Be Excellent To Each Other

So, who's going to be watching Wrestlemania?

Not me! It's all too complicated these days. Bring back Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The dude can barely walk.

Anyway, I remember him as 'Stunning' Steve Austin, way back in the WCW days.

I'll see a bit of it by default, i have to record it for a sky hogging friend.

I used to be really into it, but then I saw some of the Japanese deathmatch stuff and decided I hated all wrestling everywhere.

I started watching it again in about 2001, but I think I was just subconsciously waiting to get into MMA.

I'll be recording it. Most of the PPVs are pretty good watching. I'm interested to see how they manage to not make Mayweather lose to Show.

I'll probably download it tomorrow. I don't watch it really anymore, though I keep on the amusing gossip and news. The Royal Rumble is the one that I always do watch.

I'm recording it to watch tomorrow night.
I want The Big Show to knock Mayweather's face off.

I'll be 'obtaining' it tomorrow for the other half who is interested in WWE.

I'm actually quite surprised by the number of people who will be watching this one way or another. You big saddos!

Fucking Sky won't let me fucking record it
I've set up a manual recording but I don't fancy my chances. Cunts.

Because it's PPV?

I think so.
The ladder match for money in the bank was quite good.
The three-man suplex from the top of the ladder was awesome
Does anyone else think that Shelton Benjiman hurt himself quite badly? He was wasn't in the match after his big fall about three minutes in.

The MitB was awesome...

...but HBK vs Flair eclipsed it many times over (not for spot-fest WOW moments, but twists and turns aplenty).

If you have the recording, watch it.

Loving the show thus far.

Not going to love the alarm in a few hours time after this ends and I get 3 hours sleep

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I proper teared up at the ending of the HBK vs Flair match-up.Talk about emotional. An excellent wrestling match. 11/10

Triple-Threat (WWE Title) was pretty much your average Triple-Threat. Solid. 7/10

Edge vs Taker.(WCW..uh... I mean 'World' Title) Awesome. Nearly as good a pure wrestling match as HBK vs Flair, with lots of ring psychology and stuff. Oh, and bloody exciting.10/10

Finlay vs JBL. Yer average garbage style hardcore match. How old is Fit Finlay? I'm sure he was around in the Eighties. 5/10

Chavo vs Kane (ECW Title). Rubbish. Was actually expecting something like the Money In the Bank Winner coming in to challenge the winner. Nope. NA/10

That Playboy thing. Alright, Some actual honest-to-goodness wrestling in a Women's match! 6/10

Money in the Bank. Spotty as hell, though that's what happens when you put 7 guys in a Ladder match. The thing that disturbs me: Surely they could have found something better to do with the titles and wrestlers involved in that match. It's Wrestlemania. There are three titles tied up in MitB. Why not have a US, IC or aTag Titile Match instead? 8/10

Floyd Mayweather vs The Big Show. Better than I thought. Though that's not surprising. Time could have been used for better things (see above) 3/10

Batista vs Umaga. Not bad... Expected less, but still not awesome. 6/10

9/10 overall, but worth it just for HBK vs Flair

Rick Flair? Seriously? Or is it his son or something? Shouldn't he be on a Zimmer by now?

Wasn't it supposed to be his last match?

What, again? I think he first retired around 15 years ago, after losing to Hogan in the WCW...

50 this year according to Wikipedia. Had no idea he was still going.

50? Really? I'm suprised as he was a fixture on World of Sport. He didn't look that young then.

he's 59. Amazing, when you consider that he can still put on a good match, yet a lot of pro-wrestlers don't live to be 59. He might not have the physical abilities he used to, but he still knows how to work the crowd, and has more ring presence, and knows more about ring psychology, than most of the young wrestlers out there.

As to 'retirement' matches, yes, they're one of the longest running jokes in wrestling... but, Ric is getting on, and it can't be easy taking that much punishment. And he had a brilliant match to go out on.

It's a bit sad that I found one of the most exciting things about WMXXIV to be The Rock turning up to induce his dad into the Hall of Fame.

This isn't meant in any kind of sarcastic or smart-arse way, but because I genuinely don't understand, but; what exactly do you find interesting/exciting about the wrestling? I thought, when I was young, that there was 'real' wrestling on TV - I mean, non-choreographed wrestling, but I don't know if it actually was, now, or if that's just what I thought as a youngster. When my brothers were growing up they loved the wrestling, especially at the age of 7 - but that's because they believed it - they couldn't distinguish between the choreography and reality.

So, what do you actually see in the wrestling on TV? Can you still get 'real' wrestling on TV? Could you ever?

Is it just the spectacle of two ugly men hitting each other with chairs, again?

You, you say this like it's a bad thing.

I just let myself go and get into it, jumping up and down when people fall off ladders and such, because, basically, I'm a big kid.
Of course I know it's all pretend, but then so is, say, EastEnders.

Yeah, it's just Coronation Street with Chinese burns, basically.

I'd prefer Emmerdale with suplexes, myself. GO ON AMOS! FUCK HIM UP!

Corrie would be better.
"Can you smell, I say can you smell what Fred is butcherin'?"

"I'm going to open a can of real ale on your ass." Emmerdale FTW.

EastEnders: "ROCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Also: Seth 3:16

I don't like the soaps either

grim... I can kind of picture you watching the wrestling, and the image is a humourous one

This. Very much.

Oh, Mimi! All professional wrestling is fake. Even Big Daddy. Fake! Fake! Fake!.

But it's more real than most movies and TV shows. They don't get stuntmen in. When 'Taker does his plancha, he really flings his huge frame out of the ring to the floor below.

How wrestling works: Every match has a winner decided beforehand, and usually an end to the match (called the finish). That's the basic scripting requirements for a wrestling match. Most matches also have booked 'highspots', which are big, impressive set-piece type moves. Then the wrestlers work everything else out between themselves, if you watch closely, you can see them talking to each other in clinches, they also pass messages to each other through the ref occasionally. The level of scripting varies, a spotty match (one with lots of highspots, and little story) will be mostly scripted, matches with more wrestlers tend to be more scripted too. And less experienced wrestlers get more scripting help, as they aren't as experienced in reacting to the crowd. The best wrestlers will sometimes even ignore the booked finish, if they feel that it won't go over well with the crowd.

As to why its exciting, well, its kind of like a combination of gymnastics, proper combat sports, and a soap opera. You might as well ask why people find Corrie exciting. (I'd watch more Corrie if there were more chair shots).

People always trot out the 'but the winner's decided beforehand' which is rubbish. When you're watching a Schwarzenegger movie, you know he's going to win at the end. It doesn't detract from the excitement. In wrestling, you don't know for sure who's going to win. Even if you do () there's the journey to get there. And they'll always put a little doubt in your mind.

As to The Rock. I know its gonna be very difficult to get him into the ring again, just because he makes more money in movies than he ever will in wrestling, and all it takes is a botched move and he's paralysed. But surely they could have got him as a special referee in the 'Taker-Edge title match? Or have him run out in the Ref shirt at the inevitable ref bump. That would have been awesome.

I read recently that since 1997, almost 70 wrestlers have died before the age of 50 since 1997 is closing in on 70. That is equivalent to 435 premature deaths among NFL players and alumni or 186 major league baseball players and alumni.

Link me up

We have proper spoiler tags now!

I like the wrestling because, basically, it's crazy, showy fun.

Oh, I don't need telling that Eastenders isn't real :/ And soaps aren't something I enjoy, anyway, but if you are comparing it to, say, a movie, then I'd say they were very different things - a good movie comes about because there is an interesting plot, carried along by the acting talent on screen. pro wrestling, though, looks to me to be always the same thing. The same moves and the same tricks - angry wrestler who's not supposed to be involved turns up, there is a kerfuffle, someone starts throwing chairs, referee almost gets hurt.

I do understand and agree that there is quite some skill in those gigantic (and increasingly aging) blokes hurling themselves on top of each other and falling in such a way as to not inflict serious injury, but it all looks pretty much the same to me.




I will stand over here whilst you slowly climb to the top rope of the ring, then stand directly in your path so that you can jump on me, at which I will be surpirsed...

Mimi in Totally Wrong Shocker!

A good wrestling match comes about because there is an interesting plot, carried along by the wrestling talent in the ring. Movies always seem to be the same thing, the same plots, the same car chases, the same tragic love stories.

I understand that there's some skill involved in making a movie, all those lighting rigs, ageing primadonnas, and all that stuff. But it all looks the same to me.

I will get captured by the villain, who will strap me to a bizarre and improbable execution device, tell me all his plans, then look surprised when I escape.

And in furtherance of your understanding here's some wrestling terminology

Face = Hero
Heel = Villain

Always remember that a Face can become a Heel and a Heel can become a Face (and back...sometimes in the period of a week or so).

Job / Jobber = To lose, or a wrestler brought in to lose against a Face / Heel.

The Undertaker is famous for never / rarely 'Jobbing' even though he (to my mind) is one of the poorer WWE institutions.

The best match ever is Wrestlemania 6, Hogan Vs Warrior. I seem to recall it being the first major clash of two Faces. The way that match is carried is brilliant and then the two congratulating each other at the end just brings a tear to the eye..

Are you going to explain to mimi about putting wrestlers 'over'? And 'sick bumps'?

When The Undertaker was Marvelous Mark, what sort of category was he then?

Plus of course, films don't pretend to be real or insist on being shown on "Proper" sports channels.

Good point.

"Putting Over" is to lose to a popular wrestler to increase their popularity / make them look good.

"Turn" is the point at which a Heel becomes a Face or vice versa

"Sell" Is the ability to act like you've really been hurt (Mick Foley was excellent at this...as he was often very hurt) or the ability to react impressively to the opponents move (see Putting Over)

"Spot" Pre Planned Move

Personally my favourite match was a series of matches from the turn of the century (which makes it sound a hundred years ago), the Ladder matches between the Hardy Boys and the Dudley Boys.

I saw some wrestling a few months ago - there was the biggest man I have ever seen there - I mean fat, rather than muscly. I was surprised he could walk, let alone play wrestle.

What put me off wrestling wasn't the stupid plots or the terrible acting. I liked the stupid plots and terrible acting. What put me off wrestling was that the xenophobia and sexism just became too nasty for me to stomach.

Yes, I realise I'm not the target audience. Yes, I realise I'm probably taking it too seriously. But Jesus, man. There's a line between "good clean fun" and "nauseating objectification", and the spectacle of two women fighting to strip each other to their underwear for the edification of a braying pack of mouth-breathers crosses it.

Somebody please think of the children, and so forth.

I can think of more than a few films that have pretended to be real.

And Pro-Wrestling hasn't really pretended to be real since the Monday Night Wars.

And as a third point, I contend that Professional Wrestling is a real sport, just not of the type that one would expect. It is akin to gymnastics, figure skating, (ugh) dressage, Snowboard half-pipe competitions... it is a number of athletes, who co-operate to put on a routine. These routines are regularly scored (though not officially).

I could see Pro-wrestling as an olympic sport, add a panel of judges, marks out of ten, and have two wrestlers from each country have a match.

Agreed. I rarely watch anymore as I couldn't stomach the new "Arab" (read Muslim) characters and storylines...Too much "USA! USA! USA!".

With regards to the objectification of women, well that's been there since the start it would seem, it's just got more extreme with the passing years. Strangely the wrestling itself has inversely become much less extreme with far fewer 'bladejobs' these days.

It was a crap match. It was brilliant entertainment. Wrestling in a nutshell.

It's just the way it was all put over to the viewer. They may not have been doing much technical stuff but the ups and downs throughout were brilliantly scripted.