***Official Pro Wrestling Thread*** (2 Viewers)

[ShamrockPride]

Really dumb question here..... I know these matches are predetermined, but when I see the wrestlers backstage after a WM win crying and being congratulated, I wonder is that still acting? Do only the losers know they're going to lose?

:itsstillrealtomedamnit:

If the instance you were watching was from anytime in the past 10 years, it's likely the crying was done for the cameras. WWE has gotten away from "professional wrestling" almost entirely in exchange for a more "theatrical/entertainment" based presentation of the business.

Anything before that, there's at least a decent chance it was real as far as crying. But yeah, slaps on the back, congrats, good job are always legit. The guys in the back know when guys out in the ring tore the house down.

 

[Mr.Pack]

In the end, it's all about the performance.  A lot of guys don't care about winning while a lot do.  Most all care about entertaining the fans.  A good number of them are more interested in if they can get the boys in the back to mark out over their performance.

There was one time I'm aware of (courtesy of JR) that Eddie Guerrero was bummed he wasn't headlining WM.  JR told him to go out there and do your best and give us a reason to put you up there.  He and whomever he was wrestling basically tore the house down.  He came back to the back and told everyone else to the effect of "top THAT".

If the instance you were watching was from anytime in the past 10 years, it's likely the crying was done for the cameras. WWE has gotten away from "professional wrestling" almost entirely in exchange for a more "theatrical/entertainment" based presentation of the business.

Anything before that, there's at least a decent chance it was real as far as crying. But yeah, slaps on the back, congrats, good job are always legit. The guys in the back know when guys out in the ring tore the house down.

Ok, I get what you guys are saying. It probably was for the cameras. I was watching WWE24 last night with cameras in the back and it seemed the winners were so surprised and so happy they won. But i get what you are saying, definitely makes sense

 

[Bogart]

Question for a way back former fan who follows on the very periphery. Is NXT basically now considered a brand equal in stature to Smackdown and Raw as opposed to more developmental? I saw Charlotte Flair won the title but thought she was a Raw main event pull for years so I was confused. 

To try and answer this:

Yes, I think they consider NXT an equal third brand now. The idea of "being called up from NXT to the main roster" isn't a thing now. It's still more developmental than the other two brands, but the fact that it's the only show that goes head to head with competition outside of WWE (AEW), and the fact that it's still HHH's baby and the indie's fan favorite puts it into equal footing with RAW and Smackdown.

It's your favorite indie band that is now going on tour with the established classic acts and blowing them off the stage. 

 

[Capella]

Watching some 90s wrasslin:

JR: If Kane does not win this match, the stipulation is that he will then set himself on fire and breathe his last breath

Lawler: wow!

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Tonight's Dark Side of Ring features the Brawl for All. 

Should be a good episode where everyone piles on Vince Russo.  As much as I like what he did as a writer,  guy is a lunatic on social media  

Another great episode last night. My favorite wrestling related stuff to watch today.

As expected, Russo was buried.

Russo was a great wrestling writer IMO, but the guy talks out of both sides of his mouth. Easy to see why people hate the guy (even if Cornette's schtick is old and waaaay too over the top at this point).

Case in point: At one point they show Russo watching it present day and he says "I created this to shut JBL up. I loved seeing him knocked out". Then fast forward to him watching the JBL KO again present day at the end and he says something like "Oh, I don't want to see that happen to anyone".   

Case in point #2: He constantly says "If McMahon was the great filter back in Attitude Era, why's stuff so bad today?" (Fair Point to put himself over). Now with this Brawl for All stuff, "Well McMahon could have stopped it at any point if he wanted to"    

Great choice by Vice choosing Jericho to narrate  

 

[Tom Servo]

I watched the Brawl for All episode last night.  Egad is Russo a knucklehead.  I can totally believe Cornette screamed in Russo's face after Dr. Death got hurt.

The worst part is that Vince wanted to try it again in 2007!!!

 

[Tom Servo]

BTW, the Grilling JR podcast has been doing "Dark Side of the Podcast" about each episode with the guys behind the show.  This week, the guys say that The Rock was instrumental in getting Bart Gunn to participate.

 

[coyote5]

Love AEW, but I really don't like what they are doing with tag team wrestling in terms of not following traditional rules.  Early on Jericho reamed the locker room about it:  https://comicbook.com/wwe/2019/12/15/chris-jericho-aew-locker-room-meeting-call-out-lack-tag-team-rules-lucha-brothers/

It feels like they took it to heart for a month or two, but lately it's been back to the old ways - indifference to the legal man or tagging in etc.  It's really distracting and annoying.

 

[Tom Servo]

WWE releases The Revival

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival released

Effective today, Friday April 10, 2020, WWE and The Revival have agreed on their immediate release from WWE. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

ETA this comment, even though it makes no sense:  Vince is a kid learning that if he doesn't play with his toys, Mom will send them to goodwill.

 

[Tom Servo]

Also, for you horndogs out there, there's video of Lana (in her natural hair color) and Mandy have a dance off. 

Do your own research.

 

[Bogart]

WWE releases The Revival

ETA this comment, even though it makes no sense:  Vince is a kid learning that if he doesn't play with his toys, Mom will send them to goodwill.

Good for Dash and Dawson. Even a bigger Dash Wilder fan after seeing him on the Edge doc. I know everyone is expecting them on AEW immediately, but would love to see the guys make the rounds first. Show up in New Japan for World Tag League, have them show up on NWA to tear the house down with Eli Drake and James Storm. AEW will be there when they are ready, go out and have some fun and do things on their terms.

 

[Tom Servo]

WWE going back to live (no crowd) shows.

The possible reason for the change comes down to WWE's contracts with NBC Universal and FOX, which both allow for a certain amount of taped shows during the year. If WWE goes over that amount - for RAW, the number is three episodes a year - there's concern that FOX and NBC have grounds to change up the deals. WWE has already cancelled of its live events in April, and postponed its European tour in early May, leaving TV revenue as their main source of income. WWE's next PPV, Money in the Bank, is also no longer taking place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.

I wonder if Vince knows the phrase "force majeure"; he may.  He probably doesn't want to open that can of worms.

 

[Travis the Chimp]

Revival hasn’t been The Revival since NXT so I’m glad they’re free finally. I’m sure they’ll go to AEW but with how great their tag division is, they haven’t showed it off as much as I thought they would. Bucks have been very underwhelming. The titles are being occupied by two singles guy setting up an eventual feud. I thought tag matches would be main eventing shows. Not the thrown together ones, the real tag division. 

 

[Tom Servo]

Bruce Prichard on pranking the Coach by having him arrested.

If I'm Coach, I might be angry, scared, and have soiled pants.

 

[Bogart]

What podcasts are you guys listening to on the regular? I need to do a podcast purge and add in some fresh ones.

Right now, super generic, mainstream listening with The Masked Man Show and Cheap Heat. I catch a lot of WhatCulture Wrestling on YouTube,  I was in one episode one of everything Conrad Thompson was putting out, but I haven't listened in months. So, what entertaining shows are out there?

 

[Tom Servo]

What podcasts are you guys listening to on the regular? I need to do a podcast purge and add in some fresh ones.

Right now, super generic, mainstream listening with The Masked Man Show and Cheap Heat. I catch a lot of WhatCulture Wrestling on YouTube,  I was in one episode one of everything Conrad Thompson was putting out, but I haven't listened in months. So, what entertaining shows are out there?

I'm pretty much Jericho and Grilling JR.  

 

[Travis the Chimp]

What podcasts are you guys listening to on the regular? I need to do a podcast purge and add in some fresh ones.

Right now, super generic, mainstream listening with The Masked Man Show and Cheap Heat. I catch a lot of WhatCulture Wrestling on YouTube,  I was in one episode one of everything Conrad Thompson was putting out, but I haven't listened in months. So, what entertaining shows are out there?

Going In Raw is pretty solid. 

 

[Tom Servo]

Episode 199 of BTE is up.  After Matt Hardy outlines the "rules" for a squash match, we get SCU vs. a couple of local guys.  We get this ring introduction from Justin Roberts:

Making their way to the ring, the established stars who will win and beat the piss out of these two enhancement talents

   

 

[Bogart]

Watched the NXT "Takeover" last night, with Gargano v. Ciampa for "the last time". Was a fun match, cool looking in the way they filmed it, but you really end it with a fake nutshot from Candice LaRae to Gargano then a real nutshot from LaRae to Ciampa???? For the love of all that's holy, who in WWE booking loves the nutshot and can we fire them? 

I guess this makes Gargano and LaRae heel, which doesn't make sense, and Ciampa face, which also doesn't make sense.

 

[Tom Servo]

For the love of all that's holy, who in WWE booking loves the nutshot and can we fire them? 

C'mon, son...this ain't your first rodeo.  You know who it is.

 

[The Tick]

WWE going back to live (no crowd) shows.

I wonder if Vince knows the phrase "force majeure"; he may.  He probably doesn't want to open that can of worms.

I'm not a big wrestling fan, but I admit the GF and I have been watching some of the Friday night stuff if it happens to be on while we eat dinner, and have had some fun out of it.  That being said, the day we turned on a "no crowd" broadcast it was one of the strangest (worst) things I have ever seen.  That over the top extreme delivery can be tons of fun with the crowd energy going nuts behind it, but watching it in the empty stadium was just... wrong.  I know they have to do it for the TV contracts and stuff, but man, it's painful.

 

[Keith R]

I'm not a big wrestling fan, but I admit the GF and I have been watching some of the Friday night stuff if it happens to be on while we eat dinner, and have had some fun out of it.  That being said, the day we turned on a "no crowd" broadcast it was one of the strangest (worst) things I have ever seen.  That over the top extreme delivery can be tons of fun with the crowd energy going nuts behind it, but watching it in the empty stadium was just... wrong.  I know they have to do it for the TV contracts and stuff, but man, it's painful.

It's definitely missing a lot with no crowd but it's still watchable.  Especially with no other sports on.

 

[Tom Servo]

It's definitely missing a lot with no crowd but it's still watchable.  Especially with no other sports on.

It's just weird with all the histrionics of playing to a crowd that isn't there.

AEW at least realized that there's no sense in playing to a non-crowd.

Different strokes, different folks.

 

[Bogart]

C'mon, son...this ain't your first rodeo.  You know who it is.

If it was on RAW, I would expect that was Vince's call, and he is rolling around in laughter backstage, but NXT is HHH's baby, and this feud has been so good, and so protected.... unless HHH is all about the nutshot as well. Even then, I would think Gargano and Ciampa would work towards a different ending. 

Maybe everyone loves a good nutshot joke.

 

[Courtjester]

I watch sometimes and what gets me is when they come out to their music, the camera rushes in for a close up and they all have that "I am looking past the camera and up into the crowd and acknowledging them all," look. 

 

[Travis the Chimp]

Mox-Hager tonight 

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

WWE has come to terms on the release of Drake Maverick (James Curtin), Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers), Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra), EC3 (Michael Hutter) and Lio Rush (Lionel Green). We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Kurt Angle has been released by WWE

Aiden English has been released by WWE

Heath Slater has been added to the list of releases

WWE has released Eric Young, as well.

Mass Releases reported by SRS.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

More: https://411mania.com/wrestling/wwe-cuts-four-producers-dave-finlay-lance-storm/

* Billy Kidman
* Mike Rotunda
* Pat Buck
* Fit Finlay
* Shawn Daivari
* Scott Armstrong
* Sarah Stock
* Shane Helms
* Lance Storm

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

More reported by SRS:

Erick Rowan has been released by WWE

Primo and Epico Colon have been released by WWE

Mike Kanellis has been released by WWE

 

[Bogart]

OK, full edit on this. As more names fall, this just really sucks overall. Best of luck to all of those that lost their job today.

 

[Bogart]

Also gone:

Sarah Logan

Mike Chioda

Luke Gallows (makes Anderson make more sense)

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

More from SRS: 

Zack Ryder has been released by WWE

No Way Jose has been released by WWE

Maria Kanellis has been released by WWE

 

[Tom Servo]

I guess Vince had to make a decision between hogging talent and financial stability. 

I’m sorry these guys and gals have been let go. 

 

[Bogart]

You could damn near start a new company with all of the talent they let go of today. Speaks a lot of the "hoarding" that WWE was doing. They can't all go to AEW, they can't all go to NWA, they can't all go to Impact. The small local shows (if and when they start running again) are going to make out like gangbusters. 

 

[Bogart]

Add Rusev Day to the list.

 

[Tom Servo]

Current list of names

WWE has come to terms on the release of 

Kurt Angle,

Rusev (Miroslav Barnyashev), 

Drake Maverick (James Curtin), 

Zack Ryder (Matthew Cardona), 

Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers), 

Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra), 

Luke Gallows (Drew Hankinson), 

Heath Slater (Heath Miller), 

Eric Young (Jeremy Fritz), 

Rowan (Joseph Ruud), 

Sarah Logan (Sarah Rowe), 

No Way Jose (Levis Valenzuela), 

Mike Chioda,

Mike Kanellis (Mike Bennett), Maria Kanellis,

EC3 (Michael Hutter), 

Aiden English (Matthew Rehwoldt), 

Lio Rush (Lionel Green), 

Primo (Edwin Colon) and Epico (Orlando Colon Nieves)

 

[Keith R]

Maybe Heath Slater can get his physique jacked, come back, win the WWE Title and complete the 3MB trilogy

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

SRS:

Deonna Purrazzo has been released by WWE

 

[Tom Servo]

SRS:

Marty Scurll hardest hit.

 

[soothsayer]

Also gone:

Sarah Logan

This one actually bums me out - surprisingly. She always struck me as a hard worker who continued to improve over time. I'm not sure they knew what to do with her, but I always thought she had a very high ceiling if used correctly. I would really like to see her end up with AEW. Can WWE hold them all to 90-day non-competes at this time???

 

[HellToupee]

Mike Rotunda

I’m shocked Bo is still employed and dad was let go

 

[Ghost Rider]

Meanwhile, I am sure Vince will keep paying HHH's buddy Ric Flair to show up drunk every once in a while to get a cheap pop.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

How the hell they could eff up Rusev is mind boggling.  Dude was as hot as could be going into his Cena Wrestlemania match and than, after losing there (no shame in losing to Cena), he reinvented himself with the whole Rusev day shtick.

He'll be the one guy from that list that AEW brings in that the WWE will really regret imo.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

How the hell they could eff up Rusev is mind boggling.  Dude was as hot as could be going into his Cena Wrestlemania match and than, after losing there (no shame in losing to Cena), he reinvented himself with the whole Rusev day shtick.

He'll be the one guy from that list that AEW brings in that the WWE will really regret imo.

I don't follow the product enough to know to recall much about Cena-Mania and Rusev Day stuff.

But what I did see and distinctly remember was his latest return and the guy came out alone to crickets. Literally felt bad for the guy. His return and absolutely no one in the audience cared.

JMO Lana was the over act of the group. Maybe once upon a time he had a shot but IMO he's lost his distinct look and lost the more over act between the 2. 

AEW really needs to steer clear of bringing in WWE after WWE guy right after they leave WWE programming. Not for nothing but the Luke Harper segments I've seen are really really really really bad in AEW.

I don't see much in Rusev completely on his own  

 

[ShamrockPride]

I guess Chioda was making too much as the senior ref. Who tf cuts a ref? Dude has been the one constant FOREVER.

 

[Tom Servo]

JMO Lana was the over act of the group. Maybe once upon a time he had a shot but IMO he's lost his distinct look and lost the more over act between the 2. 

That would be the Sable Effect (tm).

 

[Tom Servo]

Meanwhile, I am sure Vince will keep paying HHH's buddy Ric Flair to show up drunk every once in a while to get a cheap pop.

I'm pretty sure he's on a Legends Contract.

 

[Bogart]

All the money they saved yesterday, $4 million dollars (a month), equals what they paid Goldberg for Mania and Saudi shows, or one-third of a year of Brock. Just when this company can't dip any lower, they dig a new hole at the bottom of the hole and jump in.

 

[Tom Servo]

All the money they saved yesterday, $4 million dollars, equals what they paid Goldberg for Mania and Saudi shows, or one-third of a year of Brock. Just when this company can't dip any lower, they dig a new hole at the bottom of the hole and jump in.

Is that all they saved was $4 million?  Yikes, some guys were working cheap.

 

[Bogart]

Is that all they saved was $4 million?  Yikes, some guys were working cheap.

OK, I read it wrong, saving $4 million per month. Much more substantial. Still, Vince has $500 million in reserves for emergencies and just got his product considered "essential".