The Wrestling Discussion Thread

[BunnyRabbit]

Actually you're right. Cody's work in the ring has been astonishing ever sine he walked out onto WrestleMania. Even in nothing TV matches that nobody cares about, he makes you take notice. I can't even think of a bad Cody Rhodes match since he returned. He's definitely the best wrestler in the company right now.

which has been a huge improvement since his ROH days.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

AJ is Mr TNA. His best run was in TNA.

Yes that AJ was a different wrestler to the AJ of NJPW and WWE. But in terms of mic skills, he has become a lot better since coming to WWE.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

which has been a huge improvement since his ROH days.

Tbh, I didn't watch him during his indie run where he rediscovered himself. But when I saw him in AEW for the first time in years I was blown away. I still don't think he has had a match in WWE like the one he had against Dustin at the first Double Or Nothing in 2019. Nor an exciting and crazy car crash type match like the Ladder match he had against Sammy Guevara right before he left. But he feels like a more complete wrestler now than he ever did before. The consistency is what stands out for me. In the ring and on the mic. I didn't see enough of that in AEW.

 

[shaz619]

Brock does not strike me as someone who loves the business. I mean its no secret that he never watched wrestling growing up, or was never even a fan. But that said, he's a professional, he is very smart and he was taught the business and given advice by some of the biggest and smartest minds in wrestling. People like Cornette, Mr. Perfect, Taker, Rock and Austin. That combined with years of experience has made Brock what he is today. Which is a wrestler unlike anyone we have ever seen in this business.

I think his passion for the business shows in his work, the thing he strongly disliked was the travel and he took it hard as a young father. For one to work the way he does, you need to love the business and especially when you give back so generously. It’s a nice sweet gig, but he don’t need the money. Many of the top guys are paid well regardless and not much is made of it, but he’s still here. You see him at the end of his matches and I’d even go back to that match with Rollins at WM, I don’t know if it was televised but he broke character, just took his time to take in the atmosphere. As you mentioned, he learned from the OG’s, and more importantly, he put into practice what they taught, agree it wasn’t a love at first sight thing, but I think his gimmick for good reasons gets in the way of how much he loves wrestling

 

[shaz619]

Think he'll remain as one of the very good wrestlers of the current era which is actually quite good considering he started out as an indie guy wrestling in gyms and stuff. He needs to add some more psychology in his matches like during his feud with Reigns last year.

Rollins hit his peak as WWE champion in his first run with the belt imo

 

[Firebat]

That was a fantastic match except for the ending. It was stupid and supposedly God willed for the rope to break as you can see Roman raising his finger and looking to the sky after the victory. It was after that match the Bloodline started raising the finger in their entrances and promos. Finn is fantastic and doesn't get the credit he deserves.

That is utter rubbish lol. They wasted that awesome Demon moment on a pathetic story like that

This kinda stuff is why I'm conflicted about getting fully reinvested in it, I find it infuriating sometimes.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Tbh, I didn't watch him during his indie run where he rediscovered himself. But when I saw him in AEW for the first time in years I was blown away. I still don't think he has had a match in WWE like the one he had against Dustin at the first Double Or Nothing in 2019. Nor an exciting and crazy car crash type match like the Ladder match he had against Sammy Guevara right before he left. But he feels like a more complete wrestler now than he ever did before. The consistency is what stands out for me. In the ring and on the mic. I didn't see enough of that in AEW.

I think if we roll back 1 year further, he was vastly inferior in terms of working a match. Even his match with Okada wasn't that good. It was around the time All In started to materialize that he really started turning a new corner.

On mic, I think even though he's extremely good, there's still room for improvement. He can cut back on keeping a happy face all the time wearing suits. Sometimes maintaining a calm low voice can add much more intensity to the promos something Edge and Randy are extremely good at.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

That is utter rubbish lol. They wasted that awesome Demon moment on a pathetic story like that

This kinda stuff is why I'm conflicted about getting fully reinvested in it, I find it infuriating sometimes.

Yes. They do one thing that's fantastic, then do two laughable things. That's why i only selectively watch it. Have been fast forwarding majority of stupid matches and storylines (women's tag teams etc)

But that was the best presentation of Demon on the main roster. The resurrection scene was done brilliantly only for them to give us that ending.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Rollins hit his peak as WWE champion in his first run with the belt imo

His heel work was great and he was an unknown quantity by that point. But I think he was massively presented as a guy who couldn't fight that too as a champion. Too much focus was given to the authority and Big Show and Kane etc. In his match vs Lesnar, he barely got any offense.

His in ring work started winning the crowd during his IC title run back in 2018 but his character was still just an angry emo adult. His current character (even though annoying) has been played the best by him. And he's started to make reasonable decisions of not doing the same move 4-5 times in a match (like Omega does his v trigger 70% of the match), he's cut back on pointless moves that might injure him or his opponents. Think hes still improving. But like you said, his ring psychology needs some good improvement.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

[MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] don't know if you guys saw yesterday's Raw but the battle royal was probably the best one they've done in last 7-8 years. Every elimination had a story behind it, majority of spots were fun. Usually the battle royals are stupid till the last 4-5, but I was taken aback by this one surprisingly.

They also gave a hint of Ciampa returning to form DIY as a face. Gargano subtly said "He's coming" to his family. It was a blink and you miss it.

DIY vs Usos could be an awesome feud.

 

[shaz619]

His heel work was great and he was an unknown quantity by that point. But I think he was massively presented as a guy who couldn't fight that too as a champion. Too much focus was given to the authority and Big Show and Kane etc. In his match vs Lesnar, he barely got any offense.

His in ring work started winning the crowd during his IC title run back in 2018 but his character was still just an angry emo adult. His current character (even though annoying) has been played the best by him. And he's started to make reasonable decisions of not doing the same move 4-5 times in a match (like Omega does his v trigger 70% of the match), he's cut back on pointless moves that might injure him or his opponents. Think hes still improving. But like you said, his ring psychology needs some good improvement.

He was portraying a chicken sh!t heel so I was fine with the booking, these days they have Priest treated the same, despite being a big dude, plus he is no champ either. Rollins best match was against Cena at SS, you can argue more credit for Cena, but I’d say it was a career highlight for Rollins. He is more rounded now but still has similar matches due to his ring IQ, there isn’t a night and day difference, you look CM Punk and he actually became a better performer in the WWE system and improved year on

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] don't know if you guys saw yesterday's Raw but the battle royal was probably the best one they've done in last 7-8 years. Every elimination had a story behind it, majority of spots were fun. Usually the battle royals are stupid till the last 4-5, but I was taken aback by this one surprisingly.

They also gave a hint of Ciampa returning to form DIY as a face. Gargano subtly said "He's coming" to his family. It was a blink and you miss it.

DIY vs Usos could be an awesome feud.

I saw the highlights on YT and thought it was great, I loved the finish and especially to see Ali win, maybe his biggest victory since beating Daniel Bryan ?

 

[Hitman]

Will you ever forgive Chris Benoit?

I'm asking this because I often ask this question to myself. From whatever we fans have heard over the years, he was a wonderful person. Add to that, one of the most professional person in the business. I never watched WCW, but I followed his career from the beginning to the end in the WWF. In fact after his demise, when his DVD set was discontinued by the WWF, I bought it from eBay at double the price of the set.

I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but I've never spoken about it on PP. The man went insane after his best friend, Eddie's death. What are your views on him after what he did?

 

[BunnyRabbit]

He was portraying a chicken sh!t heel so I was fine with the booking, these days they have Priest treated the same, despite being a big dude, plus he is no champ either. Rollins best match was against Cena at SS, you can argue more credit for Cena, but I’d say it was a career highlight for Rollins. He is more rounded now but still has similar matches due to his ring IQ, there isn’t a night and day difference, you look CM Punk and he actually became a better performer in the WWE system and improved year on

Offcourse. The similar thing could be said about Roman too. During his NXT days, he was the worst wrestler out Rollins and Ambrose but he's improved leaps and bounds since and now is one of the best.
I still don't know what is Seth's best match and yes they are kinda repetitive. I loved his feud with Edge though especially the first match.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I saw the highlights on YT and thought it was great, I loved the finish and especially to see Ali win, maybe his biggest victory since beating Daniel Bryan ?

Yes probably. Musafa has big following in Saudia and will get great reaction there too. They would have had Mansoor win if he wasn't stuck in that Male Model gimmick.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I'm asking this because I often ask this question to myself. From whatever we fans have heard over the years, he was a wonderful person. Add to that, one of the most professional person in the business. I never watched WCW, but I followed his career from the beginning to the end in the WWF. In fact after his demise, when his DVD set was discontinued by the WWF, I bought it from eBay at double the price of the set.

I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but I've never spoken about it on PP. The man went insane after his best friend, Eddie's death. What are your views on him after what he did?

He only remained alive for 1 or 2 days after what he did. That doesn't take away the in ring talent he had and the great matches he put over the years or the body of work he had. Think he abused steroids as well looking at his body. He also had a far for stable marriage life in last few years too. The thing about us fans forgiving Benoit doesn't count because it was he himself and his family and the relatives of his family that he hurt and obviously no one is sympathising with a killer. He did what he did. But that doesn't take away the body of work in the ring he left behind.

 

[Hitman]

Superstar Billy Graham has passed away.

 

[Hitman]

He only remained alive for 1 or 2 days after what he did. That doesn't take away the in ring talent he had and the great matches he put over the years or the body of work he had. Think he abused steroids as well looking at his body. He also had a far for stable marriage life in last few years too. The thing about us fans forgiving Benoit doesn't count because it was he himself and his family and the relatives of his family that he hurt and obviously no one is sympathising with a killer. He did what he did. But that doesn't take away the body of work in the ring he left behind.

Does the world recognize OJ Simpson’s legendary football career anymore?

 

[The_KING]

I'm asking this because I often ask this question to myself. From whatever we fans have heard over the years, he was a wonderful person. Add to that, one of the most professional person in the business. I never watched WCW, but I followed his career from the beginning to the end in the WWF. In fact after his demise, when his DVD set was discontinued by the WWF, I bought it from eBay at double the price of the set.

I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but I've never spoken about it on PP. The man went insane after his best friend, Eddie's death. What are your views on him after what he did?

Tbh, I was never really a big Benoit fan. Great in-ring talent, but I always thought he lacked charisma, so he never really appealed to me. So having said that, what he did although shocking, doesn't really affect me that much. Now if one of my favourites like The Undertaker did what Benoit did, it would have made me fall out of love with wrestling.

It is a shame that one of the greatest ever triple threat matches in WWE history is a match that has been deleted from history, due to Benoit's actions. I feel sorry for Hunter and HBK.

Also, one of my all time favourites Wrestlemania moment is when Eddie came out to hug Benoit to close Wrestlemania 20. Now, even though I never cared for Benoit, I was and still am a big Eddie fan, and seeing him come out to hug his best friend made me really emotional back in 2004. It still makes me emotional, but for completely different reasons.

Benoit was great performer, but his actions were abhorrent and his fans need to stop justifying his actions by bringing up CTE and brain damage. All the good that he did inside the wrestling ring is sadly overshadowed by his horrific actions in the last two days of his life.

 

[Hitman]

Tbh, I was never really a big Benoit fan. Great in-ring talent, but I always thought he lacked charisma, so he never really appealed to me. So having said that, what he did although shocking, doesn't really affect me that much. Now if one of my favourites like The Undertaker did what Benoit did, it would have made me fall out of love with wrestling.

It is a shame that one of the greatest ever triple threat matches in WWE history is a match that has been deleted from history, due to Benoit's actions. I feel sorry for Hunter and HBK.

Also, one of my all time favourites Wrestlemania moment is when Eddie came out to hug Benoit to close Wrestlemania 20. Now, even though I never cared for Benoit, I was and still am a big Eddie fan, and seeing him come out to hug his best friend made me really emotional back in 2004. It still makes me emotional, but for completely different reasons.

Benoit was great performer, but his actions were abhorrent and his fans need to stop justifying his actions by bringing up CTE and brain damage. All the good that he did inside the wrestling ring is sadly overshadowed by his horrific actions in the last two days of his life.

Murdering a 7 year old child is unpardonable.

 

[The_Odd_One]

I'm asking this because I often ask this question to myself. From whatever we fans have heard over the years, he was a wonderful person. Add to that, one of the most professional person in the business. I never watched WCW, but I followed his career from the beginning to the end in the WWF. In fact after his demise, when his DVD set was discontinued by the WWF, I bought it from eBay at double the price of the set.

I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but I've never spoken about it on PP. The man went insane after his best friend, Eddie's death. What are your views on him after what he did?

Benoit was a complicated character. By all accounts he was a loving father who cared for his family. He was a respected veteran who was a phenomenal wrestler. However, he was a ***** to rookies. There are incidents of him putting other wrestlers in cross face in real life.

I think he was sick who really needed help. He was not a serial killer or a psychopath who enjoyed people's suffering. Watch the interviews of Stephanie and Triple H after Benoit's death. He was the first person to congratulate them when they decided to get married. Other wrestlers like Jericho also speak highly of him.

Nothing can justify his actions but in the end he killed himself after probably realizing what he had done.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Superstar Billy Graham has passed away.

What a great heel Superstar was, so ahead of his time! Loved his matches with Bruno and Backlund. His gimmick and heel work was top-notch.

 

[Firebat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/DGGpFsEkOk">pic.twitter.com/DGGpFsEkOk</a></p>— Memorable Moments From WWE Promos (@PromoMomentsWWE) <a href="https://twitter.com/PromoMomentsWWE/status/1659259548597665792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I think if we roll back 1 year further, he was vastly inferior in terms of working a match. Even his match with Okada wasn't that good. It was around the time All In started to materialize that he really started turning a new corner.

On mic, I think even though he's extremely good, there's still room for improvement. He can cut back on keeping a happy face all the time wearing suits. Sometimes maintaining a calm low voice can add much more intensity to the promos something Edge and Randy are extremely good at.

For me its the catchphrase that gets on my nerves a bit. "So what do you wanna talk about"...its like okay bro we get it, its your catchphrase. But then he starts cutting his promo and you completely captivated as a viewer.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I'm asking this because I often ask this question to myself. From whatever we fans have heard over the years, he was a wonderful person. Add to that, one of the most professional person in the business. I never watched WCW, but I followed his career from the beginning to the end in the WWF. In fact after his demise, when his DVD set was discontinued by the WWF, I bought it from eBay at double the price of the set.

I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but I've never spoken about it on PP. The man went insane after his best friend, Eddie's death. What are your views on him after what he did?

I'm not someone who struggles to watch his matches. For me, he will always be one of the greatest wrestlers that ever stepped into a ring. But at the same time, I think he deserves the highest condemnation as a human being because of what he did. And it totally makes sense to me that people want to erase his name and legacy from history.

I don't know who said it, but this line always stayed with me regarding this tragedy. "Three people died in that house that night. Only one person had the choice behind it."

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Tbh, I was never really a big Benoit fan. Great in-ring talent, but I always thought he lacked charisma, so he never really appealed to me. So having said that, what he did although shocking, doesn't really affect me that much. Now if one of my favourites like The Undertaker did what Benoit did, it would have made me fall out of love with wrestling.

It is a shame that one of the greatest ever triple threat matches in WWE history is a match that has been deleted from history, due to Benoit's actions. I feel sorry for Hunter and HBK.

Also, one of my all time favourites Wrestlemania moment is when Eddie came out to hug Benoit to close Wrestlemania 20. Now, even though I never cared for Benoit, I was and still am a big Eddie fan, and seeing him come out to hug his best friend made me really emotional back in 2004. It still makes me emotional, but for completely different reasons.

Benoit was great performer, but his actions were abhorrent and his fans need to stop justifying his actions by bringing up CTE and brain damage. All the good that he did inside the wrestling ring is sadly overshadowed by his horrific actions in the last two days of his life.

This. I'm so sick of hearing this as an excuse for Benoit's actions.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

[MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] don't know if you guys saw yesterday's Raw but the battle royal was probably the best one they've done in last 7-8 years. Every elimination had a story behind it, majority of spots were fun. Usually the battle royals are stupid till the last 4-5, but I was taken aback by this one surprisingly.

They also gave a hint of Ciampa returning to form DIY as a face. Gargano subtly said "He's coming" to his family. It was a blink and you miss it.

DIY vs Usos could be an awesome feud.

Eh I can't say I care about this stuff. It doesn't appeal to me. I'd rather just take a DIY reunion sans Gargano's wife, that girl from NXT and the fake serial killer guy. But I'm guessing they are going to rehash their insufferable NXT faction or something.

Said it months ago that a DIY reunion could be exactly what WWE's tag division needs. DIY v Owens/Zayn is another mouth-watering prospect. This might be the only thing that keeps Johnny Gargano relevant on the main-roster too. Because right now he's not far away from dropping down to the jobber tier.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I saw the highlights on YT and thought it was great, I loved the finish and especially to see Ali win, maybe his biggest victory since beating Daniel Bryan ?

Tbh,I thought they bungled the finish a little bit eventhough the idea was good. At the end of the day though, its hard to see this is having any meaning at all. Because we've seen Mustafa Ali booked like a jobber for well over a year now. And you just know that they are doing this because he's a Muslim and they are going to Saudi. As soon as he comes back, he'll be back to jobbing out.

Which is why its hard to care about this match at all. Eventhough I'm sure it will be very good from an in-ring standpoint.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

One thing that HHH deserves alot of credit for is the booking of Gunther. He has brought back so much prestige to the IC title with this long reign. Really hope he surpasses Honky Tonk Man.

 

[Hitman]

I'm not someone who struggles to watch his matches. For me, he will always be one of the greatest wrestlers that ever stepped into a ring. But at the same time, I think he deserves the highest condemnation as a human being because of what he did. And it totally makes sense to me that people want to erase his name and legacy from history.

I don't know who said it, but this line always stayed with me regarding this tragedy. "Three people died in that house that night. Only one person had the choice behind it."

Paul Haymen said that. And he is completely right.

 

[Hitman]

RIP, Superstar Billy Graham! You will forever be loved and missed.

 

[shaz619]

One thing that HHH deserves alot of credit for is the booking of Gunther. He has brought back so much prestige to the IC title with this long reign. Really hope he surpasses Honky Tonk Man.

He deserves zero credit, Vince laid the foundations for Gunther, he’s at a point now where even Russo couldn’t botch this

 

[shaz619]

Tbh,I thought they bungled the finish a little bit eventhough the idea was good. At the end of the day though, its hard to see this is having any meaning at all. Because we've seen Mustafa Ali booked like a jobber for well over a year now. And you just know that they are doing this because he's a Muslim and they are going to Saudi. As soon as he comes back, he'll be back to jobbing out.

Which is why its hard to care about this match at all. Eventhough I'm sure it will be very good from an in-ring standpoint.

The drop kick off the springboard was nice but yeah he will be back to jobbing, he was actually treated better under Vince, which is funny, because he is meant to be a HHH guy despite the latter’s racist views on Pakistani’s.

Anyway, I hope they give him some time to shine.

 

[shaz619]

This. I'm so sick of hearing this as an excuse for Benoit's actions.

I don’t know if it’s an excuse, these startling facts are often discussed whenever his actions are raised. His brain was that of an 80 year old alzheimer's patient. Nothing can justify what he did but he was well F’ed in every conceivable way in the head

 

[shaz619]

I'm asking this because I often ask this question to myself. From whatever we fans have heard over the years, he was a wonderful person. Add to that, one of the most professional person in the business. I never watched WCW, but I followed his career from the beginning to the end in the WWF. In fact after his demise, when his DVD set was discontinued by the WWF, I bought it from eBay at double the price of the set.

I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, but I've never spoken about it on PP. The man went insane after his best friend, Eddie's death. What are your views on him after what he did?

His actions are simply unforgivable, but with age and looking at the current state of the industry, I have grown to admire Benoit the wrestler, even more so than in his prime. I wouldn’t criticise you if you wanted to induct the wrestler in the HOF. He was a big part of my childhood and I am deeply disappointed in how things turned out, but I still pick him at times in SvR 2006 and beat the hell out of Jericho

 

[shaz619]

Superstar Billy Graham has passed away.

An extremely under rated performer and so influential on the greatest stars in wrestling, be it Flair or Hogan. He could work, look the part and talk, so charismatic; we go from Superstar Billy Graham all the way to monkeys like Seth Freaking Rollins now, how sad. I recommend his doc on the network, so good, a fascinating man, Ali modelled himself after Gorgeous George and Superstar was inspired by Ali!

RIP

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Eh I can't say I care about this stuff. It doesn't appeal to me. I'd rather just take a DIY reunion sans Gargano's wife, that girl from NXT and the fake serial killer guy. But I'm guessing they are going to rehash their insufferable NXT faction or something.

Said it months ago that a DIY reunion could be exactly what WWE's tag division needs. DIY v Owens/Zayn is another mouth-watering prospect. This might be the only thing that keeps Johnny Gargano relevant on the main-roster too. Because right now he's not far away from dropping down to the jobber tier.

Ciampa will probably reunite with Gargano and his family. Seems like he's coming back as a face.
Indi Hartwell is actually one of the better female wrestlers. DIY would be fire/

 

[BunnyRabbit]

The drop kick off the springboard was nice but yeah he will be back to jobbing, he was actually treated better under Vince, which is funny, because he is meant to be a HHH guy despite the latter’s racist views on Pakistani’s.

Anyway, I hope they give him some time to shine.

What racist views on Pakistanis?

 

[The_KING]

The drop kick off the springboard was nice but yeah he will be back to jobbing, he was actually treated better under Vince, which is funny, because he is meant to be a HHH guy despite the latter’s racist views on Pakistani’s.

Anyway, I hope they give him some time to shine.

What?

 

[The_KING]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/DGGpFsEkOk">pic.twitter.com/DGGpFsEkOk</a></p>— Memorable Moments From WWE Promos (@PromoMomentsWWE) <a href="https://twitter.com/PromoMomentsWWE/status/1659259548597665792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Foley is so underrated. One of the all time greats.

He sacrificed his body for the industry and he played a big part in wrestlers like Triple H, The Rock, Randy Orton & Edge getting over as legit single guys. He even elevated The Undertaker to another level, thanks to their feud in 1996 & 1998.

 

[shaz619]

What racist views on Pakistanis?

What?

Check this:

https://youtu.be/b4Oc28SMnY8



He is pretty pro India though, given his efforts over there to and some of the talent he has been responsible for

 

[shaz619]

Who actually deserves the World Heavyweight Championship ?

- Someone who looks the part and isn’t another midget

- Isn’t getting a push the moment they show up because of their surname

- Actually carried the company through the devastating pandemic

- Can work, talk and keep himself in prime condition; an actual Heavyweight!

- Does the job time and time again, puts in the yards despite his inconsistent booking

What more does this man need to do, I wonder who he might be

 

[shaz619]

His actions are simply unforgivable, but with age and looking at the current state of the industry, I have grown to admire Benoit the wrestler, even more so than in his prime. I wouldn’t criticise you if you wanted to induct the wrestler in the HOF. He was a big part of my childhood and I am deeply disappointed in how things turned out, but I still pick him at times in SvR 2006 and beat the hell out of Jericho

The more I think about it, Benoit the wrestler is a hero of mine. I have no shame to admit that.

 

[The_KING]

Check this:

https://youtu.be/b4Oc28SMnY8



He is pretty pro India though, given his efforts over there to and some of the talent he has been responsible for

lol this is attitude era in a nutshell)

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Check this:

https://youtu.be/b4Oc28SMnY8



He is pretty pro India though, given his efforts over there to and some of the talent he has been responsible for

That was DX being themselves, trying to be funny. Not that it would fly under during current era. This was the entire DX gimmick, the adolescent-teen behavior trying to be funny.

India is a big market and Asia is a big big hub for wrestling fans. Although Vince wanted to push Mustafa Ali (but then they had a falling out over certain change in direction in gimmick)

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Who actually deserves the World Heavyweight Championship ?

- Someone who looks the part and isn’t another midget

- Isn’t getting a push the moment they show up because of their surname

- Actually carried the company through the devastating pandemic

- Can work, talk and keep himself in prime condition; an actual Heavyweight!

- Does the job time and time again, puts in the yards despite his inconsistent booking

What more does this man need to do, I wonder who he might be

Drew is the guy who comes to my mind after reading all that.

 

[The_KING]

Who actually deserves the World Heavyweight Championship ?

- Someone who looks the part and isn’t another midget

- Isn’t getting a push the moment they show up because of their surname

- Actually carried the company through the devastating pandemic

- Can work, talk and keep himself in prime condition; an actual Heavyweight!

- Does the job time and time again, puts in the yards despite his inconsistent booking

What more does this man need to do, I wonder who he might be

Bobby Lashley?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He deserves zero credit, Vince laid the foundations for Gunther, he’s at a point now where even Russo couldn’t botch this

I don't know man. Right before Vince left, alot of rumors were swirling that Vince was done with him and wanted to do a gimmick change.

Hunter is the one who made this reign happen by booking him so strongly, and against so many great opponents. I'm pretty sure that if it was up to Hunter he would still be called WALTER too.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I don’t know if it’s an excuse, these startling facts are often discussed whenever his actions are raised. His brain was that of an 80 year old alzheimer's patient. Nothing can justify what he did but he was well F’ed in every conceivable way in the head

I get all that. But I've seen way too many people use it as an excuse. I think we need to draw a line between his head genuinely was f'ed up, and the fact the he killed an innocent woman and child in cold blood.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I don't think anyone in WWE sees Mustafa Ali as a Pakistani. I think they just view him as a person of color who hails from Chicago. Pakistan as a market is not important enough to pop up on their radar. We don't even have the WWE Network here. It's different with India which is why you see them trying to make Jinder Mahal a thing after every 6 months.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Its so good to see my man Roddy Strong in AEW. He is another one of those guys like O'Reilly that were treated very poorly once they started that NXT 2.0 crap. For me Roddy has always been an incredible wrestler. The good thing about AEW is that it will provide him with a platform to do what he does best, wrestle.

And that nutcase Bobby Fish being out of the picture won't stop the Undisputed Era from reuniting either. The only danger is ofcourse the booking of Tony Khan. Which already buried the previous iteration of the Undisputed Era six feet beneath the ground.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

How is it that Meltzer and his sidekick always happen to at the center of spreading rumors about CM Punk that end up creating some kind of controversy. It's like its a concentrated effort to their part of sabotage Punk's return.

 

[shaz619]

I get all that. But I've seen way too many people use it as an excuse. I think we need to draw a line between his head genuinely was f'ed up, and the fact the he killed an innocent woman and child in cold blood.

I don’t know who would explicitly use that as an excuse? programmes like dark side et al will cover every detail surrounding his death, we can’t change the circumstances, it doesn’t make anything right regardless

 

[shaz619]

I don't think anyone in WWE sees Mustafa Ali as a Pakistani. I think they just view him as a person of color who hails from Chicago. Pakistan as a market is not important enough to pop up on their radar. We don't even have the WWE Network here. It's different with India which is why you see them trying to make Jinder Mahal a thing after every 6 months.

There is more potential with Ali and his story / background, especially in the US and he was hor at one point but now has been ruined beyond repair. They’ve tried and failed many times in India, it’s just not as lucrative as expected, but Hunter is obsessed with the region and talents like the Indus Bum

 

[shaz619]

I don't know man. Right before Vince left, alot of rumors were swirling that Vince was done with him and wanted to do a gimmick change.

Hunter is the one who made this reign happen by booking him so strongly, and against so many great opponents. I'm pretty sure that if it was up to Hunter he would still be called WALTER too.

I liked WALTER but Gunther is one of those rare instances where the change is working for the better. Vince is many things but one thing which he recognises is the potential in main event, top of the card talent, for whatever was written about his feelings, a lot of those myths were debunked with his support for Gunther, he got the character and admired the work ethic, especially how he improved himself physically and he’s a mark for that, it’s easier to get Gunther, he’d have viewed him in the mould of a modern Killer Kowalski. With Vince, you’re either on his team to begin with, or you’re not, you saw what happened with the likes of Kross and AJ when they came in.

Up until this point I don’t think it would have been difficult to book a talent like Gunther, where he goes from here will be interesting

 

[shaz619]

How is it that Meltzer and his sidekick always happen to at the center of spreading rumors about CM Punk that end up creating some kind of controversy. It's like its a concentrated effort to their part of sabotage Punk's return.

So both sides benefit and Meltzer gets to make a video spewing lies with his bf Alvarez

But more folk are starting to wake up now

 

[shaz619]

Drew is the guy who comes to my mind after reading all that.

Yes

 

[shaz619]

Bobby Lashley?

That’s a good shout, only thing I’d say is he is probably in his twilight, even though his condition and performances are yet to show that, so damn consistent

 

[Firebat]

Foley is so underrated. One of the all time greats.

He sacrificed his body for the industry and he played a big part in wrestlers like Triple H, The Rock, Randy Orton & Edge getting over as legit single guys. He even elevated The Undertaker to another level, thanks to their feud in 1996 & 1998.

Quite possibly the biggest masochist in WWE history, took sacrificing his body to a different level. Just that 1998 Hell in a Cell match vs Undertaker automatically makes him an ATG. The behind the scenes stories about that match are both amazing and awful in equal measure.

 

[Hitman]

Quite possibly the biggest masochist in WWE history, took sacrificing his body to a different level. Just that 1998 Hell in a Cell match vs Undertaker automatically makes him an ATG. The behind the scenes stories about that match are both amazing and awful in equal measure.

I love Foley and have massive respect for him. But I absolutely hate it when a wrestler goes out of his way to take horrible bumps and do things that effect their long term health. We do not need them to go beyond a certain limit to entertain us. We are happy with them wrestling like the way Bret, Flair, Steamboat, Savage, etc did. Look at what happened to the likes of Dynamite Kid and Chris Benoit because of their style of wrestling.

Till this day I've never understood why fans loved ECW. Come on, that's not wrestling. What the wrestlers did in ECW didn't require much talent, nor did it require them to train for years to perfect their art. I'd rather watch Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle performing magic in the ring like they did in Wrestlemania 2005, instead of watching some guy cut his opponent's forehead with a blade in ECW.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I love Foley and have massive respect for him. But I absolutely hate it when a wrestler goes out of his way to take horrible bumps and do things that effect their long term health. We do not need them to go beyond a certain limit to entertain us. We are happy with them wrestling like the way Bret, Flair, Steamboat, Savage, etc did. Look at what happened to the likes of Dynamite Kid and Chris Benoit because of their style of wrestling.

Till this day I've never understood why fans loved ECW. Come on, that's not wrestling. What the wrestlers did in ECW didn't require much talent, nor did it require them to train for years to perfect their art. I'd rather watch Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle performing magic in the ring like they did in Wrestlemania 2005, instead of watching some guy cut his opponent's forehead with a blade in ECW.

Yes it is unfortunate that Foley---who was a once in a generation talent---convinced these skinny, no physique, no talent, drug-addicted looking deathmatch wrestlers that they could get over just by taking insane bumps and mutilating their body. But that's a natural by-product of anytime a pioneer does something groundbreaking.

Re: ECW, you have to understand that it was a moment in time. In any other era but the 90s, I question how successful ECW would have been. ECW became popular at a time when alot of smart fans started making up the wrestling audience. And alot of them wanted a true alternative to WWE and WCW. Which is exactly what ECW was. It wasn't as much about the matches, as it was about the angles, the hot crowds, the environment and that anti-establishment feel. They were doing what WWE and WCW didn't have the guts to do. And you can hardly argue with the results when you look at how passionate their fanbase used to be and how hot their shows used to be.

That said, there was great wrestling on there as well. Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero and Malenko all cut their teeth in ECW before going to WCW. Mysterio first got famous in the US because of his incredible matches in ECW with Juventud Guerrera and Psychosis, that hold up to this day. RVD v Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven '99 is one fo the finest wrestling matches I have ever seen period

There were also Taz, Dreamer, Raven, Sandman, Sabu, Bigelow, the Dudleys, who were all wildly popular. The only problem they had was that they couldn't stop Bischoff from raiding their talent roster and Heyman was awful at managing the financial side of the company and paying his wrestlers.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

So both sides benefit and Meltzer gets to make a video spewing lies with his bf Alvarez

But more folk are starting to wake up now

The rumors are saying that Punk and Tony have not come to an agreement regarding Ace Steel. What I don't get is that why do these dirtsheets (which is exactly what they should be called) pass opinions on these rumors as if they are a certain fact? When the only certain fact is that they were not there when these talks happened and they are all being fed contradicting stories by sources that may or may not be biased towards one side. So all they are really doing is passing conjecture that threatens to make the situation worse.

Hopefully whatever is happening gets resolved and the biggest star in wrestling right now can come back to do what he does best. It is curious that they didn't announce the United Center as the venue for the first Collision. Feels like a strange thing to make people wait another week for. But hey, I'm not a dirsheet writer so I won't indulge in conjecture.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Yes it is unfortunate that Foley---who was a once in a generation talent---convinced these skinny, no physique, no talent, drug-addicted looking deathmatch wrestlers that they could get over just by taking insane bumps and mutilating their body. But that's a natural by-product of anytime a pioneer does something groundbreaking.

Re: ECW, you have to understand that it was a moment in time. In any other era but the 90s, I question how successful ECW would have been. ECW became popular at a time when alot of smart fans started making up the wrestling audience. And alot of them wanted a true alternative to WWE and WCW. Which is exactly what ECW was. It wasn't as much about the matches, as it was about the angles, the hot crowds, the environment and that anti-establishment feel. They were doing what WWE and WCW didn't have the guts to do. And you can hardly argue with the results when you look at how passionate their fanbase used to be and how hot their shows used to be.

That said, there was great wrestling on there as well. Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero and Malenko all cut their teeth in ECW before going to WCW. Mysterio first got famous in the US because of his incredible matches in ECW with Juventud Guerrera and Psychosis, that hold up to this day. RVD v Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven '99 is one fo the finest wrestling matches I have ever seen period

There were also Taz, Dreamer, Raven, Sandman, Sabu, Bigelow, the Dudleys, who were all wildly popular. The only problem they had was that they couldn't stop Bischoff from raiding their talent roster and Heyman was awful at managing the financial side of the company and paying his wrestlers.

Also important to note that ECW was a symptom of the time. Which is one of the biggest reasons why it doesn't hold up as well today. Back then, people popped for angles about lesbians, miscarriages, t*ts and a**, and all that lowest common denominator crap that WWF was doing as well. As far as the violence was concerned, that level of violence in major wrestling promotion was not something people had become sensitized to, because back then guys weren't going through a table 3 times a night on Nitro, nor were Austin and Rock rolling around in glass and barbed wire in the main-event of RAW

 

[BunnyRabbit]

That’s a good shout, only thing I’d say is he is probably in his twilight, even though his condition and performances are yet to show that, so damn consistent

Lashley is the best looking 47 year old in terms of shape.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Its so good to see my man Roddy Strong in AEW. He is another one of those guys like O'Reilly that were treated very poorly once they started that NXT 2.0 crap. For me Roddy has always been an incredible wrestler. The good thing about AEW is that it will provide him with a platform to do what he does best, wrestle.

And that nutcase Bobby Fish being out of the picture won't stop the Undisputed Era from reuniting either. The only danger is ofcourse the booking of Tony Khan. Which already buried the previous iteration of the Undisputed Era six feet beneath the ground.

I am not expecting Tony to book UE any good. UE as a faction reached its peak in NXT. Tony himself has done awfully when it comes to creating factions.

Inner Circle succeeded due to Jericho and BCC due to the creative mind of Regal, Bryan and Mox. The Elite is basically just bullet club. The Pinnacle, The Firm, Dark Order, JAS, Best Friends, Nightmare Family etc all have been meh.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I am not expecting Tony to book UE any good. UE as a faction reached its peak in NXT. Tony himself has done awfully when it comes to creating factions.

Inner Circle succeeded due to Jericho and BCC due to the creative mind of Regal, Bryan and Mox. The Elite is basically just bullet club. The Pinnacle, The Firm, Dark Order, JAS, Best Friends, Nightmare Family etc all have been meh.

Factions in general are tricky to book when you have so many. Its not much different in the WWE either where only The Bloodline and Judgement Day matter. I think there's definitely something there with the Undisputed Era. The big money match would probably be the one with The Elite. But there are alot of other potential possibilities there as well with BCC, House of Black and Punk and FTR---if they decide to become a faction. Which I can definitely see happening.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Factions in general are tricky to book when you have so many. Its not much different in the WWE either where only The Bloodline and Judgement Day matter. I think there's definitely something there with the Undisputed Era. The big money match would probably be the one with The Elite. But there are alot of other potential possibilities there as well with BCC, House of Black and Punk and FTR---if they decide to become a faction. Which I can definitely see happening.

I am not that optimistic. You know that I don't rate Strong that much. Kyle is good but hasn't been handled any good in AEW. Adam Cole as good as he is, he's not HBK and not that accomplished in terms of direction without proper creative and he's just coming off a career threatening injury.

Even then, I wouldn't want them jobbing to the Elite. House of Black feud would be interesting and BCC as well. We do know Cole is from the Elite clique and will probably stay away from Punk.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I am not that optimistic. You know that I don't rate Strong that much. Kyle is good but hasn't been handled any good in AEW. Adam Cole as good as he is, he's not HBK and not that accomplished in terms of direction without proper creative and he's just coming off a career threatening injury.

Even then, I wouldn't want them jobbing to the Elite. House of Black feud would be interesting and BCC as well. We do know Cole is from the Elite clique and will probably stay away from Punk.

Cole is considered to be one of the nicest people in wrestling. It's actually weird how much everyone seems to love him. Even in the infamous Punk All Out Media Scrum, Punk took time from verbally destroying the EVPs to talk about what a sweetheart Adam Cole is. Cole himself idolized Punk when he was coming up in ROH. So he may not have the same feelings towards him as the EVPs. But you never know.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Cole is considered to be one of the nicest people in wrestling. It's actually weird how much everyone seems to love him. Even in the infamous Punk All Out Media Scrum, Punk took time from verbally destroying the EVPs to talk about what a sweetheart Adam Cole is. Cole himself idolized Punk when he was coming up in ROH. So he may not have the same feelings towards him as the EVPs. But you never know.

He may well be the nicest guy but the company he keeps isn't that good. They might as well try to backstab him if they think he's getting ahead of them. His gf is also one annoying person. Britt seems to think she's smarter than her peers as well as the fans. It's a well known thing about her consistently taking shots at her colleagues as if she owns the company. She didn't take much time from being overjoyed at being praised by Punk to calling him a toxin within a span of a few months.

A lot of current wrestlers have been influenced by Punk. Seth himself said Punk was a big part of him deciding to become a wrestler and it seems like he hates him now.

The good thing about Cole is he isn't a spot monkey and can actually build feuds and wrestle accordingly and has decent mic skills.

 

[shaz619]

He may well be the nicest guy but the company he keeps isn't that good. They might as well try to backstab him if they think he's getting ahead of them. His gf is also one annoying person. Britt seems to think she's smarter than her peers as well as the fans. It's a well known thing about her consistently taking shots at her colleagues as if she owns the company. She didn't take much time from being overjoyed at being praised by Punk to calling him a toxin within a span of a few months.

A lot of current wrestlers have been influenced by Punk. Seth himself said Punk was a big part of him deciding to become a wrestler and it seems like he hates him now.

The good thing about Cole is he isn't a spot monkey and can actually build feuds and wrestle accordingly and has decent mic skills.

For Seth it was AJ Styles but yes the golden era of indie talent inspired a generation

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He may well be the nicest guy but the company he keeps isn't that good. They might as well try to backstab him if they think he's getting ahead of them. His gf is also one annoying person. Britt seems to think she's smarter than her peers as well as the fans. It's a well known thing about her consistently taking shots at her colleagues as if she owns the company. She didn't take much time from being overjoyed at being praised by Punk to calling him a toxin within a span of a few months.

A lot of current wrestlers have been influenced by Punk. Seth himself said Punk was a big part of him deciding to become a wrestler and it seems like he hates him now.

The good thing about Cole is he isn't a spot monkey and can actually build feuds and wrestle accordingly and has decent mic skills.

Yeah I mean you never know. But can't fault him for the company he keeps. These are the guys he grew up in the business with. Owens, Zayn and Rollins are really good friends with the Bucks too. But everyone has a different reaction to stuff like this. Alot of people have not been bothered at all by this Punk drama. People like Saraya, Jade Cargill have spoken publicly about their admiration for Punk. But my guess is that guys like Powerhouse Hobbs, Starks, Darby, MJF, Wardlow, Samoa Joe, FTR, House of Black, Danielson, Christian don't have an issue working with Punk either. Because they are professionals and in some cases people that Punk has helped out or is friends with. And we know that Jericho hashed things out with him during their meeting, so Jericho's stooges shouldn't have a problem working with Punk either.

So the only people really left behind are the EVPs and their inner circle. Guys like Jungle Boy, Adam Page, Dark Order, Matt Hardy and they are too unimportant to even matter. Moxley you could just separate from Punk.

I agree with you on Britt, she has become really insufferable for me ever since I saw that AEW reality series.

 

[shaz619]

Cole reminds me of Monty Panesar who was extraordinary when the captain set fields for him and told him what to bowl and when.

Similarly Cole was exceptional when he had someone like Shawn mentoring him. Cole may have been a little overly rated at times but looking back he was a fantastic all round performer with the UE, his work was more dynamic then the likes of Seth Rollins, my biggest issue with him is, there is next to zero effort on his part to improve his physique and it was going to decline further when he reunited with his buddies.

Even taking spot oriented wrestling into consideration, has Seth had a better match than Cole vs Gargano at Takeover?

 

[shaz619]

The rumors are saying that Punk and Tony have not come to an agreement regarding Ace Steel. What I don't get is that why do these dirtsheets (which is exactly what they should be called) pass opinions on these rumors as if they are a certain fact? When the only certain fact is that they were not there when these talks happened and they are all being fed contradicting stories by sources that may or may not be biased towards one side. So all they are really doing is passing conjecture that threatens to make the situation worse.

Hopefully whatever is happening gets resolved and the biggest star in wrestling right now can come back to do what he does best. It is curious that they didn't announce the United Center as the venue for the first Collision. Feels like a strange thing to make people wait another week for. But hey, I'm not a dirsheet writer so I won't indulge in conjecture.

If am honest with you reading their drivel in the months which followed Punk’s exit and how they were brutally exposed later on, I completely turned them off and given that MJF has run out of really high level big name guys to work with, I’ve not watched AEW in months since the IronMan match.

The simple answer would be that they are selling a brand and that brand involves pandering to a certain crowd of narrow minded hipster smarks, if you’re selling I rather you sell the truth for the most part, there’s a market for that, look at JC, although Meltzer seems to have more reach with the present audience? I don’t know.

But am sure I will be hearing more from these dumb phucks once Punk returns and I tune in more regular

 

[shaz619]

Yeah I mean you never know. But can't fault him for the company he keeps. These are the guys he grew up in the business with. Owens, Zayn and Rollins are really good friends with the Bucks too. But everyone has a different reaction to stuff like this. Alot of people have not been bothered at all by this Punk drama. People like Saraya, Jade Cargill have spoken publicly about their admiration for Punk. But my guess is that guys like Powerhouse Hobbs, Starks, Darby, MJF, Wardlow, Samoa Joe, FTR, House of Black, Danielson, Christian don't have an issue working with Punk either. Because they are professionals and in some cases people that Punk has helped out or is friends with. And we know that Jericho hashed things out with him during their meeting, so Jericho's stooges shouldn't have a problem working with Punk either.

So the only people really left behind are the EVPs and their inner circle. Guys like Jungle Boy, Adam Page, Dark Order, Matt Hardy and they are too unimportant to even matter. Moxley you could just separate from Punk.

I agree with you on Britt, she has become really insufferable for me ever since I saw that AEW reality series.

Jericho is the ultimate master manipulator ) it just makes me laugh how things have transpired for him LOL

But yeah I agree completely, the ‘EVP’s’ and their most loyal friends are a bunch of kids.

The thing is, Owens, Zayn et al are not sharing the same locker room with those morons anymore and I doubt they see each other as often, the two have grown in leaps to say the least. Cole needs to be careful.

 

[shaz619]

I do miss the relationship between Cole and Shawn, they had great chemistry on and off screen, I don’t know but I read somewhere they still talk sometimes? but I would say Cole was Shawn’s best student imo Wrestling was at its peak for Cole with Shawn around

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Cole reminds me of Monty Panesar who was extraordinary when the captain set fields for him and told him what to bowl and when.

Similarly Cole was exceptional when he had someone like Shawn mentoring him. Cole may have been a little overly rated at times but looking back he was a fantastic all round performer with the UE, his work was more dynamic then the likes of Seth Rollins, my biggest issue with him is, there is next to zero effort on his part to improve his physique and it was going to decline further when he reunited with his buddies.

Even taking spot oriented wrestling into consideration, has Seth had a better match than Cole vs Gargano at Takeover?

His physique has really gotten quite bad. So much so that I feel like even I have a better physique than him. And I just to the the gym 3 times a week and obviously am not a pro-wrestler. People with Cole's body type do tend to lose muscle if they don't workout. I don't know what's up with him. I can't believe that he is not going to the gym. Hopefully it's not an illness.

Cole is a fundamentally sound wrestler. That's why I enjoy watching him so much. Seth for me still has some very indierific flashes in his work that he hasn't taken out yet, that bother me. Things like the buckle bomb or the suplex into the falcon arrow. Overall though, I would say that Seth is a significantly better wrestler. Though I can't recall him having a match as good as that Gargano-Cole Takeover match.

 

[shaz619]

His physique has really gotten quite bad. So much so that I feel like even I have a better physique than him. And I just to the the gym 3 times a week and obviously am not a pro-wrestler. People with Cole's body type do tend to lose muscle if they don't workout. I don't know what's up with him. I can't believe that he is not going to the gym. Hopefully it's not an illness.

Cole is a fundamentally sound wrestler. That's why I enjoy watching him so much. Seth for me still has some very indierific flashes in his work that he hasn't taken out yet, that bother me. Things like the buckle bomb or the suplex into the falcon arrow. Overall though, I would say that Seth is a significantly better wrestler. Though I can't recall him having a match as good as that Gargano-Cole Takeover match.

It wouldn’t shock me bro, I don’t think Cole lifts weights anymore. He is not on road either, there is no excuse man. Look at the kind of shape AJ Styles is in, the guy is in his twilight man and he grew up on that circuit to, he is just cut from a different cloth, I tear up man thinking how the end is near, not long before the likes of Styles will be around for much longer, it is staggering to me that this was his longest lay off in his entire career, people look at Styles and think of his dynamism as a high flyer in his peak but he knew how to take bumps even wrestling such a demanding style before adapting later on, arguably the best of his era. We’re lucky to have Punk and he wont be here that much longer either, his body is brittle but guys go on like he is made out of glass and criticise him for botching the buck shot, ignoring one of the best baby face runs in a single calendar year this century, Joe is still here and I expect Bryan to be around for a while but am not so sure about Styles, Punk and Joe, if saddens me massively and even moreso when these guys get even a little criticism.

Cole yes he’s sound and great awareness in the ring, he doesn’t have all the fancy spots nor the athletic ability, but you want to watch him. In AEW he has regressed considerably and booking hasn’t helped. If I were to pick a challenger to that match it would be Seth vs Cena, but that was like a million years ago. The only guys who I’d consider watching twice in WWE are as follows:

- Reigns
- Flair
- Gunther
- Styles
- Cody
- Rey
- Edge
- Zayn/Drew (But not as much now given the booking)
- Lashley
- Lesnar

Seth for me unfortunately isn’t in this mix right now

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Jericho is the ultimate master manipulator ) it just makes me laugh how things have transpired for him LOL

But yeah I agree completely, the ‘EVP’s’ and their most loyal friends are a bunch of kids.

The thing is, Owens, Zayn et al are not sharing the same locker room with those morons anymore and I doubt they see each other as often, the two have grown in leaps to say the least. Cole needs to be careful.

Jericho for all his flaws is atleast a professional who gets the business because he has worked in major league wrestling promotions. His career hasn't been defined by playing to a small group of his diehard fans inside high school gyms and rec centers.

I think they are still pretty good friends. I remember Owens was leaning into his friendship with Bucks when his contract was coming up...teasing a potential reunion with them. Remember Owens taking a veiled shot at Punk on Twitter too after the Brawl Out that @BunyRabbit mentioned. Something related to main-eventing Mania.

Jericho in general really make me laugh. He's like the smarter version of Hogan from late 90s WCW. Hogan's politicking was very obvious. He didn't even try to hide it. Jericho on the other hand, seems to want to gain favor from the marks on the internet. His entire strategy since the end of his title run has been to get into overlong feuds with whoever is hot in the company and then get a win over them. But ever since people started calling him out for su*king the blood of younger talent like a vampire, he has started putting over more guys. He lost both matches to Starks in his feud with him. He lost to Action Andretti and now he's lost to Roddy too. Can't not give him credit for putting guys over but somehow it feels like he has an ulterior motive.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

For Seth it was AJ Styles but yes the golden era of indie talent inspired a generation

Saw a circulating clip a few months ago with Seth saying Punk was one of the guys who made him take up wrestling as a career.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Yeah I mean you never know. But can't fault him for the company he keeps. These are the guys he grew up in the business with. Owens, Zayn and Rollins are really good friends with the Bucks too. But everyone has a different reaction to stuff like this. Alot of people have not been bothered at all by this Punk drama. People like Saraya, Jade Cargill have spoken publicly about their admiration for Punk. But my guess is that guys like Powerhouse Hobbs, Starks, Darby, MJF, Wardlow, Samoa Joe, FTR, House of Black, Danielson, Christian don't have an issue working with Punk either. Because they are professionals and in some cases people that Punk has helped out or is friends with. And we know that Jericho hashed things out with him during their meeting, so Jericho's stooges shouldn't have a problem working with Punk either.

So the only people really left behind are the EVPs and their inner circle. Guys like Jungle Boy, Adam Page, Dark Order, Matt Hardy and they are too unimportant to even matter. Moxley you could just separate from Punk.

I agree with you on Britt, she has become really insufferable for me ever since I saw that AEW reality series.

I didn't even see the reality series, but I found her unbearable over a year ago when she couldn't properly put over Rosa and kept bringing sandbag references in promos like it was some pipebomb stuff.

Jericho, Christian, Punk, Bryan, Joe etc all these guys are old colleagues. Punk even got Jericho bailed out after arrest back in 2010 or 11. The stuff was probably greatly exaggerated by the dirtsheets who probably haven't been in a confrontation and know about heat of the moment.

AEW's women roster has become extremely annoying like Ruby Soho, Paige, Britt, Athena etc They were hyped up as game changers but they've actually gone insane since coming over there. Sasha is another one I feel is perfectly suited to AEW's diehards. Ego, arrogance and unrelenting delusion of being the greatest ever.