The Chief

BRAUN F'ING STROWMAN!!!

We're going to see a Japan show and a Lucha show within the next couple years if this does well. They wanted something similar to this ten years ago but they didn't have the logistics to make it work. What a strange wrestling world we live in.

Yeah, I loved Zayn vs Strowman. It's nice that they're playing to Zayn's strengths. He's best when he's an underdog babyface, not when he's having this is awesome matches. I thought everyone looked good coming out of that one.

And who's Hogan's opponent gonna be?

Very excited for Zayn vs Strowman.

This is a great post. Savage vs Rude just writes itself. Who was Hogan working with on the houses at this time? I feel like he was still doing his "Hulk vs the world" tour. Possibly a subtle burial of Savage on Hogan's part? Savage as number two to Hogan's number one is something that unfortunately followed him everywhere he went.

I always wondered what a Bret Hart vs Rick Rude match would look like in 89-90

Double Trouble's WWE story could probably be a Letters From Kayfabe topic...

WWE wanted Madusa back in 1998. The whole bad blood thing is something they've flipped on a million times.

I believe Kurt Kaufman was one of DeNucci's crew so he would have been brought in as a TV extra with Foley. Probably just a last-minute replacement and info not getting to the right people in time. I know years later they would do the same thing mixing up some of Stallion's guys.

My main takeaway from the show is that today's wrestlers need to take up smoking. Great show! Nice to see some Ernie Ladd love, The guy's voice is just mesmerizing. He could have narrated penguin documentaries instead of Morgan Freeman.

Something I've always wondered: was Randy Savage under WCW contract until the very end? I know he doesn't appear on TV for the final year but knowing WCW he could have just been sitting home getting paid. If not, when did he leave?

Curious to see if they go the Kassius Ohno route as Kevin Owens has the whole "KO" branding already.

As goofy as the Raw Bowl was, I always mark out a little when Vince McMahon falls completely head over heels in love with one of his concepts. He really comes across as thinking this is going to be the next big thing.

Charlotte did a lot of podcasts and interviews when she was a baby face. Even back then I thought one day she’d develop into an amazing heel. You could tell that the things people said about her, nepotism and her role really bothered her. Now it’s all boiling over into her promos. There’s such an air of believability to her entire act because it’s all coming from a real place. Believability in heels is difficult to pull off today, but Charlotte is incredibly believable. Top 5 WWE performer of the year.

So bringing back Percy Watson, with a video package nonetheless, has to be up there with most random comebacks ever.

Pretty good Raw this week. Big Show looked incredible. Not only did he lose all the weight but he was very quick on his feet. You wouldn't guess those knees have been carrying 500 lbs for so long. Whenever he's slimmed down after a layoff in the past the road life always caught up with him. Hopefully this time he can stay healthy.

I think some of it is probably how extreme Alexa's character is. She's basically the embodiment of nastiness. You don't want to see that break in the same way that you don't mind other characters breaking. I don't see it as breaking at all. She just reached the pinnacle of her profession, in front of her parents. Seems like a pretty reasonable time to be happy and not a piece of shit for a few minutes. Maybe if she had better parents, she wouldn't be a horrible kayfabe monster? They're probably poachers. Bryan legit called her mom a pageant mom on a Talking Smack, haha

Can we stop pretending Corbin sucks now? Because that match kicked ass. Kalisto brought the hatred in that match too, something WWE underdog babyfaces don't often get to show. That finish..... damn. That feeling you get while watching a match you know is going to be good but then gets REALLY good, yeah, this had it. Corbin is the man, end of story.

I despise Twitter. What am I even supposed to be seeing here?

Should they have the cruiserweights interact with the rest of the roster? It could go a long way in getting the division over if one of them scores an upset over Jericho or they get a "seal of approval" from Seth Rollins or something like that. On the flip side I could see some of them becoming Braun Strowman victims every week. But I don't think something like Rollins/Swann vs. Jericho/Kendrick would be the worst idea in the world. They could take some steps to show that the division is on the same level as everyone else and not a step down.

It's amazing that Kenny is only thirty. Remember when he was supposed to be the second coming? His entire career was said and done before he could legally drink. You'd think he would have a long Indy resume but he hasn't really worked anywhere consistently. He has a second career ahead of him if he wants to stick with wrestling. I'm positive signing him to a contract has crossed their minds.

Shelton was supposed to come back but needed shoulder surgery. I believe he is signed under a contract he just won't be doing anything for a year or so. Kind of related, are these SmackDown "veteran hands" under deals or pay by appearance? I'm talking about Headbangers, Spirit Squad, etc.

Well, I'm at least interested to see where they go tonight. If Goldberg is on TV we'll probably get a good idea of what his next program is. Does Raw have a PPV between now and the Rumble? Any early favorites to win the Rumble?

I was thinking about his struggle this past week and then I saw this. Very sad. He was a great member of our community and his family will be in my prayers. Way too soon to go.