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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:14 pm 
 

I just re-watched the iron man match from Wrestlemania XII. Now regardless of who you prefer, you have to give major respect to BOTH Bret and Shawn for delivering one of the greatest matches in the history of pro wrestling. I remember watching it when it first was aired and finding it very exciting and very well done. I really thought Bret was going to win when he applied that sharpshooter at the last minute.

Let me just say this though. One thing about Bret is that he made the other wrestler look WAY better than they would have looked on their own. Shawn fought that match in Bret's style, and came out winning, but even still, I couldn't help but feel that Bret was the one who dominated and controlled that match in that everything Shawn did was under Bret's direction.

Stone Cold Steve Austin just plain sucks. All the drunken hicks loved him. He was a below average wrestler who mainly just punched and kicked. I never watched WWF when Stone Cold was big because he made everything boring and dull as all hell. I switched to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, and watched ECW on Friday Nights.

I have no idea why WWF ended up beating WCW in the ratings. They were like a juvenile soap opera, wasting hours of airtime with stupid kiddie drama, whereas WCW and ECW just HAD MATCHES, the way it should be. Every big matchup in the WWF ended in an interference, and the referees were absolutely horrible.

Vince McMahon ruined everything. Kudos to him for making some entertaining moments but overall his approach to the business is fucking dumb.

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aaronmb666
Veteran

Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2837
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:42 am 
 

Need4Power wrote:
I just re-watched the iron man match from Wrestlemania XII. Now regardless of who you prefer, you have to give major respect to BOTH Bret and Shawn for delivering one of the greatest matches in the history of pro wrestling. I remember watching it when it first was aired and finding it very exciting and very well done. I really thought Bret was going to win when he applied that sharpshooter at the last minute.

Let me just say this though. One thing about Bret is that he made the other wrestler look WAY better than they would have looked on their own. Shawn fought that match in Bret's style, and came out winning, but even still, I couldn't help but feel that Bret was the one who dominated and controlled that match in that everything Shawn did was under Bret's direction.

Stone Cold Steve Austin just plain sucks. All the drunken hicks loved him. He was a below average wrestler who mainly just punched and kicked. I never watched WWF when Stone Cold was big because he made everything boring and dull as all hell. I switched to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, and watched ECW on Friday Nights.

I have no idea why WWF ended up beating WCW in the ratings. They were like a juvenile soap opera, wasting hours of airtime with stupid kiddie drama, whereas WCW and ECW just HAD MATCHES, the way it should be. Every big matchup in the WWF ended in an interference, and the referees were absolutely horrible.

Vince McMahon ruined everything. Kudos to him for making some entertaining moments but overall his approach to the business is fucking dumb.


WCW in 2000 was horrible. Not only was Vince Russo writing it, but Jarrett, a guy who's never been more than a mid carder that no one's cared about, was a main eventer/world champ.

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:54 pm 
 

Need4Power wrote:
I just re-watched the iron man match from Wrestlemania XII. Now regardless of who you prefer, you have to give major respect to BOTH Bret and Shawn for delivering one of the greatest matches in the history of pro wrestling. I remember watching it when it first was aired and finding it very exciting and very well done. I really thought Bret was going to win when he applied that sharpshooter at the last minute.

To each their own on this one, but I've always considered this match to be supremely overrated. I also don't care for Iron Man matches in general (most follow the exact same formula, relying on early matwork that leads nowhere and a CLOSE DRAMATIC FINISH~ instead of reasonable peaks and valleys).
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Let me just say this though. One thing about Bret is that he made the other wrestler look WAY better than they would have looked on their own. Shawn fought that match in Bret's style, and came out winning, but even still, I couldn't help but feel that Bret was the one who dominated and controlled that match in that everything Shawn did was under Bret's direction.

Agreed. Bret was a total ring general, in complete control of every situation. HBK may have worked harder, but Bret worked smarter.
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Stone Cold Steve Austin just plain sucks.

Grade-A bullshit.
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He was a below average wrestler who mainly just punched and kicked.

He was so below average that Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, and Bret Hart all pegged him early on as a future superstar. His move arsenal during his peak was limited by his injuries (multiple neck injuries, bum knees, etc.), but he made those moves matter that much more. In pro wrestling? Making a move matter is more important than being able to do a thousand different variations of it. That's why INDY CRUISER 57a will never draw as much as Hogan, Dusty, Flair, Austin, Rock, etc. That and psychology...which Austin was a goddamn master of.
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I never watched WWF when Stone Cold was big because he made everything boring and dull as all hell. I switched to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, and watched ECW on Friday Nights.

You missed out on some of the greatest pro wrestling television ever devised. As much as I love WCW's overall "this is a SPORT" presentation, or ECW's "fuck the rules" motif, none of them approached the level of consistent quality and excitement as 1998 WWF. Austin/McMahon is maybe the greatest storyline ever presented and going into depth of its quality, its impact, and the different levels it worked on (and why similar attempts since have failed miserably) would take far more time than I'm willing to put in.
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I have no idea why WWF ended up beating WCW in the ratings. They were like a juvenile soap opera, wasting hours of airtime with stupid kiddie drama, whereas WCW and ECW just HAD MATCHES, the way it should be. Every big matchup in the WWF ended in an interference, and the referees were absolutely horrible.

Because MATCHES that don't mean anything aren't as important as matches with build. Using legitimate sports as an example, do the MLB pre-season games draw better ratings/live attendance than the World Series? Is the SuperBowl and the first game of the NFL season on equal footing? Vince in his peak knew the importance of building up to huge, memorable moments.

You remember when DX mocked the Nation. You remember when Austin drove the beer truck to the ring. You remember Foley winning his first WWF title. That's one of the things that separated Vince (and even his father) from other promoters: knowing what the end result will be. As short-sighted as Vince may be, as stuck in his ways as he is, he is, bar none, the greatest promoter in the industry's history. That he's running the only game in town and the biggest company on the planet is proof.
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Vince McMahon ruined everything. Kudos to him for making some entertaining moments but overall his approach to the business is fucking dumb.

Yes and no. Vince needs competition. He's a very competitive person, always has been, and his ego is tied directly to the chip on his shoulder. When Turner and Bischoff knocked that chip off in 1996? Vince took a risk, pushed hot new heel Steve Austin, and rode that horse all the way to a monopoly.

I'm with you on his overall approach being dumb. Vince wants wrestling to be like the Harlem Globetrotters: fun, simple, geared for kids, and as homogeneous as possible. That's why you're not liking his product: you want pro wrestling. I feel you on that front, and it's becoming harder and harder to find the stuff that reminds you why you started watching in the first place.
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It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:12 pm 
 

Quote:
You missed out on some of the greatest pro wrestling television ever devised. As much as I love WCW's overall "this is a SPORT" presentation, or ECW's "fuck the rules" motif, none of them approached the level of consistent quality and excitement as 1998 WWF. Austin/McMahon is maybe the greatest storyline ever presented and going into depth of its quality, its impact, and the different levels it worked on (and why similar attempts since have failed miserably) would take far more time than I'm willing to put in.


No. 1998 WWF was silly and dull. They wasted much of their time talking and talking, and when they actually had a match, it never was fair. Every damn match ended with interference. And the referees somehow always were looking the other direction when it happened. It was seriously dumb as shit.

They had Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker, like how many times? They must have had least 50 matches together. We saw the same fucking thing every night. Incredibly boring. Couldn't they think of a different matchup?

Steve Austin was a boring, talentless, stupid wrestler who dumbed down the entire industry. He would come into the ring and do one move...ONE fucking move, over and over again. Couldn't he be a little more creative?

WWF got better with certain stars like The Hardy Boys; they were a real class act. But their big stars like Stone Cold and The Rock were overrated as hell (though I thought The Rock was sometimes funny on the mic).

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:32 pm 
 

Need4Power wrote:
No. 1998 WWF was silly and dull. They wasted much of their time talking and talking, and when they actually had a match, it never was fair. Every damn match ended with interference. And the referees somehow always were looking the other direction when it happened. It was seriously dumb as shit.

Silly? Yeah. It was the '90s. It's pro wrestling. It's inherently silly.

Dull? News to me.
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They had Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker, like how many times? They must have had least 50 matches together. We saw the same fucking thing every night. Incredibly boring. Couldn't they think of a different matchup?

Austin/Taker happened less times than Cena/Orton, Flair/Dusty, and some combination of Hardys/E&C/Dudleys. Discounting house shows, it happened 2-3 times in 1997, ME'd only one 1998 card (SummerSlam) with variations happening a handful of times around it (like the Triple Threat with Kane a couple months later), a few times in 1999, and once or twice in 2001. They've never clicked as opponents, so I'm with you on not liking it (sole exception being SSlam '98, which succeeded in spite of itself). Austin/Rock, comparatively, happened with more frequency.
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Steve Austin was a boring, talentless, stupid wrestler who dumbed down the entire industry. He would come into the ring and do one move...ONE fucking move, over and over again. Couldn't he be a little more creative?

If it ain't broke don't fix it. He routinely drew the greatest PPV buys, live attendance figures, merch sales, mainstream publicity, and television ratings out of anybody on the planet at the time. Not bad for a (not) boring, (not) talentless, and (not) stupid wrestler, huh?

Also, your argument against Austin is null and void if you say you enjoyed ECW. Half of the ECW roster weren't fit to sniff Austin's jock but made up for it by being able to bleed and say "fuck" a lot.
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WWF got better with certain stars like The Hardy Boys; they were a real class act.

Now I know you're trolling. Jeff "rehab has a drive-thru" Hardy being a class act? Matt "I'm only relevant because my shit is outrageously awful" Hardy? Really?
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But their big stars like Stone Cold and The Rock were overrated as hell (though I thought The Rock was sometimes funny on the mic).

They paid the fucking bills and had a ton of classic promos, matches, and rivalries. Hard to be overrated when you're the gold standard.
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:47 pm 
 

Quote:
If it ain't broke don't fix it. He routinely drew the greatest PPV buys, live attendance figures, merch sales, mainstream publicity, and television ratings out of anybody on the planet at the time. Not bad for a (not) boring, (not) talentless, and (not) stupid wrestler, huh?


That doesn't mean he was a good wrestler or performer. He drew the masses of redneck idiots, the common, average, blue collar dummies who mindlessly went bonkers just because he talked a lot of trash and drank beer. The average wrestling fan doesn't know any better. His fans were largely ignorant white trash.

Rob Van Dam makes Steve Austin look like a third-rate novice.

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:48 pm 
 

Yeah, you're wrong. When LEGENDS say that Austin is among the greatest of all time? Yeah, you're wrong.
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:35 pm 
 

He was one of the most POPULAR wrestlers of all time. That's not the same as being among the GREATEST of all time.

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Subrick
Metal Strongman

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:27 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 7:03 am 
 

Need4Power is being "Benoit vs. Angle at Royal Rumble 03 was a lame match" levels of objectively wrong here.
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Earthcubed wrote:
I'm just perpetually annoyed by Sean William Scott and he's never been in a movie where I wasn't rooting for his head to sever by strange means.

Blacksoul Seraphim Gothic Doom Metal
Autumn's Ashes Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 8:15 am 
 

He sealed it when he said RVD, who was never anything but silly highspots thrown together without too much rhyme or reason (and I like RVD), is a better talent. Why? Because he can do a flip?

Saying Austin couldn't work is either indicative of trolling or ignorance to his work. Trying to double-down on the "drunken hicks loved him" talking point exposes it further considering Austin was over everywhere and that the WWF/E's core audience has always been in the Northeast. We don't have too many hicks up this way.
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Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Subrick
Metal Strongman

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:27 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 1:49 pm 
 

I think RVD was way more than just highspots. His ECW stuff was obviously better than his WWE stuff (which was mostly just his ECW persona but watered down), and even then he still wasn't the best talker in the world, but he had that weird, Jeff Hardy-esq ability to just connect with the audience at large simply by existing that very few dudes had. Plus he was an extremely innovative worker in that his style, and particularly his matches with Jerry Lynn, were part of the foundation that built the modern independent wrestling style that ended up making its way to WWE in the early 2010s. You could make a strong case for at least two separate times in the early 2000s where he should have won the WWF/E title just on sheer overness alone, but didn't, those being No Mercy 2001 vs. Austin and Angle, and Unforgiven 2002 vs. Triple H.
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Earthcubed wrote:
I'm just perpetually annoyed by Sean William Scott and he's never been in a movie where I wasn't rooting for his head to sever by strange means.

Blacksoul Seraphim Gothic Doom Metal
Autumn's Ashes Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:16 pm 
 

I'll never understand the appeal of Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was a loud-mouthed, disrespectful, simple-minded character with below average wrestling abilities. He never interested me in the slightest. Again, as I say, he appealed to the simple-minded, ignorant masses. Pro wrestling's core audience, as everyone knows, is poor, uneducated, young, white, blue collar males. Of course there are hicks in the Northeast. Austin was overhyped and overrated as could possibly be. The white trash audience ate him up. He was the poster boy for all their inner temper tantrums and angry little drunken fits. Everyone in my circle of friends thought he sucked, and we were all major fans of the sport of professional wrestling. We had much more sophisticated tastes.

I suppose you're also going to tell me that John Cena is a great wrestler too. After all he was hugely popular and drew a lot of people to see him, I guess that makes him great too doesn't it?

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Subrick
Metal Strongman

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:27 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 4:02 pm 
 

Something tells me you've never seen Austin before the neck injury. The man was one of the most brilliant wrestlers of his day in WCW and his first two years in the WWF. After he broke his neck, that's when he switched to the brawling style he used during his run as top star, while still retaining the psychology of his earlier abilities.
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Earthcubed wrote:
I'm just perpetually annoyed by Sean William Scott and he's never been in a movie where I wasn't rooting for his head to sever by strange means.

Blacksoul Seraphim Gothic Doom Metal
Autumn's Ashes Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:52 am 
 

Something else tells me you don't care for ring psychology or characterization through work.

Need4Power wrote:
We had much more sophisticated tastes.

...like? Are you going to name-drop Misawa, who's long-term selling was dreadful? Are you going to bring up Flair, who not only praised Austin at first sight but was also not as good as Austin was overall (having the same match for 20 years doesn't make you great)? Rob Van Dam, the guy who's been QUOTED as saying wrestling is all about highspots and cool moves (which explains why he hasn't had a good match in 14 years)?

I legitimately want to know what your criteria is for "sophisticated taste" in a business where grown men wear spandex and pretend to fight each other.
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I suppose you're also going to tell me that John Cena is a great wrestler too. After all he was hugely popular and drew a lot of people to see him, I guess that makes him great too doesn't it?

No, I won't tell you Cena is a great wrestler, because he's not. His execution is sloppy on a fundamental level, and his best matches were with talents that could carry a broomstick (outside of the Umaga feud). I will, however, tell you that he's something more important than a great wrestler: he's a great worker. That's what the business is about: working the crowd. Cena's been the pound-for-pound best at it State-side for years now, and that half of the talk about WWE in the last decade has focused on Cena is proof.
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Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:15 pm 
 

Here are a list of wrestlers who are way better than Steve Austin:

Bret Hart
Shawn Michaels
Chris Benoit
The British Bulldog
Dean Malenko
Ultimo Dragon
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy
Rob Van Damn
Sabu
Taz
Terry Funk
Mick Foley
The Undertaker
Owen Hart
Triple H
X Pac
Tajiri
Mr. Perfect
Eddie Guerrero
Perry Saturn
Wrath
Big Van Vader
CM Punk
Edge
Ricky the Dragon Steamboat
The Ultimate Warrior
Kurt Angle
Chris Jericho

I could name a lot more too, but you get the point. What criteria do I use? I ask, how good of a performance do they put on when they're in the ring? Do they entertain me? Do they have a likable persona? Do they have memorable matches? Probably similar criteria that most people use. Let's see...Steve Austin never impressed me with his in ring performance, I never found him entertaining, I think his persona is deplorable, and I can't think of any memorable matches he had (though to be fair, I chose NOT to watch him, so I can't say I've seen them all).

No I don't think Ric Flair is a good wrestler by any stretch of the imagination. He is horrible on all levels, and he's also kind of a dick for some of the things he's said about other wrestlers. I think a guy like him belongs in the circus, not in the squared circle.

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Subrick
Metal Strongman

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:27 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:59 pm 
 

Okay, now you're just being a troll, and not even a good one either.
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Earthcubed wrote:
I'm just perpetually annoyed by Sean William Scott and he's never been in a movie where I wasn't rooting for his head to sever by strange means.

Blacksoul Seraphim Gothic Doom Metal
Autumn's Ashes Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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ratedgdr
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:03 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Northeast Wisconsin
PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 11:50 pm 
 

Subrick wrote:
Okay, now you're just being a troll, and not even a good one either.


Yeah, quite a few on that list are not on Austin's level by any stretch (Matt Hardy, Sabu, Ultimate Warrior, X-Pac, Wrath). And putting down Flair is wrong on so many levels as well.

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~Guest 98976
Metal Pounder

Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:08 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:33 am 
 

Steve Austin wrestled an ultra-brawler style -- the kind of guy who looks like he's beating the fucking snot out of you. At the time, his character work was completely new, mostly thanks to having the ultimate heel in Vincent Kennedy McMahon to bounce off against and launch him into the stratosphere.

His character doesn't really hold up when we've seen WWE attempt to recreate that success more often than they should. The biggest offender is Roman Reigns. Reigns' booking is the same Austin's was in his heyday, always having to overcome ridiculous odds at every turn, go against The Authority, SuperMan Punching VKM at The Royal Rumble, too many instances to name.

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acid_bukkake
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:16 am 
 

Saying that Warrior and Bulldog are better exposes how limited your knowledge on what makes a wrestler great actually is. There is no conceivable way that either of them are on Austin's level when they aren't even on the level of Koko B. Ware.

FasterDisaster wrote:
Steve Austin wrestled an ultra-brawler style -- the kind of guy who looks like he's beating the fucking snot out of you. At the time, his character work was completely new, mostly thanks to having the ultimate heel in Vincent Kennedy McMahon to bounce off against and launch him into the stratosphere.

I wouldn't say it was completely new, just that it was new to the WWF. WCW had Randy Savage pulling some Austin-like things in 1996 prior to the nWo formation, for example, and the entirety of ECW was built on characters that Austin was similar to. Going back even further, we get World Class (not surprisingly Austin's home territory when he was breaking in) and Memphis, which were the precursors to ECW/Attitude in general.
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His character doesn't really hold up when we've seen WWE attempt to recreate that success more often than they should. The biggest offender is Roman Reigns. Reigns' booking is the same Austin's was in his heyday, always having to overcome ridiculous odds at every turn, go against The Authority, SuperMan Punching VKM at The Royal Rumble, too many instances to name.

That's because they're focusing on the face value stuff instead of the psychological reasons Austin worked so well. The "defiant rebel babyface" only works when it's somebody that fans have accepted as a rabble-rouser. Austin was blue collar through and through, the guy that spent years punching his time card and doing things "the right way," and he was fed up after seeing unworthy coworkers get promotion after promotion when he was stuck cleaning the toilets. That's a very raw thing to tap into and Austin was the perfect choice to fill that role, seeing as how TWO OF THE GREATEST FUCKING TALENTS IN HISTORY (Steamboat and Flair) had been hyping Austin up since they first set eyes on him, and he carried himself like the average blue-collar worker: drink beer, cuss, speak your mind, stick to your guns.

It doesn't work with Orton, Reigns, Cena, etc. because we know they're company men. They're phonies. Austin was the guy who'd tell Vince to shut the fuck up, on-air or off, and we knew it.

The closest thing I've seen to recreating that "lightning in a bottle" moment was Kevin Steen when Cornette was ROH commish. It hit the same required beats (boss who's out of touch and abusing their power to make sure this slob that looks/acts more like the fans doesn't become champion) but did something of its own with it and, in both cases, it was brilliant booking to let the guy run with it even if the office didn't 100% want it.
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Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Emptiness Cycle
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Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2015 11:07 am
Posts: 417
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:41 am 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
Saying that Warrior and Bulldog are better exposes how limited your knowledge on what makes a wrestler great actually is. There is no conceivable way that either of them are on Austin's level when they aren't even on the level of Koko B. Ware.

FasterDisaster wrote:
Steve Austin wrestled an ultra-brawler style -- the kind of guy who looks like he's beating the fucking snot out of you. At the time, his character work was completely new, mostly thanks to having the ultimate heel in Vincent Kennedy McMahon to bounce off against and launch him into the stratosphere.

I wouldn't say it was completely new, just that it was new to the WWF. WCW had Randy Savage pulling some Austin-like things in 1996 prior to the nWo formation, for example, and the entirety of ECW was built on characters that Austin was similar to. Going back even further, we get World Class (not surprisingly Austin's home territory when he was breaking in) and Memphis, which were the precursors to ECW/Attitude in general.
Quote:
His character doesn't really hold up when we've seen WWE attempt to recreate that success more often than they should. The biggest offender is Roman Reigns. Reigns' booking is the same Austin's was in his heyday, always having to overcome ridiculous odds at every turn, go against The Authority, SuperMan Punching VKM at The Royal Rumble, too many instances to name.

That's because they're focusing on the face value stuff instead of the psychological reasons Austin worked so well. The "defiant rebel babyface" only works when it's somebody that fans have accepted as a rabble-rouser. Austin was blue collar through and through, the guy that spent years punching his time card and doing things "the right way," and he was fed up after seeing unworthy coworkers get promotion after promotion when he was stuck cleaning the toilets. That's a very raw thing to tap into and Austin was the perfect choice to fill that role, seeing as how TWO OF THE GREATEST FUCKING TALENTS IN HISTORY (Steamboat and Flair) had been hyping Austin up since they first set eyes on him, and he carried himself like the average blue-collar worker: drink beer, cuss, speak your mind, stick to your guns.

It doesn't work with Orton, Reigns, Cena, etc. because we know they're company men. They're phonies. Austin was the guy who'd tell Vince to shut the fuck up, on-air or off, and we knew it.

The closest thing I've seen to recreating that "lightning in a bottle" moment was Kevin Steen when Cornette was ROH commish. It hit the same required beats (boss who's out of touch and abusing their power to make sure this slob that looks/acts more like the fans doesn't become champion) but did something of its own with it and, in both cases, it was brilliant booking to let the guy run with it even if the office didn't 100% want it.



Dude! Kevin Steen is one of the best things to happen to Wrestling in a long long time!

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:12 am 
 

I'm not arguing that.
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Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Emptiness Cycle
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2015 11:07 am
Posts: 417
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:17 am 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
I'm not arguing that.


Not in question - sorry, I'm guilty of ambiguity sometimes when I post. I'm holding out for a Steen / Taker match before the Phenom retires. Unless they pull the plug on Reigns / Taker, I fear it's too late already.

Does anyone actually want Reigns / Taker?

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ratedgdr
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:03 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Northeast Wisconsin
PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 11:06 am 
 

Emptiness Cycle wrote:
acid_bukkake wrote:
I'm not arguing that.


Not in question - sorry, I'm guilty of ambiguity sometimes when I post. I'm holding out for a Steen / Taker match before the Phenom retires. Unless they pull the plug on Reigns / Taker, I fear it's too late already.

Does anyone actually want Reigns / Taker?


I do but that's because I'm the only Reigns fan on the internet, it seems.

Granted, I think there are better matchups but if they are going to FINALLY pull the trigger on a heel turn for Reigns then this would serve as the best option.

Anything to help me ignore that Goldberg and Lesnar are likely going to be the main event.

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Need4Power
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:28 pm
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:14 pm 
 

I always liked The Ultimate Warrrior. Great guy and great enthusiasm for the business. Tremendous physique. Great energy. He's not among my favorites, but he's still a lot better than Austin or Flair.

Yet Warrior gets A LOT of shit from a lot of people. I want to know why.

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Steve Nebraska
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2016 4:06 pm
Posts: 230
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 3:22 pm 
 

Need4Power wrote:
I always liked The Ultimate Warrrior. Great guy and great enthusiasm for the business. Tremendous physique. Great energy. He's not among my favorites, but he's still a lot better than Austin or Flair.

Yet Warrior gets A LOT of shit from a lot of people. I want to know why.


I'm sure rick rude and Bret hart will give plenty of reasons why warrior was a piece of shit to work with.

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JohnTheDrummer
Metalhead

Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 590
PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:18 pm 
 

So NJPW's New Japan Cup tournament started this weekend.

Night 1 was ok. A LOT of filler, and the tournament matches weren't that great, other than EVIL vs Tanahashi, but Night 2 overdelivered.

I only watched the tournament matches of Night 2 since I didn't want to sit through 2 hours of multi-man tag matches, but goddamn.
Shibata vs Suzuki was really good. I was expecting more, but they still delivered so well. Such a stiff match.
Kenny Omega vs Ishii was INSANELY GOOD. Not a fan of the outcome, really surprised, but the match itself was all sorts of awesomeness.

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aaronmb666
Veteran

Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2837
PostPosted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 5:42 am 
 

Need4Power wrote:
I always liked The Ultimate Warrrior. Great guy and great enthusiasm for the business. Tremendous physique. Great energy. He's not among my favorites, but he's still a lot better than Austin or Flair.

Yet Warrior gets A LOT of shit from a lot of people. I want to know why.


http://411mania.com/wrestling/bruce-pri ... s-a-bully/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P3L_I2eKrM

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:16 am 
 

HAPPY STONE COLD DAY NEED4POWER
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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Haunted Shirt
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:00 pm
Posts: 204
PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 2:32 pm 
 

I could watch this clip over and over 1,000 times. It is by one of the greatest videos in my opinion of all time. Let alone one of the greatest things to come out of classic wrestling.

_________________
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Subrick
Metal Strongman

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:27 pm
Posts: 10167
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:07 pm 
 

This is loonier.

_________________
Earthcubed wrote:
I'm just perpetually annoyed by Sean William Scott and he's never been in a movie where I wasn't rooting for his head to sever by strange means.

Blacksoul Seraphim Gothic Doom Metal
Autumn's Ashes Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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Subrick
Metal Strongman

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:27 pm
Posts: 10167
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 2:10 pm 
 

So WWE put this up on their Youtube today:



It's a parody of 70s and 80s territory studio shows. It's also amazing and hilarious.
_________________
Earthcubed wrote:
I'm just perpetually annoyed by Sean William Scott and he's never been in a movie where I wasn't rooting for his head to sever by strange means.

Blacksoul Seraphim Gothic Doom Metal
Autumn's Ashes Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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Haunted Shirt
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:00 pm
Posts: 204
PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:08 am 
 

Subrick wrote:
This is loonier.


Holy Shit!! I am at a loss for words. Never saw that one before.
_________________
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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:06 am 
 



ICW. Watch a whole show for free. Realize that a good blend of sincerity and ironic pastiche can still happen in pro wrestling when the people in charge love what they're doing.
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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JohnTheDrummer
Metalhead

Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 590
PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:43 am 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:


ICW. Watch a whole show for free. Realize that a good blend of sincerity and ironic pastiche can still happen in pro wrestling when the people in charge love what they're doing.


That just popped up in my recommended videos, definitely going to check it out. I've heard a lot of great things about ICW. Still waiting to see if WWE gets that deal and uploads ICW shows on the network.

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:35 pm 
 

I've been watching it sporadically between grinding GTAO missions and watching whatever schlock is on Comet at the moment, but I started it last night from Stevie Boy's promo (about 20 minutes in) and watched it through to Renfrew/Dunne.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll stop saying it once it's no longer true: Mark Dallas is the best booker in pro wrestling today and ICW is what pro wrestling in 2017 should be like.
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 3:06 pm 
 

Finished Fight Club #46. The show falls into a hole during the Tag title match (Ravie Davie needs to go away) and Wolfgang fumbles through his promo BAD, but the ME of Trent Seven vs. Jordan Devlin, while mediocre overall, is a worthy way to cap it off. Seven knows how to work that fucking crowd and Devlin plays into it, showing that he's going to be a bigger deal one day. There's also a spot where Devlin gets busted hardway on the back of his head and KEEPS GOING, bleeding all over the place, but that little accident got him over with that crowd better than just having a great match could (similar to how Adam Cole was seen as the weak half of Future Shock until the match with O'Reilly where his teeth were broken but kept going).

Also, bonus points: they've put up Fight Club #47 for free as well! The ME is Seven vs. Jack Jester and, while I'm not a big Jester fan, he has the credibility within the company to make the match feel bigger than it would be anywhere else. God dammit, Mark Dallas, stop doing American-style wrestling better than we do!


WrestleMania happened last night. I watched it until the end of HHH/Rollins, and it seems like I didn't miss a whole lot after. Heard Brock/Goldberg was surprisingly good, just a stiff sprint that was much needed, but that ending...

I get it. Roman's the current chosen ace, despite most of the audience hating him beyond how they hated Cena, and 'Taker should've retired years ago, but...fucking really? I'd take Cena over 'Taker without issue to build up Cena/Roman in a year or two, but having 'Taker's last match be against Roman is the kind of stuff that makes me glad not to watch.

Hey, at least the Hardys are back (and wow, the best WM ladder match in years happens right away, interesting), AJ went over, and the Miz worked that whole stadium into a frenzy just by being himself.

Back to HHH/Rollins, though, I thought it was far better than I'm seeing most give it credit for. I'm seeing critique of Seth selling the knee off/on but he sold it routinely throughout, better than Cena ever sold anything, and the right person went over. Oh well. We can all agree that EVIL TRASHY QUEEN BITCH STEPH is always the best, between last year and this year...daaaaaaaaaamn...
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

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JohnTheDrummer
Metalhead

Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 590
PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 3:19 pm 
 

Since a lot of wrestling fans are sharks, and the moment someone posts something they immediately try to pick it apart, i'll keep this short and sweet :lol:

I really enjoyed Mania from beginning to end. Yes it had some slow moments/flaws, but overall it was a cool show and easy to watch. The entrances and production were insane and made it fun to see what everyone was going to come out with. The Hardy's returning was the highlight of the night by far, such a huge pop.

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ratedgdr
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:03 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Northeast Wisconsin
PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:53 am 
 

Roman winning I was fine with since I love the guy to death, but that match was hard to watch. Undertaker really couldn't go, and Reigns SOMEHOW didn't have the upper body strength to do the Tombstone counter.

Also, fuck WWE for jobbing Wyatt out to Orton.

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aaronmb666
Veteran

Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2837
PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:11 am 
 

ratedgdr wrote:
Roman winning I was fine with since I love the guy to death, but that match was hard to watch. Undertaker really couldn't go, and Reigns SOMEHOW didn't have the upper body strength to do the Tombstone counter.

Also, fuck WWE for jobbing Wyatt out to Orton.


Either Taker is really too old, or he was selling it, imo. I really have no idea why Orton won the title either. Hell, I dont even get why they had him win the Rumble in the first place.

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JohnTheDrummer
Metalhead

Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 590
PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:41 pm 
 

I watched the NJPW PPV, Sakura Genesis, yesterday, OMG it was good. Shibata vs Okada was almost as amazing as Okada/Omega from earlier this year.

Shibata hit one of the most audible and brutal sounding headbutts I have ever heard, and had to be rushed to the hospital after the match due to getting a subdural hematoma (A pool of blood between the brain and its outermost covering).

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