EricR

I'm gonna do an (almost) live blog at Segunda Caida. The card looks good, excited for Kendrick's return to PPV. http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2016/09/wwe-clash-of-champions-2016-live-ish.html

SUWA, Gedo. Not only have they not been mentioned yet, but they were among the first I thought of.

I would say Bret vs. Andre in Italy, 1989. I really love mostly immobile Andre, and this is such a unique, one time only match. Bret is really smart about building spots around Andre, and Andre is really smart in filling in his end. I can't imagine a better constructed match for each man, at that point. http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2015/10/fire-fundraiser-andre-giant-vs-bret.html

Mazeroski was also a really nice guy, with a lot of friends on the Veterans Committee. Something tells me we won't be seeing Omar Vizquel or Andruw Jones getting in, and they were more complete players than Maz (and also nice guys). Voting trends are just different now.

I think the feeling is that others--Benoit, Eddy, etc.--have gotten in almost entirely on work and given that Bryan was on the same level or better, he should also be in that group. He was also enough of a star for it not to feel ludicrous. I'm not making that case myself, necessarily, but that's my reading of it. Eddy had a nice run as a draw than Bryan never had though, yes? Especially through the West/Southwest parts of the country. I thought I remember his run, along with Rey being at the top of cards, doing really good house show business.

I had never heard of GOA before, looked into him and what the hell is Okinawa Pro Wrestling!? Looks like he worked there from 2008-2012, and looks like they ran shows practically every single day. A couple of the years he worked over 300 matches for them, once working over 365! Is this a fake fed? Do they set up in random parking lots to do a quick match with no ring and count that as a show? Who is documenting these 300+ yearly OPW shows!? I need to know more.

Timbo, Dylan and I are also going to that Sac NXT!

Curt Hawkins getting a Chuck Norris Facts gimmick like a decade+ later.

Dave can't see why people were super excited for the chance to see a match that has been talked about unseen for 30 years?

One of them looked just like a tiny version of Rhyno. But I don't think either of them are indy darlings.

I'm doing a live blog over at Segunda Caida, even though I don't really know tons of the card. http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2016/09/wwe-backlash-2016-live-blog.html Slater and Rhyno were awesome on the pre-show. Anyone who missed their segment should seek it out. Funny, funny stuff.

Except for the CTE, decade+ of steroid abuse, the world of pro wrestling, and a murder of a man's own wife and young child, yes.

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2016/08/wwe-summerslam-2016-live-blog.html I'll do a live blog at SC. I really loved Cesaro/Sheamus. Those two went out and really tried to kill each other on the freaking pre-show. Cesaro doing a springboard from the ring post to the ropes??? Where did that come from?

The Eva Marie traffic delay was excellent. "Eva Marie....apologizes."

I actually really liked RVD vs. Neville from 2014 NXT, much more than I was expecting.

So, in Tennessee they are effectively OBSOLETE?

I thought the move that Ryder/Doug Basham used is a leg lariat, and that's a move I actually really like. I'm with GOTNW in that I always thought that Malenko kick was called a calf kick, and yeah other than Kikuchi it always looks horrible.

Not sure how this will sound, but I'm not really sure where my opinions differ from the norm. I'm kind of in a bubble in the wrestling that I watch and write about, and I don't tend to read a lot of stuff that other people write about matches or specific wrestlers. I recently found out most lucha fans this Comandante Pierroth is the absolute worst, which was surprising to me as he's been one of my favorites the last couple years. But Pierroth is a fairly under the radar guy to have an opinion on anyway, so that won't move much of a podcast needle. So...I'm not actually sure where my biggest opinion differences lie.

As the battle royal started, Otunga said "Now THIS is how you start off Smackdown Live!" No. No it isn't.

Doing a live blog over at Segunda Caida, until I have to leave to go see Gun Outfit at least: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2016/07/wwe-battleground-2016-live-blog.html

Johnson seems to be getting a wee bit much flak. I liked things he did, and he's nowhere near as bad as Shane Strickland/Killshot who is in a featured spot in Lucha Underground. The Kenneth Johnson piling on is weird.

I'm shocked at how polished and in tune with his character Bo Dallas is in the 2014 NXT that I've watched. I was a person who saw him for the first time when he debuted in WWE main brand. Seeing him understand how to work his character in matches in NXT, it's a far cry from someone who from his debut was just a bland worker with a catchphrase that was barely explained.

Finlay figured out a way to get paid as an agent and as an active worker, keeping himself on TV into his mid 50s while making even more money due to additional merch sales from the children's leprechaun gimmick he came up with. Sounds pretty great to me.

There are 5 guys I enjoy in this, but also 16 guys I'm entirely unfamiliar with. So I'm still really excited.

Man I was really digging Sheamus/Crews, but that finish was laaaaame.