Oodles of questions this week, so let’s forgo the usual blah blah and get right to them, shall we?
Charles B gets us going with…”What was your, personal, favorite match of 2024?”
Gotta go with Ospreay vs. Danielson. I was at the show live, and I remember saying it was the greatest match I had ever seen. I stand by that to this day. But honestly, Ospreay is out there having these all-timers with everyone. Heck, that Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher match was amazing too. I wouldn’t argue with any best match picks from last year as long as they start with “Will Ospreay versus…”
Eric K continues in a similar vein with…”WWE is absolutely on fire and AEW keeps fading further into the background. Is there anything they can do to at least stem the tide?”
Get this one every single week, so here goes. I maintain the single biggest issue AEW is they don’t have a top babyface they build everything around. The most absurd part is the guy is right there staring them in the face. I know Tony is a fan of his long-term plans (well, sometimes), but when you see something is not working on top (Mox’s reign of terror), you need to pivot. Put the belt on Ospreay and run with it. And by run with it, I mean have him just go on a long win streak for at least a year. Let the fans know this is not only their guy but THE guy they can depend on to not just have great matches but WIN them over and over. It’s so simple I am completely baffled why this hasn’t been done already. If the answer is they want to do it at All In, I would argue to get it done NOW before you lose more fans. Headline All In with Ospreay vs. Kenny. There, I’ve spent 200 words or whatever with a simple solution that will never be done. Sigh.
Arya W says his name so he appears (in the mailbag): “If Joe Hendry is in the Royal Rumble, when would you want him to enter? I say he should be #1 so he could do his full “Joe Hendry entrance” without interruption and I think the crowd would go nuts.”
I think it’s either number one or not at all. Don’t waste that entrance!
Aaron M continues the Rumble talk with…”Who is the strangest surprise entrant to the Royal Rumble? (Example: I remember watching live and thinking, “Why is Dick Murdoch here?”)”
I’m either going Drew Carey or Carlos Colon, whom Gorilla called a “youngster.” God bless Gino, I love him, but I should note Harry Truman was president when Colon was born.
Robert R ponders…”Would you consider giving AEW and WWE their own separate ballots for the Gooker award?”
Nah, that would upset the last 20+ years of the award so I think we keep it as is.
Dustin N asks…”Is Mark Madden the worst color commentator in history? I’ve been watching WCW from 2000-01 in the last couple months, and I had forgotten how completely insufferable he was. How he ever got a commentary job, I’ll never know.”
Madden was horrible, no question. I’d say he’s the worst ever, but then he’d just start sending me hate mail again like he did in 2000. To this day, I maintain that Michael Cole is hands down the worst commentator ever. Every single word he says sounds like it’s fed to him through some machine and I don’t believe any of it. I know he’s more play by play, so if you want to disqualify him for that, just go with JBL who is also commentating kryptonite.
Ryan T wants to know…”Favourite Bob Uecker quote and favourite David Lynch work?”
Never a fan of Lynch, but my favorite Uecker story is this one: “The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud.”
But any quote from Uecker will always fall short compared to this:
CLASSIC!
Rafique T inquires…”Does Miro or Ricky Starks ever wrestle in AEW again? Am I the only one who thought the Goldberg-Regal match wasn’t that bad, even though I know why it was a problem?”
No, no, and no.
Matthew J never gives up with…”What are your thoughts on Cena potential winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing WM?”
Never been the world’s biggest Cena fan but I mean, sure, why not, whatever. It allows them to white wash Ric Flair which is something they badly want to do. It won’t be his last hurrah (too much money to be made constantly bringing the old folks back) but methinks folks will dig it.
Sean B goes a gallpoing with…”Have you been to the Galloping Ghost arcade in Chicago yet?”
Absolutely. It’s amazing, a bit overwhelming just because there is so much there. I just wish they had more racers. That’s what makes a place like Boss Battle in Indianapolis so cool…they have eight linked deluxe Daytonas still, which are spectacular.
Dustin continues the gaming goodness with…”What would you say is the most difficult video game you’ve ever played?”
I had a very, very tough time beating Mike Tyson’s Punch Out on the NES. I actually did by DECISION, which seems harder than winning by KO. Also, level 63 on Tempest 2000 is the single toughest LEVEL I’ve ever played. I’ve probably played that game more than any other in my entire life and I have never, ever been able to beat it. I wound up doing a level skip and after that I was able to beat the game.
Chad A brings the mailbag to an end with…”What’s the best 80’s WWF theme song and why is it the Rougeau’s “All American Boys?””
That’s a great one for sure, but there were so many awesome ones back then it’s a tough choice and really it just changes by the day for me. Right now I’m leaning Jive Soul Bro, which I discovered this past week was actually a REMAKE!
As was Grab Them Cakes!
Ain’t nothing gonna top that info, so I am gonna wrap it up this week! GRAB THEM CAKES!