NXT In 60 Seconds for March 13, 2019

Johnny Brasco
Photo Credit: WWE.com

if you've missed the past few months of NXT In 60 Seconds and/or Best Coast Bias(es), find them here

God's Production Team: puts up a lengthy vidpac recapping the round one Dusty Classic IV action

War Raiders: We will be watching tonight's semifinals. It doesn't matter who wins -- none of these teams are ready for War.
Moustache Mountain: comes out to a sizeable pop
Forgotten Sons: nope
Tyler Bate: gets whomped early
Full Sailors: Mous tache Moun tain! clap clap clapclapclap Mous tache Moun tain! clap clap clapclapclap Mous tache Moun tain! clap clap clapclapclap
Tyler: gets loose, tags out
Trent VII: Eat these chops! Suplex slam!
Steve Cutler: Blindside chop block!

Six Stars at the Tokyo Dome

Dave Meltzer has made it to Baseball Twitter
Photo via @ObserverQuotes

Dave Meltzer's star rankings have always been a source of consternation for wrestling fans, especially recently. Folks who are rankled at his preferences like to point out that he's "co-opted" by New Japan Pro Wrestling because he always gives their matches higher ratings on average than WWE. While it's annoying to deal with people who miss the point completely, it does provide excellent fodder for jokes, specifically for Meltzer's steadfast belief that matches at the Tokyo Dome, the biggest venue for wrestling in Japan, just mean more.

The 2018 Bloggie Awards

The Man is the Wrestler of the Year
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, one thing about shuttering for like four or five months is that I actually missed the end of the year, and since I'm back, and that means I'm back-back all the way back, it means I should probably clean up a few things, namely, the Bloggie Awards. If you think that it's a little late, well, I agree to a point. Conversely though, Dave Meltzer waited to reveal his goddamn awards, and he not only was active (much to the chagrin of a lot of folks) all this time, he's a weirdo who starts his new year on December 1, as if every wrestling worth a damn with the exception of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla doesn't have everything it ever shoots and produces ready for wide consumption somewhere between one millisecond and 24 hours after the final bell rings. If his ass can give his voters a too-long time to get ballots in and take his damn sweet time revealing them, well, I can make up for lost time here, okay?

Fight the Power: A Quick Chikara Commentary from Young Lions Cup (and Some News!)

Coronado got what was coming to him Saturday
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Chikara's Young Lions Cup took place for the 15th time on Saturday with a doubleheader of shows. I was only able to attend the first half, which contained some rowdy good action top to bottom. Seven matches delivered on their promise, but the eighth match is where I found the most curious angle. The second match on the show featured three "enhancement talents" with silly names in masks taking on the Regime, a trio consisting of Juan Francisco de Coronado and the Closers, Rick Roland and Sloan Caprice.

On Mandy Rose and WWE's "Evolution"

Rose, shown here against Asuka at Fastlane, is still treated with regressive attitudes from certain WWE figures
Photo Credit: WWE.com

(First of all, sorry for going back on my retirement, but you know all wrestling retirements, from workers themselves down to us blowhards writing about it are never permanent.)

I like Otis Dozovic, or just OTIS as he's known now that Heavy Machinery has graduated to the main roster. He's fun, has great facial expressions, does big guy stuff, and has the right amount of silliness to be a good pro wrestler. I also share a passion for eating grilled meats. I also enjoy Corey Graves' commentary for the most part. I mean, sure, he's a real-life douchebag who uses Twitter to peddle bullshit "bootstraps" mentality at absolute best, but he's the best color commentator the company has had since before Tazz developed brain worms. They're generally enjoyable parts of the skullduggery that can be WWE weekly programming.

Leaving the Territory

Nothing is as good as wrestling at its peak, and that's why I was able to write this blog for so long
Photo Credit: WWE.com

A little under ten years ago, I set out to write about professional wrestling. At that time, I didn't know how long that endeavor would last, but I knew a few things. One, wrestling is a tremendous thing that straddled the line between art and sport. Two, Triple H sucks. Three, I thought I was good at writing and thus would be fine writing about this thing I liked a lot in my spare time. Over that time period — just under ten years, a few hundred under 10,000 unique posts — nothing really dissuaded me from the first two points. The third point, well, that's up for debate. Maybe I'm good at writing. Maybe I'm just good at creating sentences and don't have great ideas. I have no idea. I'm not sure that matters.

NXT In 60 Seconds

Johnny, no
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Master Regal, "Earlier Today": Aleister Black IS going to show up.  Make sure to send him my way before anything else happens.  I'm counting on you, cannon fod... uh, four randos in black shirts.

(last week's) NXT In 60 Seconds

Belly up to the window and place your bets, folks
Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you'd like to donate to the Laptop Rehabilitation Fund, find butchrosser on Venmo or Ko-fi

War Raiders: come out to a decent pop
the Undisputed Era: come out to a bigger one
Roderick Strong: mocks the WR hand taunt
Kyle O'Reilly: gets his air guitar on
War Raiders: use their power to dominate early
Full Sailors: War!  War!  War!  War!
the Era: regroup and try it again
Roddy: ends up getting thrown/slammed into Kyle
Full Sailors: chant War! louder
Roddy: chop blocks Rowe from the outside
Kyle: focuses on the leg he was trying to work on earlier, only to success this time 
the Era: utilize quick tags and leg work to wear Rowe down
Rowe: Desperation STO!
Tags: made
Hanson: puts those meesters on their keisters You okay?
Rowe: (shaking off the leg) Good enough.
Hanson: tags
Rowe: Busiaku knee!
War Raiders: Assisted oshigoroshi!
Rowe: Sitout powerbomb!
Kyle: Buzzsaw kick save!

NXT In 60 Seconds

Her performance matched the date it aired (Photo Credit: WWE.com)

#14: comes out talking to the belt, kissing his nameplate a couple of times
Full Sailors: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
#14: The Greatest Sports Entertainer of All Time now has the greatest entrance music of all time!  laughs And the best part, the icing on the cake?  It has silenced the sheep!
Full Sailors: again, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
#14: But in every flock there is always one who tries to break away from the pack, one who craves attention...one who needs to be different: Velveteen Dream.

NXT In 60 Seconds

Nothing accidental about this main event W
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Nikki Cross: Games are fun!  Especially games you can play with other people. BIIIIIIAAAANCAAAA!  We had fun last time didn't we?  And now, we get to play again!  I hope you're not too afraid because we didn't behave last time.   giggles We weren't on our best behaviour!  Speaking of bad behaviour I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOWWWWW laughs, seethes

NXT In 60 Seconds

The darkest timeline continues apace (Photo Credit: WWE.com)

Our Esteemed General Manager: comes out
Full Sailors: Regal!  Regal! Regal!
Master Regal: I've been investigating the attack on Aleister Black for a month, and
the Undisputed Era: interrupt him brazenly
Master Regal: gives a small, winsome, nostalgic smile
Some Guy: It's the same thing week after week: you don't do your job and pretend to be Sherlock Holmes.  You should be spending time making sure these kinds of unprovoked attacks don't happen again.  Like the War Raiders!

NXT In 60 Seconds

You know what time it is
Photo Credit: Total Divas Eps Twitter

"TONIGHT": "The biggest match in NXT history — champion v. champion — all the components for an instant classic."

Twitter Request Line, Vol. 251

Should you eat at Friday's abroad?
Photo via the Tennessean

It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, and wait for the call on Wednesday to ask your questions. Hash-tag your questions #TweetBag, and look for the bag to drop Thursday afternoon (most of the time). Without further ado, here are your questions and my answers:

There is a TGIFriday's near the hotel I am staying at in Taipei. It is good silly or bad silly by eating one meal there? #tweetbag

— Rich Thomas (@earthdog) September 19, 2018

I don't know if I'd call it "silly" at all. It might be a matter of practicality. The fact that you're even asking the question makes me think you think critically about what you eat, which is a very good trait to have. Anthony Bourdain was popular because he lived a life that someone who thinks critically about food wanted to live. He would eschew the Americanized haunts abroad and dig for the local stuff, sometimes to levels that aren't really afforded to people who don't have his connections, wherewithal, or later on, his funds, especially for a "fixer" as he'd have in some places. The level of ironic silliness one might feel partaking in a chain restaurant on the other side of the world depends on the level of comfort they have with the culture which they are visiting. If you're new to Taipei and don't know the lay of the land or which places accommodate English-speakers, then I'd say eating at Friday's isn't silly at all. It's necessary. But if you've been there a few times, know some people, know where the English-friendly places (or even know a little Mandarin/Taiwanese Hakka), then it might be silly. Is it good or bad silly? Honestly, you're still putting money towards the employ of local people, and your tips go to Taiwanese servers, right? It's probably not ideal, but hey, no one said you gotta live by a code all the time.

You Can't Gatekeep a Journalist, or CMLL Ain't an Indie

Puma King made waves for two different reasons, the latter that wasn't his fault
Photo Credit: MT

Puma King made some waves this weekend at the Battle of Los Angeles. The former star of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (he very recently became a freelancer working a few dates in AAA) made his second big excursion north of the Rio Grande this year for the huge tournament. His first trip up to the States was well-received; he took on Ophidian and Jonathan Gresham for Chikara and Beyond Wrestling respectively at a doubleheader at the Wrestle Factory. He was impressive then against both opponents, so it's easy to see how he'd wow the crowd at the Globe Theater in a far more high-stakes environment. Obviously, many people in the crowd were not familiar with the luchador. Even if CMLL is one of the most well-known lucha promotions in Mexico, Puma King isn't, say, Rush, Barbaro Cavernario, Dragon Lee, or obviously LA Park. Many people got their first doses of him, and they might have had questions as to where they could see him.

The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings for September 17, 2018

HE'S BACK, BAYBAY
Photo Credit: Jon SooWoo/UPI

Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. Carson Wentz (Last Poll: Not Ranked) - After the Eagles loss to the Buccaneers yesterday, the team needed some good news, and they got it. Carson Wentz is starting Sunday! Hallelujah! After missing nine months with a shredded knee, he comes back in hopes of leading a repeat. While I fully believe the team would've won the Super Bowl with him at quarterback had he been healthy, it'll be nice to see him be able to try and make the hypothetical become corporeal.

2. Jeff Cobb (Last Poll: Not Ranked) - The big beefy boi won himself the Battle of Los Angeles in perhaps the most interesting and loaded field ever, taking out Shingo Takagi and Bandido in the finals. I wonder if he celebrated by going to Disneyland? I mean, it's right there. IT'S RIGHT THERE, MAN.

3. Kagetsu (Last Poll: 3) - In the driver's seat for the 5Star Grand Prix and on the cusp of world domination? Of COURSE that's the perfect time for the Prime Minister of the Glorious People's Republic of STARDOM to get stabbed in the back. I never trusted Hana Kimura, and neither should have you. Regardless, Kagetsu remains focused on taking down the world order and restoring it with pure Joshi power while making sure the traitorous Kimura hangs for her crimes.