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| Does this make my mixtape? YES! YES! YES! Photo Credit: WWE.com |
@tholzerman How did WrestleMania XXX affect your WrestleMania mix tape? #TweetBag
— Star of Savage (@StarOfSavage) March 18, 2015While I count WrestleMania XXX as perhaps the best Mania of all-time, or at least the second best to the immortal X-7, I only counted one match that could have made the tape. However, that match was my favorite from last year and one of the best I've ever seen. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H would definitely crack the tape, but that match would have a domino effect on the rest of the tape. Trips is already wrapped up in The Streak match from the aforementioned X-7, which is still the best one of the 21-match run (or at least a close #2 behind the first Shawn Michaels one at XXV). So now Taker would be open, but who'd replace Trips across from him? Both the best answers, CM Punk and Shawn Michaels, are occupied in the WWE and Intercontinental Championship matches respectively.The decision would have to be made as to which match is less essential to the overall fabric of Mania history, and that answer is easy. Punk vs. Chris Jericho was good, but it wasn't essential. So CM Punk vs. Undertaker from WrestleMania XXIX is inserted into the Streak spot. In order to replace the WWE Championship match then, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar from WrestleMania XIX is then put into the rotation, which would eliminate Angle/Randy Orton/Rey Mysterio from the tape, as well as leave Chris Jericho without a dance partner. But leaving Orton, Mysterio, and Jericho off the collection isn't that bad of a sin. For as great as they are as performers, I don't think any one of them really had an essential Mania moment. So now, the order becomes this:
Open. Bryan/Trips
2. Cena/Show
3. Savage/Warrior
4. Punk/Undertaker
5. Dudleys/Hardys/Edge and Christian
6. Austin/Hart
7. Michaels/Razor
8. Angle/Lesnar
9. Piper/Goldust
Main Event. Rock/Hogan
@tholzerman Next indie star you foresee going to NXT and making a big splash (or could, based on how things have gone there)?
— Kyle Kensing (@kensing45) March 18, 2015I'd be cheating if I named Uhaa Nation, since he's been mostly confirmed as a signing. He'll do fantastically well if he escapes the sucking void of institutional racism that Vince McMahon seems to harbor, but at least he'll tear up NXT before he gets to the main roster. As for a dude who is unsigned as of right now, gimme Bad Bones. The guy has the look of a WWE superstar, and he taps into an international market that the company hasn't really tapped into as much in, Germany. Give him some time in NXT to acclimate to WWE, put him against Cesaro, and let him work on his English (which is decent enough for him to use Twitter).@tholzerman#TweetBag People are complaining about Roman Reigns main eventing ‘Mania, but Sid headlined two. TWO! How did this happen?
— What a Maneuver!! (@what_a_maneuver) March 18, 2015The mid-'90s were a dark time for professional wrestling. In-ring work wasn't as valued as it is today in the American mainstream and WWE in particular, and for some reason, more than one company thought Sid Eudy and his softball-playing ass were valuable in more than a "run in and powerbomb dudes" capacity. Granted, his bat-shit insane mic work was entertaining, but was it "headline two installments of WWE's marquee show" entertaining? Especially against peak-bloat Hulk Hogan and pre-HOSS PRIME Undertaker? Cocaine is a hell of a drug, man.@tholzerman hows the kids?
— bd (@IHatebd) March 18, 2015TJ is progressing fine for his age. He's already potty-trained, using full sentences, and eating like a big kid. However, whoever called it the Terrible Twos and not the Thunderous Threes is a dipshit, because once TJ turned three, he turned into a holy terror. Meanwhile, Josie is teething, but other than that, she's a pleasant, happy baby. A little too pleasant if you ask me.@tholzerman What would be a legitimate base salary offer to retain Brock another year, if we assume he made $5M?
— Brian Coulter (@PhilaBCoulter) March 18, 2015I'd start with a 50% raise ($7.5M) and negotiate from there. Lesnar is worth every penny at this point, even if I find Paul Heyman to be more grating and annoying by the week at this point.@tholzerman Why does Daniel Bryan clasp his hands together before kicks? It's distracting the heck out of me and I can't un-notice it.
— Geoff Martini (@GeoffMartini) March 18, 2015I really don't know other than it being a nervous tic. Some wrestlers just have mannerisms that they can't shake. You may just have to live with it.@what_a_maneuver@tholzerman Sid might be trash, but does Reigns have a quarter of the charisma that Sid did?
— Time Limit Draw (@TheTLDPodcast) March 18, 2015Sid had charisma, sure. But the charisma he had in 1991 never developed into anything of worth. Reigns may or may not evolve meaningfully during his career, although he's shown tremendous growth on promos in the last month or so. I'm not so sure Sid is the right comp for Reigns here. Maybe he'll end up like Lex Luger, with a spotty career that shows a lot of promise at various points. A lot of what Reigns might end up as will be revealed in the aftermath of Mania, whether he wins or loses.@tholzerman THIS IS A DOG SLEEPING ON A BASEBALL PROSPECTUS IS HE A BETTER GENERAL MANAGER THAN RUBEN AMARO? pic.twitter.com/x8wGReW1gp
— Duje Lashlee-Walton (@thegnc) March 18, 2015That dog at least knows what Baseball Prospectus is, so I'm going to answer with a resounding YES.@tholzerman Have you watched Max Landis' video on Triple H? If you have, who or what part of wrestling do you think he should do a video on?
— Roy Michael Tricksey (@Michael_T1919) March 18, 2015I have not, actually. I have little patience for longer YouTube videos unless I'm in the mood to watch them, and even then, if I'm watching long vids, they're wrestling matches rather than anything else. But I'm ecstatic that more and more people in "legitimate" arts are paying mind to pro wrestling. The more rasslin' is ingratiated into other areas of pop culture, maybe the more acceptance it'll gain and it might end up going straight and stop being so goddamn carny. Speaking of which...@tholzerman Am I wrong for being creeped out by blade jobs in wrestling in 2015 knowing what we know about blood-borne disease? #TweetBag
— The real dajerseyboy (@dajerseyboy) March 18, 2015You're absolutely right in feeling that way. Blood is a vestige of an era long past, one that maybe required blood to keep up the veneer of kayfabe. But today, everyone knows it's staged. Feigned violence doesn't need a crimson leak in order to pop off the screen and slap one across the face. The bumps themselves should be able to make the audience gasp without the need for spilling of bodily fluids, especially given what people know about hepatitis, AIDS, and other pathogens.@tholzerman Eagles coach Chip Kelly decides to bring his insanity to pro wrestling by being a manager. Who is in his stable? #tweetbag
— boxwatcher (@boxwatcher) March 18, 2015Kelly's teams are fast, offensively innovative, and big, so Uhaa Nation, Kevin Owens, Moose, and the War Beard Hanson are the obvious picks. Of course, no one on the roster is safe, so don't be surprised if it's turned over once a week, but those four guys are the core.@tholzerman Any Special WrestleMania food/drinks you're planning? I'm going with Stone's Enjoy By IPA, 7 layer dip, & pulled pork sammiches.
— Beer Baron (@BeerBaron4life) March 18, 2015Usually, I don't imbibe during wrestling events because I like to cover them with a clear mind, but this year's Mania has been built so dreadfully that I might have a token beer, probably an Oskar Blues Old Chub scotch ale. But as for the food, the Mrs. and I will probably put out a spread featuring meatballs, chips, pizza rolls, and whatever else happens to pop into my head. It won't be extravagant, but it won't be the typical "whatever's in the pantry" for other pay-per-views.@tholzerman What would it take for you to attend Wrestlemania this year? Does it go beyond free travel/food/ticket? #TweetBag
— Dirty Rasslin (@DirtyRasslin) March 18, 2015No, but it would have to go TO free travel/food/ticket. Even if WrestleMania was built worse than it was this year, the live spectacle is what sells it, not the actual card. Everyone always wants to say they've been to Mania, right? I want that. The expenses, especially at the last minute, would be daunting, but if I got a free ride the whole way, I'd be there, especially if I was able to score a ticket to the NXT or ROH shows along with SHIMMER.