Professor

I don't really know how this could look more 80s.

Sometimes a random thing just pops into my sphere from multiple sources. I mean it is random, but it still a little weird. But for whatever reason, Scatman John has been mentioned no less than 7 times this week. Weird.

Jushin Thunder Liger has announced he will retire 1/4/2020 at the age of 55. Some video I watched noted that he has been in every PWI 500 since it started in 1991. Granted the PWI 500 is worth nothing, but it illustrates the fact Liger has always been there. From the sounds of it, he wants to do everything, everywhere one last time. As he should.

Actually watched things this past month besides wrestling. Go me. The Gifted (Season 2) - I thought this was a 12 episode season, so I watched the first 12 and then found out their were 4 more. I was into the first 12, not so much the back 4. The break in momentum might be why. Or it could be the constant 'getting heat' to use a wrestling phrase. At least it ended in a more of less satisfying way because it doesn't look like a season 3 is in the cards. Titans (Season 1) - Objectively I dislike this show. I don't like all the murder-killin'. I don't think all that much actually happens over the 10 episodes. And it really felt like 'Backdoor Pilot: The Series' half the time. Yet every new episode, I found myself constantly thinking "hey, they worked out things and this is about to turn a corner". But it never did. Probably give season 2 a chance to see if things change or not. Cobra Kai (Season 1) - Now that was good. I like that everyone is a bit of a jerk, but at the same time not. Felt real. Would have been easy to go back to black/white, but they went with a nice grey.

Ninja Scroll - Dread Media got me to watch a movie that I liked? Weird. It was a more violent and bloody than I thought it would be. Not a complaint. The animation is really, really good. What kept me from loving this movie is the voice action, particularly the lead.

Went to the library today to find me some new music. While looking, I man walks in to return some movies. He took special care with one particular DVD and started talking to the librarian. Now, I have done the same from time to time. Mostly due to the disc being badly damaged and non-functional. However, that was not his problem. He was of the belief that the movie in question was far too violent to be at a public library. As such, the library should remove it from their system as to not inflict the horror on another patron. I have no idea what the movie was nor what offended him so. But I agreed with the librarian, who after the guy left, turned around and said 'fuck that guy' and put it in the staff picks section. Fuck that guy indeed.

I know very little about OTT, but this hype video makes me really want to watch.

In my never-ending attempt at catching up on Dread Media, I took a minor pause because I saw what was the next review and I had to watch. Space Babes From Outer Space. With a title like that, how can I not? Space Babes? Nah. Babes From Outer Space? Nah. Space Babes From Outer Space? Watching that. And I was disappointed. I don't know if it was really just that bad or if it was not bad enough. What I do know is that it missed that sweet spot in the middle for me.

Probably 75% due to the accent on Chocolate Jesus, I am really digging this cover. Good job YouTube recommendations.

Current mood:

I don't know anymore. I don't watch WWE proper anymore, barely watching random PPV matches. But I always watch the Rumble. It is my favorite 'annual tradition' match they do. And while I am sincerely happy that the women now have their own Rumble, two on one show is rough. I was about Rumbled out by around entrant 12 of the Men's Rumble. Other things: - Seems like NXT has replaced Legends as the surprises. Which I am okay with, to a point. But having some MYC-ers that haven't even made NXT TV is a bit much (Even with how much I like Xia Li and wanted Meiko Satomura to show up and kick people). - I hated the Nia Jax spot. Not because it happened, but rather because it happened in the WWE. We all know the WWE rules on inter-gender contact in the post Attitude Era. So I hate when they do it. I hated it in NXT with Nikki Cross. I hated it in the Mixed Match Challenge. Again, I have zero issues with Inter-Gender Wrestling. I just re-watched the Lucha Underground episode where Pentagon Jr. faced Kari Sane & Io Shirai. It is brutal, but it is a Pentagon Jr. match in Lucha Underground. The WWE doing this spot goes against all the rules they themselves have set in place. - Halftime Heat is a brilliant idea. Only one problem. Michael Cole, when introducing the video package, said something akin to "After Takeover, While Tomasso Ciampa was posing with his longtime friend Johnny Gargano". I mean, they are telling a very long term story in NXT with those two. I would not describe them as 'longtime friends'. Complicated. They have a complicated relationship. All you had to say. The disconnect on NXT & WWE is so stupid. - Standard NXT hipster comments: Takeover was way better. 2.5 hr show >> 6hr show. That Gargano guy is nifty. I guess Ricochet is okay too.

Strowman tipped over the boss's limo the day before. Styles just punched a senior citizen. Heck, Johnny Gargano jumped a co-worker in the parking lot. So in this workplace, quite a few things are tolerated.

If you like Buckethead, then it is your lucky day. He is selling the entire Bucketheadland Pike series for $2 and album or $218 for the entire 273 album set (60% off). I've listened to the the first 138ish and only disliked two. I'm tempted, but that is a lot of Buckethead. Might cherry pick a few.

Spent the day trying (and failing) to catch up on NXT UK before Takeover: Blackpool. I was about all wrestled out when I saw the WWE put up a doc on Nigel McGuinness. And it is excellent. A must watch for sure. Using footage from Nigel's retirement tour documentary put this over the top for me. Side note: All the ROH footage of Nigel made me want to bust out some ROH DVDs. I forgot how much I now hate the banging on the metal signs. So very much.

And finally finished with Wrestle Kingdom. Kinda a let down really. Not bad by any stretch, but just there. Main event was pretty good.

Abut 4 matches into Wrestle Kingdom and I will say this. I don't know how is it possible to not absolute love Tomohiro Ishii.

Sometimes Present Me has no idea why Past Me did things. I bookmarked this at some point. I have no idea what rabbit hole I went down to get there.

Well, here are some more business decisions on the card that will make your head hurt. - Jon Jones fighting at all. He failed a drug test, for which he should have face a 4 year ban (2nd offense). He got 18ish months, or basically time served. _ Jon Jones fighting Alexander Gustafsson for the Light-heavyweight championship. Daniel Cormier is the Light-heavyweight Champion. So the champion is not even in the fight. Cormier is the champion, beating Gustafsson for the vacant championship in late 2015. Why was the championship vacant? Because Jon Jones was arrested for a felony hit-and-run. Then, in his first fight back, Jones fought OSP for the interim-LHW Championship (because reasons) and won. Which was stripped due to drug test failure. Then, in his first fight back, Jones fights Cormier for the LHW Championship (because reasons) and wins. But the decision is overturned and the belt returned because of another drug test failure. So, naturally, in his first fight back, he is fighting for the LHW Championship (because reasons) and Cormier will be stripped of the title as soon as that bout starts. - Now, Daniel Cormier is a two division champion (HW & LHW). So, you may say, well stripping him of the title is justified as he can only defend one at a time. I can somewhat understand that logic. But if a two division champion is a bad thing, why in the hell is Cris Cyborg vs.Amanda Nunes happening. Nunes is the current Bantamweight Champion competing to win the Featherwight Championship. How does that make sense? - And a little something about that Featherweight Championship. It was solely created for one reason: to give Cyborg a championship. Germaine de Randamie was the first champion only because Cyborg declined (to health concerns or pending drug test issues. Your pick.) And de Randamie was stripped once she refused to fight Cyborg (not wanting to fight someone with 'repeated transgressions with PEDs ') And it made no sense to make a 145-pound division at the time and still doesn't. There was/still is no depth. Of the six women to compete for the championship, five (so everyone not named Cyborg) were 135-pounders moving up a weight class.

So, I have no idea if there are any UFC fans here. This thread has been dead for over two years after all. I used to be a die-hard fan. Used to. Interest waned with the growth and more and more shows. And when it started to feel less like a sport and more like, well, boxing I mostly checked out. I listened to news & results on podcasts and checked out fights after the fact rarely. But I think that comes to an end. The McGregor bus attack (and generally existence in the UFC) had me with one foot out the door. Then the last two hours pushed me out and locked it behind me. Check out Ariel Helwani's twitter for details, but basics are that Jon Jones caused an entire PPV to move. Because for some reason he is above everything. And as always with these things, all the other fighters were not informed. Not to mention all the fans that made travel/hotel plans for the show (and probably NYE in Las Vegas). And you have Dana White out there playing the sympathy card of "we were going to make 6 million in Vegas, I don't know if we can even make 1 million in California". Seriously, fuck all of this. I'm out.

Spent the day catching up on NXT UK. Still a week behind but it has been enjoyable. The roster is more than solid and it really is just another NXT. And I am completely okay with that. Oh, and someone's grandfather keeps wandering out and everyone is really polite about it. I know Johnny Saint is a legend and all, but he looks painfully lost at all times.

Waited until the season was over to marathon it, but I just finished Lucha Underground season 4. And it was a mixed bag. You could tell the budget was smaller. There was more in ring action and way less acting. And that is my main issue. I want the insanity that is LU. I want dragons and magic gloves and the occasional murder killin'. That is what made the show so great. Not to say that these things were absent, but they clearly focused resources on 5-7 big scenes. I think at one point four episodes in a row had nothing outside the ring. Now, the actual wrestling is still pretty dang great, but in 2018 I can get great wrestling most places. I come to LU to see Paul London take a bad acid trip or AeroStar to do time traveling (which all reports I read seem to forget he can do).

Watched the Sea of Honor tournament. And it was alright. It looked great on the boat, but the actual wrestling was just fine. But one thing that bugged me was Matt Taven. He was the worst guest commentator I have heard in a while. The other contender for that title was Mandy Leon, sitting at the desk with him. Bless Colt Cabana for trying, but he could not save it.

I guess this is as good a place to ask as any: Anyone know how to fix a podcast that will not download in iTunes? I have tried all the normal things (unsubscribe, resubscribe, delete and try again) to no avail. It was only happening to a new podcast I was going to try, but now it is happening to a podcast I've listen to for a while with no issue.

Didn't seem to have the time to watch the Mae Young Classic semi-finals. Also, had the winners spoiled way before the tournament aired, which always makes my interest go down. But holy hell, I love Meiko Satomura. Thought I had never seen her before this tournament, but turns out I had in a Chikara trios tournament. I need to see more of her kicking people and being awesome.

Been watching a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan videos. I've been a fan for years and have had all his albums since I was making mixtapes. But watching him play is something else. And I have no idea what look he was going for here, but it is awesome.