The Wrestling Discussion Thread

@gundato: The age thing is especially funny when you consider the womens rumble was arguably all about making new young talent

@dizzyhippos: That I feel is more that they have no choice in the matter.

The women's Legends (tm) tend to be a mix of dead, tragically dead, well known as a human trafficker (and in the process of a redemption run), hate WWE with a passion, and "not pretty anymore". When you build your entire product around bra and panty matches and tend to actively drive away anyone with talent, you get into a mess.

Give it a decade and they'll be doing everything they can to convince Becky and Charlotte (and, if they are REALLY desperate, Sasha and Bayley) to do another run where they'll go over everyone and help build up Carmella or whoever is actually still wrestling and old enough to have no other prospects. But right now? All they have are the young'ns. Oh, and when they remember she exists and need to build up someone to job to Becky and Charlotte, Asuka.

Although, I kind of DO wonder what WWE in 20 years will be. Assuming the McKids don't sell everything, Steph and Trips very clearly follow in Vince's footsteps (there is a reason WWE would make you think DX singlehandedly won the monday night wars and everything the NWO did was really part of DX...). But the reason so many of the Legends (TM) keep coming back is they have absolutely nothing else (Roddy Piper being one of the most public and honest cases). I could see folk like AJ getting in that position and folk like Nak choosing to be (although, he totally figured out that he should just start retirement now). But Austin Creed and others have so many side hustles that they are likely to be closer to a "diva" in that they have other stuff to do after they hang up their tights.

NJPW throwing SHADE at both WWE and AEW

It looked to me like ELP was trying to do the spot where his feet get caught in the middle rope and he just hangs above the floor upside-down, but just screwed it up.

I'm just going to put this out there. If there is a person who doesn't think that the number 1 dream match in wrestling right now is Go Shiozaki vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, they're either out of their mind or watch the wrong wrestling.

Tay Conti continuing to make the PC look like a massive waste of money... and THE ACCLAIMED are growing on me.

@dizzyhippos:The PC has a lot of world class trainers who have trained a lot of world class wrestlers before they came to the PC... the problem is not the PC, it's what they're being trained for.

The Acclaimed are so good. I genuinely love how many pure heel teams AEW has, just guys who know how to work the lucha base style and let the faces be the flashy ones. It's one of the reasons FTR doesn't work in AEW, when every heel is working classic heel a stable with the gimmick that they're classic heels just doesn't stand out.

I realized that AEW is at the point that they have enough teams/groups where they could support trios titles. They really should do it because every self-respecting wrestling company has a trios championship.

I'm not really understanding why Red Velvet is getting a push. She's friends with Brandi and Cody I guess?

I feel stupid for only now realizing that Crazzy Steve is legally blind. I thought the blindness was a gimmick. Man, that makes him even more impressive.

Tre choosing to stay with Impact and become a main-eventer instead of going to NXT is one of the smartest moves I've seen a wrestler do in a long ass while. In the long run that's going to be better for you financially.

Impact keeps treating Rich Swann as a jobber. This has to be the worst title reign I've seen in a long while. What the fuck are they thinking?

Agree with this 100%. Serena Deeb was a trainer there when Tay Conti was there. So I don't blame the trainers at all. I imagine they are told to have everyone do the exact same thing.

Is the door finally open?

Either way, excitement level is at max.

@retris: The current Asuka title reign is EASILY worse then anything Impact has done in the last few years. Shes been the side act to other "real stars" programs since like the end of her thing with Sasha.

Dynamite was really good tonight Britt and Thunder delivered and even though I would of preferred a different finish what they did was a smart way to get around the politics of NWA/AEW. I don't know if the FORBIDDEN DOOR is open but its sure as hell rattling. And more importantly MAKI FUCKING ITOH on my TV.

So according to Papa Meltzer, THE FORBIDDEN DOOR is in fact open and AEW and NJPW have a working agreement that right now is limited to people that live in the US for obvious reasons. And for further confirmation on this the end of Dynamite was uploaded to NJPW world.

Also Shida is in Japan right now for the womens tournament.

NJPW back on US, CANADIAN, and UK television starting February 11 on The Roku Channel!!!

Hopefully that means NJPW World finally gets a Roku app so I can stop watching it on my Xbox browser.

When the 'roni is over, I just want to see either some of the hosses from AEW go to NJPW and have matches with Shingo, or my boy to come to AEW and tear it up there.

I just want my boy to shine even brighter and have those matches only he can have with everyone.

Almost forgot the reason I came into the thread.

So apparently Steve Cutler got fired from WWE for spreading COVID. Then Deonna Purrazzo posted this.

Not a good look for the Impact Knockouts champion.

You know you've been away from wrestling for a long time when they start firing folks from the main roster you've never heard of.

You know, I never knew wrestling had a main roster.

Anywho, seems like there are more than one main character on wrestling twitter today, as not only is Ricochet's girlfriend, Kacy Catanzaro making posts of her partying without a mask... she's also posting herself hanging out with domestic terrorists. Sexual criminals and terrorists, what a great crowd those two hang with.

BTE has gotten so much worse with the arrival of the Good Brothers.

Black Taurus being the third man of Decay is incredibly perfect.

That JR HebbyQ title match between Hiromu and SHO was absolutely fantastic

Dynamite was good from start to finish with the exception of a Cezar Benoni sized hole in the middle of the show. Janella and Darby casually busting out 4* straight matches to open a show.

This tournament is gonna rule.

This tournament is going to be so good.

So, give me the quick rundown on Maki Itoh. I saw a couple of her tweets via a CSS story, and I'm intrigued.

@redwing42: A capable wrestler and a larger than life belligerent personality. Also, a face if that's important.

Think Naruki Doi, but female.

I got spoiled the results of NOAH Destination 2021 before seeing it and boy, after being excited for the company I don't really know if I even want to watch it anymore. Putting your top title on Mutoh in 2021 AFTER Go has had the best championship run in all of wrestling in a long time. Just fucking baffling

@retris: Counterpoint Mutoh rocks

Word

@internetdotcom: I mean sure, but at this point Mutoh is so immobile that every match he has is a miniscule tragedy and it just feels bad watching him because he can't even take regular bumps anymore because he's so broken down and mostly needs the other wrestler to do all the work for him. Also, the fact that Go is currently undeniably the best wrestler in the world, with nobody else even entering the conversation except maybe Tanahashi, and having his tour de force end this way is just a bummer.

Boy... rough start for the new Young Lion. Busted his arm in the first 20 seconds of his first match. That thing's either broken or dislocated.

Reminder that tonight is the start of the Japanese bracket for the AEW womens tournament.

@dizzyhippos: They've got to be angling on hiring Maki Itoh or something, given that she was eliminated but was shown in a strong light and how they've seemingly made a big deal out of her on the promotion of this tournament.

@retris: Debuting Maki Itoh without full crowds in America would be a crime.

Nick Comarato is a strong boy.

I know everyone loves Itoh and I hope she signs as well, Veny is fucking dimes.

You know, Shawn Spears has been gone from AEW since December but I only just now noticed it.

I assume this is them writing mox off TV so he can go be a dad for a while but I don't know the timing.

Gotta love JR calling Kenny Omega the WWE champion and it not being even the worst of his flubs in recent memory.

I didn't notice because he is mentioned in every one of the ads for Scorpio Sky's podcast.

@retris: hopefully he took that stupid chair gimmick with him. Really wonder whose idea that was

I love that TH2 is even in AEW canon just two stoner douches who just spend their free time breakdancing and skating like assholes.

Additionally, Anna Jay has injured her shoulder again. That's concerning for someone so young since it's not her first one, but I know from experience that once you get your shoulder injured once it's really easy to injure it again.

Edit: oh and I almost forgot, but I wonder how AEW will react if/when "Hangman fucks" becomes a chant for live crowds when they come back.

The man needs to stick to backstage interviews. That Adam Page one he did a few months ago (or was it weeks? What is time anymore?) was absolute gold, but he just AWFUL on live play-by-play.

BURN...THE...PERFORMANCE...CENTER...DOWN.

I think it makes more sense for Mizunami to advance from the Japan side than Sakazaki. I think Mizunami's badass Yakuza character will resonate with fans more than the Magical Girl, even if she is a bit more familiar. However, if Britt Baker is going to be the other finalist, the Sakazaki matchup might be better. Either way, I'll be very excited once the joshi are able to participate in a more meaningful way, hopefully later this year.

It does suck that Jay is out for a while. Not only is she a growing performer in her own right, but she helped to just barely control the homoerotic sausage fest that is the Dark Order. I'm not sure where Jay lives (Atlanta, maybe? I know she trained there.), but I can't see her flying out regularly if she isn't going to be in matches, unless they have her on camera as Conti's manager.

So to recap, Charlotte only agreed to team with Asuka because "there is something in it for her" abandoned Asuka multiple times to go have a pout about the fact that her dad is dating a younger woman (WHICH SPOILERS: Ric Flair has been dating younger women since the 90's) and now Shayna kicked the teeth out of Asuka's mouth... and Asuka is going to be the heel in this program... Wut.

(also not posting the slow mo video of Shayna literally kicking the top front row of teeth out of Asuka's mouth because its gross)

On the plus side, now you've got a natural breakup feud where Nia can claim Shayna is infringing on her gimmick of legitimately injuring her opponents.

Man... this Castle Attack tour seems cursed for New Japan as far as injuries are concerned. The new Young Lion dislocates his elbow in the first seconds of his very first match. He's out for the rest of the tour. Then Naito dings his leg. It seems to be less serious, but he a misses couple of shows. Then Hiromu tears his pec and now he's out for six months.

This is not a drill! Louie Valle and Chris Peaks are teaming up on AEW Dark! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

I don't know who is doing the training of the women in AEW but they need to get paid significantly more then they are. Add Tesha Price to the list of people that were bad an now are completely competent.

JJ Garrett is really impressive and JD Drake is like if Kevin Owens was fatter but somehow more athletic (and I could 100% see him with FTR and Tully).

Also as a fan of THE ACCLAIMED I don't know whats up with Max Caster and his Yoshikage Kira hand thing.

@dizzyhippos:The main trainers are QT Marshall, Glacier (yes, Glacier) and Aaron Solow as far as I know, assuming with a rotating cast of veterans helping out.

JD Drake is one of those people who has been overlooked for way too long. He was pretty much the only guy who wasn't signed by WWE from Evolve (due to obvious reasons) and it's great to see him get a chance. Him wrestling Eddie Kingston was the perfect introduction for him.

Seeing Peaks and Valle (I admit, I didn't get the name until Taz said it) on Dark felt so good. They're still one of the best tag-teams out there, even after a couple of years off. I can't believe I used to be unable to tell them apart.

Ryan Nemeth is pretty bad. His match on Dark was not very good, and his promo on Impact was just absurdly hokey and not in a good way.

In an absurdly idiotic move, AEW just signed Big Show. That's a classic TNA move. Sure, he's apparently only a commentator, but they already have too many commentators as is.