Pro Wrestling discussion topic--WWE, AEW, ROH, Impact, New Japan, indies

Grado is a poor man's Santino Morella. Main differences being Santino could actually work and actually had some funny/entertaining moments. Grado on the other hand is just a one trick pony.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Grado's match with Rockstar Spud earlier this year was actually a good comedy match.  They both kept doing spots of far more famous wrestlers and it was good for a few laughs.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
mykevermin said:
As someone who doesn't watch much EU wrestling or TNA, can someone explain the appeal of Grado to me? I've not seen him wrestle or talk at all, but there are so many people who speak incredibly highly of him.
Click to expand...
For me the appeal of Grado is of course his amazing entrance to Like a Prayer by Madonna and his charisma, he's just a dude who has a lot of personality and is easy to like. I've always thought Grado was solid in the ring as well, he's always reminded me of Colt Cabana. He definitely isn't putting on any MOTY candidates, but he definitely has his place on any wrestling card and is very entertaining.

 
I'll check his stuff out, then. Thanks for all the responses (that video was great, Matt).

Watching NXT, the tag 4-way was outta control. Gable and Gotch's chain wrestling was crisp. Gable is just a beast on the whole, and Jordan/Gable so enjoyable to watch. I could watch any of these guys (less so Mojo Rawley) any day of the week - add in Enzo/Cass and Dash/Dawson and you have a SOLID tag division in NXT.

I'm unsure if it is intentional or not, but with 1 hour of TV every week, it's hard to have deep divisions everywhere. All the recent women moving up really depleted the women's roster in NXT (if you feel bad for Bayley being left behind, imagine what it would look like if she were not there! - even if Asuka/Emma WAS AMAZING at Takeover). So they're rebuilding the women's div, but the tag division is blowing up.

Jordan/Gable are tremendous, and I LOVE how well Dash and Dawson channel AA and Tully. It's like I'm a kid again.

 
NXT tickets came today for 1/30. This'll be the first rasslin' show I've gone to since...I don't know. A LONG time ago. Since Matt Hardy and MVP were feuding on Smackdown.

 
mykevermin said:
I'll check his stuff out, then. Thanks for all the responses (that video was great, Matt).

Watching NXT, the tag 4-way was outta control. Gable and Gotch's chain wrestling was crisp. Gable is just a beast on the whole, and Jordan/Gable so enjoyable to watch. I could watch any of these guys (less so Mojo Rawley) any day of the week - add in Enzo/Cass and Dash/Dawson and you have a SOLID tag division in NXT.

I'm unsure if it is intentional or not, but with 1 hour of TV every week, it's hard to have deep divisions everywhere. All the recent women moving up really depleted the women's roster in NXT (if you feel bad for Bayley being left behind, imagine what it would look like if she were not there! - even if Asuka/Emma WAS AMAZING at Takeover). So they're rebuilding the women's div, but the tag division is blowing up.

Jordan/Gable are tremendous, and I LOVE how well Dash and Dawson channel AA and Tully. It's like I'm a kid again.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was pretty meh on Dash and Dawson until I saw their match last week at Takeover. They can go, but I think my problem isn't with them so much as there are a few other teams I'd rather see with the NXT tag titles than them, namly Enzo/Cass and Jordan/Gable.

 
Purple Flames said:
Yeah I was pretty meh on Dash and Dawson until I saw their match last week at Takeover. They can go, but I think my problem isn't with them so much as there are a few other teams I'd rather see with the NXT tag titles than them, namly Enzo/Cass and Jordan/Gable.
Click to expand...
I Prefer they keep it on Dash and Dawson more for the fact that I don't need to see the tag belts switch at every Takeover event. Especially now that, that team is gaining alot of momentum as a credible heels and Jordan/Gable seem to be getting a push so they'll at least be in the tag belt picture sooner than later.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
These Christmas trees are so good:

cena-hbk_christmas_trees.jpg

 
Enzo and Cass don't need the titles b/c they're over as fuck. Dash and Dawson need to solidify that they're a threat.

Jordan and Gable are getting way hot way quick, but it's too early (and too risky) to put the belts on them right now. Give them 3-4 months at a bar minimum and see if they stay this over.

 
So I'm watching a Raw from mid-2003 because I'm looking for a specific crowd sign (insane much?).

What a disaster. Lingerie match b/w Trish and Marlena (makes appreciating today all the more poignant), Tommy Dreamer's puke bucket, Biker Undertaker, Arn Anderson being urinated on by Stone Cold...

...I mean, Vince Russo is not the genius he thinks he is (not to say I'd dismiss his ideas out of hand), but man, this show is awful. And Russo is loooooong gone at this point.

 
mykevermin said:
So I'm watching a Raw from mid-2003 because I'm looking for a specific crowd sign (insane much?).

What a disaster. Lingerie match b/w Trish and Marlena (makes appreciating today all the more poignant), Tommy Dreamer's puke bucket, Biker Undertaker, Arn Anderson being urinated on by Stone Cold...

...I mean, Vince Russo is not the genius he thinks he is (not to say I'd dismiss his ideas out of hand), but man, this show is awful. And Russo is loooooong gone at this point.
Click to expand...
If you're looking for my epic CAG sign that was on Raw for the entire episode, that was 2004 or 2005. ;)

 
I was originally pissed that Owens got pinned in under a minute, but after seeing what it led to...my god. That was beautiful booking.

I'm now officially more excited about the IC title scene than the world title storyline.

 
Purple Flames said:
I was originally pissed that Owens got pinned in under a minute, but after seeing what it led to...my god. That was beautiful booking.

I'm now officially more excited about the IC title scene than the world title storyline.
Click to expand...
I agree, I loved the whole angle than ran with Owens last night.

Raw was very good last night. I hope they can keep this momentum up and I am definitely looking forward to next week with Vince as the special referee, brings me back to the Attitude Era.

 
I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but Neville losing his mouthguard the *second* he was attacked from behind by Owens added a ton to the segment for me.

Holy fuck that Sin Cara bump to the floor was excruciating to watch.

The Hulu version of Raw cuts out a lot of entrances, which is a bummer w/r/t, say The New Day ("AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW BROOOOOOOOKLAAAAAAAAN!" etc etc. I'll admit I mark hard for that stuff). However it also means I can use the screen preview to start Raw at the very moment the start-off-the-show 20 minute segment ends.

Vince McMahon gets arrested and a Clinton is running for president? Woof. Next thing you know JNCOs will be back in style and Limp Bizkit will announce a new album.

 
mykevermin said:
I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but Neville losing his mouthguard the *second* he was attacked from behind by Owens added a ton to the segment for me.

Holy fuck that Sin Cara bump to the floor was excruciating to watch.

The Hulu version of Raw cuts out a lot of entrances, which is a bummer w/r/t, say The New Day ("AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW BROOOOOOOOKLAAAAAAAAN!" etc etc. I'll admit I mark hard for that stuff). However it also means I can use the screen preview to start Raw at the very moment the start-off-the-show 20 minute segment ends.

Vince McMahon gets arrested and a Clinton is running for president? Woof. Next thing you know JNCOs will be back in style and Limp Bizkit will announce a new album.
Click to expand...
I also noticed Neville's mouthguard being knocked out of his mouth and thought that was a nice touch, intentional or not. Raw in general has gotten a lot better over the last few weeks. McMahon being back on TV definitely helps a lot, but I feel like creative as a whole has stepped up in the last month.

 
Did not watch raw last night, sticking to not watching til Wrestlamania or news feeds show RAW is consistently not a turd again. That said, my god do I love segments where they arrest people! I love reading the stories about all the people calling the NYPD to inquire about if the bit is real or to request they are lenient/harsh on McMahon. It amazes me in this day and age some people still take wrestling that serious.

 
I'm not sure adding Vince back in there helps or not - since he seems to be pining for Austin/McMahon 2 (or is it #15, since evil-boss and oppressed but rebellious babyface has even dead horses saying "yo, enough is enough already!") with Roman Reigns, he's combining someone I'm not interested in watching with a storyline I've seen a million times before.

Praise be to Hulu, I don't have to pay attention to that, and can watch what I want.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
mykevermin said:
I'm not sure adding Vince back in there helps or not - since he seems to be pining for Austin/McMahon 2 (or is it #15, since evil-boss and oppressed but rebellious babyface has even dead horses saying "yo, enough is enough already!") with Roman Reigns, he's combining someone I'm not interested in watching with a storyline I've seen a million times before.

Praise be to Hulu, I don't have to pay attention to that, and can watch what I want.
Click to expand...
I was trying not to be a downer since I am sour on the product and it seems the rest of Y'all just starting to get that taste out of your mouth. But I 100% agree. I have been tempted to watch this weeks RAW because so many people since Reigns won the belt have been acting like the product is making a turn around. Since I am not watching I cant fairly judge....but I can say the recaps I am reading sound like recaps of not just McMahon/Austin but just the endless shitty authority vs the same few top baby faces for last 10 years. We have had Vince, HHH, Steph, Bischoff and Vicki as power heels representing the McMahons families interests for the better part of....well my adult life. Honestly most title runs that did not involve someone from that group in some way felt like stop overs I can hardly even recall. The Authority/McMahons have likely been a more constant driver of who is in the main story/title picture then even John Cena and thats saying something.

 
Actually I would love to see a pie chart showing what percent of the time John Cena or someone representing the Authority/Vicki were not the main story line the WWE had running/holding the belt. I would not be suprised if over the last 10-15 years it represented over half that pie. Mmmm wrestling pie

 
If nothing else, they've managed to succeed in getting Roman Reigns over as a babyface.

I don't care for Reigns and I'm tired of re-hashed storylines (esp when they make so little sense, like company leaders hell bent on putting their company out of business). But if it works, it works. I accept the fact that my not being into it ≠ a bad idea for them to run with.

WWE is making money, so I'm by no means playing that "let me fantasy book and if you followed my ideas, we'd all be bajillionaires!" approach.

Just not my cuppa tea right now. I like Game of Thrones, but I'm sure there are some storyline elements I dislike (e.g., Sansa is such a fucking jobber that if she ever decides to retaliate for being abused for the entire series, it won't be believable).

 
Everyone is missing the bigger thing from that whole segment last night. I honestly am surprised that the whole "You are only 1 generation away from having a bone in your nose" comment has not caused a huge uproar about "racial insensitivity" yet.

 
Sheamus is the worst. I understand their main event scene is a little lacking on big name, credible guys, but damn get sheamus the fuck out of there.

Can we start making predictions about royal rumble returns yet? Obviously Kurt Angle is a lock at this point to show up and then run a feud with Brock until WM.
 
Rigor Mortis said:
Everyone is missing the bigger thing from that whole segment last night. I honestly am surprised that the whole "You are only 1 generation away from having a bone in your nose" comment has not caused a huge uproar about "racial insensitivity" yet.
Click to expand...
Was that not a huge huge part of last years wrestlemania build up? I recall Heyman saying crap like that over and over. I would have swore he told a long boring tale about Reigns growing up on the islands and how they went and knocked people out for fun.

Realistically I imagine that the number of stuffy liberals(and I say that as an ultra liberal)watching RAW to complain are limited enough that most racist comments go unnoticed. To your average person or even average liberal I would say they probably are not reacting because from a company that in the year 2015 has yet to allow a black man other then the Rock to headline/be champ there are bigger issues.

 
ProfessorStotch said:
Sheamus is the worst. I understand their main event scene is a little lacking on big name, credible guys, but damn get sheamus the fuck out of there.

Can we start making predictions about royal rumble returns yet? Obviously Kurt Angle is a lock at this point to show up and then run a feud with Brock until WM.
Click to expand...
Have they done any cross promotions with the Ninja turtles yet? When Sheamus won money in the bank and especially when they put the belt on him I was wondering if it was done to line up with that movie.

Edit - They could have Star Dust and the Ascension take on the turtles!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Speaking of racists, did anyone else happen to see Hogan's tweet about how much he loves ADR? I'm expecting it to slowly build to how the New Day is his favorite group I'm WWE history or something.
 
This ultraliberal didn't watch the opening segment on Monday, so I didn't hear it.

Depending on context, there could be enough plausibility where they could easily say "oh, we just meant Umanga, silly PC jerks!" (™ William Regal).

Then again, WWE's history of race treatment hasn't been great. Let's not forget that New Day, as amazing as they are now, were originally supposed to be some kind of non-comedic black revival church gimmick. Thank god those dudes ran with that gimmick and killed it.

 
Another topic altogether: any of you watch Breaking Ground? It's a really, really good show that brings you behind the scenes. Even if it's still a semi-work (but far more than any of us have ever been backstage), it's absolutely fascinating. Sami Zayn rehab, dudes coming into NXT, dudes leaving NXT, HHH talking to Bayley and Sasha about booking decisions, and so on. I love that it humanizes so many of these people.

And, fascinatingly enough, it has made Tino Sabbatelli into a major heel for me. Maybe it's my proximity to New Jersey? (I don't live there, but spend *plenty* of time there.) Sabbatelli is the epitome of New Jersey fuckin' well financed bro-dude idiocy. Probably some rich kid athlete from the weel-heeled mansions of Voorhees, who can only describe a tailored suit as "gangster" fifteen times over? GTFO with that shit. If you want to be classy, learn the goddamned English language.

;)

 
mykevermin said:
Another topic altogether: any of you watch Breaking Ground? It's a really, really good show that brings you behind the scenes. Even if it's still a semi-work (but far more than any of us have ever been backstage), it's absolutely fascinating. Sami Zayn rehab, dudes coming into NXT, dudes leaving NXT, HHH talking to Bayley and Sasha about booking decisions, and so on. I love that it humanizes so many of these people.

And, fascinatingly enough, it has made Tino Sabbatelli into a major heel for me. Maybe it's my proximity to New Jersey? (I don't live there, but spend *plenty* of time there.) Sabbatelli is the epitome of New Jersey fuckin' well financed bro-dude idiocy. Probably some rich kid athlete from the weel-heeled mansions of Voorhees, who can only describe a tailored suit as "gangster" fifteen times over? GTFO with that shit. If you want to be classy, learn the goddamned English language.

;)
Click to expand...
Breaking Ground has been excellent. Really well done all around and oddly enough it's made me like Baron Corbin a lot more. I agree with your opinion of Tino as well, that guy has the potential to be a huge heel for the WWE.

 
I can agree that it's made Corbin much more likeable, but I also think he's still working the cameras too hard on the show with his "I'm such a jerk" schtick. 

That's what I meant when I said the show is still a semi-work.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
mykevermin said:
This ultraliberal didn't watch the opening segment on Monday, so I didn't hear it.

Depending on context, there could be enough plausibility where they could easily say "oh, we just meant Umanga, silly PC jerks!" (™ William Regal).

Then again, WWE's history of race treatment hasn't been great. Let's not forget that New Day, as amazing as they are now, were originally supposed to be some kind of non-comedic black revival church gimmick. Thank god those dudes ran with that gimmick and killed it.
Click to expand...
I almost used The New Day as an example instead of the lack of a black champ. I mean it says just as much that in 2015 their idea was to just toss the three black guys together, toss some bad gospel music and have them act stereotypical over the top. You have to give it up for the new day though for making the most out of the lemons they were given.

And with Corbin I cant help but instantly just think of Corey from Slipknot/Stone Sour smacking him in the face. Its just kind of burnt into my mind and I dont even know why. Funny though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqYFzR_XfAA

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Serious question: Is Corey Taylor or Slipknot relevant in 2015? Or is WWE 5 years behind the cultural curve still?

Corbin does have good taste in music otherwise, though. Y'all should check Amigo the Devil if you haven't.

 
mykevermin said:
Serious question: Is Corey Taylor or Slipknot relevant in 2015? Or is WWE 5 years behind the cultural curve still?

Corbin does have good taste in music otherwise, though. Y'all should check Amigo the Devil if you haven't.
Click to expand...
I do not think that Slipknot has had many hits recently and are not that relevant. Stone Sour Corey's other band id say has been more popular over the last decade. I know you hate a lot of their stuff but fuck I would rather have hard rock with a decent vocalist then non stop screaming for screaming sake that most metal heads worship. Not to mention its hard to deny a few of Stone Sours songs which are beautiful and resonated with many people.

Honestly his most recent hit is a Christmas song by himself. As someone who hates the shit out of Christmas I love that one too, if I aint drunk it aint Christmas!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od7GUy9XS7c

 
mykevermin said:
Serious question: Is Corey Taylor or Slipknot relevant in 2015? Or is WWE 5 years behind the cultural curve still?

Corbin does have good taste in music otherwise, though. Y'all should check Amigo the Devil if you haven't.
Click to expand...
Slipknot put out an album this year or last year, but they seem far and few between with Stone Sour being more productive. Slipknot is not the name they were when they first came out, and Stone Sour will have an occasional radio hit.

Relevant? Not really. But there are some out there who follow their stuff still. I think Taylor is one of the better vocalists, but the music is more miss than hits with me.
 
MSI Magus said:
BTW Mike you go on the 311 cruise yet? My wife and I were really jelous when I read that awhile back.
Click to expand...
Haha, did I actually mention that creepo bartender in Brooklyn from a year or two back who was AAAAAAAMPED as fuck to be going on that cruise?

So Taylor isn't totally irrelevant, then, got it. Thanks for the input. It's perhaps an easy way to get some quality TMZ time for WWE.

 
Slipknot and Corey Taylor aren't very relevant in 2015, but Corey is a huge wrestling fan and did some stuff for the WWE Network by being a part of The List and possibly did some segments for some of the other clip shows they have on the Network. I imagine he was stoked to be involved in the show.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top