C.S.

MAMMA MIA!!! How is the game?

Royce Isaacs is gone. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see this being a hot pickup for NXT/WWE or AEW. Even Impact can't be overly excited about this guy.

And while that can happen in the Thunderdome too, more space and stricter protocols would probably help.

What a sloppy shop. NXT should have been moved to the Thunderdome (Amway in Orlando) when Raw and Smackdown were. Much more spacious, and therefore presumably less risky. But who knows with WWE.

Imagine if this whole thing is just a way to give Dio Maddin experience without "exposing" him. None of the other men in this group are ever going to be draws - nope, not even your beloved Dominick Dijakovic - so my theory makes as much sense as any. The women have potential though, so why they're here is anyone's guess. #Equality?

Retribution is mind-bogglingly awful. One of them is named Mace? So, these are the gimmicks and they'll be no unmasking?

So much for protecting Dabbo Kato.

I zoned out and missed this. Is Riddick Moss somehow more interesting in this environment? Still don't understand how you keep him but let go of Tino Sabbatelli, who seemed to have far more upside as an act.

Eddie/Rey/Dominik was a good angle, because everyone involved was self-aware and purposely going over-the-top and trying to bring a telanovela-style storyline to wrestling. Bruce Prichard, who knows nothing about any of that, will of course completely miss the point by trying to rehash it.

So, is Dolph the JTTS of Raw Underground?

Prediction: Hurt Business is aligned with Retribution. MVP: It was me, Austin! It was me all along!

MICKIE!!! Too bad Bruce Prichard is trying to ruin her career, according to the NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis.

Corrected that for you.

Surprised they weren't made a tag team. Yeah, yeah, I know, that sort of thinking sounds like the old racist chestnut of let's pair the two people of color together because we don't see them any other way - typical WWE - but I actually feel they'd be an exciting and dynamic combination. And it's not like the WWE Women's Tag Team Division has much else going on.

No disagreements here, but they have Bianca Belair and look how much they've done with her. Oh wait... P.S. I'm sure it will sadden all of you as much as it does me, but I removed the Mauro Ranallo pic from my signature and replaced it with his catchphrase in a much less obtrusive text format.

There's hopeful optimism, Bubba, and then there's whatever this is.

Dressing up as comic book/horror movie villains doesn't make Retribution any better. What an ice cold DOA act.

Aren't both of those useless geeks also anti-facemask types who feel they shouldn't have to care about other "unhealthy" people?

Austin Aries with a half-assed, half-baked statement about the Chrissy Hemme incident: https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/09/austin-aries-responds-to-being-called-a-sexual-harasser-675007/ I was going to say, "Can this guy just go away?" - but it sounds like he's done with wrestling, thank fuck. If only Austin Aries was anywhere near as good as he thought he was, he'd be the biggest star in the history of wrestling instead of a bland geek who never lasts long anywhere and is impossible to invest in as a fan for that reason. (Ditto for Low-Ki.)

Another sleazy promotion...

Renee Young on her "meeting-in-the-hallway" style first meeting with former boss Vince McMahon: "Little me is walking around backstage with a clean face, squeaky clean, and he comes walking down the hallway, and I'm like, 'Hi!' And I don't remember who it was with him, but they said Vince should not see you without makeup on. You should be fully done...He would not remember that, but I just remember that happening and I had not a clue that that was how it's supposed to work." https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/09/renee-young-recalls-weird-first-meeting-with-vince-mcmahon-674898/ This company, man...

The Pat Laprade Andre book is once again $5 on Kindle. I subscribe to the Kindle Daily Deals mailing list, and a new thing they're doing is giving out credits for books they think might interest you based on what else you've bought/read. I just got a $6 credit for Rowdy (the Piper book written by his kids), which brings the price down from $12.99 to $6.99. I was waiting for it to drop to $5, but it has never gone below $12.99 on Kindle since its release four years ago, so I may just buy it now at this price. Has anyone else read it?

The Sept. 9th issue (yes, I'm a week behind) was more of the same + two misspellings of Swole in the same review and a column presumably by Greg Parks that ends with a footnote about Bruce Mitchell, so it's unclear who actually wrote it (but probably Parks). What a sloppy shop. Far cry from what the Torch used to be. It's kind of sad to see. The site is dominated by audio shows, which I have no interest in, so maybe I'm just not the ideal audience for what the Torch is now.

Aren't there like 6 or 7 seasons? I heard the final season is terrible, but this is the first I'm hearing that it was terrible for a while before that.

I will eventually watch it, but the problem is, I've been spoiled on so much - King Joffrey, Red Wedding, Jon Snow, and now The Mandalorian.