CTDWAT: Indies/Overseas/General

[The Buzz 0]

Does anyone have any updates on the NWA title, and if Adam Pearce is still champion, who he's defended against?

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I caught some of ROH's "Arena Warfare" (that CZW angle was pretty intense... I know I'm quite late on that comment though) on The Fight Network last night, but it was very difficult to watch due to the film quality. It looked like a camcorder with some sort of macro setting on it... comparable to the way ECW's TV shows looked when they were recapping something from the previous week.

 

1. Why would they film it this way?

2. Was this some issue with TFN, or was a DVD actually released in such poor quality?

[GCWPatrick 0]

Dunno if this was posted anywhere else, but this is a column by Glen Gilberti(Disco Inferno) from wrestlezone.com...

 

Part One: "Internet Wrestling Fans don't know what a good match is!"

 

First of all, let me describe to you what an internet wrestling fan(IWF) is by my definition. An IWF goes on the wrestling websites at least three times a week, thinks that Vince Russo killed WCW, thinks Paul Heyman is a genius and ECW is the greatest thing ever, loves cruiserweights and X-Division guys, loves Japanese wrestling, and takes whatever Wade Keller and Dave Meltzer say as gospel. Now we could debate what an IWF is, but for arguments sake, let's just say that the demographic I just described exists and it does represent a percentage of the pie chart. I would say about a third of IWF's show the aforementioned characteristics. Let's not contest this point because I think it would be a waste of time. For the purposes of this article, I'm talking about this stereotypical smart mark.

 

How do I know that they don't know what a good match is? Answer: the rating system. Most of these fans don't have any clue what a four star match is. I was at a TNA TV taping a couple of years ago and this Ring of Honor kid had a tryout match with some other X-Division guy. He was doing a Bruiser Brody rip-off gimmick complete with the boots, the "Husp, Husp" and had the "hold your wrist out in the upside down karate chop" thing working. And he weighed about 150 lbs. I'm at the monitor with I believe Harris and Storm and I'm like,"let's see how long these guys sell." Well, they have about a five minute match with every ridiculous high spot you can imagine and they sold every spot for literally almost exactly eight seconds, no more than ten tops. The thing was that this guy was supposedly having four star matches on the internet. If that's the type of matches that he'd been doing than he'd never had a four star match in his life.

 

So as I started paying attention to the X-Division guys, I started noticing that everyone was following the "8 second rule." Do your spot, sell it for 8 seconds, do another high spot, sell it for eight seconds. All the while, I'm reading on the internet how great these guys are and how they're being underutilized. I'm reading on the internet how these crazy high fliers in Ring of Honor need to be signed. I watch them and most of them are using the 8 second rule. I'm thinking, "Does anybody have a clue what a good match is?"

 

When I was booking WCW, I attended a focus group. There were 12 mainstream male wrestling fans - ages 18 to 38 - in a room being posed questions by a moderator while myself and about 4 other people from marketing were behind a two way mirror. Two of them were IWF's. We could see them, they couldn't see us, and they're being asked questions like, "Who's your favorite wrestler?" Goldberg, Austin, Rock, Sting, Outsiders they answer. "How often do you watch the shows?" Almost all of them watched the shows. "How often do you watch a ppv?" Every month. "How many times have you rented a ppv?" Zero. Wait - what was that? ZERO? How could that be? I call the moderator behind the glass and tell him to ask where they watch them. Answer: friends' houses, illegal black box, and bars. I'm like "that is unbelievable". We're writing four hours of TV a week to sell a ppv that nobody buys, but everybody sees. What a great business plan. And we wonder why WCW went out of business.

 

So the guy asks them if they liked the cruiserweights. "Nope". What do you mean "nope"? Nobody likes the cruiserweights?? I find that hard to believe. Why not? The consensus was that they're too small and they looked fake. I wanted to come out from behind the two way mirror and smack them. OF COURSE IT'S FAKE! IT'S WRESTLING! I mean smaller boxers have entertaining fights and such, why does their size matter. But then other things are coming out of this group like, "I know wrestling's fake, but Goldberg, man, I don't know. I think he's real." Good Lord. Goldberg's got wrestling fans thinking things are getting real again. Wow!

 

So I'm pretty much surmising that the reason they think the matches look fake is because they're not doing anything to make it look real. Goldberg's smashing people with three devastating moves and the match is over. Cruiserweights are smashing each other with 7 different moves and they're selling for eight seconds. But all the while, I'm reading on the internet how great their matches are. News Flash! All of the guys I know in the business are reading the internet. Just hoping and praying that they get "4 stars."

 

The problem with this is that this mindset of work that has been created infects the industry, because people believe what they read. That's marketing 101. People are more inclined to believe something when they read it. So you've got a whole bunch of up 'n comers coming into the business and everyone's killing themselves and selling for eight seconds and none of them are getting over because mainstream fans think it looks fake.

 

Here's some advice: LEARN HOW TO SELL! Instead of watching Japanese wrestling tapes where matches start with two guys standing in front of each other trading forearms to the head. Watch the main events of every WWE ppv you can get your hands on. Watch Austin, Rock, Angle, and HHH work each other and watch how long they sell. One of the main problems with the smaller guys is that they're given a specific amount of time to wrestle and they try to fit all their high spots in, but they don't figure in how long they should be selling. They end up selling everything for eight seconds and then the match is over. However, the IWF's are still putting them over and they're not changing a thing. I say those matches would be just as good if they took out a third of the high spots and selling the moves that they do more. Make the moves look like they hurt. If you don't, it just comes across as scripted acrobatics.

 

Now I don't want people to think that I don't know that Bret and Austin had a four star match. Or that Benoit/Angle was four stars or most of the matches that are generally accepted as great matches are what they are...great matches. My rant is against the subliminal education that is happening via the internet, where IWF's and the workers themselves are reading and watching guys that can't sell and being told that these guys know how to work, when the reality is that it's creating a style that's hurting the business.

 

Now, of course there are guys that are great and have a clue, like AJ and Samoa Joe. It's just that I'm worried that in this computer age we live in that a bad message is spread so fast that it's hard to find a cure. As long as the internet creates a forum where guys can be told whether they're good or not, and that message is held as gospel, even when they're not, then you can make an argument that the internet is hurting the business.

 

That's just my opinion. I may be wrong.

[Garth 0]

Already Posted Here

 

Also, Adam Pearce is still the NWA Champion. Not certain about what defenses he has made of it though.

[Corkscrew_Senton 0]

Dunno if this was posted anywhere else, but this is a column by Glen Gilberti(Disco Inferno) from wrestlezone.com...

 

Part One: "Internet Wrestling Fans don't know what a good match is!"

 

Not quoting the whole thing for obvious reasons, but anyway I like what Disco has to say. I like cruiserweight/X Division wrestling but there are indy guys out there who Internet fans cream over that quite frankly suck. The Briscoe Brothers are the first who come to mind. A Briscoes match is like watching 20 minutes of Smackdown vs. Raw with just big move after big move after big move and hardly any selling. Everyone on the Net loved the Briscoes vs. Steen/Generico, but honestly I thought those matches were shit. Complete and total shit. The only person selling at all in those matches was El Generico, and even his selling was less than it should have been.

 

 

[GCWPatrick 0]

Already Posted Here

 

Also, Adam Pearce is still the NWA Champion. Not certain about what defenses he has made of it though.

 

Sorry, my bad...

[vermilion 0]

Dunno if this was posted anywhere else, but this is a column by Glen Gilberti(Disco Inferno) from wrestlezone.com...

 

Part One: "Internet Wrestling Fans don't know what a good match is!"

 

Not quoting the whole thing for obvious reasons, but anyway I like what Disco has to say. I like cruiserweight/X Division wrestling but there are indy guys out there who Internet fans cream over that quite frankly suck. The Briscoe Brothers are the first who come to mind. A Briscoes match is like watching 20 minutes of Smackdown vs. Raw with just big move after big move after big move and hardly any selling. Everyone on the Net loved the Briscoes vs. Steen/Generico, but honestly I thought those matches were shit. Complete and total shit. The only person selling at all in those matches was El Generico, and even his selling was less than it should have been.

 

I honestly don't care much for the Briscoes either, but that's neither here nor there. I'm just tired of wrestlers telling fans "You don't know what a good match is!" Isn't the point of professional wrestling to be entertained? You can't tell someone their opinion on what is entertaining is wrong. Some people like high spots, some people like realistic/shoot wrestling, some like hardcore violence, some like it all. I don't give a shit if Disco Inferno doesn't like Misawa and Kobashi stiffing each other, a LOT of people do and that makes it a good match. It entertains a large number of people. They are good at pleasing their audience. Lucha Libre has been "scripted acrobatics" forever and I'm pretty sure the companies there are doing ok. Look at it this way, Michael Bay makes movies. Loud, not very thought provoking movies, summer blockbusters. They make shit loads of money. He's very good at what he does, playing to HIS audience. He knows what people want from his movies and delivers. It may not be my personal cup of tea but I won't say the guy sucks b/c obviously he's making cash and has a lot of fans. Wrestlers need to realize that not everyone appreciates every style of wrestling and instead of ripping on people that wrestle a different style, go out and give the best match they can for their audience.

[GCWPatrick 0]

Part two:

 

"Some SMARK tries to talk about something he knows nothing about.

 

nickflair says:

 

"So the fans don't know what a four star match is...according to who's rating system? Shouldn't the fans be the ones who do the rating anyway? I mean honestly, and with all do respect to the business, but does anyone care that Mick Foley thought he had a four star match in 1987 somewhere in the south, or if Angle thinks his best work has been in TNA? Hell no. Fans want to be entertained, and the biz lives or dies dependent on what the fans, IWF (goofy moniker btw) or otherwise like or dislike.

 

I think that you are mainly upset that wrestling doesn't have as much of the magic that it use to have. Before the Monday Night War's, wrestler's did not use their actual names as their stage name. When Nash and Hall showed up on Nitro and the nWo started, it was something totally new, because it blurred the line between real life and the ring. Since then, about half the wrestlers out there use their real names, instead of some made up 'catchy' name, because in my opinion, I doubt that fans care as much; it's just another facet of the business that has been taken down because it is outmoded. 2007 Wrestling is not the wrestling that we all grew up on. People don't want to see two guys sit in a headlock for 10 minutes, and thus, wrestlers don't do it anymore. A cross-body from the top is not much of a pop anymore, so guys do Swanton's and 450 splash's and moonsaults, because it's what the fans want, and the wrestlers know it. What I am trying to say is that the times have changed, and they will keep changing; either the magicians are running out of their magic or they need to learn some new tricks."

 

Glenn's Response:

 

"Boy, you don't get it all. First of all, a big wig from production the other day at TNA told me, and I'm going to investigate this further to see if it's true, that if you looked at the number of hits the wrestling websites get compared to the number of people that watch the show, the internet wrestling fan represents ONE PERCENT OF THE WRESTLING AUDIENCE! Let me repeat that. The internet wrestling fan represents ONE PERCENT OF THE WRESTLING AUDIENCE! And you're trying to tell me they keep the wrestling business alive?

 

The problem is is that 99% of the boys go on the internet, and they're reading stuff about how good certain guys are, and these guys have no charismatic actions that can connect them with the fans. They can't cut promos and guys like you come on and talk about how booking is holding them back. The truth is, because the guys can wrestle, and thats all they can do, they should feel happy they're making money in this business, because most of their fans on the internet have selective memory.

 

They forget about when guys were given a chance to cut an in ring 5 minute promo and they bombed, or when they were put in an angle with a top guy and were just concerned about getting their $#!+ in a match and it didn't get over. The internet fans forget things like that. They see the guy can wrestle the style they like and keep putting them over and the guy reads about how one percent of the fan base thinks he's great and you can't tell him otherwise.

 

It creates a situation where a guy has talent, but needs to start doing something different because he's stuck in a rut and needs to be elevated. The veterans are trying to work with the guy to help him get over, but you can't tell the guy anything because he doesn't want to listen and why should he? He's reading how great he is and how great his matches are. THAT IS HURTING THE BUSINESS! THE NUMBERS DO NOT LIE!""

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

So people saying that they like something is hurting the business? If anything, Disco's example is one of ego, not the fans, hurting the industry. True, the IWC is a small margin of the fans (I doubt it's only 1% though), so why should our opinions be cast aside when we ARE the customer? That's like saying that the movie geeks who visit Star Wars fansites and shit don't count because they're a smaller portion of the general fanbase. It's a ludicrous thought process, overly egotistical, and - again - for somebody who has neither been the focal point of vast IWC hatred nor been praised for in-ring work (IIRC, many believe he was entertaining, but average or sub-par in the ring) it seems odd that he would be the one attempting to "bring the hate."

 

I can see where Glenn is coming from, but at the same time, he needs to see that what sells is what sells. I love certain wrestlers (Jerry Lynn, Bryan Danielson, Eddie Edwards) but at the same time can see why lesser-quality talent (Sean Waltman, Batista, Cody Rhodes) have made more of an impact on the industry in roughly the same time span: oftentimes they have a good look or a certain in-ring presence that draws people to them despite their flaws as workers, but even more often it's due to bias. Nobody will argue effectively that almost anybody that has held or been close to the WWE's top belts (WWE Title and World Heavyweight title) in the last three years is as good in the ring as Bryan Danielson or even KENTA, but they do offer certain elements that attract a wider fanbase, be it visually (Cena, Orton, and Batista have the right LOOK to be wrestlers), audibly (Michaels, Edge, and Kennedy have been cutting some damn solid promo's in the last few years), or...politically. To downweigh the effect of politics in a business where everybody and their mother KNOWS there's bound to be some (since every business has politics up the ass) is as preposterous as saying that a growing group of fans - the same people that once helped pad your pockets - don't know anything about something they've watched intently for years.

 

Basically, every good point Gilberti brings up - fans clamoring over people that wouldn't make it as huge stars on a mainstream level, wanting one thing and then complaining about when we get it, and not appreciating certain workers' ring psychology - is counteracted by his mistakes. First he says that the WWE main event is a perfect example of ring psychology, when somebody who has a basic understanding of it should know that when Orton's leg is worked over for a solid 15 minutes he shouldn't be able to jump up and just run like nothing ever happened. Then he says that most matches go from Wrestler A doing spots to Wrestler B doing spots and shrugging moves off like they're nothing and that they should go back to one wrestler controlling the flow of the bulk of the match, when the reason some fans (including myself) like the idea of trading offense rather than one man controlling the match is because most matches we've watched growing up followed that same basic and tired formula. Switching it up now and then is exciting.

And, of course, there's the lingering aura of somebody who hasn't been in that many good matches criticizing the work of others. Sounds like somebody's mad that he's not getting any attention from the fans.

[The Buzz 0]

I would like to say I wish we'd see a lot more of the old school match formula, but I do like the occasional back and forth match. I do agree that the lack of selling and facials needs to be worked on, but you can build a good match back and forth without doing the old school Babyface gets his shine, heel gets his heat after using a questionable tactic, 1-3 hope spots, comeback, false finishes, finish.

[Retard Girl 0]

i'm a pretty big Chris Hero mark. thoughts?

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

i'm a pretty big Chris Hero mark. thoughts?

 

 

Chris Hero is overrated. Sure, he may be considered the top heel/performer of 2007 by the internet fans, but really, it's just the internet.

[Retard Girl 0]

i don't base these things on "who's cool on the internet", but yeah. i still like him. i love the whole asshole thing he does so well, oh and something about a little feud with Eddie Kingston. love it.

[Retard Girl 0]

His 55 minute TLC with Punk is fucking garbage and I'm a Punk mark.

 

that amused me more than it prolly should have.

 

[Jingus 0]

I'm not a Punk mark, quite the opposite, but I thought that TLC match was okay. Way too long with way too many highspots, they both should've been dead, but still entertaining while it lasted. The one people should bitch about is the 93 MINUTE marathon they had, which was out of necessity just 75% them laying around in holds.

 

Hero is such a chameleon from year to year and fed to fed that it's like he's a whole bunch of different guys in one. The Hero from the "two guys nobody gives a fuck about" match at the first Juggalo Championshit Wrestling show is a completely different animal from Ironman Hero vs. Punk, which is completely different from Euro Hero trading off spinning wristlocks with Quack & co, is different from Asshole CZW Hero from their ROH invasion, is different from Komedy Kings of Wrestling Hero in Chikara, is different from House Show Hero working random little indy feds all across the country... so forth and so on. He's obviously got all the wrestling skill anyone will ever need and THEN some, but his ability to work it into an entertaining story seems to change depending on his opponent and the particular angle. I haven't seen many of his promos, he seems like a competent if unspectacular talker. He's just fine as a top independent wrestler, but does seem to be lacking that extra oomph, that special something which makes the Bryan Danielsons of the world separate from the herd.

 

The funny thing: the one knock I've always heard about Hero over and over again is that supposedly he's got a shitty look. Everyone from Jim Cornette on down has supposedly said that Hero could play in the big leagues if he would just get some better gear and get in the gym more. Yet he's in the same basic shape and wearing the same kind of stuff that Homicide, Red, and a thousand other indy guys all do.

[Retard Girl 0]

Punk is one of the best all around wrestlers today, imo.

[Retard Girl 0]

Ol' Jingy there has a hatred for Punk that will span the ages.

 

i shall take note of this.

 

[King Cucaracha 0]

His match with Quack at 04 TPI is easily the worst Quack match I've ever seen and so fucking nonsensical and boring. It's pointless contrived "chain wrestling" for the sake of doing it.

 

Wasn't that the point? They were both faces, best friends and co-trainers of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory, with all their students from the Wrestle Factory around the ring watching, that was kinda the story of the match. They weren't supposed to go out there and tear the house down with a blow-away match, which they've had plenty of since. The match is a lot better in retrospect if you've seen the CHIKARA Hero heel turn which succeeded it. Still pretty boring, but there was SOME sense to it.

 

 

I wouldn't say Hero's the best in the world, but he's certainly one of my favourite workers to watch in the world. As a heel.

 

 

The funny thing: the one knock I've always heard about Hero over and over again is that supposedly he's got a shitty look. Everyone from Jim Cornette on down has supposedly said that Hero could play in the big leagues if he would just get some better gear and get in the gym more. Yet he's in the same basic shape and wearing the same kind of stuff that Homicide, Red, and a thousand other indy guys all do.

 

He didn't used to be in that shape. I started getting into indy wrestling in about '04, starting with IWA:MS and Hero was still quite big then. Then I saw an old match of his with Ian Rotten from 01/02 ish that was on one of the DVDs and couldn't believe how big he was. And not the good big.

 

The knock on him getting into the gym more seems pretty strange to me, unless it's an old knock. The guy wrestles Lucha Libre month in and month out for CHIKARA as well as anybody. Some of the stuff he does for someone of his size, the tumbles out of the ring, the vertical leap, the lucha resortés (the nip-up thingy)... if that's a guy who needs to get in the gym more, that's some high standards. As far as gear, well, he's got his own look. And more merchandise than you could dream to own. I guess they're using the Danielson "no real wrestler wears a shirt in the ring" arguement, but whatever. Even if his gear wasn't great, it shouldn't be that important. Punk wrestled in basketball shorts half his career, never really hurt him. The only thing about the look I'm not keen on is the bandana with the floppy hair. In the 'heel who's kinda goofy' role he's in at the moment, it's not a problem. As a geniune threat to the ROH Title with a mean-streak it's not the best look though.

[JHawk 0]

First of all, a big wig from production the other day at TNA told me, and I'm going to investigate this further to see if it's true, that if you looked at the number of hits the wrestling websites get compared to the number of people that watch the show, the internet wrestling fan represents ONE PERCENT OF THE WRESTLING AUDIENCE! Let me repeat that. The internet wrestling fan represents ONE PERCENT OF THE WRESTLING AUDIENCE! And you're trying to tell me they keep the wrestling business alive?

 

If they're referring to TNA's website, that's because nobody who watches the show cares enough about their product to go to their website.

[Jingus 0]

I don't buy the 1% number. That would mean that TNA's website gets less than 10,000 hits per week.

 

Then again, maybe TNA's numbers ARE that low. I've seen plenty of kids in the library on WWE.com at some point. Never seen a kid on whateverTNA'sdomainnameis.com.

[The Buzz 0]

 

Scott Hall no showed his scheduled appearances in Puerto Rico for WWC where he was scheduled to wrestle Friday in Ponce and Saturday in Caguas.

 

Hall, along with Rico Casanova, arrived late Friday to the Island, the reason why he no showed the Ponce event.

 

In Saturday's case, even though he was on the Island, the wrestler was too affected emotionally because of several family issues that happened this past week that have taken a toll on him.

 

Hall wishes to let everyone know that right now he has to deal with his problems and for the time being those are more important than wrestling itself.

 

Francisco "McGyver" Gaztambide

PRWrestling.com

[tekcop 0]

I'm dragging this old thread as this really doesn't warrant a thread, but Memphis Wrestling is coming back to Scotts Hill High School. Ok, so no one here cares, but it was a fun show last time. We got Lawler vs. Derrick King, plus Kevin White, Brian Christopher, and Doug Gilbert. This time we get a true superstar! Eugene will take on Derrick King in the main event. In the midcard, Too Cool (the original Christopher/Taylor version) face Doug Gilbert and someone else! Kevin White faces his trainer, Bill Dundee, for the seven hundredth time!

 

I am a little disappointed at the lack of Lawler, though. Seeing him punch up close is always worth eight bucks. He made the last show, even though it was the day after the WWE got back from Europe and the day before the Hogan/Show match in Memphis. Also, does anyone else find it sad that I've seen Brian Christopher wrestle live more than any other wrestler? I'm still upset at myself for missing his match with Viscera at the city fair a couple of years ago.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Does anyone know the name of the song used by the Jumping Bomb Angels in All Japan and the WWF during the mid-late 1980s? If anyone has it, I'd be most appreciative if it was posted.

[Timmy8271 0]

I'm dragging this old thread as this really doesn't warrant a thread, but Memphis Wrestling is coming back to Scotts Hill High School. Ok, so no one here cares, but it was a fun show last time. We got Lawler vs. Derrick King, plus Kevin White, Brian Christopher, and Doug Gilbert. This time we get a true superstar! Eugene will take on Derrick King in the main event. In the midcard, Too Cool (the original Christopher/Taylor version) face Doug Gilbert and someone else! Kevin White faces his trainer, Bill Dundee, for the seven hundredth time!

 

I am a little disappointed at the lack of Lawler, though. Seeing him punch up close is always worth eight bucks. He made the last show, even though it was the day after the WWE got back from Europe and the day before the Hogan/Show match in Memphis. Also, does anyone else find it sad that I've seen Brian Christopher wrestle live more than any other wrestler? I'm still upset at myself for missing his match with Viscera at the city fair a couple of years ago.

 

 

Well you aren't getting Lawler because of Maclin's bullshit. I don't even think Memphis has TV anymore. Well they do but it's repeats of stuff from 2004.

[tekcop 0]

Huh... Really? I haven't watched the show in years. I just catch the live shows if they happen to be withing reasonable driving distance. I didn't even know Lawler wasn't doing shows anymore. That kind of sucks.

[Timmy8271 0]

I'm sure the live shows are alright. Maclin is suing the WWE for the whole Memphis Fed Ex Fourm show where WWE had Lawler pull out in his match vs Hogan. Lawler was also sued for punching a manager a couple months ago. That got thrown out.

 

Maclin lost his Studio Wrestling deal last month. Now they just air shows from 2004. It's kinda sad really but not shocking.

[tekcop 0]

So, I went to the Scotts Hill show tonight. No Too Cool, which sucked, but the show overall may have been better.

 

The first match was just awesome indy sleaze. The Grappler, a pudgy guy with horrible bacne and a crappy blue mask, took on The Gladiator. He, oddly enough, came out with a helmet and outfit like in the movie. Grappler heeled it up a bit, they did a bunch of armdrags, and the Gladiator won with... something.

 

Next up was IWA-PR/OVW superstar Flash Flanagin/Slash Venom against some little Crash Hollyish guy. S/Flash won with his feet on the ropes.

 

Neither of those matches were anything special, but the next was. The bigger guy from Too Cool 2 and "Playboy" Matt Foley took on hometown hero Rip -somethingortheother!- and Doug Gilbert. Tons of crowd heat, mic work, and general heelishness. Foley and a fan nearly got in a fight and had to be pulled apart, this huge black guy kept on getting in the heels faces and doing this laughing/dancing routine every time they left the ring. An atomic drop/spear combo got the faces the win.

 

After that, we got Kevin White and Bill Dundee. White had an overweight manager and an Asian valet. Lots of comedy at the beginning from all three heels to cover up Dundee's weaknesses. White took a huge bump trying to beat the 10 count after stalling on the outside by sliding in then out of the ring. He landed right on his face. It was great. They finally get going and White wins with brass knucks.

 

Eugene vs. Derrick King was pretty great. Eugene has a ton of pretty cool comedy spots with both his opponent and the ref and they all got a good reaction. King got a short heat section before the 'tard up. Eugene did the big boot/ear cup/leg drop for a two count, then a five-knuckle-shuffle to set up the FU, but King slid out and hit a superkick. Ref bump, Eugene hits the FU, heels from the tag match run in and eat a Rock Bottom and a Pedigree, King throws powder in Eugene's eyes, a new ref runs down for the two count, Stunner (with an awesome Scott Hall sell by King), pin.

 

There was a battle royale after that featuring everybody but Eugene and Gilbert. White spends the whole match outside until only Dundee and the Crash looking guy are left. He tosses the little guy, gets the knucks, but gets thrown out by Dundee to a huge pop. Superstar rips off White's valet's robe to another huge pop to end the show.

 

Eugene had a bunch of WWE merchandise plus cool pictures for sell of him with Kamala, Piper, Melina and Morrison, and a bunch of other people. The greatest was one of him at a bar with Regal, Jeter, and Cena. Dundee had old pictures and homemade DVD's. I almost bought a "Best of Memphis in the 70's" DVD. Anyways, it was a pretty great show overall. Sleaze and heat. Greatness.

[King Kamala 0]

I'm going to an indy show headlined by The Honky Tonk Man on April 23rd. It's been five years since I've attended an indy show. Too long.

 

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to thank Honky for all the years he's put up with shaking greasy hands and kissing ugly babies.

[RedJed 0]

Not sure where thoughts on this would go, but since I can't find an official lucha libre thread anywhere, I guess I'll post here....

 

Galavision aired the first three hour show from TripleMania 16 this weekend and a bunch of great stuff here....production on this show was really good for AAA, probably the best I've ever seen. They recreated a somewhat copy of the WrestleMania 23 set it seemed like, as the entrance way. The only bad thing was that with all of the amped up capacity, the stadium/arena they had this in was only at about half capacity. They opened the show with a band that looked like a cross between Motley Crue and Val Halen from '85 singing the spanish version of Eye of the Tiger live on the entrance stage. Fuckin weird shit, I tell ya.

 

Among the highlights so far....

 

Super Porky at his most ridiculous best, having the most incredibly over the top entrance, wearing an Elvis jumpsuit, and I believe to the music of Chubby Checker's Twist, and including a guitar prop that had pyro go off the top of it before the trios match with him began. Later in the show his brother (El Brazo) ends up joining Los Guapos and poor Porky gets beat down and blades. Poor guy.

 

A clip of what looked to be a AAA cartoon set for fall 09 (?) airs, moreless a trailer. I don't know if this is going to be aired in the states anywhere, but it was announced at a press conference in New York of all places.

 

Juvi no-shows this event, which ends him getting fired from AAA, but they have Ricky Marvin come in and essentially take over Juvy's role in the match him and the rest of Mexican Powers against Hart Foundation 2 (Jack Evans and Teddy Hart, who are lighting it up down in AAA right now) and The Tijuana Familia. Also important to note in this match is that Bryan Danielson is brought in to debut with AAA in this match as well as the third man in Hart Foundation. Everyone generally looked great in this match, and Danielson stood out doing his usual ringwork, a little more lucha based with more flying moves, but with more of a chip on his shoulder than usual in his role. He also busted himself up good in the eye at some point as well. Dragon and Ricky Marvin really were the stars of this match though, more particularly when they worked against each other.

 

Teddy Hart cuts a promo in english before the match actually crediting Chris Benoit for training him to make him into a star, also credits Pillman, and Bret and Owen. I guess Mexico is more open to even mentioning his name, much less as a compliment to the guy. If that was just supposed to be a way for Teddy Hart to get heat with the fans by doing that, that would be weird.

 

The Apache sisters (Mari v. Fabi) have a hell of a heated hair vs hair match that slowly built this long and drawn out "family feud" well, ending the feud. Both sisters bladed like crazy and Billy Boy and Gran Apache played their roles well too. Just really quality stuff all around here, reminding you of the days when you actually felt satisfied by the story told and the final match between the two, given the time they spent building it for tons of months.

 

Final match of the show was Cibernetico v. Zorro, pretty much a underwhelming main event, but neither of these guys really do it for me. One spot was wild though. The owner of AAA got knocked the fuck down by Konnan a little too hard into the turnbuckle, landed into the corner by the buckle and the steel connector near it and hit hard and looked like he ended up with a severe broken nose, if not worse. The dude could barely even stand up after the stiff turnbuckle miscalculation spot, and after seeing a slo mo replay of it, you could tell he got hurt bad by the way he reacted, pretty crazy shit actually. The post -match was pretty funny and wild. All of Konnan's international heel faction comes out, including Xpac, Danielson, and also Bobby Lashley, and Zorro cuts some obviously fired up promo on the crowd, and the fans just start pelting everyone with food and drink, especially Zorro, who ends up just basking in it all in true rudo glory (and ends up literally doused with random stuff being thrown by fans, seemingly almost encouraged by the rudos. Intentional humor moment of the night had to be Lashley's reaction to all of this, literally like he had never seen or experienced such heat in his life, and just started laughing right there, followed by Lashley doing a Ric Flair strut of sorts in the aisleway as he was being pelted with anything the fans could get their hands on to throw.

 

Next week guys like Silver King, Vampiro (against Mesias), and Bobby Lashley (yup, as a heel) all working matches on the show in their debuts or re-debuts.

[Slickster 0]

I notice the AAA announcers repeatedly calling Lashley 'el superman negro.'