Pro Wrasslin' Thread: I don't know what I just saw

[seagrams hotsauce]

Is it too much to ask for narratives to be tonally and thematically consistent 

[nachobro]

i'm okay with different themes as long as the individual stories are consistent to themselves. looking at wwe stories as a whole, even the existence of bray wyatt and the undertaker and kane would immediately nullify all shoot related storylines.

[Stro]

Hogan vs Warrior

What a perfect cap to the Golden Era. Instead of shitty indie respek stand offs to show they're equal, you have them physically demonstrating their power levels repeatedly until both get chippy and then you have these two super faces trading eye rakes and punches and shoving the refs around. Hogan freaking out when Warrior Hulks Up on him. Warrior being not quite as phased when Hulk Hulks Up. And then the Hulk Up works...until he misses the leg drop. It's pretty subtle, but in all of their tests of strengths and mirror spots, Warrior's are just a little bit stronger, do a little more damage, are a little more aggressive, indicating that Warrior was the stronger/meaner/cooler than Hogan, although very similar. So good, so perfect for the era. 60K people going insane for PEAKNUCKLE.








And then, in one of the most amazing endings to WM that is never talked about, the second to last shot of the show was Hulk Hogan, riding to the back in the ring cart, a broken man, in the dark, as his Hulkamaniacs celebrate their new hero.




Pat Patterson da gawd 

[FunSlower]

That is a heck of an ending gif. Goddamn.

Like Meltzer said - on paper, it sounds like an awful match, but it worked that night. Excellent.

[fistfulofmetal]

I remember reading that Warrior was completely gassed super early on and Hogan has to carry him throughout the rest. Looking at the finish to the match 

[FunSlower]

Figuring out which showdown style you prefer says a lot about what kind of wrassles you enjoy.

Do you like subject A:


Or subject B:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I like them both but PREFER test of strength

[close]

[Stro]

 It's 2010. It's Wrestlemania. On stage are Bob Uecker and Antonio Inoki chatting it up while standing next to Gorgeous George's widow. At the end of the stage is Bruce Hart wearing jeans and sunglasses.

[FunSlower]

It's 2010. It's Wrestlemania. On stage are Bob Uecker and Antonio Inoki chatting it up while standing next to Gorgeous George's widow. At the end of the stage is Bruce Hart wearing jeans and sunglasses.

Inoki showed at 2010?! Whuh?!
I have no recollection of this at all.

[Stro]

It's 2010. It's Wrestlemania. On stage are Bob Uecker and Antonio Inoki chatting it up while standing next to Gorgeous George's widow. At the end of the stage is Bruce Hart wearing jeans and sunglasses.

Inoki showed at 2010?! Whuh?!
I have no recollection of this at all.

HOF class of 2010:

Ted DiBiase, Antonio Inoki, Wendi Richter, Mad Dawg Vachon, Gorgeous George, Stu Hart, Bob Uecker.

Inoki and Bob were next to each other, laughing about something as Gorgeous George's widow was brought out by I think Brie Bella. At the end of the stage was most of the Hart family besides Bret. Bruce was wearing his trademark jeans, blazer, and sunglasses get up.



The worst part about the TERRIBLE Bret/Vince angle is that Bruce got TWO WM moments. 

[FunSlower]

Oh, HoF, I should have realized. I still love Uecker. He'll forever get a pass for being in Major League. Probably the best sports movie of all time, really is.

Bruce Hart is such a hilarious piece of shit, I love hearing stories about him.

" They described the planning process behind Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon at WrestleMania and said Vince was in a room with the Hart Dynasty, a dozen additional members of the Hart Family, Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Vince laid out the format, and Bruce Hart interrupted with: "No, this doesn't make sense. That basically turns you babyface."

Bruce started coming up with alternate ideas, before Vince could even get into the match. Bruce continued to interrupt and said that Batista should be involved, because of his prior altercation with Bret. Michael "PS" Hayes responded with: "Batista's got kind of a big match that night."

For those that don't remember, Batista headlined that show against John Cena. Bruce started pitching SummerSlam matches until Bret interrupted him and ordered him to shut up. Bruce then decided to stop talking to the group and began to whisper loudly to his brothers. Natalya's mother stood up out of nowhere and said: "I think Jim [Neidhart] should be involved."

Jim, according to Natalya, is the most normal one in the family, probably because he's not a blood relative, and decides to keep his mouth shut. Then there was a debate over who would play the part of the special referee. Bruce was originally pegged for the role but according to the rest of the family, "Wayne was always the referee in Stampede. Wayne should be the referee."

According to Natalya, Vince McMahon was very entertained by all of this."

[bork]

is the HoF still happening next Saturday night with Takeover airing as well?

[archie4208]

HoF Friday
Takeover Saturday

[FunSlower]

Might entirely pass on Takeover. Too much wrasslin. I do enjoy a good HoF though. I wish they wouldn't let fans in.

[FunSlower]

Eva Marie released. That's a shame, she was an awesome heat magnet despite not being good in the ring.

[Trent Dole]

What's 'name that's similar enough that you know who it is but doesn't infringe on Vince's trademark' doing in the impact zone?!

[Stro]

All Blue Everything Eve Mary

[FunSlower]

I can go with Eve Mary. Or Mary Evie. Mary Adams. I don't know.

Mania looks good.

[Stro]

I got the email about WM week schedule on the Network. Pre-show starts at TWO. Main show starts at FOUR. Potentially around 9 hours long. 


Man, I've been finally getting around to doing 2000 era Nitros and without Thunder and time away from the point I don't remember the terrible gifs I made, these shows are fucking hilarious. Although Double J really is the worst. Everything with Ahmed Johnson is absolutely hysterical. From him not falling over doing his ONE MOVE, to walking in the building wearing a leather duster and dress shirt while drinking a gallon of milk, to the next time you see him he's changed into a wind breaker outfit with a wave cap and is drinking Gatorade, to being completely incomprehensible while speaking, to spending all of his time on screen flipping fans off. And it's not just him: EVERYTHING around him goes wrong in every segment he's in. It's amazing.







Plus Sid:

[FunSlower]

The Age of Big T. I love it.

Sid is also a treasure, but everyone knew that already.

Big T > Booker T

[bork]

Eva Marie released. That's a shame, she was an awesome heat magnet despite not being good in the ring.

Surprised she lasted as long as she did, TBH.  Guess it was because of Total Divas.

[archie4208]

Roman had nuclear heat in Philly last night. 

He played it up well though.  If he beats Taker Sunday then I don't doubt there will be garbage thrown in the ring ala WCW.

[Stro]

Roman had nuclear heat in Philly last night. 

He played it up well though.  If he beats Taker Sunday then I don't doubt there will be garbage thrown in the ring ala WCW.

That sounds  great. Taker definitely shouldn't win, because he shouldn't even be wrestling at this point. It's been many, many years since fans were throwing shit in the ring. I'd  be happy to see it again. That type of heat was such a regular occurrence for basically every Nitro and PPV for nearly 2 years. I'd love to see fans that mad again.

[FunSlower]

I hope to see Roman win as well. It'll be good for him, on multiple levels.

Man, Mandy Rose is definitely the best Eva Marie replacement, but they can't possibly work the crowd as hard as they could with Eva, which is a shame. Goddamn.


Liv Morgan is the future too. She sure makes Carmella look fraudulent as hell.

[fistfulofmetal]

I fucking hate the "Ultimate Thrill Ride" shit. I hate that it has to be shoe-horned into every single segment.

They had The Goddamn Undertaker say it. THE UNDERTAKER.

[bork]

They had The Goddamn Undertaker say it. THE UNDERTAKER.

[Stro]

I fucking hate the "Ultimate Thrill Ride" shit. I hate that it has to be shoe-horned into every single segment.

They had The Goddamn Undertaker say it. THE UNDERTAKER.

Yeah, but the actual set is a functional roller coaster. Shit will be hot. Pretty sure the whole thing was a clever way to get Taker to the ring faster, tbh.

[bork]

I fucking hate the "Ultimate Thrill Ride" shit. I hate that it has to be shoe-horned into every single segment.

They had The Goddamn Undertaker say it. THE UNDERTAKER.

Yeah, but the actual set is a functional roller coaster. Shit will be hot. Pretty sure the whole thing was a clever way to get Taker to the ring faster, tbh.

What!? 

[FunSlower]

Shane's gonna jump off it, or someone's gonna be thrown in one of the buckets and sent for a ride.

[nachobro]

Yeah, but the actual set is a functional roller coaster. Shit will be hot. Pretty sure the whole thing was a clever way to get Taker to the ring faster, tbh.

man i went to the wrong wrestlemania. stupid wedding

[Stro]

[El Babua]

Roller coaster? Shit, should've gone to this.

[Stro]

Fucking dying that the last thing before WM was a clip from a nearly 20 year old Steve Austin Titan Tron snake biting the camera directly into  "AND NOW, Christly Knows Best".

[nachobro]

Ambrose and Corbin weren't even on SD

[Stro]

Lol you're right. I didn't even notice. Even after SD had a run down of the whole WM card. Fucking  at the state of Neville's hair AND patchy ass beard.

[bork]

The Smackdown women's title match has been removed from Mania and will be on the pre-show instead, alongside the Andre battle royal.

EDIT: The Cruiserweight match too?  LOL.

[FunSlower]

Fine with women's SD being on Preshow. It's a mess of a match, and perfect for a preshow. I'd blame the booking for not having a simpler women's match but they don't have a story worth a shit going on down there. Dana Brooke needs to get to SD ASAP to fix that division.

[fistfulofmetal]

In defense of WWE, more women will be a part of this Wrestlemania than any previous I can remember. They're all getting a paycheck and that's pretty cool.

[FunSlower]

In defense of WWE, more women will be a part of this Wrestlemania than any previous I can remember. They're all getting a paycheck and that's pretty cool.

For sure. I still remember S1 of Total Divas where the women's match was cut, and they'd try to do a Battle Royale to get everyone a payday. Now there's more meaning, and they all get paid.

[bork]

In defense of WWE, more women will be a part of this Wrestlemania than any previous I can remember. They're all getting a paycheck and that's pretty cool.

For sure. I still remember S1 of Total Divas where the women's match was cut, and they'd try to do a Battle Royale to get everyone a payday. Now there's more meaning, and they all get paid.

You mean like the SD women's battle royal on the pre-show or the almost battle royal (given how small the division is on RAW now) fatal four way for the RAW title? 

[FunSlower]

Raw's insistence to go to a Fatal 4 Way isn't great, but does give all 4 ladies a spot to showcase their stuff. SD's women's division is in much worse straits. Alexa's character is that she's kind of cunty? Becky's is that she always loses, and...what other characters are there?

We need Dana Brooke on there, then call up Mandy Rose and Liv Morgan.

Liv Morgan can expose Carmella's fraudulent ass. There's only room for one guido royalty in WWE and Carmella's been a stinker. Liv's the real deal.

[bork]

Dana Brooke needs to stay on Raw.  They need more wimmenz.

Don't forget about Naomi on SD.

And Becky needs a damn ring gear change.  She always wears the most unflattering shit.

[bork]

Re: The Miz/Cena segment on SD.

I didn't see the Total Bellas parody segment stuff last week.  I enjoyed that little bit of the Miz imitating Cena, especially when he was in the dining room talking about rules.  Cena is totally fucking nutso at home, man.    Also so bizarre that his 'family' includes Daniel Bryan and...JOHN LAURANITUS.



Anyway, you can really see how much Roman Reigns is just not Cena, no matter how hard WWE tries.  I.E. Cena comes out to boos and people doing the "John Cena sucks" chant, but then he cuts a promo on Miz and the crowd is 100% behind him.  Also found it kinda funny how Nikki Bella just sort of stood there and couldn't stop grinning and looking over at her boyfriend, who stayed 100% in character and ignored her. 

[FunSlower]

Cena on Total Divas/Bellas is a fucking treat. I remember when Nikki cooked for him and he was upset the whole time because she used his kitchen. I love it.

Johnny Ace married Mama Bella, so that's literally his family.

[nachobro]

Fine with women's SD being on Preshow. It's a mess of a match, and perfect for a preshow. I'd blame the booking for not having a simpler women's match but they don't have a story worth a shit going on down there. Dana Brooke needs to get to SD ASAP to fix that division.

Yeah its a mess but if it ends with Naomi getting her title back I'll be happy. It was awesome to see how the crowd exploded for her yesterday.

[Stro]

[nachobro]

three more days boys

[archie4208]

My hype levels are super low.  I only care about Roman vs. Undertaker just to see how many boos Roman gets. 

[Stro]

three more days boys

Gimme the greenlight




cuz I'm ready to whooo whoo whoo whoo whoo

[bork]

Is there any truth to Rollins being sick and possibly missing his Mania match again?  Holy shit if true.  The guy is cursed.

My hype levels are super low.  I only care about Roman vs. Undertaker just to see how many boos Roman gets. 

I saw an amazing suggestion for this match- Roman wins, then the Rock comes out to congratulate him.  Reigns turns heel and takes out The Rock.  I would mark out for that so hard.

It won't happen though.

[archie4208]

Per Meltzer

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Roman vs. Undertaker

[close]

is the purported final match.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Hopefully that means Taker is done for good

[close]

[Stro]

The Roman/Taker vid from Raw has anywhere from 1 to 3+ million more hits than anything else from Raw or Smackdown. It clearly has the most interest and heat and should def end the show. The KO/Jericho segment has 150K views. Lol.

In other news, Network added a bunch of 1982 Mid South. All of which you could have been watching on legitshook.com for a year and a half, but c'est la vie.

In other other news, https://legitshook.squarespace.com/strobogos-wrasslin-potpourri-reviews/2017/2/1/hustle-2 HUSTLE 2. Generalissmo Takada forms the Monster Army comprising of PRIDE guys and Dustin Rhodes, PRIDE vs Hashimoto/Kawada, young Ishii, a Riki Choshu video set to Papa Roach, ECW vs FMW.

[bork]

The Roman/Taker vid from Raw has anywhere from 1 to 3+ million more hits than anything else from Raw or Smackdown. It clearly has the most interest and heat and should def end the show. The KO/Jericho segment has 150K views. Lol.

I think that's all Taker.  People have gotta know this is probably his last match.

[Stro]

Maybe. Whatever the reason, it clearly has more hype than anything else on the show. It should be the main event. If not, Brock vs Goldberg. I can see an argument for Bray/Orton but :mjlel:

[nachobro]

Is there any truth to Rollins being sick and possibly missing his Mania match again?  Holy shit if true.  The guy is cursed.

starting to think storyline hhh is right. this rollins dude is a chump.

so if seth is actually out then what? i guess it wouldn't be a huge loss to do only 12 matches...or does balor make a surprise appearance?

[Stro]

I'd love it if he actually couldn't go. Fuck Seth Rollins. Dude is so bland I'd actually rather see Balor. And fuck Balor.

[bork]

According to dirt sheets:

-JR is supposed to be calling the Lesnar/Goldberg match.  He signed a Legends deal.

-Finn Balor is ready to go but was kept off TV because "WWE had nothing for him for Mania." 

-Shinsuke Nakamura is going to debut on Smackdown next week.

[seagrams hotsauce]

They have to close the show with Taker. It's gonna be his last match, and he's gonna lose Roman Reigns. There's no fucking way they could keep up any momentum after that.

[zomgee]

Oh what the hell. The Undertaker's WWF debut as Kane The Undertaker on Superstars of Wrestling. Features, of course, a top rope walk.



Followed up three days later at 1990 Survivor Series.



Lotsa stars.

[Stro]

According to dirt sheets:

-JR is supposed to be calling the Lesnar/Goldberg match.  He signed a Legends deal.

-Finn Balor is ready to go but was kept off TV because "WWE had nothing for him for Mania." 

-Shinsuke Nakamura is going to debut on Smackdown next week.

In regards to Finn, he was being kept as an alternate in the event that Rollins' knee injury actually kept him out of WM. Since that didn't happen, I assume they felt there was no need to rush him into a WM match 2-3 weeks before the show instead of keeping his return to the Raw after WM. It's still possible if Seth actually has pneumonia that Finn could still fill in. Otherwise he's going to be the big HOLY SHIT moment of Raw.

As to Nakamura...they took him off all NXT advertisements and then added him back on for the UK tour when ticket sales weren't doing as well, so who knows. Seems weird to have him clearly ready to get called up then advertise him for NXT stuff months in advance and then call him up anyway.

[Trent Dole]

Mania gonna suck but I'm gonna watch the whole thing anyway. Pizza and alcohol will make it a good time.