Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
I almost can’t be arsed writing this. WWE obviously couldn’t be arsed putting much effort into Backlash so why should I bother? This PPV (are they still PPVs? What do we call them now?) was a massive waste of time, and while the crowning of Jinder Mahal will help people to forget that, it’s still true. However, I’m nothing if not a pro with a lot of time on their hands so here is eight things I observed at Backlash.
There’s not much you can rely on with WWE. Their unreliability is the most reliable thing about them. Yet, over the last few years, NXT TakeOver shows have consistently stood up and been brilliant. From Nakamura vs. Zayn to the rise of the tag-team division; you are always guaranteed at least one classic match and if you’re lucky you’ll get a few more. With the TV product slowly heating up post-Mania, it’s no surprise to say that Chicago continued that streak. Here are eight things we noticed while watching NXT TakeOver Chicago.
Continue reading “8 Observations From NXT TakeOver: Chicago”
Reviewing the entirety of Lost Evenings is too big a task for me. I am but one man. From making new friends in the pub to Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls reigning supreme over the Roundhouse, it was a smorgasbord of incredible moments and beautiful music. Plus, a shitload of beer. I got a lot of words bouncing around this head but getting them all onto paper won’t be easy.
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore asks the question: why can’t people stop being dicks? Why do decent folk have to suffer through the shit that complete asshats put them through every day? And what happens when they’ve had enough?
Continue reading “I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017)”
Well, we couldn’t watch Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat forever. Our latest five-star match sees us heading back to Japan where Jumbo Tsuruta is taking on Genichiro Tenryu. I’ll be honest, this is one of those matches where I hadn’t heard of the competitors. Ten minutes of research tells me that coming into this fight Jumbo Tsuruta is the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, a title which he unified by winning the PWF World Heavyweight Championship, NWA United National Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship.  While Tenyru only retired a couple of years back in a match against Okada.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu 5/6/89”
As AFI play to a fairly full SECC in Glasgow, you have to wonder whether they have been away for too long. Everything on stage sounds great. The Blood Album is their best album in a long time and songs like ‘So Beneath You’ manage to fill the cavernous room. Davey Havok’s voice is untouchable and as he roars through ’17 Burials’ it feels like they should be laying waste to the place. So, why does no one care? Most of the crowd are stood still, watching respectfully but with as much passion as an atheist who has been roped into Sunday service. It’s been eight years since AFI were in the UK and you worry that people have simply stopped caring. What you’re watching on stage suggests that this band can still be a big deal and ‘Miss Murder’ perks people up, but judging by Glasgow, they’ve got a way to go before the UK is back on side.
Sleep is a frequent collaborator with horror. From the long nights of Paranormal Activity to the boogeyman under the bed. The dark of the night when you are curled up in bed is often the moment when the spooks decide to play. Should you try to stay awake? Or would you rather not see what is coming?
Following the disappointment of Payback – although some people liked that show more than me – it’s easy to drop into a wrestling related mood. Many a time a bad show can leave you feeling like you can’t be arsed anymore. Thankfully, that’s when New Japan tend to step up to the bat. While, as is the case with most New Japan shows, there were plenty of tag matches to get through before you hit the juicy stuff, Dontaku was a good to occasionally great few hours of pro wrestling and here’s what we thought while we enjoyed it.
I’d love to know how many bands I’ve declared to be my favourite. From my early years when I couldn’t imagine not loving My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy to the fiery passion that Nirvana still raises in me. I fall in love with a different band on a near weekly basis, and the truth is I don’t have a favourite. I have a family of albums and songs that surround me and which make my life better. However, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I haven’t been introduced to a band in the last ten years that mean more to me than letlive.
Was anyone excited about Payback? The first big show after WrestleMania is always a bit of a slog, but this year a slog would have been an improvement. The Superstar ‘let’s move them all around a bit and not really explain it’ Shake-Up threw a spanner in the works, and we hit Payback with all the momentum of a wet hanky. But when have we ever let that stop us? Here’s a few thing we noticed during this horribly average show.
