C.S.

So, what is Bruce's "tell"? How do you know when he's bullshitting? I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. There are undoubtedly thousands of times Meltzer has gotten it wrong or been duped by a bad source. But there are also times Bruce might be BSing or at least withholding information. I've enjoyed his Network show so far (I haven't listened to the podcasts yet) because he always offers a unique perspective on famous backstage stories.

Watts was credited for the Survivor Series '95 Wild Card Match (which was subsequently buried by the hosts), but I can't remember if he was also credited for the Shawn-Owen angle. As for why I haven't listened to the previous podcasts, it's because I don't listen to podcasts in general. But now that I have a car that can connect to my phone automatically, I should really start. As you've already pointed out, there's really very little reason to have video on these things - I'm not sure there were even any clips this week - so I'd lose nothing by listening in the car. BTW, how are you getting the Network podcasts in MP3?

I enjoyed the Shawn Michaels 1995 episode of Something ELSE to Wrestle on WWE Network - although I'm sure it's all old news to the podcast listeners - but my God, the Bruce/Conrad arguments feel really fake and forced. Conrad accusing Bruce, who is essentially of BOSS, of kissing WWE's ass feels beyond manufactured for the sake of drama. I'll give them both credit for being great actors though - their "put upon" expressions look genuine, if nothing else. I would love for Vince to listen to one episode of this show and say, "Damn it, no more Meltzer! You're banned from mentioning him ever again, pal." Every other word out of Conrad's mouth is Meltzer this and Meltzer that. It's lame and obnoxious. With that said, I don't want it to sound like I'm bashing Conrad - I think he does a pretty good job (and a thankless job at that) of steering the ship of the show. Otherwise, these shows are a fun trip down memory lane and a great reminder of some classic angles I had almost forgotten about - like the Shawn-Owen "post concussion syndrome" collapse on Raw, which was incredible stuff at the time and absolutely seemed real to me, or at least cast enough doubt in my mind.

I enjoyed the Shawn Michaels 1995 episode of Something ELSE to Wrestle on WWE Network - although I'm sure it's all old news to the podcast listeners - but my God, the Bruce/Conrad arguments feel really fake and forced. Conrad accusing Bruce, who is essentially of BOSS, of kissing WWE's ass feels beyond manufactured for the sake of drama. I'll give them both credit for being great actors though - their "put upon" expressions look genuine, if nothing else. I would love for Vince to listen to one episode of this show and say, "Damn it, no more Meltzer! You're banned from mentioning him ever again, pal." Every other word out of Conrad's mouth is Meltzer this and Meltzer that. It's lame and obnoxious. With that said, I don't want it to sound like I'm bashing Conrad - I think he does a pretty good job (and a thankless job at that) of steering the ship of the show. Otherwise, these shows are a fun trip down memory lane and a great reminder of some classic angles I had almost forgotten about - like the Shawn-Owen "post concussion syndrome" collapse on Raw, which was incredible stuff at the time and absolutely seemed real to me, or at least cast enough doubt in my mind.

Hey, you asked.

It's simple: She's drop dead gorgeous, but also comes across as drop dead dumb. The latter doesn't appeal to me. Same as KawadaSmiles not finding Finn Balor handsome because he's bland in the ring.

This thread has officially become "my smark favorite is damn handsome too." Lana disagrees. Look, as a straight guy who has never seen Rusev in person, I'm clearly more qualified to judge his looks than his wife! My take on that is one's perception of attractiveness goes beyond physical appearance, and depending on how one sees another, a good looking person might end up being average to the eye of the beholder, and vice-versa. While all you say is indeed true, my perception of Finn being really bland "downgrades" his overall attractiveness, you know. Contrast that with my first post in this thread: Ric Flair wasn't exactly beautiful, but he carried himself like really no one else did, and that surely counts for his attractiveness - and I think that also applied to people like HBK and CM Punk. Likewise, Bryan being this wholesome person makes him stand out more amongst others. Fair enough, as I feel the same way about Torrie Wilson - drop dead gorgeous but comes across as such a useless, brainless bimbo with nothing upstairs that it's impossible for me to find her attractive.

This thread has officially become "my smark favorite is damn handsome too." What's next? Kenny Omega being praised as the second coming of George Clooney? He's bland...as a wrestler. Doesn't affect his looks one iota. I'm not a fan of Finn the wrestler either, but he's genuinely good-looking, unlike Ricky Morton or Tommy Rich.

Ryan Ward?

My original post: Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Shawn Michaels, Edge, etc. are what I call "wrestling pretty." Translation: they're butt-fucking-ugly in any other walk of life, but "pretty" when graded on a wrestling curve. Randy Orton is average at best looks-wise in the "real world." Watch him in his film roles against even marginal Hollywood stars and it becomes obvious. Finn is one of the true legitimately swoon-worthy wrestlers. (I'm not gay either, but handsome is handsome, and that man is handsome.) I cannot believe two straight men are arguing about this, but here goes... Orton and McIntyre? You're not serious, are you? Reigns I can kinda see. But my comment about Finn has nothing to do with his body - the man has a handsome/cute face.

Torrie Wilson exemplifies this for me. She's drop dead gorgeous, but a bubble-headed empty vessel otherwise. I am incapable of finding her attractive because there's nothing between the ears with that girl.

Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Shawn Michaels, Edge, etc. are what I call "wrestling pretty." Translation: they're butt-fucking-ugly in any other walk of life, but "pretty" when graded on a wrestling curve. Randy Orton is average at best looks-wise in the "real world." Watch him in his film roles against even marginal Hollywood stars and it becomes obvious. Finn is one of the true legitimately swoon-worthy wrestlers. (I'm not gay either, but handsome is handsome, and that man is handsome.)

In one night, the IIconics made me more interested in their act than Asuka ever has in two years.

Apparently, WWE will be paying the women for the show anyway, even though they couldn't attend. No idea about Sami Zayn.

Corey Graves on Instagram: A drink to remember that no how bad WE think we have it, at least our women have rights and we all have freedom of expression. #ifyougetityougetit https://www.instagram.com/p/BiIkioBjOQF/

I think you might be onto something here, Loss. And people had the nerve to suggest this was fiction... https://smile.amazon.com/Big-Apple-Takedown-Rudy-Josephs-ebook/dp/B00486U2OG/

The fans rejected Roman years ago though, so I don't see that suddenly influencing any of WWE's decisions now.

Exactly. Roman is one victory away from being the ace again. Defeating Brock and going on a tear for the rest of the year will be enough to undo all the "damage" that's already been done (and I use the word "damage" loosely and have it in quotes for a reason). Whether that actually happens is another story. They seem to be positioning Braun as the new "guy" now. We'll see if that sticks. People already forget that of all of Brock's major opponents, Braun had the worst matches with him. With that said, I still support the idea of WWE shifting its "ace" resources to Braun - I'm just doubtful it will actually happen. As I said in another thread, everyone seems to think Brock vs. Lashley is inevitable for SummerSlam and/or Lashley is the one who will take the title off Brock. Maybe it'll happen, but nothing so far seems to indicate that. Lashley barely made a dent in the GRR and was instantly "just another guy" the minute he made his underwhelming return. They kinda did that last year, except they didn't bother to fully turn either guy.

I sure as hell don't care about Lashley and never did. He's already "just another guy." He barely made a dent in the GRR. Everyone seems to think Brock vs. Lashley is inevitable for SummerSlam and/or Lashley is the one who will take the title off Brock. Maybe it'll happen, but nothing so far seems to indicate that. I was one of his critics in this thread. But to be fair, it wasn't Finn's choice. Putting aside WWE's involvement in that, Finn simply getting his bags searched at the airport and having his "sinful" LGBTQ rainbow gear discovered would have been enough of an issue for him legally. True, he could have refused to do the show, but that would've only torpedoed his career and it would've done nothing to change The Ass-Backward Kingdom of Saudi Arabia™. (This is how I'll be referring to Saudi Arabia from now on.) I feel worse for Sami Zayn. His absence (along with the women) is tantamount to open discrimination. Sure, as someone else pointed out, he probably didn't want to be there anyway. But I have to imagine it still pissed him off that he was probably told he couldn't go. There's a difference between not wanting to go and being told you can't go.

Which is total bullshit. Seriously, fuck Saudi Arabia.

Knowing WWE, Braun vs. Brock at SummerSlam - Brock wins after Nicholas turns on Braun.

Sami #50? Or does that go to one of the Saudi recruits? Edit: Jericho Strange to leave Sami off the show, especially when there were so many useless NXT nobodies and WWE jabronis. LOL - Jericho with the rainbow getup Finn couldn't politically wear.

Was Bryan eliminated?

Poor Titus. In WCW, they show replays of this. In a professional company, they'd hide it. WWE is the new WCW.

Question: If Heath Slater and Mike Kanellis were in the Rumble at the same time, would anyone be able to tell them apart?