Little Nemo McFly Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 Last night the Road to Wrestlmania began. Nakamura won the men's rumble. Asuka won the 1st ever women's rumble. Japanese are taking over yo! (also the women's rumble was in my mind a notch better than the men's. Felt like more was happening and also there were more in-match narratives.) WWE finally acknowledged the feelings of the crowd and made sure Roman was the last one in with Nakamura so Nakamura's win got a great big pop. Nakamura is 37 and the Champ Styles is 40 and so their window for putting on a great match at WM that plays to their styles is closing. I'm told they have a long history of great matches going back to Japan. Hope they recreate it. Also making big news... after Asuka won, Ronda Roussey came out wearing Roddy Piper's actual jacket and pointed at the WM sign. Reports are she has a full time contract with WWE now. So between Asuka, Roussey and the two champions, Bliss and Charlotte Flair, we might have two women's title matches. Carmella and Sasha Banks seem to have no matches on the main show. Roman Reigns seems to be on a railway line to a match against Brock at WM. Braun Strowman seems to be getting screwed for WM given the great match he just had with Brock. No apparent plans for him once Brock switches to Reigns. He's just too big a character to fit with a fight for the US title but the main event is occupied. Matt Hardy is into it with Bray Wyatt. Matt is doing a version of his popular Broken Matt character called Woken Matt. Undertaker made an appearance last week on RAW, but I missed it. I hear it was crappy, but it seems to indicate he's going again this year. Rumors are it's the long-delayed Cena match. Shane Mcmahon seems locked into a fight against Kevin Owens one more time, but they're hinting it might actually be Daniel Bryan that takes the spot. I doubt it. WWE would have let Bryan wrestle long, long before this if they were willing to risk his neck (literally). Signs are Bryan will serve out his contract as a manager and go wrestle with some other company that has less stringent medical concerns. Seth Rollins is being set up to fight Jason Jordan, a newbie doing a gimmick as Kurt Angle's son. Speaking of Kurt, there's been some groundwork laid over the last few months for him to go up against HHH. Notable ABSENCES for WM 2018: Dean Ambrose, injured, Big Cass, injured, Samoa Joe, injured (He had been scheduled to be in the Rumble), Enzo Amore, fired for not telling WWE he was under investigation for an accusation of rape and drug use, Neville, who has contract issues, Jeff Hardy injured (though he's said before that he will be in fighting shape for WM) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 not a rousey fan, but this UFC to WWE lane feels like it's only gonna grow things are sounding more exciting, been meaning to follow asuka & nakamura both. aside: a buddy of mine that's a big fan keeps saying he all but hopes for disney to buy the league & vince to just go all-in on XFL. thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) For Disney to buy WWE? Why would they though? It's not good clean family fun. It's got a problematic past, problematic gender portrayals, plays to racial stereotypes, has concussion issues and requires ruthless handling of talent. (Star Wars spoiler below...) Then again Disney just jobbed out Luke and Han to Kylo, so maybe they have the ruthlessness afterall... 2 Ultimately I don't think WWE is valuable enough or enough of a growth industry to get Disney's notice. Vince is pretty much making the most that can be made from it and it's not a lot. Edited January 30, 2018 by Jumbie spoilers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Fuck's sake! I hadn't seen The Last Jedi yet. Can someone spoiler tag that? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Sorry man, I figured if we'd gotten the movie here in Guyana's wilds everyone else must have too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 sorry ASC, if it's anything, that's not as much a spoiler as you'd think yeah you make some solid points...disney seems to come in & fund things that are running smoothly enough but have potential for a lot more. the way they sidelined ike perlmutter has me thinking they'd not do well with vince at all. i guess you're right, it's not as good a fit as i first thought - just imagined them expanding their umbrella of entertainment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 this is too good not to share: Professional wrestling fans are anime fans but don't know it yet Quote Growing up I knew some of the names of the most famous wrestlers and even played a few of the video games on Nintendo 64 learning moves and catch phrases, but whole the allure of spectacle was lost on me. I would go to a friends house and watch them get red faced jumping up and down while yelling at the TV for their favorite spandex clad warrior and I just couldn't understand why.A few years later I would discover Dragonball Z on Cartoon Network, and go on to become a big fan of anime who on occasion (in the private confines of his domicile) would be known to yell and cheer at his favorite moments in the medium. Still the idea of ever being able to enjoy wrestling seemed like an impossibility in my mind.The other day out of the blue my roommate mentioned his friend's brother helps organize a local wrestling show. He too had never been a fan of wrestling but was curious to go. I agreed, as I had always wondered what a wrestling show might be like live and in person. As we walked into the old, musty community center I didn't really know what to expect. The well worn ring was positioned in the middle of the room, with fold out chairs lined up on three sides. Behind the back of the ring a large black curtain ran nearly the length of the wall, helping conceal the performers preparing for their moment on stage. The audience was filled with all ages and backgrounds, a really diverse group of people all gathered in anticipation for the show to come.Fast forward several hours later and it was over. In the end I walked away with a great appreciation for the performers and the striking realization that there are many parallels between wrestling and anime, particularly the Shounen genre. Basically wrestling fans are anime fans who just don't know it yet.1. Reaction MomentsWrestling: A wrestler lands a heavy blow. Their opponent reels back from the force of it. The crowd gasps.Anime: An anime character lands a heavy blow. Action lines emphasize the weight of it. The characters and the audience gasp together.2. Outrageous Villainy vs JusticeWrestling: In wrestling "heels" are meant to draw the ire of the crowd and inject the matches with emotional weight that wouldn't otherwise be there. At this particular event the heel told a 5 year old girl in the crowd to "sit down!" (which was amazing) and proceeded to best the female protagonist with a cheap surprise blow which caused a chorus of boos.People were way more excited to see this story play out than the final marquee match with unquestionably the highest level of technical skill on display. That showcase couldn't compare to the roar the crowd derived from the epic battle of good (justice) vs evil. When the female protagonist later beat the heel in embarrassing fashion cheers filled the room, and the 5 year old girl was giving a standing ovation.Anime: Villains are important to any good vs evil story, and finding dramatic ways to make villains look particularly heinous is something anime excels at. It's a great feeling when an antagonist is set up well and the hero (after great trial and tribulation) ultimately delivers the final blow! 3. Uncertainty of OutcomesWrestling: The villain flies through the air and strikes the hero with tremendous force sending him out of the ring and into the cold linoleum floor with a sickening smack. The event crew rushes to his side as he cries out in pain. Is he hurt? Should someone call 911? As the hero rises to his feet the room starts to realize it was part of the act, and cheers the hero onward.Anime: The protagonist receives a sequence of blows up leading up to his enemy's ultimate attack. He flies back from the force is crashes into ground at tremendous speed and a dust cloud rises up to conceal his ultimate fate. Time passes and the dust clears. The hero steps out of the smoke, ready to fight some more.4. Iconic Named Special MovesWrestling: Tombstone Piledriver. Rock Bottom. Stone Cold Stunner.Anime: Getsuga Tenshou. Gomu Gomu No Pistol. Jan Ken Guu!5. Unique Groups/ PersonasWrestling: At this particular show there were a group of fans who would refer to themselves as the "1 Percenters", taunting the crowd and wrestlers alike while supporting a competitor with a bourgeois demeanor. My personal favorite was a wrestler named "Safety First" who would stop mid-fight to readjust the table he was going to throw you into in the name of safety. Anime: Similarly group affiliations within an anime can help you find a band to identify with to keep you invested emotionally, just like how I know I would be in either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff in Harry Potter. Furthermore characters with strong identifiable traits make the experience more memorable. 6. Catch PhrasesWrestling: Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? You just made the list. Ohhh Yeah!Anime: Omae wa mou Shinderu. I going to be the Pirate King! Dattebayo! I'm all fired up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifter Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Eh, anime is still more believable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Quote Andre The Giant, a documentary examining the life and career of one of the most beloved legends in WWE history. The ambitious, wide-ranging film explores Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated WWE career and his forays into the entertainment world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS Quote This from the same group behind "All In" back in September. Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks. The money backing is coming from Tony Khan, whose father is one of the richest men in the country and owns the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fullham FC.Multiple offers have been made for TV deals, but none have been signed yet. The current expectation is that they will start airing weekly TV later this year.They are throwing around significant money and multi-year deals to secure talent, and already have guys under contract that haven't been revealed yet.More will be revealed next week at a press conference in Jacksonville : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 docu series is supposed to be great, and depressing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 anyone else following the fuckery of a) our clown governor aiding trumper mchmahons by declaring wrestling "essential", and b) the deep cuts they made today with talent & such? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) My love of wrestling as a kid is only matched by my revulsion of so many aspects of wrestling I've learned about as an adult. I still have great respect for the wrestlers themselves, and love watching docuseries about their trade etc but Jesus Christ is it a fucked up industry. Edited April 16, 2020 by alive she cried 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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