Matt D

You should catch the tag team turmoil that starts Backlash 05. It's not a big thing or anything but it's a good way to briefly see Regal+Tajiri and I actually think two minutes of Dean + Maven is worth seeing just because it's two guys really working their gimmick.

Whether you like it or not, some of this will also depend on how Punk parlays his opportunities now. He's got a foot in so many of his other hobbies, be it writing comics or MMA commentary or music or who knows what else. If he pushes towards the mainstream in even the same way Jericho did, that's going to potentially add to that mystique I think. He could end up feeling "bigger than wrestling."

I know there were at least a few Regal vs Badd matches. How are they?

Ok, so I have the network for at least the first period. Let's start suggesting matches, people. Otherwise you guys are going to get Natural Disasters vs Beverly Brothers from Summerslam 92 or Harley vs Haku from Royal Rumble 89 or a random tag team turmoil from Backlash 05 because I want to talk about Tajiri and Regal as a team.

In general I love going through the old Observers since there are things that didn't really mean much then, just throw away lines or what not, but that touch upon things we've talked about over the last few years.

You give me a list of matches to watch an an easy way to watch them and I'll watch whatever you want. I do look at lucha somewhat differently, but the stuff in lucha I like the very best is all based on the selling.

From the 4/20/92 Observer. Re: WM VIII So, where the heck did 90,873 come from. I know later on he uses the Bresloff 78K number. Is that the official number for Mania III minus comps or something? When did he switch over to the 78K number? While I'm at it: What's that about Summerslam 90? I know that we've looked at it curiously in the last few years as potentially doing a bigger buy than Mania. Could this help explain it, whatever it is?

It can take advantage of narrative opportunities that real sports can't. It's crazy when they squander that for one reason or another.

We are also in a bit of a transition time for Hunter. Last year at this time, he was Bill Watts.

People were bitching over on DVDVR about viewers being excited about watching the hostile crowd, but it's one of the few things in the world that can force WWE to be creative and come out firing on all cylinders in a single-company world. That's the joy of it, not just the derailing but to see what the hell WWE, which is generally formulaic as anything, does in response.

The thing keeps crashing my fairly new Asus tablet.

Which is part of what makes Dusty's hand to the face so damn funny.

I like the Rowan/Ambrose pairing a lot. I loved Rowan's spin sell of the dropkick to the knee and Ambrose was made to take the atomic noogie.

Reigns showing unbridled joy over Rollins doing the pocket rocket act was pretty funny.

Wrestling is fiction. Sports are not.

This doesn't really count as a midget.

I think they do have a history of giving away match-ups that they shouldn't on TV for free, though.

He's the #2 merch seller?

I'm going to be disappointed if we don't get a midget. I'm already resigned that we're not getting Corey Graves.

I thought he was doing a pretty good job of selling after he did it though. That's really the main thing that I ask. You can hit a move (With effort) but then go back to the selling. Make it seem like it cost you something too.

He was not Batista first and foremost. I think you could have been surprised for the guys who would have been hugely over in that spot. Look at Del Rio at Chamber.

Remember, past Reigns at the very end which was a protest vote, the only other guy the crowd was really behind during the Rumble itself was Punk.

I am not sure if they want to annoy tv viewers with the rights up for bid right now.

Kane illegally eliminated him from the Rumble?

Could Piper manage to be a special ref?