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QOTD #61 - Then vs. Now


Today's Question: In this month's 35th anniversary issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, they ask several people what's the best and worst thing about the business today as compared to 1979. Assuming everyone here wasnt a fan in 1979, we'll say 1989 and ask the same question:

a) How is the business better than 25 years ago?
b) What is the worst thing about the wrestling business compared to 25 years ago?




Well seeing as though very few bloggers responded to yesterday's (my bad....I suppose) no need to really recap there....see you tomorrow.

Comments

  1. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieAugust 23, 2014 at 10:51 PM

    Still 3 years before I was born, but judging from things I've watched of that era

    Better: Quality of lower-mid card matches

    Worse: Commentary

    ReplyDelete
  2. Better: pyro
    Worse: announcing

    ReplyDelete
  3. Better: smarkier
    Worse: theme music

    ReplyDelete
  4. Worse: Commentary was gonna be my choice but two people have already mentioned it. So I will say the booking. 50/50, lazy finishes, mid card booking, etc.


    Better: You get higher quality matches on free TV nowadays.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Better: making everybody feel important, give everyone something to do and make every title feel important.

    Worst: 50/50 booking, commentary, 1 title means everything, 2 heavyweight titles and Cenawinslol.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fuck, I'm confused. Too much drinking.

    ReplyDelete
  7. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryAugust 23, 2014 at 11:07 PM

    Best: The workrate is better; less emphasis on huge guys who aren't very mobile or technically sound, and more on more agile guys with a good moveset. Unlike even 15 years ago, there's very few people on the current WWE roster I don't enjoy watching in the ring.


    Worst: The booking is awful; midcard feuds and making people look strong outside of a main event spotlight is pretty much gone these days. You used to be able to draw a show with a IC title match; now it can barely be defended on the web-based C shows.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Better: able to see the best wrestlers very easily thanks to internet/tv (no tape trading or wrestler X is on the east coast so I can't see him anywhere else)
    Worse: Only 1 real wrestling group and a bunch of small timers

    ReplyDelete
  9. Workrate is better? You're obviously forgetting the weekly classics put forth by the irreplaceable Canadian strongman Dino Bravo, the son of a god in Hercules, the master of the double countout in Jim Duggan, and pre-internet smark favorites Bad News Brown, Jim Powers, and the Warlord. Heaven was truly a 15 minute time limit draw between any two of these competitors.

    ReplyDelete
  10. maggie shot mr. burns

    spoiler

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is my favorite season of the Simpsons(just ahead of season 4)


    The only episode I'm not crazy about is the one with George Bush moving next door.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Also, time difference be damned! I'm still in season 6. The episode where Santa's Little Helper knocks up another dog.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I feel like I'm going to be Willy one day, instead of getting arthritis from Space Invaders, it's going to be from an IPad.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think I have this season on DVD.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Women wrestlers are actually hot now. That's a big plus.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have(had--thanks a lot little sister)season's 3-9 on DVD. It's actually funny that I owned those seasons that are universally regarded by most to be the "Golden Years" because I had no idea of this phenomenon when I was buying them. I just happened to buy the seasons from the golden years.


    I also watched the hell out of them when I was younger so I am kinda burned out on some of these episodes. I am actually intrigued to watch stuff from Season 10 on because I haven't seen them.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It would be pretty cool if they took the classic episodes and re-animated them with the new HD animation. Because the new animations look amazing.

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  18. Oh shit! This is the "See My Vest" episode! Sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. My god, here's another list of classics. I think every episode in this season is a masterpiece except "SB's Last Gleaming" and "Class Struggle..." and even those are pretty damn good.

    "What time and how burnt?"

    ReplyDelete
  20. "The boy's name is Bart. What's the name of the man, Bar?"

    "I'm not getting involved".

    Plus, the whole rainbow suspenders/spend some dough at table 3/table 5 song(s) from Homer. And, the introduction of Disco Stu.

    "Stu, you should by that!" "Disco Stu, doesn't advertise".

    ReplyDelete
  21. I've got seasons 3-11. I'm thinking of maybe, eventually getting seasons 2 and 12, but I'm in no big rush.

    ReplyDelete
  22. "Whatever you have planned for later Homer, count me out".

    "HAHAHA! He looks just like you Poindexter!"

    ReplyDelete
  23. A) Quality Matches are in abundance. There's so many great matches regularly, in a variety of genres - 'Main Event' style, crazy tag-team stuff, and even an insane trashy brawl like the Ambrose match from the last PPV. Whether fans want to admit it or not, based on pure match quality alone, wrestling has never been better.

    B) The Fans.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just watched that. Stupid California.

    Like my loafers? Former gophers! It was that it skin my chauffeurs.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think we can all agree the commentary today is the drizzling shits.

    '89 you had Vince/Jesse, Gorilla/Jesse and Heenan/Gorilla for Prime Time.

    ReplyDelete
  26. "So I thought to myself, 'What would God do in this situation?'"

    ReplyDelete
  27. CruelConnectionNumber2August 24, 2014 at 1:08 AM

    WWE Network puts on TOTAL DIVAS at 3 am. I'm trashed from a bar romp and want some blood and ECW and/or UWF. Fuck this Network, seriously who's staying up for the saga of Cameron's delicate vagina doctor visit saga?

    ReplyDelete
  28. "Mmahaha, locusts! They'll drive him nuts".

    "It's all in the Bible, son. It's the pranksters bible".

    ReplyDelete
  29. I wonder how much of a ratings drop off will occur once they get past Season 10 and beyond.

    ReplyDelete
  30. "Quit cogitating, Steinmetz, and use an open-faced club! A sand wedge!"

    ReplyDelete
  31. "Meanwhile, Ernie Ladd offers his analysis of the Bam Bam v. LT match, sounding like Morgan Freeman narrating a movie. They should have put him on the broadcast team!"

    Apparently, it's been done and the results were less than good.

    http://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/induction-wrestling-challenge-episode-1-it-sucks-beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt/

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yes, but is there a system that allows fluid customization of your golfer with RPG style mechanics to fine-tune and specialize his or her performance?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieAugust 24, 2014 at 1:35 AM

    Yeah it's just awesome going back and being so invested in a totally foreign angle to me cause of the commentary

    ReplyDelete
  34. Meanwhile, Moe just threw a bunch of crazy crap on the walls

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm being serious here by the way: Tiger Woods 05 had this, which made it awesome, cause you could buy stat boosting attire that looked snazzy and then put it into practise immediately on the links, not to mention using the cash to levelup character skills and specialize in attributes you felt were important. For example, I prefer maxing out driving distance because I have an easy time with the short game and want to play risky long bombs on Par 5 quintuple doglegs.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I liked the version that had your stats go up based on how well you did on a given course, and less on how much time you invested in earning money and upgrades .

    The cool thing about this game is that it cuts all that out so it's mano and mano. Who's the best at this game, with no chuffa, as they say.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I remember WWF did try to protect the tag teams around this time to try and give them credibility, though since Fatu would become a singles act just a few months later, they really should have done an angle to write the Shrinkers out of the promotion. If I remember correctly Gunns also had a match with the Shrinkers that ended in a double countout as well on Superstars.

    ReplyDelete
  38. If they would've moved the Alundra/Bull match from the night after(the exact match), it has a shot to be match of the night at WM. It's seriously the best WWE women's match I've ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I like this game. I need to get better at it (just like real golf) and I want to get into the course editor, but it's a solid golf title.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    ReplyDelete
  41. "I thought Smithers did it."
    "That would have made more sense."

    ReplyDelete
  42. A golf game??? Really? Really? This is starting to get ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  43. It may be that I'm still drunk but...did you just say retards are great fans?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Jim Powers was Bret Hart without heat.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Worst thing about the wrestling business today is WWE not treating it like a wrestling business.

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  46. a) the health and safety of everyone involved. the young guys wrestling today will have longer healthier lives than those in 1989, or 1979 for that matter.

    b) fat guys in oversized chairs who think they know everything, but actually know nothing, smashing their pudgy fingers against a keyboard to type things like "the mentally disabled, who are enthusiastic, fun, and make a good show great, and a great show special".

    ReplyDelete
  47. Better: drug testing; most likely less of a risk wrestlers drop dead in their 40s and 50s.

    Worse: Homogenized product, one national company, no tag team division, WWE Style

    ReplyDelete
  48. I liked the fact that Owen/Lawler/Backland all got under Bret's skin. It's that kind of connection with the fans that Diesel is missing, and right now, Roman Reigns.

    I was watching some of Goldberg's squashes the other day and even he manages to show enough emotion to cause the fans to get behind him.

    ReplyDelete
  49. They tried to use Ladd as an announcer in the 1980's. I liked his style actually. Watch Orndorff vs. Hogan from Big Event -- Ladd does a decent job as a Morgan Freeman narrator type. Sadly they always paired him with Johnny V - who wasn't horrible - but not a grade A announcer and Monsoon ended up carrying them both. I think they hosted the first weeks of Challenge, but then Ladd was dropped. Amazingly he could cut heel promos, but as a face announcer it just never clicked. What is the scoop about Ladd's final years?

    ReplyDelete
  50. better: don't have to sit through endless squash matches

    worse: the atmosphere of every show. Going to wrestling shows used to be fun. You'd go mark out and all that good stuff. Now it's either smarks trying to get themselves over, annoying little Cena fans, or parents bored to death as their annoying kids just sit there until Cena comes out.

    ReplyDelete
  51. I guess that's why Diesel works better as a heel. He's the type of guy that gets under people's skin, he's too laid back to care if people get under his skin or not.

    ReplyDelete
  52. If by WWE style, you mean the in ring work, I couldn't disagree with you more. When it's right, there is no better wrestling than the WWE.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Better: Production values, more opportunity to watch wrestling, and WAY better matches. No way I can sit through 95% of 70s wrestling.

    Worse: 50-50 booking,

    ReplyDelete
  54. Just looked at his wiki and he his entire retirement letter is posted there. Somebody must be a big Jim Powers fan.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarAugust 24, 2014 at 6:46 AM

    Better: The internet. I have a place like this to hang out with wrestling fans and discuss the product.
    Worse: The internet. That same great place is full of judgmental assholes who are never EVER happy with anything.

    ReplyDelete
  56. I agree with that. I think the reason is that the way we are socialized to be as men doesn't work in wrestling. Society tells us to play it cool, not show emotion and all that good stuff. The babyfaces that do that can't connect with the audience.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Wait... are you saying that old trailer park ladies with giant perms, saggy tits, flat asses and loose-fitting singlets are UNATTRACTIVE??

    ReplyDelete
  58. Better:
    Kayfabe is basically dead (there's still bullshitting, but nobody's trying to pass it off as real, which was unacceptable even 25 years ago. Anyone who wasn't an idiot had figured it out by then). The women are hotter. TV shows aren't just 90% Jobber Matches. People brawl to a count-out in big matches less often. More people know how to do promos. Guys don't just come in to feud with the Champ and then get eaten alive as badly. The overall match quality has never been better in North America. Fewer restholds and headlocks.

    Worse:
    Too much 50/50 booking and non-sustained pushes. A more homogenized style and visual appearance for wrestlers. Too many "Big matches" on TV, and the same old guys in the main event, making it boring and "seen it before" when they try to pull off Orton/Cena AGAIN. The top guys really don't carry themselves like STARS as much anymore. Way too few Big Fat Heels. Royal Rumbles where there are 25 "big stars" getting pushes, so everyone clogs up the ring for 20 minutes each. A shittier tag division.

    ReplyDelete
  59. The Harris Brothers were just SO fucking useless in the ring that it's pathetic. Especially because they were given pushes repeatedly in some misguided attempt to make them over. All because they won the genetic lottery by being tall, muscular TWINS, thus being perfect for WWF tag team wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Goldberg is underrated, Charisma-wise. You can't just squash Jerry Flynn 28 weeks in a row and get over- Goldberg HAD something, and the fans could tell.

    ReplyDelete
  61. "Those beers are 5 dollars apiece!"

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  62. Better: WrestleMania. The interactivity with fellow fans. Having so much available to watch with the click of a mouse. Better overall athletes. HHH and his ability to bridge today's product to the past and making guys like Sammartino & Warrior come back and take their rightful place in history. Let's not forget that in 1989, Bruno had no intention to ever be involved with Vince McMahon again.

    Worse: Compelling mid-card story lines or lack thereof. Merchandise; there's far more crap on WWE Shop than stuff you wanna buy. Authority figure story lines, they are way overdone now and I think most can agree a guy like President Jack Tunney making appearances only when necessary would be a great way to go about today's WWE. The announcing, ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  63. That will definitely be interesting to see. Also it will be during the week when fewer people might be around to watch and/or will have other regular programming they might want to watch instead.


    Personally, I still dug the show to a certain extent beyond S10. For me it got ridiculous and lazy a few years afterward.

    ReplyDelete
  64. "I like to tell you Diesel was selling tickets all over the country, but that would just be a lie. One day Diesel needs to ask himself, get busy drawing or get busy bombing."

    ReplyDelete
  65. Better: production, easier to watch

    Worse: atmosphere (watch the crowds at a JCP show), 50/50 booking, written promos for everybody, nobody stands out

    ReplyDelete
  66. As a 12 year old, I thought Alundra Blayze was hot. Wendi Richter was 80s hot.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I appreciate the lack of level grinding in this, in theory (as I haven't played it yet). The most enjoyable rounds of Tiger Woods for me are early on when my character sucks and it kinda mirrors my performance on a very good day of golf. I'd love to have a "duffer" mode in TW where I go out there and struggle to break 100. It'd be a pretty accurate simulation of my real game.

    ReplyDelete
  68. "You're even dumber than Monsoon!"

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  69. Wow. That first paragraph. Awful.

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  70. 1. Youtube. Great wrestling from around the world is now much more easily accessible.
    2. Scripted promos. No contest.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Let me save everyone some time "50 50 booking omg no new starz 50 50 booking LOLCENAWINS no new stars 50 50 50 50 50 50 bookinngg!!!1"

    Thread over.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarAugust 24, 2014 at 8:28 AM

    I still almost never watch the live feed, unless it's a PPV. You wanted some ECW? Put on some ECW on demand.

    ReplyDelete
  73. You beat me to it.

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  74. Makes sense, yep.

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  75. "Assuming everyone here wasnt a fan in 1979"
    Ha-ha! You'd be wrong! Yeah, I started watching in the late 70s (had to sneak-watch it too, as my mother had banned it from the house). But I'll play along, and go with '89.
    Better now: Guys aren't doing everything to dig themselves an early grave. I do appreciate that.
    Worse now: It's just not much fun.
    And for kicks, I'll give my opinion on '79 (because everyone always wants my opinion;).
    Better now: more options when the show is bad (DVDs, network, Youtube, etc.).
    Worse now: Far fewer money promos that make me want to see a match.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Pro wrestling has lost its balls

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  77. There's a lotta flag burners who have too much freedom, I wanna make it legal for the police to beat 'em

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  78. Best part is, I didn't look at the other posts while writing this, and at least 5 of the 30 previous posts is pretty much exactly what I wrote. :)

    ReplyDelete
  79. A) Matches are a LOT more entertaining. A lot of different moves as opposed to kick, headlock, punch. Matches have more psychology and build drama.


    B) Short title reigns

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  80. I wonder if there are port-a-potties on the games' golf course.

    ReplyDelete
  81. That's because 50/50 booking is a big problem.

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  82. Better than 25 years ago: rest spots and general stall tactics are almost obsolete.

    Worse than 25 years ago: no territories or territory like companies.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Nice review. Have you tried out the course builder? I always think I would really like building my own course, and then it turns into a giant hassle.

    ReplyDelete
  84. A) No more "enhancement matches". I really disliked those. "His opponent, already in the ring, from somewhere, weighing in at something: John Jobber!"


    B) Titles mean nothing. Tag Team wrestling doesn't even exist. The commentary is horrendous. Security confiscates signs in the crowd that Kevin Dunn doesn't like. Everybody's promos are scripted except for HHH, Cena, and Heyman.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Better: As noted, the wrestling in general is just better. We don't have many PPVs full of crappy matches. Also, I like the fact that these guys aren't seemingly headed straight to the grave by 50 years old.


    Worse: Lack of an emphasis on the importance of titles, and the guys not getting to do their own materials for promos.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Damn. I feel old.

    ReplyDelete
  87. That was a lot of 50s.

    ReplyDelete
  88. YankeesHoganTripleHFanAugust 24, 2014 at 9:39 AM

    Yes...Raw not not good in those days. With that out of the way can we discuss Maya on
    GMW? I mean I am pretty sure she's a virgin but what with the parent
    issues, and her experience on the subway she has had some fingers down
    there right?

    ReplyDelete
  89. YankeesHoganTripleHFanAugust 24, 2014 at 9:39 AM

    Well played.

    ReplyDelete
  90. To this day, the best golf game I've ever played was SimGolf, a Sid Meier game for PC that came out about 10 years ago. You're an architect, a course manager, and a golf pro all at once, so you can build your own course and play it as often as you want. The replay value is limitless, and I wish they had come out with a Mac version (or emulator), because I'd still play the crap out of it.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Goldberg tore Parkas ACL during that 30 seconds.

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  92. Goldberg is perhaps the best example I've ever seen in wrestling of a guy who had awesome physical charisma. Didn't say a word, didn't need to, the way he moved and held himself just made you WANT to watch him.

    ReplyDelete
  93. I noticed that. Still took the jackhammer anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  94. A- Better workrate, the internet makes you see under the radar stuff.
    B- Lack of Jobber matches, 50/50 booking, lack of respect for secondary belts homogenized product, guys to use their own material, Kevin Dunn, Vince Russo and Vince McMahon today.

    ReplyDelete
  95. "A quick check reveals that sadly Ladd died in 2007, which I didn’t even realize."

    You must have been away at the time.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Adam "Colorado" CurryAugust 24, 2014 at 10:19 AM

    A: better production, or really better technology in general. Less shitty matches.

    B: the booking is total shit and everyone wrestles the same cookie cutter style. Shitty scriped pomos. Trying to be entertainment instead of wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  97. I forgot about the banning the Piledriver and some other moves, let them use, teach the guy when to do these moves.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Considering Cena is already a 15 time champion and they are screwed as far as top faces go, I'd say it's true.

    ReplyDelete
  99. I just don't get the complaints about the scripted promos. Sure back in the 80's, when it was 1 hour of pre recorded shows where veterans of 20 years were told "hype the next house show match", then sure, they can just wing it...

    This is 3 hours of LIVE wrestling, with a lot of young wrestlers, for a publicly traded company. OF COURSE they're gonna micro manage it, as there's a lot more at stake. You can't just tell a guy in his 2nd year "just wing a 15 minute promo about your big Wrestlemania match on live TV". Apples and Oranges, people...

    ReplyDelete
  100. I don't know, Usos have been champs for about 5 months and counting, AJ was the all time divas title reign leader, Punk had a 430+ reign just a while ago, Orton was champ for 4 months, then Daniel seemed set for a 4 month title reign before his injury. I think they have done a great job in the past 3-4 years in making title reigns longer. (let's ignore Ambrose's US title reign, as he never defended it)

    ReplyDelete
  101. CruelConnectionNumber2August 24, 2014 at 10:32 AM

    Owen had zero to do with the tag division at this time. All of sudden he's granted a title match at Mania AND gets to have a mystery partner? Really?

    ReplyDelete
  102. CruelConnectionNumber2August 24, 2014 at 10:33 AM

    Should I watch the old episodes that haven't been updated since the Spring?

    ReplyDelete
  103. Yeah but outside of those reigns you've mentioned, you are forgetting in the last 4 years there have been:


    WWE Champions: 19
    World Champions (WHC Retired): 15
    US Champions: 10
    IC Champions: 17
    Divas Champions: 12
    Tag Team Champions: 13


    and in TNA there have been:


    TNA Champions: 17
    X-Division Champions: 18
    Knockouts Champions: 17
    Tag Team Champions: 15


    Just look at all those numbers. Back in the late 1980's and early to mid 1990's, we were lucky to see maybe 3-4 TOTAL title changes (all belts changes combined) per year.

    ReplyDelete
  104. But again, very very different time. There was maybe 1 competitive match every 2 weeks, and it was often with undercard wrestlers. Just saying they have improved on it lately.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I know. I'm just saying that shorter title reigns aren't my cup of tea. You are definitely correct in saying that it has improved lately. Man, back in like 2000 we were seeing title changes on a weekly basis.


    I miss the old school booking of title matches were very rarely put on free TV and you had to pay to see them at either house shows or PPVs.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Adam "Colorado" CurryAugust 24, 2014 at 10:51 AM

    I forgot about guys facing the hard camera for big spots, makes it look fake. And knowing that the first (or even second) finishers will always be kicked out of.

    ReplyDelete
  107. "Ricardo its M.B. Ahh Marion Barry is it time for another shipment?"

    ReplyDelete
  108. Adam "Colorado" CurryAugust 24, 2014 at 11:06 AM

    Also worse: the entrance music. Just the same generic crap. And the lack of blood. Now, I understand why it was banned, but the ban should be lifted for big PPV matches, especially crazy gimmick matches like HITC.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Are you saying they aren't?

    ReplyDelete
  110. I actually have to agree. It's incredible how overall dumb some fans are at live shows I go to. trust me, they would not be able to just hook up to the WWE Network, they probably don't know what a computer is.

    ReplyDelete
  111. "and wind and lye and balance dull the sting of defeat."

    1) Sodium Hydroxide would just make things sting worse. Unless you're making up a batch of hillbilly soap in the bunker, it probably wont be an issue in a golf game.

    2) When you list more than two things, you don't keep adding the word "and" between every item in the list. It should be "wind, lie and balance dull..." You do this several times.

    How did you manage to get a "writing degree" without learning how to use a comma? Isn't that covered in the fifth grade? You don't go more than two sentences in a row without fucking it up. The rule isn't "I've been typing a while, better throw in a comma!".

    By the end you must have thought you used up your "comma quota" because then we get this: That honor goes to Kirby's dream course or Lee Carvallo's putting challenge. But it is the most refreshing game of links in quite some time." It's a shame you used them all up before you got to that one.

    "Regardless, like a punch shot on a steep decline, when it works, it fucking rolls. In and out of a round and a half in under an hour? A round that felt challenging and fair, briskly paced but calming and serene thanks the musical score you half expect Enya to pop up on? And a feeling of confidence in my growing skill to keep me coming back for more even after this review is posted? sign me up."



    Sentences need a subject and a predicate, and they all should probably start with a capital letter.


    I'm sure this will sound like somebody is just picking on the fat kid again, but when you claim to be a professional writer and brag about a "writing degree" it makes you seem like a liar when you cant manage stuff you should have picked up in elementary school.


    It seems like you really want to be a writer. If so, why not take some remedial adult education courses so you can learn how to do it well enough to be taken seriously? If you live near a major city I'm sure classes are available. A lot of GED classes are even free if you can't afford to pay for them.


    I did like how the font size kept changing - that helps keep things interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  112. A - As a whole in the US, the overall athletic ability of wrestlers has greatly increased. Yes, there are still quite a number of big lumbering oafs in wrestling today, but not as much as there was 25 years ago. On the whole, American wrestling is more high spots and agility than it was baxk then.

    B - territories were basically dead in 1989 (with a few hangers on), but still there were two companies that catered to two different audiences. We had WCW/NWA down here in the South that appealed to us, while the WWF catered to a more northern audience. WCW was geared a bit more for adults, while WWF was geared more towards the kids. Now we have one company that has to appeal to all of the US, which doesn't work like it should, resulting in more of a traveling circus act rather than a wrestling promotion. The territories allowed promotions to cater to the fans in their area: Memphis brawling along with some corniness, AWA and Mid-South were brawling and toughness, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Georgia, and World Class catered to the Southern Style, while WWF catered to the Northeast audience and kids. WWE today is a melting pot of all those territories along with some influences from Mexico and Japan.

    ReplyDelete
  113. I see what you're saying, but that's why they need to have bullet points rather than just mindlessly memorizing lines from a script. They teach these guys to cut promos in NXT, and if they can't trust them to cut a promo with bullet points, then either don't let them speak, give them a manager to speak for them, or send them back to NXT. Part of being successful at live tv is the ability to improvise.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Mmmm....open faced club sandwich....

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  115. Also, back in the 70s and 80s, wrestlers seemed more like tough guys than now. Take Arn Anderson for example. When Arn got in the ring, even when he was younger, you knew that he was a grown ass man ready to whoop some ass. Nowadays we have guys like Fandango, Sandow, Ryder, Bo, and so forth. Back then we had grown ass men who looked tough, and now we have a lot more guys who, although they may hit the gym, look more like narcissitic hipster douchebags rather than legit tough guys. Legitamacy has taken a back seat to entertainment.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Roman seems to be connecting with the audience pretty well.

    ReplyDelete
  117. I see what you did there. lol!

    ReplyDelete
  118. WWE workrate is light years better now. It is also nice that they don't treat us like we are stupid... meaning they admit a lot of it is scripted.


    In 1989 there were alternatives and JCP had some of the best matches in history... wish we had something like that today. Also storylines progressed more logically and over a longer period of time.

    ReplyDelete
  119. None of that explains why people should like it.


    When I was a kid and mama Parallax made me eat my vegetables it was obviously the right thing but I didn't enjoy it. Being the right thing to do is not always the enjoyable thing to do.

    ReplyDelete
  120. I stopped playing golf games on the NES.

    ReplyDelete
  121. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryAugust 24, 2014 at 11:57 AM

    Upvote for A. There aren't many guys on the roster right now who look like they will drop dead any day from roid use, and that's good.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Yeah, Austin should have totally had a scripted promo when he cut his King of the Ring promo, or when he cut his promos on Bret.

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  123. Good way of putting it. Which to me, when you get a guy like Cesaro, it's awesome, because he is a gym freak AND could kill you in a fight.

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  124. Wow, Vince Jordan bitching about everyone's opinions.


    THERE'S A BIG SURPRISE! I THINK I'M GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND DIE, FROM THAT SURPRISE!

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  125. Why should a "guy in his second year" to cut a FIFTEEN MINUTE PROMO?


    Fuck, I don't want to see a TWENTY YEAR VETERAN cutting that length of a promo,

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  126. The best one I've played was PGA Golf 2000. It didn't have tons of bells and whistles, but it was reasonably realistic and there was a community of people that designed courses for it that were really good. Another with lots of replayability.

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  127. Is your significant other named Elizabeth?

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  128. When Harper and Rowan finally split from Wyatt, I nominate Sons of the Soil as their team name

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  129. 1) Typo. I thought it was the Ly version instead of the lie version and forgot to check before posting.

    2) This is a creative choice. See also:

    "...anchored through history by honest-to-God newsmen with names like Murrow
    and Reasoner and Huntley and Brinkley and Buckley and Cronkite and
    Rather and Russert"

    "Okay. I'll tell you everything, and you tell me everything, and maybe
    we can get through all the piss and shit and lies that kill other
    people."

    " fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction." This is a 'rule of grammar', sure, but it's one I enjoy breaking.

    "How did you manage to get a "writing degree" without learning how to use
    a comma? Isn't that covered in the fifth grade? You don't go more than
    two sentences in a row without fucking it up. The rule isn't "I've been
    typing a while, better throw in a comma!".

    I personally like my cadence, but I hear what you're saying.

    "Sentences need a subject and a predicate, and they all should probably start with a capital letter."

    I wrote this, read it outloud twice, and did a spell check, I don't have editor. Regardless, I'd like to point you to the definition of artistic license regarding many of your questions and concerns, though they are appreciated.

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  130. Artistic license (also known as dramatic license, historical license, poetic license, narrative license, licentia poetica, or simply license) is a colloquial term, sometimes euphemism,
    used to denote the distortion of fact, alteration of the conventions of
    grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by an artist to improve a piece of art.

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  131. Not saying this is art, but you get the point.

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  132. JCP was dead by late 88. Yeah I'll be that guy. I just call it the NWA to avoid confusion.

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  133. Yeah I don't care. Literally everyone here, including you, knew what I meant.

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  134. His level of connection doesn't match the push he is getting, or the position they want him to be in. It may change over time but not at this moment.

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  135. It looks like JR must have scrapped whatever they had plan and just did his own thing.

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  136. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarAugust 24, 2014 at 12:57 PM

    If ECW is what you're in the mood for, why not?

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  137. Thank you for assuming I didn't know what artistic license is.


    There are rules to writing the English language. I didn't make them up. Claiming that breaking those rules is your "style" wont get you very far if you expect real people to take your writing seriously. It makes you seem ignorant. Real writers can get their style and cadence across while still writing in sentences.


    If you gave what you wrote to your fourth grade teacher, what grade would you expect?

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  138. I could listen to Ernie Ladd talk all day. His 2004 induction of JYD into the Hall of Fame is top notch stuff.

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  139. Dude, the girl was born in 1999. Stop.

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  140. I thought the Chairman would have put up a much better fight than that.

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  141. Goldberg was a perfect right place/right time/right guy situation.

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  142. I don't have editor?

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  143. shh.. that's just his style. He's an artist, you know. And video game reviews are just his free form poetry, daddy-o.

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  144. Better than 25 years ago:


    Production values- obviously with the advent of HD, wrestling has never been clearer, sharper or brighter, especially with the insane lighting rigs of the WWE. But to me, all that lighting makes the product look more commercial and generic. I always liked the darkened arena looks of the territories and early WWF because it made things look more authentic. But most people aren't me.


    Video on demand capabilities- In 1989, you had to get dressed, go to the video store, and hope that single copy of Chi-Town Rumble was available to rent 6 months after the show. Now, you can lay in your bed in your whitey-tighties and watch the last PPV on your iPhone, whether on the Network or YouTube.


    Physical shape of the wrestlers- almost everybody on the roster is in phenomenal shape, which is much more appealing to look at than pot-bellied balding jobbers. But again, this can lead to a generic product with everyone looking similar outside of the Kanes and Big Shows of the world.


    Health & Wellness- I'm no expert on the WWE benefits package but it seems like wrestlers are much more better taken care of than in years past, especially when it comes to drug abuse. But this is also a product of way too many deaths and way too long in coming to terms with protecting the workers.


    Worse Than 25 Years Ago:


    Overexposure- While the WWF of 1989 had a similar amount of television time per week, it seems that today's product seems to be way overexposed in comparison, A lot of that has to do with monthly PPV's, the advent of the Network, and the lack of enhancement talent to put bigger names over instead of giving away marquee match-ups every week. I remember almost everything that happened between 1986-89 in the WWF and NWA but I can't tell you what happened a month ago in the WWE.


    Booking Style- The 50/50 booking of today's WWE midcard is all that needs to be said here. WWE has a few guys that could be main event players right now (Cesaro, Ziggler, etc) if they had just pulled the trigger and gave them a stronger push. Also, the constant jobbing of champions in non-title matches is just about the most absurd booking practice of the last 100 years.


    Value of Championships- Speaking of champions, I was a huge fan of the secondary titles back in the day because they gave lower level talent a chance to shine and created more space at the top of the card. And they were contested hotly and treated with respect. Think of all the great matches and feuds over the Intercontinental and WCW/NWA U.S Titles. And now they're almost all treated like props except the World Title.


    There are a lot more that come to mind in each category but these jumped out at me first.

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  145. He could have if he didn't start dancing like an idiot. Got what he deserved for that one.

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  146. I'm not sure the North/South thing had as much to do with it as the way the product was presented. The NWA/WCW did big business in places like Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit because the working class fanbases there enjoyed the grittier and more realistic presentation. I'm from Chicago and was a huge NWA mark back in the day and would literally get in fights at school over which was better. The cartoon style of the WWF just didn't appeal to me as much, even as a kid.

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  147. That's HUGE. Nothing will ever beat wrestlers coming out to "Iron Man", "Free Bird", "Stranglehold", "China White", etc.

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  148. The George Bush one is probably one of my all time favorites, although I know a lot of the hardcore fans and critics don't love it.


    "It's your sons, George Bush, Jr and Jeb Bush. Come outside Dad!"

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