Rainman's Ramblin' on some Rasslin'

Greetings Grue Deceivers (gold star to anyone who can name off both the references I slapped together for that 3 worder).

As The Krissy has mentioned a few times she's a long time fan of wrestling, and she brought me back into the fold (I watched as a kid, became disillusioned when I learned it was indeed, fake). She has that little wrestling centric blog as well but we think it may be time to take it out back and do it like Old Yeller... it's looking kinda mangy. In any event though, we've a couple die hard wrestling fans among our close knit friends (the ones who'll put up with me), and we occasionally shoot the shit about the biz. What makes these times kinda interesting is that Krissy and I are predominantly fans of TNA Wrestling, where NemesisPredaking (friend's online handle... I'll put his name up here instead of this if he wants, but until that time his anonymity is safe with us) and his Mrs are fans of WWE (formerly WWF before they got slapped around by a bunch of nature lovers... how's that for irony... the big bad wrestler's lost to the tree hugging hippies).

Most all of you will know the WWE and the various stars that hail from those parts. TNA many may not sadly. Very quick and dirty... TNA sprung up from the old NWA promotion, and through smart decisions, and fantastic talent they've quickly become a major player in the primetime wrestling business. Ultimately the two promotions are pretty different in the terms of presentation and attitude. Especially so when you look at the wrestlers, with WWE still being mostly dominated by the more traditional powerhouse style wrestler with a few smaller fast guys in there. TNA on the other hand is mostly the smaller, high flying and insanely kinetic wrestlers, with a few bigger guys thrown in the mix. In our mind, TNA also pays a far higher level of respect to the female wrestlers, giving them proper matches and actually allowing them to show off their athleticism... whereas in WWE they're mainly provided for eye candy. Tag Teams are also quite big with TNA, harking back to the old days when the great Tag Teams ruled the roost.

Aaaanyway... That gives you our background into our thoughts and loves of current day wrestling. Which, leads into the crux of my post today... the Rainman/NemesisPredaking wrestling blab-o-thon which took place over text messaging today... lovingly transcribed for your reading pleasure. Hopefully when Krissy gets a chance she can pop in and edit this post with her musings scrambled throughout... you know... just to be confusing, but also because this is her blog after all.

Edit:  Krissy's (aka my) thoughts and comments will be in red through out.  Why?  Cause it's my damn blog, that's why!)

Oh yeah, quick disclaimer... please keep in mind that the following conversation is between two fans waxing poetic and sometimes vulgar about a passion of ours. In no way should anything in here be looked at as anything other than that, including any off the cuff remarks made. Neither of us in any way lays claim to actually knowing what goes on behind the scenes beyond that which is "common knowledge" to anyone who follows the biz beyond the shows (ie. Online news boards and wrestling blogs). Ultimately, this is a chat where we talk about what things look like to us and what we wish we could see instead.


NemesisPredaking (NP from here on):
Did you guys watch raw last night?

Rainman (RM from here on):
Nope. Haven't watched much as of late. Anything interesting?

NP:
Not really, I've been hit or miss with it too. I just wanted to know if you saw it 'cause it looks like they overhauled the hell in a cell. Or I'm just behind in the times. Lol

RM:
If they did it must be recent because last time I saw the cell it looked the same.

NP:
Lol, I still think its funny. This ppv is trying to be a lockdown clone.

RM:
Is that the new ppv? All hell in a cell matches? We both laughed out loud at the tv when Vince announced the last groundbreaking ppv... The all submission one. Sad and pathetic. If we want to watch 3 hours of mostly mat fighting I'll pay for UFC.

NP:
Yeah this one is all HiC matches. PPV sales are down, got to reel them in some how. Its all getting really lame with this guest host shit too. Last night was Rev Al Sharpton. Like WTF.

Wow that's a new low for a guest host.  Al Sharpton??/ What the fuck does he have to do with pro wrestling?  Please, somebody...if you know the connection please share! 


RM:
Al "a black man was in the news so I must form a coalition of self promotion" Sharpton? Just useless. I can't stand the new family friendly bullshit from Vince myself. Krissy and I tend to think this was all part of the Linda McMahon congressional train. Clean up the image a bit, lose a lot of the attitude, almost all the blood... Become more family friendly so there's less ammo to use against her.

NP:
You could very well be on to something there. TNA is no better these days, I belive I watched all this faction bullshit back in the mid to late 90's.

Very true, but I actually find MEM far more entertaining than NWO/Wolfpac ever was.  Not to mention there only like 5 guys in the Mafia, as opposed the the entire roster like in the WCW days


RM:
Probably... But most importantly the actual wrestling is top notch and beyond most anything in WWE currently. Better talent too
True that!
NP:
Only if you take away all the WWE rejects. It's too bad guys like Petey Williams and Senshi left. They need to keep guys like that and build them up more. Angle, Nash, Sting, Booker and Foley need to go away.
I love you NP, you know this, but Foley is awesome and always will be.  I love crazy Foley.  Can't help it, just do!
RM:
Couldn't agree more on Williams and Senshi. They ruled hardcore. Angle and crew amuse us, but the real excitement for us stems more from the rest of the locker room. Styles, Daniels, Amazing Red, Abyss... Motor City Machine Guns are easily my number 1 favourite tag team. Beer Money works better than they had any right to. And Matt Morgan has completely surprised me with how damn good he is, in the ring and on a mic. When he was the office bitch I had no use for him. Now he's won me over

NP:
I agree with you on all those guys aside from Abyss. Cant stand him. Yeah Morgan was a shocker for sure. Same with Beer Money. I really liked EY (Eric Young) before the heel turn. But sadly those guys get overshadowed by the old guys from WWE. I started watch TNA to get away from them and slowly over time its turned into WWE lite. I mean come on Cage and Kim left TNA to go back to WWE. What does that say?
What does this say?? That money speaks louder than professional pride, sadly. 

RM:
That they make really poor business decisions. Kim is an embarrasment to herself now... She's being treated like Vince's typical little pop tart and it sucks. Christian went from being top tier main event material... To feuding with a newbie on ECW. The only way to save him over there is to put him back with Edge. Unless I've missed something lately.

NP:
I dont know if it was a bad discission. They both left for better money. If Vince is going to throw that kind of money at them why not take to for two years. Yeah they are bottom tier again and they should have known that would happen. I've never liked Kim but she's better then 3/4's of the divas we have now. There is so much young talent out there. I guess after all this time I'm sick of seeing the same guys over and over. Even John Cena I'm getting tired of.

See, here's my issue here.  Gail sucks on the mic, but she is a fucking awesome female wrestler(and I do mean wrestler)  Girl has moves I didn't know she could do, until I saw her in TNA.  Now she's just one of Vince's jobber bitches more often than not.  No chance to show her talent, lots to show her boobs.  As for Cage, he left a show where the fans ADORED him....for ECW (and a sad rip off of ECW might I add) Yes the WWE fans love him...but how many are seeing him on Vince's bastard step child of a show? 


RM:
Cena pains me to no end... He's been effectively neutered. The "Doctor of thug-o-nomics is" dead and instead we have a golly gee boyscout military man fanboy who adjusts attitudes where required...
I mean seriously, how bad of a white wash is it when they go and change the name of the FU to the Attitude Adjustment? It's just sad. Oh, you have any problem if I publish this conversation to the blog?

NP:
Lol, yeah really. I still want to like Cena, he's one of the few I remember seeing come up in the WWE. I can still remember his first match agaisnt Angle. Sure why not, you might want to edit it for grammar and spelling lol. Send me a link to it as well. 

RM:
It'll be published on Krissy's blog (kinda sorta our blog but I'm trying not to go and be the douche who takes it all over on her *lol*). http://www.theworldaccordingtokrissy.blogspot.com/

NP:
Krissy has a blog?

Yes, Krissy does indeed have a blog :) 


RM:
Yeah, two actually. The one I just gave he link to and www.confessionsofawrestlingfangirl.blogspot.com Though she's more or less dropped the pure wrestling one to focus on her main one.

But yeah... Cena's first match is so bizarre to look back on now. Started out that match almost like a young foil to Angle, then became the thug smack talk master that I'm fucking dying for him to go back to.


But of course, Cena has been changed to be a positive role model for the youngsters. That's cool. Here's the problem though... They go to push for the role model behaviour and image... Then when they have a true role model in CM Punk, straight edge lifestyle. No drugs, no booze, no smokes... No vices or pollution of any kind. The guy oozes respectability even when kicking ass and covered in tats. So what do they do with him? They make him the bloody heel to Jeff Hardy, knowing most fans would boo the guy they wanted them too... Mass push to Hardy as the good guy... And Hardy gets done for drugs AGAIN! What the fuck? I like Hardy... He's god like in the ring. But on comparison he's not the role model you really want and he's proven it again. They now diminished the image of punk for a guy who couldn't keep his nose clean... Literally if you look at the cocaine they found along with the scrips
The Jeff Hardy thing is a post all of it's own...leterally.  I have a draft I have to finish off...it's coming! 


NP:
Very true. From day one I liked Punk, he's fresh blood with the style and skill to make a top face. He sucks as a heel. It's just so contrived and too over the top. Hardy is just proof of what can happen to you in the business. Its a damn shame 'cause he took it to a new level that guys like Evan Bourne, Williams, Senshi, Daniels, Styles and The Guns have taken even further. Thats the shit I want to see. X Division level stuff

And that is one of the main reasons I love TNA.  These guys actually get to shine, not be buried by the newest "monster"  that is getting a push they don't deserve 


RM:
Exactly. I was saddened immensly when I found out how Jeff burned his bridges with TNA... He belongs there in the X Division above all else. I'm holding out hope that Bourne will find his way over there after some seasoning in WWE. I'd love to see the shooting star press off the top of the 6 sides of steel or the Ultimate X match. On a side note... I'm really curious as to how much control WWE had over the persona and gimmick of the talent. Look at Elijah Burke. Honestly, he mainly irritated me over in ECW and the like, but now as The Black Pope something is different. I can't put my finger on it but he seems something more than he was before... Could be just me but I'm curious none the less.

NP:
Yeah Bourne would do great in TNA as long as he could get the script time. He was champ in the short lived WSX (Wrestling Society X) that Cody was part of before coming to daddy in WWE. Vince needs to find a way to get something like the X Divison in WWE. It would work a hell of a lot better than ECW. I know WWE owns most gimmicks, but The Boogeyman is still using his gimmick in the indy scene. He might be fighting it. I have to give it to HHH and HBK for the story arc thats going on with Legacy. As much as I hate Cody Rhodes, the push of Debiase is going to make him a star to watch in the coming years. I just fear when its over and HHH wants his 800th title run.

I love HHH, he's one of my favs and has been for a long time.  But I am so over him as a champ.  Enough is enough.  Just because your screwing the bosses daughter does not mean you get a title shot every fucking month....or at least it shouldn't.

RM:
Yeah, I like Ted jr. Ton of potential with that one. Haven't seen what's been going on recently though... Main reason is that I was getting physically ill seeing Orton strut around with the belt over and over again. Give Debiase the belt and I'll be interested that's for damn sure. Didn't know Bourne and Cody were with WSX. I caught an episode or two but it came off real cheesy to me... Way too MTV.

NP:
Lol I never saw any WSX. I refuse to watch EmptyTV at all. Cody too much like a boy scout with a lisp trying to be all badass and shit. I tape Raw every week and most of the time fast forward watch it on 3 times fast forward lol. You're not missing much.

RM:
We do the same thing. Watch the promos and fast forward through the fights... Pretty bad when the action is less entertaining than the joking around

And yes RM is being serious here.  We do actually skip 99% of all the matches in the WWE these days, but watch the promos from the guys who actually have some talent on the mic.

NP:
lol, True say