karamazov80 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 He's extremely good on the mic, of course. He's no Flair, Jake the Snake, or Ted Dibiase, but he's good. I'm just saying that I think he's stuck with a couple of modes, and that's one of them there. Not that there's anything wrong with sticking with what you're good at. Having said that, I think Bryan's mic skills and personality are a bit underrated, because he does tend to get stuck in simplistic modes like comedy guy, or the simple, crowd pleasing good guy like he is now, and folks remember him for that. Bryan's heel turn after winning the Smackdown title was really awesome, and it was very different, in that it was a slow burn thing, and was pretty subtle until it was clear that he was a total heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) I'd say he (Punk) is as good as any of those guys, but you are right about Bryan's personality being underrated. His Smackdown turn was great. He and AJ made such a great couple. I don't know why, but right now I'm watching the '97 Royal Rumble, notable for being Austin's first win, with a great confrontation between him and Bret. But man, was this bad. The roster was so thin back then; it's amazing that they didn't go out of business. Austin was clearly on a different page with everyone else; he stands out from the pack just for being so different, and with such different energy. Anyway, time for something else. Edited March 5, 2014 by hellpop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) Yeah, in that period, particularly after Michaels and Bret Hart left, they really were lacking for awhile. And even when Rock and Mankind started getting pushes, there wasn't too much else for awhile if memory serves. On the other hand, I was watching Great American Bash 1989, and damn, there was some real depth there. Ricky Steamboat, Flyin Bryan, early Scott Hall, Dr. Death Steve Williams, the Steiners, Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace, Legion of Doom, Fabulous Freebirds, Midnight Express, Mike Rotunda, Sting vs. Great Muta for the TV title, Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk for the title in the main event. . .and they even fit a tuxedo match between Jim Cornett and Paul Heyman in there! Great stuff. Edited March 5, 2014 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 WCW always had more talent, top to bottom. Guys like Jericho talk about it all the time, but it's true: the undercard carried WCW for years. WWF/E always valued personality and look above talent. But the main event scene in WCW was rarely as compelling, particularly after they brought in Hogan. Even after he turned, and the NWO took off, the matches at the top of the card were shit. You tuned in to Nitro to see Jericho, Malenko, Benoit, ect wrestle and to hear the main eventers talk. Of course, that's several years after you're talking about. I'll have to watch some of that stuff to see Muta; I remember him blowing my mind back then. Also, it doesn't hurt that you have Jim Ross calling those shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Yeah, I totally agree with Jericho in the mid-late '90s. Muta was actually an over-the-top alter ego for Keiji Mutoh, which was his more traditional, realistic character. He wrestled in a different style when he switched from one to the other. He was one of my favorite Japanese wrestlers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 I knew that about Muta, but have never seen his Keiji Mutoh stuff. I've only watched a smattering of Japanese wrestling, and mostly to see American stars. Do you watch New Japan at all? I hear it's by far the best promotion in the world right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Politician Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I think NJPW is the most solid promotion right now, also NJPW and ROH just agreed to exchange talent for a few months so I think we're going to get some really good cards out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I used to watch New Japan and All Japan back in the 1990s, but I haven't seen much Japanese wrestling at all over the last decade or so. I preferred New Japan back in the day, though, particularly their cruiserweights. The IWGP Jr. title was held at one point by Owen Hart, Chris Benoit, Ultimo Dragon, and even Sabu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Hey, so, anyone wondering what ol' Marcus Alexander Bagwell has been up to? Well, if you guessed THE MOST OBVIOUS THING EVER, you're right: http://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2014/3/5/5474698/buff-bagwell-is-a-gigolo-now-and-hes-getting-paid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 My first guess was going to be porno actor. Yep. . .that is extremely predictable Should have been his calling from the get-go. That man is no wrestler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 (edited) I remember him as that nice smiling young rookie that used to team with Dustin Rhodes. Then I tuned out of wrestling for a few years, and he had become... what he became. Give the man credit: he's living his gimmick. Edited March 6, 2014 by hellpop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I remember his team with 2 Cold Scorpio the best, but his most appropriate tag team had one of the worst wrestling music themes ever. http://youtu.be/N7awnRAdbPk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 So yesterday I was watching Halloween Havok '96 (I think it was '96); it's funny, looking back on those shows historically, because the undercard stuff holds up much better then the main events. This one, for example, opened with a Dean Malenko/ Rey Mysterio match that was, of course, off the hook great. Anyway, I bring this up because there's a large gap in the middle of the tracking (the part where they highlight the beginnings and endings to matches) that skips over a Jeff Jarrett/ Giant match. Now, you might think this is because... it's a Jeff Jarrett/ Giant match. But, in actuality, it's because there's a Four Horseman run-in, including Chris Benoit. I knew that they were overlooking his matches, but I didn't realize that they were going so far as to skip every segment he appeared in, even as a background player. Just thought it was interesting. Jeff Jarrett's the worst wrestler ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Politician Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I thought they were supposed to show this warning message whenever Benoit shows up:"The following program is presented in its original form. It may containsome content that does not reflect WWE's corporate views and may not besuitable for all viewers. WWE characters are fictitious and do notreflect the personal lives of the actors portraying them. Viewerdiscretion is advised." Oh hey, thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Benoit matches are definitely still being included on several PPVs. I saw his championship match with Orton, and his match with Liger from Starrcade. Weird that would be cut out. As for Jarrett being awful, I'm not his biggest fan, but he had some good matches back in the day. Particularly his In Your House IC title match with HBK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Benoit's matches are not edited out, but they are not noted on the little chapter bar. I was just surprised that even segments in which he was a bit player in the background are included in that. Jarrett wasn't bad in the ring, but his whole persona was just awful beyond belief. The ridiculous tights, the salon quality hair, his stupid face. I suppose he works as "guy you want to see get the crap kicked out of him". In this match, he was supposed to be a tough guy babyface, standing up to the Giant after Ric Flair had been taken out. It's preposterous. I maintain that Jeff Jarrett is the worst major wrestler in the last 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Politician Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I maintain that Jeff Jarrett is the worst major wrestler in the last 30 years. You must be thrilled about him wanting to start his own promotion this year. I totally agree though, he originally soured me on TNA, I've never been able to follow his career past 1995 and then his brief run with Owen in '99. He's all whistle and no work in that ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 (edited) How are you defining "major wrestler?" It seems like he was only a major player in TNA, USWA, and late WCW, which doesn't really count to me. But I don't disagree that looking at his career overall, he was nothing special. I didn't even care for him when he teamed with Owen (and Owen was one of my favorites), because he just seemed kind of average in the ring. Edited March 8, 2014 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Major in that he was on tv and pushed for many, many years. Not necessarily a main eventer, but at least a constant midcarder. BTW, anyone watch the TNA PPV last night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I haven't watched a TNA PPV for years. What happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 I'm not even sure if I can explain it. I mean, I didn't watch it, but I did listen to the Bryan and Vinnie Show afterwards, which was hysterical. The two co-main events had Samoa Joe challenging Magnus for the title, and Lethal Lockdown (War Games, basically), with Team MVP vs. Team Dixie for control of the company. Joe/Magnus sounds like it was pretty good, with the dumbest ending ever. I am not making this up: a hand popped out of the ring, grabbed Joe, and pulled him under. After a few minutes, Joe crawled out of the hole, followed soon by Abyss, who is now the monster that sold out to the company (wonder where they got that idea?). It bears repeating, in all caps: A HAND POPPED OUT OF THE RING. The Lockdown match sounded like a typical overbooked TNA spotfest. I suppose the big news is that Jeff Hardy debuted his new masked character, Willow the Wisp. Again, I am not making this up. TNA. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 If only WWE were innocent. . . http://youtu.be/O0col2CE7Qg But again, TNA is just copying something probably done better elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Politician Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) Here's some notes: -Attendence was around 900-1200 with some people saying it was 1500 which...isn't possible from fan pictures posted from the arena. -Fans damange controlling saying that 1500 is a good crowd. Really? Your second best ppv of the year? -Bobby Lashley came back to a smattering of applause from 14 people in the audience. -Hardy's new gimmic was being made fun of by the commentators. That's awkward and shows how little faith anyone has in the company. -MVP made zero iMPACT! -Muta was cool but it'd be better in ROH. -Minus 5 stars EDIT: Bully Ray face turn is weird too, he must be leaving soon. Edited March 10, 2014 by Politician Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Less than 1,500? Wow. I've been to ECW house shows that probably beat that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 TNA, at this point, is just hanging around as long as Spike will air Impact. That's it. I can't imagine anyone actually paying for that show last night. Hell, I can't imagine anyone wanting to work for them. Why taint your career like that? WWE's going to blackball you. Better to stick with the indies and try to get a developmental contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.