Pro Wrestling Chronicle

I talk to much about wrestling, or I e-mail to much about wrestling, or I think to much without a word - all about wrestling. Time to put up more content here. Steve and Brian have done an amazing job, and I’d like to add to that.

Gene Boyer has written a few things for the since over the last year plus. It’s a fun volunteer wrestling site, so we shut down here and there, or none of us feel up to writing. Truthfully we all still talk about it with each other, but we try to present a nicer finished product here, and then convince ourselves whatever we thought about or wrote would take to much of an effort to clean up for here.

I’m gonna stop that from myself right now. I’m not much of a perfectioninst or a technical writer. I’m an artsy writer who sees wrestling and life as narrative and art. So I’m going to bring that here in a big way. I’m going to post any message board or e-mail based letters about wrestling here, with minimal clean up (I’ll try to spell well and take out personal references to protect people’s lives. I’m also gonna tape conversations between Gene and I, or any combo of myself and other wrestling fans who happen to talk indy/old/Japanese wrestling on the phone. One thing you won’t get here is a ton of WWE content, but it’s only because it’s n ot watched as much. The high end stuff trickles in, and there are always recommendations.

Soon I’ll have ALOT of the Mid South Diaries posted. I need to type out matches #26-46, and than I’ve got #46-125 on my computer already. Until then heres an e-mail I sent Gene today based on what we’ve been watching. His was verbal over the phone, so I’ve only got mine to give ya.

So of course I never did pop in the Man UP 2 disk set last night. Did watch wrestling though. the rundown:

-Watched most of Cena vs Orton from SummerSlam last year. Now, I was running upstairs and back, but I did sit for the final 5-8 minutes and a decent amount of the early stuff. Very surprised with how good it was and that Orton was holding it together. Cena wasn’t horrible, but he’s actually alot better with a very good classic wrestling talent like HBK or HHH, and some say a monster of the week-type like Umaga or Khali (Those two are also on the sMOTYC set, as is the 4 way in April and Cena vs Lashley. I’d say Cena vs monster is like Duggan vs monster in Mid South (Kamala being the most notable), and is probably a mixed bag.

Anyway, I enjoyed this way more then I thought, and it was Orton’s selling and progression of the match that impressed me while Cena was frustrating at times.

-I watched Kingston and Hero from IWA-Mid South. The last man standing match I believe you watched recently (you and I named 4 they had in the last year it seems, but I think this is the one you talked about after I mentioned the CZW loser leaves town. Two very talented guys that the first time you see you go “these aren’t wrestlers”. acquired tastes is another way to put it, as I felt anti both guys at first, though Kingston alot less. I also met resistance when showing mainstream fans either guys stuff.

Match was so awesome and epic, and at the same time real and perfectly fake. There was a line they came close to but didn’t cross, and I’d fight anyone tooth and nail who called this garbage wrestling or violence for the sake of violence. Alot of thought went into it and the detail work of Kingston remains solid. He is both inspiring and frustrated as always. Finish was good though should have ended about 3-5 minutes earlier to maximize the story.

Interesting argument (talking point sounds nicer) is that this match is next to a HHH vs Orton Last Man Standing match on the set (2007 Match of the Year Candidates).I’ll probably watch that tonight. I know it won’t be as violent or use as much outside stuff, but I also doubt it will have the same amount of true drama. I think a better test and argument as to “less is more” when it comes to tables, chairs, and such in these types of matches might be Kingston/Hero vs HHH/Jericho from July 2000. I’m suddenly reminded I need to grab HHH’s 2000 run up until the quad in May ‘01. It’s one of those runs I’d want to be a completest about, like the Raven in ECW run (or just Raven with Tommy how you mention you’d add all the side plots which completely enhance the overall storyline).

-I watched Danielson vs Tyler Black from ROH’s 1/25 Dayton show. Having seen Black’s match for the next PPV w/ Nigel where they do the modern day Flair vs Sting story, I was fascinated to see what he did w/ my favorite worker. I was very tired, so it seemed disappointing at times cause I couldn’t focus, but even a hater would say it was 3 1/4. A realist would say 3 1/2 to 3 3/4. an over rater hyperbole machine would go 4 stars and above.

They’ll have many more great matches, and this played like an early coming out party where many who don;t pay as much attention will go back and say “wow, you can see here where he was really getting it” about 2 years from now. Very solid stuff. I do feel he has a ways to go on some little things, but in saying that I must admit he’s being judged on a very tough scale. He’s already made it past the rookie tests with me. He’ll be a somebody and the joy will be in watching him get the little things here and there that will leads to him cementing a legacy and being a top player in ROH in about a year, if not sooner. It also didn’t over do moves for a modern match, as it was the equivalent movement wise of a Flair mid 80s match (that’s a Danielson match for ya), but I do think Black needs to settle down on some flip-flop flashy crap. Just me though, as the pops will only encourage it. Go see this match. Recommended as a must to see where he is, and also why you should get back into ROH.

So much of why I get frustrated or sad with wrestling is my own fault. I enjoyed for some long to ingest wrestling from the inside in both a business sense, and from a stance of work rate excellence and how others at the venue and home viewers viewed it. It was part of the pie to me that was disproportionate to how i now feel, and it was negating my fun.

This is why talks with you have brought back the love (lost only in moments, or at most for weeks here and there). I’m not going to ROH’s Hammerstein debut worried about the roster vs ‘03 ROH (I know you and others bring it up, but it’s not a concern to me). I’m not going worrying about the attendance. I’m not watching with a strong feeling about if the crowd “thought it was better then it was”. I hope it’s a great show, and they treat it like it’s even better. I wanna have fun and I’m going to see a fun entertaining show where I’ll still watch for work rate, but a 2 star match isn’t something to bitch about for me.

Will Kingston ever get it together and have a chance to sink or swim in ROH? What about the development of Chuck Taylor, Tim Donst, and several others as they progress through the early years? Will lucha style converge into places it hasn’t, overtaking Puro juniors style. What about Euro chain wrestling?

I’m fascinated and excited to watch everything develop away from the mainstream of WWE or TNA. My favorite placed to do this is ROH this roster grow into the next Daniels/Danielson/Ki/Joe/whoever. Nobody knew them when we walked into a small Rec Center in Philly 5 or 6 years ago either, or knew what would happen post-RF in ‘04. I can’t wait!