About twelve hours removed from the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight…and it was, in a word, whatever. A former legend losing the never ending battle against Father Time against a dude who is famous for being on YouTube. I don’t want to be the old guy shouting at clouds again, but this, kids, is the world in which we now live. Years ago I realized I was out of that coveted ‘target demo’, and now I am coming to grips with the fact that ain’t nobody wanting to cater to a guy getting closer to sixty every day. And you know what? That doesn’t depress me really at all. There’s oodles of stuff I love that is easily accessible and just because what Joe Public wants isn’t what I want it is, as my father used to say, “all good”. Let’s see if this week’s mailbag follows suit.
Arya W kicks us off with…”If you have an Observer HOF ballot, who were your picks? If you don’t, who would you have voted for?”
I think I have one, or at least I did a while back, but I’ve never voted. Halls of Fame and such just aren’t really my jam as you wind up nitpicking and categorizing things that are so subjective as to render them moot. Even real sports Hall of Fames are like that. Unless you have something where there’s something statistical you can rank things, to me it’s all judgement calls and everyone is going to view that differently.
Robert R wants to know…”Why has Cody’s run with the championship felt incredibly underwhelming?”
In many ways, it’s like when Sting won his first world title. The build was so big that it overshadowed the actual reign itself. Some guys are just better chasing or holding for a short period of time. Heck, Cody’s own dad was like that. Maybe it’s something in the Rhodes’ genes.
Jay A ponders…”Would you have taken Bastion Booger’s finishing move for $500?”
No. Maybe for $5,000, but that’s only because RD Jr’s spring tuition is coming due.
Brian B wants to know…”How big would Hulk Hogans back have to be to carry Donald Trump and his family as well as all those in attendance in Wrestlemania IV if indeed he broke New Jersey off of the eastern seaboard by body slamming Andre?”
No idea, but any excuse I have to post this GIF…
…is one I will not pass up!
Ryan T asks…”Do you remember what you and Mrs. Deal ordered at the Nitro Grill? If so, how was it?”
I want to say it was a burger, but not sure which one. And the more I think about it, I can almost guarantee I got a quesadilla. As I recall, the food there was, you know, fine. Like Applebee’s level or whatever. I’ve had far worse (and better) on my far too many trips to Las Vegas over the years.
Mike M wants to know…”Have you ever sang “Back Home Again in Indiana” and, if so, was it in public?”
I belt out the opening line around the house some time, but it always somehow morphs into the old Indiana Beach commercial for some reason.
Yep, there’s more than corn in Indiana for sure.
Aaron M gives us this age old question…”What happened to guys that were just “Leaping” or “Dirty” or “Hacksaw?””
We do need another good leaper, and “Hacksaw” is a fantastic name. I would also like to see more wrestlers who get wildly offended if you mess up their hair. It’s a lost art form.
Bryan J sounds like he’s ready to head to Draft Kings…”Chiefs vs Bills Sunday who wins?”
There’s an old saying that it’s better to be lucky than good, and the Chiefs are a lethal combination of lucky AND good. Like everyone outside of KC, I am sick of the Chiefs and would love to see someone knock them off their throne. I think the Bills win this week but lose to them in the playoffs. As I used to say when Brady was in his hey day, “I’ve seen this movie before and I hate the ending.” Same story here.
Rafique T asks…”I think we need to bring back the mini-ring platforms that wrestlers used to come down the aisle in from Mania III and VI. Agree?”
Ten thousand percent. Also, I’ve said for years that WWF Superstars was a better arcade game than WWF Wrestlefest.
These entrances are one of the many reasons why!
Joseph ponders…”How would you book a seizing of the SuperStation? Wednesday night had such promise, and let me down.”
I think part of the issue is that even I, the guy wearing an AEW hoodie as I am typing this, didn’t even know that was a thing. They’re getting better about advertising stuff in advance but it still feels like way too much cocktail napkin booking. Also, they need to put the world title on Ospreay and build the entire company around him immediately.
Craig B asks…”Did you do any backyard wrestling as a kid? I did, although we didn’t call it that back then. I just remember how badly the Boston crab genuinely hurt.”
A little bit, but it was more me and my buddies goofing off in his pool. Ain’t no better suplex than one off a diving board!
Charles and Rob wrap us up with…”So … how did you come up with the idea to make and sell coasters? SPEAKING OF….coasters, any ideas that were considered but you didn’t go with?”
It was due to the pandemic to be honest. I was working at a printing company and when the pandemic hit, we had presses and cutters just sitting idle. I had done larger prints (like pizza box size) of Punch Out characters and a buddy of mine suggested doing them as coasters. So I ran a few sets and threw them up on Etsy. Folks seemed to like them so I just kinda kept coming up with new ideas. There’ve been several I’ve wanted to do and never done. Had a guy asking for Metal Gear solid ones for instance, where the characters talk over the headsets, but just can’t get the artwork quite right. Always looking for more suggestions though. And as always, it helps me out if you order a set for all your holiday gift giving needs!
And I can’t top that for a shill to end things on. Use code COASTERZ4CRAPPERZ for 15% off your order (totally not a joke)!!!