#metakayfabe

[fang-revives]

An underrated wrestling plot is when a guy (gn) gets really obsessed with hitting one move, to the point where it hurts their performance and makes them lose in matches they would probably otherwise win.

Here I'm thinking of ongoing plots like Zack Sabre Jr. always wanting to win a strike /chop exchange (even though his talent is obviously in submissions + that noodle chest doesn't make it easy on him).

That's a little light comedy, but you can also have a classic build up like Okada gaining sufficient wrist control to do the wind-up rainmaker.

Or one of the best ever, Naito falling back on the Stardust Press instead of the Destino (because he really does care sooooo much that his Stardust Genius gimmick never got over /Kayfabe).

All these examples are NJPW I realize but I just think it's a great subplot to run in wrestling generally, and also a nice counter to "permanent sports stats logic"; where if a guy (gn) is "stronger than" another guy, they always have to beat them. They can lose for a lot of reasons. But one of the more fun ways to lose is because you get really obsessed with being flashy for whatever reason.

[fang-revives]

@goldenheelys snapping my fingers at these tags yes yes yes !!

there’s something so… AAAAAAHHHHH about Eddie being the one to effectively end Jay’s New Japan career. Generally speaking, Eddie isn’t a New Japan guy; yeah he’s, like, involved in Strong, but his history with the company is not long or rich. Yet it’s so like him to be burdened with ending this guy with the deep history. He has to take on the responsibility of sending this guy packing, and even though he hates Jay, I’m sure he’s also feeling very Catholic about casting a guy out of the home he was raised in. It’s just so like him to be this purveyor of solemn justice; this guy you can bring in to carry a burden or two.

[sybilius]

whatever you think about CM Punk, this man took a wrestler who has been his fan since he was a kid, and said “let’s yell at each other for multiple months until people are frothing at the mouth for us to fight, and then I will lose to you, for the first time in this company, in my hometown”. 

Like bruh he could have done whatever Main Character Ass Shit he wanted and there would be an audience for it, and no, he said “I’m here to work with and put over the young talent” and that is what he did. 

[tamedbyafox]

Enjoyed reading your Punk meta today; one thing that struck me was that it's possible Punk *might* replay a "WWE sucks" angle but from a different way -- some people have noticed he's did a few of John Cena's moves in the match with Eddie, and he wrapped up by doubling his finisher. (1/2)

con't: "I feel like Punk is pretty much an opportunist about the stories he tells, and is waiting to feel out how the audience would go with that angle-- but I gotta say, if he chooses to do a bit of a "you have become everything you hated" // "die the hero or live long enough to become the villain" angle in AEW; I'd be here to watch it happen ^_^ and it'd be an interesting way to team up the ex-WWE guys and take advantage of existing audience energy." (2/2)

That is 100% one of the possibilities I had thought of - and I think the most likely! I loved him as an underdog but I can't wait to see what happens and how they play it. I think the challenge for this is just how you make it "WWE sucks" without making that your national tv line. It just feels a fine line.

The phrase "my ring" to me holds the key to this - does he mean that he's going back to the best in the world/general arrogance? All rings are his ring because? And the GROWTH from "i don't know if I can hang with these guys, you know, its been seven years..." pre All-Out? what, you win 5 matches and suddenly you're hot shit again?!!?

Or does it mean he sees himself as the new Cena of AEW? The big name, the boss' best bet, the draw that can sell out on a rumor alone? I'd be super excited to see that honestly. I'd take either but part of me wants to bring this punk back (and this is doing double duty because I saw a comment where you asked about the snake promo i mentioned) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwAslWen79Q

This is who I wanna see. I want a Winter of Punk that parallels that first Summer of Punk before he went to WWE. Would I take Evil Cena Punk? Yes. Do I want evil ROH Punk? YES.

[fang-revives]

Kind of obsessed with what Finlay and Jay did with their YL run though like. Having Finlay beat Jay one (1) time and then having Jay win another 8 times after that in singles? like holy hell what a great thing to bank for later storytelling. hats off.

[fang-revives]

Co-signed he may be the least interesting but have you considered he's my babygirl??

On a more serious note though I think the contrast between his clear skill in ring and his underdeveloped and imitative Kayfabe-sona is one of the most tantalizing things about him. A lot of the Big Stars in NJPW had a phase where they were kinda awkward about it before they found their stride, and watching and waiting to see where Ren breaks out is part of the appeal.

I also think like. Specifically imitating Shibata is a fascinatingly bad choice for someone playing "good boy trying to get a good grade in Shibata" because wow Shibata was not that. That's a guy who stormed out of a company in a huff and had to do a dramatic crawl his way back to the top, not a guy quietly trying to slip into his mentor's shoes because he's not sure how to act when he's not fighting or pulling a goofy face.

Tsuji was right -- who are you, Narita? I'm actually dying to find out <3

i think the take that ren narita is the least interesting of the three musketeers isn't wrong but the thing is is that i find his lack of stage presence outside of the ring kind of funny. great wrestler but walks out with an energy adjacent to "kid who has to walk up to the front of the class during a test to ask the teacher a question and really, really hopes no one notices"

[fang-revives]

Syb reviews Addendum: Some thoughts on the July 21 match outcomes

I usually do my review posts spoiler free and quick and snappy, but I had some Thoughts on the kayfabe and metakayfabe for the July 21 matches, so I figured I’d dump them in a separate post here. More unfiltered, some bitching, and of course, match outcomes spoiled lol.

July 21 was an interesting card (selection) for me because I loved every match I watch, but I disagreed with all the outcomes, for varying reasons and degrees of fairness. My opinion is Just Some Mark, of course, but hey, here it goes.

Ren Narita vs. Gabriel Kidd had Kidd win after a low blow. So some classic bullet club shit. You could tell from the way the crowd deadpanned that they did not like that, and to be honest, neither did I. Narita put in a killer match and looked super strong up there. That said, I get why they did it, even if I don’t like it. Kidd is part of the super scary Bullet Club War Dogs, and he’s technically Narita’s senior. So even though Narita is more over and tbh a better wrestler (though Kidd is no slouch!), in order to sell that angle I get that Kidd had to go over. I’m the least miffed by this. But I wanted it for my boy.

Will Ospreay vs. KENTA I could tell by the tone of the match and the way Kenta was getting a lead in the start was going to go to Ospreay. It was a thrill to see Big Match Kenta but a shame because in addition to disliking Ospreay for shoot reasons, I am in the camp of “he wrestles kinda boring, even though the slick jumpy moves are slick”. This one is difficult to separate from my love of Kenta and my intense dislike of Ospreay, however I really do think it would have been an interesting direction for Kenta’s character development to have big match Kenta beat hotshot IWGP US Champ Will Ospreay. That said, I get that he’s a chill mean midcarder right now. So this is my most personal “I DIDN’T LIKE THAT AND I DONT CARE THAT I’M BEING UNFAIR TO THE ANGLE. I WANTED MY SPECIAL BOY TO WIN” moment lol.

Shota Umino vs Kaito Kiyomiya had a perfect outcome. 5000000/10 no notes.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi look, I love Okada. He’s one of my top guys. Hands down he did not need that win right now and it irks me that despite the match Taichi put out they decided Okada needed to go over. It would have been infinitely special to have Taichi get his ass!!! Why!!! real “okada wins lol” moment.

Sanada vs. Yota Tsuji This one I am being so so unfair about and i love sana-yan and yes he deserves this so much. however. I am completely ass over teakettle on tsuji and he should get away with everything ever mwah mwah. I loved this match and yeah the outcome was right but in my heart of hearts I was hoping for a cheeky Tsuji steal. That said, he did STEAL the HOMETOWN cheers over Sanada, sooooo <3

[fang-revives]

entrance (music)

Syb (she/her), adult person also known as @sybilius. This is my wrestling sideblog! Content spans the full range of wrestling emotions including bloodlust, tacklust, unprecedented horny, unexpected silly, and of course the truest pro wrestling emotions of all, love and love of being alive. 

Sidebar art is KENTA (mine). Profile picture is from the Kasai/Desperado deathmatch.

BLOG ORG:

- I do often try to tag wrestlers by their (current home) promotion, #ddt pro wrestling, #pro wrestling noah, #aew, #njpw are tags you might see often here.

- #feral wrestle speculation is my fantasy booking tag

- #wrestler text posting is for shitposting about kayfabe

- #metakayfabe is my tag for meta-discussions on the theatre/art/structure/ of pro wrestling. I prefer to engage as little as possible with dirtsheets or out-of-kayfabe drama. 

- #my fan art - Fan art that I make of pro-wrestlers.

- #my fic - Fanfiction that I write on Ao3 some of which RPF-adjacent, tagged #kayfabe rpf, or #kayfabe fanfiction.

Here when I tag #kayfabe fanfiction, the stories take the fiction of pro-wrestling at face value. Characters are their in-ring characters, and the match outcomes have real fighting stakes.  

When I tag #kayfabe rpf (real person fanfiction), here the characters in the stories discuss their in-ring character work as fictional and the match outcomes are decided. All “out of kayfabe” characterizations are entirely my own fiction based on what I think would be interesting, and have zero bearing on the real people and their lives.

- #wrestling shipping is my tag for shipping wrestlers, or I tag for the ship name (#takeover for instance may feature from time to time).

If you’re a wrestling fan that’s uncomfortable with the idea of RPF or shipping, feel free to block my tags or me :)

[sybilius]

(x)

[fang-revives]

Agree strongly, me and friends were also talking about this. I think he's got skills that Shota and Ren haven't fully developed yet. I also think he benefits a lot from his presentation not feeling like it's slotting in to the legacy of the previous musketeers. In charisma he fills the niche that Shinsuke Nakamura left behind, but he isn't trying to *be* Shinsuke, and that makes him more interesting.

I think there's some neat stuff that Shota is doing with his caught between Tanahashi's presentation and looking up to Moxley -- and that's probably a smart move for him since it puts red shoes Umino at maybe a third mention on people connected to him. Plus he carries the contrast well.

Ren's in-ring work is spectacular, but he falls short on character work. A lot of it I think is he's just more/different than trying to be what Shibata is -- I don't know that kind of "pissy wandering ronin" persona is really in his soul, so it doesn't ping right when he leans in to it. On the plus side, I think there's a good opportunity for Ren and Shooter to do a feud based on the fact that they're both legacy-chasing. And that might be a fun opportunity for Ren to break out and do something more unique.

So out of the new three musketeers. I think Shota has the presence and charisma. I think Ren has the pure skill. I think Yota has both. He stands out from the other two in a good way. I think the rest will come with the other two with time, but yeah.

[sybilius]

We’re barely anywhere into the Gunn Club Ass Boys / Danhausen feud but I had some thoughts about it... 

It’s just so genuinely fun as a setup, with a lot of different characters to relate to who are fun in their own right. 

You've got: 

- incredibly Online trickster spirit who has given these guys a stupid nickname 

- younger guys who are desperate to be taken seriously who are BIG MAD about the nickname 

- older guy who is Just Happy to Be There and is embracing the ass-ness so to speak. 

It just kind of struck me as nice that the conflict by construction makes light of the very real "I gotta be macho or ELSE" brainrot that pervades wrestling-- but more than that, it's fun that it subverts the intergenerational conflict. 

It would have been very easy to make Billy Ass the "older guy who doesn't get online humor who is big mad about his sons embracing that" and I gotta say I'm thrilled the feud went the other way.

[sybilius]

Eddie and Punk teasing their feud whenever possible is such a treat for me personally because (a) I love them both so much and (b) rather than reading it on kayfabe-stakes (which honestly whatever angle they do I’ll be happy with), I always read those particular callouts on metakayfabe. It’s like this cute little promise like. “hey. we know you liked that. we haven’t forgotten about that. it’ll happen again. When? not sure. but it’ll happen”

anyways j’adore they’re both so good

[sybilius]

not to be going insane with metakayfabe again, but THESE GUYS. THESE GUYS. 

Punk to put MJF’s entire bit over in Chicago, only to turn around and have them book a historic match at a PPV and hand MJF the mic for a would-be-shoot promo that turns MJF a little face for the first time, I don’t know, ever?? MJF was seriously amazing, if anyone doubts he should be hanging with Punk they should watch that promo again because holy shit. 

Like, man, these two superstars deserve each other and I feel so lucky to be watching it happen. Punk put MJF over in Chicago. And MJF is going to *make* his heel turn in AEW at Revolution. 

[sybilius]

I legit can’t stop thinking about the metakayfabe in that polished sexy little video segment. Like. Did they know Long Island would cheer MJF and boo Punk are they just That Good at their job or did they have to make two videos like “okay if they boo Punk we play this, if they cheer him we play -- “

[sybilius]

sybyb, i have what is probably a fairly silly wrasslequestion. they aren't really using real tacks in those matches are they? because i stepped on a tack about a year ago and it was one of the top three worst things i've ever stepped on

I am so sorry to break this illusion for you Boots: they are. There is no way to "fake" tacks in the back. Tack spots are considered one of the most painful spots that wrestlers really do. They have to pick them out of their back after and it does fucking hurt.

I was trying to find the source I read on which parts of deathmatch wrestling you can fake up using good props, and which you cannot. The ones that are theatre or theatre assisted are mostly table spots, anything that involves hitting another person with an object such as a garbage can, and basically any "eye gouging" spot, which is just a matter of the wrestlers collaborating to cover the places that are not getting gouged while the other wrestler sells.

You might also be interested to know that when wrestlers get bloody (usually referred to as 'blading') they usually do it to themselves, for safety, and nick a spot that will bleed a lot for drama (often along the hairline). Occasionally, their opponent/ring partner will do the blading.

But yeah, tack spots are uh, one of the non-faked painful things! Which did make me go "lol OOF" because they're one of my favourite spots. The more you knowwwwwww

[sybilius]

I made this point to some other wrestling fans, but can we take a minute to appreciate how everyone was elevated by the Punk/MJF promo happening immediately before his QT Marshall match?

I mean, that was very obviously a squash match, hometown hero wins in his hometown, but leading it with the promo allowed the match to go longer, playing on the “MJF got into Punk’s head, so he’s off his game” angle.

MJF looks better, because it emphasizes his promo was good. 

QT Marshall looks better, he gets more wrestling time to showcase his performance. 

And Chicago walks away with a great Punk match. It’s good writing. *chef’s kiss*