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Dark Side of the Ring

Valheru

Coach
Messages
17,513
Just watched the Montreal episode of this and i have to say Cornette trying to convince everyone after 20 odd years that this was his idea is f**king hilarious.

The dude has clearly lost the plot. Russo has always taken the wrap for it and Cornette has never mentioned anything before.
 

Big Pete

Referee
Messages
28,939
Just watched the Montreal episode of this and i have to say Cornette trying to convince everyone after 20 odd years that this was his idea is f**king hilarious.

The dude has clearly lost the plot. Russo has always taken the wrap for it and Cornette has never mentioned anything before.

It's typical carny behaviour from Cornette. He claims he came up with with the sharpshooter spot and why it had to be a sharpshooter and not a pin. However, it wasn't like Vince came to Cornette and asked him how they were going to pull this off, Jim was just thinking out loud about their predicament and happened to have the same idea they went with.

It's the same deal as Russo.

At the end of the day, it was McMahon's call and anyone else trying to portray themselves as the brains behind the operation are being silly.
 

Valheru

Coach
Messages
17,513
It's typical carny behaviour from Cornette. He claims he came up with with the sharpshooter spot and why it had to be a sharpshooter and not a pin. However, it wasn't like Vince came to Cornette and asked him how they were going to pull this off, Jim was just thinking out loud about their predicament and happened to have the same idea they went with.

It's the same deal as Russo.

At the end of the day, it was McMahon's call and anyone else trying to portray themselves as the brains behind the operation are being silly.

What do you make of Cornette's beef with Russo?

I watched the brawl for all episode and he just bagged him the whole time.

I'm no fan boy of Russo but his issue seems to be that Russo saw wrestling as a job and Cornette sees it as a way of life.

Cornette says things like he wants to live to piss on his grave which sounds like an over the top thing to say about someone you had mere professional differences with. At this point i can't help but feel it is a work by Cornette.
 

Big Pete

Referee
Messages
28,939
What do you make of Cornette's beef with Russo?

I watched the brawl for all episode and he just bagged him the whole time.

I'm no fan boy of Russo but his issue seems to be that Russo saw wrestling as a job and Cornette sees it as a way of life.

Cornette says things like he wants to live to piss on his grave which sounds like an over the top thing to say about someone you had mere professional differences with. At this point i can't help but feel it is a work by Cornette.

I agree, I believe Jim saw Pro Wrestling as a family and to see this New York shmuck come around and turn it into a clown show really pissed him off. Especially when he's seen the sacrifices all his close friends had to make in order to get people to believe in what they did. To have this charlatan come in and change Pro Wrestling for the worst was such an insult and the guy was nothing but a two faced liar. Even when he buried the hatchet, Russo went out of his way to knife him and his friends in the back in TNA.

I legitimately believe Cornette feels that way about Russo, but whether he'd actually act on those feelings are two seperate matters. Jim is this larger than life character who treats everything like it's entertainment, so he'll put on a big show and dance but I don't think he's going to drive to Russo's place and gun him down in cold blood.

Both of them are as bad as each other, but Russo tells so many lies that it makes him an utter waste of time as a storyteller. Cornette says some messed up stuff every now and then, but I genuinely believe his stories.

With that said, I'm not overly familiar with Smokey Mountain or Ohio Valley Wrestling and the bits and pieces I've seen weren't overly exciting. I grew up on Russo's television and as bad as it could be, there were so many highlights along the way, I do tend to give him more leeway than most.
 

mackdadday

Juniors
Messages
1,038
I just listened to the STW episode on Sunny and good god an episode could definitely be on her. Didn't know she was an international drug mule for the cliq who then later went on to treat her like a complete whore. I think when you hear everyone pressing on about how that was 'the old Shawn', I think Sunny and what happened with her and her downfall is what they are primarilay talking about. Hopefully she doesnt end up like Chyna.
 

Valheru

Coach
Messages
17,513
The other thing i found hilarious with the Montreal episode was Scott Hall claiming it was all a work and that he has never spoken to HBK about it.

I don't know how much they paid him to say that but i hope he bought some top quality drugs with the cash. When they told Cornette what he said he pissed himself laughing which was my exact reaction.

He expects us to believe that neither he, Nash or Waltman have ever spoken to HBK or HHH about what happened.

Please, they would have been on the phone to him that night.
 

Valheru

Coach
Messages
17,513
I alluded to it earlier but i also watched the brawl for all episode which was a top watch albeit a tough one at times given what we now know about concussions.

Apparently Russo (and he admits this) came up with the idea purely to see JBL get his head smacked in. Well he got his wish, Bart knocking him out and then butterbean nearly killing Bart is tough to watch.

I normally find JR a straight shooter on these types of things but not this episode. He still denies that Dr death was his guy and the whole thing was geared to him winning.

That is the reason why the winner was promised a world title shot because they thought they knew who the winner would be. Then Bart knocked him senseless and was punished with the boxing match fiasco.
 

bileduct

Coach
Messages
17,832
Season 3 of Dark Side of the Ring has started. First two episodes were about Brian Pillman.

Upcoming episodes are:

3x03 - The Ultra-Violence of Nick Gage
3x04 - Collision in Korea
3x05 - Becoming Warrior
3x06 - In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith
3x07 - The Dynamite Kid

They also repackaged all of the season 2 episodes with Conrad Thompson over March and April as Dark Side of the Ring: Confidential. About 23 minutes of additional content is added per episode, but it's mostly Conrad sitting at a table talking with the producers and occasionally there'll be a snippet of an interview with someone else. Despite all that additional runtime it's surprising how little content of value has actually been added.
 
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Big Pete

Referee
Messages
28,939
Pillman's NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach Kim Wood was the star of the season premiere. The way he broke down Pillman's rationale behind the Loose Cannon character was fantastic. It's also nice they have Meltzer on board because he's the best at providing the fan perspective on each chapter.

It didn't go as in-depth into the family as I expected it to. Brian Jr really only touched on a few things that happened but I get the feeling they didn't want to completely and utterly bury Melanie. Especially since they were trying to give her some form of redemption through the reconciliation between her and Brian Jr. They didn't even touch on one of her children dying who was also trying to get into the wrestling business in the 2000s.

Still I didn't realise how crazy Brian's home-life was and they did a pretty good job of illustrating all the different baby mommas he had and how he was trying to support all his children and all the drama that came along with it.
 
Messages
14,032
Watching the Pilman one now, have to say Bischoff comes off a little revisionist if he won’t admit Brian completely got one over on him. Corny, Austin, Meltzer and Kim Wood all see it pretty clearly that he’s full of it, or trying to save face. Bloke was ahead of his time, but his home life was a total mess.

Gage was pretty wild as well, I was to aware of the bloke but geez what a hot mess he is. The bank robbery is one you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t see it.
 

bileduct

Coach
Messages
17,832
The last two episodes have been pretty crazy.

The North Korea stuff I had no idea about. How f**king nuts was it putting on a show in front of 170,000 people who are forced to be there and have no f**king clue what's going on. f**king lol at 2 Cold Scorpio deciding Pyongyang is the best place to shiv Road Warrior Hawk.

The Ultimate Warrior episode was handled pretty fairly, better than anything else I've ever seen including that f**ked up WWE DVD where they buried the shit out of him. It was good to hear the perspective of someone that knew him well outside of the ring. Dude sounds like he had a pretty rough upbringing and had problems relating to people. Was given everything far too soon and the success went to his head. I think Vince shares a bit of the blame there for going straight for the money and not caring too much about the obvious problems. Dude was definitely over as f**k, I remember I was completely into him as an 11 year old at the time. Looking back now, though... Yeah....
 

bileduct

Coach
Messages
17,832
In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith...

Yikes.

On a side note, I never knew Rockin' Robin was Jake the Snake's sister.
 

verticalsmile

Juniors
Messages
200
I think the fact they continued on with Owens blood their on the canvas is woeful. I wonder if we will ever get a full understanding of the shit Vınce has orchestrated over the years.
Vince is a low life making Owen do that stunt and costing him his life was wrong. It was to get back at Brett
and the fact of the matter everyone said he was a fantastic guy and real jokester.
I wonder if Vince ever sent extra money to the family for his death...
 

verticalsmile

Juniors
Messages
200
In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith...

Yikes.

On a side note, I never knew Rockin' Robin was Jake the Snake's sister.
To make things worse Jake the Snake dad raped his own daughter and Jake is the son of that..
So Jake mum is his sister go figure...
 

bileduct

Coach
Messages
17,832
To make things worse Jake the Snake dad raped his own daughter and Jake is the son of that..
So Jake mum is his sister go figure...
I don't think Jake's mother is the biological daughter of Grizzly Smith, she was the daughter of a woman Smith was seeing at the time.
 

bileduct

Coach
Messages
17,832
The Dynamite Kid episode was probably one of the best episodes so far.

I've heard Mick Foley talking about getting a stiff clothesline from Dynamite that broke his jaw, but that was way more brutal - and deliberate - than I thought it would be.

Too bad that's another season finished though... It went quickly.
 
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