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[British Monsoon]

Notes on ROH's cost-cutting, Aries, DCFC, Stevens & Necro are no longer going to be booked;

The latest cost cutting move is to book fewer people at the shows. Austin Aries, Necro Butcher, Erick Stevens and the Dark City Fight Club were all told this past week that they were not going to be used for a while. They were given the impression they would be brought back, although the impression we have is that Aries’ odds of being brought back aren’t good, which is more a locker room deal because he’s one of the companies most talented workers and talkers. Aries may have been let go earlier but former booker Adam Pearce always went to bat for keeping him. New booker Hunter Johnston (Delirious) wants then to be gone for a while and repackage them, and in particular, have Stevens out of the Embassy and have Butcher go back to being the old Necro Butcher of a few years ago. There may be others gone after their current programs are up. They are also using less expensive talent more like Mike Bennett, Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole. We’re told between that move and the cutting two of the five office employees, they are losing less money and won’t have to resort to as many sales to get quick cash into the company.

There is also going to be less fly-ins, with only the top talent flying in and the rest driving.

They are looking at getting some NOAH guys in which will cost them money as NOAH is also in rough shape.

They are looking at bringing Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas back after the great reaction they got on the iPPV. They were talked with about doing the Mississauga and the Final Battle show, to do a rematch with the Kings and a match with the Briscoes, but in each case one of the two already had a booking. Nothing is on the books for them, but they are hopeful of using them in 2011.

Tickets for the annual WrestleMania weekend shows on 4/1 and 4/2 have gotten off to solid advances, but that’s to be expected.

Sucks about Aries, he's always been a big favourite of mine - i'd love it if hardcore Necro Butcher made a re-appearance though. Also glad to hear they're looking into some NOAH guys as i've missed the Japanese fly-in talent this past year or so.

 

[jmdajr]

what net? we didnt have no internet back then

I did. I wasn't on neogaf though.

 

[Lunchbox]

I did. I wasn't on neogaf though.

howd you get internet in 98/99

we had the pay by the minute dial up, i would never get to use it let alone get time on it to get on forums

 

[jmdajr]

howd you get internet in 98/99

we had the pay by the minute dial up, i would never get to use it let alone get time on it to get on forums

COLLEGE

 

[JdFoX187]

what days are those? People have been unhappy since the days of the attitude era.
It's always "why can't so and so" be at the top?

I'm sure that's not what you meant by your post.

I'm just saying even back then net fans were sick of The Rock and Stone Cold. I remember clearly. Same story different day.

but that's another issue all together different right?

:lol I was taking a shot at Spindashing more than anything. Wresting smarks are never happy. Not even during the Attitude Era. We just look back with rose tinted glasses.

 

[jmdajr]

:lol I was taking a shot at Spindashing more than anything. Wresting smarks are never happy. Not even during the Attitude Era. We just look back with rose tinted glasses.

Yeah I know I know
Just needed an excuse to go off on a tangent I guess.

 

[spindashing]

SHAME ON YOU, MY SPINDASHERS LOVE THE GENESIS OF SPINDASHING.

Some WWE Notes:

Credit: F4WOnline.com

- The plan is for David Hart Smith to turn heel on Tyson Kidd and Natalya, breaking up The Hart Dynasty.

- MVP has been worried about his position with WWE, noting that he sees younger guys being pushed ahead of him while they’re not doing much with him.

- Michael Tarver was removed from The Nexus because of a groin injury that will keep him out of action.

- At one point, WWE was planning on inducting Mil Mascaras into the Hall of Fame this year and have his nephew, Alberto Del Rio, give the induction speech. No word yet if this is still the plan.

- According to Dave Meltzer, Alberto Del Rio was actually very close to quitting not long ago. He was saying he wasn’t making much money and wanted to return to Mexico. This is around the time they started bringing him on the road and planning the promos that aired on Smackdown.

- The feeling within WWE creative is that things need to change and be shaken up. It’s expected that something big will be happening soon and it may have been decided on already, but is being kept a secret and most of the creative team doesn’t even know what it will be. It’s being said that things will be different in January of next year. Since nobody knows what that means, nobody can tell if it’s going to be a good or bad thing.

- According to Dave Meltzer, Todd Grisham has been taking the brunt of Vince McMahon’s unhappiness with announcing lately. Michael Cole was put on the live SmackDown debut because Vince has been unhappy with Grisham. At one point, Vince cut a promo on Grisham backstage, saying how the show was important and Grisham wasn’t getting the job done.

- Goldust was given the feud with Ted DiBiase because they wanted him to have a program since his autobiography is coming out in December. The idea for the feud came up when someone in creative realized their fathers did a program with each other in WWF about 20 years ago.

- WWE has sent word to people in Mexico that they are looking to bring in more stars from that country. WWE wants the talents to have a good size and be able to speak English.

- While Paul Bearer turning on Undertaker at Hell in a Cell seemed like something of a no-brainer, F4WOnline.com’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that it was not part of the original plan.

Although Bearer’s turn was always a possibility, the original conception of the angle did not have the swerve taking place so rapidly, if at all. Nonetheless, when the idea was suggested in creative, WWE decided it would make for a fitting conclusion to the HIAC main-event.

Despite Bearer’s turn, there is still long-term interest in having Paul Bearer manage Undertaker for a final run. Of course, as speculation about Undertaker retiring has proven incorrect for over ten years, it is far from clear when that final run will be.

 

[dream]

From this week's Observer:

There is pretty much a consensus on the creative side that things need to change and be shaken up. The feeling is that something big is going to happen, it may have been decided, but is being kept secret and most of the creative team doesn’t even know. The only thing being said is things will be different come January, but since virtually nobody knows what that means, nobody can judge if it’s a good or a bad thing.

What exactly can they do within the framework of being PG to shake things up that would necessitate this much secrecy? End the brand split?

 

[RBH]

- The plan is for David Hart Smith to turn heel on Tyson Kidd and Natalya, breaking up The Hart Dynasty.

cornetteface.jpg

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

Meltzer with more BS again, he sounds like he is writing commercials for The Event, something will happen...starting soon....sometime in the future...nobody knows what it is...this will be starting now at this moment in the future...now...in January will be the new...Genesis of Creative.

 

[Dork Knight]

Meltzer with more BS again, he sounds like he is writing commercials for The Event, something will happen...starting soon....sometime in the future...nobody knows what it is...this will be starting now at this moment in the future...now...in January will be the new...Genesis of Creative.

While, yes, it may very well be bullshit, I suspect there's some truth that creative are planning to shake things up considerably. I mean, fuck, they have to -- buy rates are way, way down and ratings for Raw are dipping by the week (excluding this week, obviously).

I was thinking this morning about what point will the WWE have a creative intervention. My guess is when Smackdown gets ECW-level ratings and SyFy begins to question dropping it from the network.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

While, yes, it may very well be bullshit, I suspect there's some truth that creative are planning to shake things up considerably. I mean, fuck, they have to -- buy rates are way, way down and ratings for Raw are dipping by the week (excluding this week, obviously).

I was thinking this morning about what point will the WWE have a creative intervention. My guess is when Smackdown gets ECW-level ratings and SyFy begins to question dropping it from the network.

Oh I definitely expect them to shake things up, it's just that Meltzer states the obvious but attempts to put a veil of mystery on things to the point of him not saying anything at all. Kaval vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Christian at WM in the first ever triple threat falls count anywhere Iron Man match confirmed.

 

[Axis]

Some WWE Notes:

- Michael Tarver was removed from The Nexus because of a groin injury that will keep him out of action.

Why is it these days that when a guy gets injured, they pull him from TV instead of coming up with something to keep him relevant without having to wrestle?

They could have easily had Tarver do minor run-ins and mic work, seeing how him & Barrett are the only ones in the group who can cut a promo.

I really feel like it's getting to the bottom of the barrel in terms of their booking and ideas that they come up with. Between them and TNA booking week to week with no long term plans is really showing it's fault right now.

 

[jobber]

they'll just grab all of Smackdown's writers for help..I think they already started. Emotaker and Emocena.

 

[JdFoX187]

Reading their thoughts on Bearer's turn just illustrates perfectly what is wrong with the WWE right now. That whole thing was rushed. Honestly, who didn't see it coming? We all know the story behind it. But the kids were watching and were going WTF? This guy shows up for two weeks, and then completely turns on Undertaker all of a sudden. And apparently it was only a decision made at the last minute. Reminded me about the Summerslam card and how creative was still trying to figure out what they were going to do with the finish just hours before the show. What happened to booking months in advance?

 

[B-Rad Lascelle]

This guy shows up for two weeks, and then completely turns on Undertaker all of a sudden. And apparently it was only a decision made at the last minute. Reminded me about the Summerslam card and how creative was still trying to figure out what they were going to do with the finish just hours before the show. What happened to booking months in advance?

Booking months in advance would require "creativity". :lol

 

[Lebron]

Credit: F4WOnline.com
- MVP has been worried about his position with WWE, noting that he sees younger guys being pushed ahead of him while they’re not doing much with him.

It's because you suck, MVP.

- WWE has sent word to people in Mexico that they are looking to bring in more stars from that country. WWE wants the talents to have a good size and be able to speak English.

More jobbers for Mysterio and eventually enough to form some type of Cartel/Fuck You Arizona stabe. As long as Mistico stays where he is, all will be well.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Reading their thoughts on Bearer's turn just illustrates perfectly what is wrong with the WWE right now. That whole thing was rushed.

"Right now"? That describes WWE for decades.

 

[Lunchbox]

we got a tag team that is slowly getting some credibility, what to do, what to do?

i know!!! Lets break em up and make future jobbers out of them!!! hart dynasty meet cryme time

 

[Lebron]

WWE doesn't have a tag division, so who cares.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

we got a tag team that is slowly getting some credibility, what to do, what to do?

i know!!! Lets break em up and make future jobbers out of them!!! hart dynasty meet cryme time

So, the same sarcastic bullshit we were saying 5 years ago.

GAF wrestling threads must be progressing in an infinite loop.

 

[spindashing]

I don't know what you guys are talking about.

The Dudebusters are a very important tag team in WWE.

So, the same sarcastic bullshit we were saying 5 years ago.

GAF wrestling threads must be progressing in an infinite loop.

stop raging, god damn it. I have not seen you say one nice thing about anything around here. there must be something in those pies, I swear.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

The thing is, no one cares about the Hart Dynasty. Any faux-outrage at the tag team division getting massacred again is just ideological. Whatever they stay together or break up, no one cares about them or the tag division.

 

[JdFoX187]

I don't know what you guys are talking about.

The Dudebusters are a very important tag team in WWE.



stop raging, god damn it. I have not seen you say one nice thing about anything around here. there must be something in those pies, I swear.

He's like that all the time. Him raging about WrassleGAF is like you fapping to AJ. One cannot be without the other. Yin and Yang and all that shit.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

They just form tag teams so they can break up and have a feud, then disappear and have matches on Xplosion. I just hope DH adopts the strong nerd(dweeb) gimmick he seemed to have going on during commentary a few weeks back.

 

[spindashing]

They just form tag teams so they can break up and have a feud, then disappear and have matches on Xplosion. I just hope DH adopts the strong nerd(dweeb) gimmick he seemed to have going on during commentary a few weeks back.

you mean alex riley?

nah, I know what you're talking about. He seemed okay on commentary. I wonder if it will transition well on an actual mic in the ring.

He's like that all the time. Him raging about WrassleGAF is like you fapping to AJ. One cannot be without the other. Yin and Yang and all that shit.

to be compared to a cynical pie baker on a wrestling thread in a gaming forum is my lifelong dream. you don't know how ecstatic I am right now

...

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

So, the same sarcastic bullshit we were saying 5 years ago.

GAF wrestling threads must be progressing in an infinite loop.

As is you're posting of the looping, a loop within a loop.

Though you're right, occasionally a good team will win the titles and hold up the division and get some decent heat (MnM, Londrick, Jeri-whatever are the only ones that really stand out in the past 5 years) but there's never an actual division built around it.

I also can't see why anybody would care about the Dynasty; they're terrible on the mic, Davy is fucking boring and although Tyson's decent in the ring there's no place for him in the company.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

you mean alex riley?

nah, I know what you're talking about. He seemed okay on commentary. I wonder if it will transition well on an actual mic in the ring.



to be compared to a cynical pie baker on a wrestling thread in a gaming forum is my lifelong dream. you don't know how ecstatic I am right now

...

DH Smith was acting like a goofball during his commentary, like imitating The Chosen One and the weird looks and facial expressions he had. This needs to be his personality, there was a thread last year about how a guy hates strong nerds. DH will flourish with this gimmick. Kidd needs to adopt a Mexican boxer gimmick to fit in with his haircut.

 

[British Monsoon]

Sekimoto & Sasaki vs Okabayashi & Shinobu - (BJW 02/13/10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDWVYmfSmAs - 1/2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USZnevhTt0Y - 2/2

Daisuke Sekimoto & Yoshihito Sasaki take on the team of Yuji Okabayashi & Shinobu in this fierce tag team contest from BJW's 02/13/10 show.

Really hard-hitting match, the finish is brutal.

Necro Butcher & Miyamoto vs Ishikawa & Hoshino - (BJW 06/27/10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp2b_9_0ZF0 - 1/2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWB_Zr0fZSA - 2/2

The Necro Butcher & Yuko Miyamoto take on Shuji Ishikawa & Kankuro Hoshino in this crazy tag bout from BJW's 06/27/10 show.

This one's just a crazy brawl - the Japanese fans love Necro, and he puts on a good show here. Miyamoto hits a crazy moonsault from the top of a stairwell and, as expected, Necro does something dumb and throws himself from a balcony.

 

[British Monsoon]

Just discovered this wrestling company called German Stampede Wrestling - they were founded back in 2001, but closed down for a few years. Now they've relaunched and are airing their shows for FREE via the internet!

Haven't had a chance to watch them yet, but there's a lot of great wrestlers on the shows like Steve Corino, Bad Bones, Zack Sabre Jr, Big Van Walter, Matt Cross, Kevin Thorne, Martin Stone, Cheerleader Melissa & Steve Douglass, and the reception among the internet wrestling community has been pretty positive so far.

Here's their site; http://www.gsw-wrestling.de/

And here's where you can watch the shows; http://www.myvideo.de/channel/gsw-courage

There's only two up so far, and they just aired this past week - both are well over an hour long each.

 

[NameGenerated]

DH Smith was acting like a goofball during his commentary, like imitating The Chosen One and the weird looks and facial expressions he had. This needs to be his personality, there was a thread last year about how a guy hates strong nerds. DH will flourish with this gimmick. Kidd needs to adopt a Mexican boxer gimmick to fit in with his haircut.

A Docpan gimmick would be hilarious. Alex Riley was almost like that I guess.

 

[Jin34]

Holy shit just saw the Danielson/Sheamus match. WHAT THE FUCK?

 

[theultimo]

Holy shit just saw the Danielson/Sheamus match. WHAT THE FUCK?

Its sad he had to job so bad to him for nothing honestly. It even makes the us championship look bad.

 

[Plinko]

From this week's Observer:



What exactly can they do within the framework of being PG to shake things up that would necessitate this much secrecy? End the brand split?

This is exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Remember when Stone Cold hit the Stunner on Stacy Keibler in 2003 a few months after he got arrested for knocking Debra around? And all the outrage from it? :lol

 

[BoboBrazil]

So tomorrow is the beginning of the big nights for TNA. The big change is supposed to start tomorrow night. Here is what Eric Bischoff had to say:

"What he hopes the fans take away from Thursday night’s “Before The Glory” live edition of iMPACT & TNA’s plans for the rest of 2010 post-Bound For Glory: “What can the fans expect from Thursday? Look at this Thursday’s show as wrestling foreplay if you will. The real event is going to happen on the 10th, but Thursday should be some great foreplay for a wrestling fan. The next three months is really to set the stage, and after Bound for Glory there is going to be seismic shift from a storyline point of view & a presentation point of view. I think people are going to see things they didn’t expect to see. We’ve worked hard to build a story that’s going to be just as exciting after Bound for Glory as it was leading up to it, and what we do for the rest of the year is really set up for what we want to do in TNA in 2011 and build towards that.”"

 

[SoulPlaya]

This is exactly what I was thinking.

You know, at one point I would have said that that was a dramatic, but necessary, move. Now, however, I doubt that would do much, either. With all the cross-promotional stuff they've done recently, and the fact that champions now appear on both shows, it's like they've already ended the brand split in many ways.

 

[Axis]

I think ending the split should be the last thing they do at this point. I could get behind the idea of there being one champ to represent the entire company and go between both shows. Anything aside from that might further cause guys to get lost in the shuffle, because it would end up like the "old days" where only the guys they're pushing are on both shows & we get the same shot every week.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

Just watch last week's Smackdown if you think ending the brand split is a good idea.

 

[MetatronM]

At one point, Vince cut a promo on Grisham backstage, saying how the show was important and Grisham wasn’t getting the job done.

...Cut a promo? To who?

Hang on a sec, I'm gonna go cut a promo on my roommate about how the dishes are important and he's not getting the job of cleaning them done.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Matches for Impact

- TNA’s flagship program “TNA iMPACT!” will feature a $100,000 Battle Royal Gauntlet main event, set by TNA President Dixie Carter, featuring every TNA Superstar competing at “Bound For Glory 2010”. Over 20 of the top TNA Superstars including Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Mr. Anderson, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Hardcore Legend Mick Foley, “The Icon” Sting, and many more. The winner of the battle royal gauntlet will net a $100,000 purse.

- It's a battle two decades in the making as the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair faces The Hardcore Legend Mick Foley in a Last Man Standing match!

- Plus, the TNA Knockouts are in action: Knockouts Champion Angelina Love teams with Velvet Sky to take on Madison Rayne and Tara, with the winner getting the rights to "The Beautiful People" trademark!

- The Shore will make their TNA Wrestling debut on the broadcast...and much more!


Battle Royal and Foley vs Flair should be good. Shore is TBD, but sounds stupid. Don't care about women wrestling.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Also good news is that Hogan won't be there. He just had another back surgery today.

 

[RBH]

I saw a youtube video of The Shore from a recent TNA house show.

Their entrance theme is fantastic. :lol

 

[Axis]

...Cut a promo? To who?

Hang on a sec, I'm gonna go cut a promo on my roommate about how the dishes are important and he's not getting the job of cleaning them done.

He probably cut it on Grisham himself as the show was going on. Vince sits in the back on a headset during the shows feeding them lines and screaming in their ears when something goes wrong.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I think Aries tries to go to the WWE or even TNA.

If ROH goes under, it may actually benefit the industry dispite what some people might think. The backstage talent might go elsewhere and do well and the best wrestling talent in the league will definitely move on to good stuff in the WWE and TNA.

 

[Axis]

Last time Aries went to TNA, he got out of there as fast as he could, then went back to ROH.

 

[BoboBrazil]

I saw a youtube video of The Shore from a recent TNA house show.

Their entrance theme is fantastic. :lol

Is this the one you are talking about? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6gs2k-T1Go

Lol at the people in the crowd fist pumping. Might be good.

 

[bwahhhhh]

...Cut a promo? To who?

Hang on a sec, I'm gonna go cut a promo on my roommate about how the dishes are important and he's not getting the job of cleaning them done.

get a big bodyguard to beat the hell out of your roommate, have him hold your roommate up, pull down your pants, then tell your roommate he's about to join the KISS MY ASS CLUB

 

[Reneledarker]

Oh shit, I love NJPW's official youtube channel, they just uploaded this;

Prince Devitt (c) vs Kenny Omega - (NJPW 09/03/10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EecbgSHaIes

Prince Devitt defends the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega in an AWESOME match!

Thanks for the match, it was great. It was nice to see Kenny so happy, in WWE he looked sad, he was Triple HHH personal jobber after all, same case whit Shelton, he looked so happy on ROH, just having fun, working a lengthy match, and not the shit squash matches we see on TNA/WWE.

 

[Striker]

Just watch last week's Smackdown if you think ending the brand split is a good idea.

A decent solution to this: proper booking, creative writing

Stop jamming dog shit down our throats like emo Cena/Nexus, 30 min dialogue between Kane and Undertaker, useless segments with guest hosts/joke characters/Divas, and build the tag division. Stepping stones is all you'll need.

Smackdown right now has the talent for a superb show. RAW is strictly boring and predictable as fuck.