I'll give SRS some credit, as he never really committed to having a personal stance on the issue. In fact, he was actively working to get clarification on the stuff he was told, as well as the bullshit that was floating around Twitter. I guess it's fine Bryan trusts his sources enough to take a position. But I appreciate that SRS instead chose to keep digging to get as much info as possible. I don't even dislike Bryan. I just think he handled this one situation incorrectly.Yep, and those who they do talk to will be anonymous, meaning we don't even know how much Alvarez or SRS make up. I fully anticipate SRS' article to be all anonymous sources.
Wrestling has garbage enthusiast press.
I mean, most fandoms do, but wrestling's is really bad.
No lies detected.I do dislike Meltzer though. You can tell most of his WWE sources have aged out of the company, because he's almost never breaking any news, and he has to lean hard on speculation. No millennial wrestler in WWE is talking to Dave Meltzer about anything. Especially if they're not men.
lol Charlotte absolutely does. Rousey too.I do dislike Meltzer though. You can tell most of his WWE sources have aged out of the company, because he's almost never breaking any news, and he has to lean hard on speculation. No millennial wrestler in WWE is talking to Dave Meltzer about anything. Especially if they're not men.
Ace Austin looking great once again.
I'd love for this guy to get an extended run in Japan, he fits really well. The crowd over there seem to be taken by him as well.
I managed to get "middle row" tickets for Clash At The Castle to surprise my partner with.
We're more AEW fans but seeing as it's the first WWE PPV in YEARS it was always gonna be worth trying to go.
After all this hype and high prices you better hope to get a more meaningful lineup than any of the Super Showdowns.
The Cody Counter is down to 2,585 hours and 4 minutes!
Daring today, aren't we?
Cody is the best in-ring of the Rhodes, people simply give Dustin bonus points because of his age (and he's amazing for his age) Cody was known as the 3 star general for having an average 2 year streak, Dustin was the 2 star general for over a decade with multiple PPV matches being ranked DUDs and going into the negativesI hope this isn't controversial, at least as far as in-ring goes.
Whynotboth.gifI wonder if the lie is that he thinks he's the best, or that he's not saying it to cause ire
Don't forget, you'll get all the Brits/UK adjacent people. Finn (because there will be no distinction between Irelands) and Sheamus and Ridge British and Vicious Little David Copperfield.
Cody is the best in-ring of the Rhodes, people simply give Dustin bonus points because of his age (and he's amazing for his age) Cody was known as the 3 star general for having an average 2 year streak, Dustin was the 2 star general for over a decade with multiple PPV matches being ranked DUDs and going into the negatives
But he'll never be as big of a star as Dusty and Dustin were because wrestling was just way bigger back then, and they're probably both better than him on the mic but they're both two all time greats on the mic so its not really an insult
I was talking about both, overall and in the current moment. If they both wrestled the same person back to back Cody would have the better matchI meant in the current moment, Dustin's super reliable for great matches now and someone I'd rather watch than Cody unless a ladder or flaming table is involved.
I was talking about both, overall and in the current moment. If they both wrestled the same person back to back Cody would have the better match
While Dustin would get more praise on here from his match because "wow look at how well he moves still", "he's 53!", "I can't believe Dustin is still so good"
We definitely get Wheeler Yuta vs Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure title right?
I mean I'm not saying hes otherwise a bad or average wrestler, he's great but he also (rightfully) gets more praise due to doing it at the age he's doing it same with Sting and Billy GunnPeople have been talking up Dustin's form since he slimmed down and got in great shape following his last disastrous run in TNA over a decade ago. To dismiss the praise he gets as something to do with his age is ahistorical.
TJP v Master Wato was a great match. Not like draw stars great, but I would love to watch them go for a 30 minute match.
Theres a world of difference between soul playa marking out over a shitty flying clothesline from Kane and what Dustin is doing in ringI mean I'm not saying hes otherwise a bad or average wrestler, he's great but he also (rightfully) gets more praise due to doing it at the age he's doing it same with Sting and Billy Gunn
Tom Brady is easily the GOAT in my eyes but I can admit he gets added praise for his great play recently due to also doing it at over 40 years old
This feels like nitpicking I'm calling Dustin a great wrestler lol who mentioned KaneTheres a world of difference between soul playa marking out over a shitty flying clothesline from Kane and what Dustin is doing in ring
There's no metric you can use to say that Dusty and Dustin are better than Cody as wrestlers, not by Meltzer ratings because Cody out performs them in that. And if you say well that's just one mans opinion, Cody has more matches rated above 8/10 in his AEW stint alone on cagematch than Dusty and Dustin have combined their entire careersI said it last month when Cody said the same shit, but Cody isn't even the best wrestler in his own family.
Out of a half-dozen members of the WWE roster who spoke to Sports Illustrated for this story, no one believed that Banks and Naomi felt unsafe with any of their opponents in the match. But all those who spoke with SI agreed that walking out comes with negative consequences, and that neither Banks nor Naomi endeared themselves to the locker room with their decision.
Backstage Reactions To Sasha Banks & Naomi Walking Out
There are numerous staff and talent that we've heard from about the situation, ranging across the board.
One talent indicated that they often see criticism of WWE's handling of champions, the tag team division, the number of women's tag teams, and the booking of women in general, but see even more criticism when talent stand up against it.
However, one consensus among those we've talked to is that leaving during a show you were scheduled for, before that segment is something that is likely to lead you to getting buried throughout said show. One longtime WWE talent was quick to point out that not even Steve Austin's walkout was done in that fashion, as he was gone well before the show in question. Another female talent indicated that they didn't see anything particularly egregious worth leaving the show over, but understands the creative frustration.
Contrary to other reports, we've spoken to numerous talent in and out of WWE that have been supportive of Naomi and Sasha Banks' stance, and the duo in general. However, the much larger population lies in the "not being happy with creative is fine, walking out is fine, but walking out during the show isn't fine" camp.
There were also a ton of talent from outside WWE that reached out to us, with those that didn't watch Raw wondering if it was a work, to quickly realize it wasn't. One former WWE talent said that they didn't even understand the situation, but that it took balls to do what Sasha and Naomi did. A female wrestler in another company was surprised with the pay scale at what it is in WWE right now that the two would deem a creative situation worth walking out on. Other reactions we heard were mixed between "someone needed to do something like this to make a stand" and the echoed "can't walk out during a show you're scheduled for" sentiment.
However, there were a couple of talent that stated that comparisons to an acting role aren't quite the same, as you take a role knowing how big your part will be. With pro wrestling, it's largely dictated by the quality of booking, and said that Sasha Banks and Naomi were well within reason to not be happy about the direction things were going.
In regards to reports of Sasha Banks not being liked backstage, we have heard from several talent that things had seemed to have eased up in that regard in recent months. One talent said they were surprised that reports of that nature hadn't emerged prior, with another saying that she'd been far more outgoing since her return. One staff member who said that while they'd not had positive experiences with Banks in the past, they understood why she walked out during the show. They noted that once 8 PM rolled around, she wasn't going to be able to speak with Vince McMahon, and she knew she wasn't going to work the match, so there was no need to stick around.
One person close to the situation believed that the statement WWE put out during the show was a way to pit those talent against each other, but also believed that all of those involved would be quick to reach out to one another to clear up any misconceptions.
It's worth noting that this is a collection and aggregate of talent and staff we were able to hear back from and in no way reflects the entire locker room or every talent. We've still not heard directly from Naomi or Sasha Banks on the situation.