Wrestling News & Rumours Thread ***NO CHAT***

beakerjoe

Sirsok wrote: »

Suppose it can be described as news but Ciaran from the wonderful Scheduled for Two Falls podcast informed me about a game similar to Extreme Wrestling Revenge getting its first update in about 20 year.

Its called promotion wars and i have been playing it all night! Simplified version of Football manager but for the graps!

http://promwars.co.uk

Thats news for me. Loved that lil game. TNA always the place to be.

Hook me up

LineOfBeauty

The FSM Top 50 of 2020 is up. Always a great read that follows on the tradition of the old Powerslam Top 50 I used to look forward to every year. The 50 are based on in ring performance, and maybe the slightest touch of kayfabe success too.

https://twitter.com/voiceswrestling/status/1351904860384485379?s=20

All in all I can't really argue that much with it, I might have had Shingo above Hiromu and Naruki Doi in 12 seems a bit low to me but opinions and all that...

The list is below but if you're into it well worth going onto the article to read the small piece about each listed wrestler's performance in 2020.


1. Go Shiozaki
2. Hiromu Takahashi
3. Shingo Takagi
4. Kenny Omega
5. Tomohiro Ishii
6. Kota Ibushi
7. Will Ospreay
8. Kazuchika Okada
9. The Young Bucks
10. Jon Moxley
11. Katsuhiko Nakajima
12. Naruki Doi
13. Cody
14. Kaito Ishida
15. Takashi Sugiura
16. Kento Miyahara
17. Tetsuya Naito
18. Hiroshi Tanahashi
19. Adam Page
20. Kzy
21. Yuji Okabayashi
22. Eita
23. Darby Allin
24. Kenoh
25. Tetsuya Endo
26. SHO
27. Rey Fenix
28. Minoru Suzuki
29. PAC
30. Ben-K
31. Masato Tanaka
32. Jay White
33. Kaito Kiyomiya
34. El Desperado
35. Konosuke Take****a
36. Taichi
37. Mayu Iwatani
38. Masaaki Mochizuki
39. Shotaro Ashino
40. Yuya Aoki
41. KENTA
42. Finn Balor
43. Kazusada Higuchi
44. ACH
45. Daichi Hashimoto
46. Momo Watanabe
47. Ricky Starks
48. CHANGO & Kaji Tomato
49. Guilia
50. Dragon Dia

beakerjoe

FSM as in Fighting Spirit Mag?

Ah Powerslam, good times. Used to love reading Fin Martins pieces and Manors Mat musings.

Finn Balor on the list? I dunno. I liked his small series with Kyle but beyond that I havent liked much of his work in NXT. Id have Shingo top myself. Dunno if Id have Pac on it either. He missed a lot.

Delighted that Rocky Starks got a mention.

One WWE guy in total says it all. No Cole, No Drew, and its all fair.

I can see why guys like WALTER and Dragannov arent present but Id have both their based on their one match alone. (I just loved it).

LineOfBeauty

beakerjoe wrote: »

FSM as in Fighting Spirit Mag?

Ah Powerslam, good times. Used to love reading Fin Martins pieces and Manors Mat musings.

Finn Balor on the list? I dunno. I liked his small series with Kyle but beyond that I havent liked much of his work in NXT. Id have Shingo top myself. Dunno if Id have Pac on it either. He missed a lot.

Delighted that Rocky Starks got a mention.

One WWE guy in total says it all. No Cole, No Drew, and its all fair.

I can see why guys like WALTER and Dragannov arent present but Id have both their based on their one match alone. (I just loved it).

Ye the magazine is no longer in publication but their crew do it on the Voices of Wrestling website since 2019.

Loved Powerslam! Read it obsessively, definitely stored away somewhere at home.

Ye I do love me some Pac but possibly not active enough to warrant such a high spot. I tried to think of a WWE guy they could've given a spot to and it probably is Balor I think, especially if you aren't very high on Adam Cole or Gargano's specific type of matches.

It's a shame Walter and Dragunov are stuck where they are. Even when they wrestle basically nobody sees them and the brand has less than 0 buzz.

I've gone up and down that list a half dozen times...

Where the **** is Jacob Fatu???

LineOfBeauty

Deleted User wrote: »

I've gone up and down that list a half dozen times...

Where the **** is Jacob Fatu???

Aside from hearing reviews of the weekly show I can't say MLW is really on my radar, any recommended matches from Fatu for 2020?

beakerjoe

LineOfBeauty wrote: »

Ye the magazine is no longer in publication but their crew do it on the Voices of Wrestling website since 2019.

Loved Powerslam! Read it obsessively, definitely stored away somewhere at home.

Ye I do love me some Pac but possibly not active enough to warrant such a high spot. I tried to think of a WWE guy they could've given a spot to and it probably is Balor I think, especially if you aren't very high on Adam Cole or Gargano's specific type of matches.

It's a shame Walter and Dragunov are stuck where they are. Even when they wrestle basically nobody sees them and the brand has less than 0 buzz.

I used to chat with Brian back in 2015 and he got me hooked up with VOW. It was a quality mag but its a dying form sadly.

I loved PS. I read a Chris Jericho interview just before he signed with WWE and it sold me on him as a star. Read the mag ever since until it was gone.

I couldnt think of a deserving WWE guy. Keith Lee perhaps but its a stretch.

I still think WWE should just offer WALTER the world to go full time in the States. Hes the guy the need to pull them from abyss IMO. Just strap the belt to him and have him beat everybody up.

Him v Finn would be the logical step to give the brand a main event to rival AEW.

beakerjoe

LineOfBeauty wrote: »

Aside from hearing reviews of the weekly show I can't say MLW is really on my radar, any recommended matches from Fatu for 2020?

With AEW, NXT, snippets of main roster WWE (to keep me in the loop) and NJPW, I dont consume anything else. NJPW in 2020 was tough to keep up with.

Havent watched MLW once. Is it worth a watch guys?

LineOfBeauty

beakerjoe wrote: »

I used to chat with Brian back in 2015 and he got me hooked up with VOW. It was a quality mag but its a dying form sadly.

I loved PS. I read a Chris Jericho interview just before he signed with WWE and it sold me on him as a star. Read the mag ever since until it was gone.

I couldnt think of a deserving WWE guy. Keith Lee perhaps but its a stretch.

I still think WWE should just offer WALTER the world to go full time in the States. Hes the guy the need to pull them from abyss IMO. Just strap the belt to him and have him beat everybody up.

Him v Finn would be the logical step to give the brand a main event to rival AEW.

That's cool, ye it's a shame because there was something so nice about going into the shop, getting your magazine every month, reading it absolutely cover to cover, enjoying the gorgeous photography and looking forward to the next edition of it.

My first Powerslam was in 2003, it was the same month that Steve Austin walked out of WWE because he wouldn't put over Lesnar on Raw. Remember it clearly because my mother worked in a newsagents at the time, came home with the unpurchased wrestling magazines and there was the super glossy WWE Raw one but, even for young me who was clueless, the tone of Powerslam was so different and I got it every month after that.

I think no matter what, the WWE guy was going to have to have had a long stint in NXT this year because main roster is a wasteland. You could maybe make a case for Sasha Banks or Bayley but that's it on the main roster.

They should do whatever it takes to get him to America, though the signing did, and still does, smack of WWE signing him to a mega contract to basically sit at home so that AEW, and to a lesser extent NJPW, didn't get him. When he was on NXT proper, there was worrying signs in how they presented him, I'm not sure they get how to book him at all. But, in an ideal world he would be headlining WWE main roster ppv's and you'd have shows you could look forward to. Though tonally imagine how jarring it'd be to go from the Wyatt stuff in your main events to Walter.

Agent Coulson

I loved MLW before Covid hit the same with The NWA.

beakerjoe

LineOfBeauty wrote: »

That's cool, ye it's a shame because there was something so nice about going into the shop, getting your magazine every month, reading it absolutely cover to cover, enjoying the gorgeous photography and looking forward to the next edition of it.

My first Powerslam was in 2003, it was the same month that Steve Austin walked out of WWE because he wouldn't put over Lesnar on Raw. Remember it clearly because my mother worked in a newsagents at the time, came home with the unpurchased wrestling magazines and there was the super glossy WWE Raw one but, even for young me who was clueless, the tone of Powerslam was so different and I got it every month after that.

I think no matter what, the WWE guy was going to have to have had a long stint in NXT this year because main roster is a wasteland. You could maybe make a case for Sasha Banks or Bayley but that's it on the main roster.

They should do whatever it takes to get him to America, though the signing did, and still does, smack of WWE signing him to a mega contract to basically sit at home so that AEW, and to a lesser extent NJPW, didn't get him. When he was on NXT proper, there was worrying signs in how they presented him, I'm not sure they get how to book him at all. But, in an ideal world he would be headlining WWE main roster ppv's and you'd have shows you could look forward to. Though tonally imagine how jarring it'd be to go from the Wyatt stuff in your main events to Walter.

Oh man I loved the photos. Real, raw, up close pics. No airbrushing.

It was the first time I recall reading something non WWE or WCW, something unbiased. Like you'd read about how awesome the Al Snow Bossman feud is in WWE mag then get a real, honest critic of the feud in PS, so refreshing.

It opened my eyes. I used to read from 99 onwards and it was a revelation. The interviews were great, again they were honest and asking decent questions of their subjects. Jerichos interview was great as he was out with his ankle injury and was very open about his hatred of WCW. That amazed me.

ideal world WALTER kills everyone until someone needs to go over. I see him as a star, unique and marketable, believable and most of all capable. But Im living in my own head. Survivor Series 2019 was a reality check for how Vinces views him. He should have been never near that match if they had hopes for him. It undid months of building him up in NXT.

Sasha Banks and Bayley have had a good year in terms of working on the main roster. They did better than others but didnt blow me away. Both are capable of more and are hamstrung by WWE booking.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1351924500221333509?s=19

Omackeral

Three pornstar names.

RollieFingers

MLW is well worth a watch, they have some good young talent in Hammerstone, Reed, the Von Erichs and one great one in Fatu. Add in Los Parks, Team Filthy and now Lio Rush and it's a good roster, handy that it's on youtube too!

LineOfBeauty

beakerjoe wrote: »

Oh man I loved the photos. Real, raw, up close pics. No airbrushing.

It was the first time I recall reading something non WWE or WCW, something unbiased. Like you'd read about how awesome the Al Snow Bossman feud is in WWE mag then get a real, honest critic of the feud in PS, so refreshing.

It opened my eyes. I used to read from 99 onwards and it was a revelation. The interviews were great, again they were honest and asking decent questions of their subjects. Jerichos interview was great as he was out with his ankle injury and was very open about his hatred of WCW. That amazed me.

ideal world WALTER kills everyone until someone needs to go over. I see him as a star, unique and marketable, believable and most of all capable. But Im living in my own head. Survivor Series 2019 was a reality check for how Vinces views him. He should have been never near that match if they had hopes for him. It undid months of building him up in NXT.

Sasha Banks and Bayley have had a good year in terms of working on the main roster. They did better than others but didnt blow me away. Both are capable of more and are hamstrung by WWE booking.

Ye the pictures were so different to what they had in the WWE Mgs, and then the little descriptions in the corner of them, sometimes with a witty or sarcastic line. Pure quality.

It was the strangest thing, that you could critically evaluate this thing that you watch every week and not just accept everything put on screen in front of you. And I have to credit Powerslam with forging my love of Puroresu, I vividly remember a long piece they did on Satoshi Kojima (had no idea who that was) and then them ranking KENTA as the Number 1 wrestler on the planet in 2005 made me seek out anything I could find on YouTube of his stuff. I really think that magazine was seminal for so many pro wrestling fans.

And the interviews were great too! I also remember that Kid Kash one that got people talking in reference to his real life conflict with AJ Styles.

I don't know when it really changed, but there came a point where if Vince McMahon didn't decide from the bat that you're gonna be one of his top guys, you basically have no chance of making it.

I was really searching there too. They were probably the pick of the bunch for me but aside from 1 or 2 I'd have a hard time justifying taking anybody off the list for either of them.

Omackeral

Omackeral wrote: »

Three pornstar names.

They really do give new signings some awful new names

Sirsok

Deleted User wrote: »

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1351924500221333509?s=19

Darby's ex-wife going all in with the Gigi name.

ShaneU

John Moxley 10th best wrestler in the world? He's awful in the ring imo. I never enjoy his matches

More dreadful names for new talent as well, kill them off before they even start.

beakerjoe

LineOfBeauty wrote: »

Ye the pictures were so different to what they had in the WWE Mgs, and then the little descriptions in the corner of them, sometimes with a witty or sarcastic line. Pure quality.

It was the strangest thing, that you could critically evaluate this thing that you watch every week and not just accept everything put on screen in front of you. And I have to credit Powerslam with forging my love of Puroresu, I vividly remember a long piece they did on Satoshi Kojima (had no idea who that was) and then them ranking KENTA as the Number 1 wrestler on the planet in 2005 made me seek out anything I could find on YouTube of his stuff. I really think that magazine was seminal for so many pro wrestling fans.

And the interviews were great too! I also remember that Kid Kash one that got people talking in reference to his real life conflict with AJ Styles.

I don't know when it really changed, but there came a point where if Vince McMahon didn't decide from the bat that you're gonna be one of his top guys, you basically have no chance of making it.

I was really searching there too. They were probably the pick of the bunch for me but aside from 1 or 2 I'd have a hard time justifying taking anybody off the list for either of them.

The for sure were a gate way in to (as I called it back then) real Japanese wrestling. NJPW, WAR, AJPW. IT WAS A WHOLE NEW WORLD.

With arguably their best in ring roster ever, stars aplenty, guys who can go, it says alot about their product.

Kushida, RedDragon, Dunne, Zayn, Uso's, Styles, Riddle, Lee, Ricochet, Cedric, Bryan, Owens, Asuka, Baszler, Swere, and thats just off the tope of my head. Its a stunning fact that WWE can not get these guys even remotely over.

Omackeral

LineOfBeauty wrote: »

And the interviews were great too! I also remember that Kid Kash one that got people talking in reference to his real life conflict with AJ Styles.

I remember speaking to Kash in about 2007 and he still hated AJ. Called him a ballerina pussy. Nice guy.

Jim Cornette watching Tampon Girl on NXT...

J. Marston

Omackeral wrote: »

Three pornstar names.

Wrestling and porn names go hand in hand. Alexa Bliss is the porniest name going while Johnny Sins sounds like someone who could be doing the rounds on the indies.

Bounty Hunter

The Undertaker did the Joe Rogan Podcast

J. Marston

He did and talked about the current crop of wrestlers in WWE being a bit too "soft and pretty"...

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1352031792740503553

Apparently he also mentioned "video games in the locker room" which he seemingly isn't a fan of to which Xavier tweeted a not-so-veiled response...

https://twitter.com/AustinCreedWins/status/1352286914934661121

beakerjoe

Takers era of the 90's is so much different in ways than the current day.

No real politicking. Far less bullying. Far less drugs.

Its a much safer work place now and while the product isnt the better for it, the talent are certainly in a much better environment.

The White Wolf

I haven't watched the clip but is he necessarily referring to the wrestlers? He's possibly referring more to how WWE are doing things in a pristine and hollow way.

Lithium93_

Can we just refer to him as Mark Callaway from now on, cause clearly The Undertaker as a thing is dead.

J. Marston

Sirsok wrote: »

Darby's ex-wife going all in with the Gigi name.

And a Becky tribute gimmick by the looks of things...

Omackeral

Lithium93_ wrote: »

Can we just refer to him as Mark Callaway from now on, cause clearly The Undertaker as a thing is dead.

Always has been, brother.

Lithium93_

Lithium93_ wrote: »

Can we just refer to him as Mark Callaway from now on, cause clearly The Undertaker as a thing is dead.

I still call my former teachers "sir" and "miss" when I meet them so I don't think I'd manage calling The Undertaker "Mark".