2013 Pro Wrestling Thread

The Wyatts are shocked that someone slipped past them during their 2-minute entrance in a darkened arena? Really, guys?

Also, has anyone seen the trailer for the new horror movie "You're Next"? One of the killers is wearing an animal mask reminiscent of the Wyatts. I'm not sure whether that makes the movie slightly less scary, or the Wyatts creepier.

 

Is Christian a Hall of Famer?

 

Yes. Without a doubt in the world.

 

Fine Cena/Bryan dueling mics segment until the cheesy ending. I do like how there's several elements at play in this match, between SuperCena, Bryan as the underdog, the Vince/Trips power play and Orton lurking with the MITB.

Pretty good Raw so far, although that mixed tag match was a total mess at the end, and made zero sense as far as putting over Big E and A.J. for the PPV.

 

Every time I hear him say, "Ryback Rules!" I like to think his full name is Ryback O'Doyle.

 

His mid-career slide was disappointing, but I blame that on poor booking. Since returning, he's been fantastic at times, as long as he's not hurt. But Hall of Famer? He should get in simply for his tag team work. He was one part of a very important machine during the Attitude Era that put tag teams back on the map. E&C, Hardyz, Dudleys, Holly cousins (and Jericho/Benoit to a small extent). The crazy shit they were willing to do practically perfected the ladder match and gave birth to good, old-fashioned TLC matches. Absolutely HoF material. I got to see him at a house match during his heel run with the WHC, and he and Orton tore the place down. All for a lousy house show in Boise. Seemed like an unlikely feud, but they had some great matches.

 

That was because they have excellent chemistry together, be it in the ring or back stage cutting a promo. That feud was fantastic. And so is any feud when Orton gets to work with someone he has great chemistry with.

 

Where's Dick Whitman when we need him to start the really important threads?

If you're a big hall guy, which the WWE seems to be, then definitely. He was one of the top guys of the Attitude Era's tag division, always a really good in-ring performer, and even on the back nine of his career here, he's been a credible WHC titleholder. That's probably enough to get him in after he retires, although he's probably not an automatic enshrinee and no-doubter like Edge was.

If you think of the "WWE Hall of Fame" - itself a nebulous concept, I know - as a HoF pyramid like Bill Simmons suggested for the NBA HoF, then I think Christian is a Tier 3 guy. Tier 1 would be the obvious, no doubt icons - The Rock, Flair, Bruno, Hogan, Stone Cold. Tier 2, I think you have mostly world champions, guys with short but explosive peaks, and guys who were on the top during odd or down times for the business - Goldberg, Warrior, Diesel, Sting if he's not a Tier 1 guy, Million Dollar Man. Tier 3, steady hands or guys mostly known for tag team work - Mr. Perfect, Christian, Legion of Doom, IRS / Mike Rotunda, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Tier 4, comedy or celebrity acts - Cyndi Lauper, Pete Rose, Mike Tyson, etc.

 

You mean there's no room for Sean Stasiak and Chuck Palumbo in Simmons' set up? For shame, I say!

I still think WWE blew a big chance at a WCW hurrah a few years ago when WM hit Atlanta. That would have been the year to induct some of those guys, like the Horsemen, who went the next year in Miami, Booker T, Dusty Rhodes, Goldberg ... and maybe Sting. By the way, he was TNA's first HoF inductee last year. I learned that earlier this year when Angle went in. Dixie apparently has only one inductee per year, go figure.

 

Eventually the young fanbase is going to grow up and get sick of PG wrestling. This happened in the 90's and it gave up the glorious attitude era. Obviously company competition had something to do with shifts in the business as well. I'm wondering if anyone thinks we will eventually see another less PG promotion in the future.

 

I will say, yes ... but.

I can see the E get away from the PG, but not quite go to the Attitude Era level. For one thing, as you pointed out, the lack of competition. For another thing, at the time of the Attitude Era, the business had really just opened up from the kayfabe era, so when they did do something, it truly was shocking. Nowadays, it's been there, done that.

And also, there is much more awareness of wrestlers' health, especially with concussions. Guys aren't willing to take as many crazy risks or bumps, because the rewards aren't really there. A lot of them don't want to be crippled by the time they're 50.

 

I think it's more the lack of a strong competitor that allows the WWE to play it safe. Why risk turning Cena or something of that nature? They're making a steady profit. I think the WWE needs a WCW-like player to really challenge it. Right now, TNA isn't it, and one of the few "shake things up" moments the WWE had the past few years was when TNA went live on Mondays head to head against it briefly. (That was right around the time Bret Hart came back, IIRC.)