August is already over? Fast month. Come close it out by chatting with us throughout the day!
Also… a Question of the Day: What is the best match you watched in August 2017?
Be sure to check out some of our content too…
JT & Scott checked out the 3/27/95 Monday Night Raw
Michael made the PTBN GWWE case for Big Boss Man
Steven looked back the box office report for August 2007
Plus some new podcasts too!
That may now be my most favorite picture of all time.
My favorite match of the month is probably the smackdown tag title match from summerslam that was on the preshow.
Fatal Fourway from Summerslam was my favorite. It was one of those matches I had such high hopes for and would be disappointed. But they more than delivered.
Asuka vs. Ember Moon.
How do you stack rank that with the Asuka/Nikki Cross NXT TV match?
Depends where you place your emphasis really — the Cross match of course had more dazzling spots, while the Moon match was more about submission grappling and character. The character stuff building on a few months of development gives the Takeover match the slight edge for me.
Where did you stand on Asuka not dropping the title before leaving? Pro or Con?
After the run she’s had, she’d have to put someone over on the way out. I really thought it’d be Ember Moon a couple weeks ago, and hell, maybe if Asuka hadn’t gotten injured that would’ve been in the cards for the Survivor Series Takeover. (Even if she would’ve had to pull double duty like Sasha Banks did until losing the title.)
Haven’t watched this week’s NXT so I’m not exactly sure how they handled her handing over the title, but if she’s only going to be out for a couple of months they could’ve let it go until she could drop it in the ring.
I’m torn on it because… does NXT really need someone put over? I feel like there may be more value in Asuka arriving undefeated. They will probably fuck it up regardless but that aura is in tact where it matters. NXT is about developing anyway, not really ensuring someone new got the rub, per se.
I kind of feel like not having Asuka put someone over leaves the impression that whoever wins the vacant title, and whoever they beat for it, are just jamokes who couldn’t beat Asuka.
Not if you have the MYC winner win it… someone that never got to face Asuka.
Probably a bad choice of example given the audience but Rock was never diminished as champion because he couldn’t beat Steve Austin. Some are just elite.
True. Hell, maybe Jazzy Gabert will just steamroll people for a while. I just hope there’re lots of fresh matchups coming for the Ruby Riots and Nikki Crosses and Ember Moons of the world.
Also, with Asuka handing over the title when she’s only supposed to be out 6-8 weeks, I’m reminded of the time RVD got injured, gave up the TNA title, and then returned to action before they finished the tournament to name a new champ.
Shayna Baszler is an option too. Legit and can parade around Rousey.
I think they would have been better off with her giving up the belt and moving up, but instead they took it off her due to injury (which some aren’t sure if that’s a work) and then Regal said he was looking to move her to Raw or Smackdown. I don’t know that that helps Asuka. They made a huge deal about the streak.
it’s also weird because Kevin Owens worked both Raw and was NXT champ, but they completely bypassed that idea.
Word on dork twitter (sorry dark twitter, i’ll edit) was that HHH would def be involved in how they used her, so maybe she won’t come in jobbing out her first PPV.
They couldn’t beat Asuka though. That’s true. That’s not really a bad thing since it’s Asuka and I could believe it if she never lost again in her entire life.
I think people like Ember and Nikki got more over by testing Asuka and losing than they would have with a victory that might not have felt earned.
I’m actually super glad that her NXT undefeated run can remain intact forever now. That’s perfect.
Fatal 4-Way from SummerSlam.
A sneaky good one that should be in discussion is Almas and Gargano from TakeOver.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDxISykYRc4
“Tomorrow? This ain’t motherfucking pussy on layaway!”
“Hydroponic? I’m not looking for a sound system.”
Best match I watched in August was Omega/Okada III (****3/4) with Naito/Ibushi (****3/4) just behind it for me.
Merely mentioning Naito/Ibushi makes me giggle with glee.
https://www.facebook.com/WrestlingNewsCo/posts/768077959984038
Cameron Maybin to Houston; Justin Upton to the Angels.
I think Verlander lands somewhere by the weekend.
Today is the cut off right for postseason eligibility so would have to be by midnight.
Right. Today’s the 31st. Rosters expand to 40 tomorrow.
WOW! Upton move is good for both sides. Angels need a bat.
As a Yankee fan this doesn’t thrill me lol. Really hoping the Yanks and Twins get the WC spots.
I would like that too. I think you should be pretty comfortable with where you’re at though.
Not sure… 1st WC spot lead is down to 1.5 now with four against Boston upcoming.
Then 3 with Baltimore who is crazy hot.
Oh damn. I didn’t realize that. What’s up with Judge?
Fatigue, sore shoulder and the league catching up. I think he will adjust again.
Girardi needs to dip him down in the lineup some more. Sixth, even seventh.
Lineups just came out for tonight. Judge hitting sixth.
He’s hitting .155 against the Sox this season. Not what you want in your cleanup spot this series.
If this was discussed earlier I apologize now. Okada was #1 in the PWI 500. I didn’t know that was even still a thing. Does anyone else have fond memories of the PWI 500? I remember how excited I was to get PWI with my paper route money as a young person. I pourer over and read every entry of the 500 because I was a kind of lonely kid. Donn E. Allen was a high point as I recall, the way he moved up one spot a year.
Yes! I reread those over and over and over. Those plus the PWA Almanacs. Amazing pre-internet resources and fun reads.
A highlight for me was the first time John Walters showed up… 2003sh… was an awesome moment.
I have a ton of magazines at home still.
Yes! The Almanacs! I would memorize title histories for my own amusement and imagine that Don Muraco and Pedro Morales for the IC title was probably a really good match that everyone loved.
Young Will disagreed.
The only PWI’s I still give a damn about are the 500 and the Year End Awards.
Saw something on Twitter that Taker was training in the ring prior to SS. They speculate that Taker/Cena could happen at SurSer or Mania.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Taker’s matches are tough to watch at this point.
Goodness gracious.
Rumor is WWE has talked to Batista and Bischoff for the HOF. Bischoff would be part of the Original NWO as a group… so… Hogan?
Didn’t Bischoff go in this year?
He inducted DDP this year.
Oh that’s right
Front row HOF tix for you and Cowboy
Good move by the Angels getting Justin Upton.
Listening to Making the Cut #2. If JT or Aaron think that nobody has really used the ladder as a weapon in a ladder match since Razor Ramon they clearly haven’t watched many singles ladder matches since 1995.
Can’t speak for Aaron but I think we meant more as the focus of the match. That was the entire focus, not just as a prop at times throughout.
Still there are ladder matches like that. Sheamus/Morrison. Harper/Dolph. Even Dolph/Miz from last year or whenever.
Fair enough.
For me it wasn’t the same feel. The ladder spots in the matches you mentioned felt contrived for me rather than an organic use of the stipulation. Of the examples you mentioned the closest I guess woukd be Harper/Ziggler.
Michaels and Ramon use the ladder as a normal person would in a fight. (As normal as that can be) It didn’t feel like two guys setting up spots.
Wrapped up the first of the Mae Young Classic. Kairi Sane vs Tessa Blanchard and Piper Niven vs Santana Garrett are two Matches to watch.
Best I saw was Naito-Omega III.
Off the beaten path though, Masaya Takahashi vs Masashi Takeda from BJW last week was one of the better hardcore matches I’ve ever seen.