Migs

I loved the vignette here, a perfect use of their prior babyface run (plausible that people would ask for an autograph) to turn them heel (charge the fans and jump in front of the picture). The match itself suffers from the still too fast format of the TV shows, as they try to work a full match in 4 minutes. It's perfectly fun (also loved the Swanton to break the suplex), but begs for at least a few more minutes.

Yeah, this is mostly here for the Show cosplay, which is amusing enough (it's at least funny enough for the length of time this lasts, which isn't very long). It's also good for really firmly establishing E&C as heels. Amazing how cheating can do that.

This match is the building block of all the multi-man ladder matches that followed, including Money in the Bank. So much here is still getting copied and repurposed. Still enjoyed it again this time after a number of viewings over the years.

Interesting that it seems they're skipping from '89-'92 (although I guess the cheat is that they're starting archive of "Saturday Night" as opposed to "World Championship Wrestling"). A shame, as there's some good stuff they're skipping, but 1992 is super fun stuff to go through.

"It's pretty much all about you, isn't it Terri?" - JR Nice little tag match within all the gaga.

I'm with you guys on this being an otherwise solid match that's really crippled by the lack of heat. Everyone's working hard and executing well, but the match lacks the necessary crowd energy to push it forward. A good contrast to the No Mercy match, as the ladder match didn't require a heel/face dynamic to work, but this does.

Fascinating to see the reactions build with the spots here, as they really go from being nobodies to superstars over the course of the match. I think that energy is what helps the match hold up - the crowd's shock and surprise reminds you of how these spots used to be shocking and surprising. Also, others have said it, but this really might be the nadir of Lawler's commentating. Good grief.

Golden Lovers - Young Bucks was everything I expected and more. 40 minutes loaded with subtext and drama. Not excessive on the near falls, and the ones they did work in were really spectacular.

Is it at all notable that they cut this off right before the Russo era?

The Team Little Big - Miz/Asuka match was hilarious, in a good way.

If they were going to BERRY him, presumably by making him "Wild" Red Berry's long lost child, I think that could work. But it's a bummer that they buried him.

Take me out for now... last couple of weeks have been insane and I need to catch up.

The Bucks are the most obvious choice of indy band to like, and are super into merch, which means they're Jack White.

Will do.

Ack, I have some catching up to do. Will try to get through the two I owe this week.

Yeah, there's likely a bit less than we'd expect. Although I do wish they'd picked a Dibiase match that wasn't from a televised house show, just for freshness.

Ultimately, there is a need for Castle to tone down the comedy a bit in order to work as an ROH world champion given the "serious" way ROH promotes their champ. I don't think that means he can't have the Boys, but they might need to be used less frequently. I also wish they'd cut it with the six man tags... the Boys are portrayed so weakly that it really drags the matches down and seems like it hurts Castle's champion aura a bit.

For Richeyedwards https://youtu.be/tAO-6pmWETE

The Savage match listing is a mixed bag - some legit rare stuff mixed with some stuff from Nitro and Prime Time that's readily available. http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/full-match-listing-wwe-randy-savage-unreleased-dvd/151906/

It's the semi-final in 2 weeks, the winners face the winner of either Roode/Charlotte or Rusev/Lana against the "second chance" team voted back in by the fans. I suppose the loser of the semifinal match could be the second chance team to setup a finals rematch.

Particularly when some of the charities (like Rescue Dogs Rock) are getting a nice promotional bump (some of them are way too big to get any benefit from the promotion, other than cash).

Braun/Alexa are the Connor's Cure team. Miz/Asuka are competing for Rescue Dogs Rock (which is a really terrific organization - my wife's very excited that she gets to cheer for the Miz and animal rescue charity all in one).

This is either a work or a transition to a show with Bischoff (or perhaps a show with Bischoff and Tony both).

This was my initial reaction, but I don't think the story is really whether he'll be at Mania. It's whether he can create a Mania narrative worthy of his career. He's an old god fighting, and perhaps failing, to meet his standard. That's actually kind of different and neat. I agree. Cena, the character, would be insulted if say Bryan said okay, your opponent is this random local [enhancement] talent that you can face [squash in a few minutes] early on the Mania card! Ditto just about any other former champion who has had this sort of Im not booked storyline (Miz, Angle). Granted the jobber being the focus of the storyline as a face would be more compelling, but it is the idea of having one more among the GOAT moments as the lasting image of my career on this stage that is Cenas storyline here. But this is where the sledgehammer of plot really hurts. They might be able to get this across if Michael Cole wasn't yelling about a "path the Wrestlemania!" but just said, "hey, Cena wants to be in a big match, and the big matches are usually for titles." The yelling actively makes the plot worse.