#good example is all the shield wrestlers

[smolsammichowo]

Pro wrestling story lines hit even harder when you've been a fan of a wrestler thats involved in the storyline for years & your mind ties their past story lines a bit together.

[thesupreme316]

Could I have some of your favourite wrestlers reacting to the fem!reader heel turn

I GOT U (sorry for how long it took me)

Pairing(s): Hook x Fem!Reader (Platonic?), Eddie Kingston x Fem!Reader (Platonic), Darius Martin x Fem!Reader (Platonic), Dante Martin x Fem!Reader (Platonic), Daniel Garcia x Fem!Reader (Platonic?), Samoa Joe x Fem!Reader (Platonic)

Summary: How would these men react to you turning heel?

Word Count: 849

Supreme Speaks: hiiiii, I might do these reaction scenarios more often cause this was fun to write (so please send in more). To @hookerforhook sorry that this took me so long but its here neow. Also I hope everyone is doing well and please remember that you are loved and appreciated.

Warnings: slightly proofread, gifs are not mine, i repeat gifs ARE NOT MINE

Taglist (if you wanna be a part of it, lemme know): @hookerforhook @hooks-martin @sheinthatfandom @wwenhlimagines @triscillal

To the locker room and the AEW fans, your character was a very talented wrestler but always saw the good in people. Which often leads you to be hurt physically and emotionally. So after one too many broken hearts, you decided to turn heel.

How you turn heel is completely up to you so choose your adventure (I also included examples). You either…

Attacked your teammate after losing another tag team match (Bayley on Sasha Banks)

Attacked your good friend due to you being jealous of them (anyone really)

Didn’t allow your tag team partner to tag you in the match, making your team lose (Tbh I could find an exact moment but Layla on AJ Lee)

Attacked the referee and your opponent after losing the title match (Michelle McCool on Maria/Becky Lynch on Charlotte)

You got offered a better deal by the rival team and decided to take it (Seth Rollins on the Shield)

Eddie Kingston

This man would be so calm about it

*after you attacked your friend* “Well, they had it coming”

Would not see you differently

In fact he would just be happy that you’re whooping ass and you’re not taking any shit from people

Still keeps it 100 with you about things

“If you attack them from behind, then you’re a coward. But if you hit them in the face, then you’re a real one”

In his eyes, you’re not a heel but you’re not a face

You’re just a person going through emotions and decided to let them out

Eddie understands you cause no one is truly/fully on one side or the other

I think Eddie would just say as long as you don’t hurt him physically or emotionally, then you’re good

Overall…Eddie is happy you chose violence as your answer

Hook

It’ll definitely surprise him

He didn’t take you one for being a heel

But isn’t mad at the idea

Silent with his opinions 

But tbh I think he would believe the whole 180 change with you is hot

“You look very good…Almost too good.” 

Will tell you that he likes the aggressive yet playful mood you display in the ring now

Loves the change in ring gear and theme song

Will wear your new merch in instagram pictures

Honestly, might inspire him to turn heel himself

Overall…Hook loves to see this new attitude within you

Samoa Joe

OH THIS MAN IS A MENACE

NOW THIS MAN IS AN ACTUAL HEEL

He would automatically smirk and congrats you  

“Welcome to the dark side”

I genuinely believe he would become a fan of you

Constantly reference you or just show his support on twitter (cause that man is a menace)

Gives you tips on how to appear more of a threat to your opponents

I believe that this Joe would become a mentor

100% would teach you the Coquina Clutch

Will laugh when you embarrass your opponent

“I taught them that! I did that!”

Overall…Samoa Joe would be that supportive father who’s just happy you joined him

Top Flight (Darius and Dante Martin)

OKAY HERE ME OUT….they are all for it IM JUST SAYIN-

At first, Darius and Dante would be sad about it

Would be more saddened at the fact you have to stand across the ring from them instead of next to them

But will recognize that you are happier and are getting a lot more credit and camera time because of the turn

Will put your overall happiness over how they feel

Will still hang out with you behind the cameras (obvi)

Helps you decide on new moves or highflying moves you can do

Will hype you up backstage as you kick ass

“Kick her in the face Y/N!”

Will post pictures of you with the caption “We stan with Y/N”

Overall…Top Flight will be so supportive of you no matter what

Daniel Garcia

MENACE PT.2

“I CALLED IT”

Would immediately offer you a spot in JAS (please decline…)

Like Joe, Daniel would also reference you in tweets

I would like to believe that he would also start flirting with you 

Just full on rizz game on 100

“I may not be a photographer, but I can picture us together.”

Like Hook, would also believe this new attitude of yours is hot

Makes fun of your opponents and taunt them backstage (in effort to get you to join JAS, again say no)

Will also make fun of you (lightheartedly) and compare you to him

Will retweet you and start a banter with you just for shits and giggles

“So you think you can take my place as AEW’s favorite child?” “You were never anyone’s favorite.” “Take that back!”

Overall…Daniel would become infatuated with you and is happy for you

[warningsine]

In the second-season premiere of GLOW, which hit Netflix June 29, Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) surprises her boss, frustrated filmmaker and wrestling-show director Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron), with a dinky promo she filmed at a local mall during a free afternoon. The assembled wrestlers love it, as does network rep Glen (Andrew Friedman). But Sam doesn’t. He yells at his employees, who are all young women: “Who here is confused about who the director is? Really? No one is confused? Because I’m fucking confused.” When Ruth attempts to shield the others from responsibility, he directs his ire at her. “Are you making a move on my job, Ruth? . . . Honey, I don’t need your help. I need you to be a fucking actress . . . You’re not a director just 'cause you take a fucking camera to the mall."

When Reggie (Marianna Palka) interrupts to defend Ruth’s work—and points out that time in the Season 1 finale when Ruth covered for Sam—he immediately, inexplicably fires her. Ruth follows him to his office, and tries to talk him out of the decision. “I had ideas,” she says defensively. “O.K., well, put ’em in your diary,” he responds. “You’re all replaceable. Even you, Ruth.”

Throughout all of this, Maron is fantastic in the role of Sam. His character is a frustrating and frustrated creative leader, well-intentioned but constantly angry, obsessed with his own narrative of failure. Maron’s performance is magnetic; it’s as if every scene bends toward his all-too-period-appropriate aviators and his Burt Reynolds mustache.

In fact, he’s so good as the show-within-a-show’s demanding, exploitative creative lead that he might just be GLOW’s stealth protagonist—which is a problem, because GLOW, created by showrunners Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch and executive produced by Jenji Kohan, is supposed to be an ensemble comedy about a diverse group of women. Brie frequently uses the word “empowering” to describe the show and its ethos; recently, she called GLOW a “feminist oasis”. In Season 1, it was: Ruth, a protagonist who became a heel (wrestling jargon for “villain”), was an unexpected kind of female character—an unlikeable heroine discovering her talents and herself through an athletic, muscle-bound medium. The show’s premise offered its characters some combination of grit and glitter as a means to liberate themselves from the prison of oppressive history—a cathartic, rare feat, still, for women on television.

In its second season, though, the show never quite seems to know who it’s about. There is hardly a plot to be found; wrestling is no longer in the foreground, and what wrestling we do see lacks the convincing stunts or arresting ugliness of the genre. That cadre of diverse women is mostly shunted to the background as well—Ellen Wong and Britney Young get little screen time; Sunita Mani and Sydelle Noel have more material, but their stories still feel marginal. And they rarely, if ever, interact with the lead performers. (That these actresses all play characters whose wrestling personas are racist stereotypes does not help the overall effect.) Instead, the show ends up focusing on easier stories: material about the white male billionaire Bash Howard (Chris Lowell), for example, and Sam’s evolving relationship with his daughter Justine (Britt Baron). The family plot is an opportunity for Maron to play Sam as an abrasive, gruff, good-hearted dad with an unconventional but perceptive parenting style. Both Bash’s and Sam’s story lines are fine, but they take up precious space—and have nothing to do with wrestling or women.

Perhaps this shift wouldn’t rankle quite so much if Sam weren’t such an unrepentant asshole, specifically toward women. After dressing down Ruth in the premiere, Sam spends the next several episodes punishing her—alternating between refusing to give her airtime and giving her the worst spots in the show, and eventually doing what he can to sabotage her flirtation with the new cameraman, Russell (Victor Quinaz). Five episodes later, he apologizes, after Ruth attends a screening for one of his long-forgotten films—an action that essentially reinforces his superiority as a director.

She sits a few rows behind him, wreathed in apologetic smiles. He disdains her careful management of his feelings, calling it “creepy.” Eventually he apologizes—if one can call this an apology: “I’m not angry with you. I’m an insecure old man. I get defensive. Sue me.” Three episodes after that, Sam tries to kiss Ruth.

The show has no trouble casting Ruth as the creative punching bag for Sam’s on-set tantrums, the subject of endless put-downs about her looks and personality. Ruth and Sam appear to be engaged in an abusive dynamic, but GLOW doesn’t quite seem to know that, or care. Worst of all, in its second season, the show trades Ruth’s dignity for Sam’s interiority; by the end, our supposed lead has almost no substance to her character, aside from her constant, painful drive to matter. Brie throws her all into that aspect, but there’s no masking that Season 2 of GLOW has become a show where Ruth Wilder waits for Sam to do something mean to her, before quietly picking up the pieces.

In the show’s defense, there is a subtler story being told here. Ruth’s victim complex is activated by both Sam and Debbie (Betty Gilpin), her former best friend; she’s primed to fall into a relationship where she's taken advantage of. If the show is purposefully trying to explore how Ruth keeps falling into gendered traps, there’s value to that story—especially if its gentle rendering indicates how insidious these complexes can be.

GLOW nods toward this interpretation most obviously in the fifth episode, "Perverts Are People, Too," which we might as well call its #MeToo episode. In it, Ruth takes a business meeting, only to find herself targeted by a studio executive hoping for some flirty “fun” in his Jacuzzi bath. She flees, terrified, before realizing that this experience reflects the dynamics of her industry more broadly; the episode ends with a subtle, profound moment in which Ruth, surveying the male fans crowding around her co-workers, is forced to reckon with an existence built on female theatrics for male consumption.

But Ruth’s journey is separate from Sam’s, and what’s perplexing about the sexual harassment episode is how a plot point designed to critique the patriarchy ends up mainly serving to paint Sam as a good guy. Two episodes later—during the screening, right after Sam’s non-apology—Ruth tells her boss what happened to her. He emotes more than she does: “Fuck that guy! What a fucking sleazebag dickhead!” By the end of the season, Sam has been reborn as both a benign but curmudgeonly white knight whose fondness for strip clubs ends up delivering the team to a much-needed gig in Las Vegas, and a good dad who finds a new way to understand and communicate with his newfound daughter.

But while Sam’s being offered up as the moral guy, the I’d-never-harass-an-employee guy, he already has harassed his employees. He’s tried to kiss multiple women who work for him; he’s withheld advancement from Ruth out of petulance; he ignores Debbie as nothing more than a pretty face when she tries to assert her role as a producer. Maron himself has admitted Sam’s complicity to Deadline: “Can this guy be an asshole? Yes. Was he a guy that was possibly guilty of transgressing in the way of the casting couch, or showing favor to women professionally for sexual attention? Probably. I think that’s sort of established at the beginning. This guy’s no saint, but he also shows up for these women.”

In a way, the suggestion that Sam’s not that bad reveals something significant about the insidious reach of the patriarchy: you can be the guy who knows what bad behavior looks like, and still be complicit in it. It makes sense that Ruth is too naive to see this, and even that Sam’s too deluded to admit it. But it doesn’t make sense that in a season driven partially by a harassment story line—as part of a show ostensibly about women’s empowerment—GLOW would avoid acknowledging Sam’s previous behavior, to the point of failing to honestly reckon with his flaws. Hints of that reckoning are present: it’s significant, if opaque, that Ruth realizes falling for Sam is a bad idea, and instead throws herself into the arms of age-appropriate, respectful Russell. But diminishing her story to the status of background noise—while building up Sam’s backstory and screen time—is an astonishing disservice, both to GLOW’s characters and audience.

In the very first episode of GLOW, Ruth’s terrible, desperate audition for the titular wrestling show becomes sublime—and successful—when Debbie walks in, clutching her infant, screaming obscenities because she’s discovered that Ruth slept with Debbie’s husband. Debbie hands off her baby and steps into the ring; Ruth’s mimicry of aggression turns into a frantic, failed attempt at de-escalation. Debbie slaps her full in the face, and eventually pins Ruth to the ground; a smear of blood disfigures Ruth’s face. On the sidelines, the girl who will eventually become Fortune Cookie (Wong) asks, “Is this real?” The girl who will become Melrose (Jackie Tohn) shrugs: “Who the fuck cares?”

This might be a more prophetic line than GLOW intended. The show tends to skim the surface of its heavy subtext, and is quick to turn drama into a punch line, regardless of where the drama comes from or at whose expense the comedy hits. The show wants to nimbly engage with this stuff, and sometimes it’s able to. But either GLOW can’t see itself clearly, or it’s not communicating well what it’s trying to be about. Take that pilot scene: as Debbie and Ruth fight, GLOW superimposes what Sam wants to see, or what he thinks he can make happen, over their very real angst. In his vision, which is shot as a fantasy wrestling sequence, Debbie thrusts her crotch into Ruth’s face, and gyrates her spandex-covered behind in a slow circle for the audience’s benefit. By the time Sam snaps out of his reverie, the fight is over; he, and the viewer, have missed much of the real conflict in order to look at the manufactured version.

Similarly, in spending so much time inside Sam’s mind, GLOW is missing out on the stories right under Sam’s nose. They’re there—if he, and the show, would care to look.

[welcometothememeteam]

I have received a vision while catching all the starters in the new Pokemon dlc and so it must be shared. It's time forrrrrr.....

WHICH POKEMON STARTERS EACH OF THE BALDURS GATE 3 CHARACTERS WOULD HAVE

I am basing this off the final evolutions of each starter, for example infernape instead of chimchar

1. Wyll: I believe in my heart of hearts this man would be best fucking friends with an empoleon. Not only would empoleons steal and water typing make it very effective as a shield for the week, especially against demons, but empoleons personality generally is very proud and upstanding. Like Wyll, it is proud but not prideful, not full of arrogance or superiority, but the pride of responsibility and leadership. I feel like they both represent something more than they are.

Also I think both Wyll and Empoleon are extremely cool and swag. Thats just me tho

2. Lae'zel: I think Lae'zel would love a Feraligatr, and not because of any fucking jokes about what githyanki look like! I think she would deeply appreciate the ferocity and power that feraligatr has, with its incredible bite force and powerful legs. there isn't a lot in the pokedex about its personality, but I like to imagine it as a creature with a lot of loyalty, it sticks to those it has grown close to and will fight by their side until the bitter end. I think they would "spar" (read: play fight) often, with Lae'zel trying to give it more formal training, especially since totodile is known for having little control of its incredible jaw strength. I don;t think she would like that uncontrolled strength.

3. Karlach: Karlach is the genesis of this stupid idea. I caught a tepig and thought, 'man, karlach would love an emboar' and I am fucking correct. Karlach obviously needed a fire type, and nothing suits her more perfectly than one of the Fire/Fighting types. Emboar not only fits her personality, but also her fighting stye, with its Black and white 2 pokedex entry saying "A flaring beard of fire is proof that it is fired up. It is adept at using many different moves." literally perfect for 'set my engine on fire and i am a master of killing diffderent varieties of demon' karlach. Not only that, but its original pokemon black entry has the line "It cares deeply about its friends." Emboar is Karlach the pokemon.

4: Gale: This man needs a Delphox in his life fucking immedietly for a multitude of reasons. First of all, psychic types are genrally supposed to be smarter than your average person, so hopefully another companion like tara who would be able to keep with his smart ass. Speaking of his intelligence, we all know, despite this man's vast fucking intellect, he does not have the best foresight, making decisions that seem good in the short term, but not so great long term. Delphox can fix that! According to its X entry, it can literally see the future! let this man know if fucking with strange magic will go well or not. Also, its hidden ability is magician and its basically a witch. All in all, solid companion for Gale/

5. Shadowheart: This one was a bit harder, but if we are talking about early game, still devoted to shar shadowheart, its got to be incineroar because it dont think any other starter matches incin for sheer drama value. Its literally and on fire cat that is also a pro wrestler. Also the secondary dark typing and edginess fits. If we are talking late game, Selunite shadowheart, Meganium. Maganium's whole bit is renewal and healing, giving life where it was previously taken away. The only starter that could be better at healing is primarina and that doesn't fit shadowheart as well as meganium does. I think the whole evolution line fits shadowheart pretty well as well. Starting with Chicorita, a barely sprouting flower, through Bayleef, where you can finally see the beginnings of the vibrant flower that is Meganium. I think that is somewhat mirrored in shadowhearts process of growing into herself throughout the acts, as she finds who she is without shar.

6. Astarion: I think this one was the hardest for me, but I think it has to go to Decidueye. A ghost type archer whose signiture move is about taking control the battlefield by locking their opponents down? seems to fit with Astarion pretty well. The dex entry holds pretty true as well, stating that "Although (Decidueye is) basically cool and cautious, when it’s caught by surprise, it’s seized by panic." I am unsure if Decidueye is the perfect fit for astarion but the only other one I could imagine him with is greninja, but i dont think it fits as well as decidueye.

Anyway! thats the main six. I might do additional ones later. The Shadowheart and Astarion ones are definitely the weakest, but I think they are still pretty good

[thesamoanqueen]

What does different Era of Roman mean to you? Or to better phrase it how do you see the different eras of Roman? Right from the shield to the tribal chief

The first time I saw him, he made me anxious. I'm not sure why, maybe the way he came in with Dean and Seth… Idk. However it only lasted that night and then I fell hard. I liked watching him, he was my comfort wrestler, but I had a totally different approach to him than now because he was totally different at that time and im not talking about the gimmick. He was a boy who was trying to find his way to the top and I was a girl who watched wrestling between exams, sometimes with no ongoing interest.

I still love The Shield today, they were perfect in their own way and it was clear they would go a long way, but let's face it, Roman at that time was the least ready of the three. He struggled and we could all see it , but his struggle when they separated I think was a good thing.

It was useful to give him the look of someone who wants to show that he really has strength as well as muscles and he did it with the Big Dog. He proved to have something, but not what the WWE pushed to give everyone. There were moments, when I saw in him what I always see now, the man and not the boy, but it wasn't time yet. They tried to push him too hard, to show that they were seeing well, but they created more problems than tolerable. That moment with The Rock and people booing him anyway... it was humiliating for me to watch, I can't even imagine what it was like for him.

He tried and tried, but he wasn't ready and they insisted when they should have waited, but somehow it helped him. Looking back at the Big Dog gimmick, I think that was the practical demonstration of what Roman does now, continuity. That boy was stubborn in trying and trying, just like now the Tribal Chief is tenacious in not giving up what belongs to him at any cost. They are the same person.

Some people say he was a disappointment, they say to him the same shit Cody said, that it took eight years and nothing really worked, not even admitting having leukemia. I believe instead that everything was a transposition of what Roman is now. He's grown, really grown as a person inside that ring in front of us.

We all make mistakes when we're kids, some more than others, but it's consistency that makes us better and Roman is a perfect real example of what happen when you dont run away from your problems. I grew up with him and in those phases, in his gimmicks, I see myself. I was wrong, I had bad moments, I still have, but the hope is always to be able to reach the top and let's be honest, any of us would do anything to get there and keep it just like the Tribal Chief.

Of course the time will come to give up, the time will come to look back, but it will be worth it and there will be no regrets.

[fieratheproud]

I was thinking about Absol, and just remembered how some time ago I saw a YouTube comment that was basically questioning the reason behind Absol’s dark typing (in-universe). They thought that Absol are Dark type because the people who saw Absol assumed they’re the harbingers of doom and bring about natural disasters and such, and as a result they became Dark type over time.

But what if it was the other way around? I mean, Pokémon typings are basically elemental affinities, right? If Absol were, say, Psychic type originally and was seen around places where disasters would soon strike, I feel like it’d be more likely for superstitious people to figure out that they’re trying to warn them. But it’s much easier to assume that something that has an affinity for the darkness would bring about disaster rather than attempt to prevent it or warn others, no? 

After all, we know that even if Dark type moves often use underhanded tactics (for example, Sucker Punch and Feint Attack) and many Dark types could be considered “bad” in some ways, exceptions exist. Umbreon for one, is mainly associated with the moon and night. It is also a friendship evolution, which means that for Eevee to Evolve into Umbreon it’ll need to love you, just as much as it’d need for it to become Espeon during the daytime. 

Another example I can think off of the top of my head is Incineroar, which is based on a wrestler. Specifically, it’s a heel wrestler, and professional wrestling is actually really scripted. Wrestlers are actors, and the Heels are the designated “villains”. So although Incineroar acts “evil”, it’s got a good heart. Just look at the Dex entry from Shield!

“Incineroar's rough and aggressive behavior is its most notable trait, but the way it helps out small Pokémon shows that it has a kind side as well.”

So yeah, in conclusion I think that Absol was always Dark type and it’s because of that fact that people began to believe they bring disaster in their wake. Also “Dark” in Pokémon doesn’t necessarily mean “evil”, even if the Japanese name of the type does translate to Evil. It’s just how the people in-universe view (or viewed) those pokemon.

[kjissexy1994]

WORDS OF SHAKESPEARE: The Return of a very Supa Occasion! (Special guest: Richard)

On the 19th of June 2021, my old friend, Maiwel alumni and acting veteran Richard and I went to the Supanova Comic and Gaming Convention at Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush Bay. The 2021 edition of Supanova was the first time in two years that it was held in Sydney as last year’s edition was called off due to “You Know What” alongside Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.

To implement with the health and safety protocols, the layout of the convention was more smaller and laid out to comply with physical distancing measures as well as entering via a QR Code.

When I first entered the Dome Exhibition centre seeing all of the convention goers and Cosplayers of superheroes, sci-fi and anime. I kneeled down and proclaimed “HALLELUJAH!” as many of the convention fans from NSW were starved of a taste of a full-on convention since the world went upside down early last year (Outside of the smaller edition of Oz Comic Con titled OCC POP UP which was held earlier in March of this year).

Supanova contained a teeming amount of Cosplayers from DC Comics and Marvel Superheroes, Rick and Morty, Steven Universe, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who and Power Rangers, Cosplayers from anime such as My Hero Academia, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Naruto and Disney films including Mary Poppins, Mulan and The Little Mermaid, Cosplayers from Video games including Overwatch, Pokémon, Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog and Undertale, Cosplayers from Web animations for instance including RWBY, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss as well as various furry Cosplayers and cosplays of my childhood such as Pingu. There was also a very innovative cosplay such as an attendee dressed up as a giant functional Nintendo Game Boy System! The costumes looked absolutely well designed and spot on as I asked kindly for photos!

A number of RWBY fans and Cosplayers noticed me wearing Jaune’s Pumpkin Pete Hoodie. I must admit, I’d make a pretty good Jaune cosplayer if I could get his armour, his “Crocea Mors” sword and shield and dye my hair blonde!

There was also the Cosplay stage across from The Dome where there was a competition for the very best and innovative costume, as well as seminars of the bigger name Australian celebrities.

Speaking of the celebrities, Due to the international borders being closed until either the middle of next year or when the majority of the population of Australia is vaccinated, Supanova relied heavily on home grown talent from our country for example (but not limited to) Manu Bennett, David Wenham, Josh Lawson, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Georgia Haigh, Nicholas Hamilton and frequent Supanova Attendee, John Jarratt who is famous for portraying the infamously ominous and frightening Mick Taylor from the horror movie franchise “Wolf Creek.” I still remember being scared straight to high heaven watching the movie when I was very young due to Jarratt’s portrayal of the heinous horror character next to Bill Skarsgard’s portrayal of Pennywise the clown in Stephen King’s IT Chapters one and two, but alas Jarratt was a very generous and friendly larrikin!

There was a lot of great activities to do including the “Black Widow Obstacle Course” where you had to complete a number of tasks within the time limit in order to win a prize, Star Wars Lightsaber demonstrations and tutorials and the “Battlecry” LARP (live action role playing) battle displays and demonstrations where you could fight your friend or one of the friendly Battlecry veterans such as Sammy Owen from the recent Medibank Commercial with a rubber sword or axe. This was a very great debut for my LARPING alter ego, “Boar-Head: The Sworded Brawler” and I am very interested in joining a Battlecry LARP group in the future!

There was a very colourful display of artwork, comics and prints at the Artists Alley, with various comic book artists from across Australia such as (but not limited to) Queenie Chan of Fabled Kingdom, Anthony Christou of Luminous Ages and Camillo Di Pietrantonio famous for illustrating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW comics.

The Fabulous Wonder Mama also made a guest appearance as she is a superhero representing the LGBT Community.

The Artists Alley also had tables of independent artists selling comics, prints, bookmarks and badges available. Looking at the artwork made me feel like I was at an Art Museum for the fans of pop culture!

For those who want to spend some dough, there were also stalls selling new and vintage comics and trading cards, Pop Vinyl Figures, Animation cells from cartoons and movies of yesteryear, Action figures and gaming consoles from the eighties and nineties, LGBT pride flags, rock and metal band t shirts and apparel and Plushies from Japanese anime and video game franchises such as Pokémon and Digimon. There were also games to play such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch so fellow gamers can smash their friends out of the arena! For the con-loving geeks who were hungry, Dominos had a stall selling various flavours of pizzas and garlic bread and the canteens in the Sydney Olympic Park Dome sold fish and chips, bagels, sushi and coffee. Byron Beef Jerky also had a traditional stall selling all kinds of flavours such as Teriyaki, Chilli and the infamous “Devil’s Doo-Doo!” (Not for the faint hearted!)

Whilst Supanova Comic and Gaming Con in Sydney was a fun event for the inner nerds, parts of the con had to be completely modified and or removed in order to be healthy and safe for example, the discontinuation of handing out free goodie bags containing the guidebook and map of the layout of the con and other cool things making both the map and guide digital exclusive via the Supanova Website.

Another notable absence was the Australian Wrestling Federation wrestling ring where the pro wrestlers of the aforementioned promotion would host a series of three wrestling matches per day and the wrestlers would hand out free autographs, this really kind of hurt me as a fan of pro wrestling for sixteen years but it’s better to be safe than sick. At least the Battlecry LARP displays and demos filled in its place!

For the seminars, gone are the days of staff handing the microphone to the audience for the Q&A’s as they have to lineup behind the microphone in order to ask an interesting question to the guests.

I also didn’t like how some parts of the convention was a bit squashy when you first entered, in the artist’s alley and in some of the stalls. Like I said, we are in a receding health crisis and we need to wear masks, be physically distant, wash our hands and get the much needed vaccine shot against the you know what!

All in all, Supanova had a amazing return to full flight in Sydney despite the scare earlier in the week and the lack of International guests. I was starved of a full on convention throughout the year of misery last year and as a person on the autism spectrum, cons are such an amazing way to make new friends and to show out your inner geek, nerd,fanboy or whatever via cosplaying, gaming, greeting guests, purchasing artwork and so on and so forth all in a very safe measure!

I give this year’s Supanova in Sydney a 7 out of 10. This edition was absolutely different compared to last year’s and I have strong confidence that next year’s edition in Sydney and abroad will have well known and beloved international guests back to the much loved Comic and Gaming convention next year, just in time for Supanova’s 20th birthday!

Next time I am in Sydney, I will be going to the Vivid Festival which will be in August so stay tuned for that!

Happy trails!

K.J (Kane)

[darkarfs]

My 10 Favorite WWE Matches of All Time (updated)

10: The 2001 Royal Rumble No matter how daft and stupid the product gets, I will never not stoke my head in around January. The Royal Rumble is my favorite match, but this one is my favorite favorite instance of that match. The pacing, the beautiful endurance of Kane, the hardcore interval (which Kane just decides to destroy), the Big Show returning after 4 months just to get shit-canned a minute into his run. There is so much to love about this mess. The preview of Rock and Austin that year for their Wrestlemania showdown. The fact that 4 or 5 of them (Rock, Austin, Kane, Undertaker, even Rikishi) could have been main event contenders. The best midcard in WWE history. Scotty 2 Hotty having the worst night of his life. Drew Carey just showing up. Bradshaw just cliffing everyone, because he's gotta get his shit in. Good Rumbles are like a 3 course meal, and this one is like all your courses at once, and then dessert is a treat you could die on. 9. Tyler Bate vs. WALTER - Takeover Cardiff Crowds make a lot of matches for me (thanks, 2020) but this crowd is especially electric, and for 24-year-old Tyler Bate, who is taking on a TANK, and that tank's name is WALTER, a TANK. But I will never not be a sucker for a David vs. Goliath story, and it was never better told than the boy made of thighs vs. the destroyer made of shattering palms. It is SO CARNY, so many feats of strength, so many OOOOOFS AND UUUUUURGHS that make this so great. Tyler was a hero on this night, but everyone knew he wasn't ready to win. Every feat is a magnificent reach. And it all means something to everyone. Make them what they know SHOULD happen and still surprise them with it. His "refusing to quit!" only to get shut down by a fucking chop. HE STANDS but is immediately ruined. It makes me. This shit fucking makes me. 8. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, 30-Minute Iron Woman Match - Takeover Respect Most of this is just a remix of their epic and warranted classic in Brooklyn. but then Sasha takes the headband off of Izzy. And then they both stepped it up and were *amazing*. We somehow lost Bayley's "RAAAAAH'S and that's sad for me. But then they RAMP IT UP. NOBODY LIKES YOU. FUCK YOU. WE'RE HAPPIER NOW. (WE'RE NOT.) But seriously, Sasha taking Izzy's headband and then THROWING IT AT HER started something special, something grand. THE OUTRAGE. The bastion of heel heat. And then the match got better. They hugged at the end of their encounter in Brooklyn, but then they started poisoning one another. And it all started with this amazing match. (Also, Bayley's amazing red and gold robot tights.) 7. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, Wrestlemania 21 Listen. HBK's 'Mania outings with the Undertaker are solid "match of the decade" contenders, piss-easy. They are peerless, they are in a league of their own. But saying they're your favorite? Unless you are an actual wrestler, that's like saying "UH, MY FAVE BAND IS THE BEATLES." Ya boring, ya basic, and we can all do better. And seeing how I'm in my late 30s, I understand wrestling a little different than I did when I made this list in...2016??? Christ. I bet AJ Styles vs. John Cena was on it that year. Two of the best performers, both in their prime, and looking back on it, I just prefer the mix of character dynamics at play. Angle is easily one of the best in the world, but he has such an inferiority complex, because he's an Olympic gold medalist who is told *nightly* that he sucks, and he CAN'T best Michaels. He keeps coming back, and he's so charming, so effortlessly good at this whole "wrestling" thing, and it's slowly making Angle, who SHOULD be all of those things, absolutely *spare.* And that informs so many spots and story moments in the match itself, specifically when Angle LOSES it and starts shouting at him, only to have a superkick partied under his face. Angle is one of the best ever because his wrestling acumen served his character, never once defined it. 6. Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon, Wrestlemania 17 I haven't gone back to watch the whole of Vince vs. Shane THAT many times. What I have done is watch the finish about 65 times. There is something so addictive and magical about that one pop, when Linda stands up from her chair, and the ENTIRE crowd stands with her. And I'll 100% agree that Vince's comeuppance - one slap, one hoof to the balls, a Mandible Claw and a Coast-To-Coast dropkick - is not NEAR the actual comeuppance he should have gotten for some of the deplorable shit his character got up to from around the Rumble to this match (two of which they've done their very best to scrub from history, they're THAT bad.) But it's the purest example I can think of, of that pantomime aspect of wrestling. Vince McMahon is a deranged bastard. He likes dumb, cruel, crude things, but his commitment to being the world's 2nd-worst lizard man makes some of the stuff that happens to him more richly rewarding than almost any retribution in any medium, ever. The final 4 minutes of that match, the crowd is a fireworks display. They rise, they explode, they rise and explode, over and over. And again, shoutout to my boy 2020 for making me miss a crowd THAT big having THAT good a time. 5. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano - 2 out of 3 falls - TakeOver New York Now look, I'm not saying that NXT is essentially perfect for me, in terms for what I look for in wrestling. What I will say is that when it cooks, it combines the very best of indie stamina, choreography and stunt work with something WWE sometimes gets VERY right, and that is unabashed, unironic emotion. And it's not even that the intimacy of NXT being a smaller promotion has a denser, more specifically passionate fanbase. It's just the fact that NXT understands that so often, nuance and drama in wrestling doesn't come from promos, or swerves, or endless escalations of said drama, but from getting the FUCK out of the way and letting two of the best in the world *wrestle.* NXT is so good for providing context for the acts of jealousy, pride and entitlement, and then laying out a match that touches on all of these emotions throughout. This main event, built in two weeks, after a terribly-timed Ciampa injury, is actually VERRRY clever booking...disguised to look really simple. Cole starts the match as the crowd favorite, because he's the cool tweener everyone likes (with a catchphrase) to Gargano's unironic Disney prince. Over the course of Cole going all out, making subtle references to Johnny's feud with Ciampa, Gargano fighting from underneath, total fuck-off bastardry from the Undisputed Era (making poor Mauro Ranallo yell "YOU SNAKES!!") Maybe Cole WAS the better choice, but by the end of it, you didn't care. On that night, Johnny refused to lose, and the constant, exciting, *involving* wrestling dragged you to that emotional place. Damn right, you deserve it. 4. CM Punk vs. John Cena, Money In the Bank 2011 It might be a simple choice, but also, sometimes, it's really really gratifying to see a crowd who wants something get what they fucking want for once. A hot crowd makes a good match great, and a great match THIS. A crowd united, either for one guy, and against another, and in this case, BOTH. It makes every. Move. Matter. Trying to find a new angle on this match is like trying to find a new way to say fire is warm. And this crowd created a CAUSE. The no-sold pinfall, the attempted rehash of the Screwjob. Point out the botches if you must. The angle, the promo...it got my friends back into wrestling, a reason to care until the Shield. It's not the best, but it deserves to be. There is no wrestling crowd I wish I was more a part of. And I was at King of the Ring 1998. 3. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, 60-Minute Iron Man match, Smackdown of September 18, 2003 It MAYBE was a bit of a "hipster" choice to name this my number 1 in 2016. But you know what? Bloody holds up. Two performers who feel "destined to do this forever," like a Triple H/Shawn Michaels, or a Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn. Possessed of freakish physical charisma, could go for days if pressed. Brock Lesnar, literally at the time ONE OF THE BEST ATHLETES in the WORLD being a lazy fucker and taking DQ points, laying the foundation of what Brock Lesnar would come to be known as. And Angle, in that rare position of everyone knowing he's the best thing going. Brilliant Lazy Asshole Brock and Certified Wrestling Machine Angle are two of my unironic favorite characters in all of wrestling, and it's a buffet of THAT. Like a Royal Rumble, only it's just two dudes, being the best they've ever been. 2. DIY vs. the Revival - 2 out of 3 falls - TakeOver Toronto "Tag team wrestling?" says main roster WWE. "What is this...tag team wrestling?" Well, this is it, at its absolute best. It's up there with Rey Mysterio and Edge vs. Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle from No Mercy 2002 for just brilliant, rock-solid tag team psychology. There are more story opportunities when there are more rules to break, how can WWE *not get behind that?* In terms of chemistry, both between opponents and between teams, in terms of callbacks like Johnny muscling through the exact same inverted figure four that lost them the belts in Brooklyn. It is a perfect match. Not an ounce of fat on it. And that closing sequence, of each member of DIY locking the Revival in their signature holds, and the men now known as FTR clinging to one another. It's probably the best tag match in the history of the WWE, and considering the caliber of tag matches on TakeOvers, is FUCKING saying something. 1. Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar, Survivor Series 2018 This match is everything I always hoped for. For the longest time, after the 2015 Royal Rumble debacle, when Reigns won, when simply everything we knew about storytelling said "no, of course it should be Bryan," I wondered what that 'Mania match would look like. If it were anything like this, I would have died a happy man. But then again, what makes this match so GOOD is that Bryan had just come back from an early retirement caused by head and neck surgery, and here he is, being dropped on his head and neck by Brock Fucking Lesnar, aka what would happen if the concept of "not giving a shit" gained corporeal form and starting shilling for Jimmy John's. The match gets really ugly, really fast, and Bryan takes us to uncomfortable places with his selling. It wasn't just the retirement angle, it was also the fact that Brock had turned out some REALLY lazy shit by that point in his career, so we had all mentally prepared for another finish-spamming early night. And then. AND THEN... Bryan hoofs him in the walnuts, hits the running knee, gives us the absolute closest 2-count of the decade, and then the fight is fucking on. Bryan went, over the course of 2 minutes, from never having a chance against Brock Lesnar to it being an *absolute certainty* that he was going to BEAT BROCK LESNAR. Anytime you visibly leave your seat every few seconds during a match, you know it's a special one. Again, it took me away, had me absolutely *screaming* at my monitor, elated, invested, and I don't know what more your favorite match can ask of you. But what happens when your favorite match isn't a match at all? No. 0: The Firefly Funhouse - Wrestlemania 36 I'm not kidding, it actually might be my favorite thing. It could be just my brain latching onto the Cult of the New, but I don't think so. It's not a match, I get it. It exists in a weird null-void outside of time and space, but mostly I am floored that they would broadcast something so virulently anti-WWE. Like, we talk of CM Punk and how WWE let him get away with all his little jokes and cut his little Pipebomb promo. But then WWE signed off on Bray Wyatt tearing the soul out of their business. Burying the biggest star of this generation, skewering and laying bare all of terrible WWE's terrible priorities, and also celebrating insider knowledge, wrestling history, and I just...love it. Right now, it's my favorite thing WWE have ever put out, because it did something they've never done before, told a story I didn't think they were capable of telling. And sure, it was Bray who told it, but I still can't believe it aired. But I am endlessly thankful that it did.

[lentaska]

Parenthood Part Two - end

Notes: First person POV, OFC. Sorry this chater is little bit long, I wanna finish the story in one time and start the war-setting story. English is my second language, I apologize for any grammar/wording mistake. This is a work of fan fiction using characters from wrestling, I do not claim any ownership over them.

@thecristsandcallihanmadness @monstersmaid

It could be very difficult for Hanna to understand why I adopted her - she might not even understand the definition of “adoption”, so I put it in more mild way, hoping the truth would not push her away from me.

The little girl was upset for a while, then she looked at me in hesitation, “but... are you still my mom?”

“Yes sweetie, you’re always my daughter.”

I was astonished to witness how well she accepted the reality. It’s possibly because she was only two months when I adopted her and had almost no memory of her birth parents.

“Why did another mom leave me? Does she... not like me?”

“Sweetheart, listen, you are her treasure and everything, but she had lots of things to deal with and we both agreed that I should take care of you.”

The next question was trigger to my anger, “do I have a dad? Where is he?”

Of course she would ask. She’s a child who just learned the person she called “mom” was not her birth mother, the next thing to ask about was birth father for sure. I didn’t want to answer it, because anything about Hanna’s birth father was forbidden in this household.

Sensed my emotional change, Sami gasped my hand and took over the conversation, “He’s aboard and won’t be able to come back.”

I eyed him in disapproval, but this was the best lie we could come up now.

“Can I see another mom?” Hanna asked gingerly.

“Sure but not now. It’s late and you have school tomorrow.”

Sami added, “and we will pick you up after school with your favorite uncle David.”

The little girl’s face lightened up.

I was relieved that he didn’t mention “uncle David’s ‘good friend’” this time.

“You wanna come with us tomorrow?” asked Sami in full expectation.

“Absolutely. I’m not getting another call from the teacher asking if a group of tattooed wrestlers have my permission to drive Hanna home.”

“Don’t make it sound bad. You saw how crazy those boys went, they love us.”

By the way, besides to overawe the bullies, Sami and his friends signed for some boys who were wrestling fans. The consequence was, Hanna soon was surrounded by oVe-wanna-be - Sami referred them as “the future of wrestling” - boys who screamed random wrestling techniques.

I warned Sami, “no signing session at school this time.”

Shrugged, he said, “but Hanna liked it. Am I right?”

Hanna nodded with big grin, then she went to her bedroom and returned with a diary, handed to Sami, “can you sign for me too?”

“Everything for the princess.”

What happened next was out of my expectation.

Hanna climbed over on me and whispered to my ears, “is Sami going to be my dad?”

I choked on my drink.

“You ok?” asked the wrestler. Clearly he didn’t hear what Hanna just said.

I prevaricated, “yeh kind of... I think...”

“You are blushing.” pointed out by Sami, smirking.

He figured it out.

“Sweetie, mommy is going to have another serious conversation with Sami. You go to sleep, ok?”

The little girl kissed good night on my cheek.

Gazed after her figure for a while to make sure she went upstairs, Sami turned to me, I could see the cocky smile he tried to hold back.

“Just stop.” I got up from the couch and headed to kitchen, followed by his voice: “I didn’t do anything!”

Filled myself a glass of wine, I leaned against the countertop.

Hanna had close relationship with Sami, despite how often he said “uncle David was her favorite”. Sami spent as much time as he could to be with her and build parenthood. He did countless things for her, even some of them were embarrassing, for example, tea party with Hanna’s imaginary friends when she’s four. I had to admit, it was the most awkward moment in my life to witness a tattooed and muscular badass wrestler sitting among stuff toys with a pink teacup toy between fingers. I was surprised to learn that Sami was the only person Hanna invited to her “tea party”.

The thought of them being father and daughter did occur to me. It was like bud from a seed left behind, burgeoned out and grew strong. It’s difficult to resist, not only because Sami and I had known each other for years, but also that Hanna needed a father figure as fact. But I couldn’t be selfish.

A pair of arm wrapped around my waist, Sami rested his head on my shoulder, “I know how independent you are, but you can use support.”

“It’s not fair. You have no responsibility in this.”

“Hanna was not your responsibility too at very first place, but you took her in. ”

“You can call it destiny. The moment I saw her swaddled in fabric, I knew that I’d be part of her life. Besides, her grandparents wanted nothing to do with her, which I understand.” I said bitterly, forcing myself to make allowances for Hanna’s grandparents.

No parents could accept a grandchild who was the result of their own daughter being abducted and raped at age of 16. My best friend - Hanna’s birth mother - had overcome hardship to give birth of her, I would never give up on her.

“I’ve made up my mind, and it’s not because I feel pity or try to be nice. I love this child, to be part of her life is not only your destiny, it’s mine too.” Sami looked right into my eyes, it’s rare to see him so determined.

To make a decision was difficult, I felt like being stuck between two walls and didn’t know to which direction to move, I was glad to hear Sami’s words, but the positive emotion was soon muffled by an uprush of guilt. “Give me a break.” I said, “Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

Nodded, he pressed a kiss on me, “good night.”

 When oVe showed up, I felt a twitch in stomach.

Kids went wild - for different reasons - the moment they saw the four wrestlers, some pointed at Sami and his “Callihan cult” with shock in eyes, some immediately walked towards different direction, there were even few kids almost cried out when Fulton looked at them.

“Why did they run away?” asked the over-two-meter giant, confused. Clearly he had no idea how overwhelming his aura was to primary school kids.

Shrugged, David Crist answered, “they’re probably late for dinner.”

“I think they just wanna go home to do schoolwork.” another Crist, Jake, joined the topic of “why kids run away when seeing us” and didn’t give any contributory answer.

“No they are running home for TV shows.” said Sami in “I’ve been through this” tone, “the Power Ranger is on...”

I had to turned my focus to something out before I let the cruel fact of “kids were scared of you guys” out. We waited for another five minutes and finally saw Hanna walking out of the building. I wave at her, but what happened next froze my blood.

A boy pulled her hair from behind and pushed her so hard that she almost fell to ground. “Weirdo with no dad!” the boy laughed.

Before I ran to Hanna, Sami already took the move. He rushed out and blocked in front of Hanna like a shield, gnashed ferociously, “What the fuck did you call her?! Were you one of them who put nails in her shoes? Tell your fucking friends, do it again and you’re all in trouble, you hear me?!”

“Hey it’s enough.” I grabbed his hand, “I don’t want you to get trouble.”

The boy ran like a hare in hunting game and didn’t dare to look back. I was pretty sure that he’d never bully Hanna again.

“You ok?” Sami asked Hanna.

The little girl nodded and beamed at him. When she got a glimpse of the other three wrestlers, all unpleasantness was left behind, she ran to them, “Uncle David!” David picked Hanna up and zoom her like an airplane, which caused her giggling. She hugged Jake and Fulton as tight as she could, then held David’s hand, announced proudly, “I got full score in math quiz today!”

Looking at the three tattooed wrestler applauded and shouted for joy for Hanna’s achievement, I couldn’t help feeling so blessed to have them in her life as family and friends.

“Told you her favorite is David.” Sami sighed.

“Are you jealous?”

“Kind of... I’m learning to be her parent, of course I wanna be the favorite. Speaking of which, what do you think?”

Took a deep breath, I decided to share my worries with him, “I feel guilty to think about you being her father, I don’t want you to sacrifice your life and career...”

Sami cut me off, “no need to be guilty, because I think it’s one of the best decisions in my life. For career, c’mon, I ain’t gonna be the only wrestle with child. You made sacrifice, I can do the same.”

“Sami, it’s not for five or ten years, it’s life-long decision,”

“I know it’s a permanent thing and I mean it, you won’t know the result unless you go for it, right? I just need to learn more but guess what, I bought books already.”

My eyes widened, “did you buy parenting books on Amazon?”

The black-haired wrestler looked so proud of himself, “they’ll be here tomorrow.”

I chuckled, “it’s gonna take you a while to finish all.”

“So?” he grasped my hand, asked.

“I still have worries, it’s not going to disappear unless I make move like you said.” I looked into his eyes, “let’s try it.”

Smile grew on his face, “we will work this out together.”

[reignmyworld]

When you think that it can’t get worse...

... then there is WWE and apparently proves you wrong. Granted, I don’t know how valid that is but as I was just browsing for some wrestling news I stumbled over the following articles on wrestlinginc.com and wrestlingnews.co:

“Roman Reigns' Leukemia Battle To Be Used More During Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose Feud 

Last night's WWE RAW saw Dean Ambrose make a reference to Roman Reigns' leukemia battle during a promo aimed at at WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins. Ambrose stated that Reigns is having to answer to God because of what they did as The Shield.

"We're all gonna get what we deserve," Ambrose said. "I mean look at Roman. For Roman's part and what Roman did in The Shield, he has to answer to the man upstairs. But what's worse, is you have to answer to me."

Despite the criticism from fans online, you can expect Reigns' leukemia battle to be used more during the Ambrose vs. Rollins feud. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that a decision was made to continue to use the Reigns' situation during the feud, but there's no word yet on how often it will be brought up.

Ambrose vs. Rollins for the title is set for the WWE TLC pay-per-view on December 16. Reigns recently started undergoing treatments for leukemia. WWE is keeping quiet on Reigns' condition, but will apparently exploit the situation while they can.”

(Source: wrestlinginc .com/news/2018/11/roman-reigns-leukemia-battle-to-be-used-more-during-seth-648046/)

“ WWE plans on more Roman Reigns leukemia references for Dean Ambrose-Seth Rollins feud

Many fans reacted negatively on social media after Dean Ambrose’s promo on Raw where he mentioned how Roman Reigns would have to answer to the man upstairs (God).

If you are a younger fan then you might be shocked at WWE using Reigns’ leukemia diagnosis as part of the Shield break-up feud but older fans have seen things like this for years.

One of the most distasteful angles in WWE history is when they scripted Randy Orton to tell Rey Mysterio that Eddie Guerrero is in hell. This was not long after Guerrero had passed away. Many wrestlers, including Orton, were not happy about the line but he did his job as was asked of him.

Dave Meltzer noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio that this is not the end of the exploitation and there are plans to continue using Reigns name as a way to get more heat on Ambrose.

The writers oftentimes get the blame from the fans but the fact is that all of this has to get filtered through Vince McMahon and most of the crude stuff you see (for example, Drake Maverick peeing himself and the dismemberment line) comes from Vince.”

(Source: wrestlingnews .co/wwe-news/wwe-plans-on-more-roman-reigns-leukemia-references-for-dean-ambrose-seth-rollins-feud/)

Just in advance: I really don’t want to jump to conclusions right now or take this article for granted / for the truth/ believe it 100% percent as of now although to me it seems to be extremely possible.

But (and that’s one huge BUT)... if this should turn out to be indeed true, I’m disgusted and even more speechless than I have been after Monday. I mean, there has already been said so much with regard to that topic and yet it’s still making my blood boil.

Should this be indeed true and should Vince think that it is a good idea to extend that storyline even more, maybe even forcing Dean to say even nastier remarks than he already had to, then this company would have reached an even lower level than I could have ever imagined that they could sink to.

Once again, using a real life sickness, that could result in death as a cheap way to gain heel heat/ use heel momentum, to increase ratings, whatever the damn reason may be, is just vile. We’re not talking about a broken leg or broken arm here, that hurts as of now but will go back to normal. We are talking about one of the deadliest diseases in existence.

Using the battle of a father, husband, son, cousin, uncle, friend for his life in such a poor and twisted way is all kinds of wrong. I don’t even want to imagine how his family/ friends must feel, seeing how sick to our stomaches it already makes us fans. And I don’t want to imagine how Joe must feel in that situation as I’m not believing that he has given his consent to any of this.

Just imagine it... You are sitting at home, battling cancer, that you are aware of has maybe come back more aggressive than it was the first time, is probably heavier to beat the second time as it often is, have to calm down your kids, that probably ask you whether you are leaving them, have to tell yourself that everything will be alright in the end, feel the fear of your loved ones, even if they do their best to hide it to support you the best they could. You are receiving messages, phone calls, visits from family members and friends quite alike telling you that you got this, telling you that you will make it, that they include you in their prayers, among them surely Jon and Colby, those guys that you have spent so much time with, even more than with your own family so that one of them even started calling you “road wife”. And then you have to learn either by watching the episode or even more likely by being informed by them in advance, what storyline they are forced to follow, what Jon is forced to say. What then? Are you trying to calm them? Tell them that they are just doing what they are told and that it is alright? That they should just go with it as they have no say but at the same time it cuts like a knife, knowing that your biggest personal fight is exploited in such a cheap way by your boss? That your best friend is forced to say on live television for the whole world to hear that you deserved what you got, knowing how much those lines must pain him as you know that just hours ago he wanted his usual update? Wanted to make sure that you are doing alright and that everything is going according to plan? Maybe you even have to think of those terminally ill kids, that sent you their most positive thoughts in a heartbreaking video weeks ago, telling you that you are their hero while battling for their own lives, trying to somehow process now how they must feel when hearing that their hero, that is fighting the same battle like they are, got what he deserved and has to answer for his actions to the man upstairs, whatever terrible actions that must have been as you had been potrayed as the Shield member, that always had the other two’s back, that never let them down, never held a grudge, basically always were the loyal friend one could ask for?

Personally, I don’t want to know how Joe Anoa’i must feel with that storyline, just as I don’t want to know how Colby Lopez and Jonathan Good must feel with it.

I don’t even know what I’m feeling. I’m mad, I’m disgusted, I’m in disbelief and yet all of those emotions aren’t enough at all to describe the state of mind I’m in, the emotions, that are battling for dominance inside of me.

How can anyone in the world think that it would be okay to bring a real life battle into a storyline? How in the hell can anyone think of it being proclaimed as a “you get what you deserve” kind of thing instead of (if they indeed have to use it) use it in order to spread awareness, in order to spread a message of “no matter how tough it can get, you can make it, you got this, you can beat this”, sending out the right signal to anyone fighting their own battle? How can anyone even think of that/ come up with nasty comments like that?

It makes me sad to read that a company, that has such a huge target group, a company, that has written on its banners to support fight against cancer, to grant wishes to terminally ill kids by meeting their idols, that a company like that is lead by a person, that is apparently driven by money only. And it makes me mad that Jon and Colby are used in such a disgusting way, having to mention one of their best friends again and again, being forced to say such nasty things, probably being disgusted/ heartbroken by it just as much as we are.

I really hope that they won’t go that step, that they won’t push the boundary, that they have already overstept, even further, but to be honest... My hopes aren’t exactly high.

I’m not even able to somehow arrange my thoughts and write a deep and meaningful text as there is so much I would like to adress but I simply can’t find the right words.

[bisexualgaledekarios]

Hello! There are some troubles with tag tems in WWE. They can’t properly handle tag teams of 2 (+ do things by creating team just by combining two independent/solo competitors). They fail to work with tag teams of 3 (beside the SHIELD and the New Day). I’m so afraid for the Undisputed Era. I really want them to be together as they now. What do you think about it? I want to know your opinion, it's important. :)

The main roster handles a lot of things poorly, and the tag team division is a huge example of that. It’s reportedly because Vince dislikes or doesn’t “understand” tag team wrestling and so I think it’s just..... not a priority to them? Which is a tragedy because tag team wrestling is SO GOOD. It has such an emotional side to it, the connection between two (or three, or more) wrestlers on a team working together to do their best, to give their everything and win the match. I love it. 

Another big issue that impacts on tag team wrestling is that the main roster focuses so much on the ‘entertainment’ aspect of the show, rather than the wrestling aspect. And for people who are in that hardcore fan category (i.e. nxt fans), it’s not what we want to see. We’re watching for the wrestling, and so we’re baffled by the constant misuse of tag teams like The Revival, who are incredibly talented but obviously aren’t what Vince wants to see. 

I hate the way they’re always turning two random singles competitors into a team (who are then somehow better than most of the established tag teams??) just because creative doesn’t have anything better for them. It’s lazy. 

Another huge part of the problem is that the focus is only on a few people or a few teams at a time. That’s true of any wrestling promotion - you can’t have everyone at the top and winning every match all the time. But it feels like the main roster fails to build up anyone except for a few people or teams. Like you said, it’s been all about the Shield and The New Day (as well as the Usos and The Bar) for a LONG time. And yes, all of those teams are very, very talented. But it’s boring to see them constantly having the same two or three teams feuding over the titles. 

I’m afraid for Undisputed Era too. I’d love for them to stay in NXT forever, but that’s not realistic and it’s not fair on them. They have goals they want to achieve in wrestling, and I’m sure that includes Wrestlemania and I would never want to keep them from that. I just selfishly worry that they’ll never be treated as well as they deserve to be, especially with Vince still in charge. 

I don’t want Bobby and Kyle stuck in 8-10 minute multi-team matches on the kickoff show, with a lack of direction and story. They (and most of the tag division) deserve better. They deserve dedicated feuds, decent matches where they can truly show their talent. I don’t want Roddy stuck in meaningless mid-card matches, where he has the same match week after week on tv until we’re so sick of it we’d rather tun the show off than watch him. Right now, I think Adam is probably the only one of the four with a decent chance of doing well on the main roster. And even that is debatable, depending on where he ends up and who else is on the brand with him. 

The main roster has a plethora of issues that need to be addressed, and the treatment of their tag team division is just one of them. It’s not all completely awful, and I definitely don’t watch just to complain and be negative. There are parts that I truly enjoy! But there’s nothing wrong with being critical of the shows and discussing what we want to see done differently and better. 

[wrestlemethis]

Thoughts on RAW

Well that was certainly a lot better than the last couple of weeks. If Finn was there, it would have been even better but hopefully he’s resting up so he can still be at TLC.

1. The opening segment was fire. So much truth was dropped by Seth. If this means the WWE is going to actual change things, it’s even better. I’m happy they acknowledged it but things still need to change. They’re definitely laying the foundation for a possible long story feud for Seth and the authority/Drew/Brock. It will be even better if Finn joins him since Finn was the hero last week. Team Ballins for RAW saviors! It was like Seth was reading twitter and tumblr posts.

2. Bobby and Chad beat AoP for the titles! I have no clue how AoP reacts to their manager losing them the titles or how AoP gets built back up into a behemoth tag team after such a ridiculous run but hopefully this means some entertaining matches with Bobby and Chad as champs.

3. The whole Nattie/Ruby promo bit was weird. It worked in some ways. Ruby looks like a great heel and her promo skills are a lot better than Nia Jax’s. With Alexa as the Women’s GM, this would be the perfect time to really establish the Riott Squad as the top Women’s heel faction. Actually, it’s a great time to reset the whole division.

4. The Dolph/Drew match was good. Both are good wrestlers and they got to showcase it. I hope Dolph can at least somehow stay at the mid card level instead of disappearing. It sucks that he can put on good matches then gets forgotten. I like that Drew is getting to work with guys who can help build him up as a threat. If he’d gone right into a program with Braun, I’m not sure what the match quality there would have been. Guys like Seth, Finn, and Dolph can really sell Drew. Also kind of wonder if they set this up just in case Finn’s still too sick at TLC. They can throw Dolph in there instead.

5. Bayley/Alicia seemed more of a way to let everyone know Apollo Crews has replaced Finn than being an actual match. Most of the cool spots were done outside the ring by people not actually in the match. Sasha wore a Bayley shirt, much like Seth wore a Dean shirt before Dean turned on him....

6. Dean’s promo and his part of the feud with Seth makes me very nervous about his place on the card after TLC. This is a feud that should feel like it has high stakes but with them rewriting Dean’s character and motivation so many times and them setting Seth up to be the top anti-authority guy, it feels like a one match feud. They can still save it by having Dean have deeper motivations than he’s shared instead of the ones that feel like he’s been stalking anti-Seth posts(or really anti-Roman posts and using Seth instead). The whole “he always had to be the star and he stepped on me/used me to do it” runs the risk of coming off as more jealously and whiny than tough heel talk because we all know they’ll never have Dean give examples that would risk making the heel look in the right and the babyface look bad. 

7. Another thing that worries me about Dean is that they’ve done nothing to hint at feuds for him after Seth. His heel turn motivation so far is all Shield/Seth based so unless they have him start going after babyfaces who used to be heels because his moral compass insists they pay for the bad they did as heels. So many of the bigger names are already involved in feuds so if Seth is pushed more into the anti-authority top face role, Dean risks getting lost in the mid card. Of course he’d still put on great matches. If Seth does drop the IC title to Dean and move on to the UC, there’s story lines they can do with that but I worry that after the constant changes to Dean’s character and the lackluster turn, there’s a risk of a less than great IC run for Dean and that might hurt his standing in the company’s eyes.

8. If they are pushing ahead with Seth as their main guy(good decision), give the guy some time off before the run to Wrestlemania. Please for the love of everything do not burn out Seth Rollins.

9. I always expect Elias to be the most interesting thing about any segment he’s in but conflicted Heath stole the show in the Elias/Lio Rush match. And bonus, Bobby didn’t show us his ass.

10. Nia Jax really needs to learn how to speak into a mic. No more screaming! 

11. The Corbin/Seth match was good. I’m glad we got to see Seth in a TLC match but it should have been against Dean. It still makes zero sense that their match has no stipulation unless they’re going to add one in at the last minute.The storytelling in this match was great, there were some great big spots for a TV match, and more conflicted Heath. It actually felt like Seth could lose the title. The set up is there for potential story lines with Corbin winning at TLC and using Heath as a ref to make Seth’s life miserable, like he promised he would, and giving us the angle of the babyface overcoming the evil authority. Even if Corbin loses and is replaced with a more face friendly GM, they still have Seth wanting the UC back on RAW full time.

12. The show did a great job at setting up a lot of post New Year story lines but the big question is will they actually follow through on any of them.

[lordmo]

a while back I tried to think of the martial arts traditions of Africa, but more importantly I tried to think about how bullshit it was that there are rarely fighting game characters from the entire African continent who have a country of origin going further than “Africa.” So I tried to work with what I knew and a bit of research. Please excuse many of them being half-baked and a few having uncertain countries of origin, this was a bit of a thought exercise for my lilywhite ass.

FELIPE

Country: Angola

Style: Capoeira

Spear-bald short happy-go-lucky dude. He’s here to have a good time and promote his martial art. His cheery demeanor can almost be too much at times, and he can be kind of shockingly aggressive with the self-promotion.

KINIROSUMA

Country: Egypt

Style: Sumo

Went on a losing streak in a Natsu Basho (Nagoya?), wants to show that he’s just as strong as ever. Accompanied by his Mongolian or Japanese tourist friend, who is perpetually taking photographs of everything. A total nod to Osunaarashi, though I don’t know any tactful way to say “he lost a tournament because he was fasting during the training period due to his religious beliefs.”

MUGISA

Country: Uganda

Style: Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu

Super-excitable filmmaker with a gung-ho spirit. Wants to scout out people for his movies.

basis: the Wakaliwood film movement

(THE GREAT) POWER KAT

Country: South Africa

Style: Pro Wrestling

Pocket powerhouse of a woman, modeled a bit after Rosa Negra. Admittedly fits a bit into the “pro wrestler��� archetype, meaning she’s in it just to be in the chase for the title.

FANIQUE

Country: Nigeria

Style: Dambe

Tall, thin, she’s either bald or has super-short chopped-off thick braids. Wears jeans or camo pants cut into shorts. She’s a cocky “are you tough enough” type fighter, basically Adon. 

Since Dambe has a weird sort of “fencing” type setup, her moves revolve around using her lead hand (the “shield”) to push and prod while she steps in for large strikes from her rear hand (the “spear”)

MASSAMBA

Country: Senegal

Style: Njom/Laamb (Senegalese wrestling)

Silent giant who dresses flashy and hits like a truck, but does all of his talking through his even flashier manager. Motivation unknown, ‘coz he don’t speak much. Has some design elements borrowed from ritual Simb dancers.

NAJUMA

Country: Kenya

Style: Kyokushin Karate

Old woman who wants to set an example to children. She started taking karate lessons for self-defense, but has become a battle-hardened old broad that would make Mas Oyama proud with her morning exercises. 

basis: http://www.realclearlife.com/adventure/meet-karate-grandmothers-kenyas-korogocho-slum/#1

OMAR

Country: Burkina Faso or Togo (I haven’t done enough research) Style: Lutte Traditional

Older gentleman, dressed colorfully and casually, with a hat and open shirt. A laugher and a bit of a trickster, he’s got some sly grapples and counters. Has a “crawl through the legs” scuttle and a surprisingly-fast ankle pick. He’s fighting because, well… he’s bored. Omar wins through frustration.

LUTALO

Country: Uganda

Style: Boxing

Well-dressed and proper guy who can be pretty smug sometimes. He carries himself big and looks big, but he’s not actually that huge.

TAU

Country: Botswana

Style: Self-taught (based largely on Hung Gar Kung Fu)

Hardcore heavy metal badass, repping a particular heavy metal band. Stoic (largely thanks to their huge sunglasses) and wielding large studded adornments on their wrists, have picked up most of their technique from kung-fu movie bootlegs. “Tau”is a male name, I think, but this is by no means gender specific. This character being a woman would be fucking rad.

inspiration: https://www.kidsofdada.com/blogs/magazine/16679157-meet-botswanas-heavy-metal-cowboys

TEKLE

Country: Eritrea

Style: Testa

Like literally all I know about Testa is that it exists, it’s related to capoeira, and it uses headbutts and that’s all I’ve known for years. My first instinct is to have him (her?) be a crazed “HELL YEAH” type “doing manly things just because I can” character but I don’t know enough about Eritrea or its culture or the martial art to say any better!

SANDAGA

Country: DRC

Style: Masaragbe

The final boss. His name and style are rougher than anything else, and DRC is just an approximation of where he’d operate out of. Sandaga is a mythological sort of man, a musclebound ascetic living off of the land and patterning his own homemade fighting style off of the native animals - in this case, the rhino. Sandaga focuses on using his fists to “impale” his opponents, with heavy step-ins and low-swooping, “digging” motions

ah damn I didn’t do anything with the dandies of the Congo. Whoops!

[lambchopviking]

The decisive one himself Roman Reigns.

BIG DOG

y’know what’s funny? i think roman is by far the best worker out of the shield guys. i remember i caught a lot of shit years ago for saying that he was better than dean, but i mean. lol. i think dean is really weak on offense and seth doesn’t have the same level of psychology, in my personal opinion. 

he’s a really, really good wrestler. shit, he’s great. he gets a lot of shit thrown at him from a lot of people, and i don’t envy his position at all. the backlash he’s gotten, especially the threats of violence against himself and his family is completely unacceptable, disturbing, and unwarranted. 

he’s just a really obvious example of how wrestling fans don’t want to let go of their initial reception of someone’s in ring work; a lot of people refuse to see how much he’s improved. i think some things about his presentation have been off at times, but he’s where he is for a reason. he’s a very marketable guy, one way or the other. a little like someone else i know. 

[zolganif]

Okay, so I promised myself I would stay out of the current drama going on in the wrestling fandom. What basically people are saying about "Dean stans". About them being hypocritical.

Well, first off, I'm not taking any sides here. So anyone whose saying that so and so are wrong, don't try to convince me. I can understand where both sides are coming from. I just think its stupid how fans who think the ones who are Dean fans are wrong, because they feel its disrespectful to him that they have Seth tag teaming with Jason Jordan, than winning the tag belts. Calling them ignorant for feeling this way about what happened on Raw this past Monday.

Now, in a way, I don't think WWE is being disrespectful to Dean by doing this. Having Seth tag team with Jason to get him over with the fans. Honestly though, I think something else can be done to get him over with fans, its just that he's stuck in this shitty storyline being Kurt Angle's son. That's not going so well. I don't know what to think of Seth and him being a tag team. Just going to have to see how this goes. I would rather see a good feud between Seth and Roman, because it seems they still got shit they need to work on between themselves. Anyway, I don't feel that Dean is being replaced by these two tag teaming together. Now, say if they were going to have him take his place in the Shield...Ugh. No! No thanks. I don't like the idea of that, period. To me the Shield will be only just the original three members. Not *insert random superstars name*. And even if they did that, it wouldn't look right...I can't picture Jason being a replacement for Dean in the Shield. Just doesn't fit his character. To me that it doesn't.

Next, someone called Dean a 'special snowflake'. How is he exactly? Just because of what fans are saying? Well, sorry that us "Dean stans" feel that he is being replaced, disrespected, feeling that him being a grand slam champion is overlooked and not worth mentioning just as much as Roman's, that his character is just not serious enough, always being treated like a joke.

Also, someone else said: "Oh, Dean lost another match. Watch the fan girls start complaining." Okay, first of all fuck you very much for saying that. Have a gold medal for being such a bitch.

But no, seriously...its not him losing, its just that ever since the Shield reunion, it seemed that they were trying to make Dean look more like the weak link of Shield. I don't know how to explain it right now, but it just seemed that way to me. And that match he had with Samoa Joe, it could have gone way fucking better. I'm sure he could have easily won against him, or put up a better fight than what we seen that night.

You know, I'm just so tired of some of you fans who call us Dean fans ignorant or crazy. Whatever you say. We have a right to defend him without being called all of this stuff, or see what you all say about us. I don't call, for example, Roman fans crazy for defending him, because they have a right too also. And plus, I do agree with what they say about Roman. He doesn't deserve all the hate that he gets. I just think its dumb how people will give you shit, just for defending or believing that a WWE superstar, like Dean Ambrose, deserves better than what he gets.

Anyway...now about what people are saying that Roman was basically being replaced when they had Kurt Angle, Triple H in Shield gear over these past few months.

Well, with Kurt Angle, Dean and Seth needed a new member for their team at the last minute pretty much. And during that whole match, it felt like they were giving respect to Roman by doing certain things. So, in a way it felt like his presence was still there.

As for Triple H in Shield gear at that house show. Wasn't Roman still sick? I don't know. But it was just something that they did for fun. It didn't seem like they were trying to replace him. And plus, I don't consider anything done at house shows to be part of  storylines either. Just shows where wrestlers can more have fun at them.

And whoever said that Dean and Seth were actively searching for a replacement...well, I don't know what drugs you're taking, but give me some. ha. It was only just those two nights. Two freaking nights.

I just feel that with some wrestling fans, if you don't agree with what they're saying, they'll give you so many reasons why you're wrong. Like if you have a different opinion about anything related to the Shield reunion, what lead up to it, and so on. And don't agree with all that is being said, you're automatically wrong for having a different opinion on it. Its like these fans don't even wanna bother listening, understand what you're trying to explain.

Also...someone said that Dean isn't family to Roman? haha. Well, it seems that he still does consider him a part of his family, after all the bull crap they've been through :) And also, he said on Twitter "If you hurt my brother, I WILL hurt you" :)

*smiles to herself* Seems that ambreigns is more real to me :) Just goes to show who he cares about and trusts more :)

Also, one more thing. How can you expect us Dean fans not to be upset. Like think this is in a way, disrepectful to him? Heres something that sticks out to me, as to why there is more reason Dean is being replaced, that Seth doesn't really care about him. Something he said that night.

"I care about beating the Bar and becoming Raw tag team champion again." Really explains a lot doesn't it?

Like I can't help but feel he only used Dean to get the tag belts, played with his feelings or something?

And some of you guys wonder why we feel Dean is being disrespected, replaced...

Okay, that is enough now. I'm too sick for all of this nonsence! Night!

[wrasslin-x]

Wwe just doesn’t care what happens at house shows anymore because now everyone knows that what happens on tv is fake. Like yes everyone already knew but now that there’s social media, reality shows and wrestlers coming out and flat out saying wrestling is fake they just don’t care anymore

One: using fake is a cop out to disparage wrestling.

But this brings us back to the original issue here: the complete lack of continuity and sense in WWE booking/writing that happens a lot.

Wrestling is physical storytelling. Yes, we all know it’s not real real life. Yes, we all know things are predetermined and scripted. But that doesn’t make them any less of a story that deserves to be told well. Stories that are good have continuity. My least favorite stories are ones where things just magically change/get forgotten.

Look at it this way: there are two WWE universes. One exists in reality. So sure, there’s reality TV and wrestlers having actual lives because they are human. The other universe exists in the wrestling world. This is what happens in the ring and during Raw/SD!/PPV/house shows. And sure yes there’s some overlap (best example is couples that are both wrestlers). But there are still storylines in the wrestling world that exist on their own without reality’s influence.

And that’s what the SHIELD is. A storyline in the wrestling world. A storyline where HHH was very much their enemy. And to suddenly just forget that with no explanation is irritating as a fan. It is nonsensical and pointless. For how much WWE is trying to shove this reunited SHIELD down our throats, to think people wouldn’t remember their history is a slight towards fans.