Wrestling

[Tracker]

6 hours ago, Brandon said:

The water can be a very dangerous thing... let this be a lesson for others.  

 

A friend of mine would say that's why he drinks his scotch neat.

[The Unknown Poster]

https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/29194379/wwe-shad-gaspard-man-supposed-be

 

LOS ANGELES -- When the lifeguard arrived, between 50 and 75 yards off Venice Beach, the boy and his father were caught in the rip current, enveloped in what's called an "impact zone."

"The best way I can describe it," said Kenichi Haskett, Section Chief of the LA County Fire Department - Lifeguard Division, "is like being inside a front-loading washing machine. The waves keep crashing on you, pushing you down. ... I've been through that, those kind of rescues. You think you might die."

This was Sunday afternoon, shortly before 4 p.m., the first weekend Los Angeles County opened its beaches since the stay-at-home order. The swells were 6 feet, and the current was fast, as the father and his 10-year-old son were now 200 yards north from where the lifeguard first spotted them.

The lifeguard, whom Haskett personally debriefed, tried to deliver a "rescue can" -- a small, buoy-like device to help tow distressed swimmers back to shore. "But because of the size of the waves, the boy couldn't secure it," Haskett said.

That presented the lifeguard -- who has a middle school-aged son himself -- with an excruciating dilemma. The father was 6-6, about 270 pounds, with shoulders the size of a small desk.

"Based on the gentlemen's size and the conditions in the water...," Haskett said, "these are choices we do not want to make."

Then again, based on the gentlemen's character, there was never a choice.

"Take my son," said the father, a former professional wrestler named Shad Gaspard, to the lifeguard.

Save my son.

Three minutes had not passed before the boy was safe on shore. He was physically unharmed, but deeply distraught. "Dad told me to push off to the guy," he told Steve Smith, a firefighter-paramedic from Rescue 63 in Venice. The boy kept saying that: "Dad told me to push off to the guy."

The guy. The lifeguard.

Just as he turned back, making a hasty return to the ocean, the lifeguard saw the father again. "A wave pushed him under in the impact zone," said Haskett. "He didn't resurface after that."

The rescue divers went in immediately. Then, the Coast Guard. Still, there's been no sighting of "the gentleman" Shad Gaspard.

[The Unknown Poster]

Sad end. 
 

 

[The Unknown Poster]

AEW: 701,000

NXT: 592,000

Great bounce back for AEW.  Rough for NXT

[Jpan85]

It was a pretty good Dynamite. Loved Hangman running for all the way across the field. Sammy and Matt Hardy was good. Also Arn and Jake sit down was good. It also amazing those two were never in the ring against each other.

[The Unknown Poster]

Just now, Jpan85 said:

It was a pretty good Dynamite. Loved Hangman running for all the way across the field. Sammy and Matt Hardy was good. Also Arn and Jake sit down was good. It also amazing those two were never in the ring against each other.

Loved the Arn/Jake segment.  Two master promo guys just talking.  Was waiting for a reference to Arn's DDT though.  He had a heck of a DDT.

Sammy is pure gold.  Brit Baker looked like she blew her knew out badly.  Heard Fenix is okay.  Nice of everyone to not catch him on the moonsault.

[The Unknown Poster]

He’ll be wwe 4 life 

 

[The Unknown Poster]

The Dark Side of the Ring episode about Owen's death was really....I dont want to say good, but obviously well done and heartbreaking.  It sparked a lot of discussion about Owen this week and the fact his family wont let WWE induct him into the Hall of Fame.

I thought this was important to know - how pathetic WWE is to release this statement:

Quote

Jerry McDevitt, who was the WWF and McMahon’s attorney in the case, contacted CBS Sports after the interview and said Dr. Hart’s version was not accurate.

“Her and her lawyer, in reality, had tried to get the members of the Hart family, Owen's brothers and sisters, to sign a document in which they would agree to support Martha and her case and they would not talk to WWE. In exchange for that, they were all promised a share of any verdict or settlement, which is highly illegal, completely improper and you can get in big trouble for that. What happened was some of the members of the Hart family were offended by this because they realized this was wrong. ... They knew this was wrong and they faxed me those documents, which I fell out of the chair when I read them. I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me. This is completely illegal, you can't do this stuff.' All of that was then brought to the attention of the judge in Kansas City."

“She talked about how $18 million settlement, she didn't really want to do that, she wanted justice. Again, that's just not true. There was court-ordered mediation. We went to the mediation, and her lawyers were demanding $35 million and some admission of punitive damages. Vince told her right there, 'Look, Martha, I feel so bad for what happened. I feel responsible because this happened on my watch. I want to take care of you and your family, I loved Owen.' He was almost crying. We offered $17 million to take care of her. How many times does a CEO walk in a room and say he feels responsible? 'I'm not going to argue, I just feel responsible for what happened.' They turned it down; they wanted to go to court for their $35 million. Fine, we'll go and litigate. The next day, I get a call from her Canadian lawyer, saying they didn't want to do it because they knew what they were facing with the other things I talked about. They said, 'If you could put a little more money in. If you can go to $18 million we'll settle right now.' That's how the settlement went down."

McDevitt also said, “Martha was not even remotely interested in finding out what happened that night; she just wanted to used it as a vehicle to beat up a business that she didn't like that her husband was in, the wrestling business."

McDevitt also told Sports Illustrated that it was the manufacturer of the shackle device that was at fault, not the WWE, saying, “The manufacturer of the quick release device, if there is anybody directly responsible for Owen’s death, it would have been the manufacturer for that device.” McDevitt also said, “It is kind of difficult because you do want to respect the grieving widow, but it’s 21 years later and it’s time to stop the lies. It’s just not what happened here. Martha was her own worst enemy in that lawsuit. We were the ones that were trying to take care of her despite the stuff she kept doing to try to make it hard to get to what happened that night. She tries to make it look like she overcame these terrible people who were doing all these terrible things to her in the litigation. It’s exactly the opposite. You won’t find any wrongdoing by WWE by any judge in that lawsuit against her, ever.”

Also Im not even sure you can the manufacturer was at fault although the shackle may have released without being triggered.  But it took very very minimal pressure to release and was NOT designed for humans to repel with.  It was a sailing shackle.  And WWE wanted to use it because they wanted a quick release rather then the few seconds it took for Owen to release himself from the safe shackle.

[Brandon]

I didn't realize that originally McMahon wanted Owen Hart to become the next Bret and was going to push him to the moon until HBK poo-poo'd on it.  I was a big fan of Owen and his work in the ring.... would of liked to have seen him on top with the belt for a run. 

[The Unknown Poster]

21 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I didn't realize that originally McMahon wanted Owen Hart to become the next Bret and was going to push him to the moon until HBK poo-poo'd on it.  I was a big fan of Owen and his work in the ring.... would of liked to have seen him on top with the belt for a run. 

Yeah, the story wrote itself after Montreal.  Owen came back super hot.  Im not sure he could have carried the place as a top guy like Bret but he was certainly super talented and deserved a lot better than the Blue Blazer.  He quit WWE after Montreal, not because he really wanted to leave but out of loyalty.  I wonder how he in WCW would have worked had he arrived with Bret.  But Vince desperately wanted to keep one of the Harts, probably for the Canadian market and to try and repair his image a bit, so they offered a big contract extension to stay which he did.

I'd have considered having him beat Bret for the title in their cage match.  Interesting side note, when the brother vs brother angle was pitched to Bret by Patterson, the original idea was for Bruce Hart to be the brother than turned on Bret.  Bret said Bruce could never make it work and pushed for Owen.  Patterson (and presumably Vince) thought Owen was more a mid card comedy guy (what the hell did they think Bruce would be) but Bret insisted.  Bruce was hot at Bret for that.

[The Unknown Poster]

Appears to be a suicide. She was 22. And had been the subject of a lot of online hate recently.  A tremendous talent.  Just awful. 

Quote

Hana Kimura, who was the most charismatic wrestler in the Stardom promotion and one of two women the company was planning to be built around, passed away today at the age of 22.

No details are available but she had posted what came across like a suicide message yesterday that had people concerned as well as photos of her arms being self mutilated.

The death appears to be the first result of a pro wrestler's depression coming from social media cyber bullying.

She wrote, "Nearly 100 opinions every day. I couldn't deny that I was hurt. I'm dead. Thank you for giving me a mother. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you to everyone who supported me. I love it. I'm weak. I'm sorry. I don't want to be alive anymore. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you everyone. I love you. Bye."

Kimura was the only child of Kyoko Kimura, a pro wrestling star who had retired in 2017. She grew up around the business and started at the age of 18, although she held the comedy DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight title at the age of seven in a DDT comedy sketch.

Kimura had started in September on Terrace House, a popular Japanese reality show that airs worldwide. She was becoming a celebrity off the show because of her unique look and because she was physically stronger than most Japanese women. Stardom, the leading women's wrestling company in Japan, under new ownership, had planned to try and push women's wrestling mainstream around Kimura and Giulia with the idea they were the two most marketable stars. Of the two, Kimura was by far the most charismatic and the better wrestler of the two.

The first step of the push was an appearance in the opening match on the New Japan January 4, 2020, show at the Tokyo Dome. It was the first women's match at the Tokyo Dome since 2002. Before the pandemic, Stardom was planning a much bigger and higher profile show with her, as the leader of the Tokyo Cyber Squad, to feud with Giulia after a split in the tag team match on the Dome show.

In an incident on Terrace House filmed in early January, a male housemate named Kai washed his clothes while her outfit that she wore at the Tokyo Dome was in the washer and then threw it in the dryer and ruined the outfit. She lost her temper and slapped him hard. 

Since that incident aired, she had been getting hate messages from people all over the world and it sent her into depression. It was getting worse in recent weeks. Because she had big shoulders for a Japanese woman because of her athletic background, even before the incident she was getting some negative reactions.

She was flooded with support on social media over the past 12 hours.

 

Edited May 23, 2020 by The Unknown Poster

[The Unknown Poster]

The Gofundme for Shad's family surpassed it's $100,000 goal in 24 hours.  Incredible.   Some interesting donations including Pro Wrestling Tees and Cameo.  As well as Tony Khan ($10.000), the Rhodes, Jericho, Rusev and others.  A $40,000 donation was made CTC RIP and many are speculating it was John Cena.

Tonight is Double or Nothing from Jacksonville.  I had tickets to this event in Las Vegas before it was moved.

Official Matches

Brodie Lee vs Jon Moxley(c) - AEW Championship - Id strongly suspect Mox wins this one but its a big opportunity for Brodie to prove what he's got.

Lance Archer vs Cody - Finals for the TNT Championship w/Mike Tyson Presenting the Belt - With the Tyson stip, Id say Cody.  But then all the champions are babyfaces and do you want Archer losing yet?  On the other hand, do you want Cody to always lose the big one?  Might be an angle alert here.  I assume Tyson gets into it with someone if he is up for it.

Hikaru Shias vs Nyla Rose(c) - No DQ Match for the AEW Women’s Championship - Feels too early for a title change but I like Shida a lot.  I think it sticks with Rose.

Casino Ladder Match for a chance at the AEW Championship (Darby Allen, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy, (Rey Fenix) Joey Janela, Scorpio Sky, Kip Sabian, Frankie Kazarian, Luchasaurus, MYSTERY MAN) - Terribly bland name so Im calling it the Raising the Stakes Ladder Match.  Fenix is out, replaced by Joey Janela and there is a mystery opponent which could be as big as Rusev (though not likely as I believe his WWE deal isnt over yet) or Ricky Starks.  Could be Jeff Cobb or Cage as well.  Saw one suggestion of it being Hangman.

MJF vs Jungle Boy - MJF is future world champion (Jericho to Mox to Kenny to MJF?).  Jungle Boy is great too. They could do the surprise with Jungle Boy getting the upset to make it a real program and have MJF incensed he lost.  But probably not.  Tease Lucha vs Wardlow.

Stadium Stampede Match (aka FIGHT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD!): Inner Circle vs The Elite & Matt Hardy - This was filmed last night and everyone is raving about it.  Should be awesome.

(Britt Baker) Penelope Ford vs Kris Statlander - Brit Baker is out.  Should be Stat Id think, over Ford.

Dustin Rhodes vs Shawn Spears - Id give Dustin the win.  Angle alert here maybe...(Revival?)

Pre-Show: Private Party vs Best Friends - #1 Contender Opportunity for the Tag Titles   Private Party are far from ready.  Best Friends are really coming into their own.

 

[The Unknown Poster]

Pretty darn good show.  They do a great job (far better than wwe) in mitigating the no crowds. But a couple matches would have been so much better with crowds.  Namely MJF vs Jungle Boy and Cody vs Archer.  
 

the Stampede was amazing.  All those guys are just so good.   The presentation was exceptional.   And again, as far as “cinematic” goes, way better than WWE.
 

New TNT championship.  As soon as I saw it I thought hmmm that looks kinda unfinished.  Well apparently it is.  Seen some rumours of its final design floating around and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.  Too bad archer had to lose but Cody really has to win.  Mike Tyson didn’t do much but he looked great. Could see something happening there.  
 

Mox and Brodie was really good.  Brodie wasn’t hurt too bad by losing. Mox vs Cage at Fyter Fest (which was supposed to be in London but won’t be now). 
 

So glad to see Hikaru Shida win the title.  She came in and worked for a few years ago (we had to keep it a secret at the time). Super talent.  
 

And what about Page riding in on the horse?  Haha amazing. 

[ediger]

On 2020-05-23 at 4:04 PM, The Unknown Poster said:

The Gofundme for Shad's family surpassed it's $100,000 goal in 24 hours.  Incredible.   Some interesting donations including Pro Wrestling Tees and Cameo.  As well as Tony Khan ($10.000), the Rhodes, Jericho, Rusev and others.  A $40,000 donation was made CTC RIP and many are speculating it was John Cena.

Tonight is Double or Nothing from Jacksonville.  I had tickets to this event in Las Vegas before it was moved.

Official Matches

Brodie Lee vs Jon Moxley(c) - AEW Championship - Id strongly suspect Mox wins this one but its a big opportunity for Brodie to prove what he's got.

Lance Archer vs Cody - Finals for the TNT Championship w/Mike Tyson Presenting the Belt - With the Tyson stip, Id say Cody.  But then all the champions are babyfaces and do you want Archer losing yet?  On the other hand, do you want Cody to always lose the big one?  Might be an angle alert here.  I assume Tyson gets into it with someone if he is up for it.

Hikaru Shias vs Nyla Rose(c) - No DQ Match for the AEW Women’s Championship - Feels too early for a title change but I like Shida a lot.  I think it sticks with Rose.

Casino Ladder Match for a chance at the AEW Championship (Darby Allen, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy, (Rey Fenix) Joey Janela, Scorpio Sky, Kip Sabian, Frankie Kazarian, Luchasaurus, MYSTERY MAN) - Terribly bland name so Im calling it the Raising the Stakes Ladder Match.  Fenix is out, replaced by Joey Janela and there is a mystery opponent which could be as big as Rusev (though not likely as I believe his WWE deal isnt over yet) or Ricky Starks.  Could be Jeff Cobb or Cage as well.  Saw one suggestion of it being Hangman.

MJF vs Jungle Boy - MJF is future world champion (Jericho to Mox to Kenny to MJF?).  Jungle Boy is great too. They could do the surprise with Jungle Boy getting the upset to make it a real program and have MJF incensed he lost.  But probably not.  Tease Lucha vs Wardlow.

Stadium Stampede Match (aka FIGHT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD!): Inner Circle vs The Elite & Matt Hardy - This was filmed last night and everyone is raving about it.  Should be awesome.

(Britt Baker) Penelope Ford vs Kris Statlander - Brit Baker is out.  Should be Stat Id think, over Ford.

Dustin Rhodes vs Shawn Spears - Id give Dustin the win.  Angle alert here maybe...(Revival?)

Pre-Show: Private Party vs Best Friends - #1 Contender Opportunity for the Tag Titles   Private Party are far from ready.  Best Friends are really coming into their own.

 

Enjoyed the show overall. Thought there was maybe a bit too much brawling and that it lacked some of the variety that other AEW PPVs have had.

Ladder match was pretty good. I like the idea of a ladder match/royal rumble mashup that they use. Brian Cage will be a good addition I think. Massive body obviously, he can move good and some people I respect have good things to say about him as a person. Interested to see where it goes.

MJF vs Jungle Boy was the best pure wrestling match on the show. Old school ****, very good stuff. If I ever attend an AEW show, I will run the risk of getting booted from the venue because the urge to slap MJF will be crazy high.

Statlander vs Ford was fine but didn't have anything behind it so it was sort of filler. Basically a Dynamite match that got thrown on PPV.

Dustin Rhodes vs Shawn Spears was tough to call a match, but it was a fun segment. Showed that Rhodes isn't done and I don't think it hurt Spears at all. In fact, I think it went a long way in establishing his personality. The last few weeks he seems to be getting better and better on camera with more of that personality coming through. More please.

I thought Cody vs Archer was a bit clunky. Not sold on Archer in ring and I don't think Cody is the type that can have a great match with anyone. With the right opponent, you can get the best match on the card out of Cody but with others, I feel like his matches fall a bit flat.

I liked Shida vs Rose. Didn't expect the title to change hands so quickly but I'm happy to see Shida win, she's definitely the most talented wrestler on then AEW women's roster and the crowd loves her.

Mox vs Brodie Lee was a good brawl with some brutal looking moments. Brodie seemed a bit gassed towards the end. Moxley is simply the best performer in North American wrestling right now. He's exactly what I was hoping he'd be in AEW.

Finally, the Stadium Stampede. Holy ****. That was something else. Watched it a second time last night and there are so many hidden gags in the background. The minds of Kenny Omega and Matt Hardy working together on matches like these is an exciting prospect. Favourite moment? Kenny getting irish whipped into the backstage area like it was one of the old Smackdown games.

[Jpan85]

I thought the brawling was good change up. AEW has been known for the high spots but those tough physical matches were good to see. A lot of the card was grudge matches so it went along with the story line. Fantastic PPV. Watched with my sister and brother and law and they were saying how it felt like a PPV despite the no fans unlike the the two WWE had done. 

Stadium Stampede had everything you wanted out of a match with those two factions.

Jericho by the time he is done with AEW might go down as the best to ever do it. At 50 he knows his limitations and plays to them. His mind to get things over is just unbelievable.

[ediger]

48 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

I thought the brawling was good change up. AEW has been known for the high spots but those tough physical matches were good to see. A lot of the card was grudge matches so it went along with the story line. Fantastic PPV. Watched with my sister and brother and law and they were saying how it felt like a PPV despite the no fans unlike the the two WWE had done. 

Stadium Stampede had everything you wanted out of a match with those two factions.

Jericho by the time he is done with AEW might go down as the best to ever do it. At 50 he knows his limitations and plays to them. His mind to get things over is just unbelievable.

Good point re: grudge matches. And I've always liked brawlers so I'm not exactly complaining. I also wouldn't have complained if one of the brawls was switched up for something more technical.

Others have been bigger names than Jericho and made more cash, sold tix/merch/whatever during certain eras, but I can't think of anyone who has done it as successfully at the level he's done it at for as long as Jericho. All things considered, he'll probably get my vote for best ever when he wraps things up.

Edited May 25, 2020 by ediger

[Jpan85]

And constantly changing his character. Really adapt at knowing when to give the fans something new.

[The Unknown Poster]

Great stuff guys. 
 

WWE is apparently giving in and using talent as audience members to add to the atmosphere.  They didn’t want to be seen as copying AEW after they adjusted their camera angles to match AEW early.  It should help a lot though.  

[ediger]

22 hours ago, Jpan85 said:

And constantly changing his character. Really adapt at knowing when to give the fans something new.

That's exactly it. It's what separates him from Hogan, Undertaker, Flair and most of the other big names that stuck around a long time. Jericho has never felt like a nostalgia act or had to rely on looping back to previous gimmicks.

[The Unknown Poster]

This surprises me 

Also strong rumours that AEW will get a show on HBO MAX which would be pretty great for them.  

[Brandon]

I watched a few matches (off of youtube) and I really enjoyed the Stadium brawl.  The spots in the pool,  Jericho throwing the challenge flag, and the bar fight complete with your classic saloon style dragging the body down the bar made me giggle way to much.  I thought a lot of the lesser stars really made that match much better.  Only a few spots kind of missed (mostly with the Young Bucks...didn't think they were that good).  I'd definitely in the future would watch another stadium match... lots of potential.  

The Moxley / Lee match I thought was clunky...  I think Moxley pulled his weight but Lee was kind of meh.  I don't watch the shows but is Lee similar to the Undertaker where he can take obscene amounts of damage without getting hurt and sitting up?  He shot up after the back body drop off the stairs into the table and after the DDT through the stage. Just didn't seem smooth to me. 

Jungle Boy and MJF was also awesome.... AEW needs more guys like these two. Hopefully they are locked up for  awhile because I would assume WWE would be throwing big money at them once it's contract time (and once COVID is done).  

The ladder match was a mess also.... not sold on half the guys and I'd assume they could find better guys off the Indy scene? 

[The Unknown Poster]

31 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I watched a few matches (off of youtube) and I really enjoyed the Stadium brawl.  The spots in the pool,  Jericho throwing the challenge flag, and the bar fight complete with your classic saloon style dragging the body down the bar made me giggle way to much.  I thought a lot of the lesser stars really made that match much better.  Only a few spots kind of missed (mostly with the Young Bucks...didn't think they were that good).  I'd definitely in the future would watch another stadium match... lots of potential.  

The Moxley / Lee match I thought was clunky...  I think Moxley pulled his weight but Lee was kind of meh.  I don't watch the shows but is Lee similar to the Undertaker where he can take obscene amounts of damage without getting hurt and sitting up?  He shot up after the back body drop off the stairs into the table and after the DDT through the stage. Just didn't seem smooth to me. 

Jungle Boy and MJF was also awesome.... AEW needs more guys like these two. Hopefully they are locked up for  awhile because I would assume WWE would be throwing big money at them once it's contract time (and once COVID is done).  

The ladder match was a mess also.... not sold on half the guys and I'd assume they could find better guys off the Indy scene? 

They’re locked up.  They could have HD MJF but passed.  Passed on Sammy too.  There is a funny video going around where Sammy had a try out and was doing drills and Lacey Evans of all people said he didn’t know how to roll. 
 

who in the ladder match didn’t you like?  They’re all really good. 

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

They’re locked up.  They could have HD MJF but passed.  Passed on Sammy too.  There is a funny video going around where Sammy had a try out and was doing drills and Lacey Evans of all people said he didn’t know how to roll. 
 

who in the ladder match didn’t you like?  They’re all really good. 

Janala sucks,  I'm not a fan of the Cassidy gimmick (I do think he's talented though),  Cabana is over rated,  Cage and Luchasaurus both are big (which AEW needs) but as workers they are meh.   Marko Stunt should not be in AEW.... it's just terrible.  That guy should only be used as comic relief where big guys toss him like a dart (a la Big Show - Rey Mysterio WCW).    

The rest of the guys are primo. I can remember TNA (when it was good many many years ago) and they had a tonne of indy guys who can go and put on great gimmick matches.     

 

[The Unknown Poster]

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

Janala sucks,  I'm not a fan of the Cassidy gimmick (I do think he's talented though),  Cabana is over rated,  Cage and Luchasaurus both are big (which AEW needs) but as workers they are meh.   Marko Stunt should not be in AEW.... it's just terrible.  That guy should only be used as comic relief where big guys toss him like a dart (a la Big Show - Rey Mysterio WCW).    

The rest of the guys are primo. I can remember TNA (when it was good many many years ago) and they had a tonne of indy guys who can go and put on great gimmick matches.     

 

Yeah I’ll give you Janela.  Marco is good at what he does and he is used for comic relief.  Keep in mind that was cage first match in AEW and since a serious injury. I don’t know much about him but he’s apparently decent worker.  Lucha is certainly good.  The other guys are great.   I think the style of match hurt it a bit without a crowd and everyone trying to fit into slots.   Wwe has those matches down pat. 
 

edit: cabana is good. Not great. I don’t love him but I don’t think the gimmick is all that.  But he can work okay. 

Edited May 28, 2020 by The Unknown Poster

[The Unknown Poster]

Big but unsurprising debut on AEW tonight!