Rolling Wrestling Thread

Here’s my summary of the decade I didn’t watch the first time around 2002-2012

  • the period after the invasion (ruthless aggression) was actually pretty good. Shawn Michaels returned for, what it turned out, was a near decade long incredible run, but at the time could have been just a one off. His initial matches at summerslam 2002 vs HHH and in the very first elimination chamber are incredible.

  • Ric Flair also returned to form Evolution with HHH, and young’ns Batista and Orton, who were fucking awesome initially. Don’t really care for Batista or Orton but within Evolution they were bad ass. Anyway, Flair’s final run was great and deserving.

  • Brock Lesnar emerged as a total beast. Winning the title off The Rock also at summerslam 2002, then going on to win 2003 rumble and feud with Angle to main event Wrestlemania 19 (which is easily the best WM other than 17).

  • Heyman was running Smackdown and it was amazing. He gave the “smackdown six” Edge, Mysterio, Benoit, Angle, and Eddie and Chavo (lol at the last one) the push of their lives, culminating in Eddie and Benoit’s incredible WMXX moment. It also set Edge up to becoming the megastar he deserved to be for the latter half of the decade (also, you screwed Matt lol)

  • ECW returns for two one night only specials and they are incredible. If you’ve never seen them. Do it now. Unfortunately it led to the brand returning as a C show and it was awful, but my word those two PPVS are incredible.

  • Late 00s are pretty shit. Mostly just Edge and Cena or Taker feuding (which were great) and the rise of CM Punk.

  • Michaels retires Flair :cry: and then Taker retires Michaels in the greatest matches of all time. The first encounter at WM 25 is perfect.

  • the new decade isn’t amazing but slowly builds towards CM Punk and Daniel Bryan having incredible 2012 and 2013’s respectively, which is where and why I got back into it.

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Hahahaha X factor :'D

oh and of course, Money in the Bank 2011, which is one of the best PPVs of all time

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Yeah I stopped watching WWE “properly” in 2003. The invasion storyline notwithstanding I feel like I’d probably been spoilt in the recent years up to that point. It was specifically summerslam 2003 I believe after triple h went over goldberg in the chamber (lol) and I just felt like I’d seen it all before and they had nothing to offer me anymore. Looking back they really didn’t, as severed notes up there nothing really happened for the rest of the decade except pushing Cena, Orton and Edge and a few notable deaths/suicides that seemed to herald a change for the whole product towards something less interesting and more cartoonish.
I started watching again in university, but it was ROH when they got their tv deal in 2009, which was a style I’d really never witnessed before. The feud between Daniel Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness just absolutely captivated me, then the imo unsung classics between Danielson and Tyler Black (Rollins) got me hooked but I did stop watching until Punk’s pipebomb. Since then I’ve really just watched occasional clips online mind.

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oh god, the Goldberg push :smiley: so tragic.

See also: Scott Steiner

Uncle kracker yo

What an amazing show, even more remarkable given the state of the wwe undercard at the time

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So the screwjob. What a weird match. You can tell there’s an uneasy atmosphere because people know Hart is off, but because it’s in Montreal the fans are rabidly behind him anyway. It goes off air very quickly after Michael’s high-tails it with the belt, and Bret spits in Vince’s face

yo yo yo you’re dealing with the X Factor

Uncle Kracker!

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is anyone here going to the big Progress show in Brixton this weekend? I’m giving it a miss more down to money than anything else. I haven’t been to a Progress show in ages actually but they’re usually good. Definitely going to Rev Pro Global Wars in the York Hall though.

I’m not but good username

Inspired by the Miz’s apparent form of late - who do we reckon were the best heels of all time?
Not in a cute oh we love to hate him but secretly respect him modern way, but the kind that actually filled you with physical hatred and you just wanted to see them get punched?

Got to be Jerry Lawler when he was on his A game for me, but also got to hand it to Triple H that man frustrated the fuck out of me. Still sort of hate his face.

Bossman has got to be right up there for sheer dastardlyness.

yeah 2000-era Triple H was the best at this, maybe of all time. Ric Flair too of course, his brief original run in 1991/2 in WWF with the NWA belt led to the best Royal Rumble ever

Coked up flair is the best

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DiBiase by an absolute stretch.

Attitude Era Vinny Mac, obviously.

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https://mobile.twitter.com/Vanguard1AAR

Man Matt Hardy is just the best thing right now

Also RE best heel: I recall Paul Bearer being incredible in the build up to Kane and when he was first Kanes manager

anyone watching Clash of Champions tonight then? It has been a pretty messy build up but the card should carry it through:

WWE Universal Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins - Should be great, I would imagine Owens retains via more screwy business over newly face Rollins for now, though.

Raw Women’s Championship Match
Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - Could go anywhere, which is a great statement about the top of this division really. In theory, Sasha should win her title back if she’s healthy and they’re still a bit pissed at Charlotte’s recklessness, but don’t count out Bayley getting a fast one

WWE United States Championship Match
Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns - Ugh, probably Reigns, fuck off.

Raw Tag Team Championship Match
New Day (c) vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows - Genuinely think it’s time for New Day to lose the titles. Everyone involved has apologised for the terrible “comedy” Club skits, so with that in mind, The club could have a great monster heel run with the belts.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
TJ Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick - Perkins should retain really, would be silly to put the new title immediately on a veteran (oh wait it’s WWE). Should be a really entertaining match though given the CWC.

Best-of-Seven Series Match (Tied at 3-3)
Cesaro vs. Sheamus - We all knew we were going to get to this point, and you know what? After initial fears, this series has been solid. Nothing to light the world on fire, but thoroughly decent. Cesaro NEEDS to fucking win this though otherwise, he’s as good as buried.

Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn - Should be fun. The winner gets Kevin Owens’ phone number.

Pre-show: Alicja Fox vs Nia Jax - That squash was SO GOOD a couple weeks ago, but here’s hoping this is an actual match (that said, doubt I’ll have turned over from NFL yet). Jax probably wins but would be nice for Foxxy to re-establish herself from the wilderness.