***Official Pro Wrestling Thread***

[Peak 1,344]

16 hours ago, Tom Servo said:

I still can’t believe that Marty tried to escape through the barber shop window. Such a coward. 

God how I miss Gorilla and Bobby on the call.  They were the best.

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,612]

Lita saying McMahon threatened to fire her if she didn't do sex celebration with Edge. Yikes.

With all this speaking out stuff that's gone on, I've been a amazed McMahons name hasn't been mentioned

Edited January 13 by Craig_MiamiFL

[Tom Servo 7,161]

20 minutes ago, Craig_MiamiFL said:

Lita saying McMahon threatened to fire her if she didn't do sex celebration with Edge. Yikes.

With all this speaking out stuff that's gone on, I've been a amazed McMahons name hasn't been mentioned

IIRC, Edge stripped her of her bra and panties which means she was naked under the sheets. 
I can’t imagine being naked and covered up in front of 20,000 people. 

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,612]

Ricochet may be FA soon. Never should have got rid of mask. Let his character do the talking for him. Strongly think under a mask he could be this generation's Mysterio.

Crazy to think he's not been on a PPV in almost a year.....since challenging LESNAR at Super Showdown in Feb 2020.

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2021/01/ricochet-possibly-still-has-not-signed-new-wwe-contract-680025/

Edited January 14 by Craig_MiamiFL

[DJackson10 3,190]

On 1/12/2021 at 9:24 AM, Yogibear said:

I just read on heelbynature.com that there WWE is planning to turn Seth Rollins face when he returns and have him challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal championship at WrestleMania 37 this year, which means he may win the Royal Rumble in a couple of weeks.  The storyline revolves around the fact that Seth just became a father recently and he wants to set a good example for his daughter.  So that means the story of The Shield has come full circle.

Thats really dumb because when Becky was pregnant he wanted people to believe he didn't care. Now all of sudden they want to change that? 

[DJackson10 3,190]

On 1/12/2021 at 5:45 PM, Craig_MiamiFL said:

Neck and Neck!!!  

A distant 3rd. Would be different story if wrestling was good today... 💪

I kind of like that new feature. 

[DJackson10 3,190]

2 hours ago, Craig_MiamiFL said:

Lita saying McMahon threatened to fire her if she didn't do sex celebration with Edge. Yikes.

With all this speaking out stuff that's gone on, I've been a amazed McMahons name hasn't been mentioned

I said this when all of this stuff first happened. I had also heard from a few sources that they were shocked Vince hasn't been mentioned but they said they felt that's because Vince knows people who would get them out and make it look like said accuser was lying similar to a Trump tactic used against his accusers 

[DJackson10 3,190]

2 hours ago, Tom Servo said:

IIRC, Edge stripped her of her bra and panties which means she was naked under the sheets. 
I can’t imagine being naked and covered up in front of 20,000 people. 

Apparently Cena and Edge both were against the idea too and a few others. So it's nice to know a lot of the guys including Adam stood up and defended her as well. 

[DJackson10 3,190]

Good ole Ryback trying to clout chase. The Disrespect here is unbelievable. Ryback couldn't beat Nia Jaxx on a mic 

Ryback says he could destroy Paul Heyman on the Mic

[Tom Servo 7,161]

14 minutes ago, DJackson10 said:

Good ole Ryback trying to clout chase. The Disrespect here is unbelievable. Ryback couldn't beat Nia Jaxx on a mic 

Ryback says he could destroy Paul Heyman on the Mic

I want what he’s smoking/eating/huffing. 

[DJackson10 3,190]

2 minutes ago, Tom Servo said:

I want what he’s smoking/eating/huffing. 

Dude it's embarrassing at this point. He is clearly saying crap just to get people talking about him as he's so irrelevant. Jericho posted the article and even New Jack official Facebook account commented with a simple clear "NOPE". 

[DJackson10 3,190]

It's Wednesday Night... You know what that means!!!!!! 

 

[Tom Servo 7,161]

Anyone care to smarten me up on why Kenny Omega's introduction includes a reference to North Carolina?

[Tom Servo 7,161]

BREAKING: Alex Shelley to miss Hard To Kill PPV.  Moose will replace him in the main event.

Quote

 

"There are certain things in life that are just out of our control, and unfortunately, my ability to compete at Hard to Kill has been dropped into that bucket," Shelley said. "So, on that note — I owe an apology to Chris Sabin. I owe an apology to Rich Swann. I owe one to the fans, and I owe a receipt to The Good Brothers and Kenny Omega. I don't like getting beat up by you, but I've accepted that that's happened multiple times, and I was looking forward to returning the favor. You'll get that in the mail, you'll keep the yellow copy.

"I assure everyone out there, I don't have COVID. I am not orthopedically injured, but in the interest in safety, my situation is a very complex one. I put that first, as does Impact management, and they are doing the most in terms of precautions to make sure nobody is at risk at Hard to Kill or going forward. However, as a transient figure in pro wrestling, I promise you that no matter what I'll be back in Impact. You can count on that."

 

 

[Donning of a New Age 35]

2 hours ago, Tom Servo said:

Anyone care to smarten me up on why Kenny Omega's introduction includes a reference to North Carolina?

Tip of the hat to Michael Jordan...with a bit of a wink. 

Edited January 16 by Donning of a New Age

[DJackson10 3,190]

Matt Cardona just showed up to wrestle Ace Austin at Hard to Kill. 

Side note: I'd probably watch IMPACT more if these two jabronies commentating weren't doing it 

[DJackson10 3,190]

Watched Hard To Kill. 

Pros:

IMPACT has a good women's roster but boy I think John Morrison had a better looking babe in Melina then Taya. Taya is a good wrestler but I love Deonna Perozza. WWE really screwed up on her. Hopefully if this AEW/IMPACT thing is big a talent exchange happens TNA could use Deonna 

Sami Callahan: Always thought WWE screwed up but like Moxley they'd never let ether one go to what they are best at. Sami is just incredible 

Barbed Wire Massacre: Speaking of Callahan him and Eddie Edwards was pretty cool 

Main Event: Moose is incredible athlete, I always loved Chris Sabin. Rich Swan is pretty good. Kenny and the Good Brothers are always fun to watch

X Division Match: Manic AKA TJ Perkins face Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju. Great match overall and one of the things IMPACT always did right 

Cons:

Commentary: Josh Mattthews makes me want to puke. For whatever reason Josh's Wife Madison wasn't doing color and they had D'LO Brown doing it. These two are god awful. I'd watch more IMPACT if Josh especially wasn't there. I got a chuckle when they mentioned they were trending IN THE TOP 5 Tonight. AEW and WWE both trend in the TOP 3 if not #1 when they are on and so does NJPW. So that was funny and sad. 

Good Brothers and Kenny: Noticed Karl wearing something thought it was BC logo on the back of his jacket. Turns out all three were wearing some sort of Bullet Club gear with Good Brothers in matching tights with the BC Logo. They aren't Bullet Club. Well Gallows/Anderson are but Kenny left. If rumors of what people say is true about NJPW getting involved and the story will make eventual sense then cool but if that's more of marks wishing then its just a bad story line.

Ethan Paige vs Alter Ego Karate Kid: This just brings us back what makes IMPACT terrible. Ethan is a great wrestler. He "wrestled" his alter ego Karate Kid. This was a theatrical match which was just done so poorly you were embarrassed for the Company. 

Show as a whole: Very avg show all together. It was better then most WWE PPV's or watching RAW which isn't saying much

Studio they film at: Not sure if it's suppose to be like that but it seemed way too dark lightening wasn't great. 

Overall good show but could've been better. For a PPV called Hard To Kill I would've wanted a few more gimmick matches. Commentary could've been way better and action was pretty good. 

[Bears_Man2 39]

I thought the new Impact commentary team tonight was the biggest improvement about their show. I despise Josh Matthews and thrilled he's off commentary.

Edited January 17 by Bears_Man2

[Tom Servo 7,161]

Quote

Commentary: Josh Mattthews makes me want to puke. For whatever reason Josh's Wife Madison wasn't doing color and they had D'LO Brown doing it. These two are god awful. I'd watch more IMPACT if Josh especially wasn't there. 

What I find hard to swallow is that Matthews and Rayne are married IRL but they act like their just co-workers.  That would've worked 25 years ago but kayfabe is dead and everyone knows the score.

Sad emoji for Madison retiring.  The Columbus native was a former IWC (a Pittsburgh promotion) Women's Champion.

Edited January 17 by Tom Servo

[DJackson10 3,190]

20 hours ago, Bears_Man2 said:

I thought the new Impact commentary team tonight was the biggest improvement about their show. I despise Josh Matthews and thrilled he's off commentary.

He's still doing commentary. They just replaced Madison with D'Lo Brown thats all 

[Bears_Man2 39]

On 1/17/2021 at 6:59 PM, DJackson10 said:

He's still doing commentary. They just replaced Madison with D'Lo Brown thats all 

I think Striker/Dlo are nice upgrade.

Matthews likely has his hands in a lot of things. I think best to back off the announcing.

Edited March 1 by Bears_Man2

[DJackson10 3,190]

53 minutes ago, Bears_Man2 said:

 Good lord dude. Maybe watch the PPV then?  They called the entire event.

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2021/01/matt-striker-and-dlo-brown-revealed-as-new-impact-announce-680007/

Impact Wrestling has announced that a new broadcast team will start this Saturday with the Hard To Kill pay-per-view.

Matt Striker will serve as Impact's new play-by-play announcer, while D'Lo Brown will handle color commentary duties. Striker and Brown will call the weekly Impact TV show, and pay-per-view events.

Striker noted that he's excited, nervous, thankful and humbled to be returning to TV.

"I've always loved professional wrestling. It is a love that unites so many people," Striker said in the official press release. "Pro wrestling is a sport and I want to be mindful to call it as such. I've learned and grown so much since I began, and I thank the fans – and the critics – for that.

"It is not lost on me the opportunity that is before me – I can once again lend my voice to the sport that I love. In doing so, I'm poised to describe, analyze, and witness the most advanced athletes the sport has ever seen. I am excited, nervous, thankful, and humbled. I cannot wait to get out there. You will always be able hear the fan in me."

Brown also said he's very excited to join the commentary team after working behind-the-scenes for the company.

"I'm very excited to join the IMPACT Wrestling broadcast booth and I know working alongside Matt Striker will be a lot of fun," Brown said. "I believe in IMPACT Wrestling, with its amazing roster of skilled Superstars and Knockouts – and can't wait to have the best seat in the house to call all the action.

"I'm humbled to follow the IMPACT broadcasting path of Don West and Mike Tenay, and most recently Don Callis, Madison Rayne and certainly Josh Mathews. I'm beyond grateful for this opportunity. I know there are big shoes to fill, but Striker and I will do our best."

Striker and Brown are replacing Josh Mathews and Madison Rayne. Mathews has signed a new multi-year contract with the company and is being promoted to Senior Producer of the weekly Impact TV show and pay-per-view events. Rayne will give an update on her future at Saturday's pay-per-view. The veteran Knockout provided color commentary in 2020 but is reportedly leaving the company for a job outside of pro wrestling..

Dam for some reason I thought it was Matthews 

[DJackson10 3,190]

I forgot to post this yesterday but my Exalted In Heaven Brodie Lee Shirt came in 

[Tom Servo 7,161]

12 hours ago, DJackson10 said:

I forgot to post this yesterday but my Exalted In Heaven Brodie Lee Shirt came in 

Congrats?

 

[Tom Servo 7,161]

You know about Elf on a Shelf? Well...

[Tom Servo 7,161]

HISTORY: Fifty years ago today - January 18, 1971 - Ivan Koloff pins Bruno Sammartino to end his championship reign at 2,803 days.  Koloff was a transitional champion, dropping the WWWF title three weeks later to Pedro Morales.  The result of the match resulted in the Madison Square Garden crowd being stunned into silence; so much so that Bruno thought he had damaged his ears.

Supposedly, to prevent a riot, Koloff was given the belt backstage.  He would later find success in the NWA, hold tag team gold with Don Kernodle, his kayfabe nephew Nikita Koloff, Ray Stevens and Manny Fernandez.

Koloff died in 2017.

[DJackson10 3,190]

11 hours ago, Tom Servo said:

Congrats?

 

I'm just very Happy I could help the family in someway. I really should be saving my money but I've been fortunate enough to be working throughout this pandemic too. It was for a good cause and he was a great person overall. I've had a few friends lose their parent early and know how tough it is too. Plus the shirt is pretty cool as well. I'll probably wear it Wednesday though. Pro Wrestling Tees make great shirts no matter what. 

[DJackson10 3,190]

BREAKING NEWS: Per

@WWE @WrestleMania 37, which was slated for Los Angeles, CA, has been relocated to the original location of WrestleMania 36:

@RJStadium in Tampa, FL. WrestleMania 38 will be in Dallas, TX and 39 will head to @SoFiStadium

[Payne 568]

I decided to flip on RAW....why, no idea. Probably because Mania is coming up.

What was that with Orton? Immediately shut it off. Such garbage. 

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,612]

14 minutes ago, Payne said:

What was that with Orton? Immediately shut it off. Such garbage. 

And that was better than 99% of what's been on Raw for the past several years....

Raw's cold match after cold match thrown together. And so is what AEW is doing too. Reason the ratings for both are in the toilet. Neither have the writing to support anything close to the length of their shows.

Raw is the worst television show on today IMO. Bad TV is one thing. Long never-ending TV is another.

Edited January 19 by Craig_MiamiFL

[Jayrok 3,691]

So now we're supposed to believe Bliss can man-handle Asuka like that?  Alright then.

 

[bcdjr1 687]

4 hours ago, Jayrok said:

So now we're supposed to believe Bliss can man-handle Asuka like that?  Alright then.

 

Dude, it’s like comic books. Would Batman beat Superman or vice versa? Depends on who’s writing the story.

Goldberg admitted he could barely wrestle when he entered WCW, and he went undefeated for like 300 matches and people ate it up. Hulk Hogan also was never much of a wrestler, and he was like the biggest thing in the 80s. Earlier in the night, Riccochet, who has been struggling against Retribution and the Hurt Business, was able to take AJ Styles to the limit. Here it’s Bliss assisted by the power of the Fiend beating Auska.

It isn’t about reality. Wrestling is a soap opera performed by athletes through athletic displays. You have to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story they are telling. Otherwise you should start asking how these people aren’t all dead from their injuries.

[Jayrok 3,691]

7 minutes ago, bcdjr1 said:

It isn’t about reality. Wrestling is a soap opera performed by athletes through athletic displays. You have to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story they are telling. 

You don't say.  

[Tom Servo 7,161]

29 years ago today, Ric Flair (WOOO!) wins the Royal Rumble to claim the vacant WWF World Title. 
Here’s Vince pimping the show. 

[Bogart 1,965]

23 hours ago, Tom Servo said:

HISTORY: Fifty years ago today - January 18, 1971 - Ivan Koloff pins Bruno Sammartino to end his championship reign at 2,803 days.  Koloff was a transitional champion, dropping the WWWF title three weeks later to Pedro Morales.  The result of the match resulted in the Madison Square Garden crowd being stunned into silence; so much so that Bruno thought he had damaged his ears.

Supposedly, to prevent a riot, Koloff was given the belt backstage.  He would later find success in the NWA, hold tag team gold with Don Kernodle, his kayfabe nephew Nikita Koloff, Ray Stevens and Manny Fernandez.

Koloff died in 2017.

I have probably said this before, but one of my all-time favorite wrestling moments as a kid, was seeing the issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated at the grocery store, with the Rock and Roll Express on the cover with the belts and the headline "We Beat The Russians!!" Up to that point, it didn't look like anyone could beat them, with Ivan leading the team. The Russians were using the Freebird Rule back then, and it was the weakest team of Ivan and Krusher Kruschev (no Nikita Koloff in the match) with Uncle Ivan eating the pin, but it didn't matter.

Unrelated, this caused me to go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole for Ivan and Manny Fernandez. Man those guys just didn't know when to hang the boots up. Koloff had a match at 70, Manny at 64. (If I remember right, Manny would show up at indie shows with his boots and demand he be on the card.) 

[bcdjr1 687]

3 hours ago, Jayrok said:

You don't say.  

Well, you don't seem to get it.

[Tom Servo 7,161]

1 hour ago, Bogart said:

I have probably said this before, but one of my all-time favorite wrestling moments as a kid, was seeing the issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated at the grocery store, with the Rock and Roll Express on the cover with the belts and the headline "We Beat The Russians!!" Up to that point, it didn't look like anyone could beat them, with Ivan leading the team. The Russians were using the Freebird Rule back then, and it was the weakest team of Ivan and Krusher Kruschev (no Nikita Koloff in the match) with Uncle Ivan eating the pin, but it didn't matter.

Unrelated, this caused me to go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole for Ivan and Manny Fernandez. Man those guys just didn't know when to hang the boots up. Koloff had a match at 70, Manny at 64. (If I remember right, Manny would show up at indie shows with his boots and demand he be on the card.) 

I used to go to shows put on by National Wrestling League and House of Pain Wrestling Federation  and saw a lot of those guys pass thru. IIRC, Koloff made an appearance. Jimmy Valiant was a regular. I did  get a picture with one of the Vachons.  Heck, Heidenreich was there once. 
I would always talk to them, give them a “How ya doing, champ?” and talk to them. Most of these older wrestlers have it rough financially. Buying a photo and giving a couple of minutes of  my time means as much to them as anything. More than anything, these guys don’t want to be forgotten. 

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,612]

Dark Side of the Ring season 3 premiere will be Flyin Brian Pillman

No word of premiere date. Can't wait. Best stuff in wrestling today IMO.

[Bogart 1,965]

3 hours ago, Tom Servo said:

I used to go to shows put on by National Wrestling League and House of Pain Wrestling Federation  and saw a lot of those guys pass thru. IIRC, Koloff made an appearance. Jimmy Valiant was a regular. I did  get a picture with one of the Vachons.  Heck, Heidenreich was there once. 
I would always talk to them, give them a “How ya doing, champ?” and talk to them. Most of these older wrestlers have it rough financially. Buying a photo and giving a couple of minutes of  my time means as much to them as anything. More than anything, these guys don’t want to be forgotten. 

The saddest story I have ever heard was at local indie shows here, they would have Terry Gordy, at the end of his career, sit in the middle of the ring in a chair and let people come up and take pictures for $15-20 a shot. Some nights they would get a few people, some nights nobody.

[Tom Servo 7,161]

So...last night Taya Valkyrie was written off Impact. It was unique, let’s say that. 

ETA: I heard Tommy Dreamer say this, but it went over my head as I was going back and forth between Impact and the Penguins game.

Quote

Tommy Dreamer had Valkyrie taken off to jail, and joked that if she’s lucky she will go to Jacksonville State Prison (AEW) but if she’s not lucky, and for what she did, he thinks she’ll end up at Stamford Correctional (WWE) for two years with an option for a third, which he joked will change a person’s soul forever. Acey Romero joked that he hopes she doesn’t end up in Baltimore (ROH). You can see video from both of the Valkyrie segments below.

 

Edited January 20 by Tom Servo

[Tony Jabroni 778]

The Iron Sheik on twitter:

"I love America! I love all Americans! This country has been so good to me. Except you, Hulk Hogan. You are still a jabroni"

😁😁

[Tony Jabroni 778]

On 1/19/2021 at 8:05 PM, Craig_MiamiFL said:

Dark Side of the Ring season 3 premiere will be Flyin Brian Pillman

No word of premiere date. Can't wait. Best stuff in wrestling today IMO.

What streaming service has this? I have Youtube Tv. I don't have that channel.

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,612]

It's VICE channel 

I have Philo and has it

[DJackson10 3,190]

On 1/20/2021 at 7:22 AM, Tom Servo said:

So...last night Taya Valkyrie was written off Impact. It was unique, let’s say that. 

ETA: I heard Tommy Dreamer say this, but it went over my head as I was going back and forth between Impact and the Penguins game.

 

That seems petty from a company who has issues paying wrestlers on time (yes the Young Bucks used that on Don last night which I laughed at), but Dreamer did get screwed big time by The E 

[DJackson10 3,190]

7 hours ago, Tony Jabroni said:

What streaming service has this? I have Youtube Tv. I don't have that channel.

Philo, Hulu live Fubo have it. Who is your cable provider?

[gocuse3 71]

6 hours ago, DJackson10 said:

Philo, Hulu live Fubo have it. Who is your cable provider?

Taking a wild guess here but probably YouTube tv 

[SlaX 518]

On 1/13/2021 at 4:59 PM, Craig_MiamiFL said:

Lita saying McMahon threatened to fire her if she didn't do sex celebration with Edge. Yikes.

With all this speaking out stuff that's gone on, I've been a amazed McMahons name hasn't been mentioned

There were a lot of allegations against Vince, Patterson and some others in the late 80s/early 90s.  I'm also surprised none of it has come up again recently though.  

[Tony Jabroni 778]

WWE Network is moving to Peacock service exclusively.

$5 with ads

$10 no ads 

Not a bad deal. Plus you get NBC content.

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,612]

1 hour ago, Tony Jabroni said:

WWE Network is moving to Peacock service exclusively.

$5 with ads

$10 no ads 

Not a bad deal. Plus you get NBC content.

Saw the news early this AM w/o any additional details.

Glad same price (for now obv) with access to full library  Thought it'd become overpriced ad filled Hulu-like trash.  Though current product is unwatchable IMO I do still watch quite a bit of older content and interviews/docs.

But if you're (somehow) a fan of today's product, I don't think it's great news. They have even less reason to gaf about effort getting a billion for this deal. Produce Sunday Night Raw PPVs with cold matches!!!!

--------

And library IMO is the reason AEW is working with Impact right now (really never been a question to me)  Their near 20 year library has a lot of value. Particularly up to the before the Hogan/Bischoff era. "Impact Plus" isn't the long term answer for platform....but this WWE deal is very good news for Impact IMO

Edited January 25 by Craig_MiamiFL

[Tom Servo 7,161]

3 minutes ago, Craig_MiamiFL said:

Saw the news early this AM w/o any additional details.

Glad same price (for now obv) with access to full library  Thought it'd become overpriced ad filled Hulu-like trash.  Though current product is unwatchable IMO I do still watch quite a bit of older content and interviews/docs.

But if you're (somehow) a fan of today's product, I don't think it's great news. They have even less reason to gaf about effort getting a billion for this deal. Produce Sunday Night Raw PPVs with cold matches!!!!

 

Smackdown is decent - mostly because HHH is producing it and Fox wants ratings for what they’re paying. 
RAW is complete garbage and from what I’ve seen of NXT, it’s okay.