Is in the UK.
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December Wrasslin' |OT| Dreaming of a Vanilla Christmas
- Thread starter Bronx-Man
- Start date
Is in the UK.
Professor Beef
Banned
I see that username. You trying to take my spot!?
sf2fanatic
Member
Poor beef got replaced. DM and RBH helped?
This is like Undertaker vs Undertaker all over again. WHO IS THE REAL ONE?
Sweeney Tom
Banned
There's plenty of beef to go around for the both of us..
The Fronde
Member
Well, the product is just not compelling, and hasn't been for years. So the subscription numbers aren't as high as WWE hoped.
From a sheer "content perspective", the network is great for fans.
sf2fanatic
Member
New stables forming...
what did he say? how long until this fucking carnival company dies already?
for real. big shows still draw on PPV. in fact, the big shows are bigger than ever. it's the mid/low tier shows that are dying.
HashtagLapsed
Member
A lot of the content is for niche groups too. The majority of subscribers are most likely not there for Smoky Mountain and older promotion's materials. I could be wrong though.
That is what I found a little confusing about their apparently being interested in PWG etc for the network. How many new subscribers would that bring in? Or maybe they are just trying to bring in more revenue from existing subscribers.
In your opinion, did Paige's screaming sell the angst one would imagine all of Santa's Little Helpers must feel in this era of disbelief?
The wwe loses about 30 million dollars a year do to the network and that there next TV deal will not be as good as this one which was what they want in the first place.
These descriptions were gonna be longer but I'm still dying so fuck it
Data West's Top 10 of 2016 Power Rankings(because 5 wouldn't be enough)
1. AJ Styles - AJ is 'the man' in pro wrestling terms. I have no problem admitting he is the sole reason I gave WWE the time of day again. AJ is a renaissance man of wrestling the kind we haven't really seen since the 80s. He's found success everywhere he goes. Not through politicking or being set up as 'the guy' but merely by his talent. He's good on the mic and always getting better, and he's incredible in the ring. Incredible is the best way to describe it. AJ is so good at wrestling that he wins over pretty much any fan. Any time you're in an extended feud with AJ, AJ will convert more and more people to his side as the match goes on. He gives his opponent so much but his fans are so dazzled by just how professional he is. By how good he makes everything look. AJ has the ring awareness of an Arn Anderson with the technical prowess of a Jushin Liger and the high flying smoothness of Ultimo Dragon. He is an absolute pro. He's someone who had probably the biggest reputation going with him into WWE, had the most to prove and didn't get picked as anyone's pet project. AJ came in, kicked the doors open and blew Vince McMahon away by pure skill and workrate. He gave Roman his best feud, he gave Dean his best feud, arguably cena's best match, he made some indie shmuck look like a million dollars, and he single handedly steers the Smackdown brand. His popularity growth has been near instant. In less than a year he won the title and became one of WWE's biggest stars.
The failure of The Club on Raw might be some results of poor booking but to me, it says what a lot of us thought in NJPW. AJ doesn't need Bullet Club. Bullet Club needs AJ. Bullet Club needs some hot property to leech off of.
2. Bobby Lashley - It feels a bit weird to put a TNA star on here, but I've watched more TNA this year than I probably have since 2006. Matt Hardy and the Broken Storyline are what drew me back, and don't worry, Matt will show up here as well. But Bobby was what kept me coming. Matt was fantastic in his theatrics, in his wonderful character work but Bobby won me over just as a pure wrasslin figure with none of those theatrics. Bobby's been talented for a while, he's made great improvements as early as his first TNA championship reign but this was the storyline where it was all Bobby. He didn't need MVP speaking for him. He didn't need a posse to make him seem larger than life. Bobby conquered the world and looked great doing it.
Despite the booking of a superathlete, Bobby's selling and bumping for smaller guys looks great. It never looks phony like watching Corbin sell for Aries or Becky sell for Bliss. He bumps like he would taking a bump from a much smaller guy. Bobby is booked as the champion's champion. He has everything going for him and he's well aware of it. He seems undefeatable from the fans perspective until you get him in the ring and you believe that he can be beaten. That he can fall to his own hubris, that he has weaknesses. His prowess in MMA, can crusher or not, legitamizes Bobby which is something pro wrestling lacks as a whole these days. Bobby Lashley feels legit. Bobby Lashley comes off as legit. Bobby Lashley's championship reign is one of my favorite reigns in recent memory. Watch his matches but also watch his promos this year, he comes of as such a smarmy asshole. He's not a monster, he's an egomaniac, but he's built like a monster. Which is a scary combination.
3. Tetsuya Naito - Naito could be higher, but we know how I feel about his booking. It's great that he's able to get so over despite being so mistreated but there will be a time that the fans will eventually get tired of him not being treated like the star he is. You can only cheer a charismatic would-be for so long before you feel like its a lost cause. Trust me, I've been a Naito fan for about 7 years now. But in-ring, he's one of the best. He's the only person I'd put at AJ's level. His style of heavy relying on counterplay and mindgames is so different from the usual fast-paced and very scripted feel that a lot of NJPW feels like these days outside of when the old heads are in the ring. A lot of sequences that feel very fake. Naito's counters and stalling completely interrupt that flow and freshen things up. Naito is just cool. He's almost Razor cool. I do like him being the first triple crown champion even if it only felt like a 'gimme' so they could keep their IWGP plans.
4. LA Park - LA Park tends to have predictable matches. But that works for the crowd and it works for me. Park was part of some great 6 way matches this year but his presence on the indie scene is where he shined strongest, like usual. Park has had a banner year and, as far as I'm concerned, is still the best brawler in professional wrestling. Continuing the violent, hated feud with Rush which is still the biggest would-be feud in Mexico, Bashing Pentagon's head in and calling him an AAA whipped bitch and noselling Pagano because fuck Pagano, a hardcore match with MASADA, a violent brawl with Cibernetico and a cage match with Myzteziz(OG Sin Cara), LA Park is always in demand, and LA Park is always willing to oblige for the right price. He is the old bully of Mexico and is one of the few wrestlers that knows how to engage a crowd in something other than a lot of high, fast-paced spots.
5. #Broken Matt Hardy - Another wrestler I never thought would be in my top list. Matt Hardy is a genius. I never much cared for his 'I know what the internet is' gimmick in ROH. It just felt very out of wrestling and not good for building feuds around. But Broken Matt Hardy is a whole other ball game. Some of my hype for it went down when he turned face because he worked so much better as a heel but at the same time, they NEEDED to turn him face because he was getting over with fans outside of the people that just wander into TNA. But those first few months of the Final Deletion storyline were magnificent. Jeff defeating Matt and Matt being pushed around the Impact zone to berate all the fans and tell them 'You did this to me!' while getting a ton of heat. Matt was an insane rich man who lost his mind due to the success and failures of his idiotic brother. Yet, when Matt defeated Jeff, Jeff played his part. And I felt pity for Jeff. I felt bad for the face in a wrestling angle in 2016. The sunken expression on his face and Matt not even allowing him entrance music.
There was plenty of funny, exciting moments after that. But as a wrestling storyline, the first few months were both funny and incredible wrestling material.
6. Samoa Joe
7. The Miz
8. Twin Towers(Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato
9. Jeff Cobb
10. Masashi Takeda
Honorary #1
:'(
Data West's Top 10 of 2016 Power Rankings(because 5 wouldn't be enough)
1. AJ Styles - AJ is 'the man' in pro wrestling terms. I have no problem admitting he is the sole reason I gave WWE the time of day again. AJ is a renaissance man of wrestling the kind we haven't really seen since the 80s. He's found success everywhere he goes. Not through politicking or being set up as 'the guy' but merely by his talent. He's good on the mic and always getting better, and he's incredible in the ring. Incredible is the best way to describe it. AJ is so good at wrestling that he wins over pretty much any fan. Any time you're in an extended feud with AJ, AJ will convert more and more people to his side as the match goes on. He gives his opponent so much but his fans are so dazzled by just how professional he is. By how good he makes everything look. AJ has the ring awareness of an Arn Anderson with the technical prowess of a Jushin Liger and the high flying smoothness of Ultimo Dragon. He is an absolute pro. He's someone who had probably the biggest reputation going with him into WWE, had the most to prove and didn't get picked as anyone's pet project. AJ came in, kicked the doors open and blew Vince McMahon away by pure skill and workrate. He gave Roman his best feud, he gave Dean his best feud, arguably cena's best match, he made some indie shmuck look like a million dollars, and he single handedly steers the Smackdown brand. His popularity growth has been near instant. In less than a year he won the title and became one of WWE's biggest stars.
The failure of The Club on Raw might be some results of poor booking but to me, it says what a lot of us thought in NJPW. AJ doesn't need Bullet Club. Bullet Club needs AJ. Bullet Club needs some hot property to leech off of.
2. Bobby Lashley - It feels a bit weird to put a TNA star on here, but I've watched more TNA this year than I probably have since 2006. Matt Hardy and the Broken Storyline are what drew me back, and don't worry, Matt will show up here as well. But Bobby was what kept me coming. Matt was fantastic in his theatrics, in his wonderful character work but Bobby won me over just as a pure wrasslin figure with none of those theatrics. Bobby's been talented for a while, he's made great improvements as early as his first TNA championship reign but this was the storyline where it was all Bobby. He didn't need MVP speaking for him. He didn't need a posse to make him seem larger than life. Bobby conquered the world and looked great doing it.
Despite the booking of a superathlete, Bobby's selling and bumping for smaller guys looks great. It never looks phony like watching Corbin sell for Aries or Becky sell for Bliss. He bumps like he would taking a bump from a much smaller guy. Bobby is booked as the champion's champion. He has everything going for him and he's well aware of it. He seems undefeatable from the fans perspective until you get him in the ring and you believe that he can be beaten. That he can fall to his own hubris, that he has weaknesses. His prowess in MMA, can crusher or not, legitamizes Bobby which is something pro wrestling lacks as a whole these days. Bobby Lashley feels legit. Bobby Lashley comes off as legit. Bobby Lashley's championship reign is one of my favorite reigns in recent memory. Watch his matches but also watch his promos this year, he comes of as such a smarmy asshole. He's not a monster, he's an egomaniac, but he's built like a monster. Which is a scary combination.
3. Tetsuya Naito - Naito could be higher, but we know how I feel about his booking. It's great that he's able to get so over despite being so mistreated but there will be a time that the fans will eventually get tired of him not being treated like the star he is. You can only cheer a charismatic would-be for so long before you feel like its a lost cause. Trust me, I've been a Naito fan for about 7 years now. But in-ring, he's one of the best. He's the only person I'd put at AJ's level. His style of heavy relying on counterplay and mindgames is so different from the usual fast-paced and very scripted feel that a lot of NJPW feels like these days outside of when the old heads are in the ring. A lot of sequences that feel very fake. Naito's counters and stalling completely interrupt that flow and freshen things up. Naito is just cool. He's almost Razor cool. I do like him being the first triple crown champion even if it only felt like a 'gimme' so they could keep their IWGP plans.
4. LA Park - LA Park tends to have predictable matches. But that works for the crowd and it works for me. Park was part of some great 6 way matches this year but his presence on the indie scene is where he shined strongest, like usual. Park has had a banner year and, as far as I'm concerned, is still the best brawler in professional wrestling. Continuing the violent, hated feud with Rush which is still the biggest would-be feud in Mexico, Bashing Pentagon's head in and calling him an AAA whipped bitch and noselling Pagano because fuck Pagano, a hardcore match with MASADA, a violent brawl with Cibernetico and a cage match with Myzteziz(OG Sin Cara), LA Park is always in demand, and LA Park is always willing to oblige for the right price. He is the old bully of Mexico and is one of the few wrestlers that knows how to engage a crowd in something other than a lot of high, fast-paced spots.
5. #Broken Matt Hardy - Another wrestler I never thought would be in my top list. Matt Hardy is a genius. I never much cared for his 'I know what the internet is' gimmick in ROH. It just felt very out of wrestling and not good for building feuds around. But Broken Matt Hardy is a whole other ball game. Some of my hype for it went down when he turned face because he worked so much better as a heel but at the same time, they NEEDED to turn him face because he was getting over with fans outside of the people that just wander into TNA. But those first few months of the Final Deletion storyline were magnificent. Jeff defeating Matt and Matt being pushed around the Impact zone to berate all the fans and tell them 'You did this to me!' while getting a ton of heat. Matt was an insane rich man who lost his mind due to the success and failures of his idiotic brother. Yet, when Matt defeated Jeff, Jeff played his part. And I felt pity for Jeff. I felt bad for the face in a wrestling angle in 2016. The sunken expression on his face and Matt not even allowing him entrance music.
There was plenty of funny, exciting moments after that. But as a wrestling storyline, the first few months were both funny and incredible wrestling material.
6. Samoa Joe
7. The Miz
8. Twin Towers(Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato
9. Jeff Cobb
10. Masashi Takeda
Honorary #1
:'(
She didn't scream that much tbf, Miz was far worse then her. He kept doing the same facial expression every few minutes, you know the cheesey surprised looking one.
crazy. i wonder if they'll try to raise the price on the network as a result.
they're not making new fans. I think 1.5 million is the ceiling for subs, peaking every year around rumble/mania time.
Bluekaveli
Member
Didn't you just give them money?
You know why they'll never die? Because if that factor. When they can't put asses in those big stadiums anymore then we can talk but they'll still be laughing to the back when your grandkids are having kids.
sf2fanatic
Member
Video production crew is totally slacking on uploading.
avengers23
Banned
Finish those write-ups, Dato.
I'm interested in reading more.
I'm interested in reading more.
Sweeney Tom
Banned
SD will be cancelled well before Raw is in jeopardy of being lost. I'm banking on that being the only significant thing that happens when the next TV deal is up: USA keeps Raw, refuses SD, SD cancelled. USA was that show's last hope, and they had to beg the station to take it. USA had high expectations for it when they did, and it has yet to even come near matching any of them.
Bluekaveli
Member
Number one show on usa, they're not going anywhere any time. When they drop to number 5,maybe.
And when tv is not the thing anymore, ta da, the hulu money will be good and they'll make their monster grow on the network.
Sibersk Esto
Banned
He looks like he could make the children cry brah.
Haha... I hate you.Brian Adams has had such a strong career transformation over the years
sf2fanatic
Member
Data, no Demolition Bryan?
SallyIsNow
Banned
Brian Adams has had such a strong career transformation over the years
Biggest-Geek-Ever
Member
Are you playing games with a minor again?
holy shit that is UNCANNY loooool
Where is Menome?
Menomaaay! Get in here!
Bryan Adams was Shark?!
Wow.
Sibersk Esto
Banned
John Tenta was a good talent.
Except it totally does. Everything was going according to The Gade's plan, but just as he initiated the coup de grace, an international object unexpectedly sailed into his field of view, completely disorienting the young blue-chipper and causing him to make a fatal mistake.
It makes no sense.
UberTag
Member
If you're opening up the possibility of interbrand action, I'm leaning more in this direction...
sf2fanatic
Member
If you're opening up the possibility of interbrand action, I'm leaning more in this direction...
Unscripted,
Wyatts
SHOOTMAS Day 8
NWA's Lou Thesz vs NWA/WWWF's Buddy Rodgers
This is one of the few of Lou Thesz's matches I was able to find online and it showcases the style and focus on realism old matches had. People came to see the fights and were drawn based on a 50/50 mix of fighter personality and the physical ability of the fighters.
Needless to say the impact both these men had on the sport of kings is immeasurable. Thesz in particular is the most influential person in the history of pro wrestling.
The style may not be as fast paced as what we are used to today but the periods of holds are spaced with intense action and the crowd reacts wondfully.
https://youtu.be/cqIHV0m29FU
Past Days
sf2fanatic
Member
Bluekaveli
Member
So angle will play a drug pusher in his next movie, so in other words him backstage in wwe
serenewarfare
Banned
According to Meltzer, the plan is for Mickie James to be on Smackdown.
Also, in this week's "crazy Vince" story:
Also, in this week's "crazy Vince" story:
Lana will wrestle on some NXT live events on Thursday and Friday:
https://mobile.twitter.com/LanaWWE/status/806693184294293504
https://mobile.twitter.com/LanaWWE/status/806693184294293504
Working for Vince has to be the most nerve-wrecking shit.
And good for Mickie, if true.
Did Mickie end up signing a contract with WWE?
sf2fanatic
Member
PHOENIXZERO
Member
I know, you couldn't tell them apart, you know with Brian Lee being several inches shorter.
Speaking of...
Brian Adams has had such a strong career transformation over the years
I can't tell if the inclusion of Brian Lee pics is a work or not... 🤔
UberTag
Member
All caucasian Brians are related.
Montage needs some Kendrick and Danielson pics for completion's sake.