The v2wrestling podcast - Racism in wrestling, Bryan and lets go round again

http://v2wrestling.com/5/post/2015/05/the-v2wrestling-podcast-racism-bryan-and-reruns.html



Welcome back to another edition of the v2 Wrestling podcast and welcome to all of our listeners on TNAsylum.com and the 606v2.com forum.

Please note that we are currently looking for contributors to write for v2Wrestling, so if you want to see your article read by a large audience, make sure to get in touch.

This week Adam is joined by Rich, Paul, and Ethan, to talk about the latest news from TNA and WWE.

We kick off the proceedings with a look back at this weeks wrestling news which includes a look at GWFs roster, Bully Ray returning, JTGs new book and the return of an old PPV

The show then moves on to a quick roundup of last weeks TNA action with a particular focus on the segment with MVP and his use of the “N” word. With the announcement by Billy Corgan that he wants to tackle race issues, does this kind of angle have a place in wrestling? How do you think this angle will play out and is there any way that an issue such as race can be played out sensitively? Get in touch and let us know!

We then move on RAW and look at the main talking points from the show. The main talking point is the retirement of Daniel Bryan. The question is posed whether he should move into training and the topic of his standing as the best wrestler in the world today is discussed? Do you think he is or is there someone better out there?

Our final part of the show centres around the second coming of wrestlers. Whose second run is better than their first. Will Ethans suggestion of Brock Lesnar win the day or will a late curve ball from Adam of Joseph Parks win through? Only one way to find out!

To ask a question or answer any of the above, please email us at wrestling@v2journal.com or contact us through twitter or facebook and please make sure to submit any questions you would like us to discuss!

To listen to the show scroll below or download from iTunes here (click)

If you have problem listening to the show on the v2Journal, you can listen directly to the show onhttp://v2wrestling.podomatic.com/entry/2015-05-05T13_53_48-07_00

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Interview with Chris Daniels 
Hulk Hogan retrospective
Interview with TJ Perkins/ Manik
Interview with MVP
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Interview with Austin Aries
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Someone should tell Daniel Bryan about him retiring.

I should really listen to the podcast before commenting, but IMVHO Shinsuke Nakamura is the best wrestler in the world right now, in terms of presence, being a ring general and the technical quality of his matches.

I'm interested to hear the team's take on MVP's promo.

I meant Nakamura, I said Tanahashi! (Though also excellent)
Nakamura though is Ambrose + Bryan combined.

Did you discuss the MVP promo on my advice? Jolly well done! As a former member of the podcast I would like to go on record to say I think it was a daft idea to bring not only race but provocatively abuse racial terms into the mix as heels. I understand that good old Smashing Pumpkin wants to bring more dynamic socio-political issues into wrestling storylines, but I'm not sure where TNA win in this one. The bad guys are accusing the organisation, from commentator to opponent, of believing them to be just some n words with a problem. What happens when they are beaten? Does it not follow a worrying trend of white people telling black people when and when not to feel racially prejudiced against? Do the BDC win and prove TNA were racist after all?

You said it far better than Adam

Hero wrote:I meant Nakamura, I said Tanahashi! (Though also excellent)
Nakamura though is Ambrose + Bryan combined.

The idea that Rollins could become Nakamura is to me very exciting. He already has the hair and the leather trousers, in a few years time, a cocky heel strutting round the ring would suit him down to the ground.

Sticking with New Japan, I think that there is a case that Okada is one of the most improved wrestlers in his 2nd run compared to his 1st.

Hope you enjoyed my completely innocent fumbling around of racial terms?

Adam D wrote:Hope you enjoyed my completely innocent fumbling around of racial terms?

I've come to the conclusion that wrestling shows and podcasts shouldn't tackle the issue of race

I think the team made some good points on this issue. My problem is that we don't know if this story will work or not, but if you set this as the tone of the company you have to follow it through. So, I think it is pretty incongruous if you are going to have an angle that deals with the issue of race, and then you have a lingerie match for the knockouts. And they may treat the knockouts equally seriously, but they have to. Unless you have the absolute best writers in the world, I think everything has to be serious, then otherwise how do I know to take their race angle seriously? And do I want to watch a wrestling show where everything is serious? Mostly I want to just put my feet up and watch some wrestlers irrespective of race, colour and creed go at it in the ring.

I still think my idea where a heated feud is resolved by both parties sitting down and discussing it in a civil manner is a winner.

BTW you know that sometimes Adam reports on TNA viewing figures, does he only do this when they are up on the previous week?  #itsaconspiracy

And, I'm kind of surprised that Kurt Angle didn't get a mention as one of the best technical wrestlers around. I gave his match this week against Eric Young 3.5* and I think that is testament to just how good Angle is that his body really does look like it might be hanging together by a thread, but his timing and fluidity is still such that he looks one of the best though he's probably getting on for a decade past his prime now.

I actually think that becoming main event did a disservice to Daniel Bryan's work. You go back a couple of years and his pacing of matches, the mix of stiff kicks, submission holds and mat work meant that not only could he work anything from a 5 to 30 minute match against anyone on the roster and make it look good, but you didn't know what was coming next. Unfortunately it seemed to me that the more popular he became, the more WWE felt a need to choreograph and book his matches to the point where you could practically call the entire match a move before each happened.

I think Rollins was a good call for their most technically able wrestler now. But, I don't see how you can look beyond Cesaro on the main roster. Like Bryan he can work a number of different styles from the WWE big arena friendly stuff like the swing and the running uppercuts to much more technical pieces. He's also probably the best catcher in the WWE, which means that in a ladder match or when putting someone like Kalisto over, he's invaluable. And the power moves like when he caught Big E the other week are just so impressive. Quite how Vince can't see this and have the IC belt on him, I don't know.

And this is maybe why WWE need to find a way to keep RoH in business. It's not a competitor, but it does seem to be a hell of a feeder promotion. Because, you still IMO look at the talent that WWE has tried to develop itself in the last few years (and you might have better names than me) but Big E, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns would be 3 that come to mind. And I know the view is that the IWC and audiences are on their back because they feel they are pushed too soon. But, I think those singles pushes just make it really clear that they don't have enough sound wrestling ability to put on main event 20 minute matches. So, WWE can have this state-of-the-are performance centre, they can have all the trainers they want, but it really seems that the only way you can learn to be a wrestler is by actually wrestling and working shows for 3 to 5 years. And, I think that is most easily done outside the spotlight of WWE and the spotlight they've now also turned on NXT.

Adam D wrote:
Our final part of the show centres around the second coming of wrestlers. Whose second run is better than their first. Will Ethans suggestion of Brock Lesnar win the day or will a late curve ball from Adam of Joseph Parks win through? Only one way to find out!

I think a name that we can't not throw into this discussion now is Becky Lynch. And maybe she doesn't qualify because who saw her first run? Who quits wrestling for the best part of 7 or 8 years and then comes back and puts on a performance like she did in NXT this week?