#MID-SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Women make up for the other 50% of Tumblr’s audience.

#MID-SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING

shewhoworshipscarlin · 4 months

Text

Kamala/ James Arthur Harris

James Arthur “Kamala” Harris was a professional wrestler best known for his professional wrestling persona, Kamala, a fictional Ugandan giant. Harris was born on May 28, 1950, to Jessie Harris and Betsy Mosely in Senatobia, Mississippi. He had four sisters as well. Harris grew up in Coldwater, Mississippi where his family owned a furniture store. When he was four years old, his father was murdered after a dice game. Growing up, he worked as a sharecropper to help provide for the family. Harris dropout out of high school in the ninth grade and became a burglar.

In 1967, on the advice of police, Harris left Mississippi and moved to Florida where he worked a truck driver and fruit picker. He next moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan where he met a professional wrestler Bobo Brazil who became his trainer. In 1978, Harris made his professional wrestling debut as “Sugar Bear” Harris. One year later, in 1979 he won his first professional wrestling championship in the National Wrestling Association (NWA) Tri-State Tag Team competition with wrestler Oki Shikina. In 1980 he joined Southeastern Championship Wrestling as “Bad News” Harris and later that year won its championship. In 1982, Harris joined the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) after being offer by a job by promoter Jerry O’Neal “The King” Lawler.

While wrestling for CWA, Lawler and another wrestling promoter, Jerry Winston Jarret, created a new wrestling character for Harris. This character, named Kamala, was a stereotypical Ugandan headhunter with face and body painting who was supposed to be the bodyguard of former President of Uganda Idi Amin. Harris then joined Mid-South Wrestling owned by promoter William Harris and remained with the organization until 1986.

Harris wrestled with other wrestling organizations during his career including World Class Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE), and World Championship Wrestling before retiring in 2010 at the age of 60.

Despite his long successful wrestling career, Harris had numerous personal and health related issues. In 2011, had his left leg amputated below the knee due to complications from high blood pressure and diabetes. A year later, his right leg was also amputated below the knee. As a result of the amputations, a charity fund was set up to help with his financial needs.

In 2016, Harris was part of a class action lawsuit filed against World Wrestling Entertainment claiming that wrestlers received traumatic brain injuries during their time with WWE. Unfortunately for Harris and other wrestlers, the lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in 2018.

Harris was married twice during his lifetime, first to Clara Freeman. That marriage ended in divorce. He later married Emmer Jean Bradley and that marriage lasted until his death. He was also father six children, five daughters and one son.

In 2017, Harris underwent lifesaving emergency surgery to clear fluid from around his heart and lungs. His health problems continued. He was hospitalized on August 5, 2020, after testing positive from COVID-19 during the pandemic in Mississippi. Four days later, on August 9, Harris died from complications from diabetes and COVID-19 in Oxford, Mississippi. He was 70.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/kamala-james-arthur-harris-1950-2020/

#historical #black history month #wrestling

9 notes · View notes

littletroubledgrrrl · 1 year

Text

During the mid 2000's, when I was in 3rd, 4th, 5th and early 6th grade, I was OBSESSED with "South Park" and would always go on "South Park" websites that I can still remember content from.

When "South Park" was at the height of its popularity in the late 1990's, professional wrestling was arguably at the height of its popularity too with the Monday night wars between the World Wrestling Federation and WCW (World Championship Wrestling).

During the late 1990's and even the early 2000's, there was a website called Kenny's Krib where someone would make images of current professional wrestlers at the time in the "South Park" art style.

I used to constantly go on "South Park" websites, but I don't think I ever saw Kenny's Krib during my "South Park" obsession.

By the time I was obsessed with "South Park", WCW had gone out of business and the WWF was now called the WWE.

I was a very little girl when "South Park" was at the height of its popularity and the Monday night wars, and my parents wouldn't have let me watched "South Park" and the WWF as a preschooler (my parents wouldn't allow me to watch "South Park" in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade either!).

#south park #eric cartman #kenny mccormick #kyle broflovski #wrestling #kenny's krib

6 notes · View notes

lboogie1906 · 6 days

Text

James Arthur “Kamala” Harris (May 28, 1950 - August 9, 2020) was a professional wrestler known for his professional wrestling persona, Kamala, a fictional Ugandan giant. He was born to Jessie Harris and Betsy Mosely in Senatobia, Mississippi. He had four sisters as well. He grew up in Coldwater, Mississippi where his family owned a furniture store. When he was four years old, his father was murdered after a dice game. He worked as a sharecropper to help provide for the family. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and became a burglar.

He moved to Florida where he worked as a truck driver and fruit picker. He moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan where he met a professional wrestler Bobo Brazil who became his trainer. In 1978, he made his professional wrestling debut as “Sugar Bear” Harris. He won his first professional wrestling championship in the National Wrestling Association Tri-State Tag Team competition with wrestler Oki Shikina. He joined Southeastern Championship Wrestling as “Bad News” Harris and won its championship. He joined the Continental Wrestling Association after being offered a job.

A new wrestling character named Kamala was created for him. He joined Mid-South Wrestling. He wrestled with other wrestling organizations during his career including World Class Championship Wrestling the World Wrestling Federation, and World Championship Wrestling before retiring in 2010.

He had numerous personal and health-related issues. He had his left leg amputated below the knee due to complications from high blood pressure and diabetes. His right leg was amputated below the knee.

He married Clara Freeman. He married Emmer Jean Bradley. He was a father of six children, five daughters and one son.

In 2017, he underwent lifesaving emergency surgery to clear fluid from around his heart and lungs. His health problems continued. He was hospitalized on August 5, 2020, after testing positive for COVID-19. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

1 note · View note

thesquaredringofwrestling · 1 year

Text

Dynamite Jack Evans

Happy Birthday, Jack.

World Wide Wrestling Federation , Owner: Vince McMahon Sr. (New York, NY), New Japan Professional Wrestling, Owner: Big Baba (Tokyo, Japan) Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling/Jim Crockett Productions (Charlotte, NC), Georgia Championship Wrestling, Promoter: Eddie Graham (Atlanta, GA), Florida Championship Wrestling, Owner: Eddie Graham (Tampa, FL), Gulf State Championship Wrestling, National Wrestling Federation (Buffalo/Cleveland), American International Wrestling (Oak Hill, WV), Mid-South Wrestling-Owner: Bill Watts (Tulsa/New Orleans), Superstar Championship Wrestling-Dean Silverstone ( Seattle, Washington), West Virginia Wrestling (Beckley, West Virginia) Asociation de Lucilha Libre Latinamerica (Guatemala City, Guatemala 1974), World Class Championship Wrestling (Dallas, TX), Houston Wrestling (Houston, TX), Southeast Championship Wrestling (San Antonio, TX), Western States Sports (Amarillo, TX), World-Wide Wrestling Associates, Owner: Mike LaBell (Los Angeles, CA), Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling (Portland, OR), WWC North American Tag Team Championship with Larry Sharpe in 1977-1978 In San Juan, Puerto Rico Owner: Carlos Colon

Trained for professional wrestling at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York

Started wrestling May 1970

Retired wrestling June 1980

#wrestling 1970 #dynamite jack evans #wrestling

1 note · View note

siscosfavoritecomics · 2 years

Photo

I just came across the newer Dark Side of the Ring programs that they call “Confidential.” The original program is shown alongside Conrad Thompson and the show runners Evan Husney and Jason Eisener. The premise is that they show the episode with alongside with any questions that may have not been answered the first time around and some extra interviews.

This is the Death of Bruiser Brody episode. Bruiser was stabbed and killed by fellow wrestler Invader Uno in the locker while in Puerto Rico.

As a kid as remember that the UHF channel 68 (on the rabbit ear TVs before cable TV became commonplace in NYC) would rotate a different territory everyday. One day it would be Mid South, World Class Championship Wrestling and other promotions. Occasionally Puerto Rican wrestling would be shown and there I would see Brody and Abdullah beat the shit out of each other. I also saw some of his Japanese wrestling matches for All Japan on old VHS tapes that I was able to get my hands on in the era before the Internet and streaming.

It’s so sad what happened to Bruiser and his family. I’m looking forward to what other new facts they shed light on in this second showing.

#BruiserBrody #FrankGoodish #DarkSideoftheRing #WrestlingDocumentary #ProWrestling #LuchaLibre #ProYakyū #SiscosFavoriteComics

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfVZdEqsmjn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#Bruiser Brody #Frank Goodish #Dark Side of the Ring #Wrestling Documentary #Pro Wrestling #Lucha Libre #Pro Yakyū #SiscosFavoriteComics

1 note · View note

heatpotatoes · 4 years

Photo

The world is mourning the death of "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, the patriarch of the Armstrong wrestling family. He was active in wrestling for 49-years and was most successful in the NWA. He worked NWA territories such as Championship Wrestling from Florida, NWA Mid-America, NWA Tri-State, Mid-South/Georgia Championship Wrestling, and Southeastern Wrestling. He also trained his sons in which he formed tag teams with them in the '80s and '90s. Throughout his career, he toured Japan and Korea. He is a member of the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame. On May 11, 2019; he wrestled his last match at the age of 80 for Continental Championship Wrestling in Dothan, Alabama where he defeated the Assassin. Rest in peace, Bullet Bob.

#Bob Armstong #Bullet Bob #Bullet #NWA #National Wrestling Alliance #NWA Mid-America #NWA Tri-State #Championship Wrestling from Florida #Mid-South Sports #Georgia Championship Wrestling #Southeastern Championship Wrestling #WWE #World Wrestling Entertainment #WWE Hall of Fame #Rest in Peace #RIP #80

5 notes · View notes

wwenetworkchronicle-blog · 6 years

Text

WWE Network News and Tidbits: New Table For 3 and Camp WWE Episodes, Collections Updated, and More!

Sometimes, there is WWE Network news that either doesn’t warrant a post of its own, or there simply isn’t time to get to it due to more pressing matters at the time. This can be a release date of a show, something removed from the service, or something else minor. The WWE Network News and Tidbits posts are here to catch multiple little bits of news and inform the readers. If you have any recent…

View On WordPress

#Camp WWE #collections #Collections Spotlight #Mid South #New To WWE Network #Something Else To Wrestle #Table For 3 #United Kingdom Championship #United Kingdom Championship Tournament #WWE #WWE Network #WWE Network News #WWE Network News and Tidbits #WWE Network Pick of the Week #WWE Shorts

1 note · View note

astralbondpro · 1 year

Text

Most of my favorite wrestling is before the year 2000. With ECW, and 2000 - 2005 independents being an exception. All Japan Pro Wrestling (1992 - 1999) Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993 - 2001) Joint Promotions / World of Sport (1975 - 1980 something) World Wrestling Federation (1997) (Sans the racism and homophobia)

Those are my favorites, but of course there is so much more to love. So many old territories, so many early 00s independents. Everywhere you looked, you could find something that felt different. Back in the 80s, all most no territory was like the other. In the early 00s, indies tended to have their own crew and a specific booking style, bringing in the BIG INDIE NAMES in only a couple here and there. Unfortunately for me, I now feel like professional wrestling has been too globalized. In a lot of ways, Lucha remains the only true alternative style in the world, to my eyes. Everything now feels so American indie, even Japan. Only they tend to do it so much better. Everything seems overproduced. Televised wrestling all looks the same, and it all feels very... fake to me. I know wrestling is fake, but I want to get lost in it. Then on an indie level, I feel like everyone is overexposed. I see the same people everywhere, and no one seems special. I remember watching IWA Mid-South and getting so excited Christopher Daniels was coming in a couple month. Or Samoa Joe is going to be on a big show, or whatever. Now? Kind of just see anyone good, on any show that can get them. Great for the talent, but bad for my the view. Personally. It all feel exactly the same. Most of all though, no one gives me close to booking that I want. It makes me really sad, but what can you do? Most things you fall in love with will either outgrow you, or you will outgrow it. With wrestling, I feel like it has just evolved into something I can’t get into much, and that’s fine. As long as the business keeps surviving. I got over thirty-five years of fandom out of it, I can’t really complain too badly.

6 notes · View notes

evas-apartment · 3 years

Text

Famous Puerto Rican Wrestlers!

So, the last post i made on pro wrestling got a lot of positive feedback, so I’m gonna keep talking about it lol. Two things that mean a lot to me are wrestling, and being Puerto Rican. Nothing makes me immediately like somebody more than when I’m watching somebody on TV and going “oh shit! they’re latine, that’s really cool, wonder where they’re from” and then going to their wikipedia page and finding out that they’re also Boricua, that’s really cool to me. So I thought I’d highlight some famous Puerto Rican wrestlers, cause representation matters. Join me under the cut, will you?

Damian Priest

Known in Ring of Honor as Punishment Martinez, he currently works for WWE on the Raw brand under the name Damian Priest. He is a one-time ROH TV Champion and he is also the current WWE United States Champion, which I love. I love latine people holding any gold, but there’s something real cool about him being the US champion specifically. Like we’re the face/representation of the country. Anyway, super good wrestler, super charming, wrestled a match tag-teaming with fellow Boricua and singer Bad Bunny in a match better than it had any right being. Also he has a really deep voice, and I really like that.

Carlito

Also known as Carlito Caribbean Cool, Carlito was a mainstay of WWE’s mid-card throughout the latter half of the 2000′s. Carlito is a one-time WWE United States Champion, a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a two-time tag-team champion, with his cousin Primo (Primo being Spanish, for cousin :P). Carlito is the son of Carlos Colon Sr., the founder and owner of WWC, the World Wrestling Council, the premier wrestling federation in Puerto Rico, and as such Carlito and a lot of his family is involved in wrestling, in either on-camera or behind the scenes roles. The reason I’m not featuring his father is due to his cover-up in the murder of fellow wrestler Bruiser Brody, but that’s another story, for another time. Carlito was famous for “spitting in the face of people who don’t want to be cool”, literally spitting apple in the face of people that offend him. A good hand, and a memorable character, Carlito still wrestles today for various other promotions, on the independent circuit.

Zelina Vega

Wrestling as Rosita in Total Nonstop Action, Zelina Vega is perhaps best known for being the manager of Andrade El Idolo in NXT and on the Raw brand of WWE. A great wrestler in her own right, she shines as a talker, a vital part of the art of wrestling. In TNA she was a one-time Knockouts Tag-Team Champion, with Sarita, and she is also an accomplished cosplayer. Like seriously check out her cosplays, they’re really good. She currently wrestles for the Smackdown brand of WWE, usually in really good outfits.

Pedro Morales

Pedro Morales is famous for being the first ever Latino to hold a world championship in wrestling, holding the WWWF (what the WWE was called before 1979) for a staggering 1,027 days, being not only the 4th person to ever hold that belt, but for having the 5th most combined days as WWE Champion. Back in that day, championship reigns were long, and champions worked many, many, MANY days traveling all around America, and the world entertaining people. A champion in many other territories, Morales is also a WWWF United States Champion, a tag-team champion, and an Intercontinental Champion, also having the most combined days as an IC champion, making him the first-ever WWE Triple Crown Champion (having held the world championship, the tag-team championship, and one or both secondary championships). A well decorated-well season, well-liked wrestler, Pedro Morales is a testament to Puerto Rican success, saying that not only have Boricuas been killing it in this game for some time, we’ve been doing it for at least fifty years, and I think that’s really cool.

Ivelisse

A champion almost everywhere she works, Ivelisse has held championship gold in Shimmer, the World Wrestling League, All Elite Wrestling, winning the Tag Team Cup with fellow Latina, the Cuban-American Diamante, and perhaps most famously Lucha Underground, being a Trios Championship tournament winner, and a two-time Trios Championship holder, with Angelico, and Son of Havoc. Currently, she works for Shine Wrestling, a sister company to Shimmer, where she is their reigning and defending Shine Champion, with her current reign being more than 600 days, which is nuts. She also holds the distinction of holding that championship for the most combined days, good for her!

Eddie Kingston

Finally, we have Eddie Kingston. I haven’t been following AEW for too long, so I JUST found out that he’s Puerto Rican, and that makes me so fucking excited lol. Potentially, the greatest talker going today, Eddie Kingston has that rare ability to talk people into the building, to really make people care, to make people really believe what he’s saying, and that when it’s all said and done, Eddie is gonna kick your ass. A very decorated champion, having held the top prize in Combat Zone Wrestling, All-American Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, and being the first-ever Chikara Grand Champion, he currently is wrestling in All Elite Wrestling, where he is known for his partnership with former bitter rival Jon Moxley. His feud with Moxley won Feud of the Year from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and most recently Kingston wrestled Miro for the TNT Championship at AEW All Out on September 5th, in an EXCELLENT match. What else can I say, other than Eddie Kingston is one of the coolest wrestlers currently at it, and I am damn proud to call him one of my own.

So! This is something new that I might keep doing going forward, let me know if you like it! This isn’t even close to every single notable Boricua wrestler, but I didn’t wanna take up your whole dashboard, just most of it lol. As I said before, if you’ve read this far, thank you, I appreciate it, tell me what you think, I’m open to suggestions, and if you have any questions, my inbox is always open. Thank you!

#my post #my ramblings #wrestling

10 notes · View notes

danwhobrowses · 3 years

Text

WWE Summerslam 2021 - Initial Reaction and Review

It's been a big week for wrestling in general, and now we have the Biggest Party of the Summer in the books, uncharacteristically airing on a Saturday.

It's been a while since I've run down a WWE PPV, time and apathy does have a bit to do with it, but since this is a big 4 and given what happened in Chicago there's definitely curiosity over how WWE would respond

Spoilers for Summerslam 2021 Below, I will be discussing the winners and moments so watch the PPV first

As usual I will indicate in the title who was the person I expected to win before the match started, but instead of Bold this time I'll put them in Italics with the whole match card being in bold

Kick-off

A long-ass kickoff was majority promo and interviews, not any contrarion drabble this time which was good. It was kinda sad to see Asuka on the packages but nowhere to be seen on the card.

I did like the sign guy of 'McAfee = Ratings' because he's kinda right, he has been great on commentary. I did not miss that dude in the Fiend Mask though, or the Lily Doll.

I will reiterate though that Sonya Deville is wasted right now, let her back in the goddamn ring, SD's Women's Division does need it and they make her look like a goof as Assistant GM.

Also apparently the Mysterios vs Usos aren't good enough for a promo package, not like it's a title match or anything... plus the disrespect still there, 'I wouldn't wanna work with my dad' they say like Rey isn't a multi time world champion with a huge wealth of experience.

The Miz and Morrison came in with a water truck to a mixed pop of cheers and boos, this moist gimmick ain't great but props for both guys being dedicated to it, it was short enough not to overstay its welcome too.

Ugh, Logan Paul is here...

Big E def. Baron Corbin (Pinfall via Big Ending) We had a new announcer from a Tiktok competition winner called Raine, and you know she was really good at it.

Corbin entered to boos hugging the MITB briefcase he stole, unable to afford entrance music it seems even though he's getting a PPV paycheck. To his credit he looks ultra disheveled, and when the ref had to pry the briefcase from him he looked super forlorn. I dunno why he's wrestling in a shirt though wouldn't that make it dirtier?

When the bell rings E does basically go right at Corbin, Corbin got a shoulder block in but then got caught in a belly to belly - despite protests - then a belly to backp. E missing the apron splash as Corbin senses a countout win, at 7 he leaves the ring to hit E against the ring post to try and eke out more time, demanding that the timekeeper keep the briefcase in his sights. E does return to the ring but his spear goes right is sidestepped into the ringpost, then thrown into them two more times, but only gets 2.

Corbin continues with some momentum with a sidewalk slam for 2, but his chokeslam is reversed into a rollup for 2 then a stretch muffler. He escapes and hits the Deep Six for 2, then 1.8, Corbin then stumbles to the briefcase, considering an exit before being hit with a lariat. E throws Corbin into the ring, but Corbin rolls right out, grabs the briefcase and tries to run around the ring only to be pounced into the barricade by Big E. The cat and mouse chase comes to an end, Corbin elbows E to get some room to roll to the other side of the ring but E catches him with that suicide spear he does, the briefcase is dropped and the straps are off: Big Ending for 3.

Shots of Logan Paul are hilariously met with huge boos as Big E finally reclaims his briefcase to a pop.

It was a nice little match, good palette cleanser and a nice and clean competition, Corbin had no chance in winning but it was a solid way to warm up the crowd for the main ppv.

Our final bit of the kick-off was discussing the UNI main event, though I feel like losing your job is a higher stake than winning your 17th world title. Also they had to force in the shucky ducky which was dumb.

Main Show

Raw Tag Team Championship: RK-Bro [Randy Orton & Riddle] def AJ Styles & Omos (c) [TITLE CHANGE] (Pinfall on Styles by Orton via RKO) Starting the night with some fun as Riddle comes out in a garish snake print outfit with a cerise pink lining, Orton didn't get the fashion memo thankfully but his hologram snake was cheesy. Riddle interacted with the crowd and had the multicoloured holo-doves while Orton mainly kept to himself. AJ and Omos came out together, though Omos had no theatrics, looking like a bouncer being invited to dinner still.

Orton and AJ started the match, Orton with the early advantage and tagging Riddle in for an assisted backflip for a 1 count, AJ rolls out the ring frustrated then tags in Omos, who just ragdolls Riddle; Shoulder Block, big clubbing blow then a delayed powerslam - an interesting glance over to Orton as well as they smile at each other, almost like Orton approved. Omos tries to deadlift Riddle with a wristlock but Riddle scrambles into a sleeper, but is flipped off then flattened in the corner. AJ tags in, platforming Omos for a Tornado DDT for 2, Riddle tries to fight out but runs into a backbreaker as AJ tells Orton 'you're next'.

During the rest hold, the crowd rallies Riddle back into the fight, AJ looks to have reclaimed an advantage and throws Riddle to his corner, but Riddle turns it into a dropkick on Omos, then dumps AJ out the ring. Riddle tries to tag Orton but AJ grabs him, enzugiri by Riddle allows Orton to make the hot tag. Clotheslines on AJ, a forearm to Omos - but it only stuns him, doesn't even fall to the floor, backdrop and another forearm to Omos that again fails to drop him. Clothesline to corner and a powerslam, this time Orton drops Omos out the ring by dropkicking the knees, draping DDT gets Orton feeling the RKO, but Omos drags AJ out the ring, then catches Riddle's dive to chokeslam him onto the apron. AJ stuns Orton with a jawbreaker on the ropes and gestures Omos to finish Riddle, but Riddle escapes the lawn dart and pushes Omos into the ring post. AJ though catches Riddle with his backflip reverse DDT on the outside, he misses the Phenomenal Forearm, but stands his ground against the RKO attempt, he rolls up for 2 and then lands into an RKO for 3.

It didn't last long but it was a fun opener, it was time for a title change and RK-Bro was a good choice. It's a shame Styles has to be the weak link but you can't be surprised that WWE continue to protect Omos.

Alexa Bliss (w/Lily) def. Eva Marie (w/ Doudrop) (Pinfall via DDT) The Lily hologram was fucking horrifying as Bliss carries the doll and puts it on the corner turnbuckle. Bliss weaves Eva effortlessly, she tries a waistlock but gets elbowed off. Eva gets a punch and a hair yank then...poses. She grabs Lily and starts slapping the doll, then slapping Alexa with the doll. Alexa then goes on the attack, clotheslines then a senton for 2, she puts Lily back as Eva argues with Doudrop. Alexa misses the Twisted Bliss and Eva gets 2 twice, a kick to the gut and a DDT finishes off Eva.

Post-match, Doudrop only looks smugly at Eva and grabs a microphone, announcing Eva as the loser, stealing her gown and walking away as Eva insists she made Doudrop.

This match didn't need to happen, in fact it could've just been a segment, but at least WWE were sensible in not having Eva Marie win against a former women's champion. They also didn't do any spooky shit and put the narrative mainly on Doudrop being free to hopefully be Piper Niven again, once again it didn't overstay its welcome.

Mario Lopez (who?) interviews RK-Bro on their title win, Orton cuts his normal promo but gets stumbled by trying to fit 'Bro' into his '3 most deadly letters in wrestling' catchphrase.

US Championship: Damian Priest def. Sheamus (c) [TITLE CHANGE] (Pinfall via Recknoning) Immediately after the interview Priest was already on the ramp, in blue gear with the USA and Puerto Rico flag on his tights, he did his archer pose to set off his tron. The Tron had a bit of an issue with Sheamus' opening, Sheamus wandered in with his face guard and coat. Sidebar, I still don't like the US Title design, it's better than the old one but not by much.

The two start by locking up, some solid chain wrestling shows that Sheamus has the power but Priest has the agility. After a pump kick, Priest hits a Falcon Arrow for 1, he has a bit of a nasty landing with his mid-rope flip senton out the ring, his heel clipped Sheamus' head but Priest's back had a hard landing on the floor, not easy to get distance when you step off the middle rope. Despite a flurry of kicks, Sheamus focuses on the back by throwing him into the ring post, belly to back and also an Irish Curse lead to a Camel Clutch, but Priest escapes that, Sheamus picks him up but Priest elbows out, so then he tries to powerbomb and Priest rana's out of that. Momentum is short though as Sheamus gets a powerslam for 2, a Dublin Smile and a Beats of the Bodhrán but he cuts the count short to slight the crowd's chant. His timewasting is punished by a Tornado DDT from Priest, they trade blows and a lariat floors Sheamus, a spinning leg lariat from the top rope only gets him 2.

Priest sets up the Reckoning, but is picked up for a rolling fireman's carry slam, Sheamus slowly climbs the turnbuckle, giving Priest time to look for a chokeslam, but Sheamus shimmies along the ropes and gets a massive rope-assisted jawbreaker, top turnbuckle clothesline and an Alabama Slam only gets 2. Sheamus angrily talks shit at Priest, Priest slaps him but Sheamus headbutts him back. He sets up the Brogue Kick but Priest gets the Big Boot and the South of Heaven, but it only gets 2. Priest tries the Reckoning but his back won't handle the weight, he tries a Disaster Kick but runs into a knee to the face, it's only a 2. After being furious with the ref Sheamus tries the Cloverleaf, but gets rolled up for 2, he catches Priest in a heel hook in the middle of the ring, with no ropes to reach, Priest reaches for the face guard, ripping it off of Sheamus. Madness in his eyes, Priest unloads on Sheamus' face, causing Sheamus to cover up and release the hold, a flapjack into the top turnbuckle stuns Sheamus for another spinning Leg Lariat and then a Recknoning for 3.

A nice technical match, had some creative spots in there and Priest winning was nice to see after the Miz/Morrison feud lasted forever. I do dislike that they said it was his first title 'in WWE' though, because he was NA Champion in NXT, which is still WWE Cole. I don't think I liked that the face guard is what undid Sheamus, the dude who likes to fight shouldn't really lose to insecurity. But third time's the charm with the Reckoning.

Afterwards we had a promo for NXT TakeOver. We got a backstage talk between Rey and Dom, Dom apologizing to Rey for the SD incident and Rey forgiving it immediately, noting to stay focused on the match right now.

SD Tag Championship: The Usos (c) def. The Mysterios (Pinfall on Rey by Jey via Splash) Immediately after the promo they left the curtain to their entrance, the yellow, white and pink was...a choice, kinda miss the comic book attires. The Usos came out with the Leis and their regular gear.

Rey and Jimmy started lightning quick, Rey setting up a 619 with a rana but Jimmy rolling out of the ring, eating a basement dropkick. Jey's intervening is stopped by Dom who drops him sluggishly into his brother before he's tagged in, Rey hits the baseball slide splash and Dom the crossbody. In the ring Dom's second crossbody gets 2, three amigos by Dom but he shifted Jimmy too close to Jey, who managed to tag a leg, meaning that Jey throws Dom off the turnbuckle when he tries a Frog Splash. Jey taunts Dom after hitting him into the ring post (who has had a lot of mileage already), gesturing him to try and tag his father before cinching a headlock, Dom tries to fight back but is thrown to the other corner, Jimmy is tagged in and they hit a Backbreaker/Ax Handle combo. Jimmy taunts Dom the same way, diving headbutt for 2, the Usos spend too much time taunting Dom in their corner as the younger Mysterio staggers the twins with elbows, his rush for his father is cut off by a very nonchalant uppercut by Jey (McAfee literally yelling HADOUKEN was amazing). Jey continues to posture after suplexes and more taunting, they look for the third suplex but Dom hooks his leg, reversing it into a twisting neckbeaker.

Rey gets the hot tag as Jey tags Jimmy, planting the Uso with a tornado DDT for 2. Seated Senton and a forearm to Jey on the Apron leads to Rey walking into a Superkick for 2. Both Usos stalk Rey, looking to do a pop-up Powerbomb, but Rey ranas Jimmy out the ring, Jey gets him with a superkick to the gut, then a superkick to counter Rey's springboard crossbody, he hits the Splash but it only gets 2. Jey looks frustrated and tags Jimmy to set up the double splash, but Dom cuts Jey off, he tries to suplex Jey onto the apron but Jey drops him with a front-facing suplex instead. The delay is sufficient though since Rey rolls away from Jimmy's splash, headscissors setup, 619 for a big pop, he goes for the Frog Splash but Jimmy gets the knees up. Superkick by Jimmy, tags in Jey, double Superkick, splash by Jey and 3.

*sigh* Can Rey stop being pinned? It's not like Dom doesn't know how to take a pin. It's, it's sucky really, I've said it enough times but Rey deserves more than this given his popularity and past title wins, WWE would not do this to the likes of Edge or Cena, Angle or Goldberg, hell they wouldn't even do this to Eddie and yet Rey gets this treatment as thanks for being full time. Granted, it took like 3 finishers to down him but come on, compare the light pop this match got when everyone knew the Usos were winning with the pop Rey's hot tag and his 619 got, he still has it and they won over the crowd, with more time and narrative to their match it could've been a classic. I'm just sick of seeing one of my faves lose so much you know, if the story is Dom's inexperience then surely he would be the reason for defeat, rather than Rey being ganged up on.

Tiffany Haddish (who??) interviews Priest on his title win, apparently Priest hates bullies and he's happy...not as cool as his NA title win in the hot tub though. Summerslam could've fit in a hot tub

Rick Boogs then shreds the guitar as he welcomes King Nakamura. McAfee is dancing like a goof again on the table and Nakamura's crown falls off, but he makes up for it by playing the IC title like a guitar with Pat. He's disappeared after the Belair/Sasha package though...kinda confusing why that was there.

SD Women's Championship: Bianca BelAir (c) vs Sasha Banks CANCELLED As Bianca enters with SD Women's Title prints on her gear, the announcer says that Sasha is unable to compete, so Carmella is fighting in her stead. A shame but obviously not intended.

Bianca BelAir (c) vs Carmella INTERRUPTED Props to McAfee for noting the collective disappointment. BelAir looks disappointed too and tells Carmella that she's gonna dish out her frustration on Carmella. The title is aloft but then

Becky Lynch is here

Cameras are not showing enough of her on her return as Bianca buzzes, the crowd is on their feet. Becky's got a thicker mane than I remember, maybe it's the curls, a new shirt of 'The Man's back in Vegas' is worn by Becky too as she soaks in her pop. When the cameras stop long enough to focus on Becky she is looking extra lean. She attacks Carmella and dumps her out of the ring, she tells Bianca she'll be right back and throws Carmella into the steps, before standing off with Bianca. She grabs a microphone and asks for a title match, BelAir mulls it, but eventually accepts.

Becky Lynch def. Bianca BelAir (c) [TITLE CHANGE] (Pinfall via Manhandle Slam) Both women are amped up, Lynch offers a handshake but the moment they touch, she socks Bianca, Manhandle Slam and 3. Becky celebrates as BelAir looks stunned and a little shafted, Becky does gesture no hard feelings but, BelAir does have hard feelings.

It's a big pop for Becky's return, though I would've rather seen you know, a match. I love Becky, she's been one of my favourite women's wrestlers in WWE before she was even The Man, and I am psyched she's back, but BelAir vs Becky could've been a good match. we didn't need the Carmella stuff either just have BelAir call an open challenge in Sasha's absence. Also as thin as the SD Women's Division was Becky probably would've fit more for the Raw Women's Title situation, since we last saw her vacating it and that shit's on heavy life support, plus I was kinda hoping that Bianca could beat Sasha but Sasha would win later down the line so we could build Liv Morgan for a title win, I guess October's draft could still open it up. But yeah, happy to see Becky back.

Wrestling Olympic Gold Medalists Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Gable Stevenson come out next, I know WWE have been hot on Gable but after the scripts' comments on Simone Biles it feels forced. Tamyra was at least happy to be here.

Extreme Rules promo is next.

Drew McIntyre def. Jinder Mahal (Pinfall via Claymore) Jinder comes out first, Veer and Shanky only able to stand at the ramp and go to the back. Drew comes with his sword to summon...smoke? You can see how dull that sword is too.

Drew starts the match strong by throwing Jinder in the corner, kicks and chops followed by throws, he motions for Claymore but Jinder rolls out the ring, cutting him at the legs. Jinder's attempt to regain momentum is countered with a belly to belly, so next he tries to appeal to their past friendship but Drew isn't having it. He tries the Futureshock but Jinder kicks him in the face, stunning him for 2. Knee drops and knee chokes are followed by clubs to Drew's head and a choke, but Drew powers out and hits a Glasgow Kiss (which they called a Glaz-gao kiss, it's not that hard to say Glasgow), some more Belly to Bellies leads to a Futureshock and a kip up, 3, 2, 1, Claymore, 1, 2, 3.

McIntyre stepped over Jinder as he celebrated, Veer and Shanky tended to Jinder and then Drew grabbed his sword and started swinging...like the face he is trying to murder these dudes for tending to their boss.

Okay. Easy pop having squashed Jinder, did this need to be on PPV? Probably not, this and Bliss/Eva could've been done on Raw, rather than steal time from Usos/Mysterios and a potential Becky/BelAir banger. Nobody really got over or elevated with this.

Raw Women's Championship: Charlotte Flair def. Nikki A.S.H. (c) and Rhea Ripley [TITLE CHANGE] (Submission on Nikki by Charlotte via Figure Eight) Uncharacteristically, Nikki came out first to nothing, not a pop or a boo, it kinda sounded like fake crowd noises when we had one pop. Rhea got a mini pop next, but loud woos for Charlotte? Don't buy that especially given how she's meant to be the heel. She's in kinda Thanos gear too. The pops were louder for Rhea when her name was announced, Nikki's was mixed and Charlotte had some boos.

The bell rings as Charlotte shoves Nikki, telling her to get out the ring. Rhea shoves Charlotte but Nikki dumps Rhea out the ring, a Monkey Flip to Charlotte then a Rollup on Rhea for 1. Charlotte dumps Rhea as the two tussle, Nikki coming back to boot Charlotte off the apron as part of a bulldog on Rhea. Rhea keeps trying to keep a hold of Nikki but Nikki keeps rolling her up. Charlotte throws Nikki into Rhea like a spear then lariats Rhea and exploder's Nikki. Rhea and Charlotte trade advantages around the turnbuckle, Charlotte fights off a Nikki crossbody and powerslams Nikki onto Rhea, she tries the moonsault but Rhea gets her feet up, Nikki rolls her up but Rhea pulls her off, tries the Riptide but Nikki shifts her weight to splash her. Nikki headscissors Charlotte but is booted by Rhea, Charlotte then boots Rhea and taunts her, Rhea then starts finding energy, a Northern Lights for 1 but Charlotte then regains momentum, a huge big boot to dump Rhea out the ring, but Nikki then tornado DDTs Charlotte for 2. Basement Dropkick to Rhea gives Charlotte time to catch Nikki but Rhea german's them both, Missile Dropkick to Charlotte by Rhea only gets 2 as Charlotte flees to the outside. The two trade blows on the outside, to be flattened by Nikki's crossbody.

Pulling Charlotte in the ring, Charlotte resists the suplex, but Rhea comes in to double up on Charlotte, only for Charlotte to reverse it to a double DDT, Flair chops are suppressed but Charlotte still manages to fend off Nikki and Rhea, Corkscrew Moonsault on the outside takes the two out. She drags Rhea in but Rhea gets a boot, Nikki tries to roll up Rhea but only gets 2. Rhea's limping a bit but still kicks Nikki and cinches in her Inverted Cloverleaf, she dodges the Big Boot from Charlotte (perhaps inadvertently) and locks it into Charlotte, but she rolls through and gets the Figure 8, which is broken by Nikki's knee drop. Nikki hits a Purge but it's broken up by Rhea, she sets another Riptide but again Nikki counters this time with a Reverse Tornado DDT, dumping Rhea out the ring. Nikki sees Charlotte prone, setting up the Crossbody, but she misses, Charlotte locks the Figure 8 and taps.

Abrupt finish, it was a really well-worked match selling the chaos of the triple threat. But I never felt like Charlotte was in danger of losing, Nikki wasn't working because they rushed her new character without getting her over, so of course WWE were gonna fall back to ye olde Charlotte title win. The narrative didn't help either, she seemed like the babyface and again, didn't feel threatened, I never saw the opening for Charlotte to lose. In a vacuum it was a good match, as a whole though, since Rhea won the title at mania nobody's gotten over, they made an absolute hash of the Charlotte feud to the point where we didn't even feel invested in Rhea getting a win back, then we fast tracked a cash in. The only one who profited here was Charlotte, who got to add 2 more title reigns to her name on paper, had Becky came here to make it a 4-Way and won, it'd probably have been more hopeful because now, who is next? Asuka's AWOL, Shayna's buried, Alexa's on spooky shits, Rhea's broken, Nikki isn't getting over, who can Charlotte face at this point?

Edge def. Seth Rollins (Submission via Crossface) Dressed like some aristocrat, Seth entered first half smug half focused, it may've dragged on a bit long. Edge didn't come out to Metalingus, but instead he came out in the fires of the Brood, with the dark sunglasses, fire and the elevated platform to boot, but then Metalingus came out to give the people what they want.

The bell rings but there's a long pause to soak in the crowd investment. Edge has the early advantage with a swift punch, every time Seth tries to lock in on Edge he hits back, annoying Seth as he mulls outside the ring. He tries the Pedigree but is again dumped out the ring, this time Edge follows and throws him around the barriaces, Rollins returns to the ring but is knee'd out, but gets some advantage by dodging the Baseball Slide and driving Edge into ye olde Ring Post, then against the steps. Neckbreaker only gets 2 as he continues to focus on the neck with chokes, stomps and slingblades, another neckbreaker leads to another 2 as Seth taunts Edge about it.

A diving knee by Rollins gets 2 as Seth kicks around Edge, he tries another neckbreaker but Edge reverses into a backslide for 2, Flapjack and a tackle into the turnbuckle, Seth fends off Edge at the turnbuckle though and hits the Frog Splash for 2 but for the second time Edge rolls into the corner to avoid the stomp. Rollins pulls Edge to the turnbuckle, but Edge hits him with a top turnbuckle spinning neckbreaker, Flapjack onto the top rope, Edgecution for 2, Rollins stuns Edge by driving him into the Turnbuckle, but he misses his knee strike into an Head Yank for 2. Edge goes up top but Rollins turns it into his Superplex/Falcon Arrow combo for 2, he sets up the Stomp but misses, tries the Pedigree but Edge wriggles out, Glam Slam by Edge for 2, nice homage for Beth there. Seth gets back the momentum though, Jawbreaker on the ropes then a neckbreaker on the ropes, Edge dodges the stomp on the apron though and throws Seth into the ring post (not ye olde ringpost though it's a different one) and then a spear through the ropes into the outside. A bulldog into the apron LED only gets 2, but now Edge is setting up the spear, but Rollins counters into a Pedigree (Pat mustn't have watched Roman vs Seth before because he said he has never seen that counter) but it only gets 2.

Rollins climbs up top looking for the Phoenix Splash, he lands on his feet and rolls away but walks into a spear, 1, 2, No. Edge now looking for the Killswitch but Rollins clubs then kicks Edge in the back of the head, he tries the Stomp but Edge rolls and catches the boot, turning it into an Edgecator, Seth reaches for the ropes so Edge tries to pull him back, but in releasing the hold he gets rolled up for 2. Edge then tries the Crossface, rolling to the center of the ring, but Edge slams his head into the mat and reapplies it for the tapout.

A nicely worked match again that managed to showcase a lot of Edge's past bag of tricks. The second I was wrong about too, I expected Seth to get some momentum to try and challenge Roman like he had been teasing before this feud (on that note, where's Cesaro? Miss that dude), but it was definitely something for the fans to cheer about. The narrative of avoiding the Stomp was also good for the storytelling, Seth doesn't lose anything in defeat either, he's took 2 spears, 2 crossfaces, Edgecator and the Edgecution.

MITB 22 is announced on 4th July at the Allegiant Stadium, Vegas (the same venue as tonight). Expect there to be a Murica match in there. In addition attendance today is 51k. We scope back around to Miz and Morrison's kickoff thing, mostly getting a jobber entrance. The moist jokes were worst this time around as they marketed the 'Drip Stick 2000' which neither had. Who did have it? A very wet and long-haired Xavier Woods with a cocktail stick in their mouth and a 'New Day Order' shirt. Woods convinces the crowd to rally into shooting them with a water gun, though it didn't really get a pop in the act, dumb shit really but whatever Woods' new look is I dig it.

WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) (c) def. Goldberg (via Ref Stoppage) Lashers out first...no sanctity it seems. He's walking into the ring with purpose, his pose has no pyro though, kinda a lukewarm smoke that'd make Revolution 2020's explosion smirk. Goldberg does his usual entrance, lots of quick camera switching again. Dude looks a bit top-heavy tbh, skipping those leg days. Lashley paces across Goldberg's periphery, it doesn't look like there'll be underestimation in this fight.

They lock up first, a bit of strength testing, Goldberg tanks a shoulder block, grounding Lashley with a flying shoulder block, then a body slam. Goldberg is keeping the advantage with corner attacks and clotheslines but Lashley clubs at the back. He sets up a Jackhammer for insult to injury, but Goldberg keeps his leg hooked, he tries to lift Lashley but can't follow through and gets hit with a flatliner. No sympathy from Lashley as he clubs at the back of the head before uncharacteristically going up top, which Goldberg punishes by throwing him down, Goldberg looks for the Spear but MVP yanks Lashley outside, only for Goldberg to spear him on the outside anyway.

Goldberg sets up a second spear, but as the ref focuses on Lashley rolling out the other side, MVP thwacks Goldberg's knee with his cane, distracting Goldberg long enough to be chop blocked. Chokeslam makes Lashley look for the Hurt Lock, but he can't connect the fingers, as Goldberg escapes though he gets chop blocked again, causing Goldberg to leave the ring. Lashley follows, lifting him up and charging him knee first into the ring post twice. Struggling to stand, the Ref throws the match.

The match is over but Lashley continues to attack the leg with a steel chair. Gage Goldberg attempts to jump but gets wrenched with a Hurt Lock. MVP tries to assure that Lashley wouldn't have known that he was attacking Goldberg's son but it means little, Goldberg insisting he's gonna kill Lashley, meaning this feud isn't over.

The heat was right, the delivery was wrong. We've seen people beat Goldberg clean, I don't see why Lashley, who has beaten people who have beaten Goldberg clean, couldn't do that himself? Needing MVP's help flattens the statement made.

Camera work got a bit wonky there when promoting the Main Event

Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) def. John Cena (Pinfall via Spear) Cena's the first to come out, sporting a Super Mario-esque shirt showing his 16 world title reigns, the reigns also shown on the tron, they actually mentioned Ric Flair this time. The Bronze Statue hologram for Roman is still tacky, but he comes out flanked with his cousins and Paul, smoke again instead of pyro - I wonder if they weren't allowed to pyro. Heyman whispers the Usos to leave Roman to walk the ramp. I spotted an 'Anyone but you Roman' sign in the crowd, before McAfee makes me smirk again by calling Roman an 'absolute stud'.

Roman's a little ginger about locking up with Cena, but is goaded into it, winning the shoulder block. A second lock up leads to a Cena roll up for 1, trying to call back to the go home smackdown, another schoolboy for 2 but Roman laughs it off. Roman doesn't lock up again, kicking and clubbing at Cena while mocking the crowd, a lariat is reversed into another rollup for 2 but gets him back with a reverse lariat (he used the back of his arm, like a chop lariat), a Suplex by Roman leads to a 2 count, then the rest hold. Cena tries to break but Roman smacks him, another suplex for 2 then he dumps Cena out the ring, Cena blocks the punch and tries to flurry back, but is whipped into the steel steps. After some posturing Roman smacks Cena headfirst into the steps again, then posing with the belt as he claims that the crowd needs him, he saunters to the ring but walks into another schoolboy for 2, leading to another punch.

Roman insists that Cena can't win like this, but in his gloating Cena almost lifts him for the AA, which Roman counters into a DDT for 2. Roman almost looks bored, telling the hard cam that he's not apologetic about hurting Cena, Cena once again tries the forearms but when he tries the flying shoulder block he runs into an uppercut. Roman mocks Cena for having only five moves, but again it's a rollup for 2, this time Roman counters with a sleeper, Cena tries to fight but Roman puts his body weight on him, he tries again and Roman uses his weight again, only this time Cena launches him into the corner and follows up with a clothesline. Then come the shoulder tackles, the twisting front drop, but as he tiredly goes for the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, Roman snaps in the Guillotine, Cena tries the Jackknife pin for 2, the hold is broken but this time it's a Superman Punch. Roman wastes too much time though and his spear is countered with a kick, this time the 5 Knuckle Shuffle hits, AA, 1, 2, No. Heyman's having heart palpitations ringside but Cena's locked in the STF, Roman makes the rope to break the hold and leaves the ring, but as Cena looks to follow he's hit by a Drive By.

Roman looks to put Cena away with a Spear on the outside, but Cena counters it with an AA through the Announcer's Table, he drags Roman back into the ring but only gets the 2. Cena goes up top, looking for a dropkick maybe, but he's caught into a powerbomb for 2. Roman seems to be prepping his Superman Punch, but Cena rolls for 2, picks up for the AA but can't lift him all the way, allowing Roman to hit the Superman Punch for another 2. Roman is getting irritated now, Cena's been in his head after all, he goes for the Spear but meets ye olde ring post. Cena pulls Roman up for the Avalanche AA, he lands it, 1, 2, No! Cena taunts Roman this time, quoting his entrance theme then mocking the Oooowaaah, the Spear is cut off though, instead they trade blows, one Superman Punch, two Superman Punch, Roman declares he is WWE and lands the Spear, 1, 2, 3.

Roman stands over the prone Cena, but then the noise is heard. Brock Lesnar is in the building, and he still has the hipster look. Cameras lose control again as Heyman finds a conflict in interest, dude is absolutely jacked though. He approaches Roman in a staredown, but Roman just leaves the ring to close the night. Apparently off-air Lesnar then attacked Cena.

You know what would've made this match better? If the conclusion wasn't so forgone after Smackdown. Did anyone actually think that WWE would let Roman quit? At least before Roman's career was at stake there was a 10% chance Cena could leave as the winner, which would've made the nearfalls much more believable.

As for Lesnar, well, Vince always wanted Roman/Brock to be the main level feud and he's always getting his way. It'll draw, but it only puts paper over the submarine window that is the problem.

Conclusion

A good PPV though. I don't think there was any match that was awful. And that's kinda saying something with Eva Marie involved. Some segments and matches were, legless perhaps, stuff you could've be done with or even just put on Raw which is a shame because that took time from matches, as I said I would've liked to actually see Becky and Bianca wrestle and the Mysterios get more time.

The returns were good, I suppose Chicago definitely had nothing to do with that. But I'm not gonna be sad about seeing Becky Lynch again.

My main problem is probably how despite the big card, there was no doubt, I mean I got all but a couple of matches right on this card and it was because the matches were all built so obviously, those two frankly I predicted because I expected a bit more swerve. Part of it could be the fatigue of all the good wrestling we've seen so far but compared to other PPVs where I've felt on the edge of my seat or shaking in my ribs I just felt cosy, like it was a casual watch.

It was certainly not bad, definitely a good outing with good wrestling, but there is room still to improve on the narrative, and camera work like seriously learn to linger, immediate snap cuts throw people off. New directions are ahead to fulfill that so hopefully WWE can find a course to get back on.

8 notes · View notes

stupidbluegirl · 3 years

Note

Because I enjoy contrasts, how about 10 & 11, and 24 & 25 for the rasslin asks? :)

10. Best looking title belt?

Okay, maybe not THE best looking but it's shiny! And most of all, it's tacky and ridiculous and so is wrestling, so it's the perfect representation of the sport. Er, entertainment. You know what I mean.

11. Worst looking title belt?

I HATE THIS BELT WITH A FIERY PASSION. The white strap makes it look like a cheap knockoff toy. Wrestling champs might look cheap, but their hardware shouldn't. Did Vince start hating his IC champs? I thought the one in the 80s worn by Steamboat, Savage, etc was awesome. (I also haaaaaaate the current day WWE belts that look like giant blown up championship rings. I hadn't paid any attention to them, but I watched a show that had Charlotte Flair the other night and ughhhh she was robbed having to tote that around when her dad had the BGB.)

24. Most overrated wrestler ever?

I can only think of obvious answers. So I'll go with that. Even as an 11-year-old at the height of Hulkamania, I just never got it. Every match was ALWAYS THE SAME. I remember calling the spots (obviously didn't know that's what it was called then!) when watching him wrestle. (Also the Ultimate Warrior...shake the ropes, yell, 5 clotheslines, yell some more. zzzz....)

25. Most underrated wrestler?

(How many drugs was Vince on to cook up the FUCKING RED ROOSTER?!?!)

Terry Taylor. He was sooo good and fun to watch in Mid-South/NWA/JCP/UWF "off brand wrestling" and then shows up in the WWF and they give him the most asinine gimmick in a company full of asinine gimmicks. I was so happy he was finally in the WWF, and then go and turn him into the fucking Red Rooster. Are you kidding me? He had the skills, the look, good on the mic and they make him crow like a rooster. Rumor is he had an abrasive personality and that's why he got saddled with that crap. He can't have a worse personality than both British Bulldogs, Warrior, the Anvil and a half dozen others I can think of off the top of my head.

#memage #pro wrestling #asks

5 notes · View notes

daleisgreat · 3 years

Text

Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased

WWE has release a few Shawn Michaels DVDs over the years, but continuing on the theme of my last few wrestling-centered entries, WWE Home Video stuck with their “unreleased” brand of DVDs in 2018 with the three-disc release of Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased (intro - I could not locate a trailer for this anywhere!). In that clip Shawn quips that the producers deserve an award for finding previously unreleased matches. I believe the criteria for this release is still similar to previous “Unreleased” collections where they may have aired on television (and thus likely in the WWE Network archives) or long discontinued VHS tapes, but this DVD will mark the first time the matches are available on disc. Also included is a new interview with Michaels that they broke up in several parts and sporadically inserted throughout the collection. The first disc is something special as it essentially is a “Best of Rockers” DVD. The first two matches are from Shawn’s rookie year in 1985 for Mid-South in quick enhancement matches for Hector & Chavo Guerrero and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Matches serve their purpose, but it is nonetheless fascinating to see how Shawn had that already apparent potential in him way back in 1985. The remaining 11 matches on the first disc are all Rockers matches, with the first three tag matches being from their Midnight Rockers AWA days with two bouts against Doug Summers & Buddy Rose and one more with Brian Knobbs & Dennis “I’m not booked” Stamp. The two Summers & Rose matches are show-stealers that had exhilarating beginning/middle/end structures, and was fun to watch the 1980s crowd go nuts for.

The first disc is almost all AWA & WWF Rockers matches!! For the eight WWF Rockers matches, they consist of almost an all-star lineup of a golden age for WWF tag teams where they square off against the likes of Demolition, Brain Busters, Hart Foundation, Natural Disasters and Legion of Doom. The sad thing about The Rockers back then is that as charismatic and agile as they were back then, they mostly made other teams look good in their WWF run and that is the case here as they lose six of those eight WWF matches. Even worse is the two matches they win is a DQ win against the Rougeaus after Jimmy Hart’s megaphone is used, and a countout win against the Orient Express. That said, a lot of the other matches are pretty damn good, with high honors going to the Brain Busters bout, two Demolition matches and surprisingly working in a lot of good stuff against Legion of Doom. Worth pointing out is another good match against the Hart Foundation where it seems noticeable the teams missed their cue to go home because the match starts to feel there is no end in sight when out of nowhere during an abdominal stretch a bunch of wrestlers run in and an awkward impromptu brawl ensues and the match is declared a draw.

Disc two has 12 matches from Shawn’s first singles WWF run from 1992-1998. Some highlights from this are an unsurprising technical showcase with Mr. Perfect, oddly having a positive dynamic with Bret Hart to team up against the Blu Brothers in 1995 and predictable-yet-high quality formula matches during his first WWF Title run against 1-2-3 Kid and Steve Austin. Disc two has a disappointing triple tag elimination match with Shawn, Diesel and Undertaker against Psycho Sid, Tatanka and Kama filled with lots of stalling and headscratching booking for the eliminations. There is also a questionable match against Vader a month after their controversial-yet-excellent Summerslam match, where in this match Shawn takes 95% of the offense and quickly squashes Vader in three minutes. There is also a fascinating bout against Yokozuna from the summer of 1996 in Kuwait, when Yoko is nearing the end of his WWF run due to him putting on excess weight, and the match kind of expectedly plods along, until something must have clicked for Shawn to motivate Yoko into a pretty watchable match in the back half, and the two show respect afterwards which was awesome to see….until Yoko suddenly darts off to the back like he really has to go to the bathroom. The third disc consists of 10 matches from Shawn’s return run to WWE from 2002-2010. All the matches here are from RAW, so that means they follow the formula that still holds true for WWE TV main events today where it is either a cobbled together tag match, or a really good one-on-one match with interference or a hokey finish. There are a couple exceptions with worthwhile clean matches against Ric Flair during a Japan 2005 tour and against Christian in 2004 when he was building momentum with Tyson Tomko by his side. HBK’s matches against Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho are the highlights on disc three, but all three contests have varying degrees of interference to effect the finishes, and in some cases it actually benefits the match as is the case with Angle with the story they were telling. I was delighted to see a post-RAW dark match included with Shawn teaming with Batista against Triple H and Edge. WWE is notorious for usually doing a fun untelevised promo or bonus match for the fans after the cameras go off the air with some quirky moments that would never fly in a televised match. That is the case here with Triple H doing lots of exaggerated selling and fun jawing with the crowd that absolutely ate it all up for a fun time.

Shawn didn't disappoint in his 21st century run, with matches included here that don't disappoint against Ric Flair and Kurt Angle. A couple of promos are uncovered like Shawn doing an open Q&A with the fans when Sensational Sherri was managing Michaels early in his singles run. Another amusing bonus promo is Shawn and Diesel doing a Times Square workout session to hype up their upcoming WrestleMania 11 match with the one-and-only Todd Pentigill hosting. The several interview clips inserted throughout the DVDs has Shawn hitting on certain parts on where he was at that stage in his career and reflecting on the infamous Barber Shop break-up with Marty, his 2002 return, rebooting a less edgy, more goofball version of DX in 2006 and retiring in 2010 (this was filmed before his ill-fated Saudi Arabia return match). From these series of introspections, it was fascinating to hear Shawn think back on why he was not all-in for teaming with Jose Lathario in his WWE Title run, and hearing him settling on being a family man in retirement and turning down multiple

WrestleMania return matches. There are also a few sets of interviews with NXT talent commenting on how lucky they are to have Shawn as a teacher at the WWE Performance Center. Shawn comments a few times here too on being proud of passing on his knowledge, and it is obvious he is genuine on his passion for his new role building talent in NXT. WWE has once again amassed another recommended collection of un-vaulted matches. I am digging this format following the Piper and Macho Man sets where they break up the action every few matches with a set of interviews. Wort mentioning is about a quarter of the 35 matches here have no commentary because they were either dark matches, or from arena shows WWE use to film at regionally in the 80s and 90s and never recorded commentary for and/or lost the rights for the commentary. While there are some skippable matches, the good-to-bad ratio is largely in the positive here, and the not-so-good bouts usually at least have an entertaining backstory or era they emanate from. This all adds up for Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased being another must-have installment of the Unreleased branding. Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Getting Rowdy: The Unreleased Matches of Roddy Piper Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of the Macho Man RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Shawn Michaels: My Journey Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania III: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

#Wrestling #Shawn Michaels #the rockers #wwf #WWE #awa #marty jannetty #ric flair #kurt angle #Christian #Bret Hart #diesel #psycho sid #dennis stamp #jake roberts #mr. perfect

16 notes · View notes

pwrestlingxpress · 7 years

Video

youtube

The match above is one of the five matches selected as part of this week’s edition of Best of Wrestling Worldwide. This post on tumblr allows me to present to you, the followers, the best matches involving the best of today’s wrestlers. Some matches that either I or the company has selected will also involve those who left their mark here in professional wrestling.

The first of the five matches was selected by Ring of Honor as part of their Throwback Thursday in which the match selected is a triple threat match involving New Japan Star Kenny Omega, SmackDown! Live General Manager Daniel Bryan, and RAW Superstar Seth Rollins. This match took place on November 8th 2008 where both Bryan and Rollins were credited under the names “Bryan Danielson” and “Tyler Black”, respectively. This is a match that you guys will enjoy and may have served as a catalyst that eventually vaulted their respective wrestling careers.

youtube

The second match is one that I’ve selected and it comes from the IWA-Mid South which is one of the branches for the organization known as the Independent Wrestling Association. IWA Mid-South is known to be one of those organizations where matches tend to get bloody and freedom of speech is expressed in ten-fold as you’ll hear in the video above. The match I’ve selected takes place in 2006 as Evan Bourne takes on Ricochet in what I can call one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. Who could’ve imagine these two ten years later would’ve become Junior Tag Champions for New Japan? This is a match I’m sure all of you will enjoy.

youtube

The third match is also another one that I’ve selected in which it comes from the Texas-based organization called Reality of Wrestling. This organization is owned by Booker T and based on what I saw is one of the best organizations in the world of professional wrestling. The video above will contain the match that I’ve selected but it will not start until you are at 28 minutes and 32 seconds into the video because that’s where the match is. It’s a rematch for the Reality of Wrestling Texas Championship as Rex Andrews goes 1-on-1 with Cameron Cole. I loved the chemistry that went into this match and I’m sure you’ll love it too. These are also two unknowns who could one day see themselves either with the WWE, Ring of Honor, or New Japan. The future is bright for these two competitors who in my eyes tore the house down. Match took place not long ago as it took place the same day as WWE Payback which was April 30, 2017. Again, this is a match I’m sure you’ll all enjoy.

The fourth match comes from New Japan and after not putting up a free match last week, the promotion returns with a great selection to get the fans ready for Best of the Super Juniors 24 which is slated to start next Wednesday and will be highlighted by the rematch between IWGP Junior Champion Hiromu Takahashi and Dragon Lee. The match that has been selected took place at New Japan’s New Beginning in Osaka back on February 11, 2017 and it is between those two individuals. In other words, this is a recent match and it was an instant classic. If you guys want to see the match, you have two choices. You can either click here to watch the match with English Commentary provided by Kevin Kelly and Don Callis or you can click here to watch the match with Japanese Commentary provided by Milano Collection AT and a few others with guest commentators Kazuchika Okada and Gedo. The reason why is because this match will only be available for free until June 7th where the match will go back into the archives and you’ll have to pay $9.99 to see the whole match. Right now, you can watch it for free but remember you have until June 7th to do so. Also, because it’s only available for that allotted time, I’m forced to provide the link instead of putting the video up.

youtube

The final match is one of three matches that were uploaded by the WWE last week on the YouTube channel and it’s the one I selected since the other two videos involves wrestler who are barely active today. The match you’ll see here involves Matt and Jeff Hardy defending their World Tag Team Championships against the team of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch at Backlash 2007 which took place on April 29th in Atlanta, Georgia. This is one match I’m sure you’ll enjoy especially the fact that it’s one of those few highlights in the life of Lance Cade. Again, it is sad to know that Cade is no longer a part of this world but watching this match you’ll see will show you how much potential he had in the WWE and how far he could’ve gone as a competitor in the wrestling ring. I hope you all enjoy this match as much I did and with this, let’s keep the memories of Lance Cade (even though there may not be many) alive in our hearts.

Enjoy all five matches in this week’s edition of Best of Wrestling Worldwide and come back next week to see the next best match from Ring of Honor, the Independent Promotions, New Japan, and WWE. Also, I have plans to include Pro Wrestling Noah into the mix but right now I have not made up my mind on that. Please stay tuned if I decide to do that. Anyway, enjoy the five matches courtesy of Ring of Honor, Smart Mark Video, Reality of Wrestling, New Japan, and WWE; respectively. I take no credit into these videos that were uploaded by these five channels whatsoever.

9 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

lauramorais-blog1

Sem título

squares64games

Untitled

byebyelemonpie

movies, tea, and books.

itselinor

Untitled

ueageeksociety

Geek Society University of East Anglia