Wrestling Thread

[Penfold]

I love it.

Only started watching the public access stuff at the beginning of last year and this season has been great, I watched some of them live on facebook and the surprise Diddy appearance matched my exprisement at Shane's return this year.

Anyway, back to TNA with the Directors Cut: SPECIAL EDITION of whatever Matt was doing.

https://youtu.be/gSmj28cCz88

[up_the_hampipe]

Posted this in the UFC thread:

"Brock Lesnar close to finalizing deal to fight at UFC 200"

Usually rumours like this get dismissed, especially considering he is still in a multi-year contract with WWE. But the very reputable Ariel Helwani is reporting it this time, so there's a lot of buzz at the moment.

What do you marks think?

[gmoney]

Hahaha:

Second only to The Shockmaster clip.

Sam Roberts, O&A, Jim Norton, Bill Burr and Patrice O`Neal laughing about The Shockmaster clip.

I feel like need to point out that the quoted gif isn't a botch, that's Chris Hamrick, he used to do that bump all the time.

[mikeyg27]

What do you marks think?

Given that it's now confirmed, that it was a clause in Lesnar's contract that he could take a bout like this AND he's supposedly back for SummerSlam, I assume the WWE are allowing it to cement his 'legitimacy' as a multi-discipline monster. Which also means that he must be fighting a can, because I don't see how feeding him to anyone decent after such a long way from the sport would result in anything other than a Cain / Overeem style beatdown (Carwin was also beating the shit out of him until he gassed too). I can't imagine it's in the WWE's wider interests to see him looking like this again:

[up_the_hampipe]

Quite amazing how WWE didn't allow Punk to walk Chael Sonnen out at a UFC fight but will let Brock fight at one of their shows. I love that Brock has so much power over Vince, but it's also very frustrating that there aren't similar freedoms for more guys. Cross-promotion between WWE and UFC would be a great thing.

[mikeyg27]

Cross-promotion between WWE and UFC would be a great thing.

It's an interesting one, because I can understand the UFC not wanting too close an association with the WWE for fears of being tarred 'fake' but they must look at the WWE's wider reach and fan base with a hint of jealousy at least. The UFC really do seem to get the better end of any time they co-operate on anything though - UFC 200 needed that extra star power, and Ronda Rousey came out of her Wrestlemania appearance looking badass.

Anyway, I'm a fair-weather / casual wrestling fan who's been getting back into it lately for no reason other than I keep finding Smackdown on TV when there's nothing else on, and I just want to thank everyone who contributed to the last wrestling thread which I spent large portions of yesterday reading. Seeing the evolution of the opinion on Reigns develop was super-entertaining.

[Osmium]

Mark Hunt is the rumoured opponent for Lesnar. He's a guy that Brock can easily take down and beat up on the ground, but also a guy who would knock his head clean off if he was foolish enough to try and stand with him.

More importantly though, this deserves to be posted again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jzScgAhSt0

[hewantstolurkatad]

Seeing the evolution of the opinion on Reigns develop was super-entertaining.

Start of thread: "He sucks, and they protect him too much"

End of thread: "He sucks, and he gets gassed too easily"

[Timothy]

Mark Hunt is the rumoured opponent for Lesnar. He's a guy that Brock can easily take down and beat up on the ground, but also a guy who would knock his head clean off if he was foolish enough to try and stand with him.

More importantly though, this deserves to be posted again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jzScgAhSt0

Can't wait to see this match just for special effects and the sound effects.

Let's play the ''Michael Cole mentions UFC and Brock'' drinking game tonight.

[up_the_hampipe]

Paul Heyman is doing an interview with Brock on YouTube tonight before Raw. Might be the first proper shoot conversation they've had on camera https://twitter.com/HeymanHustle/status/739869047957901313

[Timothy]

Paul Heyman is heading to the UK this summer for his first-ever series of one man shows.

"An Evening With Paul Heyman" will feature a live Q&A with one of the most engaging personalities in the history of the business. The scheduled tour dates include:

July 11th: London, England
July 12th: Manchester, England
July 15th: Glasgow, Scotland

[Ja'moke]

This segment from Raw was gold: https://streamable.com/lbgm

[up_the_hampipe]

Really? I thought it was an awkward mess with a few funny lines.

Cena's promo with AJ was magic.

[Ja'moke]

It started a little awkward, but just the image of them all sitting atop ladders (Jericho with his legs crosswed) being passive aggressive towards each other was funny to me.

Yes, Cena/AJ promo was great.

[Utter Shit]

Apparently Progress regular Tommy End is signing with the WWE. If he ever makes it to TV, you're in for a treat - he's brilliant.

Also glad to see Will Ospreay's brilliance hitting the mainstream, even if it's in the context of an "is this wrestling" argument. The secret's been out about him for a while now, but the first time I saw him in Progress it was just completely obvious that he would be a superstar in no time - he's seemingly now the biggest star in New Japan within a few months of arriving there, and a move to WWE appears a foregone conclusion. He is fucking INCREDIBLE.

The 'controversy' can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_7qhW76fbw

Basically a few oldschool heads (most notably Vader) have argued to various degrees of anger that the lack of psychology in this match #exposesthebusiness and moves too far from the traditions of wrestling. While I can understand that viewpoint, I disagree - wrestling has always had room for a variety of styles, and the idea of exhibition matches designed to allow the competitors to show off their skills without the need for blood feuds etc is as old as the hills - I don't see why it becomes less valid when it's about athletic prowess rather than old-style mat wrestling ability. Either way, it's a genuinely stunning thing to watch, and I can even forgive the slightly cheesy double-pose as they finish one of their routines.

[Deanjam]

Yeah, it felt a bit over-choreographed for me. Easier to admire than invest in. But each to their own, there's certainly a place in wrestling for that kind of stuff. Would be boring if every match followed the same philosophy.

[up_the_hampipe]

Yeah, it felt a bit over-choreographed for me. Easier to admire than invest in. But each to their own, there's certainly a place in wrestling for that kind of stuff. Would be boring if every match followed the same philosophy.

Yep that's how I feel about it. Very impressive work, no doubt. I think that people who get heated about it take wrestling a bit too seriously.

[Osmium]

I agree with Steve Austin's take on the Ospreay/Ricochet match, that being that it was a great match that could have been even better if there was a couple of minutes of selling added. Flippy shit isn't my preferred style, but I certainly appreciate it, and enjoy it

he's seemingly now the biggest star in New Japan within a few months of arriving there

Whilst this isn't true, NJPW certainly think highly of him. He was brought in as a member of the top faction, got an immediate title shot, earned a contract off the back of that match, and has presumably won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament this morning (I've not watched it yet). If he has won the BOSJ, it's pretty likely he'll win the belt in a couple of weeks. Very impressive for someone that young. He's someone that is only going to get better as he becomes more well rounded (good example of that being Ricochet), and adapts his style.

[up_the_hampipe]

What is worse, the fake pops on taped WWE shows or Jericho's attempts to naturally segue his podcast interview to an obviously pre-recorded ad read?

[confettiinmyhair]

Also glad to see Will Ospreay's brilliance hitting the mainstream, even if it's in the context of an "is this wrestling" argument. The secret's been out about him for a while now, but the first time I saw him in Progress it was just completely obvious that he would be a superstar in no time - he's seemingly now the biggest star in New Japan within a few months of arriving there, and a move to WWE appears a foregone conclusion. He is fucking INCREDIBLE.

What's William Falcon doing in the Impact Zone?

I think it will be a long time coming for Ospreay. Having said that it will be interesting to see how this Global Cruiserweight Tournament will play out. I have high hopes for Zack Sabre Jr. who reminds me a lot of a skinny William Regal.

[hewantstolurkatad]

Would it have really hurt ospreay and ricochet to fucking sell SOMETHING in that match though. There were several kicks to the head spots that were great but really would have benefited by a minute or two of selling. There was so much that was absolutely great in that match but the overall impact was fuck all for me because of the pacing.

[Penfold]

I really liked his match against "Funky Weapon" Taguchi at BOSJ, he did some selling but it didn't seem to change his offense much.

Some flippy bits!

NXT:THEEND in just over an hour.

Looking forward to it if I stay awake.

[Ja'moke]

NXT Takeover: The End pre-show on now. They are really playing up what "the end" means, and Triple H will be doing an interview on Facebook after the show. I'm guessing it'll have something to do with the Brand Split, maybe moving the tapings away from Full Sail?

[up_the_hampipe]

Tye Dillinger should cherish this NXT run. He seems destined to be misused on the main roster.

[up_the_hampipe]

NXT Takeover: The End pre-show on now. They are really playing up what "the end" means, and Triple H will be doing an interview on Facebook after the show. I'm guessing it'll have something to do with the Brand Split, maybe moving the tapings away from Full Sail?

Yes, please get away from this obnoxious crowd.

[Ja'moke]

Jordan and Gable are just so fucking good.

[up_the_hampipe]

But just how good are they? Would you say they're the World's Greatest Tag Team?

[Ja'moke]

The Revival are also top lads. Some proper classic tag team work.

[Stone Cold Jane Austen]

You could sling a bucket of used johnnies over this crowd and they'd still get a THIS IS AWESOME chant going

[Ja'moke]

There is a certain section that are annoying but still, I'd take a crowd making noise rather than sat their dead.