Super Leather

What's the point of charging a price for those reviews? Fuck that noise. Copy/paste that shit and continue to credit the authors. Do it for the business. Do it for the boys. Mostly, do it for me.

I realize since I've been visiting this board since 2002 and might rank up there as Thee Most Infrequent Poster Ever, so my opinion probably doesn't count for anything amongst the rest of you. And I accept that, but do hear me out on this one thing... While I see the point in finally pulling the plug on this board, I would be sad if the old articles went away with it. For instance, the first things I read here were Brandon Truitt's detailed reviews/near-transcriptions of the shoot interviews. They've always been a great read and a fine source of information. I got so much out of reading them (and still do) and can't help but feel like I'm not alone. If the plug must be pulled, at least allow his reviews and the other articles posted to make a transition to the new version of this board that now exists. Please. That's all I ask. Do this guy that one favor. If I can somehow assist in making that transition a smooth one, I'm more than happy to contribute.

I did like Alicia's sell job before taking that "running dropkick into the face of sitting opponent" move the other week. I can't remember the match or the opponent right now (an otherwise dull tag team bout vs. Gail Kim and someone else?), but I did think her groaning in pain while in a sitting position to set it up made that move look less contrived than it often does. Isn't she a relatively new addition to WWE? Really didn't want to see Melina back on Smackdown with the women's title, but I've also seen little to none of her in-ring work from Raw. Some people on this board seem to think she's actually got some decent in-ring ability, so I'll wait and see. Although she spent most of her SD reign on the injured list, I was really into the idea of Maryse as the champion. I think she does a good job playing the bitchy "I am the unattainable goal" heel, and we'll probably see some great things from her in the future if she continues to improve like she was pre-injury. Umaga finally speaking English and getting on the mike is weird to me, and it's going to take some getting used to. (And if he speaks English now, why have him go right back to "Samoan jungle savage speak" when going back up the aisle?) Now, I understand wanting to "de-cartoon" him and slowly remove the stereotypical character traits. But at the same time, I must admit that there is still a part of me that still loves characters like the Wild Samoans and Kamala. Call me crazy, but I think there's still a place for those sort of characters in wrestling today, but I also rarely look at the potential racial implications of such characterizations. Since I only get to see Smackdown, I'm pleased at how things turned out for them in-ring performer-wise with the draft. I really liked how they established everyone on the first post-draft show, and look forward to seeing at least one perfectly good TV match per week.

I remember when the blurb about Owen flashed across the screen on Raw. I was getting tattooed in my friend's kitchen, and jumped out of the chair and ran over to the TV to see what happened. My friend was screaming at me because I nearly fucked up the tattoo royally, and I was screaming at him because Owen Hart was dead and I wanted to know what happened. Somebody in another thread commented that Chris Jericho's current character would have been perfect for Owen Hart, and I can't say that I disagree. Rest in peace, Owen. I wish things turned out better for you and your family.

Davey Boy Smith?

The main difference is that grindcore spawned from '80s hardcore (and the punk/metal crossover), and death metal did not. Early grindcore is much more influenced by the HC/proto-grind bands listed above, like Larm and Siege, or early DRI. Take the jackhammer beats and socio-political commentary from hardcore and grab some tuned-down guitars from metal, and you're on your way to a late '80s grindcore band. Oh, wait, you were asking about specific bands. Shit. Actually, I think both Carcass and Repulsion fit within those confines, despite the fact that Repulsion uses lines like "faggot zombies dressed in drag" in their lyrics. Oh, and thanks for mentioning Brutal Truth, 'cause I'd forgotten about them. It doesn't help that I don't like them very much, but their first album should have been on that list I posted regardless.

I just saw this thread, and am going to derail it for a moment in the interest of talking about grindcore since there's not much about it here. Here's a list of essential grind records to check out, as well as some bands that fall under the "proto-grind" distinction for being influential in some way. Some of these records are hard to get, but most of them should be easy to find for downloading purposes. Have at it! I have all of these records, and can vouch for them. Napalm Death-The Peel Sessions Fear of God-First EP Carcass-Reek of Putrefaction (or Symphonies of Sickness, they're both great) Repulsion-Horrified Terrorizer-World Downfall Phobia-Return to Desolation Assuck-Misery Index Excruciating Terror-Divided We Fall Catheter-Preamble to Oblivion Agathocles are also a classic old school grind band, but have released so many records and split 7-inches, that I'll be damned if I can pick one to start with. Unholy Grave are a stellar Japanese grind band with a similar amount of material, but I'd go with any of their live recordings. If you dig Terrorizer, 324 is another Japanese grind band who sound almost identical. I believe Master is the band before Entombed, and their demos have been reissued in the past few years. Proto-grind bands: Siege-Drop Dead demo Septic Death-Now That I Have the Attention... Disorder-Perdition 12-inch Chaos UK-Short Sharp Shock Discharge-Never Again G.I.S.M.-Detestation Confuse-Indignation demo S.O.B.-Don't Be Swindle Larm-Campaign for Musical Destruction split LP Death Sentence-Ryan...Thanks for the Support EP Heresy-Never Healed flexi Extreme Noise Terror-A Holocaust in Your Head No Comment-Downsided EP Infest-Slave Rupture-Righteous Fuck EP

1. Who are you and what's your business here? I came here in 2002-ish, after seeing something of a plug for this site on Tom Zenk’s weekly column of hilarity. I very rarely post, but I do look at this board on a near-daily basis. 2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling? I started watching wrestling sometime between 1983-1985. The Rock ‘n’ Wrestling era, more or less. 3. The Company Line: A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan? The WWF, NWA-Jim Crockett Promotions, the AWA, WCW, and ECW via the Apter mags. I don’t have cable, so I can’t watch TNA. But I do try to pick up the best-of DVD comps. B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? ECW was the first wrestling promotion to market themselves to people like me and for that, I’ll always hold them in high regard. During the ‘80s, the WWF and JCP ran neck and neck for wrestling supremacy on my TV. The WWF got an edge later on when JCP started to Dusty-finish themselves out of contention. I really hated the AWA during Nick Bockwinkel’s last championship reign. By the time Curt Hennig won the title from him, it was already too little too late. C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why? This isn’t applicable, because I only get Smackdown on my TV. 4. (Not So) Favourites: A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling? 1980s: Hulk Hogan, natch. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, British Bulldogs, Tito Santana, Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Rock 'n' Roll Express, Barry Windham, Colonel DeBeers, and I liked jobbers like the Mulkeys and Corporal Kirschner. Didn't become a Flair fan until his TV match vs. Barry Windham, and then finally admitted that Ric Flair was a good wrestler. 1990s: Bret Hart, Big Van Vader, The Undertaker, Cactus Jack, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, the Four Horsemen. 2000s: Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddy Guerrero, Rey Misterio Jr., Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Taz, Sabu. B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand? When Tully Blanchard said on the Horsemen DVD that he was the “blasting cap” of the group, was he ever right. I absolutely HATED him and would have fought him myself. I hated Hulk Hogan during the '90s as well. El Gigante/Giant Gonzalez probably takes the cake for my most hated wrestler of all-time, with Bastion Booger, Earthquake, and Tugboat on that list too. C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.) I enjoy watching Edge, MVP, Jesse & Festus, Thee Brian Kendrick, Natalya, Maryse, and whatever DVDs I pick up. Jeff Hardy’s current “crazy” character is cool too. Gotta love my old videos of Bruiser Brody, Abdullah the Butcher, and the Funks too. 5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product? I watch Smackdown, or tape it when I’m not around. Yes, I kick it old school with a VCR. I don’t buy PPVs and never have. 6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak? Probably during the mid-to-late ‘90s during the Monday Night War, and wondering if ECW would actually get a crack at being a national promotion. I had friends who watched wrestling then, and we’d get together and watch Nitro and Raw, and watch PPVs on a black box. 7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease? Too many Dusty finishes in 1987 and 1988. The Ultimate Warrior’s rivalries with Papa Shango and Jake Roberts in the early ‘90s. The Attitude Era turned me off to the WWF until about 2000. The deaths of Eddy Guerrero and Chris Benoit have taken their tolls too. But I’m always able to find something that keeps me interested, be it ordering bootleg Japanese videos or reading the old shoot interview reviews on here. 8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date? I’ve never stopped watching wrestling by my own choice. Only because I didn’t have access to a TV, such as when I was homeless for several years. But I’d keep up to date by reading the wrestling magazines anyway. 9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom? Not applicable. 10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes? I just like good wrestling. I don’t care if it’s a technical masterpiece or a garbage brawl. My favorite matches to watch, though, are sixty-minute Broadways. 11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal? I’m somewhere in between. Does anyone believe that wrestlers really come from places like Parts Unknown? Or Truth and Consequences, New Mexico? Or from the bottom of the Mississippi River? In my opinion, the only people who are worse than the ones who believe this stuff are those who actually go out of their way to spend time and bandwith dissecting it. 12. Do you attend live events? Not really. I like to hear the commentary, which you obviously don’t get at a live event. Not to say that it wasn’t fun to attend, but I enjoy it more when I’m at home. As annoying as the marks can be, I’m not sure that sitting near a bunch of smart fans gabbing about “work rate” would be any less so. 13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live? I had a great time at a WWF house show in 1988. It was cool to see Wrestlemania 9, even though it was probably the worst Mania ever. I got a great photo of HBK leaving the ring with his Intercontinental title, and got to spit on Hulk Hogan after he beat Yokozuna. So I guess the best and the worst both took place within the same day: seeing Wrestlemania live, and Hogan somehow taking over the main event and winning. 14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events? Bret-Austin at WM13 is my favorite match that I’ve seen in real time, followed by the Flair-Funk I Quit match as a close second. Favorite moments include the Horsemen jumping Dusty Rhodes with baseball bats, Piper assaulting Snuka with the coconut, Piper assaulting Andre with brass knuckles, the St. Paul Massacre, Ric Flair's return to WCW, any time Big Van Vader came out with that awesome helmet. Probably lots more, but those come to mind first. 15. Freestyle We may be “smart,” but we’re still marks.

Had no luck at either of the B&Ns in the East Bay, but Border's in San Francisco had this and a ton of other wrestling books in the sports section. I read the entire thing last night, and the first words that came to mind after I was done was, "This book pisses me off." On one hand, it pisses me off because it's badly written a lot of the time. When did it become chic for authors to adopt this smartass writing style that suggests that they're actually embarrassed to be writing about their topic of choice (see: The Death of WCW)? Why does this guy's opinion of things like Kevin Sullivan's working ability matter? In fact, Randazzo has an annoying tendency to chime in with his opinion when it's totally unnecessary more often than not. Is this book supposed to be about Benoit's descent into madness while exposing the seamy underbelly of the wrestling business? Or is this book about Randazzo, his subscription to the Wrestling Observer, and collection of Scott Keith books? My guess is that Randazzo would rather it be about him, but he's not half as interesting a topic for a book to cover as Benoit and Nancy are. Looking at his bibliography, anyone on this board worth their salt could have written this book based off of that list. This book also pisses me off because it sees the big picture all too clearly, which is not something that I and most other hardcore wrestling fans care to think about. I've known this deep down for a long time: the wrestlers I like the most tend to be the biggest idiots, marks who take the business too seriously and destroy their bodies and lives for my entertainment. The wrestlers that I probably don't care for--the ones who get by on strictly mic skills and backstage chicanery--are the smartest, for they realize what the wrestling business is really about in this day and age and kinda always has been--making the most money for the least effort. In all honesty, which category is more appropriate to be termed as a "worker"? More later when I get a chance.

*Crosses fingers in hopes that they'll FINALLY include Flair vs. Sting from the first Clash of the Champions.*