Pro Wrestling Discussion

[The Deadman]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Speaking of making a point I used Randy to make mine to suggest that you are the underrated cream of the crop. I will watch one of your matches during my lunch break tomorrow.

Considering how fast Nikki moved on married to another and expecting the child John did not want it surprises me they are getting in since John is still very Pro-WWE and hurting over her.

John Cena hasnt been on WWE television in months. How can he still be pro WWE?

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by The Deadman

John Cena hasnt been on WWE television in months. How can he still be pro WWE?

He is an actor now. I mean, very much supporting the brand not as an active wrestler on the roster.

[Leo656]

And he might be coming back to do some stuff soon, possibly with full creative control, Hogan-style.

Yay.

[Autbot_Benz]

We got our first look at the AEW figures from Jazwares. So far we are getting Jericho Brandi Cody The Bucks and Jon Moxley might show more at Toy Fair

[Leo656]

Got a link? I'm curious.

Which is to say, I'm obsessed with wrestling figures.

[Autbot_Benz]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Got a link? I'm curious.

Which is to say, I'm obsessed with wrestling figures.

https://twitter.com/preterniadotcom/...20241189806080

[Leo656]

Hmm, interesting. The heads look pretty good. The bodies look mostly similar to the Mattels, except for that really prominent torso joint.

MAN is that thing ugly. Otherwise they're fine, but that is like the worst-looking of those I've ever seen. They couldn't have hid it better? Lots of figures have that joint now and most of them look a lot smoother than that.

Pretty damn good otherwise though.

[Autbot_Benz]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Hmm, interesting. The heads look pretty good. The bodies look mostly similar to the Mattels, except for that really prominent torso joint.

MAN is that thing ugly. Otherwise they're fine, but that is like the worst-looking of those I've ever seen. They couldn't have hid it better? Lots of figures have that joint now and most of them look a lot smoother than that.

Pretty damn good otherwise though.

agreed I didn't expect them to turn out as good as they did.

[Leo656]

I'm a little surprised, yeah. All I know from Jazzwares is that they did a bunch of Sonic stuff which was apparently of mixed quality. Other than that I don't know what else they've done.

[Autbot_Benz]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I'm a little surprised, yeah. All I know from Jazzwares is that they did a bunch of Sonic stuff which was apparently of mixed quality. Other than that I don't know what else they've done.

They did all the Fornite figures too.

[Leo656]

You probably shouldn't be surprised that I don't know what Fortnite is.

[Leo656]

Finally got YouTube to cooperates, SOMEhow. No idea how, but anyways, this was the match from a week and change ago.



Not awful for my first singles match in years.

[Autbot_Benz]

Bella Twins going into the Hall of Fame. Seriously before Mickie James Melina and Victoria what a joke.

Also sometime ago I got blocked by the worst wrestler on the AEW roster Britt Baker so that made my day

[Leo656]

Wow, what an awesome segue into this picture from tonight of me and one'a my old pals, AEW superstar QT Marshall, who made his return to the Monster Factory to participate in the Larry Sharpe Memorial Cup!


Many shows back in the day, I'd be in the opener or one of the early matches while he was working the main event or the match before. Only worked with him once in a tag but he's always treated me just fine. Always been a total pro, so proud of this dude. Recognition long overdue.

Speaking of recognition, All Hail the first-ever Larry Sharpe Memorial Cup winner, Shaheem Ali! Way to come out of semi-retirement, bruh.


Also had a very pleasant surprise as one'a my old buddies/trainers randomly made the trip, the "Garden State God" himself, Myke Quest!


I legit might not even be in wrestling at all if not for him. He was one of the first guys I saw wrestle for the company that eventually broke me in, and until the injuries piled up he was one of the tightest workers I've ever seen. We both might be doing a reunion show in the Spring, that'd be awesome.

Always a great night at the Factory. The show was totally over-booked so I didn't have a match, but maybe at the next show. Everybody was saying they really liked the one I did two weeks ago so I'm sure they'll work me in someplace.

Fun night. Good to be in a locker room where everyone's respectful and treats each other like "family", and nobody's cutting anybody's throat. Not every place can say that. I've only been "back" in the game for five minutes and already some of the drama between rival workers and companies that gave me a sour taste to begin with is bubbling up. I'm not involved yet, but I'm sure they'll be mentioning my name eventually, since "they" always do. So much pettiness floating around sometimes, one reason why every Factory show is a breath of fresh air. Zero-Tolerance policy on drama and nonsense. I dig that the most.

[ZariusTwo]

I'm happy for you man, keep the comeback comin'

[Autbot_Benz]

At WWE Blood Money they had Oldberg beat the Fiend for the Universal title. Seriously WWE what is your malfunction

[ZariusTwo]

Also Brock destroyed Richochet in 90 seconds

[MikeandRaph87]

Okay so, I have been busy with work and did not know the Super Showdown happened already. WWE really let Goldberg beat Bray Wyatt knowing Goldberg would lose the title in the next match just like before? Bray had picked up momentum WWE would not be wise to stop. If I know that corporate does! Wyatt's biggest problem was the constant loses the Louisiana cult leader suffered which took a toll on his threat forcing the tweak in his character. I actually liked the idea of the leaders of the two breakout factions of the 2010' s facing off in a Wrestlemania main event. Instead we get Goldberg lost his edge in the battle of the spears. Sure we have seen Roman and Bray face off before but not at this level alone. We have seen Bray Wyatt vs John Cena at Wrestlmania before.
https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/w...-wrestlemania/

[Coola Yagami]

Gawd Dayum, AEW Revolution was intense.

That Young Bucks VS Omega and Hangman was Match of the Night. So much feels, so much story between the 4 men and how they see each other and their history. So many amazing spots, I lost it when Hangman hit someone with Omega's One Winged Angel, and the dude STILL kicked out of it.

The main event was awesome too. I had a feeling we'd get a spot where Mox would reveal his eye was just fine, but I wasn't thinking it would have been tonight. As much as I hate to see the whole 'Le Champeon/Little Bit of the Bubbly' thing end, I am ok with Mox being the new champ.

Unlike Ambrose's forgettable WWE title run, I'm actually looking forward for Mox to call out anyone to challenge him for the belt so he can mess them up.

I think the only match that was so-so was the Women's Match unfortunately. It was rough coming up right after that Bucks/Omega-Hangman match, but my friends that have a keener wrestling eye than I do said it felt there was really no chemistry between Nyla and Kris.

[Leo656]

I don't really watch much wrestling but all the chatter about Goldberg and Wyatt is pretty impossible to avoid. I didn't see the match, but of course I have opinions about it all.

- Bray Wyatt is a controversial choice to be a Top Guy to begin with. For one thing, he's never been in great shape, and I'm not a "All Pro Wrestlers have to look like Lex Luger" guy by any means, BUT it sends a very mixed message to the other guys in your company when you not-so-subtly hint that they need to get on steroids and get down to 6% body fat in order to get a Top Guy push, and THEN turn around and make someone like Bray or Samoa Joe or Kevin Owens a main eventer. Hell, I'VE been "body-shamed" for not having a six-pack and I'm a local undercard independent guy. But even I've been told, "Why the hell should I or anyone else kill myself in the gym every day, only to come in and lay down for a guy that looks like you? How is that fair to any of us?" And I can only imagine that it's exponentially worse when millions of dollars is at stake. So again, in theory, having a guy like Wyatt be the Top Guy just because he has a "unique look" is kind of a slap in the face to everyone else on the roster who... y'know... actually works out and is better in the ring than he is. Just saying.

- Bray's character is too hit-or-miss to be given a substantial Top Guy push. The whole Fiend/Funhouse thing is way too Love-It-Or-Hate-It with no middle ground, and a lot of fans simply don't care for it. I personally think the whole thing is a bit too "weird" or "high concept" for the average wrestling fan; At its base, pro wrestling really is as simple, story-wise, as "I hate you, you hate me, let's fight over this trophy belt or some other contrived reason." What's the deal with him, in-storyline? Does he have dementia? Schizophrenia? Is the whole thing just a giant rib or mind game on the rest of the roster? If he has an Invincibility Cheat on when he fights Seth Rollins in the Cell, how come he couldn't pull that off when he fought the Undertaker, pre-"Fiend"? Does the MASK give him superpowers? The whole thing is just so damn convoluted and just seems like it's "Weird for the sake of Weird". It's also his third onscreen gimmick after Husky Harris and "Florida Retiree, Pre-Crisis Bray Wyatt", so it speaks less to his onscreen persona and more to the fact that creative really just doesn't know how to push this guy consistently. Like, HOW does one go from "dark poetry-spouting beach bum" to "Manchild who becomes Jason Voorhees when he puts on a rubber mask", in-storyline? From checking in casually over the last few years, it mostly came off as, "The guy just cracked from losing too much, then came back as a completely different guy", but if so, that's pretty stupid.

If I don't get it, I'm sure a lot of other people don't either, even if they pay more attention than I do.

- Related to the previous, Bray's been booked wildly inconsistently regardless of which gimmick he's in, which hurts his ability to be a Top Guy or remain at that level for very long. For example, he was "unstoppable" as The Eater Of Worlds or whatever, but Undertaker made short work of him and after that he was never a serious threat to anybody. Then he puts on a mask, and suddenly he's no-selling two dozen sledgehammer shots to the face from Seth Rollins... which is bad enough by itself, but THEN he loses to Goldberg? Are we to believe that the Spear/Jackhammer combo is SO devastating that it's more devastating than getting hit in the head with a hammer 20-something times? None of it fits, none of it makes sense, and it hurts the credibility of all involved.

- Possibly the biggest variable of all, but HAS Bray Wyatt ever actually been "a draw"? As in, how many tickets has Bray Wyatt, himself, ever sold on his name alone? How many have ANY of the newer guys sold, if they're not also on a show with a "name brand" act like Goldberg, Triple H, Undertaker, etc. to pad things out? Tough to say, but my guess is not too many. Goldberg, for whatever limitations he has and whatever very valid criticism anyone may have of him, Then or Now, has been a proven draw. The Saudis wouldn't be willing to pay millions of dollars just to see him perform and beat up the younger guys if he hadn't left a mark on wrestling history. Just say the name Goldberg in a room full of people with even a passing or casual interest in wrestling, and everyone has an opinion, and usually a strong one. Very few of the modern stars, Wyatt included, can incite that kind of passion in fans. So, in an age when there really aren't any "stars" on the roster despite the performers themselves being far more athletic and talented than in days' gone by, is it any wonder that when it comes time to actually draw money, the WWE continues to lean predominantly on guys like Goldberg, Undertaker, Brock and Triple H? At the end of the day, it's just business; past their primes or not, those guys consistently print money, the current crop of guys do not.

Frankly, it's not like Goldberg is gonna hold the belt for long anyway, and I care little for Bray in general, so while it's definitely a questionable decision, so was crafting this Wyatt character and putting the Title on him in the first place. After all the build-up, it would require someone practically super-human to beat him, and Goldberg's character at least fits that description. Would Goldberg be a worse choice than guys like Undertaker, Triple H, Brock, or even Hogan? Because those names are pretty much what you're left with when you remember that this Wyatt guy no-sold all those hammers to the skull and laughed about it. Storyline-wise, they painted themselves into a corner that they could only have realistically gotten out of exactly as they did.

I think Goldberg as a transitional Champion isn't the worst way they can move the belt around, but the whole scenario just displays how messy the main event scene is right now in general. Goldberg vs. Reigns isn't a match I ever got excited for in my mind, though, and it seems like that's ultimately the plan, so whatever.