Knowing what we know now, including the hindsight revelation that Vince apparently told AJ Styles he wished he'd signed AJ 10 years prior to AJ's first WWE title win, it has me wondering...

Could AJ have been the perfect fusion of Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, maybe with a dash of Rey Mysterio? How would/could Vince have accordingly strapped the rocket to AJ? Does he become the heir apparent waiting in the wings to take over from Cena's Hogan until Roman Reigns is ready?

Wrestling Shirts In The Wild: Part Whatever- Saw a guy wearing a Roddy Piper "Hot Rod" shirt today. Black rather than the white tee immortalized by his LJN figure. Our Piper fan was a heavy set gentleman roughly in his 40s who walked with a cane.
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Skimmed through my first NAWA show today. That's not an obscure Japanese wrestler, but an ultimately failed attempt at creating a Carolina-based territory in the early 90s. Got a poor man's SMW vibe from it. Once famous booker George Scott provided commentary with Ted something or other. The idea was to cater to fans of the old Mid Atlantic territory who had become disillusioned by WCW's drift towards sports entertainment.

Their roster actually wasn't half bad. Robert "Colonel Parker" Fuller was the champion and top heel on the episode I skimmed through. He looked like a deflated Sid. Ricky Steamboat was their top babyface feuding with Fuller. Chris "Tatanka" Chavis got his first big break as their up and coming babyface who would eventually become their champ. Their tag team division featured the Nasty Boys and Pitbulls who wrestled here as the American Bulldogs. It was also Ken Shamrock's first semi-notable gig in the States. He wrestled here as Vince Torelli. Bob Orton, Matt Borne, Dean Malenko and a bunch of other lesser 'name' wrestlers also competed for the group.

Mar 18, 2022 20:46:42 GMT @ness said:

Just gonna give a shoutout to Scott Hall's old youtube series. He watchalong got me to watch Hogan/Warrior in full, even when I tried many times in the past. May be the best basic match ever.

Basic because it didn't have any #Superkicks, #TopeSuicidas, or #CanadianDestroyers?

Mar 16, 2022 17:09:33 GMT 🤯 said:

Knowing what we know now, including the hindsight revelation that Vince apparently told AJ Styles he wished he'd signed AJ 10 years prior to AJ's first WWE title win, it has me wondering...

Could AJ have been the perfect fusion of Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, maybe with a dash of Rey Mysterio? How would/could Vince have accordingly strapped the rocket to AJ? Does he become the heir apparent waiting in the wings to take over from Cena's Hogan until Roman Reigns is ready?

It's not inconceivable that AJ gets 2 more WWE title runs or at least some mid-card gold before he retires. I don't know how much better his WWE tenure would have gone but it has been strong to me.

Mar 16, 2022 17:09:33 GMT 🤯 said:

Knowing what we know now, including the hindsight revelation that Vince apparently told AJ Styles he wished he'd signed AJ 10 years prior to AJ's first WWE title win, it has me wondering...

Could AJ have been the perfect fusion of Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, maybe with a dash of Rey Mysterio? How would/could Vince have accordingly strapped the rocket to AJ? Does he become the heir apparent waiting in the wings to take over from Cena's Hogan until Roman Reigns is ready?

Allow me to play the pessimist...

AJ likely spends years in a London/Kendrick/Bourne/Noble role if he signs in 2006 since those guys were his direct contemporaries (Punk doesn't count because he always had the best sports entertainer chops of that 2000s indie boom). Best case scenario is he wins the office over enough to get the workhorse of WWECW role originally planned for Angle & Benoit and piggybacks on that to end up with a Christian/Dolph/Morrison/Kofi type of career. 

AJ needed that New Japan run to reach the next level imo. Before that and the eventual dicking around from Dixie and TNA is what turned AJ from a boy playing wrestling into a man. He would've fared better than the Colt Cabanas of the world, but no way would he have been the guy clowning on Cena. Just another Devitt.

Mar 20, 2022 1:01:27 GMT Baker said:

Mar 16, 2022 17:09:33 GMT 🤯 said:

Knowing what we know now, including the hindsight revelation that Vince apparently told AJ Styles he wished he'd signed AJ 10 years prior to AJ's first WWE title win, it has me wondering...

Could AJ have been the perfect fusion of Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, maybe with a dash of Rey Mysterio? How would/could Vince have accordingly strapped the rocket to AJ? Does he become the heir apparent waiting in the wings to take over from Cena's Hogan until Roman Reigns is ready?

Allow me to play the pessimist...

AJ likely spends years in a London/Kendrick/Bourne/Noble role if he signs in 2006 since those guys were his direct contemporaries (Punk doesn't count because he always had the best sports entertainer chops of that 2000s indie boom). The best-case scenario is he wins the office over enough to get the workhorse of WWECW role originally planned for Angle & Benoit and piggybacks on that to end up with a Christian/Dolph/Morrison/Kofi type of career. 

Dolph & Kofi I think have a combined 16 mid-card titles between them. Both are respected vets by WWE. The same goes for Christian. Nothing shabby about that. Having good hands in the locker room.

Mar 20, 2022 1:01:27 GMT Baker said:

Mar 16, 2022 17:09:33 GMT 🤯 said:

Knowing what we know now, including the hindsight revelation that Vince apparently told AJ Styles he wished he'd signed AJ 10 years prior to AJ's first WWE title win, it has me wondering...

Could AJ have been the perfect fusion of Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, maybe with a dash of Rey Mysterio? How would/could Vince have accordingly strapped the rocket to AJ? Does he become the heir apparent waiting in the wings to take over from Cena's Hogan until Roman Reigns is ready?

Allow me to play the pessimist...

AJ likely spends years in a London/Kendrick/Bourne/Noble role if he signs in 2006 since those guys were his direct contemporaries (Punk doesn't count because he always had the best sports entertainer chops of that 2000s indie boom). Best case scenario is he wins the office over enough to get the workhorse of WWECW role originally planned for Angle & Benoit and piggybacks on that to end up with a Christian/Dolph/Morrison/Kofi type of career. 

This sounds exactly right, actually.

Mar 20, 2022 1:16:23 GMT Ed said:

Mar 20, 2022 1:01:27 GMT Baker said:

Allow me to play the pessimist...

AJ likely spends years in a London/Kendrick/Bourne/Noble role if he signs in 2006 since those guys were his direct contemporaries (Punk doesn't count because he always had the best sports entertainer chops of that 2000s indie boom). The best-case scenario is he wins the office over enough to get the workhorse of WWECW role originally planned for Angle & Benoit and piggybacks on that to end up with a Christian/Dolph/Morrison/Kofi type of career. 

Dolph & Kofi I think have a combined 16 mid-card titles between them. Both are respected vets by WWE. The same goes for Christian. Nothing shabby about that. Having good hands in the locker room.

I can't tell exactly what you're saying about Dolph & Kofi... If it's hyped defense, or supportive accuracy. I think it might be exactly right though, objectively

Why isn't there a random thoughts thread in Rest of Wrestling (great name by the way) unless I'm just not seeing it?

American bad ass Undertaker was a master class in hyping the hot tag

Baker-man
's match reviews
Bring me back
Literal vivid visions

And oh, the nostalgia

Came up with a doozy of a random thought the other day while watching BOBCORE and Angle interact in a 6 man tag not long after Holly had returned to action from Angle breaking his freaking arm...

Wrestling fans have long shat on the Brock/BOBCORE WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble 2004. Holly was a career midcarder (at best) who peaked approximately four years earlier. The build with Brock being a wimp heel hiding being Big Show was completely out of character for him. BUT...

What if WWF ran that same storyline 3 years earlier with Angle & Holly? Angle was already established as a wimp heel. Plus he was capable of generating the kind of real heat Brock never did (at least during his first WWF run). Plus plus Holly wasn't far removed from his peak overness. Heck, WWF could have went all in and given Holly a bionic forearm killshot gimmick a la The Narcissist. Just the prospect of Angle selling the move, or even the threat of it, is enough to sell me on the idea.

It's not like you're even losing much by swapping Holly in for Hunter since the real life Angle/HHH RR match was disappointing (those two just didn't have great in ring chemistry). Throw Hunter in the Rumble. Have Austin get revenge for Hunter's attempted murder by eliminating Trips late. This would also soften the blow of the notoriously prickly Austin jobbing to Hunter the following month in their No Way Out classic.

The more I think about it the more I like LOVE the idea of Angle/BOBCORE at the 2001 Royal Rumble. What say you?

Baker, leads me down an interesting thought path. Maybe this can't be answered but I'm curious. Kurt & Hunter didn't have much in-ring chemistry. I've always wondered when it comes to wrestling, is in-ring chemistry all or nothing, black & white? 1 size fits all? or nothing? or can it be circumstantial? with many varying factors?

Mar 21, 2022 2:49:42 GMT Ed said:

Baker, leads me down an interesting thought path. Maybe this can't be answered but I'm curious. Kurt & Hunter didn't have much in-ring chemistry. I've always wondered when it comes to wrestling, is in-ring chemistry all or nothing, black & white? 1 size fits all? or nothing? or can it be circumstantial? with many varying factors?

I’ll be self indulgent and answer this question :lol:


From my experience it’s very varied, I like working the most with people who only plan key spots out and that’s it..as I have a horrible short term memory and people tend to get lost when they overplan it. Besides I normally work heel now so I can call the match anyway, when I first started out the other wrestler called the whole match and it was just Simon says for the most part.

So when I work with people who insist on planning everything out for move for move It annoys the hell out of me, same with young guys that insist on doing a whole heap of dangerous spots for a hotdog and a handshake…I’m taking 3 bumps and that’s it.

Other people I just haven’t clicked with at all & match has showed it as they’ve tried to trauma dump on me all night while I’m trying to plan a match

Love the transition from System going from eager newbie "let's give em their money's worth!" to grizzled vet "calm down bro we already got their money!"

Love Baker-man's idea in theory, but ultimately still not sure it works. We're technically still in the Attitude Era at RR2001, and as hard as it was to buy BOBCORE or even JBL invading the PPV main event scene in a shit year like 2004... It would've been even harder to buy BOBCORE in a Big 5 PPV main event in 2001 against an equally unproven hot newcomer commodity in Kurt. Especially on the immediate heels of trying with Rikishi, and how poorly that was accepted... Even with the added gaga of a six-man HIAC and wannabe Foley bump.

In a 12-month period (February 2000 to January 2001) where Foley was only big enough to main event a B PPV by himself with the added gaga of HIAC and a retirement stipulation, Big Show wasn't big enough for a singles main on PPV, Benoit got a singles main and then part of a 4-way, Kane is similar to Big Show but worse only getting a B PPV 4-way... And then the aforementioned Rikishi deal. I just think you had to be Rock, HHH, Austin, Taker, or Kurt to main event without question in that time.

On Ed's question about chemistry, it does always blow my mind. I'd have to revisit Kurt vs. HHH matches to better assess. But I've been recently thinking a lot about how underrated the Rock/Kurt chemistry was. Their No Mercy 2000 and No Way Out 2001 matches are awesome shit. Then of course there's that Vengeance 2002 3-way with Undertaker, which stands out so much more because it reminds me of what shit chemistry Rock had with Taker. I feel like we should start a thread on good and bad chemistry.

Listening to XPac on Bradshaw & Brisco's podcast. He's the best guest I've heard on their show so far. I'm such a sucker for old wrestler stories. Also listened to Luger & Bubba Ray on their show a few weeks back. Some highlights...

-Bubba's Mt. Rushmore of Tag Teams: Road Warriors, Midnight Express, Rock & Roll Express. That's it. No 4th needed.
-Bubba, XPac, Brisco & Bradshaw all put the New Age Outlaws over huge. Multiple times in the case of Bradshaw & Brisco.
-Of the many, many partners XPac had Kane is his favorite. I get the impression Pac considers that run his career peak.
-I popped for Brisco, Bradshaw & Pac putting over Jerry Lawler and the underrated Acolytes vs. Kane & XPac series in a big way.
-Nearly every episode features a bunch of amusing backstage stories.
-I highly recommend Brisco & Bradshaw for old school wrestling fans.

I have found TWO ECW gems.


An original cut of Brian's Pillman's ECW debut. Gosh, we lost such a generational talent way too soon. MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!




The Tod Gordon time is surprisingly fun.

I enjoyed watching the Tod Gordon ECW timeline the KC Vault uploaded, just to hear about the early days of ECW. If I ever get around to visiting Philadelphia, besides seeing the 2300 Arena, I feel like I need to stop by Carver W. Reed pawn shop, to see the place the funded ECW for the most part.

I haven't watched it in years but the Tod Gordon shoot was one of the best KayFabe commentaries ever did and it was fascinating to hear about the inner-workings of the ECW lockerroom and the divide between Paul E guys and Gordon guys.

Both Kong and the Posse shoots I remember being all-timers as well. Plus Cornette and Nash were always great on those EXCEPT on their booking shoots. For whatever reason, those rarely turned out well. Like I'd rather listen to mickeybabylon chainsmoking two packs than those legends. That's lost Pro Wrestling content right there the mickeybabylon Wrestlemania rebook series.

I'm waiting for the Kevin Sullivan books 1984 WWF without Hogan shoot to be uploaded. One of the best Kayfabe Commentaries that I've seen.

Just watched Part 1 of the Tod Gordon shoot (again?). Good stuff.

Mar 24, 2022 17:00:34 GMT Big Pete said:

Plus Cornette and Nash were always great on those EXCEPT on their booking shoots. For whatever reason, those rarely turned out well. 

You mean to tell me you're not a fan of WWF building the Invasion angle around 57 year old Terry Funk as The Face of WCW in 2001 and The Kliq passing the top two WWF titles back and forth for eternity? 

You guys with your Hall & Nash... A pair of assholes so insufferable they managed to babyface fellow 90s anti-Baker Guy Shane Douglas with me. 

Shane Douglas? You mean the guy who couldn't even have a good match with Kid? What a jabrone.

What's next Bobcore? The guy who totally had that conversation with Nash and 'settled things'.

One day you're going to learn it's about the money and the miles...

...also please don't be like Matt Osborne because judging by his teeth, he didn't understand that first part.

Mar 24, 2022 15:47:29 GMT Ed said:

An original cut of Brian's Pillman's ECW debut. Gosh, we lost such a generational talent way too soon. MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!

Imagine 11-year-old me seeing this at 2:00 in the morning and that explains pretty much everything about me.

Mar 25, 2022 6:21:46 GMT Big Pete said:

What's next Bobcore? The guy who totally had that conversation with Nash and 'settled things'.

It's awfully fishy how Nash ran away to Atlanta just a few months after Big Shot Bob heroically stood up to busted quad boy   
==============
Listened to Part 2 of Tod Is God. A lot of fun stories. Recommended for ECW fans. Tod comes off as a likeable guy. Mouth full of marbles though.

Love how all the old timers have an anti-Maryland State Athletic Commission rant in them. I'll never grow tired of hearing those squeamish prudes get the business. ECW only ever ran one show in Maryland way back in 1993. It went something like this...

MSAC: No blood.
Tod: Umm....that's kind of our thing.
MSAC: No blood.

So ECW never ran Maryland again. I could have been going to ECW shows way back in 1996 if it wasn't for that pesky Maryland State Athletic Commission! But noooo. Because of those prudes I had to wait until 1999 and drive 90 minutes to Philly (or an hour to Delaware) a few times a year to satiate my alternative wrestling fix once the novelty of local MCW shows wore off. Thanks a lot, jerks.

Watching Tod put me in an ECW mood but it's becoming mighty hard to find ECW matches online. Ran into the same problem with classic ROH when that company was in the news a few weeks back. All the matches I wanted to watch have been scrubbed from the internet Even my old go to, The Dark Web (Dailymotion), has been coming up empty.

Wouldn't last long, but what if Eugene debuted today?

Mar 26, 2022 0:02:46 GMT @ness said:

Wouldn't last long, but what if Eugene debuted today?

Never seen a question get answered before the actual question.

Random pro wrestling talk on this stream I'm watching. Shitting on X-pac lol. I think this wannabe pua is a secret smark. He says he likes the way Pac wrestles. I think he doesn't wanna admit he's a GEEK who likes workrate. You can't fool me.

Mar 26, 2022 0:02:46 GMT @ness said:

Wouldn't last long, but what if Eugene debuted today?

They botched the Eugene character badly. He should have been portrayed as an idiot savant-like guy. AKA Rainman.