Pro Wrestling - The Bear and Badger

mk64

scrabbles around the ring. Slightly less cumbersome than KO.

So, just watched raw and sd this week. Lack of Braun was evident but some decent matches. Inevitable win for Jinder. It's a bit annoying that brock/roman/braun didnt show.

finn is growing on me and aries was good

Diluted Dante

You are basically never going to see Brock. He'll turn up for a PPV every 3 months, and a couple of Raw shows around them.

Roman was killed at Payback, he should definitely not have been there.

mistercrayon

Kevin Owens is cumbersome?!

Diluted Dante

I mean, compared to Rey Mysterio i guess.

mk64

KO oafs around the ring unless he's doing his canonball thing. The majority of his moveset is punches and kicks too. The brat type heel reminds me of diggler and just jarrs me.

RedDave2

I find bray is similar to Foley in that he is actually a big guy who moves (and more crucially) bumps like a regular wrestler. In terms of moveset, he doesn't have anything wildly over the top bar the spider walk but I'm not a fan of big guys doing cruiser moves - leave that to them. I don't mind a vadar bomb but moobsaults and 450 attacks don't work when you also have the hard to knock over spots.

Think you are being a bit unfair on Kevin Owens though, guy is a great seller and has some nice offence . I also like the way he moves in general. Like peak Austin he looks like a scrapper, not a guy moving to the next app.

mk64

^ thats a fair assessment

I like the promo's and the intro's and shenanigans almost more than the wrestling some of the time. I'm sure if you go back to the 90's there were more clotheslines, atomic drops, suplex's etc

I think I switched off around the 2000's in the attitude era because it just became about pain and steel chairs.

The big boot or the haluma kick is used far to much.

Bray just seems a bit like an oaf.

mistercrayon

It's the heluva kick. I think it's pronounced wrong on purpose and supposed to be a "hell of a kick" (helluva)

Dogfingers

NJPW have some free matches on their youtube and they're crackers. All juniors stuff for the awesome upcoming Best of the Super Juniors 24:

https

mk64

any thoughts on how things are at the moment? Happy with the shakeup?

Interesting that they're still pushing shamus and cesaro for number 1 contenders.

One thing i've noticed is that there does seem to be an awful lot of repeat matches (without the belt, rematch, with the belt, payback - four of the same match?!). Was it like this in the attitude era?

Diluted Dante

Dogfingers wrote:

NJPW have some free matches on their youtube and they're crackers. All juniors stuff for the awesome upcoming Best of the Super Juniors 24: https

Ooh, will be giving this a look.

RedDave2

mk64 wrote:

any thoughts on how things are at the moment? Happy with the shakeup?

Interesting that they're still pushing shamus and cesaro for number 1 contenders.

One thing i've noticed is that there does seem to be an awful lot of repeat matches (without the belt, rematch, with the belt, payback - four of the same match?!). Was it like this in the attitude era?

No but it's important to remember that the attitude era had 2 hour raw and 1 hour shotgun as the main shows. They also had a full (if not great) roster and a lot more characters / performers who could entertain with promos alone. And it could be hindsight but one of Vince Russos talents was giving everyone some form of plot line.

When the wwe added smackdown they had a glut of great talent on their rosters. But even then, you could see the struggle to stretch wrestling as a concept over so many hours. Now there is 3 hour raw, 2 hour smackdown, 1 hour cruiserweight weight show, talking smack, nxt and ppv events every 3 weeks nearly. Even with a great roster, that's too much wrestling especially as the wwe likes to give all their shows the same feel.

mk64

I didn't realise raw is longer than smackdown. Why's that? Especially when the ratings have swayed?

I'm not really sure what the brand divide brings to the table apart from more championships. But then why have that and then pick brock to become champion when he's not there week in week out to defend it?

Iirc stonecold has a podcast.. does he interview other wrestlers? I'd be keen to hear what wrestlers have to say. I assume some are smart and some are thick line any profession?

Diluted Dante

Raw went 3 hours in 2012 when Smackdown was still taped. Basically, it does great for USA, and they want all that advertising moolah. They had a few specials which did well, so made it permanent.

The three hour format is widely held to be a creative millstone, so aside from the money men, no one wants a 3 hour Smackdown as well.

mk64

just make both two hours no?

Diluted Dante

mk64 wrote:

just make both two hours no?

I'll let JBL field this one

It's bollocks of course, we don't care about their balance sheet, we just care about being entertained, not bored to death.

Dogfingers

Also just put on free this week, was this. Arguably the best match of last year, fucking tremendous:

The rematch happens this Saturday. 1 year later.

RedDave2

Dogfingers wrote:

Also just put on free this week, was this. Arguably the best match of last year, fucking tremendous: The rematch happens this Saturday. 1 year later.

I'm in the camp of 'nah, its a bit too much of a spot fest'. It's impressive but it doesn't really work for me. It feels too much like 2 guys co-operating - the end sequence in particular is horrible. Fair props to the skill / fitness involved and I still think its decent but nowhere near a top match for me.

Dogfingers

I usually don't like it when wrestling feels like ballet but this for me felt like a fight, so I was ok with it

g.man

Just can't keep a good man down...
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mistercrayon

Holy shit WWE made a brown person champ?!

mk64

Jinder won?

RedDave2

Yep. Didn't watch backlash but reviews aren't great. Nakumura match was a by the numbers fed match with dolph getting too much offence and nothing special from naka. Gotta say I'm disappointed. Nakumura got have been a breath of fresh air into the top line.

mk64

http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/15/jim-ross-and-nigel-mcguinness-to-commentate-on-wwe-uk-championship-show-from-norwich-6639290/

Diluted Dante

I enjoyed Backlash. I fucking loved Jinders win.

The changes YouTube made regarding wrestling videos have claimed their first victim - WCPW Loaded has been cancelled due to a 98% drop in ad revenue.

Dogfingers

The Nakamura match was fucking garbage, who evers bright idea it was to have brand new, popular killing machine Shinsuke play underdog to notorious jobber Dolph Ziggler is a fucking fool.

mk64

catching up on payback (raw to follow), so far my thoughts are

Spoiler:

Diluted Dante

Backlash wasn't a good representation of a Nakamura match. Next few weeks should hopefully get better.

Loved the tag match myself. The Fashion Police could easilly be the new Edge and Christian. Fashion Files is brilliant.

mk64

it was a good match, i liked the gimmicks, I thought the usos carried it well. The FP can also wrestle which upto now i've not seen too much of.

Still got some big matches and raw (then smd) to go! busy week.

HaramabeBomaye

I think it's a testament to both Breeze and Fandango that they can take what on paper is utter dogshit and somehow make it pretty funny.

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