Bruno Sammartino's wrestling topic

ROHwrestling.com has sources everywhere. An elf deep inside Santa's operation slipped us the Christmas lists of some of ROH's wrestlers and personalities. Take a look:

Jay Briscoe's Christmas list:
1) An exhaust for my motorcycle
2) A Throwback Jack Tatum Jersey
3) Dogfood
4) Rockband for X-Box 360

Mark Briscoe's Christmas list:
1) Double barrell shotgun
2) Jet-pack
3) A bunch of barbed wire for Age Of The Fall

Kevin Steen's Christmas list:
1) Shaving cream and a razor.
2) Picture of myself.
3) A new cage to keep Generico in.
4) Hangman Three's heads hanging on my living room wall.

El Generico's Christmas list:
*Interpreted through a translator to the best of his abilities, as it was scribbled on a napkin
1) 3lbs ground beef
2) 2 cups Chopped Mushrooms
3) 1 cup diced Jalapeno
5) 20 cups of beating up Hangmen 3

Booker Gabe Sapolsky's Chanukah (or Christmas) list:
1) Iphone
2) Phillies tickets
3) A healthy year for everyone

Referee Paul Turner's Christmas list:
1) New ref shirt
2) Money
3) To be able to referee Chris Hero Matches

Erick Stevens' Christmas List:
1) Hair Gel
2) As I Lay Dying T-Shirt
3) Protein Powder
4) Headphones

Lenny Leonard's Christmas list:
1) Matching ROH blazers for me and Prazak
2) My own microphone
3) Trip to Italy



Chasyn Rance's Chanukah (or Christmas) list:
1) A fully rehabed right ankle
2) 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550
3) 13 tons of Seaweed
4) The Skeleton of an African Rhinoceros

Tank Toland's Christmas list:
1) More weights (I've grown out of the ones I have...AGAIN)
2) A workout session with Arnold Schwartenegger (so I can teach him a thing or two)
3) New workout suits SIZE XXXL (anything else is too tight)
4) A REALLY BIG mirror (to admire my striking features and chiseled physique)
5) New treadmill (Dempsey broke the shocks on my current one)


Human Tornado's Christmas List
1) A New Pimped out Suit
2) Britney Spears
3) Money$$$

Mitch Franklin's Christmas list:
1) A new trophy
2) Boots with 6 inch lifts
3) A Playstation 3

Larry Sweeney's Christmas list:
1 & 2) Tanning bed along with a year's supply of Shrine brand tanning sizzler lotion.
3) Membership in Sunglasses of the Month Club.
4) Mobile video conferencing system.
5) Full-time Thai masseuse.
6) Contract obligating Claudio Castagnoli to a year of indentured servitude

Referee Todd Sinclair's Christmas List:
1) Continued respect for ROH officials
2) Autographed photos of Tim White, Tommy Young, and David Manning
3) Good health to ROH's roster and fans

Nigel McGuinness' Christmas list:
1) New bicep
2) Soup for opponents after lariat (since they can't chew)
3) Cabinet case for ROH belt (for when I get to keep it after record title reign)

We have also uncovered Nigel's shopping list:
1) Clam digging spade for Bryan Danielson
2) "Coherent Promos For Dummies" book for Roderick Strong
3) Propecia for Claudio Castagnoli



We hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you for all your support in 2007 and we look forward to a great 2008!!!
 
 
[quote name='JJSP']Unfortunately, it wasn't Busta wrestling Shelton on ECW. It was, however, CHIKARA's Colin Olsen.[/QUOTE]
I mentioned that on page 15.

Mykevermin, I'm glad you dug Of Birth and Blood, while it's definitely the least technically-sophisticated WCCW documentary yet, I love the use of a parallel narrative to tell the story of the promotion.
 
I just watched the Kobashi/Misawa match from 3/1/03 and was very impressed. I'm posting the links again in case anyone missed them the first time when Zen or someone else (not sure) posted them. I don't think I've ever noticed a Japanese crowd chanting a wrestler's name before but this crowd was going absolutely nuts for Kobashi. Japanese crowds in general also seem to have a much higher percentage of women fans than the US. The vast majority of women fans that do go to US shows aren't exactly...desirable. I also love the fact that the crowd stays seated for almost the entirety of matches. When I was at Bound for Glory I was just about to smack the social retard in front of me who stood up for about 90% of the show.

Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 3/1/2003

part 1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qirBYjvR_Hg&feature=related

part 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zvm26kc8oRw&feature=related

part 3
http://youtube.com/watch?v=89_Wraq7vyM&feature=related

part 4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hjsuC9oo688&feature=related



BTW, myke, I'm enjoying the wrestling version of the electric slide.
 
Despite it being the Insane Clown Posse, I laughed my ass off at that as well.

I tenatively recommend tracking down ICP's Stranglemania for more of the same. It's basically them doing commentary over the 1995 King of the Deathmatch tournament along with a few other things.

EDIT - Before I forget about it, Jay, thanks for uploading "Of Birth and Blood". It was a pretty good watch.
 
[quote name='neocisco']BTW, myke, I'm enjoying the wrestling version of the electric slide.[/QUOTE]

:whistle2:s Whassat?

I noticed the ICP commentary as well. I have the original Stranglemania on VHS, which is brilliant - #2, and the JCW stuff isn't that hot, IMO. The spontaneity of the first was phenomenal, and when you come to expect the approach they bring, it's lost at that point.

A friend has the same Stranglemania video, though, and although the commentary is remarkably similar, it was clearly redone at some point. Prior to a commercial release, perhaps?
 
Judging from the SD spoiler, whoever called that the Major Brothers will be a part of a stable with Edge called it right. Also seems they're getting repackaged with new names.

Oh and
JBL cuts a promo before the main event saying he's moving to Raw to kick Y2J's ass. Tazz then takes over as color commentator, so he's going to be pulling double duty for SD & ECW from now on.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']:whistle2:s Whassat?[/quote]
Your sig. You've seen a bunch of people doing the electric slide at a wedding reception before, yes? Your sig just made me see it as being done by wrestlers. That's the closest description I can come up with.

[quote name='Brak']I hate how ICP injects themselves into the wrestling bidniss.[/quote]
To say they suck is an insult to anyone else that reeks of suckage. I had the misfortune of seeing them live in Nashville at one of the old Wednesday TNA PPV's. About a quarter of the crowd were jugaloos or whatever the crap they're called. They all left right after ICP's "match". The Asylum was extra dirty that night.
 
[quote name='Brak']I hate how ICP injects themselves into the wrestling bidniss.[/quote]

To say they suck is an insult to anyone else that reeks of suckage. I had the misfortune of seeing them live in Nashville at one of the old Wednesday TNA PPV's. About a quarter of the crowd were jugaloos or whatever the crap they're called. They all left right after ICP's "match". The Asylum was extra dirty that night.
 
I see.

Still lookin' for where to buy this shirt:
002.jpg
 
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is now down to EIGHT DOLLARS BRAND-NEW at Amazon, and is available in a bundle at Wal-Mart with Duel Masters and Taito Legends for $19.
 
Austin Aries vs. Shane Hagadorn and Austin/Nigel McGuinness confrontation!

[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiN3WXxluNk[/MEDIA]
 
[quote name='JaytheGamefan']Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is now down to EIGHT DOLLARS BRAND-NEW at Amazon, and is available in a bundle at Wal-Mart with Duel Masters and Taito Legends for $19.[/quote]

That's odd... how is that game for those who already own it?
 
[quote name='ZForce']This is the most Russoriffic TNA Impact in history.[/QUOTE]
Russo is nowhere near that bad.

It was a Very Merry Dutch Mantel Christmas Special.
 
Well, that was a baffling ordeal. The damn show BEGAN with a Christmas Chaos six sides of steel Christmas lights match (with ribbons on the cage), then somehow got more insane with even more confusing match stipulations.

The Ray as Santa segment had some funny moments, but dragged on, the skits weren't as funny as last month's, but did lead to Phi Delta Slam being beaten up by Awesome Kong, the official bathroom monitor of TNA Wrestling.

Impact ending with a video set to "Misleading" was quite possibly the funniest thing on the show, along with Joe making some valid points about how a company can afford to throw a party when they can't pay him more money, also noting that fans want wrestling, and not the party on their TVs during a wrestling show.

This was the most confusing TNA broadcast I've ever seen. Mike Tenay trying to explain Rellik's purpose in the company just left me more confused, and the Santa stuff was just... wow. I guess Santa's a viral marketer for TNA, since DW was just shilling the TNA site (WHICH NOW HAS 100% MORE TNA WRESTLING, IT'S TNA WRESTLING 24/7) and their merchandise being available in stores, which might've worked well had they actually shown any of the merchandise on-screen beyond the foam fingers.

The ladder match was actually quite good, with some incredible spots (like the moonsault-DDT off the ladder) which made me wonder why it wasn't on PPV, and for something more important than a reindeer head. To be fair though, that reindeer head was mentioned more on this show than any TNA title, so it might actually be the most important prop in TNA.

The candy cane double North Pole match was fine. Nothing really sticks out now other than Ray's pre-match jokes, his pants falling down constantly during the match, the horn-headed Little Shelley doing wazzup, and Johnny Devine dressing up like the world's gayest elf.

The street fight was... something. The tree dangling around the ring reminded me of Plan 9's flying saucers, which lead me to view the rest of this show as Plan 9 in a ring, which helped me enjoy the match involving the son of Satan, a gladiator in a Muta mask, a shark, a skeleton-man, and a scarred retard.

The opener was decent, but I felt bad for Rave, who took a cracker jack into the cage... which was surrounded by Christmas lights and had ribbons on it, and Homicide took a press slam back-first into the cage, in a match that meant nothing.

The knockouts match was okay, but I found it impossible to take the post-match angle seriously due to all the fucking toys in the ring, and the same goes with Joe getting all serious and angry. These things might've actually worked well on a regular show, but with all the Christmas decor, it became impossible to do that.

The Thanksgiving show worked because it never took itself seriously, this show did, and far, far too often given how absurd the show's storylines are and the whole Christmas theme of it. It's a shame that a show with two good matches was bogged down by so much bullshit.

Quotes (many, many, many quotes) -
Ad guy - Christmas, a time of joy and laughter. A day to celebrate family. CHRISTMAS IN TNA IS JUST ANOTHER EXCUSE TO KICK ASS! SHUT THE HELL UP, SANTA! TONIGHT ON IMPACT, A DOUBLE NORTH POLE MATCH, A NOCKOUTS STREET FIGHT, AND KAZ FACES AJ STYLES IN A REINDEER LADDER MATCH!
(as a Bushwacker and Phi Delta Slam are behind him)JB - This isn’t an office party, IT’S A TNA CHRISTMAS PARTY!
Tenay - Tonight, we’ve got SIX SIDES OF STEEL IN A CHRISTMAS CHAOS CAGE MATCH SURROUNDED BY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!
Tenay - Santa’s workshop street fight - A MATCH WHERE TOYS CAN AND WILL BE USED AS WEAPONS!
(as Hoyt and Hemme make out on the ramp)Tenay - NO MISTLETOE REQUIRED, GET A GARDEN HOSE FOR THESE TWO!
Tenay - Behind SANTA’S BEARD IS THE COWBOY JAMES STORM! WITH HIS CHRISTMAS SPIRITS, IT’S CHRISTMAS 365 DAYS A YEAR!
Tenay - LATIN AMERICAN XCHANGE, YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR PS AND QS, BECAUSE TNA MANAGEMENTS JIM CORNETTE IS WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE!
Tenay - WE’RE GONNA TAKE A COMMERCIAL BREAK, WHEN WE COME BACK, MORE OF CHRISTMAS CHAOS IN THE SIX SIDES OF STEEL!
Tenay - Six man tag Christmas light cage match - IT’S OUR OPENER THIS WEEK!
EY (as Phi Delta Slam slobbers on the couch)- Do you want to service the guests?
ODB - What do I look like, a slut?
DW - Brother Ray makes Santa Claus look skinny!
DW - We’ve got a double north pole match, AND IT HAS STIPULATIONS! On one pole, it’s an ultimate X match, on the other, a plate glass tables match.
DW - STOP TOSSING THE LITTLE GUYS AROUND, BROTHER RAY!
(Little Shelley whispers in his ear)Ray - Wow, you want a new computer, so you can get behind your keyboard and put yourself over to the 38 people who look at your myspace account! HO, HO, HO !(Ray tosses him off lap)
(Little Machismo whispers in his ear)Ray - You want to spend a night with So Cal Val? Here’s $5, be sure to give me back my change.
Tenay - OH BLACK MACHISMO JAY LETHAL WON’T LIKE THAT!
Sabin - Since Spike TV is paying for this, let’s put up the giant candy canes and have the Double North Pole match RIGHT NOW! … provided Team 3D doesn’t eat them first.
Tenay - YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, THE DOUBLE NORTH POLE MATCH IS NEXT WHEN WE COME BACK FROM COMMERCIAL!
Tenay - On top of the candy canes are two stockings, and attached to those stockings is a ticket - one is for an ultimate X match, the other is for a plate-glass table match!
(Ray superplexes Shelley)Ray - HO, HO, HO! (does big Santa belly laugh)
Tenay - Ray’s Santa suit is falling down with every move!
Tenay - COMMERCIAL BREAK UPCOMING, WHEN WE COME BACK, MORE OF THE DOUBLE NORTH POLE MATCH!
Tenay - THIS SIX-MAN TAG DOUBLE NORTH POLE MATCH HAS SPILLED OUT TO THE FLOOR!
(Little Shelley hits wazzup)DW - LITTLE ALEX SHELLEY HITS IT!
Tenay - RIGHT THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS, WITH THE HORNS!
Tenay - JAY LETHAL, THE X DIVISION CHAMPION WITHOUT A BELT, IS GOING UP FOR THE ELBOW!
DW - CAN SHELLEY MAKE IT AN ULTIMATE X MATCH! YES HE DOES (Shelley kisses Santa doll on pole)
(to Kong, the bathroom monitor)Phi Delta Slam - WE GOTS TA YUSE DA LITTLE BOYS ROOM! WE GOTTA PEE! (Kong beats them up)
(to Nash) EY - You wanna service my girls?
Nash - Really?
EY - Yeah, 2-on-1, 3-on-1.
Nash - Yeah, okay. Is plastic okay?
EY - No, WE’RE IN HOLIDAY LAND, YOUR MONEY’S NO GOOD HERE!
EY - Can I service you, Kurt?
Kurt - What are you, a cupcake?
EY - I LOVE CUPCAKES!
Kurt - Can we have a talk, privately?
EY - Sure! Is it about Santa?!
Kurt - I want you to know that Santa doesn’t exist!
EY - YOU’VE GOT SUCH A SENSE OF HUMOR!
Kurt - Santa’s like a cartoon character, like Spider-Man and Shrek.
EY - Santa Claus is Shrek?! SPIDER-MAN’S IN ON IT TOO, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID!?
Kurt - Where’s the booze?
Karen - Where’s the booze, because I need a drink!
Penzer - The following is a 9-woman Santa’s workshop knockouts street fight!
DW - Okay, so Shrek’s Santa, Santa’s Shrek, and Spider-Man uses his web to deliver the presents?
Tenay - STILL TO COME ON THIS HOLIDAY-INSPIRED IMPACT, IT’LL BE A SILENT, BLOODY NIGHT MATCH WITH A CHRISTMAS TREE WRAPPED IN BARB WIRE!
(on the knockouts street fight)Tenay - WHO KNOWS WHAT OBJECTS WILL COME INTO PLAY COUTESY OF THE WOODEN TOYBOX!?
DW - ANGELINA LOVE JUST GOT TRAPPED INSIDE THE TOY BOX!
Tenay - ODB WITH A THESZ PRESS OF ALL THINGS OFF THE TOY BOX!
(Brooks gets spanked)DW - There’s a little spank action going on.
Tenay - What?
DW- Just callin’ it like I see it, Mike.
Tenay - What are you, John Madden?
DW - Yeah, lemme get my telestrator!
Tenay - THE WINNER OF TH FIRST-EVER SANTA’S WORKSHOP KNOCKOUT STREET FIGHT IS AWESOME KONG!
(Gail hits Kong with a chair)DW - GOD WHAT A THUD!
Harris - Eric, where are the women?
EY - Gone, they were busy servicing everyone.
Harris - Where’s by present? It’s my birthday. Who else has a birthday on Christmas?
EY - JC.
Harris - Jim Cornette, who’d he ever beat?
Lethal - WHERE’S THE BUSHWACKERS!? LUUKEEEE!
Tenay - IN RECENT WEEKS, SAMOA JOE HAS BEEN VERY NEGATIVE REGARDING TNA, LET’S SEE IF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT HAS CHEERED HIM UP!
Crystal - Joe, are you coming to the Christmas party?
Joe - Maybe instead of having that party, they could take that money and put it towards my contract, or instead of using that time for the party, they could give the fans what they want - me inflicting violence on people!
Tenay - BEFORE SAMOA JOE VISITS THE CHRISTMAS PARTY, LET’S REVIEW THE DARK, MYSTERIOUS PAST BETWEEN ABYSS, JUDAS MESIAS, AND FATHER JAMES MITCHELL!!
Penzer - The following match is the Silent Night, Bloody Night 4 WAY!
Tenay - To fully comprehend th story behind Rellik, you must realize how insane Dustin Rhodes is. Rellik, THAT’S KILLER SPELLED BACKWARDS, is his deepest, darkest nightmare. THAT’S WHY HE’S JOINED HIM IN TNA!
DW - You know, I’ve loved the matches Matt Morgan has made tonight, BUT I’VE GOT TO QUESTION THIS ONE! Shark Boy is nowhere near 100%!
Tenay - IF ANY MATCH WAS MADE FOR ABYSS, IT’S THIS ONE! IT’S GOT A BARB-WIRE WRAPPED CHRISTMAS TREE, AND IT HAS PRESENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY FULL OF WEAPONS!
(during the barb wire Christmas tree match)Tenay - Fans in Canada, YOU’VE BEEN BEGGING FOR TNA WRESTLING, AND WE’RE COMING TO ONTARIO!
DW - SHARK BOY’S GOT THAT SPIKED HAMMER!
Tenay - THAT’S DARKNESS FALLS - THAT’S BLACK REIGN’S WEAPON OF CHOICE!
DW - SHARK BOY GOES INTO THE BARB WIRE CHRISTMAS TREE!
DW - ABYSS IS PULLING IT OUT! IT’S THE BACK OF TACKS!
DW - NOW HE’S GOING FOR ANOTHER BAG!
Tenay - COULD IT BE THE GLASS!?
Ref - NO NO NO! (Abyss and Shark Boy attack Rellik with the barb wire tree)
(Rellik jackhammers Shark Boy)Tenay - RELLIK WITH THE DEMON DRIVER ON SHARK BOY!
Joe - Morgan, it’s quite a little shindig you’ve got here, but most people want this time to be allocated to wrestling. It’s funny that a company that can’t afford to pay me more money can afford all this catering. For most of y’all, except for Sonjay, have a happy Christmas. (Joe destroys set)
Tenay - MOMENTS AGO, SAMOA JOE DESTROYED ERIC YOUNG’S CHRISTMAS PARTY, NOW LET’S GET ERIC YOUNG’S REACTION!
EY - Santa’s still gonna come - HE’S GONNA FIX EVERYTHING!
JB - Didn’t anything Kurt Angle say get through to you?
EY - Yeah, Shrek is Spider-Man - Santa’s his own man.
JB - No, they’re make-believe.
EY (EY looks up)- OH, SANTA!
Penzer - The following is a grab the Reindeer ladder match! The winner must grab it, the loser must wear it.
DW - WHAT A MATCHUP WITH TWO STARS WHO CAN DO ANYTHING! Throw in the ladder and the fact that the loser has to wear the suit, and you’ve got a GREAT MATCH! Stay tunes, IT’S THE GRAB THE REINDEER SUIT LADDER MATCH!
Tenay - THIS IS OUR MAIN EVENT! IT’S A LADDER MATCH - NOT JUST ANY LADDER MATCH, IT’S A GRAB THE REINDEER LADDER MATCH! IT COULD BE AN EMBARASSING SITUATION FOR EITHER COMPETITOR!
DW - AJ’s going to get a ladder to grab that ridiculous, RIDICULOUS REINDEER SUIT!
(as AJ climbs the ladder)DW - I’m not sure if they put the reindeer in the right spot - AJ’s a little far away from it!
DW - IT LOOKS LIKE AJ’S GOING FOR SOMETHING OF AN EXTREME, DAREDEVIL NATURE!
(on this taped show, and not after a replay)Tenay - Yes, we’re back LIVE AND KAZ IS POSITIONING THE LADDER!
DW - KAZ HAS THE REINDEER COSTUME!
Tenay - LOOK AT THE BODY LANGUAGE OF KURT ANGLE, HE’S EMARRASED BY THIS SITUATION!
DW - AJ TRIPPED!
Tenay - HO HO HO HO HO HAHA! AJ looks like a fish flopping out of the water!
DW - He’s kicking around like a five year old!
Tenay - Earl Hebner says “PUT IT ON, PUT IT ON, NOW!”
Tenay - DIDJA HEAR THAT!? AJ SAID HE DOESN’T WANT TO WEAR IT! THIS IS THE ULTIMATE IN HUMILIATION!
DW - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Earl Hebner this mad!
Angle - AJ, at Thanksgiving, you were a turkey, and now at Christmas, you’re a reindeer, and you’re an ANGRY REINDEER, WHICH MAKES IT WORSE! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY RING, GO TO YOUR HOTEL ROOM, AND SAY “I AM NOT A REINDEER” 1,000 TIMES! DO IT! NOW!
Tenay - HERE COMES ERIC YOUNG, AND YES, IT’S SANTA CLAUS! HE’S HERE IN THE IMPACT ZONE!
DW - SANTA CLAUS IS REAL, MIKE TENAY!
Tenay - ONLY AT A CHRISTMAS PARTY SPONSORED BY ERIC YOUNG WOULD WE HAVE MIDGETS, MISTLETOE, AND SANTA CLAUS!
DW - ONLY ON IMPACT WOULD THE REAL SANTA CLAUS SHOW UP! YOU CAN GET THESE GREAT TNA ITEMS AT STORES AND SHOPTNA.COM
Angle - Eric, didn’t I tell you that there was no Santa Claus? What, is Shrek gonna come down here now?
DW - HE’S REAL, KURT, HE’S DAMN REAL!
Angle - DO YOU PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS? YOU’RE IDIOTS, TOO!
Angle - I’ve been a good boy this year, Santa, I’m the TNA World champion - I’m entitled to a gift this Christmas. I’d like a gift for someone else - I’d like for Christian Cage to grow some balls and show up this week. Since it probably won’t come true, I’ll show you what I REALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!
DW - HE JUST CLOTHESLINES SANTA CLAUS! THAT’S JUST WRONG IN SO MANY WAYS!
Tenay - HERE COMES THE ANKLE LOCK ON SANTA!
DW - HERE COMES CHRISTIAN CAGE!
Tenay - KURT ANGLE GOT HIS WISH!
(Impact ends to a video set to “Misleading”)
 
So Jay... on a scale of 1 to 10....... how would you rate this in terms of Wrestlecrapness?

I watched a good chunk of disc 1 on that WWE RAW 15th Anniversary DVD set. Bret Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid was just fucking great. I really wish RAW would feature a LOT more wrestling like that on a weekly basis.
 
The Team 3-D skit was absolutely brutal.

The whole midget impostor gag is one thing that desperately needs to be cleansed from televised professional wrestling... especially when they look nothing like who they're supposed to be aping.
 
midgets again? Merely suggesting that at the script meeting should get you your walking papers. Those and "contract signings" need to disappear for at least 1-2 years.
 
Oh damn, I missed Impact. :)

Actually, I wanted to watch the train wreck, but I forgot it was on. I usually read the spoilers, wonder "How the fuck?" then watch it.

If the TNA game has this kind of shit in it, it's a day one purchase for me. Imagine the inside-out battle royal followed by midgets and contract signings.. .
 
1-2 years? More like FOREVER.

The AJ Styles vs. Kaz match was money, but everything else was painfully bad.

I don't like how TNA gets good for, like, two or three weeks, and then plummets into mediocrity / brutality for two or three months.

As always - and at least - the wrestling is, for the most part, entertaining.
 
The problem is that the good wrestling is forgotten because the pacing of the overall program is just fuckin' "bambambambambambam."

I agree that some things should be eliminated forever, but I'm trying to be realistic. There appears to be nobody on the face of the planet who is capable of writing a wrestling show where two guys say "hey, I'm really good and can beat you!" and the other says "I bet you can't!" and work from there. Everyone has to be a beaten up and abused pseudo-goth fuckwad with a generic alt-metal theme song, some sort of wanking internet cult following claiming this person the next iteration of Bret Hart in terms of skill (including the "I've been a fan of his longer than anyone ever, including himself!" guy and the "I don't like this guy any more since he's in the big time" guy)...it's just so goddamned boring.

It's like hamburger helper, man...it's bland, it's boring, and you hate yourself for consuming it...but at the same time, it almost resembles something good occasionally, and you manage to always forget how bad it is, and think that, a week later, you're suddenly in the mood for it again.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']The problem is that the good wrestling is forgotten because the pacing of the overall program is just fuckin' "bambambambambambam."

It's like hamburger helper, man...it's bland, it's boring, and you hate yourself for consuming it...but at the same time, it almost resembles something good occasionally, and you manage to always forget how bad it is, and think that, a week later, you're suddenly in the mood for it again.[/QUOTE]

Best quotation ever.

As someone who has watched Dutch Mantell booking in the past in IWA-PR, this show was DEFINITELY Russo. The skits, etc... it's all sad. When can TNA go back to being about wrestling and slowing down on the ADD?
 
On a scale of 1-10, I'd go with an 8, since there was actually some great wrestling on tonight's show... it just took place inside a cage with Christmas lights AND ribbons on it, and involved a ladder match for a reindeer head. I ended up taking 460 screens of this show. Damn.
 
Its like someone is writing this crap on purpose just to see tna fail,seriously all those stupid stipulations and gimmicks matches were about as bad as the skits.How long is the team 3-D vs the x-division fued gonna last i wanna see real x division matches and team 3-d on some kind of diet so they can kill the tag division again.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I agree that some things should be eliminated forever, but I'm trying to be realistic. There appears to be nobody on the face of the planet who is capable of writing a wrestling show where two guys say "hey, I'm really good and can beat you!" and the other says "I bet you can't!" and work from there.[/quote]

See: Survival of The Fittest 2007 and Chris Hero's forever awesome heel domination.

See: Glory By Honor VI Night One and the Larry Sweeney/Chris Hero and Nigel McGuinness (torn bicep and all) segment which was among the best, most emotional, promos I've seen all year round with the very same set of rules you set up yourself.

But then again they're not a real promotion anyway. :)
 
[quote name='Brak']The AJ Styles vs. Kaz match was money, but everything else was painfully bad.

As always - and at least - the wrestling is, for the most part, entertaining.[/quote]

Well said. :bomb:
 
By the way...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Tammy Sytch has just informed ROH officials that she will attend the 12/29 PPV taping in Manhattan. She wants to see what a ROH PPV taping is like live and in person. A deal was made and she will be available for autographs.[/FONT]
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend']That's odd... how is that game for those who already own it?[/QUOTE]

It's the best wrestling game ever made although there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

1. The learning curve is pretty brutal. Typical wrestling game conventions are nowhere to be found. No button mashing, no button to initiate grapples, etc. This means that people pretty much go into Firepro without being able to play it at all. This leads to early disappointment for some.

2. To reap maximum enjoyment, you really need a way to download edit packs from the internet. The Firepro community is very diligent in creating more content for the games, not being able to access that content hurts the games. If you'd be playing it on a PS2, you need one of those Codebreaker things. On PS3, you just need a flash drive with the proper (easy to create) folder structure.
 
[quote name='Zen Davis']See: Survival of The Fittest 2007 and Chris Hero's forever awesome heel domination.

See: Glory By Honor VI Night One and the Larry Sweeney/Chris Hero and Nigel McGuinness (torn bicep and all) segment which was among the best, most emotional, promos I've seen all year round with the very same set of rules you set up yourself.

But then again they're not a real promotion anyway. :)[/QUOTE]

I don't buy Chris Hero at all. He gets heat, man, but just like Jimmy Rave, I don't believe, for a moment, that they could put up a legit fight against some of the guys they face.

Neither of them should have been booked outside of the backyard, IMO - if there's one thing TNA is doing right, it's booking Jimmy Rave properly. He has a bitch look and a bitch physique and should thus be booked...as a bitch. I'm sure some ROH fans are decrying that he would have had a 90-minute mat classic and should have won the title from Kurt Angle already, but TNA would only do that if they want to satisfy 8% of their fans and turn away the other 92%.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I don't buy Chris Hero at all. He gets heat, man, but just like Jimmy Rave, I don't believe, for a moment, that they could put up a legit fight against some of the guys they face.[/quote]

Which was the beauty of the confrontation!

Nigel was legit hurt with the torn bicep and so Hero and Sweeney call him out since they know he is easy pickings, which after some goading, they finally get their title match. All the while Hero is telling Nigel that if he gets in the ring, he's going to lose his belt.

It built up a great amount of drama and made a ton of sense, and more than anything, the segment and match had heart.
I believe Midnite was at that show and maybe he can explain what it was like in the audience.

Either way, I just wanted to point you to those pair of shows since they go hand in hand.

Neither of them should have been booked outside of the backyard, IMO - if there's one thing TNA is doing right, it's booking Jimmy Rave properly. He has a bitch look and a bitch physique and should thus be booked...as a bitch. I'm sure some ROH fans are decrying that he would have had a 90-minute mat classic and should have won the title from Kurt Angle already, but TNA would only do that if they want to satisfy 8% of their fans and turn away the other 92%.
Click to expand...

Are we thinking about the same Jimmy Rave because nobody in ROH misses the Jimmy Rave I'm thinking about.

Especially after the way he bitched his way out of the company.
 
I don't know how Rave left, and I don't care - that's the problem with wrestling in general, and ROH has managed to solve it somewhat. Too many people figure out some backstage crap, blow it out of proportion, and suddenly change their perspective on a guy as a result.

Rave was over big (man did he get heat from the ROH crowd), had good matches (irrespective of the fact that it's still unbelievable for anyone to sell for the guy given his size and look) - and suddenly ROH fans don't like him because of the way he left?

Get over yourselves.

ROH has done a very good job of blending the frontstage and backstage wrestling elements, so as to make the suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy wrestling easier to do. WWE and TNA, OTOH, say "here's a 2-dimensional ethnic stereotype with a catchphrase/generic-looking masked video game character/muscle-headed dimwit whose entire character is their physique" - followed with "why don't you BELIEVE!?!?!"

Wrestling has to admit all the insider crap, to a degree, on the program in order to thrive again (not wholly, of course, but remember how hot the Matt Hardy/Edge stuff was when Hardy ran in on Raw screaming "come see me in ROH!" - and, subsequently, how fucking *droll* it was when Hardy became another job-boy for Edge?).

But, it's a fine line, because I don't think all this "Rave sucks because of how he left the company" crap should be encouraged. Why is it your business what he does? How does it impact the ROH product as you see it (not him leaving, but the process by which he left)?

Now, were he the champ, and he skipped town without putting some guys over, or dropping the belt when asked (see: Bret Hart's original demands prior to going to WCW)...you may have a point. But there's a certain threshold where what wrestlers do behind the scenes just ain't your business.

Besides, every promoter on the face of the fuckin' earth is a bastard. I'll bet that those two ROH guys aren't any different. Sometimes they deserve to get treated like shit - and let that stay where it stays.

EDIT: As for Hero, the setup is one thing, but Hero doesn't DESERVE any title feud! That's the point! I don't care if he does it well - I still don't believe it. It's entirely to do with his "I've never seen a gym or even a protein bar" physique, as well as his "mom sewed this so I could wrestle in Jimmy's backyard on the trampoline" outfit. Not everyone has to look like Batista - but I don't think that you can show up in pro wrestling looking like you've got the build of Jameson (Bobby Heenan's old lackey) and get a title match. Not the heavyweight title, at any rate.

In the end, WHY do you think WWE singled out that Colin Whoever for his match with Shelton on ECW this week? That's right.

I don't think height matters (Putski, Mysterio, Jericho, Guerrero, Benoit), and I don't think lean muscle/body fat % matters (Stan Hansen, Vader, Yokozuna). And don't get me wrong - wrestling ability is critical (which is why, despite being tall and muscular, I can't stand Batista) - but wrestling ability and some stick skills alone aren't enough. There's a certain threshold where appearance does indeed matter.
 
The only thing Chris Hero has is Larry Sweeny, other then that I don't care for Hero at all. He just seems blah.

Every since I saw Hero, the night the RoH vs CZW feud began (Hell Freezes Over), he was just way to boring and the match was against Danielson and it just dragged on for what seemed forever. When I go to RoH shows, I use the Hero matches as my bathroom / get a drink break.
 
Well that was fast: Here's Botchamania 34:

[MEDIA]http://youtube.com/watch?v=yFZTaFUxi-4[/MEDIA]

Some "First Blood" Match THAT turned out to be at the end :roll:
 
[quote name='Zen Davis']Nigel was legit hurt with the torn bicep and so Hero and Sweeney call him out since they know he is easy pickings, which after some goading, they finally get their title match. All the while Hero is telling Nigel that if he gets in the ring, he's going to lose his belt.

It built up a great amount of drama and made a ton of sense, and more than anything, the segment and match had heart.
I believe Midnite was at that show and maybe he can explain what it was like in the audience.

Either way, I just wanted to point you to those pair of shows since they go hand in hand.[/QUOTE]

Since I don't like Hero but like his mouth piece, the promo from the Philly show was great. The match itself the audience seemed to be leaning more toward Hero winning then Nigel. Then again Hero was CZW's poster boy and the show was in Philly so that explains why. I'm just glad that Nigel retained, I would have been PISSED if Hero walked away champ.

I just got the Glory by Honor DVDs the other night, so I'll probably give them a watch sometime this weekend. I'm a n00b when it comes to ripping DVDs so maybe I'll look into that and post the matches or whatever.
 
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV0fiknn6ws[/media]

This guy has a ton of USWA (which was what came out of the ashes of WCCW, I think) from the early 1990's, including liberal use of WWF stars (it was a developmental territory at the time, I believe, as well as being owned/booked by Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett). Be sure to look out for early heel promos by Vince McMahon (very good ones, even!), a good 4 or so years prior to his WWF character.

Much more menacing stuff than his current cartoon character.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I don't know how Rave left, and I don't care - that's the problem with wrestling in general, and ROH has managed to solve it somewhat. Too many people figure out some backstage crap, blow it out of proportion, and suddenly change their perspective on a guy as a result.[/quote]
It's the same reason you called out Joe for speaking about TNA because of how Joe didn't like how he is being used.

Rave didn't feel he was being used right, and then on the first night of a double shot show, after a match Rave went to RoH management and immediately demanded his release that very night even though he had obligations for the show the very next day. After trying to work things out with him, RoH just decided to let him go and released him from his contract. I know because I was there on the second night when Rave was supposed to show up and RoH had to make an excuse for Rave that he was injured.

Besides, how can you rant on how Joe doesn't deserve a damn thing, but when Rave pulls essentially the same stunt, you say that you don't care what happened with him.

Rave was over big (man did he get heat from the ROH crowd), had good matches (irrespective of the fact that it's still unbelievable for anyone to sell for the guy given his size and look) - and suddenly ROH fans don't like him because of the way he left?
Click to expand...
If I spit on your face and walked away, would you say, "Hey at least he is a hard worker." That's the same principle in effect. You're free to disagree, but that's how Rave came across to me.

And for the record, although I personally thought Rave was all right in the ring, and he had a definite presence to him, a lot of people thought he was a worthless without The Embassy and Alex Shelly. He sorta started getting face pops when he came back from the broken jaw, but when he got steam rolled by Morishima, I think that was about the time he had enough.

But, it's a fine line, because I don't think all this "Rave sucks because of how he left the company" crap should be encouraged. Why is it your business what he does? How does it impact the ROH product as you see it (not him leaving, but the process by which he left)?
Click to expand...
That's a poor stance to take Myke because you can put that logic to any of the backstage stuff we talk about.

Who are you talk about talk any crap about Tammy Sytch? Why is it your business what she does? How does it impact the _______ product as you see it (not her life, but the process by which she lived it)?

I mean I can turn it around and offer you the same thing and you can try rationalizing it any which way, but the fact is, you do it too.

It's akin to the Benoit thing in the sense that after it happened, were people willing to look at Chris Benoit the person and Chris Benoit the wrestler in two different lights. I am and as such, I think Jimmy Rave is an okay wrestler but an absolute bitch of a person.

EDIT: As for Hero, the setup is one thing, but Hero doesn't DESERVE any title feud! That's the point! I don't care if he does it well - I still don't believe it. It's entirely to do with his "I've never seen a gym or even a protein bar" physique, as well as his "mom sewed this so I could wrestle in Jimmy's backyard on the trampoline" outfit. Not everyone has to look like Batista - but I don't think that you can show up in pro wrestling looking like you've got the build of Jameson (Bobby Heenan's old lackey) and get a title match. Not the heavyweight title, at any rate.
Click to expand...

Hero is love him or hate him. He is being pushed as the top heel in RoH right now and although I am behind Nigel as the champ all the way, I appreciate what Hero brings to the table as it's a bit of a break from the Fighting Spirit puro style people associate RoH with so much.

In the end, WHY do you think WWE singled out that Colin Whoever for his match with Shelton on ECW this week? That's right.
Click to expand...

Didn't watch it.
 
[quote name='Midnite']Since I don't like Hero but like his mouth piece, the promo from the Philly show was great. The match itself the audience seemed to be leaning more toward Hero winning then Nigel. Then again Hero was CZW's poster boy and the show was in Philly so that explains why. I'm just glad that Nigel retained, I would have been PISSED if Hero walked away champ.

I just got the Glory by Honor DVDs the other night, so I'll probably give them a watch sometime this weekend. I'm a n00b when it comes to ripping DVDs so maybe I'll look into that and post the matches or whatever.[/quote]

Although Nigel seemed lackluster during the first part of the promo (like he didn't know what to say), but after Sweeney called him a fluke, the "If I'm out for four months, I'm out for four months!", line was amazingly great by Nigel. Just this 'fuck it all' mentality that was incredible.

"I ain't no fluke! I ain't no coward!"

I was wondering how it came across live because it sounds great on the DVD.
 
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