The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Old School – Maple Leaf Gardens 09.18.88
Oh lord the thumbnail image has me dreading this one already.
The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Old School – Maple Leaf Gardens 09.18.88
Latest Wrestling Blogs
Morning Daily News Update
Top Star “Medically Disqualified” From Appearing On SmackDown
A big name WWE Superstar has revealed that they are being forced to miss SmackDown due to medical reasons.
Kevin Nash Claims Wrestling Legend Was Stoned During WWE Hall Of Fame Induction
Kevin Nash has claimed that a fellow WWE Hall of Famer was stoned when they were inducted.
Bianca Belair Competes At WBFF Bodybuilding Contest (PHOTOS)
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair recently tested herself in a very different kind of competition.
Monday Night Raw – December 5, 2022
Monday Night Raw
Date: December 5, 2022
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
We are on our way to…well the Royal Rumble, but the show is so far away that it is hard to be that interested so far. As for this week, the Usos will be defending the Tag Team Titles against Matt Riddle and Elias, who are such a longstanding team. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we might be seeing this week so let’s get to it.
Rampage sets a new record
Yeah it’s time for TK to bow out gracefully and put a bullet in the show. Move it to another night or merge it with Dark or something but Friday night is death and it’s a vicious cycle of no one watching because nothing happens and nothing happening because no one watches.
Evening Daily News Update
Brock Lesnar Attempted To Join TNA, Company Turned Him Down
TNA made the shocking decision to turn down Brock Lesnar when he wanted to join their company!
Barry Windham Suffers Heart Attack, Undergoes Surgery
WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham is currently undergoing treatment in hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Young Rock Seemingly Teases Dwayne Johnson Winning Universal Title In Near Future
A recent episode of Young Rock fueled speculation that The Rock could be going after Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship!
WWE Once Asked Becky Lynch To Shave Her Head Bald
Becky Lynch was once asked to shave her signature red hair as part of a WWE storyline!
Joshi Spotlight: AJW GOES BOWLING!
AJW AT HAKATA STARLANES (Feb. 15th 1997):
* It’s time for sheer joshi greatness, as AJW wrestlers GO BOWLING!!! This time it’s a bit of February TV and the great Hakata Starlanes building- this looks like such a fun dumpy bowling arena, haha. And eventually the AJW teams split up and bowl against each other.
So on this show, Tomoko & Kumiko are our hosts, visiting a temple/shrine and talking to the audience. They bump into Kyoko Inoue praying and they do some joking about, then we’re off to the Starlanes! And a happy Dump Matsumoto is on commentary!
YUMI FUKAWA vs. YUKA SHIINA:
* It’s a rookie fight! Fukawa’s been getting an “almost push/watch this rookie!” build for all of 1996, and Shiina’s on a tier below her- Shiina’s no longer ultra-jobbery though, sporting a serious face and gear with her name on it- a sporty orange top with white shorts. Fukawa’s in white/blue, with… wow that outfit is almost entirely blue ruffles. I dunno if this is clipped or what.
What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – August 25, 1991
Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, and Jim Neidhart are calling the action, taped from Portland, Maine.
Rumble Recipe
Since the new year is fast approaching, I thought I'd pick your brain on
which of the following three are the most indispensable for creating a quality Royal Rumble: a) consistent flow of action/something always happening; b) memorable water cooler-type spots/eliminations; c) star power. Put another way, the absence of which of
the three is most detrimental to the quality, even if the other two are present?
which of the following three are the most indispensable for creating a quality Royal Rumble: a) consistent flow of action/something always happening; b) memorable water cooler-type spots/eliminations; c) star power. Put another way, the absence of which of
the three is most detrimental to the quality, even if the other two are present?
Bonus question: what is the absolute most number of people who should be
in the ring at once? I say seven: even numbers makes it too easy to just pair everyone off for aimless fighting in different parts of the ring. Odd numbers creates opportunities for different combinations and double-team spots in order to keep everyone involved,
which can boost the action. Seven guys can accomplish that while coming across as a wild melee without the ring looking too cluttered.
in the ring at once? I say seven: even numbers makes it too easy to just pair everyone off for aimless fighting in different parts of the ring. Odd numbers creates opportunities for different combinations and double-team spots in order to keep everyone involved,
which can boost the action. Seven guys can accomplish that while coming across as a wild melee without the ring looking too cluttered.
I don’t need B but I’ve seen Rumbles with both A and C missing and it’s brutal. But really A is the one I need the most to ensure my entertainment.
And yeah, seven is a good number of people. You can do stuff without running into other people and viewers can keep track of what’s happening.
Famous angles pro wrestling fans love to rebook
Hey Scott,
Recently got the opportunity to write features for Wrestling Inc. Figured this one would inspire some solid blog chatter.
The Invasion…Starrcade 97…Starrcade 98…Montreal Screwjob…
Should Cena have turned heel? Did Roman Reigns get “Lex Lugered?”
Basically all of your favorite topics rolled into one! Well, minus “The Mount Rushmore of _____”
Good lord that is like my nightmare column.
December 5, 2022 Morning thread
Good morning!
For those of us who went to bed early last night, the Dallas Cowboys hung HALF A HUNDRED on the Colts. Nothing to see here.
Wrestling news?
AEW’s still in business. Who’da thunk it?
Scott has Mid-Atlantic for us today while I graciously deliver some WCCW for you.
Enjoy!
The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 08.07.82
The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 08.07.82
Okey doke, I’m over the Covid and survived two weeks of Starrcades, so let’s get back to some normal TV reviews again for a bit. I am quite relieved that Starrcade 99 kind of blew up on the blog after putting myself through the 3 hours of hell watching it. If it had only gotten like 20 comments that would have been somehow worse.
Rock Star Gary reflects on WCCW 02-15-1986
Taped from Dallas, TX
Airdate: February 15, 1986 (taped 02/07)
Attendance: unknown
Hosted by Bill Mercer
Will Lance defeat Rude and capture the American title? What’s new with Mike Von Erich? Can the Freebirds remain strong? And more!
Match Ratings: Objective or Opinion-Based?
Hey Scott! I was speaking with an old-school fan the other day and he brought up something that I've honestly not heard before- that match ratings were meant to be entirely objective, rating matches from like… a construction and performance standpoint.
And NOT, in his terms, the personal take of the reviewer of how much they liked that match.
And NOT, in his terms, the personal take of the reviewer of how much they liked that match.
Honestly, I'd never heard that before. I sort of took every reviewer's ratings to be their own personal opinion, using their own likes and biases. I mean, Meltzer loves his HIGH SPOTZ and MOVEZ and such and rates accordingly- stuff like that.
Did reviewers do this more back in the day, or is this guy out to lunch?
He’s out to lunch. Even the guys who invented it just used it subjectively and only half seriously at the time. It’s a guide, nothing more.
Cm not a Punk?
Have you seen this?
Obviously it's coming for Konnan so got to take it with a grain of salt, but def makes Punk look better and explains the biting.
You lost me at it came from Konnan.
AIW
You've been saying that Tony Khan needs to hand over booking to someone else. Could do worse than ChatGPT. Here's what it generated for the prompt of ' Write the storyline for CM Punk's return to AEW as a heel after being suspended following the media scrum. Bonus points for using muffins.':
CM Punk returns to AEW as a heel after being suspended following a heated media scrum. He arrives at the arena with a smug grin on his face, carrying a tray of muffins.
As he makes his way to the ring, he taunts the fans and brags about his suspension, calling it a “vacation” and saying that he's refreshed and ready to take over AEW.
He faces off against a popular babyface wrestler and dominates the match, using dirty tactics and taunting the crowd. He even pulls out a muffin and tosses it at the wrestler, knocking him off balance.
The crowd boos loudly as CM Punk celebrates his victory, chomping down on a muffin and yelling that he's the best wrestler in the world.
But his celebration is cut short when the wrestler he defeated earlier returns to the ring, along with several other babyface wrestlers. They team up to take down CM Punk, who falls to the ground and is left covered in muffin crumbs.
The crowd cheers as the babyface wrestlers stand tall, victorious over CM Punk and his smug attitude. CM Punk is left humbled and embarrassed, a fitting end to his return as a heel
Damn, AI stealing booking jobs now. Savage.
The SmarK Rant for WCW Starrcade 99 – 12.19.99
The SmarK Rant for WCW Starrcade 99 – 12.19.99
As you might imagine I have blocked this entire period out of my memory and I literally only remember the main event. So this should be interesting.
AAAAAAAAAH! SCARY SPIKY LOGO IS COMING AFTER ME!
Morning Daily News Update
Corey Graves Claims The Bloodline Are Arguably “More Compelling” Than The nWo
The Bloodline are the hottest act in WWE and possibly even in all of professional wrestling. But where does the group stack up against the greatest factions in history? The answer, according to Corey Graves, is right up there with the nWo.
WWE Announcer Confirms Release Following Bizarre Live Event Incident
An announcer for one of WWE’s international programs has been released following a strange event that took place at a WWE live event in Mexico City on October 30th, 2022.
Major Update On CM Punk’s Status For AEW Fight Forever
Following his removal from the cover of AEW’s upcoming Fight Forever videogame, the company has confirmed whether he will appear in the game itself.
Mike Reviews NXT Takeover London – 2015
Happy Saturday Everyone!
Today we’ve got some classic NXT for you, as we look at Takeover London from way back in 2015. NXT from this period was something I watched all of the time and really enjoyed, even though my interest in the main roster had all but eroded by this stage. It helped that NXT usually had great matches and characters you could actually care about.
I didn’t get to go to this one, for reasons I don’t even remember, although I did eventually get to see NXT live a few times back when I really enjoyed it.
Card for this show can be viewed below;
https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=136346&page=2
Rampage – December 2, 2022
Rampage
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
We are eight days away from Final Battle and the card is in need of some work. There are a few matches set but nowhere near enough to carry a full pay per view. Maybe we can get something new added tonight, but you never can tell with this show. At least the wrestling tends to be fun so let’s get to it.
Roman Endgame on RAW?
All right, try this on for size…
Assuming Rock is available and has agreed to fight Roman at Wrestlemania:
- Cody returns at the Rumble and wins
- He uses his title shot either the 2/13 Raw in Brooklyn or on Raw hopefully in MSG on Monday 3/13 (MSG house show scheduled on Sunday 3/12) playing up the story of Dusty almost winning in the Garden
- Cody wins both titles here with KO/Sami & the Rock holding off the Bloodline (ala 1st Mankind/Rock title change)
This sets up Roman/Rock and Cody can defend against Lashley or Brock or heel turned Drew or even Rollins. Also, Roman losing his title before the Usos continues to shift the Bloodline dynamic with now giving the Usos a reason to 2nd guess or question Roman (especially Jey).
This also is a make good to USA since Roman has mostly appeared on Smackdown, you give them his defeat and with enough hype I'd bet you'd get the best RAW/Smackdown rating in years. Wrestlemania will sell out and drive revenue regardless of the card as they proved last year (waiting to announce Austin's appearance but not his match, nor advertising Vince or Cody wrestling before hand.) Why not pop a rating and drive TV interest?
Yeah but then Cody doesn’t get to point to the sign and take the stage at the grandest daddy of them all. Also Roman dropping the title after 1000 days on TV feels like a waste.