That’s why I like AEW’s “pinfall or submission only” cage match rules. Oh, wait, I’m not allowed to like AEW because I would have to hand in my Jim Cornette Burger Towel if I did.
I can’t believe that nobody has realized that you can win pretty much any cage match by doing this:
Throw something (e.g. salt) in the other wrestler’s eyes
Handcuff him to the cage
Walk through the door.
Then again, how many decades did it take for somebody to realize that a no disqualification match meant that you can have all of your “friends” join you from the start in what would become a glorified handicap match?
Why does nobody escape the cage feet-first through the door? Wouldn’t that make more sense than trying to crawl over and having to get your entire body through?
Personally, I’ve never liked the whole “the referee just opens the cage door” thing WWE does these days. It’s cheap and it ruins the tension, especially since the entire idea of the cage match when it was first introduced back in the day was that the cowardly heel couldn’t just run away. Half the time they do it, it seems like they’re doing it because the wrestler who’s booked to win is too big/not fit enough to climb out, and if that’s the case then they should either book him to win by pinfall or just not do a cage match in the first place.
Winning a WWE cage match by pinfall is a relatively new thing. Even in the Attitude Era, I’m pretty sure that escaping the cage was the only way to win. In fact, I think “win by pinfall or by escape” by anybody started after Hulk Hogan joined WCW, which had “pinfall or submission only” cage matches, but somebody figured that new fans would only be familiar with WWE cage match rules and wonder why nobody was trying to climb out.
WWE not (yet) canceling WrestleMania, though that may change. State and local government not forcing the cancelation of an event 3 weeks out, but WWE will need to take herculean screening efforts if it does occur. Wonder if all TV tapings for the near future will be at the Performance Center?
Yes, this is a very strange Smackdown. Raw will be there too, 3 hours of this may be a very tough pill to swallow. Then again, it’s not like there’s much else in the sports or sports-like category going on…
I sat through the first match, but couldn’t get into the silence, so I switched to Penn & Teller. I figured the show would mainly be a WM bromide because 'tis the season anyway.
WWE has always abided by “the show must go on,” even when Owen Hart fell to his death during a PPV. Personally, I’ve lived through Swine Flu, Bird Flu, SARS, West Nile Virus, and the Andromeda Strain, and it’s never approached Steven King Black Plague levels. Allergy season is approaching, and the symptoms are similar to COVID-19’s. EVERYBODY PANIC AGAIN!
I don’t follow many different wrestling news outlets, but neither of them truly understood why Vince wasn’t pulling the plug on WrestleMania. Yes, it was always about the money, both for Tampa and for WWE, but (most likely) that had more to do with insurance for both of them. If Vince was cancelled on, rather than cancelling himself, he’s much more likely to secure an insurance payout. And I would not be surprised in the least to find that whatever contract was written to use the venue holds the venue more liable if it becomes unavailable. It was a game of chicken, and Vince was correct not to blink first.
As for the Owen Hart incident, Vince has at least gone on record saying that it was the wrong decision. Fortunately, he’s never had a chance to make it again. I’m confident that there are now procedures in place to handle such a catastrophe. But far too often it takes a catastrophe to make one think that one needs plans in place to handle a catastrophe. Now, if those plans are still “the show must go on”, then I’ll join you in excoriating VKM. Personally, I hope to never find out.
WOOT! Luke Harper has reincarnated as The Exalted One, Brodie Lee in AEW! He debuted as Christopher Daniel’s archenemy and gave a damn fucking good promo. He even got in a subtle dig at Vince: He said “Daniels, you’re not the first out-of-touch old man I’ve had to deal with!”
AEW’a audienceless show is looking pretty damn good. You can hear them bickering with each other in the ring, and can appreciate how much they add to sound effects themselves. You can hear the boots making slapping sounds during kicks. Either Sammy Guevara or Darby Allin so a Bob Dylan-style sign drop during commercials, and they continued that practice tonight. They already know how to perform to a television audience. Guevara is especially killing it on the mike. singing along to Jericho’s entrance music.
For the last 2, maybe 3 years that is what I said WWE should do…have Rob Gronkowski host WrestleMania.
Wait, no, that is not it. Hold Wrestlemania over two nights. That’s what I’ve been saying. Hall of Fame Thursday, Takeover Friday, Wrestlemania Saturday and Sunday. Looks like they are meeting me half-way. Give us 2 3:00 hour shows. Much easier to sit through than a 6 hour Sunday show.
They could revive the “Audience of One” concept from Night After Night with Allan Havey. Just have a single person sitting in the audience for both WM shows. Do the occasional shot of said audience member wearing a different WWE shirt each time and munching on nachos.
Jim Cornette (who, though he has forgotten more about wrestling than I will ever know, has gone off the deep end) did have one decent idea. “Fill” the seats with Performance Center non-TV talent and their significant others. Stagger the seating, but at least have some audience. Plus, being WWE talent, they won’t boo the wrong people (Cena, Reigns). Tell them to blow out their vocal cords and mike them to the moon. Certainly not the worst idea I’ve heard.
I think combining that with the changing shirts and corporate produced signage might make the best of a bad situation. Or it could fail horribly, but at least it would be trying something. It’s not like it would make the view rate worse.