The General Wrestling Thread

[Warner2BruceTD]

Ugh. Not really impressed with Facade. I wonder if he still looks like a smaller version of Christian York. He finished 4th in their online Gut Check Challenge

He works PRIME Wrestling on STO pretty much every week. Worked DGUSA (or Evolve, same thing, cant remember) WrestleMania weekend. I don't like him that much, either.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Looks like MIke Johnson over at PWI is confirming The Big O.

Scooped by VOW! Suck it, Johnson.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

So since Matt Striker was an indie dude using the same name/gimmick, and can use it anywhere, would you say it's pretty much a lock TNA picks him up? You know they love those ex-WWE scraps, especially when Tenay can yell...

"Wait a second! We know who that man is! That's MATT STRIKER! What's he doing here?!"

 

[SuperKevin]

I wonder if he's going to try to pick up his in ring career again or if he's going to try to stick to being on the mic

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

They should hire Striker as their commentator...he's better than the ones they have now.

 

[EmpireWF]

They should hire Striker as their commentator...he's better than the ones they have now.

Striker was terrible at a certain point and never recovered (before that, he was tremendous). Not sure if it was more pressure from Vince in his ear or what, but he was no good.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Striker was terrible at a certain point and never recovered (before that, he was tremendous). Not sure if it was more pressure from Vince in his ear or what, but he was no good.

He got picked on in the back for being too knowledgeable (seriously) and was peer pressured to tone down the insider stuff. Then Royal Rumble 2011 happened. After that, he was given reduced roles and when on commentary it was easy to tell that he was mentally beaten and he really started to suck.

I can only imagine the NERD!!!!!!11!!! stuff he was hit with in the beginning when he had the audacity to reference things that were obscure or non WWE. He's a hardcore wrestling fan and someone who just loved what he was doing. It;s a shame, he was really good at the beginning.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

All Japan MADNESS

At least two referees and the ring announcer, as well as five or six wrestlers are expected to leave and go with Keiji Muto according to Weekly Pro Wrestling. At the 6/15 house show, Masakatsu Funaki, Shuji Kondo and Kaz Hayashi all said they were leaving. Funaki announced at the show that he is going to leave because he can’t support Nobuo Shiraishi. He was loyal to Muto, who brought him back into pro wrestling. Hayashi & Kondo also said they were leaving at the end of the month. Also expected to leave are Kai, Seiya Sanada, Minoru Tanaka and Hiroshi Yamato based on different news stories in Japan. Ryota Hama was said to be leaning toward Muto. Nobuo Shiraishi went public and is now saying that Muto has a valid contract with the company that he can’t walk out on, and that the wrestlers he’s looking at taking also have valid contracts. He said Muto leaving would cost a penalty that is six times what his annual salary is. He also said that the only way he’ll be allowed to take contracted talent is to pay All Japan $60,000 for each wrestler that he raids. Shiraishi said that Muto and Masayuki Uchida left the company $3 million in debt but a lot of the creditors had given up on getting their money. He said that he paid between $200,000 and $300,000 in July to save All Japan (this was to keep them alive before his company, Speed Partners, purchased them). He said he also paid another $800,000 for stock. He again brought up that he and Muto had a disagreement and that he wanted to stop doing fixed matches. People are scared to death about the company going forward. Shiraishi admitted Muto was correct when he said he was looking into also buying a football team.

Jun Akiyama said that after talking with both sides, he and Kotaro Suzuki, Atsushi Aoki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Go Shiozaki will stay with All Japan. It makes sense since Kenta Kobashi is working with All Japan and they all left NOAH out of loyalty to Kobashi.

Besides Suwama and the Burning group (ex-NOAH guys), also said to be staying with Shiraishi are Kenso, Sushi and Taiyo Kea.

Akebono said that since he was a free agent, he’ll work with either group.

Masa Fuchi wrote that he’s been with the company for 40 years, but he was taken off contract three years ago and is only working on a per show basis. He said that neither Muto or Shiraishi want to sign him because of his age. Shiraishi also claimed that he’s made a deal with TNA and would be able to bring Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle and Sting to Japan.

A few points...

-Kaz Hayashi & Shuji Kondo were/are the bookers.

-Shiraishi is batshit crazy, talking about turning it into a shoot promotion and claiming deals with TNA. If you are going to lie, at least say WWE, ffs. This guy is legit nuts. He thinks the All Japan he grew up with was a fucking shoot.

-Muto & Uchida sold Shirashi the company for millions (iirc, $2M), and then tried the old U.S. territory scam from the 70's, where they would sell the promotion to a money mark who didn't understand the business for an inflated rate, then buy it back 6 months later when the guy was losing his ass for half the price. Boom, profit. But Shiraishi didn't fall for it and wouldn't sell back. So combined with the rest of the issues, Muto threw his hands & quit, but now Shiraishi is trying to stop him because half of the promotion will leave with him.

What a mess.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

The next New Japan iPPV after Dominion this weekend will be Night 2 of the G1 Climax on 8/2. This was tweeted out by Capt. New Japan, of all people.

No word on the Finals, which I believe are the 11th. Could this mean every night of the tournament will be on PPV? I don't know. Nobody is going to spend $20 for 12 straight nights, though. I'm guessing just the Osaka show on 8/2, and then the finals, if anything else.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Apparently Satoshi Kojima got so drunk at the going away party for Hiromu Takahashi last week, that when he got home (they called a cab for him), he was so sick that his wife called an ambulance to rush him to the hospital.

LOL

Takahashi & BUSHI are headed on excursions. I forget where Takahashi is headed but BUSHI is going to CMLL.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

More puro news! SAKAMOTO has emerged:

Zero-One’s annual biggest event of the year, The Fire Festival tournament, takes place from 7/17 to 8/4, finishing up at Korakuen Hall. The A block has Masato Tanaka, last year’s winner, plus Kohei Sato, Yusaku Obata, Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan), Kazma Sakamoto (who was Tensai’s second in WWE, released in WWE’s last round of cuts), and Maybach B (who comes from Russia). The B block has Shinjiro Otani, Ryoji Sai, Daemon Ueda (formerly Shito Ueda), James Raideen, Yutaka Yoshie and Yuji Okabayashi (Big Japan).

 

[SuperKevin]

LOL. Jeff Hardy looked like an old drag queen tonight on Impact. Awful makeup choice

 

[SuperKevin]

God I hate Mr Anderson

 

[SuperKevin]

Anderson beats Joseph Park in the first Bound For Glory match of the series. He's going to end up in the finals. I can feel it

 

[SuperKevin]

Austin Aries beats Jay Bradley. Bradley got some decent offense in and managed to look good in the loss

 

[SuperKevin]

Not sure if it was just the poor lighting but it looked like Sting just shook a black dude's hand right there for his Main Event Mafia. Who could that be? Kenny King? :yao:

 

[SuperKevin]

Magnus beats Kazarian with a Texas Cloverleaf. 10 points

 

[Leftwich]

Kevin is talking to himself.

 

[JimLeavy59]

Forgot Impact was even on lol.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Remember what the ECF Game 7 did to RAW?

Yeah. Game 7 of The Finals vs Impact.