NintendoLogic

Interesting note in the latest Observer. It seems that Dave and Cody have a Trading Places-style bet over whether this show will hit their target.

Seconded. What a treat that was to watch. Whenever I get to see Ladd footage I hadn't before, I never cease to be entertained. What makes him great in the WWWF was how just about every other heel had a manager (he had the Grand Wizard, but...) that spoke for them. Meanwhile, Ladd talked, and did it far differently and probably better than a manager could for him. Heck, in this promo, the way he put other heels over as legit (in his own mind, of course) did that job too. He really stood out amongst the heels in the Northeast, IMO. I don't know if I'd say he was ahead of his time with that (although he could be, being among the first African American heels), but he went against the grain in many ways...and excelled doing so. One of the greatest all-time greats. I haven't looked into this in detail, but it could be the case that since every WWWF heel had to have a manager, the ones who were strong talkers tended to be paired with the Grand Wizard. In addition to Ladd, he also managed Superstar Billy Graham, Blackjack Mulligan, and Sgt. Slaughter.

That seemed to be his preferred term of address for whoever was interviewing him. I know he did it to Gordon Solie in Georgia and Bob Caudle in Mid-Atlantic as well.

Also, Bundy is part of the concussion lawsuit.

Paul Heyman Paul Ellering Paul Boesch Paul Bearer Paul Burchill Paul Orndorff Triple H (Paul Levesque) Big Show (Paul Wight) Buddy Rose (Paul Perschmann) PN News (Paul Neu) Paul London Justin Gabriel (Paul Lloyd) Paul Roma

Does it put heat on Brock or the company? I think most fans are smart enough to realize WWE is doing everything it can to manipulate them into accepting Reigns as The Guy come hell or high water. It's more likely that they'll cheer him beating Brock and go back to booing him the next week.

Honestly, the Owen situation was far worse. Taking years off a guy's career, never apologizing even in private, and using his catchphrase to try to get yourself over is really shitty.

Well regarded by like three guys on WKO is not the same as well regarded in general.

I watched this on a whim. As far as I know, this match doesn't have much of a reputation (good or bad), so I wasn't sure what to expect going in. We begin with the obligatory Muta stall-o-rama. On the plus side, he makes a little kid in the front row cry. Things pick up when Hash loses his patience and chases Muta to the outside. In an impressive spot, Muta uses one of Hash's seconds as a springboard to hit a Shining Wizard. He then rams Hash into the post, busting him open. A bloodied Hash's selling once they get back in the ring is out of this world. It makes Muta's beatdown a million times more compelling than it would be otherwise. His punch-drunk comeback was also nicely done. They do lose me a bit in the closing stretch with all the Shining Wizard spam, although Hash hitting one of his own was pretty cool. Hash gets the pin with a brainbuster and wins the Triple Crown. They probably should have trimmed off a few minutes, but I really enjoyed this overall. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a hidden gem, but it was a very pleasant surprise. For those who enjoyed the Muta/Tenryu match in WAR, this was in the same vein.

Also, Han never worked pro-style matches. For all we know, he could've been another Tadao Yasuda in that setting.

What's wrong with Baszler? She's a hell of a worker for her level of experience, and she has the kind of badass aura that can't be manufactured.

For what it's worth, more people voted for the men's Chamber as the best match of the night in the Observer poll.

Richeyedwards, here's something that, based on what I know about your viewing habits, I hope is pretty far outside your wheelhouse. Kung Fu Fighters (Kung Fu/Pete Roberts) vs. Caribbean Sunshine Boys (Johnny Kincaid/Dave Bond), 10/8/77

Three Jumbos on this list and none of them are named Tsuruta. Interesting.

It's a euphemism for a handjob at an Asian massage parlor. It was also the name of Gail Kim's finisher in TNA, because TNA.

Some fans were chanting "happy ending" and "Pearl Harbor" at Kairi Sane at the NXT show in St. Petersburg. Yet more evidence that Florida needs to be napalmed out of existence. Or at least sawed off like in that Bugs Bunny cartoon.

dawho5's match pick was Invader 1 vs. Ron Starr. My negative Nancy review is as follows: http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/35550-invader-i-vs-ron-starr-street-fight-81786/?p=5833169

This was my thought as well. I don't think any amount of money could convince me to mix it up in the stands at a Puerto Rico wrestling event. I wasn't really feeling this. The vast majority of the match consisted of Attitude Era-esque aimless crowd brawling of the "let's go for a stroll while I grab your hair" variety. Stuff like that is fine for a couple minutes, but close to ten minutes is a bit much, especially when the total match time is about thirteen minutes. I did enjoy the use of Starr's weightlifting belt as a weapon. Whipping the opponent in the back, clubbing the opponent in the head, wrapping it around their fist before throwing a punch, jabbing the opponent in the throat-it was all pretty fantastic. Things settle down a bit once they make it in the ring. The highlight here, of course, was Starr landing crotch-first on Invader's knees in a Whoopie Cushion counter. I enjoyed that spot, along with the shenanigans with the belt, enough that a strong finish might have redeemed this match. Unfortunately, we get a teased double KO followed by an actual double KO. On the bright side, there was no Abdullah.

I don't see this issue. She's a named party in a civil lawsuit. Her name is a matter of public record at this point.

For the inductees, having "WWE Hall of Famer" on your resume increases your name value for bookings and on the convention circuit.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was a nice look back at the days when lucha was primarily an arena (or gym, in this case) attraction rather than a TV product. Casas was undoubtedly the star of the show. I've never viewed him as a strong offensive wrestler, which is part of the reason I'm not nearly as high on him as some. But everything he did here looked crisp and impactful. In addition, his stooging in between the first and second falls was something to behold, and he took a pretty nutty bump off the top rope in the third fall. Dandy was his usual reliable self. Piloto and Loverboy busted out some impressive proto-Richochet/Ospreay acrobatics, and Kung Fu had some nice strike combinations. El Brazo...well, he threw a chair. There's some furthering of the Piloto/Loverboy feud at the end, but for the most part, this is the equivalent of a send-the-crowd-home-happy house show match.

I've always loved the one Austin did for the Bret match at Survivor Series 1996. I also have a soft spot in my heart for the promo video for Benoit/Kane at Bad Blood 2004 because they did a surprisingly good job at making a match that was pretty much put together as an afterthought seem like a decades-long blood feud.

HHH/Jarrett would be interesting. They're both good wrestlers who think they're great wrestlers, which more often then not makes them shit wrestlers.

For what it's worth, Graham was a legit shooter who performed policeman duty for his father in Florida. Not saying he could take Saturn, but still.

Jarrett's not a terrible pick in terms of qualifications, but I can't imagine anyone actually being excited to see him. He's one of the guys I think wouldn't even get a nostalgia pop at the Royal Rumble.