NintendoLogic

Calling Knoxville and Johnson City liberal in anything but a relative sense is a bit of stretch, I think. Also, didn't the Gangstas do pretty well in those bigger cities? It was the small towns where fans hated them so much they wouldn't even show up to pay for the privilege of cussing them out.

Even if the hand gesture was completely innocent, his dissemination of QAnon conspiracy theories and following the Proud Boys on Parler are matters of public record. On that basis alone, I'm certain he has most, if not all, the opinions I don't like.

I believe the PDF version circulating online differs from the published version in several key respects. For example, the chapter dedicated to bashing Dave Meltzer isn't in the latter. Still a great read, though.

Two weeks ago: He debuted on Dynamite that night. Today:

I was going to mention Eaton. I can't believe he was doing jobs on WCW Saturday Night as late as 2000. I also find it incredible that Billy Graham not only headlined but sold out MSG in 1987.

The idea that you appeal to a particular demographic by pushing a member of that demographic is outdated and patronizing. It can work if the wrestler is outstanding in other respects, but you can't count on audiences to get behind someone solely on the basis of demographic affinity. Dave has told the story of a WWF house show in Oakland headlined by JYD vs. Terry Funk. Not only was the crowd mostly white, most of the black fans in attendance were cheering for Funk. You can say that WWE is doing a good job of trying to appeal to women, but the real world effect has been the opposite. It was noted a couple of years ago that women being pushed more and given more TV time coincided with a noticeable decline in the female audience. Historically, the most reliable way to draw in female fans has been with good-looking pretty boys who can garner sympathy by selling a beating. New Japan is probably the #1 promotion in the world when it comes to drawing female fans, and they do it with handsome charismatic babyfaces. I mean, think about it. If you were a woman, who would you rather watch, Kazuchika Okada or Lacey Evans? Jinder Mahal is another example. He was supposed to help WWE in India, but his title reign was a flop and he didn't even make it to their India tour as champion. It seems most Indians would rather watch white (or at least non-Indian) guys who are good wrestlers than a guy of Indian descent who's a terrible wrestler.

So if the pregnancy is a shoot, that means there's no way Lacey can wrestle Asuka on Sunday, right?

That was only because he asked out due to his anxiety issues. He was set for a huge push last year before no-showing TV yet again, which is why he disappeared before being released.

It was Taker, not Kane, who burned the funeral house down and killed their parents. It's been decades since I actually watched the storyline so that may be a retcon, but that's the current WWE canon. My recollection is that it was always Taker who started the fire, but whether it was accidental or intentional depended on whatever his face/heel alignment was at the moment.

For those who missed it, brother KawadaSmile is referring to Jericho's wife being at the Capitol riots. Here's a fun fact I just discovered: Jericho is the only WWE champion who was actually born in New York. That's kind of crazy if you think about it.

Hey, she's younger than Asuka. And she's blonde, so there's a good chance of her getting a push on that basis alone. Also signed: Harlem Bravado. Don't be fooled by the name, because he's a white guy from North Carolina. The wrestling equivalent of Reggie Cleveland.

To be clear, Dave was referring specifically to St. Louis when he said this. Here's something he wrote in 2014 about Dusty finishes: Also, I was under the impression Flair was a full-fledged babyface in the Carolinas in the early 80s up until he turned on Dusty in 1985.

It was a poster with the screen name of HowardJuneau. Does that ring a bell?

Meltzer has confirmed that Sammy was pulled from Impact over creative differences but says there don't seem to be any hard feelings on either side. Apparently, most of what was planned for Sammy ended up going to Black Taurus. If I were Guevara, I'd veto being part of Decay too.

Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford got written up in the New York Times wedding section. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/style/kayfabe-but-for-real.html They'd better issue a correction for calling Orange Cassidy a bad guy, though.

I'm willing to overlook a wrestler being a murderer or rapist for the sake of enjoying their matches, but I draw the line at being a conservative.

It was the way Piper cracked up when Hart mentioned killer instinct and Vince responding that killer instinct was the one thing Snuka definitely had that gives it an inside joke vibe. Given WWE's track record, I'm hardly inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Speaking of Mutoh, he's the new GHC heavyweight champion.That makes him the third wrestler in history to have held all three major heavyweight titles in Japan along with Kensuke Sasaki and Yoshihiro Takayama.

Let's remember that the sexual abuse of children by WWF employees was something the company used to joke about on the air. Also, someone on the F4W board said that the names Michael Cole and Tom Phillips were inside joke references to Tom Cole and Mel Phillips. I can't vouch for the accuracy of that, but it wouldn't surprise me.

The Observer says the rotator cuff tear is in his left arm. In that case, he can probably get away with spending the bulk of the match on the apron and mainly sticking to punches when he's in. Even before the injury, I figure the plan all along was to have the women work most of the way and throw in enough sports entertainment gaga to make it entertaining or at least watchable.

Remember Rhea Ripley? She's back, in Karen form!

Good to see you back. To your point, I find the overall tone here far more genial than it was back in the day. I can't remember the last time civility broke down because someone needlessly raised the temperature over something trivial like it did so often in the past. I'd love to see more thoughtful in-depth discussion and analysis, but it's not really worth it if it comes at the cost of turning the board into a combat zone.

How's this for a crazy story: Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (Q-CO) might be the fruit of Sweet Stan's loins.

I figured Tito Ortiz had an unassailable position as the dumbest person to come out of MMA (an incredibly high bar to begin with), but I think she managed to surpass him. Being handed a golden ticket and flushing it down the toilet by doubling down on chuddery is on another level.

So what are the chances WWE brings in Gina Carano and has her blame Sasha for getting fired from The Mandalorian? It'd be like Hulk Hogan vs. Zeus all over again.