Official wrestling thread (for fans only)

[Snowy Owl]

I figured I could start a thread on here for any of us who may be fans of wrestling (be it WWE, TNA or any of the independents).

I'll start with a profile of myself and wrestling.

Favorite WWE Wrestler(s) (RAW): Shawn Michaels, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Bobby Lashley

(Smackdown): Edge, Finlay, Rey Mysterio, Matt Hardy, Undertaker, Kane, Chavo Guererro

(ECW) CM Punk, Rob Van Dam, Elijah Burke

(Tag Team) Paul London and Brian Kendrick

(Divas) Beth Phoenix, Mickey James, Victoria

Favorite TNA wrestlers: Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, AJ Styles

I'm also going to a house show tomorrow (Smackdown/ECW). I can't wait to see Edge kick Batista's ass...or at least run away like the cowardly evil heel he is (I love Edge's heel persona) and see Finlay who loves to fight!

 

[C.]

So how was your time at Smackdown?

I had to forgo the Nightwish show in Santa Ana for the Smackdown show in my town on November 6th, but I think it was worth it (seeing as how I got to see Nightwish in L.A. just 2 nights before). I know that is blasphemy to say here, but if I had to miss a show, at least I spent it doing something other than lamenting that I couldn't go.

I would have responded to your post sooner, but I've been in the hospital for the last 26 days with a broken kneecap. Looks like my plans to go to wrestling in Fresno next month are pretty much not happening.

 

[Trogdor 666]

That really sucks, I'm going to Raw in Philly the night after the Royal Rumble and I got myself a ticket to Wrestlemania 24! It will officially be the furthest I've ever traveled to see wrestling, but I'm getting a Disney World trip out of it at the same time!!

PS: ...Kennedy!!

 

[Snowy Owl]

I am worshipping you right now

I wish they would turn Mr. Kennedy face! It's hard for me to cheer him when he goes against Shawn Michaels. I also wish he would pull the Packer Plunge and the Kenton Bomb out of his closet.

WWE fans in Hershey are such marks. I got a bunch of BS from some kids 'cause I bought an Edge T-shirt.

 

[C.]

I got myself a ticket to Wrestlemania 24! It will officially be the furthest I've ever traveled to see wrestling, but I'm getting a Disney World trip out of it at the same time!!

F*ckin' awesome! Are you going to try and catch a TNA show while you are there as well? (I know I would, this Wrestlemania seems like any wrestling freak's dream!)

 

[Trogdor 666]

Wow, catching flack from buying an Edge shirt? I wonder what they would think if I walked in wearing my Rated-R Superstar Hoodie and my Kennedy "Talk Loud" shirt underneath! Anywho, my interest in TNA is so lacking it's ridiculous. Back around late 2005/2006 I was so hyped for the company's future, I thought Christian Cage was a great acquisition and Samoa Joe and AJ Styles were the hottest things in wrestling. Now I look at it and one of my favorites of all time, Kurt Angle, can't even hold my interest. The matches aren't bad but I feel like I've seen everything before, and the storylines and characters do nothing for me.

Also, I can't really talk bad about Kennedy's new finisher, it reminds me of Kanyon's old "Flatliner" which I thought was an awesome move.

Anyway, I'm about to watch Smackdown, which I don't do very often except to occasionally watch Edge & MVP.

 

[C.]

Lucky! Wish I could watch Smackdown! But I live in a town where you can only get the CW on cable and I'll NEVER leave DirecTV. Not even for Smackdown!.

 

[Snowy Owl]

Wow, catching flack from buying an Edge shirt? I wonder what they would think if I walked in wearing my Rated-R Superstar Hoodie and my Kennedy "Talk Loud" shirt underneath! Anywho, my interest in TNA is so lacking it's ridiculous. Back around late 2005/2006 I was so hyped for the company's future, I thought Christian Cage was a great acquisition and Samoa Joe and AJ Styles were the hottest things in wrestling. Now I look at it and one of my favorites of all time, Kurt Angle, can't even hold my interest. The matches aren't bad but I feel like I've seen everything before, and the storylines and characters do nothing for me.

Also, I can't really talk bad about Kennedy's new finisher, it reminds me of Kanyon's old "Flatliner" which I thought was an awesome move.

Anyway, I'm about to watch Smackdown, which I don't do very often except to occasionally watch Edge & MVP.

Yeah, that's marks at a house show for you. Edge won the match anyway so I had the last laugh...hahaha!!! But at the Rumble it will be harder to excuse his deeds being he is going against Rey Mysterio.

 

[Trogdor 666]

So I'm going to Raw tonight feeling quite... disappointed. If you didn't already know, I am NOT a John Cena fan. I was actually quite excited at the prospect that he was going to be out for a full year, I figured it would help give a new breath of fresh air to the company with their top, overexposed wrestler out of action. Well, now that he's back, I'm afraid that that freshness is gone and we're immediately going to fall back to the same old stale Cena-led Raw. I'm especially disappointed that I'm spending thousands of dollars on an Orlando vacation that I probably wouldn't have taken if I knew that the probable Wrestlemania 24 main event was going to be Cena vs. Orton, which is a match I'd consider a snoozefest in any situation.

I only hope something happens between now and Wrestlemania to make me more excited, like HHH beats Orton for the title or something to spice up what will quickly become a stagnant WWE and a stagnant Raw. I can only hope SOMETHING happens tonight to ensure we don't immediately fall back into the same old Hulk Cena era we've been subjected to for the past 3 or so years.

 

[Snowy Owl]

Dude, I am so with you...Andrea, Will, Amber and I were watching the Rumble intently and for the most part it was a good event. Ric Flair lives to fight another day, Edge gets a clean win over Rey, and the match between Hardy and Orton was very good. I enjoyed the Rumble match for the most part too (my pick to win was Mr. Kennedy) because it was nice to see Foley, Snuka and Piper.

But when Number 30 was announced and we heard that stupid theme song "My Time Is Now" (I miss "Basic Thugonomics" Word Life Cena) all of our jaws dropped? WHAT? I was hoping for Lashley to make a grand return or freakin' Bill "The Goon" Irwin to come out to be promptly pitched over the top...but CENA?

WHY? WHY? WHY? Why not HHH or Batista? Did anyone else who watched the Rumble hear the boos when Cena won? TURN HIM HEEL!

OH...New York fans rule...they popped when Edge won haha! RATED R!

 

[C.]

So I'm going to Raw tonight feeling quite... disappointed. If you didn't already know, I am NOT a John Cena fan. I was actually quite excited at the prospect that he was going to be out for a full year, I figured it would help give a new breath of fresh air to the company with their top, overexposed wrestler out of action. Well, now that he's back, I'm afraid that that freshness is gone and we're immediately going to fall back to the same old stale Cena-led Raw. I'm especially disappointed that I'm spending thousands of dollars on an Orlando vacation that I probably wouldn't have taken if I knew that the probable Wrestlemania 24 main event was going to be Cena vs. Orton, which is a match I'd consider a snoozefest in any situation.

You totally read my mind on that one. I was actually happy when Cena was out for a while, because like you said, it seemed like it gave other superstars a chance to rise and be in the spotlight for a while. Do you think Jeff Hardy ever would have gotten a chance at the belt if Cena was still around? F*ck no. I was hoping we would see more matches like this, especially around Wrestlemania, seeing more guys who have been pushed to the backburner in favor of overrated sh*t like Cena, but it doesn't look like it's gonna happen.

And I've never been a Cena fan, not even when I met him in person. I was actually happier that day to meet Scotty 2 Hotty than I was to meet Cena.

I've just never liked that whole white-boy-fake-Eminem bullsh*t character.

If you want my honest opinion, wrestling has been at a low point for me since Eddie died (I still miss Eddie, by the way). And after the man whose name can never be mentioned again died, whatever interesting points existed for me were gone too. Those were my two favorite wrestlers of the last several years so for me, wrestling has been at a droop for a while. I'd like to see anyone interesting come in and kick some ass. If it weren't for Triple H I would have stopped watching Raw a long time ago.

I don't know, I guess I'm just disappointed by all the "main eventers" that the WWE is building up. Am I the only one who is completely unfazed by CM Punk? His finishing move is the most uninteresting finisher I've ever seen. "Go to Sleep", indeed. Wake me up when it's over.

I think this is why I'm more interested in TNA at this point, it is "cheap" wrestling at its finest and it has a lot of no-names who you can really get interested in, as well as the old favorites (like Kurt Angle, whose sh*t-talking I could never get tired of watching).

But, wrestling goes through these phases, where there are lower points than others. Let's just hope a higher point comes along soon, which I don't see anytime in the forseeable future unless they find a way to resurrect Eddie.

 

[Snowy Owl]

You totally read my mind on that one. I was actually happy when Cena was out for a while, because like you said, it seemed like it gave other superstars a chance to rise and be in the spotlight for a while. Do you think Jeff Hardy ever would have gotten a chance at the belt if Cena was still around? F*ck no. I was hoping we would see more matches like this, especially around Wrestlemania, seeing more guys who have been pushed to the backburner in favor of overrated sh*t like Cena, but it doesn't look like it's gonna happen.

And I've never been a Cena fan, not even when I met him in person. I was actually happier that day to meet Scotty 2 Hotty than I was to meet Cena.

I've just never liked that whole white-boy-fake-Eminem bullsh*t character.

If you want my honest opinion, wrestling has been at a low point for me since Eddie died (I still miss Eddie, by the way). And after the man whose name can never be mentioned again died, whatever interesting points existed for me were gone too. Those were my two favorite wrestlers of the last several years so for me, wrestling has been at a droop for a while. I'd like to see anyone interesting come in and kick some ass. If it weren't for Triple H I would have stopped watching Raw a long time ago.

I don't know, I guess I'm just disappointed by all the "main eventers" that the WWE is building up. Am I the only one who is completely unfazed by CM Punk? His finishing move is the most uninteresting finisher I've ever seen. "Go to Sleep", indeed. Wake me up when it's over.

I think this is why I'm more interested in TNA at this point, it is "cheap" wrestling at its finest and it has a lot of no-names who you can really get interested in, as well as the old favorites (like Kurt Angle, whose sh*t-talking I could never get tired of watching).

But, wrestling goes through these phases, where there are lower points than others. Let's just hope a higher point comes along soon, which I don't see anytime in the forseeable future unless they find a way to resurrect Eddie.

Actually I like CM Punk's finisher. When he did it to Kenny Dykstra once it looked like it killed him.

I would watch TNA more often if the writing wasn't so poor. However, Petey Williams' Canadian Destroyer is the coolest finisher ever.

No matter how bad the product is I don't think I'll ever stop watching. It's in my blood. Unless, they do another Katie Vick angle.

 

[Trogdor 666]

Overall, I do think wrestling... well, Raw, is in a pretty decent place. The lineup of talent is a pretty good mix with stars like HHH, Kennedy, Orton, HBK, Jericho, JBL, Hardy, Flair, Carlito, the list of stars is pretty strong, however the writing really isn't. For example, A feud like HBK and Kennedy seems like a natural moneymaker to me, but it seems to have hit it off with a couple of lackluster promos, followed it up with some good solid matches, and then it kind if just fizzled out. That doesn't make sense to me. Both guys are great mic workers, so those promos should have been a lot better and with enough heat, that feud could have carried on for a long time. I think the writing just isn't strong enough to retain interest, and whether Eddie was with us today or not, great talent cannot carry poor writing. I'm hopeful for the future of talents like Kennedy, MVP, Morrison and Punk, but I'm afraid the powers that be really don't know how to successfully build up a really good main eventer since pushing Brock Lesnar and then Batista to the moon, and Cena's white rapper gimmick got over... and it took a LONG time for that to get over, but you see the results today of what happens when a gimmick really catches on, and I'm referring to his crowd reaction, not his in-ring work.

I'm still a fan, I had a blast at Raw last week, whether Cena was there or not, and with the Elimination Chambers coming up and Wrestlemania matches to still be decided, I'm excited about that again. I have confidence that they have a roster strong enough to have a great product, but they need the writers and angles to back up that talent. Also, getting rid of ECW overall and the brand separation would make things more interesting too.

PS: I am a huge fan of CM Punk's wrestling, and I have been ever since seeing tapes of him in Ring of Honor long before he got to WWECW. The problem is he's the star of the show and WAAAAAY overexposed. He's feuded with everyone in WWECW and had countless matches with Chavo, Burke, Miz and Morrison and he can't really stay fresh fighting the same guys over and over. I think if ECW were to close and that roster to be split between Raw and Smackdown, we'd have a much better balance for someone like Punk and a great talent base to put up against him. Screw ECW Champ, Punk for Intercontinental Champ! Punk vs. Hardy, Wrestlemania, Book it!

 

[C.]

Actually I like CM Punk's finisher. When he did it to Kenny Dykstra once it looked like it killed him.

I don't know, to me it always looks like he's about to do something really cool, and then...that's it?

I would watch TNA more often if the writing wasn't so poor. However, Petey Williams' Canadian Destroyer is the coolest finisher ever.

Hells yeah.

No matter how bad the product is I don't think I'll ever stop watching. It's in my blood. Unless, they do another Katie Vick angle.

Yeah, that was a low point for me too. I stopped watching at that time mainly because I was moving to my new house, but I think I would have probably tuned out anyway because that storyline was just so dumb and unnecessary.

Overall, I do think wrestling... well, Raw, is in a pretty decent place. The lineup of talent is a pretty good mix with stars like HHH, Kennedy, Orton, HBK, Jericho, JBL, Hardy, Flair, Carlito, the list of stars is pretty strong, however the writing really isn't.

How could I have forgotten Y2J?! Sh*t, he's another reason he's keeping my interest in Raw! I felt the sentiment of the "save us Y2J" signs, for sure! I remember when I went to Smackdown! in November and they kept showing the "save us" promo and everyone was screaming "Y2J" at the top of their lungs.

And not being able to watch Smackdown!, and therefore, Rey Mysterio, is probably another reason I'm in a wrestling funk.

I'm still a fan, I had a blast at Raw last week, whether Cena was there or not, and with the Elimination Chambers coming up and Wrestlemania matches to still be decided, I'm excited about that again. I have confidence that they have a roster strong enough to have a great product, but they need the writers and angles to back up that talent. Also, getting rid of ECW overall and the brand separation would make things more interesting too.

Yeah, like I said, I don't think I could ever completely lose my interest in wrestling, not like I did back in the '90s when WCW was around. Sorry, but I just hated Sting that much that it totally turned me off to wrestling for about a good 2-3 years.

I am a huge fan of CM Punk's wrestling, and I have been ever since seeing tapes of him in Ring of Honor long before he got to WWECW. The problem is he's the star of the show and WAAAAAY overexposed.

I totally agree, I do think he's a very talented wrestler, but I think that is my problem with him, that he is too overexposed. It's getting to the Cena point now, where even if I did like him before, he's so much in my face now that I just can't. I guess I'll always be a fan of the underdogs, the underexposed wrestlers. I have more fun at dark shows than at live events (not that I don't have a blast at live events, because I sure the hell do), because "today's cheap wrestlers are tomorrow's superstars".

 

[Snowy Owl]

All I do know is in the couple years I was out of the loop, a bunch of unlikely stars became main eventers. They are:

Batista-Nothing against the guy, and he does have the coolest entrance, but why him? What led him to be pushed? His feud with HHH?

JBL-I NEVER THOUGHT THIS GUY WOULD BE A CHAMP. I loved the APA but I had little thought that he would become a "wrestling god". Why him?

John Cena-I loved "Word Life Basic Thugonomics" Cena who wore throwback jerseys and did bad raps about his opponents, and also pumped up his sneakers before doing the FU. I had no idea he'd become the next Austin.

Edge-This is one guy who I am so happy for that he made it to the top. I followed his career since his first match against Jose Estrada. Now the Rated R Superstar is the biggest heel in the company and the World Champion. Life is good.

AND WHY THE HELL HAS HBK NOT HELD THE BELT SINCE HIS RETURN? BLASPHEMY!

 

[C.]

Batista-Nothing against the guy, and he does have the coolest entrance, but why him? What led him to be pushed? His feud with HHH?

Sorry, but I have a soft spot for Batista, for reasons that can be explained thusly...
http://www.kingtoad.net/C/wwemeet4.jpg

Frankly, I would replace that statement above with "Randy Orton", but I already know that's just inticing a fight with Troggy here.

John Cena-I loved "Word Life Basic Thugonomics" Cena who wore throwback jerseys and did bad raps about his opponents, and also pumped up his sneakers before doing the FU. I had no idea he'd become the next Austin.

He's not fit to throw away Stone Cold's empty beer bottles.

JBL-I NEVER THOUGHT THIS GUY WOULD BE A CHAMP. I loved the APA but I had little thought that he would become a "wrestling god". Why him?

I have no idea, but it was f*ckin' awesome for a year and a half, at least, to live in the city where he was retired from wrestling (until his return on Raw a couple months ago).

Edge-This is one guy who I am so happy for that he made it to the top. I followed his career since his first match against Jose Estrada. Now the Rated R Superstar is the biggest heel in the company and the World Champion. Life is good.

I'm neither here nor there with Edge, I wouldn't consider myself a fan but he does have some of the coolest t-shirts among some of the wrestling merchandise.

AND WHY THE HELL HAS HBK NOT HELD THE BELT SINCE HIS RETURN? BLASPHEMY!

Because he screwed Bret, everyone knows that!

 

[Trogdor 666]

Well, considering I'm an equal opportunity hater of Randy Orton and Batista, I wouldn't fault you for putting either in Snowy's sentence. Those two guys are probably the only people in the company I like less than John Cena.

 

[C.]

I thought you were an Orton fan, Troggy?

Well anyway, I know my boyfriend is. He's a huge Orton fan because they're both Aries.

 

[Trogdor 666]

No, no, no. Orton can't wrestle, he can't interview and he can't get me to care. I don't understand why anyone would want to be an Orton fan, he has no redeeming values whatsoever. At least Cena can get me to laugh now and then. Orton's like the opposite of Shawn Michaels, and that's very, very bad.

 

[C.]

It's amazing what nepotism can get you, eh?