Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread **Spoilers Possible**

[JonInMiddleGA]

Y'know, if you had told me back in 1999 when a young wrestler named K-Krush that won the new NWA-Wildside TV Title would someday feel like a surefire WWE Hall of Famer .... I probably would have suggested you find a good rehab program.

Fast forward 25 years and the absolute delight of a character that R-Truth has become is just amazing.

[JonInMiddleGA]

It appears that NJPW's Alex Coughlin has been forced to retire.

Rumors point to a medical issue, possibly neck injury/condition.

This seems to be what David Finlay referenced the other day about losing one of his War Dogs, though there had been no word about it from Coughlin until a Tweet on Saturday. I do hope that Finlay's reference didn't force Coughlin to reveal it sooner than he was ready for.

If this is as it appears, a damned shame.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Y'know, if you had told me back in 1999 when a young wrestler named K-Krush that won the new NWA-Wildside TV Title would someday feel like a surefire WWE Hall of Famer .... I probably would have suggested you find a good rehab program.

Fast forward 25 years and the absolute delight of a character that R-Truth has become is just amazing.

What's crazy is he looks like he has barely aged. Insane that he is 52!

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

What's crazy is he looks like he has barely aged. Insane that he is 52!

I thought this was about Pumpy for half a second

[Mota]

Ugh, just realized that the Monday after Wrestlemania also happens to be the day of the eclipse. I am driving back from Philadelphia to Toronto that day. Which is essentially going to be impossible, since Niagara Falls has declared a state of emergency, and are expecting to get approximately 1 million visitors that day. I looked up hotels on the way, and Buffalo hotels are going for $800+ USD. That's insane. So it looks like we'll be staying in a hotel at Mansfield, PA, which is as close as I can get on the way to the border before hitting the maniacal pricing. Ah well. What are the odds.

[RainMaker]

Edge seems to be doing good work in AEW but I find the whole thing kind of sad. He's holding a midcard title fighting Zack Ryder on their B or C show for an audience of like 400k people. I'm sure he's being paid incredibly well but have to wonder if he regrets not taking less to stay in WWE where he could probably still do some interesting stuff. Especially now that HHH is booking it all.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Edge seems to be doing good work in AEW but I find the whole thing kind of sad. He's holding a midcard title fighting Zack Ryder on their B or C show for an audience of like 400k people. I'm sure he's being paid incredibly well but have to wonder if he regrets not taking less to stay in WWE where he could probably still do some interesting stuff. Especially now that HHH is booking it all.

I don't get any sense of regret from him. He's just winding down wrestling pals and the occasional random, I think that's probably all he cared to be doing at this point.

[RainMaker]

I don't really get the booking of Jay White. Not sure if he should be in the main event or anything, but getting absolutely beaten to a pulp from a 60 year old man last night isn't the best look. I like Billy Gunn too but come on.

[SirFozzie]

There's an Indy wrestling event tonight to honor one of the pioneers of the Internet Wrestling Community, Dean Rasmussen (of deathvalleydriver.com, a board I hang out at).. it's good stuff.

[PilotMan]

Do we think WM will be worth the full watch this year? Is it worth 2 days?

[molson]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Do we think WM will be worth the full watch this year? Is it worth 2 days?

I haven't kept with it as much as I wanted to, but people seem really, really excited about it. Greatest build in years, hot main event angles, loaded card.

I don't know if I can find 8 hours this weekend to get through it, but, I'll start it and probably take a few days to get through it all.

[RainMaker]

Good for Mark Briscoe. That was a great moment.

[RainMaker]

Pretty good first night. Sami-Gunther was phenomenal. Thought the main event was great too. The only disappointment was the Uso match which didn't seem to click.

[miami_fan]

The Usos match reminded me of the Williams sisters finals in tennis. I would like to say it was good acting but it just looked uncomfortable.

[Toddzilla]

I think if you cut every match down by 30% you've got yourself an all-time great show last night.

[Toddzilla]

now THAT'S more like it

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

now THAT'S more like it

I thought about your earlier post at the end of the show. I have to go back and watch it again but everything up to Cody taking the mic and asking Triple H and Bruce Prichard to come out to the ring was brilliant. I thought it was the perfect sign off moment. The rest felt like something that would have been better for the behind the scenes or extras menu of a DVD.

[RainMaker]

I thought it was a really good show. Usually not a fan of tons of run-ins and stuff in big matches, but they did this real well. The pop for the Undertaker was crazy.

[Toddzilla]

If instead of Taker's bell we got broken glass, that stadium would have exploded

[RainMaker]

I think I saw someone report that Austin was supposed to be there but his wife got sick and he couldn't make it.


Regardless, that pop was pretty monumental too for Undertaker.

THE UNDERTAKER IS HERE#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/qAQBQgIXFu

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 8, 2024

[Mota]

Well, just got back from Philly today. It was a long weekend.

Cool thing that happened, is that we basically bumped into The Rock on the way back from the WWE World show. He was staying at the hotel (Ritz-Carlton) beside ours, and was going to the Wolf gym across the street, right off Broad St. The bodyguard (2 of them) essentially body checked my son out of the way. The Rock was pretty inconspicuous, with a hoodie pulled up. No one else had any idea it was him.

My son ended up coming back a few minutes later to see if he could get a pic during the exit, but Dwayne actually went out through the back door, a few people leaving the gym confirmed that he had already left.

Night 1 was pretty good. The Sami Zayn / Gunther match was incredible. The main event was much, much too long. I think they said there were 22 minutes of intros and several minutes even after the bell rung before there was any action at all. But it was well received overall. The first real Rock match since 2013 was a special treat. Every crowd enjoys booing him at first, but he's so good at what he does, that it's hard to keep booing.

Night 2 was much better. MITB cash-in was crazy over. The crowd went nuts. You might hear the chants "turn the light off" or "we can't see" in the first third of the show, there were some production lights around the top that were pointed right at the stands, and it was quite blinding. The crowd was getting so pissed off that they eventually started chanting "Chris Benoit" and "Vince McMahon". The huge pop that happened just as LA Knight was about to win was because the lights were finally turned off. Unbelievable response to the main event for this one. It was another long match, but all the interference actually played off well with the live crowd. I think the pop when Cody won is the loudest pop I have ever heard at a wrestling show. I turned around to my son after the show was over and just said "Not bad, but not that much happened". LOL. It was certainly an important weekend in terms of storylines for the company, and almost all the major championships changing hands.

I wasn't really too excited about going, it was really for my son, but the storytelling has definitely improved over the VKM time. I'm going to keep watching.

Also, drivers in Philly like to honk their horns. A LOT. Our hotel was right off Broad St. and it continued until about 3am every night! Why so horny?

Update #2: And it was cold. So cold. It wasn't just the temperature, it was crazy windy up in the nosebleeds. I was wearing my winter jacket. I'm fron Northern Ontario, and I don't get cold. But I was shivering like crazy by the end of the show.

[SirFozzie]

RIP Akebono Taro, the former sumo Yukozuna (as Akebono) a who had a Wrestlemania Sumo match against the Big Show, as well as a lackluster MMA career.

[dubb93]

Between Ospreay responding to Triple H’s WM presser about not wanting guys who don’t want to grind early in their careers and releasingthe backstage brawl footage and it being pretty much exactly as CM Punk describes I am really worried about the state of AEW today.

[Mota]

Yeah, WWE is poking at them a lot right now, but AEW is responding to everything. WWE is hot, so people believe them. CM Punk was super over at Wrestlemania, they obviously did not see the Punk that AEW fans watched the last 2 years. So that video is just going to reinforce their preconceived notions, nobody ever changes their mind on the internet.

Best thing for AEW to do is to stay away from anything WWE related, and try to create their own viral moments.

Add-on comment: I've actually seen fans say "Yeah, he just choked him a bit", like it wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry, I don't physically assault my co-workers when we disagree on things.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Mota

Add-on comment: I've actually seen fans say "Yeah, he just choked him a bit", like it wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry, I don't physically assault my co-workers when we disagree on things.

Punk actually said that so they are just repeating it, but there is more to that than you are saying. I assume you probably don’t work in something like wrestling and I also assume that no one at your work is/was/has publicly disrespected you on TV no less. And if they did I assume that management would probably intervene but let’s assume they didn’t. I guessing when you confronted them they probably wouldn’t challenge you to a fight in front of all your coworkers.

I mean there is a lot more here than attacking your coworker over a disagreement.

[RainMaker]

I just don't get what they gain from this. No one really disputes that they fired Punk or had some cause for it. And I'm guessing most casual wrestling fans don't care or don't know what the fuck they're talking about on the show.

So you showed a security cam video of a scuffle backstage? What's the point? Maybe they get a slight ratings bump for that show but I don't see how it helps them moving forward. The company feels more like WCW every day.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

And I'm guessing most casual wrestling fans don't care or don't know what the fuck they're talking about on the show.

Are there really any casuals watching AEW at this point?

[molson]

The funniest thing is remembering Tony Khan's comment that he feared for his life.

[RainMaker]

I was expecting more considering all the talk around it. Seems like a scuffle backstage which I imagine happens a lot in the wrestling business.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by molson

The funniest thing is remembering Tony Khan's comment that he feared for his life.

Fearing for his life may have been a stretch, but I doubt Tony's ever had anyone come at him like that before. And who knows what Punk says to him in that moment. He points and lunges at him and clearly says something while doing it. But at the end of the day, you've got Jerry Lynn and Chris Hero right there, so any potential violence gets broken up pretty quickly.

It seems like the real winner in terms of showing the video may have been Jack Perry, whose Scapegoat shirt immediately sold out after the video and who was, by all accounts, massively over last night at the NJPW show in Chicago - and really leaned into all things Punk at that.

Also, it's a shame for Punk that his UFC opponents didn't have long hair that he could grab onto to get them into a front headlock position.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

Also, it's a shame for Punk that his UFC opponents didn't have long hair that he could grab onto to get them into a front headlock position.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

Fearing for his life may have been a stretch, but I doubt Tony's ever had anyone come at him like that before. And who knows what Punk says to him in that moment.

Literally everything else Punk has said about it seems to check out based on the video (unlike Kahn who among other things claims he was almost killed by a falling light) so I would tend to believe that what was said was, “This place is a fucking joke man. You are a clown. I quit.”

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Literally everything else Punk has said about it seems to check out based on the video (unlike Kahn who among other things claims he was almost killed by a falling light) so I would tend to believe that what was said was, “This place is a fucking joke man. You are a clown. I quit.”

"I didn't punch anybody." Technically true I suppose; he swung and missed.

"[Samoa Joe] told me to stop, and I quit." It looked more like Jerry Lynn and Chris Hero pulled him off, and then he lunged at Tony. But Samoa Joe was there and probably told him to stop.

"I turned to Tony and said... I quit" Again, more like turned and lunged towards him while Lynn and Hero were holding him back.

Punk also presented himself as calm and the voice of reason in the situation ("I thought I was doing a responsible thing") while he's clearly anything but in the video. The Chael Sonnen reference is also entirely inapplicable. I don't think anyone would question Wand was clearly the aggressor in that situation and Sonnen was defending himself. By quoting Sonnen, Punk suggests that he made physical contact first to defend himself, and omits the fact that he waited until Perry was putting his hair up in a bun to attack. He also conveniently omits grabbing Perry by the hair to be in a position to "choke [him] a little bit."

But yes, apart from these half-truths and omissions, pretty much happened as he said.

[RainMaker]

Didn't realize Tama Tonga went to WWE.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Didn't realize Tama Tonga went to WWE.

Yeah, showed up last week. And looked awfully bad, landed some moves that he was afraid of being too stiff, resulting in looking like his stuff wouldn't break an egg.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

"I didn't punch anybody." Technically true I suppose; he swung and missed.

"[Samoa Joe] told me to stop, and I quit." It looked more like Jerry Lynn and Chris Hero pulled him off, and then he lunged at Tony. But Samoa Joe was there and probably told him to stop.

"I turned to Tony and said... I quit" Again, more like turned and lunged towards him while Lynn and Hero were holding him back.

Punk also presented himself as calm and the voice of reason in the situation ("I thought I was doing a responsible thing") while he's clearly anything but in the video. The Chael Sonnen reference is also entirely inapplicable. I don't think anyone would question Wand was clearly the aggressor in that situation and Sonnen was defending himself. By quoting Sonnen, Punk suggests that he made physical contact first to defend himself, and omits the fact that he waited until Perry was putting his hair up in a bun to attack. He also conveniently omits grabbing Perry by the hair to be in a position to "choke [him] a little bit."

But yes, apart from these half-truths and omissions, pretty much happened as he said.

What in the world did you watch?

Punk did push him before he snatched him yes. No punch though.

Pulled off by Lynn and Hero? He let go before either touched him. The only guy there at that point was Joe. They grabbed him as soon as he let go.

Why does he need to include additional facts to be taken seriously? Leaving details out doesn’t diminish the facts.

Lunge at Tony? Lol? He was shoved over there by the two goons you mentioned after he let go.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by dubb93

What in the world did you watch?

Punk did push him before he snatched him yes. No punch though.

Pulled off by Lynn and Hero? He let go before either touched him. The only guy there at that point was Joe. They grabbed him as soon as he let go.

Why does he need to include additional facts to be taken seriously? Leaving details out doesn’t diminish the facts.

Lunge at Tony? Lol? He was shoved over there by the two goons you mentioned after he let go.

Ace Steel burner?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

Ace Steel burner?

I can't lie, I was starting to wonder roughly the same thing.

[dubb93]

Sure, give me access to his credit card and I can pretend to be Ace Steel.

[Mota]

It was dumb to show that footage on Dynamite. I saw a funny comment on Reddit about it, somebody said that wasn't too bad, just the week before, someone else attacked a guy in the dressing room, bloodied him up, and then got a title match because of it.

But post-Wrestlemania, I watched about 25% of Raw and Smackdown, fast forwarding past the 5 minute intros, and even the interviews would have 1-2 minutes of nothing before they actually started talking. You could watch Raw on 2x speed and it would feel normal, because they do everything SO SLOW.
It'll be interesting to see how the crowds react to the shows in the next couple of months, because they spent about 80% of their TV time building up matches with Cody, Seth, Roman, Rock. And 3 of those guys are gone for several months at least.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Yeah, showed up last week. And looked awfully bad, landed some moves that he was afraid of being too stiff, resulting in looking like his stuff wouldn't break an egg.

Maybe that's why they had his beatdown of Kevin Owens happen off camera this week. Have to say that he looks like a million bucks. Kind of a psycho assassin vibe.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Mota

It was dumb to show that footage on Dynamite. I saw a funny comment on Reddit about it, somebody said that wasn't too bad, just the week before, someone else attacked a guy in the dressing room, bloodied him up, and then got a title match because of it.

But post-Wrestlemania, I watched about 25% of Raw and Smackdown, fast forwarding past the 5 minute intros, and even the interviews would have 1-2 minutes of nothing before they actually started talking. You could watch Raw on 2x speed and it would feel normal, because they do everything SO SLOW.
It'll be interesting to see how the crowds react to the shows in the next couple of months, because they spent about 80% of their TV time building up matches with Cody, Seth, Roman, Rock. And 3 of those guys are gone for several months at least.

I can’t even imagine going to RAW or Smackdown with the new format. It feels like half the show or more is happening backstage or pre-taped and the screen on the entrance ramp is so small they had to bring our TVs so the crowd see that Cody video package the RAW after WM. So unless you are sitting high enough to see the in arena video board well or are facing the ramp I don’t know how you could even follow that stuff well in the arena.

The new format might play good on TV but I can’t see it playing well live.

And yes the quality of the show has already fallen dramatically post WM IMO. It’s close to where it was 3-4 months ago where it was practically unwatchable. It’s hard to make WWE work when they are missing all their star power.

[Toddzilla]

ANY wrestling show that begins with a 20 minute talking segment, goes to commercial, and when they come back they *recap the goddamned talking segment we just sat through* needs to be fired into the sun.

to be fair, I've seen this in WWE, AEW, and TNA (sorta) and it all sucks.

[Mota]

As much as Wrestlemania was a must-watch spectacle, AEW Dynasty was must watch wrestling.

I'm thinking of getting tickets for the NXT show in Toronto, it is rumored that Giulia is making her debut at that show, and immediately challenging for a title. She's quite good. You have to be good to succeed in Joshi, there's a lot of competition, and they get a lot of matches to improve.

[Flasch186]

There’s definitely some wwe experimentation in style if filming as well and I’m not sure I like it. I’m sure they’re working towards getting it right but it’s tough to digest. I guess they’re getting ready for Netflix 4k capabilities.

And miz has no beat or rhythm.

[dubb93]

I don’t understand why AEW can’t get streaming deal for PPV’s like WWE. $600 a year to watch the stories play out is a nonstarter when Peacock is $60 if you buy it each year on Black Friday.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

There’s definitely some wwe experimentation in style if filming as well and I’m not sure I like it. I’m sure they’re working towards getting it right but it’s tough to digest. I guess they’re getting ready for Netflix 4k capabilities.

And miz has no beat or rhythm.

I noticed they're not using the shaky cam nearly as much as they were before. Someone told the cameramen that during moments of excitement, the cameras should be jerking around like crazy. It made my stomach churny.

[Toddzilla]

The NFL putting out a release regarding Tony Khan getting a Meltzerdriver is peak 2024.

If TK doesn't have at least a neck brace on tonight, it will have all been for naught.

[Mota]

He's gotten a lot of coverage because of it.

Honestly, the whole CM Punk thing needs to never be talked about again, but Jack Perry has been gold since his return.

For AEW, the wrestling is top quality, but ever since the MJF / Adam Cole storyline got completely borked because of injury, they haven't given us reasons to watch. This angle has gotten some buzz at least.

And in the WWE, it is still super hot, but almost everybody causing the product to be hot aren't there anymore. Now Dominik is going to be out for months with Tommy John surgery. Not that he was a big star, but they are definitely going to need to elevate some other wrestlers with all the departures.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

The NFL putting out a release regarding Tony Khan getting a Meltzerdriver is peak 2024.

If TK doesn't have at least a neck brace on tonight, it will have all been for naught.

My favorite part of NFL draft night 1 was Pat McAfee yelling about Tony Khan being in a neck brace, another football draft analyst guy saying that Khan wasn't selling the injury well enough, and Bill Belichick sitting there politely laughing and wondering what the hell everyone was talking about.

Also I believe that was the first time in history Bill Belichick was on TV sitting next to someone talking about a Meltzer Driver. What a world.