Quote :

"^^one upside to how shitty WM is gonna be is that we won't need to worry about paying any attention to the matches and can dedicate all efforts to snark."

hey, that Jericho-Fandango match will be an all-time classic

(realistically, it may very well be the best match in Johnny Curtis/Fandango's career)

I think Punk and Undertaker may be underwhelming. There is a point where you're too old, Undertaker and Triple H the past two years really stretched out the matchs for what they actually physically did, and Punk's carrying an injury.

my winners in bold

Quote :

"Rock vs. John Cena for the WWE Title CM Punk vs. Undertaker Alberto del Rio vs. Jack Swagger for the World Title Brock Lesnar vs. HHH where Hunter has to retire if he loses Big Show & Sheamus & Randy Orton vs. Shield Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston challenging Kane & Daniel Bryan for the WWE Tag Team Titles Mark Henry vs. Ryback Chris Jericho vs. Fandango Cody Rhodes & Damian Sandow & Bellas vs. Tensai & Brodus Clay & Cameron & Naomi may be added perhaps Miz vs. Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Title (that groin shot last night was a message) Antonio Cesaro defending against someone in a dark match perhaps A.J. vs. Kaitlyn for the Women’s Title"

3/26/2013 7:08:52 PM

Brodus Clay and Tensai will now officially be known as Tons of Funk

3/28/2013 8:51:56 AM

2nd TV show with a very good crowd in a row for TNA. They sold out Jonesboro, Arkansas. (maybe 3k, I'm bad at guessing attendances though)

And how did TNA reward the crowd? An early Mr. Anderson promo. (he's a member of Aces & Eights, it was to setup him and Hardy in the main event)

Since they're now down to 4 PPVs a year, they announced the Bully Ray-Jeff Hardy title rematch will be on Impact April 11th in Corpus Christi. TNA's not close to what WCW was, but right now they're reminding me more of WCW in a good way as far as being a credible #2.

[Edited on March 28, 2013 at 8:53 PM. Reason : /]

3/28/2013 8:53:09 PM

http://philly.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/what-is-the-oldest-age-you-can-be-a-hardcore-fan-of-professional-wrestling-and-still-not-be-deemed-a-threat-to-society/

3/29/2013 1:23:10 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Flair

3/29/2013 2:01:29 PM

from Wrestling Observer earlier today:

Quote :

"Details are still sketchy regarding the death of Reid Flair, 24, the son of Ric Flair. Reid was an accomplished high school wrestler and Ric had talked for years about him becoming a pro wrestler. He actually had debuted in late 2008, but personal issues including well publicized substance abuse had kept him from working regularly even as the son of a legend in the business. A lot of Ric Flair's departure from ROH was because Flair went there in the first place largely because he hoped it would be a place Reid could start making a name a wrestler there. As Reid Flair, ROH, with its high demands, may not have been the right place to start, but ROH decided against using Flair since he had been arrested just before he was to start. Ric had worked a deal for Reid to start in All Japan, where he was scheduled to mostly just train and live in the dojo. He did well enough that they felt he could work nightly in matches with veterans to learn. He was back home after the All Japan tour ended and was going to be traveling with his father for public appearances including at a wrestling show Saturday in Hagerstown, MD. Reid was found dead in a hotel room in Charlotte. No details have been released at this point in time. I just want to with the best to Ric & Beth under the circumstances. There is absolutely nothing in this world that could be worse than losing a child. As expected, Ric canceled the date in Hagerstown with Big Time Wrestling on Friday. "

Meltzer in the podcast there wouldn't say it out loud because Ric's his friend but assumed an overdose.

I remember a few years ago not long after Reid Flair started he got busted with heroin, so the history's there.

[Edited on March 29, 2013 at 5:31 PM. Reason : .]

3/29/2013 5:30:16 PM

because British sports fans are dumb and will bet on anything:

http://www.oddschecker.com/tv/wwe

Best:

Cena 1/7, Rock 11/2

Undertaker 1/12, Punk 8/1

Triple H 1/3, Lesnar 3/1

del Rio 4/11, Swagger 9/4

Shield 2/7, Orton/Sheamus/Big Show 3/1

Ziggler/Langston 4/9, Bryan/Kane 7/4

Tons of Funk 1/3, Rhodes Scholars & Bellas 9/4

Fandango 2/5, Jericho 9/4

Ryback 1/3, Henry 11/4

Barrett 4/5, Miz 10/11

Bets on Ryback, Cena, and Undertaker, they're 100% locks. But for underdogs, I'd go Rhodes Scholars & Bellas, Bryan & Kane, and maybe Swagger because looking at the top of the card it's going to be very face-heavy on wins.

[Edited on March 31, 2013 at 11:34 PM. Reason : /]

3/31/2013 11:31:29 PM

No odds on a Ziggler cash-in?

[Edited on April 1, 2013 at 8:34 AM. Reason : ]

4/1/2013 8:34:32 AM

i still when i see that card

4/1/2013 8:42:57 AM

In my opinion, at least one of the two needs to happen to make this event memorable: a Cena heel turn and/or Punk victory.

4/1/2013 9:24:44 AM

Hell, I'm probably gonna order the TNA X-division PPV on friday for $15 even though it was taped a couple months ago.

-Petey Williams & Sonjay Dutt vs Kaz & Daniels
-RVD vs Jerry Lynn (for the 28372th time) in a tables match
-Aries vs Samoa Joe
-Xscape match
-Ultimate X Match

4/1/2013 9:32:05 AM

^^i honestly feel like the most surprising thing we'll get is a Ziggler cash in.

4/1/2013 9:43:41 AM

Part of me wants to put $10 on Punk just because I'm a mark.

4/1/2013 1:06:37 PM

^^ an RKO maybe...

4/1/2013 5:24:10 PM

John Cena went out and cut...a John Cena promo.

Quote :

"Those childish games are over, because we know this is all much much bigger."

less than a minute later:

Quote :

"So tonight I'm not going to waste my breath talking about Dwayne's johnson."

Followed by boring chants before he ended.


Miz's match with Barrett was bumped off Wrestlemania and to the pre-show.

[Edited on April 1, 2013 at 8:17 PM. Reason : /]

4/1/2013 8:15:41 PM

jeez, that's like 3 PPVs in a row for the Miz having to wrestle the pre-show.

which almost guarantees that Wade Barrett retains his title. And, as of now, Antonio Cesaro isn't even on the card. terrible travesty.

4/1/2013 8:31:39 PM

Did anyone just see a jamster commercial?

4/1/2013 8:31:49 PM

Quote :

"jeez, that's like 3 PPVs in a row for the Miz having to wrestle the pre-show. "

they're clearly doing a fresh youth movement

Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns, Langston, Fandango, Sandow, and Ryback pretty much didn't exist a year ago. This is Brodus' first Wrestlemania.

And for the rest, Lesnar and Tensai both started the night after Wrestlemania last year. Rock, Jericho, Triple H, Undertaker, and Lesnar are all part-timers. Unfortunately that's 4 of their 6 top guys. And Kane, Henry, and Big Show have to be close to retirement. Rey Mysterio is pretty much retired. Kofi has become an afterthought and in previous years he'd've been on this card. Miz headlined Wrestlemania two years ago and well... Barrett though they've had designs on making a main eventer this year and he got kicked off to the preshow.

[Edited on April 1, 2013 at 9:42 PM. Reason : /]

4/1/2013 9:19:38 PM

Yeah but Wrestlemania is supposed to be the culmination of months worth of feuds. And almost all of these angles have less than a month on them. There just doesn't feel like any weight to any of the matches this year.

4/1/2013 9:43:56 PM

^ Vince fired the head writer about a month ago and completely reshuffled the undercard.

They have 3 main matches that matter. Rock-Cena has been built for 2 years. Triple H-Lesnar was built beginning with Summerslam last year. The Punk-Undertaker build has admittedly been pretty bad.

[Edited on April 1, 2013 at 10:14 PM. Reason : .]

4/1/2013 10:12:41 PM

passing on:

Quote :

"The best built feud for WM29... Inspired by the Godzilla versus posters of old."

[Edited on April 2, 2013 at 12:33 PM. Reason : .]

4/2/2013 12:32:38 PM

Big E Langston couldn't have picked a worse finisher. That slam looks worse for Big E than it does the guy getting slammed. Actually, all of the finishers for the new class of superstars are pretty terrible.

4/2/2013 1:13:14 PM

free show previewing Wrestlemania: http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/77-figure-four-daily/30611-free-today-apr-4-figure-four-daily-bryan-alvarez-and-lance-storm-predict-the-finish-of-all-the-wrestlemania-matches-talk-raw-cm-punk-angle-extreme-rules-impact-thursday-lances-birthday-tons-more

Quote :

"FREE TODAY! Apr 4 Figure Four Daily: Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm predict the finish of all the WrestleMania matches, talk Raw, CM Punk angle, Extreme Rules, Impact Thursday, Lance's birthday, tons more!"

4/4/2013 4:48:44 PM

Could they not have found a less pixelated picture of Ryback in that poster?

4/4/2013 4:50:41 PM

4/4/2013 11:04:19 PM

is Mankind going to be powerbombed off the top of that ?

4/4/2013 11:10:45 PM

I'd hate to have seats behind the model Empire State Building

4/5/2013 8:16:42 AM

I imagine that's the stage.

Jay Briscoe promo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cYF9y_0J9Jo

4/5/2013 9:00:49 AM

The Statue of Liberty, symbol of New Jersey...

I expect a Bam Bam Bigelow tribute.

4/5/2013 9:44:17 AM

It’s very important to WWE that everyone knows their New Jersey WrestleMania is taking place in New York City

Quote :

"WWE Superstar CM Punk has spoken to GMA News Online about not headlining WrestleMania. Punk stated: "I'm hung up on going on last, being the main event on WrestleMania. There's all sorts of people who will tell you 'You're wrestling the Undertaker and maybe that's bigger than the title, bigger than going on last and there's a difference between the main event and the last match.' It's just been ingrained into me. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be in the main event at WrestleMania." The Straight-Edge Superstar tends to be more honest than most when answering interviewers, and it is clear to see here that he is still disappointed not to be in the main event of WrestleMania. His reign of 434 days as champion would have guaranteed anyone else in WWE history that final spot. However, The Rock’s return from a prolonged absence, and the blockbuster nature of a match between him and John Cena was always going to push Punk out of the limelight. Other returning talents like Triple H and The Undertaker also overshadowed Punk at last year's event. Unquestionably, Punk has been penalized for being a prominent full-time wrestler in an era where part-time heroes from yesteryear are prevalent."

i agree with the last line. i think the overall WWE creative storyline has been hurt by this

4/5/2013 1:37:33 PM

Well pro wrestling of the past 8 or so years in the U.S. has produced these stars: Cena, Orton, Punk...and we're done. Orton has become an uninterested midcarder and Punk though even over the past year he was omnipresent, had poor ratings, PPV buys, and crowds when he was on top. I don't put that on Punk, I put it more on WWE, and that was in spite of the great work Punk creatively was doing. But WWE has been doing awesome since January, ratings are up, PPV buys are up, they're selling out house shows, and coincidentally it was after the Rock appeared.

Even this...

Quote :

"His reign of 434 days as champion would have guaranteed anyone else in WWE history that final spot. "

...is a bullshit stat. He was champ for 434 days but the only times during that reign he main evented as any real champion should was when he faced Cena, Rock, or neither were there (like TLC, which did horrible).




[Edited on April 5, 2013 at 8:31 PM. Reason : /]

4/5/2013 8:26:29 PM

Jay Briscoe is the new Ring of Honor champion.

4/5/2013 11:19:25 PM

Any known list of places where they'll be showing Wrestlemania at the bar for free or at least for a small cover?

4/7/2013 2:26:57 PM

I know the Hooters on Wake Forest Road shows wrestling PPvs...dont know if theres a cover. Id imagine the one in Morrisville does as well.

4/7/2013 2:36:34 PM

i'll be missing the pre-show and the first match or two. anyone know the match order for tonight? don't want to miss the Funktadactyls!

4/7/2013 4:09:07 PM

Bam, taker 21-0

Great match, clean for the most part, Punk's entrance was awesome.

I'm guessing Brodus Clay and Tensai were scrapped.

4/7/2013 9:31:20 PM

Quote :

"The Statue of Liberty, symbol of New Jersey..."

Quote :

"It’s very important to WWE that everyone knows their New Jersey WrestleMania is taking place in New York City"

The Statue of Liberty is in New Jersey.

[Edited on April 7, 2013 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on April 7, 2013 at 10:36 PM. Reason : .]

4/7/2013 10:35:12 PM

not been able to watch, but reading online reviews of the card it sounds like it's been pretty lackluster (admittedly the main event is taking place right now), what's the few people here watching think?

[Edited on April 7, 2013 at 10:42 PM. Reason : /]

4/7/2013 10:39:06 PM

ZZZZZZZZZZ

4/7/2013 10:49:45 PM

Holy fuck that was terrible. If I was a paying customer I would be irate

4/7/2013 10:52:12 PM

^ came here to post that. worst possible way to end wrestlemania. worst wrestlemania main event ever. fans HATED it, were dead for the end, and booed cena out of the building

4/7/2013 11:00:21 PM

^ Find it hard to believe anything could be worse than Cena-Miz from 2011.

4/7/2013 11:07:06 PM

^ The last five minutes of the match was literally nothing but attempted/landed Rock Bottoms and attempted/landed AAs.

Whole show was pretty brutal. Punk/Taker was pretty good, tag match was okay (crowd was SO into YES chant), Jericho/Fandango was okay but had a couple atrocious botches. Everything else was terrible or a snoozefest.

4/8/2013 12:45:32 AM

^^ at least Cena Miz had a fake finish, and the Rock screwing over Cena (although that set into motion their 2 year feud that ended in THIS shitfest). this was just...BAD

4/8/2013 7:24:08 AM

Well I'll watch later this week for myself on Dailymotion or wherever I can find it.

WWE followed up just about every indy's over-the-weekend iPPV troubles by having their own issues. And live there were thousands of obstructed view seats due to the four pillars at the corners of the ring.

[Edited on April 8, 2013 at 7:58 AM. Reason : /]

4/8/2013 7:56:18 AM

4/8/2013 9:03:44 AM

To add some more:

- IC title changing hands on an online show is ridiculous. That title is absolutely worthless now, just like the US title.

- WWE is trying way to hard to promote their social media platforms. Who wants to see stupid tweets scrolling across the screen, or what's trending?

- LOL @ people paying 70+ dollars to see commercials. All the time wasted for that could've been applied to that 8-person tag team match that got pulled.

- Missed the Shield match. Great that they one, but at Big Show turning for the 24221 time in the past year.

- WTF for not having Ryback win. Mark Henry is pretty much done, what does he need the win for?

- Tag title match was great. Daniel Bryan better be in a world/WWE title match next year, or at least in a high profile one-on-one match.

- Fandango is pretty much worthless & really botched the end of that match. No way you can buy Jericho tweaking his knee on that ending.

- Taker/Punk match was easily best of the night. Too bad they didn't pull a surprise Punk win (guess that'll go to Cena at some point).

- Triple H/Lesnar match was ok, but Lesnar really needs some credible wins in the next year & more than just 3 matches.

- Rock/Cena was a snoozefest. It had some moments, but way too many counters. When John Cena hesitated doing "you can't see me", I thought that was the sign of him turning heel. But the announcers had to chime in to say that he was remembering what happened last year.

All in all, it was pretty terrible. Just about as disappointing as Wrestlemania 2 years ago. Nothing really makes it memorable other than the Taker/Punk match. Neither of the 3 things that should have happened to make it memorable didn't (Punk victory, Cena heel turn, Ziggler cash-in). These next few months are gonna be awful until Summerslam.

4/8/2013 9:21:57 AM

Quote :

"- WTF for not having Ryback win. Mark Henry is pretty much done, what does he need the win for?"

Mark Henry is awesome. Ryback isn't.

4/8/2013 10:55:40 AM

Mark Henry apparently is using gravity as his finisher now

4/8/2013 11:26:03 AM

wrestlemania 29: The year of the spine buster

4/8/2013 1:40:09 PM