Support NeoGAF

[bjork]

I don't know the storylines because I missed every show this week, but I saw this and figured what better way to kick off a wrestling thread than by having Cena overcome the odds:

"The #1 wrestler for this year's PWI 500 has been revealed. The top spot came down to Samoa Joe and John Cena. The winner of the 2006 PWI 500 is John Cena. This is the first time in which he has been ranked number one in the annual special edition magazine."

Discuss

 

[VictimOfGrief]

John Cena is "The Marine" AKA the Wrestler that can overcome the odds AKA The man who talked to little AKA Wrestlings last line of defense. SEMPER FI!

Regardless, last weeks Raw (for me anyways) kinda sucked, and I had NO CLUE it was on Sci-Fi. Reading the sports reports around the league stated that vince was pissed that it had to move so we'll see if their rating hold up this week.

 

[Keyser Soze]

What CENA? Who votes for this shit?

PRO TIP: WATCH NOAH!!!!!!

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

PWI has always considered storyline accomplishments as part of their grading. I'm sure the article will make note of how awful Cena is but that that cancels out because he's the WWE's biggest star and wins all the ****ing time.

 

[Nameless]

Tickets go on sale this Saturday for Raw/ECW in Columbia. I'm going but, I've gotten the shaft going to both Nitro and Raw in the past. On Nitro, I was amped up to see Sting, Nash, Luger etc...Sting's match occured entirely backstage, Nash and Co. didn't even come out, as they were riding around lookign for Hall at bars.

With Raw, I went to see HBK, and all he did was cut a back-stage promo on the Titan tron..


With my luck CM Punk won't work the show, and DX will be doing some stupid shit that doesn't require them to be there.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Someone asked in the other thread for some puroresu links. I just saw Akiyama vs Shibata today, and it has maybe the most intense start to a match I've ever seen. Shibata kicks Akiyama in the face a few times and busts him open in the first 15 seconds, and Akiyama gets pissed and absolutely wrecks Shibata by throwing him into the crowd and launching chairs at him at machine-gun speed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hP5BHtfqes

The intensity doesn't stop for the whole 20 minutes. Shibata gets so into it that the ref physically tries to come between them only to get thrown aside, and Akiyama does a piledriver on the concrete followed by rapid chair shots. Plenty of great submissions with brutal guillotine chokes and crossfaces. It finishes off with an awesome sequence of real Exploder suplexes, not the pussy shit Shelton Benjamin's doing.

This is how wrestling brawls should be in America, rather than the usual punch-punch-punch garbage WWE likes to pass off as intense.

 

[Kintaro]

I'm going to repost my NOAH match links since they're lost in the previous thread.

Any good clips or names to look for?

Kenta Kobashi, KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji, Jun Akiyama, Akira Taue, Misawa Mitsuharu.

Through those names, you'll find alot of fun singles, tag, and even 6 man tag matches in NOAH. I also like a lot of undercard NOAH guys as well. Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki from the July 05 Dome Show is wicked if you want to see two huge guys beat the shit out of each other for the enjoyment of all. KENTA vs. Marufuji matches are awesome stuff all around, plus their old tag matches rock the house. Taue is the best "giant" on the planet, barnone. No one has topped his work, or will ever top his work for a long time to come. Truly the most underrated big man in wrestling.

Edit: I'll start you off before I head off to work:

Takeshi Rikio and Takeshi Morishima vs. KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJfBDU2Rq9A

Yuji Nagata vs. Akira Taue --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIJY8IoU82Q

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Nobuhiko Takada (Part 1 of 3, click the links to the rest after each one plays) --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcnCf4VCkYc <--- this isn't NOAH, but this is from 1996 NJPW. When Hashimoto RULED the wrestling world. No one main evented in the 90s and put more asses in the seats worldwide than Hash. This match is NUCLEAR.

Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5mkV6dmjp4 <--- NOAH's advance on the Tokyo Dome in 2005. Stiff as hell match up. Just awesome to see.

Naomichi Marufuji vs. Akira Taue --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWy3xO5aDrQ <--- Another fun, great Taue match up.

Kenta Kobashi vs. Dr. Death Steve Williams (1993) --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AsjhRd9JHU <--- MUST SEE. Old AJPW. Sick match. Showed how AWESOME Williams was.

KENTA vs. Naomichi Marufuji --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7KXrfjfyNA

Have fun.

 

[Barrage]

Allow me to channel my inner Liu Kang for a moment and complain about the staleness of wrestling right now.

I was watching an old Raw and Nitro from 96 on WWE On Demand, and it's just so sad how shows from eight years feel more fresh and unpredictable then any TNA or WWE show today. The biggest difference is that it is clear guys were able to write their own lines back then. While it does have some drawbacks(promos weren't delivered as crisply sometimes, there was some repetition) having guys being able to speak their minds added to those shows so much. Hearing Kevin Nash say "My brother-in-law told me there are two important things in life. Alabama football and NASCAR RACING" randomly, or hearing Scott Hall ask The Giant "But seriously....is Andre your dad?" just made those shows a lot of fun.

An impressive thing from Raw in 96 was the fact that they were able to get two guys with limited capabilities over in the same match(Marc Mero and Faarooq). I can't remember the last time i've seen that done well....Finlay and Lashley did it to a certain extent.

P.S.- To all the Old-school ECW lovers who marked out to Joey Styles "I Quit" promo a few months ago, just know that J.R. had him beat by about eight years, in a promo that was ten times better.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5mkV6dmjp4 <--- NOAH's advance on the Tokyo Dome in 2005. Stiff as hell match up. Just awesome to see.

I saw this recently, it's awesome. They do about 200 back-to-back chops for what feels like 10 minutes in the middle of the match. Really, really intense, and to me it felt like a Hogan-style match done right. (I don't know if that's something horrible to say to puro fans.)

 

[Kintaro]

I saw this recently, it's awesome. They do about 200 back-to-back chops for what feels like 10 minutes in the middle of the match. Really, really intense, and to me it felt like a Hogan-style match done right. (I don't know if that's something horrible to say to puro fans.)

I get what you're saying. I can feel ya on that. Sasaki/Kobashi reminds me kind of like Hogan/Warrior in a weird way. Both men are power fighters, and over massively. Difference is, Warrior needed the rub, while both Kobashi and Sasaki have hit the status of "legend" already (Kobashi much more than Sasaki, but Kensuke is now there I think).

Kobashi and Sasaki basically boils down to "We're ****ing men, and lets see who the hell is stronger!" and they go at it. Misawa and Kawada main evented that event too, in a good match that carried on their own legendary storyline as well (there is no storyline in wrestling history that is as long and storied as Misawa/Kawada.)

 

[Outcast2004]

I don't know the storylines because I missed every show this week, but I saw this and figured what better way to kick off a wrestling thread than by having Cena overcome the odds:

"The #1 wrestler for this year's PWI 500 has been revealed. The top spot came down to Samoa Joe and John Cena. The winner of the 2006 PWI 500 is John Cena. This is the first time in which he has been ranked number one in the annual special edition magazine."

Discuss

I think Joe should have gotten it. I feel he would have if he had the world title at some point during the voting process.
Joe has shown some serious consistancy in his matches and hasn't delivered a "bad" on yet. Next year's countdown shoul dbe a different matter. Joe will have at least one world title reign to help him out. Perhaps they should consider having him cut more promos to go along with it.
Cena on the other hand is gaining a reputation for having to be carried. Factor that in with his stale/weak character and promos, mixed crowd reactions. I just can't see him being "#1"

The person who shoul dbe getting ALL of the credit for getting Cena over to any extent is Edge. HE is the reason that feud is interesting. He's willing to go out, cut good promos, ad most importantly... busts his ass in the ring. Edge is about the last reason I have to tune into Raw every week.

 

[Barrage]

Someone asked in the other thread for some puroresu links. I just saw Akiyama vs Shibata today, and it has maybe the most intense start to a match I've ever seen. .

..Are you sure the link isn't to the middle of the match? The name of the video has "2 of 3" in it, and there are two other videos with "1 of 3" and "3 of 3" as their heading. Not to mention the video ends with a kickout.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

..Are you sure the link isn't to the middle of the match? The name of the video has "2 of 3" in it, and there are two other videos with "1 of 3" and "3 of 3" as their heading. Not to mention the video ends with a kickout.

2 of 3 is the very beginning of the match... you can see the ref signal to ring the bell. 3 of 3 continues the match to its ending. 1 of 3 is just promotional stuff.

 

[Barrage]

Ahhhhh. My mistake.

 

[Outcast2004]

Smackdown vs Raw 07 roster revealed....

The Big Show Jillian Hall Rey Mysterio
Bobby Lashley Joey Mercury Ric Flair
The Boogeyman John Cena Rob Van Dam
Booker T Johnny Nitro Shawn Michaels
Candice Michelle Kane Shelton Benjamin
Carlito Ken Kennedy Snitsky
Chavo Guerrero Kid Kash Super Crazy
Chris Benoit Kurt Angle Torrie Wilson
Chris Masters Lance Cade Trevor Murdoch
Daivari Lita Triple H
Edge Mark Henry Trish Stratus
Eugene Matt Hardy Umaga
Finley Melina The Undertaker
The Great Khali Mickie James Viscera
Gregory Helms Paul Burchill Vito
Hardcore Holly Psicosis William Regal

Fo the other Ohioans here who can't make it to Bound For Glory, you can now get your TNA fix...

Hermie Sadler's UWF will debut in Toledo, Ohio on Friday 10/20 at Headliners. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday. That would add a Friday event to TNA's signature weekend, Bound for Glory. For more information on tickets, visit www.UWFUSA.com.

 

[Guzim]

Smackdown vs Raw 07 roster revealed....

Surprised there's no ECW in there.

 

[Nameless]

According to reports, WWE has told Carlito to "act like The Rock."

IF YA SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL WHAT THE CAR....IS..COOKIN.

May not even watch Raw tonight.. Canes vs Noles!!

 

[Keyser Soze]

What about letting people act like themselves VINCE YOU LITTLE BITCH and carve out there own little image…it might be good to use a little bit of The Rock in his promos but don’t act like him…

 

[Eric Hall]

I'm baffled by the roster for Smackdown vs Raw

We get frickin Cade and Murdoch but not London and Kendrick!
None of the Spirit Squad!
Why the hell are Viscer and Holly in there?

 

[Captain N]

is ECW gonna be getting their own game?

 

[Mike Works]

so cena is better than samoa joe? i've never watched tna, but if he's not as good as cena, i guess there's not much reason to.

 

[Guzim]

so cena is better than samoa joe? i've never watched tna, but if he's not as good as cena, i guess there's not much reason to.

As Liu Kang said earlier in the thread:

PWI has always considered storyline accomplishments as part of their grading. I'm sure the article will make note of how awful Cena is but that that cancels out because he's the WWE's biggest star and wins all the ****ing time.

But yeah Mike. Samoa Joe is the best wrestler today.

 

[Mike Works]

but he's not as good as cena

i mean, cena's lost a whole lot recently, he hasn't had the title for months, and he's probably going to lose again at the next ppv

isn't joe undefeated?

 

[Eric Hall]

Yea, but Cena was still WWE Champ, won at the biggest wrestling event of the year against Triple H, a 10-Time Champ, and then defended it against Edge and HHH again at Backlash

and his PPV losses are only because of cheating

 

[Nameless]

Credit: PWInsider

With WrestleMania 23 coming around the corner taking place at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan the WWE is faced with the challenge of selling 78,000 tickets for the event. WWE has gone to the drawing board to formulate a card that would be capable of drawing that many fans to the event. Several main events have been talked about and include Austin vs. Hogan, Austin vs. Cena, Hogan vs. Cena, and Rock vs. Cena. It is very unlikely The Rock will be part of WrestleMania as he has stated that he is entirely done with professional wrestling on many different occasions. Austin vs. Hogan would be without a doubt a huge draw, but the there isn't a strong likelihood that the match would happen. Right now it seems that the most likely main event will be either Cena vs. Hogan or Cena vs. Austin. The last time WrestleMania was in Detroit was in 1987 for WrestleMania III when the WWE set a world record with 93,173 fans in attendance.

5 Moves of Doom vs. 3 Moves of Doom!!!!!!!!

I'm scared.. I dare not think what will happen when Hogan 'Hulks up' and Cena 'Snaps' at the same time...the very fabric of the universe may be destroyed when that happens.

Seriously though...This match will make Lesnar vs. Goldberg look like Kobashi vs. Joe.

 

[DMczaf]

According to reports, WWE has told Carlito to "act like The Rock."

 

[jobber]

Yea, but Cena was still WWE Champ, won at the biggest wrestling event of the year against Triple H, a 10-Time Champ, and then defended it against Edge and HHH again at Backlash

and his PPV losses are only because of cheating

Meltzer said a stat the other week that surprised me. Cena's win over Matt Striker was his 100th win of the year. He must have included house shows with that. Anywho...

CENA > Sloppy Joe

Sure Joe can put on a classic match but he can't talk

oh yea...the match that would sell WM23 is Austin/Rock #69464954

Sadly

but have a face Cena vs. Vince Mcmahon...it would sell good. They teased it 3 years ago but never followed up. The crowd was going crazy during the promo too.

 

[Keyser Soze]

No Raw for me tonight, I have chosen to go to find a member of the opposite sex (that will hopefully lead to more chemistry than the Carlito/Trish angle)… If I fail in my search I will feel really bad though

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Sure Joe can put on a classic match but he can't talk

what

Joe has a few weird facial ticks and bad promo habits (like that god-awful teenage smirk he does), but he can cut a good promo.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

lol sorry Nameless.

Cryme Tyme debuts on RAW
September 4, 2006

Tonight a new tag team, Cryme Tyme, will be introduced to the RAW audience. In an effort to humor and entertain our fans the tag team known as Cryme Tyme will be parodying racial stereotypes.

Shad Gaspar and JTG do outlandish, outrageous “stunts” to ready themselves for tag team action on RAW. This attempt at Saturday Night Live-like humor is bound to entertain audiences of all ethnic derivations.

We hope you enjoy the weekly adventuresh of Cryme Tyme.

This could possibly be good, but lol anyway. Why is Vince too afraid to have black guys on his show being violent and aggressive? LAX is doing it with Latino guys and it's the best thing going for TNA.

It's been too long since we had honestly scary heels. It sucks too because Shad Gaspard is a 6'7", almost 300 pound beast.

 

[Nameless]

lol sorry Nameless.
This could possibly be good, but lol anyway. Why is Vince too afraid to have black guys on his show being violent and aggressive? LAX is doing it with Latino guys and it's the best thing going for TNA.

It's been too long since we had honestly scary heels. It sucks too because Shad Gaspard is a 6'7", almost 300 pound beast.

WOOOOOOOOOOO Neighboorhoodie on debuts!! RAW IS SAVED!!!!!

 

[Shard]

What is so compelling about The NeighborHoodies?

 

[Outcast2004]

CENA > Sloppy Joe

Sure Joe can put on a classic match but he can't talk.

No...just ****ing NO.

Joe can wrestle AND cut a damn good intense promo. Cena? He can't do either.

I STILL don't see the appeal of Cena. The little appeal he DID have, they stripped away from him to make him into Austin-lite. He can't wrestle.. his promos are juvenile BS, he's a face who can't work a crowd nor does he have a majority of the crowd behind him.

To me, Cena is a failure as a face. But, McMahon refuses to accept that and will continue to push him down the collective throat of the crowd.

lol sorry Nameless.
This could possibly be good, but lol anyway. Why is Vince too afraid to have black guys on his show being violent and aggressive? LAX is doing it with Latino guys and it's the best thing going for TNA.

It's been too long since we had honestly scary heels. It sucks too because Shad Gaspard is a 6'7", almost 300 pound beast.

Why does evey team that comes into WWE have t be a ****ing joke? I agree, what's so wrong about having a team (GOD FORBID THEY ARE "OF COLOR") come in and just beat ass and be intimidating?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

I think Nameless likes him just because he's black. At least, that's all I've been able to gather from the few posts he's made about him.

 

[Shard]

I wish that Cena contract was with NJPW, so I wouldn't ever have to watch him ever again.

 

[Nameless]

I think Nameless likes him just because he's black. At least, that's all I've been able to gather from the few posts he's made about him.

Nah, its just that the Neighboorhoodie was a well done and very cool gimmick down in OVW. I hate Mark Henry and really could care less about Lashley or MVP, so him being black has nothing to do with it.

 

[The Frankman]

Black people on RAW have not fared well recently. Check the roster.

 

[Outcast2004]

I can only hope that Edge sends Cena packing to the CW. Smackdown needs the help, and I want that monkey-faced idiot off Raw.

EDIT: Edge nailed it. His skills consist of hitting the ring and swinging his fists like a gorilla!

 

[Shard]

Edge is on point about Cena tonight.

 

[the_geche]

Spoiler

Source- Pwinsider


The main event @ this month's TNA No Surrender PPV will be Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoa Joe in a non-title "Fan's Revenge match". The match will feature fans as lumberjacks surrounding the ring with straps.

 

[The Frankman]

Holy crap, even I have to admit that was a good Edge movie/promo.

MY TIME IS NOW, FOOL!!

 

[Shard]

Spoiler

Source- Pwinsider


The main event @ this month's TNA No Surrender PPV will be Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoa Joe in a non-title "Fan's Revenge match". The match will feature fans as lumberjacks surrounding the ring with straps.

Yea, I think we know about this lawsuit in the making already.

 

[Outcast2004]

Ok..that was actually clever with Hardy. At least they know that Nitro's promo was awful.

 

[The Frankman]

Intercontinental Title match THIS early?

Jeff WAS right though.

 

[Shard]

I see they are still hiding the day-go paint from Jeffery.

 

[StoOgE]

Great, wet get to see Johny Nitro. I think he could be good if he didnt flip around like a damn ballerina during his matches.

Also, Hardy needs to be thrown into a stip match ASAP. I would rather see him and edge in a TLC match. You really think Cena will throw himself around with the necessary wreckless abandon? Plus, Hardy needs dayglo paint. He needs more extreme!

 

[The Frankman]

Great, wet get to see Johny Nitro. I think he could be good if he didnt flip around like a damn ballerina during his matches.

I gave it 4 :lol :lol :lol :lol. I mean WTF?

Can Nitro sell a Swanton Bomb though?

 

[Outcast2004]

Whoa..Jeff Hardy is actually bigger than someone for once. Nitro must be a damn anorexic midget

 

[The Frankman]

King: "Good thing Nitro is faster on his feet then on his press conferences."

 

[CB3]

WTF was up with the rocks hair in that promo commercial :lol