotten quite a bit longer lately. A three hour PLE is about 5 matches. We move this to two 4 hour nights you are looking at 6 or 7 matches a night. Just in titles you are up to eight matches plus the Andre battle royal puts you at 9. You only need to find another 3-5 matches at that point.

[Toddzilla]

Let's just say *not at any point did anyone say* Cody wasn't going to face Roman at this year's WrestleMania. I know this is 100% semantics, but the Rock didn't challenge anyone, he just showed up. No one said the Rock was even there to wrestle, so there is still a path for those who feel strongly that Cody can only finish his story one way - beating Roman Reigns in the main even of WrestleMania to win the WWE Championship.

[Toddzilla]

Also, if this has anything to do with CM Punk getting hurt and leaving Rollins with no WM match, is anyone really surprised that Punk showed up an immediately took a gigantic shit all over everything?