An honest piece by Ed Blair, here. Shibata joins Daniel Bryan in my list of people I never want to see wrestle again ever. And in general, I would rather wrestlers, whether my favourites or not, didn’t do this shit to themselves. #link
Ahead of tonight’s Backlash PPV, David Shoemaker over-analyses the Jinder Mahal ‘phenomenon’. But it’s strangely fitting, considering the ruckus his push has caused among wrestling Twitter, etc. My take? He’s boring, it won’t last, the end. And if I want to see a real heel in WWE, I need look no further than the conclusion to last night’s NXT TakeOver: a masterful presentation, not just by the wrestlers but the TV production side as well. #link
Bit late with this one, but howandever. Also, an odd choice to lead with a non-wrestling picture after the header, but that’s just the editor in me. #link
…and what it means for the future of ‘working stiff’. Headbutts and hard kicks to the head always make me queasy, anyway. What’s wrong with a good forearm? #link
In a week that saw even The New York Times get in on this wrestling thing, this is the most fun non-fan take I’ve read, capturing genuine enthusiasm — but also highlighting that feelings on some of the worst aspects of the show are shared by hardcore fans and more casual viewers alike. #link
It’s wrestlers talking so much of this is bullshit, but it’s the kind of bullshit I never tire of. #link
Wrestling, much like video gaming, is one of those geek cultural touchstones that runs deep among the Millennial generation, for lack of a better term. Speaking of video games and wrestling, Deadspin and Kotaku recently delved into the ‘weird world’ of wrestling video game leagues. #link
2017.04.07
Some quick notes on this past weekend’s WWE shows for WrestleMania in Orlando, fleshing out my tweets you might have already read as I watched things live from home.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s ‘Enchantment Under The Sea’. #link
He’s not wrong. WrestleMania weekend is here and I should be excited but that’s the wrestling fan in me, who needs to remember this is a WWE show, not a WWF show. Still, those parody videos by The Miz and Maryse are fantastic stuff. #link
“When it makes sense,” said Stephanie McMahon. Which translates as ‘probably never’. We’re not even at the point where, say, ‘Darren Young’ the on-screen character reflects Darren Young the real-life openly gay man. Maybe that’s because he’s a face? WWE tends to save its better character development for its heels. #link
I linked to Southpaw Regional Wrestling last week but now the videos are up on WWE’s YouTube channel. #video
So this is a nice surprise: an insider-ish parody of 1980s territorial wrestling by the current WWE roster, and one that gets the tone mostly right, being more affectionate than mean-spirited. The gags don’t always land but it’s funnier than it has any right to be. #link
When I’m no so overloaded on wrestling I’ll sign up myself and binge for a month, at least. #link
Shane Douglas is a fucking idiot. Can you believe he used to be a school teacher? I feel sorry for those kids. #link
Something to revisit when I’ve finished watching all these Monday Nitros. #link
Pro wrestling is all about exaggeration (all that stuff about a programme between the Macho Man and Shawn Michaels is case in point) but this match is one situation where they’re not wrong: it’s an amazing bout even by today’s standards. Randy Savage brought a playbook mentality to wrestling’s improv culture, and it paid off in spades. (Also, interesting to note they had a subsequent house show feud in chain link steel cages, not the notorious ‘blue bars’ cage introduced the year prior.) [c/o MetaFilter] #link
It’s from 18 months ago but it still holds in terms of explaining why I’m into wrestling. Though I have to say, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I persist when I’m not getting now what I got out of it in years past. That’s something for a longer post. #link
Chyna’s story needs to be told, beyond the exploitation of the woman, Joanie Laurer, and her memory. But what also needs to be said, amid all the historical revisionism, is that there’s a reason she was billed as ‘the ninth wonder of the world’: like Andre the Giant, she was booked as a novelty, a freak-show attraction. Any boundaries she might have broken for women are only in hindsight, or out of context. Few are willing to address that; wrestling remains deeply problematic. #link
Too easy to file this as another ‘why wrestling is great’ post, but it’s more about how wrestling helped change this writer’s mindset. I’m glad it’s doing for him what I wish it was doing for me; the ennui is strong. #link
Of course I LOLed. And then realised I’d actually love to see any of these happen. #link
The Nib hosts Box Brown’s comic strip on The Great Sasuke. #image
I won’t say it’s not gratifying that more mainstream outlets are finally grokking what makes WWE so compelling, and not purely from a ‘business’ standpoint. I’m talking about investigating things often glossed over or even missed entirely by fans or fan media, like Vince’s compulsion to inflate attendance figures, or Shane’s friendship with noted fake memoirist James Frey. (Factual errors aside: Ali didn’t fight at the first WrestleMania; he was a guest referee, being already diagnosed with Parkinson’s.) #link
I was there! I forgot the ring was up on a platform. And I marked out like crazy when Vader won the title, even though he was a heel and I’d even brought a Sting sign on the night, because title changes simply didn’t happen on European tours, let alone house shows. By the way, this footage – and that of another match, between Rick Rude and Cactus Jack – was apparently recorded by British wrestlers Doc Dean and Robbie Brookside, the latter now a trainer with NXT. #video
WWE’s website does it again with a fitting tribute (and introduction) to one of the company’s bright new stars. If only their TV product did the same. #link