Wrestling Musings – Page 4

Hart And Nash Feud Over A Chair (And Other Kayfabes)

Bret Hart was apparently invited to Summerslam and was upset that WWE never offered him a seat, but HHH’s best buddy Kevin Nash was. But then out comes Kevin Nash to claim that he never even made it to Summerslam and thus was offered no seat. No word from Chris Hansen as to whether he asked either man to take a seat.

Word has it that Nick Khan is pushing for HHH to book the match between Hart and Nash to main event the Royal Rumble from the benevolent and progressive kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the added perk of making it a Seat On A Pole match, with whoever being able to grab the seat wins the match and the seat. HHH, meanwhile, is hoping to book the match as a main event for whatever WWE PLE show he can pull out of his ass to counter whatever AEW PPV is coming up that needs to be countered.

In other news, TNA President Carlos Silva continues cutting interviews to remind people that he exist and he’s looking for the right number to sell TNA to WWE.

Some of these stories may or may not be true. None of them matter because at least Bill Goldberg didn’t end your career.

Neglected Waterfront Architecture

While clearing away some old e-mails, I came across a question from someone who used the question box gimmick on the blog, back when that was a thing. For those who don’t know, I used to do an audio thing called the DTM-Cast and every so often, I pull out a few questions that would be submitted via this gimmick. I may revive the thing if there’s interest, but otherwise, it really doesn’t matter.

So this person asks if I still watch Billy Corgan’s NWA program, to which my answer would be no. For those who don’t know, Smashing Pumpkin frontman William Patrick “Billy” Corgan had acquired the National Wrestling Alliance a few years back after a failed attempt to acquire TNA. He gave the promotion a reboot that featured a throwback to the glory days of the old NWA shows, but with more modern stars. The first year or so showed some problem and was the launching pad for a lot of names you might know today.

And then COVID happened and things got derailed.

Nowadays, NWA has a show on the CW app that you can watch… and that’s why I’m not watching the show… but even the few clips I’ve seen them post on Youtube hasn’t really inspired me to follow the promotion. Even before that one PPV with the James Mitchell bit – if you don’t know, here’s some musings to kinda bring you up to speed – the show had lost a bit of its luster. Going from Nick Aldus to the former Brodus Clay as your reigning World Champion soured things (not necessarily due to politics, but mostly because the Brodus Clay of the 2020s was nowhere near as good as the Brodus Clay of the 2010s… and he wasn’t even all that great in the first place!) The matches nowhere being as good, lots of unknowns, other things… eh, it was a show that I enjoyed when it started, but eventually went in directions that soured me on the product.

It’s worth noting that since that one PPV, the NWA has never held another PPV event. While they still do things like Crockett Cupp or the NWA Anniversary Shows, those end up airing as episodes of their main show, Powerrrrrrr. And since those are on the CW App… well, zero chance of me watching, is there?

(Apparently, they’re also on Twitter, but fuck off if you think I’m spending time on Twitter looking for whatever version of NWA exists now.)

So… I guess what I’m saying is… the answer is no.

Later.

Hulk Hogan

Anyone who knows me or has frequented this blog knows that I was never a Hulkamaniac. Seldom few times where I was a fan of his act and his exploits both backstage and outside the ring have tainted my views on the man as time went on. Hell, you could probably argue that Terry Bollea is one of the few people on this earth that I’ve grown to hate over the years through reputation alone.

And yet here I am writing some sort of tribute post… go figure.

It’s no secret that he’s had his share of controversy and it’s no secret that he hasn’t been seen or greeted in the best of lights… and yet no matter what you thought of the man or his beliefs, you cannot deny that he played a MAJOR role in bringing professional wrestling and the idea of sports entertainment to heights that the business had not seen before. Anyone who was around in the 80s knew the name Hulk Hogan, regardless of whether they watched wrestling or not. You knew who he was and nine times out of ten, he was the first guy that came to mind when someone thinks of the word “wrestler.”

Yes, the man has had his demons. Yes, he has done some pretty shady and shitty things. Yes, he has said some things that goes against common sense and decency… but he was also a man who was adored by millions. No one can deny the impact that he’s had on this business. To some people, he was the scummiest man on earth. To others, he was a superhero on the same level as other big 80s stars. Others will perceive him as a good family man or best friend. All of these are equally valid. And for anyone to celebrate his passing because he did or said a few things he didn’t agree with… man, I don’t know what to tell you other than… that doesn’t work for me, brother.

That’s all I have to say. My thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

RIP Hulkster.

Goldberg’s Retirement Speech

So, for those who missed it, Goldberg had his retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend; a losing effort against World Champion GUNTHER. And then as he was giving his retirement speech, the show went off the air. WWE eventually posted the entire speech on Youtube.

Some folks (including Goldberg) assumed that the timing was a rib on Goldberg and the whole thing was due to whatever heat was left over between he and HHH over shit from two decades ago, when the reality could have been that NBC was dead set on ending the show at a certain time and the show ended when it did. It’s no different from when Sting had his retirement match at an AEW PPV last year and only had ten seconds of PPV time to cut a speech that was eventually posted online afterwards. Sometimes, it’s just bad timing.

Could they have timed it better? Of course they could have… and had it been the other guy in charge, I could absolutely believe this whole thing to be a complete rib… but in this case, I’ll give WWE the benefit of the doubt. This was out of their hands. I blame the peacock. Direct your spears towards NBC, Bill.

Still, for someone like Goldberg to be salty about how their retirement match turned out? I don’t know, man. I’ve seen others have last matches that turned out far worse than what you got. Kurt Angle wishes he could redo his last match. Ric Flair wishes he could have ten more last matches. With all the hype and hooplah over Goldberg’s last match… I personally didn’t care much, but someone must have cared enough to push for this to be treated as a bigger deal for a guy who was known for his time OUTSIDE WWE.

Don’t worry about that. Just go to the theater and watch Superdog.

Lots Of Choices, Only Time For One…

This weekend looks to be a pretty packed weekend of wrestling action for those who care for such things.

The big event that seems to be taking place is the AEW All In show from Texas; a show that happens to be in Texas because ol’ TK couldn’t book Wembley for a third year in a row, so he had to take it elsewhere. Probably a good thing when you claim to draw 80,000+ at your first show and then come back to diminishing returns year after year.

Obviously, you have the main event of Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World title and hopefully, there will be a title change. There’s also another Kenny vs. Okada match that will have absurdly high expectations with no chance of those ever being met (Kenny due to his recent diverticulitus episode and Okada due to phoning it in for easy money… can’t say that I blame him), a Toni Storm/Mercedes match for the women’s title, and some other stuff as well.

But then there’s also Saturday Night’s Main Event, where they claim to feature Goldberg’s last match ever, but then they make it a World title match against GUNTHER and there’s already concern from some folks that they might actually pull the trigger on a Goldberg World title run. There’s also Drew vs. Randy and a couple othe matches.

But then there’s also that all-women’s Evolution show that they finally got around to booking another one because they realized that they didn’t need Cold Ronda to headline this thing and they could do another one of these with the women they have on the roster. I don’t know any of the matches booked, but I’m sure people will appreciate its return.

So, yes, lots of wrestling action this weekend, but I’ve only got time for one show this weekend and I think we all know which show that’s going to be…

…

It’s the one with the dog.

Oh yeah, Krypto The Super-Dog Also Featuring Superman opens in theaters this weekend… nothing else really matters.

Missed Opportunity?

Yeah, this has been out for a while, but for those who missed it, AEW wrestling veteran Kenny Omega cosplays as the four upcoming DLC fighters for Street Fighter 6… I got a chuckle out of it, so I don’t dislike this.

With that in mind and considering all the promotional stuff he does for Capcom, it amazes me that they never thought to include Kenny Omega as a playable character in one of these Street Fighter games. Seems like a bit of a missed opportunity here.

“But what about Austin Creed?” you ask.

He can try out for the next King Of Fighters and he can parade the game around for the next WWE Blood Money show from Saudi Arabia.

In the meantime, news of my recovery hit a bit of a snag, as recently, I somehow survived perhaps the deadliest move in all of sports entertainment: the roll up. It’s banned in a hundred and fifty four states as well as several indigenous nations. I don’t want to necessarily get in the ring because I’m not a fucking idiot and this last blurb isn’t true.

Except for the roll-up being the deadliest move in pro wrestling. Tony Khan is a pussy for taking a piledriver named after Stuttering Dave Meltzer.

23 Years Ago… TNA Was Born

And what a long way it has come since then, with all its ups and downs…

I’ve little to say for the occasion other than congrats to TNA on still being around despite all the times you should have gone out of business. The fact that you’ll live long enough to reach the status of cockroaches, Twinkies, and constant Street Fighter II updates is something to be commended, even if the road getting there had a few bumps.

I’ll be giving the upcoming Slammiversary show a watch and possibly a musings down the road, but in the meantime, if you want some of my thoughts on TNA stuff, you can check out the various Impact and PPV musings that I’ve posted over the years – a wide range of emotional states, I’m sure.

My Answers To The Vince Russo Mark Challenge Or Whatever

So last month, I posted a screen cap of former WWE/WCW/TNA creative person, alleged hated person, and hack writer Vince Russo flashing a piece of paper showing off his list of criteria for what he considers a wrestling mark. I mentioned that I would eventually post my answers and here we are… several weeks later.

Why did I take so long to follow up on this? I had better things to do in life.

But in any event, the moment only one person has been waiting for… how much of a mark am I according to Vince Russo’s list of criteria? The answers await after the break.

Continue reading “My Answers To The Vince Russo Mark Challenge Or Whatever”

R-Truth And Carlito Will Be Fine Without WWE

News of WWE not renewing the contracts of R-Truth and Carlito have caused some online noise from fans who claim they won’t be watching WWE anymore as a result of this. Presumably, these are the same people who claim that they would not subscribe to the WWE Network after the Royal Fumble of 2015 and then soon after, said network saw an increase in subscription numbers.

Listen, folks. I get that you like Truth and Carlito’s bits in WWE… but they’ll be fine without them. Truth had a rather notable run in TNA, where he had been a two-time NWA World champion. Carlito has also made some noise outside of WWE. Both guys will be fine. If you want to show support, follow them wherever they go. If they end up in TNA, watch TNA. If they end up in AEW, watch AEW and cheer for them until TK decides to sideline them for months or worse, put them on a Ring Of Honor show that nobody is watching. It’s not the end of the world for these guys. They’ll be fine.

Lay off the net noise and go outside for a bit. Eat some grass or something.

We No Longer Believe In Joe Hendry…

Well, in case you haven’t heard, Joe Hendry’s illustrious TNA title reign came to an end at the hands of NXT talent Trick Williams at last night’s NXT live event that is about as premium as a bag of dog poop. The show was fine, but other than the one non-WWE title changing hands, nothing of note happened. The wrestling was fine and the show was over relatively quickly, but other than that… eh, not really worth digesting over.

Oh well… time to retire the Joe Hendry meme.

Later…

…

Oh yeah, I forgot. AEW had a PPV last night too.

Um…

I’ll get to it eventually…

Just not any time soon…