Profesional Wrestling Discussion

[Chaos Greyblood]

Not only that, but as you know some of the characters were based from real life wrestlers too.

You should check it out on Mangafox. At this time, they're reached the Scramble for the Kinniku Throne arc and Kinnikuman Soldier is about to be in trouble... It's been a while, but there's a new group working on finishing the last chapters. I don't know about Nisei, since it's been inconsistent when it comes to scanlation submissions and you can get a little lost.

[KENTA]

I'll take a look, also need to take a look at the Tiger Mask anime.

[Chaos Greyblood]

Do it, man! Let the Burning Inner Strength guide you to victory!

[KENTA]

*readies elbow pad and prepares to be an Ace*

[KENTA]

Time for another match kiddies! This time we're gonna look at some WWF, or rather, let's look at the Grandaddy of 'em All, Wrestlemania!

This match is the opening contest to Wrestlemania 10. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, brother vs. brother. Bret didn't want to be a part of this match, but reluctantly agreed so long as he could still get his WWF Title match later in the night against Yokozuna. The previous year Bret actually lost the belt to Yokozuna, so this was his chance for redemption, and not even his punk brother could stop him. Owen was one of the smallest Harts, a legendary family in wrestling. Because of his small stature, he never really lived up to his older brother Bret and could never really get into the World Title picture. He had a successful career in Japan and Canada, but could never make it big in the states. This drove Owen mad so he made it a point to prove he was the best Hart. It took a lot of goading, some verbal and physical abuse, and their family even to make this match happen, but by god Owen was gonna make it happen.

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Can't believe I nearly forgot. Today's promo is brought to you by bitches and whores.

What's in his hand?

[KENTA]

Today we have a rather odd match. Mostly because of how it all plays out. Let me start by explaining a favorite defunct promotion of mine.

The UWF was started in 1984 as a continuation of Antonio Inoki's vision of "strong style". Inoki promoted strong style as the best way of fighting. He would take on all comers, from wrestlers to Jiu Jitsu masters, even to the great Muhammad Ali(this fight is actually rather infamous, as it nearly killed Ali. It ended up as a draw, but is the least entertaining fight you've ever seen. Ali wasn't prepared at all, because he and his managers thought it was a work until a few weeks before the fight) By the time the 80's rolled around, Strong Style was on the decline in New Japan, Inoki's federation, and a more traditional approach was paving its way. A few in the New Japan locker room thought that this shouldn't be, so they left to form the Universal Wrestling Federation.

The original incarnation of the UWF only lasted 2 years. There was bickering within the company from it's two stars, Satoru Sayama(the original Tiger Mask) and Akira Maeda(the character who shares his name in Cromartie is actually based off Maeda, though only loosely). Eventually this led to a falling out, and the company went on a financial nosedive. Hoping to still have jobs, the wrestlers of the UWF signed on with NJPW again to act as an invading force. This eventually inspired World Championship Wrestling's Eric Bischoff to do a similar angle in 1996 to great success.

In 1988, most of the "invading force" had gotten fed up with their treatment in New Japan, and left to form the nUWF. That is to say, the Newborn UWF. Once again, the UWF went through a lot of ups and downs in a short period of time, and by 1990 was again out of money. Instead of going to New Japan again, they split up into a lot of different factions and made their own promotions. The biggest of them was RINGS, which was one of the first true MMA promotions. It ended up closing its doors in 2002, but that's a different story.

In 1991, mere months after the closing of nUWF, another promotion sprang up. This was UWFi. Union of Wrestling Forces International. It took the exact same position, and most of the roster, of the nUWF. However, it did something neither previous incarnations could do: Succeed. UWFi isn't around now, but it had a longer run than the previous two combined, in part because they didn't rise too fast, and they didn't have as many internal conflicts. Combine that with good relationships with both NJPW and WAR when their finances were down, and you have a company that lasted for half a decade.

And here we are now, the opening match of the very first UWFi show. Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masahito Kakihara. Tamura is in the red trunks, and Kakihara in the blue. Kakihara wouldn't go on to be much, and ended up retiring in 2006, but Tamura still has a relatively good Wrestling career, as well as a successful MMA career, with 33 wins(including ones over Akira Maeda, Renzo Gracie, and the legendary Volk Han) 13 losses, and 3 draws. But here we see them at their humble beginnings, inside a small ring, fighting for a small crowd, and beating the living daylights out of each other.

Full match.

Today's Terry Funk moment brought to you by Jim Cornette: Fucking this Company since 2000

I hate sissies.

[KENTA]

Women's wrestling. That conjures up very few flattering images. Usually it's the idea of two models just grabbing each other for a photoshoot, or the skinny girls of the WWE try and do things in the ring that they obviously don't care about. But in other parts of the world, it's taken very seriously. Competitive women putting on competitive matches and going all out. Because these women clearly care and perfect their craft, for the fans they are looked on with great pride. For everyone else....well, it just doesn't click with them. For the most part, I'm in that boat. Womens wrestling just doesn't click with me for the most part. However, there are times where I have to stand up and applaud a great match, even if it is two women.

This particular match has become a recent favorite of mine, despite being 25 years old. All Japan Women's Wrestling, or AJW, was the top womens federation in...well, the world. It featured the best wrestlers, the most prestigious belts, and made the most money. Two of their stars during the 80's and 90's were Chigusa Nagayo and Devil Masami. Masami wasn't the most liked person in the world, but she was a fighter who could get the job done. Whereas Nagayo was THE most beloved person in the company, and helped draw in big ratings. (For reference, when she was in the Main Event, AJW would routinely draw 12,000,000+ viewers every week) Here though, she's just about to break through the proverbial glass ceiling.

Now, the match is by no means perfect, but it's a fun one that is clearly ahead of its time. However, the finish does leave something to be desired, and in the year 2011 just doesn't seem right for a title match. Even if it is a second tear belt, the WWWA (Womens World Wrestling Alliance, IIRC) All Pacific title is still a very important one, and the holder plays second fiddle only to the World Champ. However, while the ending may make you roll your eyes, you can't deny that the rest of the match is one hell of a ride.

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Today's music video is brought to you by the MV Zone. The power is back.

Truly, the greatest man that ever lived.

[KENTA]

Lucha Libre is in a class of it's own. It takes almost nothing from American, Canadian, European, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, South African, or really any form of pro wrestling. It's not tight, it's often times paced weirdly, it can't decide how important the in ring action is, and it just LOVES those masks. But hell, we all love it for one reason or another. And matches like El Valiente vs. Polvora are a good explanation as to why.

Valiente is in the red, Polvora in the black. This is a title match for the Welterweight Title, and these two lay it all on the line. It's a 2/3 falls match, as are most in Mexico, so you usually have a clear winner/better man. It's harder to get a surprise win in that situation. I knew nothing about these two coming into this match, and truthfully there's still a lot of questions I have, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a great match with some breathtaking moments. CMLL, the former EMLL and oldest wrestling federation in existence, truly knows how to perform.

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The Top Twenty for today is brought to you by McDonalds, because how will you ever get fat?

I think he's dead.

[KENTA]

Alright ladies and gentlemen....oh who am I kidding, alright gentlemen that are reading this topic, it's time for another update! We're going back to Japan for this one, but we're also going back in time. The old JWA, Japan Pro Wrestling Association, was a hit in its time. Spearheaded by the unimaginably popular Rikidozan, it produced some of the greatest talents in wrestling history, and two of its top stars(Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba) split to form their own companies, which are still going strong today.

Instead of focusing on the younger guys though, we'll focus on Rikidozan. A Korean man who made his fame in Japan after World War 2, Rikidozan is arguably the most popular Asian wrestler ever for his amazing charisma, and quite honestly just being at the right place at the right time. His opponent in this match is Masahiko Kimura. To you MMA buffs out there, that last name should be familiar. Kimura invented the arm lock now known as the Kimura, and won many a fight with it. He was a star in his own right, and rightfully so. Rikidozan knew that he could make money with Kimura, so he brought him into the JWA.

Here, however, is where things get interesting. According to Kimura, the plan was to trade wins and draws so they would both make money. However, something happened, and to this day nobody really knows about what all went down during that now famous match. However, the outcome was disastrous and destroyed the JWA, the most powerful wrestling company in the world. I'll let you see for yourself what went down.

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Today's "Randy Savage" moment is brought to you by Slim Jim. DIG IT!

Space, apparently, is the place.

[Chaos Greyblood]

Okay, I held out on some of the mid-90's and 2000s guys on WWE long enough.

Kurt Angle: Strong-hearted wrestler, but I became tired from his schtick and I actually became disappointed that no one could beat him on brawls he deserved to lose.

The Rock: Big as life, that's one way to describe him. He also comes from a good wrestiling family and now he's back.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin: Another badass mofo that I liked and always brought his game on big fights. Gimme one 'hell yeah!'

Mankind: Perhaps one of the less dickish wrestlers from those times and likeable enough. But then with the bunch of guys you've seen, anyone like Mankind looks like a well-intentioned guy.

Triple HHH: Still around busting some heads. At times he can be such a dick, but no one questions his toughness.

Randy Orton: I'm not sure what to make of his guy, IMO. Seems talented, but there's something about him that rubs me the wrong way every time I see him in a match.

Those are pretty much the guys I can remember at this time, but there you have it.

[KENTA]

Angle: A shame what has happened to him. On an untold amount of drugs, an alcoholic, and likely will be another statistic.

the rock: I do not like him......at all. I'll stop there before I go off on a rant.

Austin: LOVE Austin. Hell of a wrestler and can cut a damn good promo

Foley: How can you not love Mick? He gives roughly 90% of what he earns to charity, and does insane things.

Haitch: Eh....not a fan.(Also Triple HHH? So HHHHHHHHH?)

Orton: He comes and goes, but I guess he's not so bad. Put him with the right guy and he's fantastic.

[Chaos Greyblood]

Thought I'd make a pun with his wrestler name. :P

[KENTA]

Yeah, it's a fairly common one actually.

[KENTA]

And now we're doing something unprecedented.......we're watching..........MODERN DAY WRESTLING IN THE UNITED STATES!

Yes yes, I know you're all terrified at the thought. However, this match has been up for a while, is short, and I don't think the WWE cares enough to have it taken down. So here we go with Daniel Bryan(the former Bryan Danielson) vs. Chris "Sparklyvest" Jericho. This is Bryan's first match in the WWE on the very much C show. He's introduced as a "rookie" despite wrestling longer than roughly 80% of the roster at the time. The main story here is Bryan is eager to prove himself to the then World's Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. Does he succeed? Well...I'll let you watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5u6_Wet3JI

[KENTA]

World Championship Wrestling. At one point in time it was the absolute worst thing on TV this side of Jerry Springer. But at least Jerry Springer didn't tell people twice every episode that everything else was fake, but this part was real. Truly a horrendous TV Show was WCW Nitro in the year 2000. Thankfully we're going back to when it was arguably the best show on TV, and definitely the best Wrestling on TV. 1996.

Here we have two men who were old at the time, and now are ancient in Wrestling Years. David "Fit" Finlay(Son of David Finlay, legendary Irish pro and amateur wrestler) vs. "Lord" Steven Regal(now called William Regal). These two are legends in Wrestling, and are just amazing at what they do. Often referred to as "technical masters" these two pull out some very strange tactics considering their reputation. They......beat the holy hell out of each other. Nonstop, bell to bell, carnage. No weapons, nothing too illegal, just two guys hitting each other as hard as they can to see who's better.

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And just to top that, here's the exact opposite match type from the two guys, that's just about as brutal.

This match was nearly cut halfway through, because Eric Bischoff thought it was too violent.

[Chaos Greyblood]

Sad news for wrestling. Randy 'Macho Man' Savage passed away after having a heart attack while driving. That's a rather terrible way for one man to go.

http://www.popeater.com/2011/05/20/m.../?ncid=webmail

OOOOOOOH NOOOOOO.... ToT

[Marth]

I just heard about that. But...but....the Macho Man can't just....die!

[Ligerleon89]

*sighs*...yeah. R.I.P. Macho Man Randy Savage.

[MssrNeko]

Rest in Peace, Randy. I never watched that much wrestling as a kid, but I'll always remember your impact. OH YEEEEEEEEAH!

[snaps a Slim Jim in his honor]

......These things suck..... ;_;

[snaps another]

[KENTA]

RIP Randy....world won't be the same without you.