Category: Wrestling Musings

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.

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”

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.

So apparently, former WWE/WCW/TNA creative person and alleged hated person Vince Russo has a list of criteria written out to determine how much of a “mark” you happen to be. For those who don’t know, a “wrestling mark” often refers to someone who is either really passionate about the wrestling business, who still believes that wrestling is real, and who is easily fooled by the machinations of the business. The term “mark” has its origins in carnivals, where carnies would mark those with lots of disposable income to let the other carnies know that this is someone we can nickel and dime out of pocket.

Anyway, I was watching this random podcast and Russo was on it… and for a few seconds, he flashed this list of criteria on screen. I took a screencap, it’s up there for those who want it… and I guess you can use that to determine how much of a mark (in Russo’s eyes, at least) you just so happen to be. So I leave this list up for you folks to see for yourself and then… maybe I’ll play along and give this thing a shot.

A friend of mine had asked me this week if I was watching tonight’s Backlash PLE from St. Louis, which is being headlined by the 271,752,716th encounter between John Cena and Randy Orton… to which I replied “No, I dropped Netflix shortly after Wrestlemania.”

He then asked about someone called Larry Valkyrie, to which I raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“You know. Larry Valkyrie. Bird lady with the Irish accent?”

Took me a while to figure out who he was talking about, but then I knew and I told him, “Dude. It’s not Larry Valkyrie. It’s Lyra Valkyria.”

My buddy was like, “Eh?”

“Her name is Lyra Valkyria, not Larry.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Oh… well, what about Becky Lynch? Is she back yet?”

“Oh yes, but she’s no longer Becky Lynch. Now she goes by Bucky Lynch.”

“BUCKY Lynch.”

“Oh yeah… taking this whole MAN thing to another level.”

My buddy looked at me for a moment before realizing that I was pulling his leg. We got a good laugh out of it and went on with our day.

But yes, all the best to Larry Valkyrie and Bucky Lynch on their PLE match tonight.

And also fuck Pat McAfee. Hope GUNTHER destroys his sorry ass.