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[FlammableD]

should be fun, fight club pro is popping up on my radar more and more lately

 

[Fantomex]

When did he fight Vanilla Ice?

That's Brother Nero when he was 20 I think.

 

[British Monsoon]

should be fun, fight club pro is popping up on my radar more and more lately

Getting on the VOD bandwagon has helped a lot, plus the shows are great value at just £4 and they've improved on production a fair bit (although the camera work and editing often leaves a lot to be desired).

 

[Data West]

Does anyone in wrestling have a better punch than the Lawler King?

 

[cordy]

To the Ambrose punch thing, he can throw a good punch but it's never in a match. Watch the Miz Tv segments where he hits Miz, that's a legit punch.

The act of throwing a great punch mid-match though? That's underrated. More guys need to study this. With that said, I don't want guys throwing them all throughout the match. In theory if a guy can throw a perfect punch all the way through the match that should knock the opponent out pretty early.

 

[Sephzilla]

I'm glad I'm not excited about COD4 Remastered because it looks like they messed with perfection a little too much. Not very excited.

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

This page is nothing but trash.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

The last thing you need is something serious, pal. Learn more about yourself through dating more people! Truss me. That's the truth. You learn so much about yourself and who you are and what you want by dating others.

 

[Bronx-Man]

This page is nothing but trash.

Let's class it up then.

 

[Sephzilla]

The last thing you need is something serious, pal. Learn more about yourself through dating more people! Truss me. That's the truth. You learn so much about yourself and who you are and what you want by dating others.

Spoiler

I thought your previous comment was supposed to be a tongue in cheek stab at me

You're actually quite right. Since my big relationship blew up last fall I've dated a few people and it's been a very interesting experience. Horizons have been broadened a bit and I definitely have felt like I've been getting a better estimation of what I actually want.

 

[Data West]

and the GOAT

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

Let's class it up then.

Spoiler

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Spoiler

I thought your previous comment was supposed to be a tongue in cheek stab at me

You're actually quite right. Since my big relationship blew up last fall I've dated a few people and it's been a very interesting experience. Horizons have been broadened a bit and I definitely have felt like I've been getting a better estimation of what I actually want.

"actually" quite right

Cmon you can trust me. I have the best opinions, because they're right.

 

[slightconfuse]

Is Rev pro booking the entire njpw roster?

 

[MG310]

At some point during this feud Nikki needs to forearm Carmella and cause a bunch of shitty jewelry to fly everywhere.

 

[FlammableD]

Is Rev pro booking the entire njpw roster?

they have at one point, but their next show is njpw global wars branded

 

[Deleted member 47027]

At some point during this feud Nikki needs to forearm Carmella and cause a bunch of shitty jewelry to fly everywhere.

Nikki's gonna give her a hell of a receipt from what she did on SD. Carmella was unnecessarily stiff with their little moment after the match.

 

[Marvel]

Let's class it up then.

There's a price to pay.

 

[Sephzilla]

"actually" quite right

Cmon you can trust me. I have the best opinions, because they're right.

But yeah. I don't want a relationship right now. Especially if I want to piss away a whole weekend with Witcher 3

There's a price to pay.

....I'm really glad I tuned out of WWE for this era

 

[UrbanDandy]

So much work/shoot punching. I love it.

 

[blackaroni]

At some point during this feud Nikki needs to forearm Carmella and cause a bunch of shitty jewelry to fly everywhere.

Like the Naomi punching Sasha gif lol.

 

[wild wild rice]

fucking giftember

Edit: whew, we're safe for now

 

[cordy]

Like the Naomi punching Sasha gif lol.

Naomi is straight gutta. No dudes do beatdowns like that, damn.

 

[Sephzilla]

fucking giftember

Edit: whew, we're safe for now

About as safe as an opponent in a Seth Rollins match

 

[FallingEdge]

Hi WrassleGAF, being reading for a while, but only recently got an account, so first-time poster.

Don't actually watch most wrasslin' live bar the WWE PPVs, but thanks to you guys (and watching highlights on YouTube and the like) I mostly stay up to date.

Not sure whether I'll be a regular or more of a lurker so I'll make sure to give my fave five now, just in case.

Current:
AJ Styles
Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn
Samoe Joe
Cesaro

That was actually more difficult than I was expecting. Lot of potential in WWE at the moment. Also, always rooting for my fellow Scots, so interested to see how Noam Dar and Nikki Storm do.

All-time:
The Hardy Boyz (I used to be much more of just a Jeff mark, but Matt's stuff recently has been delightful)
The Undertaker
Stone Cold Steve Austin
CM Punk (how I got drawn back in after an extended absence)
Mick Foley

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

That new Hillary Clinton thread in Off Topic makes me wonder if WrassleGAF still has an insular private chat.

 

[klonere]

Haskins vs Tarik @ Smash Wrestling was a solid little match. It's up on demandprogress if you are a sub, they are building up to the big three nights of Smash vs PROGESS this month.

 

[esmith08734]

I am surprised we all get along here lol. Most OT's are toxic.

 

[wild wild rice]

I am surprised we all get along here lol. Most OT's are toxic.

Very true.

 

[UrbanDandy]

I don't understand how WWE shareholders can be so dumb. From Goliath:

So in 2009, out of nowhere, Vince McMahon came out on Raw and announced that he had sold it to Donald Trump. Not WWE, just Raw (this was during the brand split era, so it kind of…no, it still doesn’t make sense). Which, okay, it’s an intriguing idea to have somebody new as the ultimate authority, even though nobody who had watched wrestling before at any point in their life believed that Donald Trump had actually purchased Raw. Except, apparently, for WWE shareholders, who apparently saw a press release from the USA Network about Trump being in charge and panicked, leading to WWE’s stock value plummeting 7% in a single day. To make matter worse, during the next Raw, which was presented “commercial free” (though heavily sponsored by KFC Grilled Chicken, which, like this entire angle, was a horrible business idea), Trump announced that everyone in attendance would have their ticket money refunded at the end of the show, costing WWE roughly another $250,000. At that point, WWE had already decided to cancel the angle entirely, and Vince bought back Raw at the end of the show for twice what Trump had allegedly paid. Shockingly, that did not cause the stock to drop even further.

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

I am surprised we all get along here lol. Most OT's are toxic.

The secret is we're all brought to together by the carniest industry in human history. Who has time to insult another poster when we have gems like this to mock:

I don't understand how WWE shareholders can be so dumb. From Goliath:

 

[Bluekaveli]

There's a price to pay.

Why'd they get rid of him in creative?

Like the Naomi punching Sasha gif lol.

Like a fight in an atl club. Timberland heels. Is it 2007?

 

[Data West]

matt hardy biting people makes me so happy

i miss heels biting people. it's such a great little thing.

 

[Marvel]

I like each and every one of you.

Spoiler

Except DC loving Bronson

 

[Sephzilla]

I am surprised we all get along here lol. Most OT's are toxic.

It helps that one of the more toxic members was banned and a few of the other ones don't really post here much anymore. I like to believe we're one of the better communities.

 

[UrbanDandy]

Also from the same article:

And then they (WWE) got increasingly mean, encouraging fans to try and stop Turner Broadcasting’s (completely legal) merger with Time-Warner by writing to the Federal Trade Commission

This is in regards to the Monday Night Wars, where WWE had Billionaire Ted's Wrasslin Warroom.

 

[Hasney]

I love you all. You just happened to catch me updating my list of favourite Wrestlegaf posters.

Spoiler

Spoiler

<3

 

[Bluekaveli]

I like each and every one of you.

Spoiler

Except DC loving Bronson

You don't like the dc, you no like me either!

 

[Bronx-Man]

Like the Naomi punching Sasha gif lol.

Got on timbs and everything, she ain't messin around

 

[Data West]

maybe its the hair b ut something about whenever I see the Usos makes me think, 'X-Pac'

 

[Sephzilla]

maybe its the hair b ut something about whenever I see the Usos makes me think, 'X-Pac'

Maybe it's because, like X-Pac,

Spoiler

they suck

 

[cordy]

maybe its the hair b ut something about whenever I see the Usos makes me think, 'X-Pac'

X-Pac tried to be cool longer than the time allowed. The same with the Usos. Watching them on Talking Smack was like a 180 from how they're portrayed on tv.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

It helps that one of the more toxic members was banned and a few of the other ones don't really post here much anymore. I like to believe we're one of the better communities.

I'm not gone yet, ya jerk

 

[Sephzilla]

Ya'll work me into some shoots once and a while but I generally <3 you guys

Spoiler

But don't think I won't roll any of you up if it gets my heat back

 

[Deleted member 47027]

That new Hillary Clinton thread in Off Topic makes me wonder if WrassleGAF still has an insular private chat.

We have three, but they're unbranded.

This thread will always be the only official, legitimate WrassleGAF thing.

come to legitshook.com to read long-form articles. Like one I'll post in a minute here.

 

[esmith08734]

Ya'll work me into some shoots once and a while but I generally <3 you guys

Spoiler

But don't think I won't roll any of you up if it gets my heat back

Feet on the ropes and everything?

 

[slightconfuse]

Pinstripes mil was a treasure

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Wrestling As Propaganda - an investigation into why and how wrestling tends to use hate of "others" to make money.

http://www.legitshook.com/blog/2016/9/1/pro-wrestling-as-propaganda

A few choice quotes, there are many videos on this to see the depths of which wrestling in general has sunk in the past and not-so-recent past.

After the horrors of the World Wars and The Great Depression, pro wrestling's popularity had plummeted. The widespread adoption of television brought wrestling a new audience, and American wrestling would see an influx of evil foreign wrestlers, usually Germans and Japanese still fighting for the Axis Powers. Among the most famous of the evil Germans were the Von Erich brothers, Waldo and Fritz. The implication being that they were both former Nazis, the two would terrorize various promotions in the 1950s and 1960s, using such moves as the Iron Claw and Blitzkrieg Dive. They were followed by Baron Von Raschke, who also used the Iron Claw, and goosestepped his way around WWF, NWA, and AWA rings in the 1970s and 1980s. Japanese characters like Mr. Fuji and Professor Tanaka would wreak havoc in the WWF, portraying the Japanese as a sneaky and untrustworthy lot, frequently throwing salt in the eyes of their opponents, characterizations that would last for decades in the WWF. In Memphis Tojo Yamamoto became the most hated man in the territory, apologizing for Pearl Harbor before wishing Japan had bombed the city he was performing in. In the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese wrestlers in America often took on more mystical characters, with wrestlers such as the Great Muta and Hakushi using kabuki style theatrics with their characters instead of the post-WWII yellow peril style characters.

This general hatred for and distrust of former war opponents was an easy way to get instant heat for a talent. The cut and dry nature of good vs. bad in this scenario made for great box offices for years, especially in the immediate aftermath of WWII when the wounds were still fresh.

As the Cold War grew warmer, evil Russians began filling the role of the Germans in pro wrestling. While there had been evil Russian gimmicks dating back to the 1950s, only a handful were successful before the 1980s. The biggest star of the first evil Russian wave was Ivan Koloff, the man who broke Bruno Sammartino&#8217;s legendary 7 ½ year WWWF Championship reign in 1971. 13 years later, Ivan would bring in his nephew Nikita to JCP. Nikita Koloff was a new breed of Russian wrestler, a man to match the steroid era of Soviet athletes. His incredible size and ferocity matched the worries over the arms race and Mutually Assured Destruction. And indeed it seemed like Nikita and Magnum TA may destroy each other and the NWA itself in their feud over the US Championship. Nikita was billed as the Russian Nightmare (in direct contrast to The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes), and along with his uncle and turncoat Krusher Kruschev, the Russians would be a dominant force in the NWA, feuding with both faces and heels in an effort to show Soviet superiority. The thaw in relations between the USA and USSR was reflected in Nikita Koloff&#8217;s change of heart in late 1986, which saw him begin teaming with Dusty Rhodes as The Superpowers, while other Russian gimmicks became mid card fodder for the rest of the decade. At the peak of the Cold War, nearly ever wrestling territory had their own evil Russian character or group. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the evil Russian gimmick had run its course, which saw most drop the gimmick or turn face. The concept was revived in 2008 with Vladimir Kozlov, after 8 years of strained US-Russian relations during the Bush administration. While the gimmick flopped and he was soon made a comedy character, the concept was again used in 2014 for Rusev, who switched his allegiance from his homeland of Bulgaria to Russia due to his manager and future wife, Lana. Together, the two would openly praise and pledge loyalty to Vladimir Putin, while waving Russian flags in American arenas.

In Japan, the entire pro wrestling industry was built around pushing the theme of Japanese superiority. In 1940, Rikidozan would make his sumo wrestling debut. Being Korean born, he suffered much racism from the Japanese sumo community. This, along with money issues, would lead to him leaving the sport. He picked up pro wrestling in 1951, and saw an opportunity to give the still reeling Japanese a strong hero to look up to. He quickly began promoting wrestling in Japan, forming the Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance in 1953, the first of its kind in the country. As the top star, Rikidozan would primarily face off against American stars, which he would routinely defeat with his vaunted karate chop. His matches with Lou Thesz and The Destroyer are still among the top watched television programs in the history of Japan nearly 60 years later. While many of the Americans were faces in their home country, in Japan they would be braggarts and cheaters who would show themselves to be cowards when push came to shove. Rikidozan would pass the tradition and concept on to two of his trainees, Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki, who would continue to use that booking style for their own promotions (All Japan and New Japan) in the 1970s. Due to this, Japan became known as a great area for American stars to learn how to work, and subsequently, American wrestlers in Japan became a key part of most promotions. Years after Rikidozan, many American wrestlers would become some of the biggest and most respected stars in the history of Japanese wrestling.

There are other examples, such as wrestlers from the Polynesian Islands almost invariably being portrayed as uncontrollable savages even as faces, or promotions like Stampede Wrestling having a Pakistani based heel group due to the large Indian population in Calgary. It's a common theme in all parts of the world, serving to connect the audience to the "local" heroes, while also being a mirror to political relationships of the time.

There is MUCH more to this than just xenophobia - the author breaks down four specific ways people are "othered" and how wrestling makes its money off of it. I highly recommend giving it a read.

In particular, the "Effeminate Heels = Bad" heading.

Pro wrestling has pushed the theme of anything homosexual being automatically bad for decades. As television propelled wrestling to new heights in the 1950s, performers such as Gorgeous George became major attractions. George would quickly become that most hated heel in the United States with his flamboyant and effeminate style, which included flowing robes, bleached and curled hair, and spraying of perfume wherever he went. During his time as a top star, the United States had laws about &#8220;sexual perversion&#8221;, which would allow the government to fire federal employees if they were found or suspected to be homosexuals. This was the first of many gimmicks that pushed a narrative of effeminate men being weak and deceptive, or more simply, &#8220; gay = bad&#8221;. The opulent nature of George shares themes with rich heel narratives, also seen in Flair and Bockwinkel. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, wrestlers such as Adrian Adonis and Adrian Street would wear make up and prance in the ring to garner heat, with fans often chanting "faggot" and other slurs at them. This continued into the 1990s with characters such as Goldust, who intentionally provoked the reactions of fans and wrestlers alike as a form of psychological warfare. WCW would present Lenny and Lodi as the West Hollywood Blondes, which saw them enter arenas with glitter and suckers while giving each other massages. WWE would do a similar gimmick a few years later with Billy and Chuck, who initially started out as the typical ambiguously gay wrestlers, but eventually would become fan favorites after openly declaring their love for each other and planning a wedding. After the wedding went awry in typical wrestling fashion, they revealed that they actually were not gay after all, having done it all as a publicity stunt.

While WWE has not revisited a gay character since, homophobic insults have been a common staple on WWE programming even up to 2016. Although America's attitudes on homosexuality has progressed greatly since the Gorgeous George days, pro wrestling hasn't fully caught up at a writing level. WWE wrestler Darren Young became the first openly gay WWE star in 2013, and ROH introduced Dalton Castle, an extremely flamboyant and glam rock styled man wearing peacock robes who uses "his boys" as human furniture. In an inversion of 60 years of this type of character, Castle has been portrayed as a face. Heels acting "gay" has been a simple shortcut to cheap heat since day one.

Also, cism.

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

For Lapsed Fan brethren: Royal Rumble 1998 Pt. 1 is up

Wrestling As Propaganda - an investigation into why and how wrestling tends to use hate of "others" to make money.

http://www.legitshook.com/blog/2016/9/1/pro-wrestling-as-propaganda

A few choice quotes, there are many videos on this to see the depths of which wrestling in general has sunk in the past and not-so-recent past.







There is MUCH more to this than just xenophobia - the author breaks down four specific ways people are "othered" and how wrestling makes its money off of it. I highly recommend giving it a read.

Hmm, this looks interesting. Got it bookmarked for later.

 

[Zach]

Who is this mysterious "author"??