Really, though, MX vs. Jobber Team of The Week matches were thoroughly entertaining, just because 1) The MX would bust out new moves, and 2) Cornette would have Tony and David cracking up from his commentary.
I really don't know how the three of them kept straight faces through the taping of that 10 minute segment because Cornette was just going to ad lib the heck out of it and talk talk talk.
In one, Cornette went on for like 5 minutes straight, and when David was trying to keep from cracking up, Jimbo is all "You see that, Tony? You see what happens when the fetus doesn't get any oxygen?" and both Tony and David can barely keep it in.
My favourite will always be when he told Marc Lowrance he'd make it quick because he knew Marc had to get his jacket back on the dining room table. And Marc sold it perfectly.
I never looked at the MX as heels or faces....they were just who they were. During this studio squashes you'd see Eaton high five Lane and then high five the jobbers and it was just funny to watch. Lane is constantly dancing and toying with the crowd. They really were artists and fans loved watching them because they had cool moves and great in-ring charisma. You didn't have to cheer for them but it was hard to cheer against them because they were entertaining.
That's kinda why they had Cornette. MX was hard to boo, but the mama's boy with the loud suits and the annoying voice made them easier to boo. I know the man's burned so many bridges he's wanted for arson in 3 states, but I'd love for some fed with a TV deal to give JC a color commentary job.
Things were a lot simpler back then. The MX was must-watch - either feuding with the RnRs, Dusty and his crew, or just piling on a couple of jobbers, they were always fun to watch. You booed them, but you respected them because they were VERY good. Very few heels nowadays can pull that off.
And.......their theme music is one of the best themes you can get.
He's right, very few heels can pull off being disliked but respected and fun to watch off workrate alone. Punk and Bryan are the only two that comes to mind. Cesaro is a good worker, but I don't think he's a great heel per say and if I miss a Cesaro match I'm not rushing to track it down on YouTube.
The squash matches that were on those Saturday night NWA studio shows or even Wrestling Challenge were underappreciated in the sense that you had to be a good wrestler, with enough moves in the bank to carry a match for 4-6 mins without a real heat segment.
Like I wonder if R-Truth was asked to go out and squash a guy in five minutes...how would he carry that match. Could he just run off move after move or would he go to a chinlock two minutes into the match? These days the guys are so much into counters and reversals, I don't know if many of them are capable of just working a match totally on offense.
Look, I fell victim to the lies of the people like the TWGTT and World Tag Team Champions....of the World when they had me thinking there were two worlds. I mean I read Crisis on infinite Earths and fell victim to the alternate universe theory with had a half black/half Puerto Rican Spider-Man, but you have to face facts that some people falsify the truth, and Jim Cornette is NOT one of them. I mean if you can't trust the words of a sage of Jim Cornette, then who can you trust?
Selling is the act of getting people who wouldn't buy your product otherwise to do so.
Most of the people still watching WWE would continue to do so regardless of what the WWE machine does, but I don't think that they sold the product to many new people in the past five years.
I wonder if that trophy went knocking on Brets door late at night. Possibly with a tear in its broken metal eye. But Im not one to speculate on such things.
Thank you Princess; that was really my point. The MX were fun, regardless of the competition, and even if you knew the opposition had no shot, you could see them bust out new moves like the double-goozle or the ping-pong. And Cornette ranting on whatever was on his mind was always a plus.
And you're right - the art of the squash is lacking. Traditional squashes would have the face/heel pull out new moves or accent current ones. I think part of it is because there's no appreciation for cultivating your moveset - guys are placed in the top, against similar guys, and there's no room for one to show his stuff.
Yeah, you've got the Ryders and the Usos of the world, but it needs to happen over a longer period of time. I don't think Cesaro is a great heel (given he's just gotten his associate's degree from Jobber University), but how cool would it be for him to showcase his Miz-busting giant swing on a regular basis?
Color me stupid, but I STILL like the design of the US Tag Team Titles.
ReplyDeleteCornette did a better job of selling a PPV in five minutes than WWE did in selling Wrestlemania this year
ReplyDeleteReally, though, MX vs. Jobber Team of The Week matches were thoroughly entertaining, just because 1) The MX would bust out new moves, and 2) Cornette would have Tony and David cracking up from his commentary.
ReplyDelete"He's got my bench up to 433 and a quarter, do you realize that?" "Ounces?"
ReplyDeleteGod, old JR could be damn funny.
I'm Team Condrey through and through, but gotta love how seamlessly Stan Lane fit in.
ReplyDeleteI take Cornette's response when he's asked who was better:
ReplyDelete"You're asking me to choose between my two children."
I really don't know how the three of them kept straight faces through the taping of that 10 minute segment because Cornette was just going to ad lib the heck out of it and talk talk talk.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the camera rarely went that direction, I bet there were a lot of not-so-straight faces... especially on the "Nothing" line.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that was intentional.
ReplyDeleteAnd the NWA World Tag Team titles. The most beautiful tag team belts ever made.
ReplyDeleteVery possible. Still funny.
ReplyDeleteIn one, Cornette went on for like 5 minutes straight, and when David was trying to keep from cracking up, Jimbo is all "You see that, Tony? You see what happens when the fetus doesn't get any oxygen?" and both Tony and David can barely keep it in.
ReplyDeleteI have been waiting for the mullet to make a comeback. I am so damn tired of getting haircuts.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite will always be when he told Marc Lowrance he'd make it quick because he knew Marc had to get his jacket back on the dining room table. And Marc sold it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWatching him go after Reeser Bowden and Boyd Pierce in Mid-South never grows old...
ReplyDeleteI never looked at the MX as heels or faces....they were just who they were. During this studio squashes you'd see Eaton high five Lane and then high five the jobbers and it was just funny to watch. Lane is constantly dancing and toying with the crowd. They really were artists and fans loved watching them because they had cool moves and great in-ring charisma. You didn't have to cheer for them but it was hard to cheer against them because they were entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThat's kinda why they had Cornette. MX was hard to boo, but the mama's boy with the loud suits and the annoying voice made them easier to boo. I know the man's burned so many bridges he's wanted for arson in 3 states, but I'd love for some fed with a TV deal to give JC a color commentary job.
ReplyDeleteThings were a lot simpler back then. The MX was must-watch - either feuding with the RnRs, Dusty and his crew, or just piling on a couple of jobbers, they were always fun to watch. You booed them, but you respected them because they were VERY good. Very few heels nowadays can pull that off.
ReplyDeleteAnd.......their theme music is one of the best themes you can get.
That's the one comparison I've seen Cornette willing to make. Condrey and Eaton were better "pure" heels, Eaton and Lane were better showmen.
ReplyDeleteEspecially by the time of the MX/OMX feud... Cornette's crew were solidly considered faces. No matter who was opposite them in the ring.
Color me stupid, but I STILL like the design of the Wrestlemania IV Battle Royale trophy.
ReplyDeleteRest in peace, old friend. Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did.
Um, the Unified Tag Team title belts would like to have a word with you...but they are horribly inbred, and I can't understand a word they're saying.
ReplyDeleteLate 80's had some truly iconic belts, both NWA and WWF.
ReplyDeleteThat wa just the Eaton/Lane dynamic. Eaton and Condrey were definitely heels.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound like the River Jordan that I know and love.
ReplyDeleteIf he wants a trend to take off, he starts it himself.
What fairness? You're preaching to the choir here.
ReplyDeleteIf you want fairness, give us some great Dynamic Dudes promos and squashes.
Man, I remember when the MX drew over a million buys.
ReplyDeleteOh wait...
Very few heel nowadays?
ReplyDeleteUh...Cesaro, Punk, Bryan (as a heel), Ryback is getting that way now (I mean, he did beat the SHIT out of Cena).
I'd say it's way more common now than it was back then.
If by "buys" you mean "quantity of butts put in seats in arenas, then right on!
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember the Midnight Express selling out 50,000 seat arenas.
ReplyDeleteAre you seriously comparing the late 80s NWA to modern day WWE in terms of promotional capabilities?
I'm currently working on trying to get crotchless jorts over. Pics soon.
ReplyDeleteI am talking about selling out 5000 and 10000 seat arenas a couple hundred times a year.
ReplyDeleteHe's right, very few heels can pull off being disliked but respected and fun to watch off workrate alone. Punk and Bryan are the only two that comes to mind. Cesaro is a good worker, but I don't think he's a great heel per say and if I miss a Cesaro match I'm not rushing to track it down on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteThe squash matches that were on those Saturday night NWA studio shows or even Wrestling Challenge were underappreciated in the sense that you had to be a good wrestler, with enough moves in the bank to carry a match for 4-6 mins without a real heat segment.
Like I wonder if R-Truth was asked to go out and squash a guy in five minutes...how would he carry that match. Could he just run off move after move or would he go to a chinlock two minutes into the match? These days the guys are so much into counters and reversals, I don't know if many of them are capable of just working a match totally on offense.
And?
ReplyDeleteNWA was not bigger than WWE. Better, quite possibly. Bigger, no fucking way.
Where the hell did I say that? I said that the MX helped sell millions of tickets to wrestling shows.
ReplyDeleteGreatest.
ReplyDeleteTeam.
Ever.
So do I. I'm mad I missed getting a copy on eBay a few years back.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas?
ReplyDeleteI liked all of the NWA belts. You know why? Because they made them MEAN something.
ReplyDeleteEven when they used to announce that one dude as the Alabama Junior Heavyweight Champion it was still cool.
What about Bodacious Bob and Bombastic Bart?
ReplyDeleteNope. I like them though. Mx 2.0 had chemistry. Cornette said they used hand signals in the ring to call spots.
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying that that was blatant false advertisement? What about all those shows I bought to see the World's Greatest Tag Team in action??
ReplyDeleteThis was a singles match before the ref made it a tag match right?
ReplyDeleteLook, I fell victim to the lies of the people like the TWGTT and World Tag Team Champions....of the World when they had me thinking there were two worlds. I mean I read Crisis on infinite Earths and fell victim to the alternate universe theory with had a half black/half Puerto Rican Spider-Man, but you have to face facts that some people falsify the truth, and Jim Cornette is NOT one of them. I mean if you can't trust the words of a sage of Jim Cornette, then who can you trust?
ReplyDeleteYeah..I caught Teddy Long reffing the match, too.
ReplyDeleteAre we talking about Chicago getting fucked in here?
ReplyDeleteThat...is a good point. The art of a good squash has kinda gone by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteI mean...even Ryback's were more of a stretch/warm-up than an actual fun showcase of his abilities. He looked...bored.
I was responding to somebody who said that Cornette does a better job of selling shows than the modern WWE machine.
ReplyDeleteResults indicate otherwise.
They won in the end, no harm no foul
ReplyDeleteFuck them. With a metric fuckton of Scott's trademarked Hot Pokers Up The Ass.
ReplyDeleteIronic, as it was Rick Scaia who came up with that rating system.
ReplyDeleteLearn something new every day... so why couldn't today's be more interesting?
ReplyDelete(I kid? I kid?)
Selling is the act of getting people who wouldn't buy your product otherwise to do so.
ReplyDeleteMost of the people still watching WWE would continue to do so regardless of what the WWE machine does, but I don't think that they sold the product to many new people in the past five years.
The whole international audience was developed in the last 5 years.
ReplyDeleteSelling is the act of getting ANYBODY to buy your product. It has nothing to do with previous audiences.
That's certainly convenient. I waste a lot ofttime taking those things on and off.
ReplyDelete"I know the man's burned so many bridges he's wanted for arson in 3 states" is such a Cornette line.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that trophy went knocking on Brets door late at night. Possibly with a tear in its broken metal eye. But Im not one to speculate on such things.
ReplyDeleteThank you Princess; that was really my point. The MX were fun, regardless of the competition, and even if you knew the opposition had no shot, you could see them bust out new moves like the double-goozle or the ping-pong. And Cornette ranting on whatever was on his mind was always a plus.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right - the art of the squash is lacking. Traditional squashes would have the face/heel pull out new moves or accent current ones. I think part of it is because there's no appreciation for cultivating your moveset - guys are placed in the top, against similar guys, and there's no room for one to show his stuff.
Yeah, you've got the Ryders and the Usos of the world, but it needs to happen over a longer period of time. I don't think Cesaro is a great heel (given he's just gotten his associate's degree from Jobber University), but how cool would it be for him to showcase his Miz-busting giant swing on a regular basis?
I think it'd help with the criticism of the generic movesets.
ReplyDeleteLet each guy have a couple "Holy Shit" moves to really distinguish them.
Show off their "perfect" match, so when they set stuff up, people actually know what they're going for.
Late to the party but I think ur taking his flippant comment way too literally.
ReplyDelete*bows*
ReplyDeleteBullshit is bullshit.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't matter who's saying it.