evilclown

Taue was pushed because he was tall. Period. He is awkward, not particularly athletic and his execution of wrestling moves is poor. Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Tsuruta, Gordy, Hansen, Williams, Kikuchi, Fuchi, Yatsu, Can Ams, Akiyama etc were all better workers in my opinion. He's a guy who was a part of something special, not a guy who created something special.

I find it really interesting that some people see Taue as anything but an anchor. I'm not sure I'd rate him in the top 10 of AJPW guys of that era. I think almost anyone from the promotion could have filled his role as "other guy" in tag matches with great performers.

Basically. I concluded as a PPV draw he was above average but not significant. Above average compared to what? Other WWE headliners in that same tiny window?

In your chart comparing Punk's performance on top with the average WWE buy rates from the era, it seems to me the difference isn't really worth much. A few thousand buys here or there?

Is this the same show with the lunatic Twitter account?

That sounds like the biggest crock of crap.

Where can we talk about how Ricky Steamboat is the most boring, predictable and overrated wrestler ever?

I'd argue that "WWE production" as an entity has been more important to their success than all but a handful of wrestlers. It's the key differentiator between WWE and everyone else. The rest look "second-rate" by comparison.

Talking to Bix and pretty shocked to find out Kevin Dunn is not in the WON HOF. The WWE's advanced television production has been key to their continued popularity.

Bix, why are you abstaining from Japan? You follow that region. It should be a null vote instead? re: Matysik, every territory had office guys right? What makes him special? That he's a source for Meltzer is good for Meltzer readers, but I don't see what it has to do with the HOF.

I can't think of a single reason for Matysik. It's almost an insult to everyone else on the ballot.

My initial thoughts I FOLLOWED THE HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA CANDIDATES Gene & Ole Anderson Pedro Morales Johnny "Mr. Wrestling II" Walker I FOLLOWED THE MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA CANDIDATES Ivan Koloff Ken Patera Rock & Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN JAPAN CANDIDATES Volk Han Minoru Suzuki Kiyoshi Tamura I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN MEXICO CANDIDATES ABSTAIN I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN EUROPE CANDIDATES ABSTAIN I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN AUSTRALIA/PACIFIC ISLANDS/CARIBBEAN/AFRICA CANDIDATES ABSTAIN NON-WRESTLERS Jim Crockett Jr. Jerry Jarrett Gorilla Monsoon George Scott

John Cena - The obvious choice, especially if they give him some time off so it's fresh. Dean Ambrose -I love Ambrose, but fans are setting themselves up for disappointment if they think he's seen as a top guy. He's weird looking, balding, and too creepy to be a main player. He's destined to be in the supporting cast for life. Seth Rollins - There is potential here, but he's probably too ugly to be considered the next HBK. He also doesn't do quite as good a job sellign his opponents as Michaels or Flair. He's Eddy Guerrero. Bray Wyatt - Not ready. No easy or compelling storyline to build. Sheamus - No. Cesaro - No. Rusev - Not particularly over. Not a proven worker. Unclear motivation or angle. Would require Lesnar and Heyman in the babyface role. Jack Swagger - Plodding and awkward in the ring. Lispy and inarticulate out of it. The lesser part of a midcard act that floundered. Daniel Bryan - If he's healthy and the WWE is willing to invest in him, this might be something special. Dark Horses: Triple H: He's Triple H. It has to have crossed his mind. CM Punk: Now that would be a hell of a story! Undertaker: To end his career 22-1 and WrestleMania.

You've certainly done a great job defending someone you don't know in a system you don't understand!

This is so funny. If you've ever met a grad student who can't quite finish his thesis, despite being in school for a decade, you've met Jordan Breen.

Apologies to all. You asked some great questions but I got cut short just as we were getting into it. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2146901-wwe-legend-paul-heyman-exclusive-on-ecw-his-future-and-brock-lesnars-legacy

So, interview with Heyman upcoming. What do y'all want to know? Let's get in there and swing!

The reflexive need by some to jump to the aid of Paige and AJ is pretty funny. I'm not sure WWE's historic booking patterns have much to do with their failure last night. They were given time to work a decent PPV match. They failed in a major way. When WWE Divas look like this http://tv.esquire.com/videos/71307-kacy-catanzaro-at-the-american-ninja-warrior-2014-dallas-finals and not like sticks and bones, then you'll know there is change afoot. Right now? AJ and Paige are just more of the same.

You can doubt all you want. It was of general interest even during the Frank Gotch era. Really? People were concerned with the backstage booking back then? Really? No one cared about it ever as soon as everyone knew it was fake. Not one person was watching the Dumont Network and thinking "I wonder why Rikki Star isn't being pushed more, and that Antonina Rocca must have friends in the office". How do you jump from the Frank Gotch era to the Dumont Network? Forgive me if I'm not going to indulge you here and pretend this is an actual conversation. Pretty funny that some of you think you're the first people to ever think about wrestling beyond winners and losers.

You can doubt all you want. It was of general interest even during the Frank Gotch era.

I won't deny there are probably lots of fans who followed that path. It's unique in its form, but I'm not sure it's entirely different than a similar journey fans have been on for decades. When you go back and read the newspaper reports and the occasional expose of wrestling, back to the turn of the 20th century, you'll see there's always been "insiders." Fans got smart quickly and, with money on the line with side bets and the like, figuring out the politics and the booking was paramount. As long as wrestlers have had things to hide, there have been fans trying to pry the truth loose.

Those people would be politely asked to lurk and learn. I think you are completely missing the dynamic that existed at the time. Battle lines were drawn all over the place. There was no such thing as consensus. Michaels and Hart, in particular, were both part of vicious and continuous debate for as long as I can remember. Not only were there vocal critics of both men (5 moves of doom, etc) but the other man's fans certainly weren't acknowledging his rival as an all-time great. Add in the fact that WCW fans would shit on both reflexively—and you hardly find consensus.

So, I went to the WON banquet and after party. And.....oh boy! Also, Keith was definitely first generation RSPW. He was in place early enough for us to parody him and other posters (sorry jdw!) with the Workrate Cru.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2115295-excuse-me-wwe-star-vickie-guerrero-on-the-mcmahons-eddie-and-life-in-wrestling

I would love someone to attempt calling me at work to complain about things I posted on the internet. What the fuck is wrong with him?