Pro Wrestling

Watching the Punk/Kane/Bryan match last night, where Bryan got the win after a well placed kick, it got me thinking about how you rarely see a straightforward match (one that doesn't end in a DQ/count out/no contest, etc) in WWE that doesn't end with one wrestler hitting his/her finisher or locking on their submission finisher en-route to the pinfall or submission victory. When done well, a sudden move out of nowhere and a successful pinfall can be the icing on the cake for a particularly intense match, such as the numerous occasions that Ric Flair would get an inside cradle out of no where after a fearsome battle, or the many wrestlers who have out-maneuvered their …

Been thinking about this with the AWA Set coming out, but can anyone think of a guy who had one single stand out year that was so dramatically ahead of the pack that it is the essence of a one year peak. I know Ken Patera in 80 was a case of a guy who really had everything hitting at once, but he was a major star before and after. The guy I always think of is Doug Somers (hence the AWA Set connection). Prelim guy before and after for the most part, but for one year (in an admittedly dying company) he was a star and putting on awesome matches every time out.

Inspired by the WCW Discussion. Put together a quick and dirty ranking of the wrestlers who held the WWE Championship. Based solely on their overall body of work, not the reign itself. I haven't parsed this list closely so I'm certain there are a few rankings that wouldn't pass scrutiny. 1. Hogan 1a.Flair (Not going through and renumbering this entire list) 2. Guerrero 3. Savage 4. Hart 5. Austin 6. Michaels 7. Mysterio 8. Rogers 9. Andre 10. Sammartino 11. Slaughter 12. Foley 13. Backlund 14. Rock 15. Punk 16. Cena 17. Koloff 18. Undertaker 19. Inoki 20. Yokozuna 21. Hardy 22. Jericho 23. Angle 24. Morales 25. Edge 26. Big Show 27. Lesnar …

So I picked this up the other day and breezed through it. I figured I would give it it's own thread even though there is going to be some spillover HoF talk. I'm not going to give a standard review here, but I will say is that I think it is a book everyone should read. I absolutely think you can make serious criticisms of the book, but I also think it is a bit different from other wrestling books in it's scope and the way it attacks it's subject. At worst it will be a unique read folks don't quite love. At best I could see it being a "sleeper" favorite book for many readers. I'll list the books Pros and Cons here, starting with the Cons: Cons 1. T…

I know there's not a lot of new gimmicks in the world of rasslin, but some stolen gimmicks are more blatant than others. "The Enforcer" CW Anderson, who runs around doing spinebusters? Stolen gimmick, much? What else is out there? And is this more common or less of a big deal than I am thinking?

Enjoyed Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler except for the 5 minutes my stream went out. Anyway, it is time to make Dolph a face. The crowd is into him, his style of bumping and selling screams face and it would be a change of match-ups. Much better having a face Dolph than watching Kofi or Truth in the same spot on the card.

Wrestling has always been fractured, from the days of the territories, to, arguably, even now. Yes, WWE is the accepted "major league" of the sport/art form, at least in this country, but there is somewhat of a rebirth of what at first glance almost appears to be territories in the U.S. From Chikara to ROH to PWG to 3XW...it doesn't take much to see that there is an appetite for wrestling at least at the local/regional level. These independent feds, at least some of them, all proclaim to have a "World Champion". Really, as we all know, its just the champion of that promotion. WWE tries to give us the facade of having 2 different promotions under one banner, b…

As may well have been predicted, the worst booker thread has been dominated by discussion of Russo and WCW in its dying years. Time to flip the question then. I think this is difficult, because very few bookers are entirely consistent. Vince, Dusty Rhodes, Gabe Sapolsky, Baba, Paul E., Cornette, Lawler, Eddie Graham, Jarrett, Bill Watts and so on ... for every massive high there is usually a correspondingly awful low or various levels of what-the-fuckery. Guys get burnt out, guys fail to move with the times, guys book against their instincts, guys with 20-year track records make terrible mistakes and go broke. Are we looking just for the most number of highest hig…

Issue 81 of Fighting Spirit Magazine is now available! In this month's edition, FSM has features on: - Chris Jericho, who talks to FSM about his current relationship with pro wrestling - What history has to tell us about live wrestling TV, and three-hour weekly shows - Why Triple-H must be self-sacrificing if he is to succeed as Head of Talent Relations - How Vince McMahon's WWE changed in-ring wrestling, perhaps forever - AJ Styles talks to FSM about his career, and his upcoming UK appearance - How Japanese pro wrestling has so often thrived in utilising inter-promotional matches - Why no other heavyweight can match the performances of Big Japan's Daisu…

This topic has been on my mind while watching the 1990 season of the WWF. I'm not sure exactly how to phrase the question or topic, so I'll just go with it and clarify if needed. I'm really interested in seeing some discussion about this topic, though, so hopefully my ramblings make sense. Listening to Vince McMahon on Superstars and Saturday Night's Main Event in 1990 makes me think he gave guys certain gimmicks just to amuse himself. Yes, I know the story about Dusty and the polka dots, but I'm not talking about giving guys a silly gimmick in a vindicative sort of way. I mean more in an out of touch rich guy sort of way, or a crazy old uncle sort of way. When …

The two jobbers Ryback destroyed were billed from Downer's Grove, IL. They proceded to read a poem/rap in unison before getting destroyed. Old school 80s fans will of course remember Downer's Grove was the home town of none other than Leaping Lanny Poffo.

Can anyone explain why Shawn wasn't in the ring between Wrestlemania X and a Razor Ramon match on Raw that August? Also, does anyone know if he was just out selling the Sid injury post-WM 11 or if there was some other reason he was out? He had quite the sketchy record for a few years.

I mean technically speaking, the term "IWC" term could apply to anyone who engages in discussion/fan commentary/social networking within the media of professional wrestling on the internet, but that's not what this is about... I'm talking about the derogatory application of the term that has become synonymous with wrestling fans who share (a derive) their opinions within communities that leech onto the same old sentiments (that include): "The Attitude era was the best era in wrestling history" "A match isn't good unless it's a 30 minute spotfest" "Paul Heyman makes everything better" "Vince Russo is to blame for everything" "Pro-Wrestling needs blood to…

This is a topic we've run into and danced around a few times, but never properly had a full discussion about. Simply put: how important is a wrestler's physical size in today's pro wrestling? Personally, I think it matters less than ever when it comes to drawing money or becoming popular. Cena is a pretty big guy in regular-world terms, but there are plenty of gargantuan superstars who tower over him. Mysterio is the perennial second-biggest draw, and he's the smallest guy in the company. Before they self destructed, the Hardys were HUGE money-makers and sold metric fucktons of merchandise. Clearly, the fans tend to value personality and gimmick and performance…

Battle Royal - Regal gets a nice chant but it means nothing. No audible called. Chrisitan comes back. Christian plasy face. Christian wins. Face Christian is so much better than heel Christian. Lets see how that plays out. Kofi & Truth vs. Swagger & Dolph - OK, so now that Swagger and Dolph are JTTS, Vickie as a character is officially dead and both guys need to disappear for awhile. I don't know if the world can handle another dancing move from Truth. That splits into a shuffle into a legdrop took forever. WHen Team BLondie did a double team on Truth, Kofi did not go for the save and Booker rightfully called him out on it. Pretty hot ending to a perfect…

People will talk about Paul Jones's army here for best, but honestly, what do people think of Right to Censor? They were pretty well booked and positioned as a mid-level stable and threat I thought. The distinct look with the shirt and tie really gave the group a cohesion that made it feel more than just a place to stick random midcarders. I also liked the thematic continuity of Val Venis and the Godfather both turning their back on sex-related gimmicks. And has Steven Richards ever been more effective in a heel role? As for worst, the Million Dollar Corporation from around 94-5 sort of time springs to mind. Just a terrible No Man's Land of mediocre talent and it did…

From Grantland: Pro Wrestling for Auteurs: How documentary films explain WWE's Reality Era, and a preview of this weekend's Over the Limit pay-per-view

Miz vs. Santino - I didn't watch this but I think opening in the equivalent spot of a HEAT match is the right place for the Miz. I think he should be used to put over any babyface they want to give a win to including Ryback, Brodus Clay and whoever else you can think of. Randy Orton vs. Kane - I enjoyed this more than the Mania match. I think it went on a little too long but it was ok.

I'm working on an article on interpromotional feuds in Japan. Before I delve into how this compares to the US, where you had lots of regional monolopies followed by a tiny number of national groups, I want to make sure I'm not leaving out other places. -During its peak, did Mexican companies cooperate much? Do they now? -Ditto for the UK.

I notice that in some recent WWE Magazine issues, in the classic pictures they have taken to editing out the old WWF block logo along with the Attitude Era scratch logo. What happened? Is this part of the 2011 rebranding from World Wrestling Entertainment to WWE? Did the Pandas come down on them again for whatever reason? (If they did, I would imagine it would be over using the block logo as part of Old School Raw last year) More importantly, how goes it with the classic footage on DVD and on Classics on Demand? Are they still keeping the block logo in as well as the words "World Wrestling Federation"? (since the rebranding, I mean) I guess I'll live with th…

http://www.wwe.com/news/rey-mysterio-suspended Fuck fuck fuck

This is probably a stupid question, but since it's a beginner's guide to lucha. I understand both Konnan & Vampiro were big draws in Mexico at some point. Now, with the amount of great wrestlers they have, what was the fascination for two north-american wrestlers who couldn't work a lick ?

It seems like this is really being slept on here, especially in the wake of the James Storm TNA Title win at the iMPACT tapings . Has there been any word yet on how much control Bruce actually has over the product?

We all have different tastes when it comes to wrestling. What promotions do you follow regularly, and how do you follow them? Particularly interested in any independents/foreign promotions with readily accessible regular content online. For me, I try to keep up with all the WWE stuff. Not seen TNA/Impact/whatever you call it in months. There's three indies that run regularly in my area and have TV, and I keep up with two of them. Your turn.

I really hope that the crowd reaction wasn't something unique to Miami and that this is the beginning of something. I know Dave has talked about it, but has Mike Johnson reported anything about the internal reaction to him being so over right now?