Joshi Spotlight- AJW Wrestlemarinepiad ’93 (Part Two)

AJW WRESTLEMARINEPIAD ’93:
(09.10.1993)

And we’re back! I cut this review in half since it was going to be an insane length, so here’s the last three matches. We last left off with a few multi-person matches, and Reggie Bennett making her AJW debut in a tag bout where she scored the winning fall over Suzuka “JTTS” Minami. And Kyoko Inoue scored a roll-up to defeat JWP’s Devil Masami in a big upset!

Part One

Read moreJoshi Spotlight- AJW Wrestlemarinepiad ’93 (Part Two)

Regards Steve Corino


Does your lack of love for his ECW stuff come more because he was over pushed?

I only ask because I know you enjoyed Jericho's weasel antics during his WCW heel run (as did I) and I've always found Corino's ECW act to be in a similar vein, so I've always got a kick out of it as a result

Is it more that he was pushed too much or more that you just didn't think his heel act was entertaining?


He was overpushed and I didn't buy him as a top guy when his act in the ring was basically "bleed like Tommy Rich until Rhino helps him win".  Early on, the whole circus of jobbers thing was an amazing sideshow for ECW, but once he got the "We have no one else to push" push, it was too much.  Really, they should have just made Tajiri into the guy, or ran with Jerry Lynn longer.  

All Japan

What up Scott

What has happened to AJPW? For years they were neck and neck with New Japan with ‘The 4 Pillars’ and others. Now they are basically the TNA of Japan wresting. What caused this ? Is there any chance of them returning to their glory days?

I've heard they're pretty good, I wouldn't actually call them the TNA of Japan.  Unfortunately the death of Baba and the whole NOAH split really destroyed them and without a lot of money behind them, like New Japan has, it's hard to come back from that sort of thing.  New Japan has the dojo system to constantly restock their lineup as well, which All Japan doesn't seem to have.  Even in their glory days they seemingly relied on gaijin and top guys exclusively and didn't have replacements.  There's only one Mike Barton in this lifetime, babe.  Regardless, they do all right for themselves and they're not in serious financial trouble or anything.  

XFL Branding

Given how the WWE hyper-brands everything, I’m surprised they didn’t have all the team names be wrestling themed. Too on the nose for even them? Or does Vince still secretly hate himself for still being thought of as “just” a wrestling promoter?

I know there’s no team there…but the Austin 3:16s? Merch would sell itself. 


Vince 100% doesn't want to be associated with yucky pro wrestling.  Makes him ashamed when he hangs out with all his other white male Republican friends while they discuss how unfair it is that society keeps persecuting them.  

NXT UK – August 21, 2019

NXT UK
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’ve got less than two weeks to go before Takeover: Cardiff and that means things are going to be hitting the high gear around here. This week that will a showdown between Walter and Tyler Bate, which has the potential to be one of the best matches we’ve ever seen around here. Other than that….oh who cares as Walter and Bate are in the same ring. Let’s get to it.

Read moreNXT UK – August 21, 2019

Bo Dallas as NXT Champion


Question: when Bo Dallas was NXT champion in 2013 (and at that time the longest reigning NXT champion), what did Triple H and others see in him that the rest of us did not?  I remember William Regal really trying hard to put him over on commentary even though the fans at Full Sail were having none of it.


Thank you!

Different time, different expectations.  He was a holdover from FCW when NXT was still ostensibly a developmental territory, and he was a guy they were trying to develop.  Plus as a third generation guy with a major pedigree, he had a lot of upside.  Unfortunately, he never really lived up to any of it and his in-ring couldn't keep up with the good personality and charisma he showed early on. 

NXT – August 21, 2019

NXT
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

So in a bit of a surprise, this is the start of the last of the one hour taping cycles. It’s also the start of the fallout from Takeover: Toronto and that means things could be in for a shakeup as we move towards Takeover: WarGames III, which is likely to feature Undisputed Era again. That’s not a bad thing as they’re becoming the Horsemen of NXT, but now they need opponents. Let’s get to it.

Read moreNXT – August 21, 2019

Wednesday Night Thread

Tonight!  It’s NXT and NXT UK, as we prepare for the move to USA live next month!  Tommy has the writeups as usual.

Tomorrow, I go WAY off the usual path for the morning rant.  I think you’re going to enjoy it!  I had a lot of fun writing it.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

What the World Was Watching: WCW Saturday Night – September 16, 1995

–Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan resume their usual commentary duties and they are taped from Atlanta, Georgia.  According to thehistoryofwwe.com, this taping took place on August 21.  This show is also a bit of a hidden gem because all but the last fifteen minutes of the original broadcast in the United States was pre-empted due to Atlanta Braves baseball.

Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: WCW Saturday Night – September 16, 1995

Monday Night Raw – March 21, 2005

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 21, 2005
Location: Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Wrestlemania is less than two weeks away and that means we’re in the final stretches of the build. That can be both good and bad as some of the stories can be interesting but at the same time, some of them are running on fumes and not that great. Tonight it’s another Pick Your Poison match with Batista facing Kane. Let’s get to it.

Read moreMonday Night Raw – March 21, 2005

XFL Reveals Team Names!

https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/video-xfl-reveals-team-names-and-logos-290616

Yup, it’s really happening, whether anyone wants it or not.  Obviously as a Canadian I have no place to complain as long as the Ottawa Redblacks are a real team that exists, but “DC Defenders” sounds like a comic book lawsuit just waiting to happen.  Or else a bunch of nerds who are REALLY big fans of Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice and are anxiously awaiting the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League.

Bob Sapp

Hi Scott,

Do you think Bob Sapp could have been a star in wwe? Huge guy, charismatic as hell, has a flair for the dramatic and clearly not afraid of goofing it up a bit (as evidenced by this gem   https://youtu.be/9dCNym6sO3E ).

Or would petty backstage bs relegate him to one of the many wrestlers that came and went during 2003-2010?

Cheers!

I think Sapp could have been a big star in a lot of places, but I feel like Vince would have tried to WWE-ize him and ruined it.  I think he was better off in Japan, where they got him, even though New Japan was falling apart at the time.  Sapp in TODAY'S Japan though?  Holy cow.  

Championship rivals thrown together

I was hoping this "let's throw two guys feuding over a world title or are big singles guys together and give them the tag titles" trope was dead, but here we are with Seth and Braun as Tag Team champions. Has this EVER worked outside of The Bar (and even then, Cesaro unfortunately really isn't a main event in that sense anyway)?

Shawn Michaels and John Cena?  It's a very common trope but it doesn't have much success to back it up.  It's just another lazy crutch for booking, unfortunately.  

Mike Reviews: ECW Hardcore TV #330 – 21/08/1999

Hello You!

Back again with some more Hardcore TV, as we continue the march onto the debut of ECW on TNN. If you haven’t yet then I strongly suggest you check out Scott Keith’s reviews of those shows. I believe he’s something like 4 shows in now and it’s not only proving popular with the Blog readers but Scott seems to be somewhat enjoying it to a certain degree as well!

Sadly Hardcore TV has now kind of slipped into cruise control and is readying itself to play second fiddle in the ECW television hierarchy. But hey, I used to enjoy WWE Velocity back in the day, so if Hardcore TV becomes mostly a recap show with the odd good match chucked in then I can live with that.

So without further ado, let’s adorn our barbed wire hoodies and take things to The Extreme!!!

Read moreMike Reviews: ECW Hardcore TV #330 – 21/08/1999

The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro–09.01.97

The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 09.01.97

OK, I’ve got a couple of hours free here on my vacation, so time to finally get this one done and hopefully wrap up 1997 Nitro before the permanent switch to 3 hours.

When we last left off… https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2019/02/27/the-smark-rant-for-wcw-monday-nitro-08-25-97/

We start with a nice tribute to the career of Arn Anderson and a recap of the history of the Four Horsemen.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro–09.01.97

HBK & Smackdown


If HBK would have agreed to go to Smackdown in 2004, what impact would it have had on JBL and Cena? HBK winning the belt from Eddie could have gave JBL more time to flesh out his new character. I would loved to have seen a heel HBK vs. Cena at WM 21.

That would have been an interesting twist, actually.  Shawn fails at Wrestlemania and decides to get a fresh start on the other show.  Of course, in real life he had no interest in being World champion again, but I really like that solution and it would have spared us a year of JBL.  

Smackdown – August 20, 2019

Smackdown
Date: August 20, 2019
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, David Otunga

It’s Smackdown’s turn to do King of the Ring as we’re getting two more first round matches tonight. Last night’s pair of matches were pretty good so maybe Smackdown can keep up the pace. Other than that we get to find out who was behind the attack on Roman Reigns, or at least who Daniel Bryan and Rowan say it is. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – August 20, 2019

bob cat


hi why does aew wwe not sign bob cat

Hmm, well you raise an astute point, my good man.  There's several ways you can interpret the lack of Bobcat signing thus far, each with pros and cons that go beyond the obvious permutations and…

Hey, wait a minute!  I see what you did there!