Wrestling 2021: The Big Thread Machine

[Ja'moke]

Mark Carrano always came across as a cunt in the various WWE docs he's featured in, and it seems he treated a lot of people like shit with all the stories that have come out. Weird how it just seemed to have been women wrestlers given their belongings in bin bags.

Anyway, AEW quarter ratings are out, it never dropped below 1 mil again, and Tay and Shida absolutely smashed it:

Q1 - 1,192,000 viewers and 485,000 demo - Adam Page vs. Ricky Starks and the post-match

Q2 - 1,124,000 viewers and 476,000 demo - Penta vs. Trent

Q3 - 1,099,000 viewers and 476,000 demo - Pinnacle interview, the Tay Conti-Hikaru Shida video package

Q4 - 1,174,000 viewers and 512,000 demo - Shida vs. Conti

Q5 - 1,094,000 viewers and 493,000 demo - Inner Circle promo and Billy Gunn vs. QT Marshall

Q6 - 1,063,000 viewers and 494,000 demo - Elite in the trailer and Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston, Jade promo, start of Christian vs Hobbs

Q7 - 1,038,000 viewers and 473,000 demo - Christian vs. Hobbs

Q8 - 1,050,000 viewers and 470,000 demo - Darby Allin vs. Jungle Boy

[Gurke and Hare]

I don't know if it means anything, but Tay is over as fuck on Twitter. Of the AEW women only Britt has more followers, and it's very close, then there's a big gap to anyone else.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Even when she was in NXT, she looked like she'd be a megastar. And then the bell rang. What a turnaround she's had.

Hopefully Tony's pockets are deep enough to stop Vince when he decides to come calling for her again.

[Moribunderast]

While obviously not the best technical match of the year, Tay vs. Shida may have been my favourite match of the year thus far from an emotional investment standpoint. I really like Shida and want her to have a big title defence in front of a full crowd before she loses the belt but I am also becoming a really big fan of Tay and was pulling for her in a way I rarely do in a pro-wrestling match. The fact that the match itself was about as good as you could ever hope for from the two was icing on the cake.

Dynamite has been on a really good run lately. Khan seems to be slightly tweaking things (less people at ringside, for starters) based on criticism. Love to see that Shida vs. Tay killed it in the ratings. Shida vs. Britt should be a really fun feud and I hope with that rating AEW see it as reason to keep Conti as a focus and give her a storyline, whether it be vs. Jade, Nyla, Penelope or someone else.

Next week... I am giddy - GIDDY! - with anticipation of Kip Sabian being at ringside for Penelope's match and getting absolutely murdered to death by Miro. Miro's last few promos have been great and it seems like they're ready to strap the rocket to him. I agree with J'amoke's posts that the destination would seem to be Miro vs. Darby and I am absolutely down for that. Darby's indestructible character has been so well built that it will actually mean something if and when a monster really puts him away. I'd even consider doing the Brock vs. Cena-style match, though I do see wanting to be careful not to harm Darby with a squash like that.

[Ja'moke]

Omega v Swann, great stuff.

Also nice to hear Mauro back on commentary. I kind of got tired of him towards the end of his NXT run but I feel that was partly him feeling burnt out with WWE (and having to do commentary from home). But he made this match feel huge.

[rjd2]

what is the best non ppv stuff on the network?

Have the sub for another few days.

[MrMrs]

broken skull sessions

[Moribunderast]

Happy to see Filthy Tom Lawlor become the first NJPW Strong champion over on that show. I'm a fan of Tom's (despite loathing MMA) due to his podcasts with Bryan Alvarez. He's a funny guy and though he buries his own work, he's quite good in the ring and a fine promo. I'm hoping once the pandemic eases up a bit he can have some matches in New Japan proper over in Japan.

I haven't watched nearly enough New Japan this year. I try to catch up every now and then but they do so many shows in a tour that it's hard to know what's must-watch and what's filler. I should at least catch up on the IWGP Title matches since I know the Ibushi/Naito and Ibushi/Ospreay matches are probably great.

[Magnum Valentino]

broken skull sessions

The Untold series is really good too. Each episode covers something from a single match to a memorable stretch or feud, but with the bare minimum people involved, sometimes no more than two wrestlers and maybe a referee. Start with the Kurt Angle/ Shane McMahon KOTR episode and see how you get on. The recent Edge/Foley one was ace too.

[peanutbutter]

The Untold series is really good too. Each episode covers something from a single match to a memorable stretch or feud, but with the bare minimum people involved, sometimes no more than two wrestlers and maybe a referee. Start with the Kurt Angle/ Shane McMahon KOTR episode and see how you get on. The recent Edge/Foley one was ace too.

So the selling point is basically "no Bruce Pritchard talking head spots"

[up_the_hampipe]

So the selling point is basically "no Bruce Pritchard talking head spots"

Oh no, he's definitely on a few of them.

The WWE 24s are very good, some of their best documentary work.

[Magnum Valentino]

So the selling point is basically "no Bruce Pritchard talking head spots"

Unfortunately, in some there's like a wrestling podcaster or some other self-appointed expert who's managed to get through, but aye, you've more or less hit upon what I was getting at without thinking of anyone specific on my end.

The worst talking head of all time in the WWE context has to be the Miz. I remember him appearing on almost every nostalgia countdown/compilation/documentary series and having absolutely nothing to say. Like, of the Mankind Undertaker Hell in a Cell his typical comment would be "no-one had ever seen anything LIKE IT before".

Just the Miz using words out loud to say nothing at all, all the time.

[Deanjam]

He's wrestling's version of Kate Thornton on those I Love [insert year] shows.

[Magnum Valentino]

Something else I hate about the Miz - his entrance music has three intro stings.

Think of Rock and "IF YA SUHMELLLLL", Austin's glass smash and so on.

Then think of Miz and his cameras clicking, then the Awwwwwesome, THEN the I CAME TO PLAY delivered in the most meatheaded way possible.

Far too old to be taken seriously with a nickname like The Miz, too. Talking Smack fuck you Daniel Bryan was all time legendary but otherwise I have no time for him at all.

Skull Crushing Finale, fuck offfffff.

[up_the_hampipe]

Something else I hate about the Miz - his entrance music has three intro stings.

Think of Rock and "IF YA SUHMELLLLL", Austin's glass smash and so on.

Then think of Miz and his cameras clicking, then the Awwwwwesome, THEN the I CAME TO PLAY delivered in the most meatheaded way possible.

Isn't that hilariously obnoxious for a heel though? Like when The Rock had his Hollywood phase with the self-indulgent long intro.

[Ja'moke]

After all the talk of USA Network getting the NHL rights, it seems now that the front-runner is TNT. Imagine after all this Dynamite has to end up moving to Tuesday nights.

[Utter Shit]

Isn't that hilariously obnoxious for a heel though? Like when The Rock had his Hollywood phase with the self-indulgent long intro.

Mad criticism, the whole point of him is that he's annoying and he's brilliant at it. Might as well criticise Sergeant Slaughter for being an Iraqi sympathiser.

[rjd2]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Is the Monday Night Wars doc any use?

[up_the_hampipe]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Is the Monday Night Wars doc any use?

WWE's version of events, but well made nonetheless.

[Utter Shit]

I didn't think it was that great, but then what I really wanted to watch was a condensed version of the storylines over that period. Obviously it had an element of that, but it was mainly about the backstage stuff.

Does seem a bit mad to me, given the amount of content they put out on the network, that they have never bothered creating yearly highlight reels in that way. Cram the best of 2001 into ten hours or so covering all the main storylines throughout the year, maybe with a little backstage stuff too. Bound to be loads of people who don't have the time to go back systematically but would love to properly go through those eras again.

[BeardFaceMan]

I didn't think it was that great, but then what I really wanted to watch was a condensed version of the storylines over that period. Obviously it had an element of that, but it was mainly about the backstage stuff.

Does seem a bit mad to me, given the amount of content they put out on the network, that they have never bothered creating yearly highlight reels in that way. Cram the best of 2001 into ten hours or so covering all the main storylines throughout the year, maybe with a little backstage stuff too. Bound to be loads of people who don't have the time to go back systematically but would love to properly go through those eras again.

I can't belive they don't put together feud programs as well, showing all the promos and matches for classic angles from start to finish, I'd love something like that. If you wanted to see, say, the Jericho/Michaels fued where Jericho twatted his wife, it would be a hell of a lot of effort to go through all the shows to try and watch the angle unfold in order. WWE keep saying they are making movies, this would be perfect as it would tell a story from start to finish.

[Utter Shit]

And with the majority of it already filmed and paid for! It's basically just a case of curating a few playlists and adding a voiceover, maybe a few talking heads (sorry). I'd love to watch 1999 as I wasn't watching back then, but your choice is either to watch the whole thing, or just watch the well known best matches/promos/moments which doesn't really give you the flavour of the era in the same way, it doesn't give you enough context to really appreciate those moments. Like you're watching the endings of classic movies you've never seen.

[BeardFaceMan]

Exactly, all you need is a decent editor to throw together the material they already have. And there's a lot of shit things you can say about WWE, but their editing and video packages are second to none, they probably already have people like that in-house.

[spanky]

One series I like is Timeline, it covers a feud by just showing the footage rather than cutting to Paul Ross or whoever remembering it wrong. Bryan vs Miz over the space of a decade, Bret vs Owen and the Flair/Savage/Elizabeth feud are highlights, hope they make more of those.

[BeardFaceMan]

One series I like is Timeline, it covers a feud by just showing the footage rather than cutting to Paul Ross or whoever remembering it wrong. Bryan vs Miz over the space of a decade, Bret vs Owen and the Flair/Savage/Elizabeth feud are highlights, hope they make more of those.

Yeah, that was the kind of thing I was talking about, no talking heads, just pure footage, promos and matches. Didn't realise they made those, I'll have to have a look at them.

[Ja'moke]

I've started watching old Nitros, started in May 1996, with the first episode where Scott Hall turned up, and have been working my way through, including the PPVs. Bash at the Beach was the last PPV I saw, so Hogan has turned heel and joined the NWO by this point, and now things are building towards Hogan vs The Giant at Hog Wild.

It's my first time properly watching full episodes of Nitro. Obviously, I've seen all the main highlights over the years via various documentaries. But I'd never just sat down and watched a Nitro. I got into wrestling around 1998, and it was WWF that I first saw, so that's all I watched up until around 2000 when I also started to get into ECW, and by that point, WCW was a laughing stock, so I never bothered.

But I'm really enjoying it, for the most part. There's still some bollocks in there, but that's just wrestling isn't it, you rarely get a perfect show. But I can see why it was so popular and won the ratings for so long. There's the likes of Mysterio, Malenko, Guerrero, Regal, etc in the undercard putting on fantastic matches every week. Some fun tag team stuff with The Steiner Bros, Sting & Luger, Harlem Heat. And batshit insane promos from the likes of Flair, Savage, etc.

And the main thing is, it has a real energy and unpredictability to it. Things like Hall & Nash breaking into the production truck and messing with the cameras, I assume stuff like that had never been done before. I also really like the countdown clock and transition into hour two with the switch in commentary teams. It's a small thing but adds a lot of excitement. It makes you feel like you can't turn away because you might miss something mental.

I can also see how much it influenced AEW in style and aesthetic. I wish AEW would take that influence even further though and go back to Nitro style camerawork. So much easier to watch wrestling when the camera is mostly static.

It's also kind of mad that Nitro as a brand was only around 5 and half years. It feels so influential and such a key part of wrestling history, and yet its existence as a show was so short-lived. NXT has now been around longer than Nitro was, and Impact has been around for almost 20 years at this point.

[Timothy]

The Miz 24 special was pretty good. Worth a watch.

[petril]

I've started watching old Nitros, started in May 1996, with the first episode where Scott Hall turned up, and have been working my way through, including the PPVs. Bash at the Beach was the last PPV I saw, so Hogan has turned heel and joined the NWO by this point, and now things are building towards Hogan vs The Giant at Hog Wild.

It's my first time properly watching full episodes of Nitro. Obviously, I've seen all the main highlights over the years via various documentaries. But I'd never just sat down and watched a Nitro. I got into wrestling around 1998, and it was WWF that I first saw, so that's all I watched up until around 2000 when I also started to get into ECW, and by that point, WCW was a laughing stock, so I never bothered.

But I'm really enjoying it, for the most part. There's still some bollocks in there, but that's just wrestling isn't it, you rarely get a perfect show. But I can see why it was so popular and won the ratings for so long. There's the likes of Mysterio, Malenko, Guerrero, Regal, etc in the undercard putting on fantastic matches every week. Some fun tag team stuff with The Steiner Bros, Sting & Luger, Harlem Heat. And batshit insane promos from the likes of Flair, Savage, etc.

And the main thing is, it has a real energy and unpredictability to it. Things like Hall & Nash breaking into the production truck and messing with the cameras, I assume stuff like that had never been done before. I also really like the countdown clock and transition into hour two with the switch in commentary teams. It's a small thing but adds a lot of excitement. It makes you feel like you can't turn away because you might miss something mental.

I can also see how much it influenced AEW in style and aesthetic. I wish AEW would take that influence even further though and go back to Nitro style camerawork. So much easier to watch wrestling when the camera is mostly static.

It's also kind of mad that Nitro as a brand was only around 5 and half years. It feels so influential and such a key part of wrestling history, and yet its existence as a show was so short-lived. NXT has now been around longer than Nitro was, and Impact has been around for almost 20 years at this point.

even bleeding into the Nitro years you're watching is the Sting/Luger tag team, where Luger only acts faceish whenever Sting's watching. that was pretty new for the mid 90s, a tag team that weren't on the same page, and weren't splitting up any time soon

[Deanjam]

even bleeding into the Nitro years you're watching is the Sting/Luger tag team, where Luger only acts faceish whenever Sting's watching. that was pretty new for the mid 90s,

Easily my favourite Luger. It fit him perfectly as a guy who had flipped heel and face so often, but always stayed buddies with Sting. Sadly it had no pay off due to the NWO arrival.

[petril]

Easily my favourite Luger. It fit him perfectly as a guy who had flipped heel and face so often, but always stayed buddies with Sting. Sadly it had no pay off due to the NWO arrival.

aye, it was kinda weirdly nice it didn't have one. it makes sense in retrospect, one of those things that gets stopped due to the bigger thing, then just abandoned