Twitter Threads: My Theory of Pro-Wrestling Fandom

Friends, this should be the last of the Twitter Threads Project -- at least for right now.

Friends, I’m developing this theory of pro-wrestling fans, & since we’re heading into a specifically *on point* edition of #AEWCollision, I’d like to get some feedback on my theory.

#AEW #WWE #AEWDynamite #AEWRampage

WWE's Top 100 (Part 2): 80 to 89

Old WCW contests -- from the time immediately before Eric Bischoff and Ted Turner tried to take the company head-to-head with the WWE -- dominate this set of matches .  These were the last days when WCW was basically a "southern" promotion, doing half their shows out of the Omni in Atlanta.

The champion

Not surprisingly, there are a few hidden gems in this particular collection, and as I go back through and explore some of those old WCW Pay-Per-Views (PPVs), man, there are some really amazing match-ups that I didn't know existed.

WWE's Top 100 (Part 1): 90 to 100

In the absence of sports, I've personally been watching a shit-ton of old WWE.  As I noted last week, I was a wrestling superfan back in the heydey of the Attitude Era.  Over the last few weeks, I've been watching the best of what I missed since that era ended -- and my personal fandom lapsed -- while simultaneously explaining my affection for pro-wrestling to my kids.  Hannah has become a fan of classic Stone Cold Steve Austin matches while Emma has lately taken to "The Man" Becky Lynch.

Researching what to show my kids led me to the WWE's best-of list, "The 100 best matches to see before you die".  I don't know that I'm gonna watch every single match -- I suppose that depends on how long the quarantine lasts here in Connecticut -- but I've got a few thoughts on what I've seen so far.

5 Things on a Friday: Wrestlemania, the AEW, & the XFL

There’s no sports since the outbreak of COVID-19, but there’s still some sports entertainment, and in a pinch, that’ll have to do.  Truth is, it’s been a good, long time since I was more than a cursory fan of pro-wrestling.  But if you’ve known me long enough, then maybe you’ll remember that time I was a pro-wrestling super-fan.

My grandfather introduced me to pro-wrestling back in the late 1970s, and yeah, I marked out to Hulk Hogan like the rest of my cohort back in the 1980s.  However, it wasn’t until I got married to a girl I’d met at my folks’ hometown church in 1995 in the tiny town of Tullahoma, Tennessee, that my interest in wrestling turned into anything like a genuine personal interest.  I’d been a casual fan like a lot of folks, but once Misty and I walked down the aisle, shit got real.

6 Things on a Sunday: Dragon’s Lair + Free Wrestling

I’ve been working on this post since the middle of last week, but without my regular commute rides on the train, my writing schedule is out-of-whack.  Also, the COVID-19 outbreak has gotten so bad that making jokes about it isn’t really in good taste anymore.

Happy Hour at Casa Cabeza in the era of COVID-19.

Well.  Let’s do it.

5 Things on a Friday: Football is Coming!

Happy Friday, folks.  By the time you read this, I'll have been on a mini-staycation for a couple of days!  Yay me!  

Let's get to it.

***

1. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, 1954-2015 (Grantland)

Roddy Piper was never the biggest WWF star, but he was irreplaceable because he grounded all the good-versus-evil theatrics. He made it OK to root for a heel, not because he was transcendent or postmodern but because he was honest. He was human. It’s why casting him in They Live was such an inspired choice — [George] Nada was an average drifter suddenly burdened with world-altering power. He was a nobody who had to give up his life to destroy the alien menace, but not before he flipped them off. He was quite possibly wrestling’s most relatable heel: We could see ourselves in him even though he was provoking our heroes. Piper battled cancer in the 2000s and beat it.

Piper wasn’t a superhero — not when he was staring down Hogan and certainly not when he was a “good guy.” There was nothing nice about that guy, no. But unlike Piper himself, the rest of us could never look away when he was onscreen.

Thoughts on the WWE

I haven't made much of an effort to follow the WWE lately, but man, last night's show was terrific. The opening match with Roman Reigns and King Barrett was great, and the middle section with John Cena and Kevin Owens was one of my favorite segments in years. 

I'm usually a guy who HATES Cena, but now I'm wondering if maybe the problem was that he just needed the right push. Because for as good as I thought Owens was with his bit -- and he was very good -- Cena tore the house down.  First he drops a match to put over a credible threat, and then he uses it to fire up one of the most interesting feuds he's had in about a decade...  Who the Hell is this guy, and what did he do with the old John Cena, the most wooden superstar since the Ultimate Warrior?  

Anyway, I've said my piece. I'm interested in Cena and in the WWE for the first time in a long time, and that's good.  I also think it's good that they're putting over more young guys, that they've found a way to put the best workers they've got into the Title picture. That bodes well for the future. 

I don't know what changed, but whatever it is, it's working. 

Trolling Twitter: News & Notes on a Saturday

There's a new Bond film coming, and it looks a lot like the original films' ethos, updated with modern production values.  That's not a bad thing, but while I expect we'll continue to see a grittier Bond, the series itself changed a lot when Daniel Craig took over.  Now it seems to be returning to form.

Saturday News: Star Wars, a Training Update, and Other Stuff

Not a lot going on today, but there were a few things that caught my eye.

Lucasfilm Clarifies Future of STAR WARS Expanded Universe, Announces New Prose Novels (Newsrama)
They're going to shit-can it.  From Lucasfilm's press release:
"In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe."

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho - WWE Championship Match

I'm sort of at a loss today and probably gonna be more than a little short on time.  So...

A Little Pro-Wrestling to Kick Off Your Thanksgiving Weekend

I think I've mentioned before that my kids have really gotten into pro-wrestling of late.  In particular, my daughter Emma really likes Big "E" Langston, who won the Intercontinental Title at the Survivor Series PPV last weekend.

Anyway, I may well put something else up today, but in the meantime, let's celebrate Langston's elevation by watching his re-watching his match from Monday Night Raw.

Weekend Update (11/4/2013)

Before we get started today, you might've noticed that the name of the blog has changed.  Sally asked me last week what I thought of the idea of her posting some recipes and other healthy living-type stuff here, and I told her that I thought it would be great.  I don't know how often she's gonna get to post, but I'm happy to share my space with her and look forward to seeing what she has to offer.

With that in mind, I'll be changing some stuff around in the next few weeks to make it less my blog and more our blog, but for the time being, she's at least got Editorial priviledges and can post if she feels the need.

***

Looking back, it was a pretty good weekend.  Busy for the most part, but that's how life is.  We had a lot of fun, too, and really, that's all I can ask.

We started Friday watching WWE Smackdown, and as much as I don't want to make this a blog about pro-wrestling, I've got to admit that Smackdown entertained.  The show started with John Cena cutting another of his promos, this time against the Real Americans, and for once, I thought he was pretty good.  But then Damien Sandow came out and started woofing, and in as much as I guess the WWE brass was trying to capitalize on the momentum from the match that he had with Cena last week, I personally didn't think it worked.  I mean, we already saw Cena beat the guy with literally one hand tied behind his back, so how much of a threat can Sandow really be at this point?  Sometimes, you get a moment, and if the moment is missed, it's gone, and it won't come back.  Take that for what it's

Reasons Why People Hate John Cena

Did you see last night's RAW?  My daughter Emma has become the biggest wrestling fan, so now we have to watch it every week--at least until she goes to bed.

So anyway, the show opened with the face of the franchise, John Cena, coming out to cut a long promo about how he's back from his triceps surgery, and he's once again the Champ--the World Heavyweight Champion this time--and he's gonna be better than ever. He goes on and on and on, and the crowd's starting to get restless, until finally Damien Sandow comes out, holding the World Heavyweight Title Money-in-the-Bank contract briefcase. Damien reminds us that he can cash in the contract any time he wants, says that he thinks Cena's match with Alberto Del Rio at the Hell-in-a-Cell Pay-Per-View must have taken a lot out of Cena, who was just rehabbing his arm post-surgery, and maybe he, Sandow, should cash in now. Cena dares him to, and wonder-of-wonders, Sandow beats the Holy Hell out of John Cena. He goes to work on Cena's arm, takes him outside the ring and throws him into the steel steps, and then hits the arm with a steel chair. And then he cashes in the Money-in-the Bank contract. 

Brilliant!

Wednesday Nonsense

Saw this in CM Punk's Twitter feed this morning. For what it's worth, the WWE may not be the most forward thinking company in America, I don't know, but they make excellent and impressive use of social media. 

So yeah.  The actual match, Natalya vs. Brie Bella, is totally unwatchable.  But then A.J. Lee comes on and cuts what has to be one of the better promos they've had on the show this year, and as tough as she is on those girls, I gotta agree with her.  Every word she says is true.

All I'm saying is, since Summer Slam, the promotion has taken a step away from A.J., and with that, my girls and I have more or less stopped paying attention.

***

While we're talking about the important issues in the world, let me just say, for what it's worth, that I personally do not think that the case for intervention in Syria is very strong.  Yes, I admit that Assad is asshole who has used poison gas on his own people--like Saadam Hussein before him.  His regime isn't doing the world any good, and he personally probably has it coming.

But.  When you consider military intervention, it's worth asking what it is that you're hoping to achieve with it.  What are your War Aims?  And in this case, it's not at all clear that the U.S. actually has War Aims of any kind.  They're talking about a limited air strike; that will accomplish exactly nothing.  If they do something heavier, they may succeed in giving the rebels a chance to bring down Assad, but that's not assured by any means, nor is it assured that the new government would be better or more favorable than the current regime.  In fact, it seems likely that the new government would also be a bunch of assholes.

So, bottom line, if there does not appear to be any concrete way in which your intervention can actually help the situation, taking action is not advisable.  In fact, it's stupid because you not only play your hand, you play your hand in order to win nothing.  This is not an argument in favor of taking action.

Agave Nectar and a Love Rekindled

Sally and I had some friends over to the house this past weekend, one of my classmates from the Academy along with his wife and daughter.  He brought over the remnants of a sampler case of Blue Moon specialty beers, and we had, well, a few of them.  I particularly liked the Agave Nectar Ale, but that may just be because there are so many vegan triathlon recipes that use agave nectar as a substitute for honey and/or sugar when you’re making homemade racing gels.