C.S.

Even the "best" guys in wrestling - like AJ Styles - aren't really good guys. Depressingly, there are so few genuinely good people in wrestling - but that's a whole other topic on its own.

But would that still apply if Vince went to prison? Wouldn't Jerry then become the de-facto boss? I think Shane and definitely Stephanie were still too young at that point.

This might have already been covered on the podcast - I'm still going through them - but what was Jerry Jarrett's five-year plan if he actually had to take over the WWF from Vince McMahon? (If five-year is too broad, pick a different number.) Some specific questions from that: - Would he have tried to make Jerry Lawler a national draw and WWF World Champion? Lawler obviously created magic in Memphis, so I'm wondering if Jerry Jarrett would've tried to recreate that on a grand scale. - How would Jerry's son Jeff have figured in? - Would Brian Christopher have been brought in with a more serious character and push? - What other Memphis mainstays would have been used?

This is why internet fans are looked at with such disdain and openly mocked and scorned... In Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa, you have the best feud of the year, with the best matches of the year - and people are still finding a reason to complain. It's especially galling in this case because there are extenuating circumstances - Black's injury - so they're rightfully going back to what they know works. IMO, it's a huge improvement. I have nothing against Black, and I'm sorry he's hurt, but I'm looking forward to Round 3 of Gargano-Ciampa far more than anything that would've involved Black.

Nothing will happen IMO because "wrestlers aren't important." As NintendoLogic pointed out, even Vince McMahon himself has gotten away scott free after being accused of much worse.

Punk-Cabana lawsuit: https://www.scribd.com/document/385790711/Doc-Aug-8-2018-at-5-17-PM#from_embed

Yeah, it's a really underwhelming lineup. Other than the presence of some big names, this pretty much feels like a glorified ROH house show. But they already made their money, I guess. They better hope this wildly exceeds expectations and knocks it out of the park, or All-In 2 won't draw nearly the same interest or numbers.

Distribution plans for All-In were announced. - Traditional PPV - FITE app - HonorClub The show will be $39.99. The first hour will air on WGN America starting at 6. The PPV will be live at 7. I really hope WGN America won't be the only way to watch the first hour. Current card NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship Nick Aldis (c) vs. Cody Rhodes Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll Adam Page vs. Joey Janela (with Penelope Ford) Rey Mysterio, Bandido, and Fenix vs. The Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi Stephen Amell vs. Christopher Daniels The Over Budget Battle Royale - Zero Hour Pre-Show Jordynne Grace, Moose, Rocky Romero, Colt Cabana, Ethan Page, and TBA Zero Hero Pre-Show The Briscoes vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky

I remember the final WCW version of the match on a Nitro. Kevin Nash did absolutely nothing and somehow ended up winning it. It was one of the laziest performances I've ever seen. Then again, maybe Nash was right not to sacrifice his body in a dangerous stipulation match that was meaningless and would be forgotten within a week. But Booker T should have won it instead. You can see it in all its "glory" here: https://www.wwe.com/videos/booker-t-sting-goldberg-kronik-vs-kevin-nash-scott-steiner-jeff-jarrett-vince-russo-war-games-nitro-september-4-2000

A couple of new Kindle deals: Free (wrestling novels) - The Condemned - Buddy Cooper Finds a Way: A Novel - The Secret Life of Dr. Demented 99 cents - Ted DiBiase - Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask I remember the Mysterio book being surprisingly great.

My phone automatically started playing Episode 7 even though I picked Episode 4. I was wondering why there were no booking questions. After that confusion was cleared up, I settled in and enjoyed the episode. It was the one with the NY Jets commentator guest hosting - Scott Nathan/Lathan/Latham? Needless to say, I have no idea who he is - he could be the J.R. of football for all I know, but I don't watch sports. Still, it was a great episode and he did a great job, as did Sean. After that, my phone/car tried to auto-play Episode 6. I wasn't having that. Finally, I started Episode 4, which is what I had intended to listen to from the beginning. Only got about ten minutes into it, but I'm already blown away. The last thing I expected Jerry Jarrett to start talking about was classic literature. He brings up "Et Tu, Brute" and explains which rivalry he used that for. Wow! I was sorry when I got home and had to stop. Can't wait to listen to more!

Which is fair, but Brian did everything the right way - came up with his own persona, didn't rely on his famous last name, got over on his own, and did it as a heel when his dad was traditionally a face (I realize "The King" was an amazing heel as well, but you know what I mean - he could do no wrong in Memphis). And that's even before his WWE run as Grandmaster Sexay, which was an entirely different persona too.

Awesome story from Facebook: Dan McDevitt 7 hrs I try only to judge people on how they treated me. One of the first times I ever met "Grandmaster Sexay" Brian Christopher he worked for me in Paw Paw West Virginia, a town seemingy in the middle of no where. The show absolutely bombed and he was fresh off WWE TV and was at the time very over just coming off his run as "Too Cool". That means his price tag was steep (several thousand dollars). He went to the ring and worked as hard in front of 100 people as he would have if there were 3,000 people in the building. I paid him and shook his hand and thanked him. As we were dealing with the end of the show stuff he walked up and handed me an envelope and it had over half his money in it. He said to me "I have been around this business my whole life, I know you guys lost your ass tonight, take this back and lessen the blow and make it up to me down the road" In 25 years in pro wrestling he is the only star that has ever done that. He had his demons, but that's how I remember him, how he treated me, as a good kind hearted dude. May he rest in peace and hopefully his father, Jerry Lawler finds peace as well.

Saddest day ever for wrestling? Based on the mags, I really thought Brian Christopher was going to be the next big star and big heel. Never quite happened that way, but he still had a pretty decent career. We say R.I.P. for all of these, but I hope he really is at peace now.

Sadly, my main exposure to Nikolai was when he came back in I think '94 with hair to essentially play the new Virgil in Ted DiBiase's crappy Million Dollar Corporation. What the hell was that about?! Even then, despite the misguided gimmick and presentation, I liked Nikolai.

That seems to be the pema-price on Kindle, but be aware, it apparently has massive OCR issues (basically a bad conversion with formatting issues, typos that weren't there originally, etc.). If someone has it, please let us know if that's still the case.

Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness just dropped to 99 cents on Kindle. Just be aware that it's more about Dustin's drug issues and daddy issues and less about his wrestling career, so don't expect any deep insight on his great matches and angles. I may re-buy it on Kindle anyway - not sure yet. I haven't checked to see if any other WWE books have dropped in price. I'll update the thread if there's anything else. Edit: Full list of price drops on WWE books: 99 cents - Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life - Showdowns: The 20 Greatest Wrestling Rivalries of the Last Twenty Years - Batista Unleashed - Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness - Diary of a Heartbreak Kid: Shawn Michaels' Journey into the WWE Hall of Fame - My Favorite Match: WWE Superstars Tell the Stories of Their Most Memorable Matches - The World Wrestling Entertainment Yearbook 2003 Edition - Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar - WWE Legends - Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes $1.99 - Adam Copeland On Edge - Hollywood Hulk Hogan - Triple H Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body It's been years since I've read Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes, but I remember liking it. That's probably the one sure buy for me. (Edit: I bought it.) Wrestling for My Life, the HBK religious/wrestling book, is surprisingly good. I actually liked it more than his first book. No idea how Diary of a Heartbreak Kid is though. I remember My Favorite Match being a fun read. Adam Copeland On Edge was written too early in his career, but it's good for what it is. This is where the JBL shower story comes from. If you look up the term "wrestling bubble," this would be it - with Edge describing the experience as some kind of rite of passage and honor, or at least that's how it came across to me.

Man, oh man, did Seth rob you in a Ponzi scheme or something? I agree he was an absolutely terrible babyface for the longest while after turning back for the Hunter feud, but he's gotten slightly better as a face since then. It is probably telling that Seth's favorite wrestler as a youngster was Rob Van Dam.

What was Cornette saying about Lance Storm? I never minded Lance myself. I thought the WCW gimmick with the three renamed Canadian belts was fun midcard stuff and actually a better way to introduce a new wrestler than most of what we see now. I won't call Seth one of my favorites or anything, but I think I like him slightly more than you do. His main problem to me - and he's far from alone in this - is that I have no idea who or what Seth Rollins is supposed to be. So, when everyone else on this board was raving about his recent "classic" matches with Finn Balor, etc., I could not give any less of a shit - there were no stakes, no meaning, no characters, and no reason for me to care. Anyway, Bret definitely isn't bland or dry in this documentary. He may be a lot of other things, but blind and dry aren't among them. He's easily one of the more insightful, thought-provoking, and memorable parts of 350 Days.

I remember hearing that about The Wrestler, but the impression I had at the time was that they based it on a "midcard" act like a Valentine more than the actual man himself, instead of writing the movie about a Hogan type. But are most of today's wrestlers really not guilty of taking their craft seriously? Cornette is talking about the Joey Ryan dick stuff and Kenny Omega wrestling a blowup doll (or whatever that story was), but that's the exception, not the rule. Seth Rollins - ironically a frequent Bret Hart target - seems to take himself very seriously, for example.

Agreed about Tito Santana and Greg Valentine. I'd also add Paul Orndorff to that list. (He looked a bit rough, admittedly - I'm guessing this was filmed either during or after his bout with cancer - but he came across as very well-spoken and wise.) Even "Superstar" Billy Graham seemed to tone down his usual revival tent shtick - at least somewhat - and came across as more human. What issues has Valentine's had? If everyone in the movie played a character, I agree it would have been unbearable. But since he was the only one doing it (and I'm not even sure he was consciously doing it), it was a hoot. Truthfully, most of the people in the movie came across pretty well IMO. I just wish we had more time with some of them. Supposedly there was a ton of footage left on the cutting room floor, so I'm hoping all of that ends up on the DVD or digital release (assuming there will be one, but I can't imagine why there wouldn't be).

Bret was definitely one of the highlights of the documentary for sure. But I found it more than a bit strange the way he took not only himself, but his every action, so seriously to such a stark degree. It's one thing to take the art of wrestling seriously - I think we can all appreciate and agree with that - but he went way beyond that IMO. You brought up his female "friends" on the road, which is a perfect example of what I mean. Bret described his infidelities with such gravity, as if they somehow had a greater meaning. He wasn't cheating on his wife with "ring rats" - he was relying on "friends" to "give him what he wasn't getting at home." It felt like such a bizarre justification, yet completely sincere and true to Bret's personality at the same time. Don't misunderstand me: I am not judging his actions - they're not for me to judge anyway - but I did find his descriptions and overall outlook to be really odd. I'm with you that JJ Dillon and Ted DiBiase came across as the most sound-minded, but I'm not quite sure I can put Bret in that category myself. Wrestling-wise? Absolutely. But the other stuff? I don't know. Still, I'm really happy he sounded so clearheaded and coherent after his stroke. Snuka was also surprisingly well-spoken, which pretty much exposes his "simple villager" shtick during the murder case to be complete bullshit (which we kinda already knew, but still). Marty Jannetty was in the worst shape of everyone in the doc, and it was very sad to see. Ox Baker was awesome. Just felt the need to say that again. BTW, the DiBiase stuff in 350 Days felt like kind of a sneak preview for his own documentary, The Price of Fame, which is worth watching too.

Well, wow, I was not expecting this turnaround. Awesome news! I'll update the thread title (if I can).

A Memphis mainstay. From B. Brian Blair's Twitter: Damn. As if the death itself wasn't bad enough, to find out it's because he had no insurance and could only take pain meds while waiting out the rest of his days is downright tragic. I wish the Cauliflower Alley Club could have found out sooner. They do great work for retired pro wrestlers.

Except, that emphasis was the real purpose of the meeting IMO - WWE wants everyone to be very, very careful. Everything else - the "apology," the "contrition, etc. - is all P.R. bullshit.