forameus

Even then though, being in Chicago I think even that might get a hostile reception. I know they're just trying to drive eyes to the product, but it's a shame that we don't really get to have the true surprises anymore. In a predetermined sport like wrestling you have the chance to write anything, and there is nothing better than when you get truly worked and truly surprised. Can you imagine if Punk or Bryan turned up in AEW as a complete surprise? Granted the pop on Friday will be absolutely enormous, but nothing compared to a true surprise. Think the last time I truly remember that was when Goldberg squashed Lesnar. Probably wouldn't have been anywhere near the same moment if we'd spent weeks building up rumouring and planting seeds of it happening.

Looks like a media scrum organised for after Friday's show. I mean, realistically there's no chance at this stage that it isn't something huge happening, and probably not much more of a chance that it isn't CM Punk, but....but....can you imagine if it wasn't?

Match ratings I couldn't really care. It's an extremely subjective thing and is always going to lead to people disagreeing, and it's natural he'd prefer one thing over another. It's just the general "wrestling journalist" part I really don't get (and he's by no means alone in it). There's going to be limited stuff you can talk about that's actually provably true, and even then that can get pulled. But people actually pay him a monthly fee to hear him stumble over words on a lot of stuff he's basically making up. And that's before you even get to his general demeanor.

I'll always be up for people taking shots at him. I've never begun to understand how people like that get a following.

Yeah, I'd agree about them not really needing her. The women's division is one where they're not absolutely stacked with top talent, so without Charlotte there they could easily put together a number of pretty decent feuds. Especially as they're reaching a bit of saturation with her. If it came to a choice, it's probably going to be more whether they can afford to let someone else have her, rather than if they need her themselves.

I'm doing another playthrough, finally trying to get that 100% before Death Stranding DIrectors Cut arrives and I spend the next few months on that. This'll be my 3rd I think, and while it's still up there as a favourite, it definitely has its problems. Most of them are fairly minor, but the one that's jumping out at me on this playthrough is actually parts of the story. General spoilers I had, but I'm no' tagging them. So generally the game does a good job of managing to tell a fairly linear narrative inside an open-world game. It should do, Rockstar have had a lot of practice with it. It's easily their best offering, well written and some really moving parts on it. But I think there's parts where it really struggles with putting you on rails and forcing you down a linear route. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, but when most of the game is this honour balance between whether you want to be a bad guy or a good guy, they don't half give you points where they give you zero options as to which way you're going. I know it's kind of key to the whole plot, but the debt collecting missions always stick out for me. You can be a fucking saint through the whole game, yet you've got 4 or 5 missions where your only option is to be a despicable c**t. No nuance, no options to change, just a complete dick. Then later, when you're in Saint Denis you talk to that nun who seems absolutely desperate to paint you as a good guy. On the mission where you have to chase down a pickpocket to get her crucifix back, on the way back to meet her I killed two guys in an alley because I fucked up the controls and lamped one of them. Then you go back to her, and she talks about what a good guy you are. I know she's quite key to the later plot too, but it just always jars with me when you get this world where you can do anything, but the story becomes too rigid. I'm sure they could have written something looser which was still as impactful. On the positive side though, game's still very, very good. I'd been charging through missions where necessary, but now that I'm trying to finish challenges, it is easy just to wander around and appreciate what they've built. It's endlessly annoying that RDRO can be such a cesspit, so much potential there.

Think I'm going to leave this one, to be honest. Which is a pretty sad fall given how much time I put into 20. 21 has just been a parade of absolute shithousery from EA, and everything I've heard so far points to them continuing along those lines (and to be honest, why would they? It's working for them). Also looks like they're doubling down on it becoming a part time job if you want to keep up, which can get so far to f**k.

How's AEW if you're not watching live? Decent enough to catch the weekly shows on ITV Player? Most importantly though, how much Susan Calman do I have to watch during the adverts?

I bet Vince personally enlarged it the b*****d.

Was curious when this thread was started, and went back to page 1. Post 4... Look at me now, Ma! I'm making puppets wink!

This for me, and generally it's what pushes a national anthem up. Musically, if the Italian anthem comes up sung by one guy with a shite performance, it's not going to seem like the absolute God-tier that Chiellini and Pals made it seem during the Euros. Not that it's bad by any means, but the performance and emotion behind it can elevate any anthem. At the same time it's going to be pretty hard to elevate something like GSTQ, because it's completely tedious. Get 11 pumped up English players singing it like the Italians did, it'll still sound like they can't be arsed. Flower of Scotland lies somewhere between the two for me. I'd like to see us with something better, but it can be elevated beyond what we get at Hampden As for the original suggestion that we all do a Happy Clappy rendition of GSTQ everywhere...lol. That's the sort of shite you'd get from the US and their baffling levels of patriotism.

It's hard to argue that it wasn't a possibility. Although if they do end up going back to that, why is running a reduced and partially distanced crowd not an option? Surely they don't need full houses to make it worth their while? Or is it to protect the employees (lol...sorry...contractors) by eliminating travel? It's hard to look at those full houses and not wonder whether it was a mistake. Particularly with the problems the US is continuing to have with people not fancying getting the vaccine. Think Wee Nic'll get them to move over to Hampden?

To extend on this, basically jumping into games like this and being so hopelessly behind everyone else playing that it's no fun. "Oh this looks like a fun m...*headshot, kill, respawn*"

To be fair to WWE, they seem to be going all in on making Nikki Cross work, rather than her just being a comedy interim champion they can cast aside eventually. Of course, they'll probably have her job out and be an afterthought at Summerslam, but not a bad place to be if you're putting on a great showing against the company golden girl.

Is Paige's neck so completely fucked that she'll never wrestle again anywhere or is more a Daniel Bryan/Edge situation? Heartbreaking for her to have to give it all up so early, would be nice to see her get a chance elsewhere if she can do it relatively safely.

Depends what we mean by "WWE". It's looking very much like McMahon is trying to get the books in order to sell off. Might not be the case, but with every baffling release it seems more likely. In that case, who is going to regret it? McMahon will likely get a fortune, and the family will get their inheritance. Any new owner will likely want to mould it in their own image - who knows, maybe some come back if they've still got the financial muscle and an idea that things will be different. One person that must be in an odd position would be HHH. I imagine Steph and family will be absolutely set for life in the event of a sale, and she could likely go onto some board somewhere to do...something. But although he's clearly not stupid, would there be much desire for him to do something else? Would he want to let all that go? Or is he likely to be one staying behind under a new owner, maybe even becoming the new Vince? I'd be very interested to see what WWE as a company would look like should Big Trips be completely in charge of the entirety of the wrestling side. Also saw someone question whether NXT could be let go and run independently by him. Another interesting prospect.

Definitely has a place for me, even as a shock tactic. Not the best example as I wouldn't recommend it, but look at Lesnar performing surgery on Orton with his elbows. The moment he rolls over and you see the blood really elevates what was probably a fairly middling Lesnar match. I think WWE are a bit too guarded on it (although I can see why) as now that blading is (probably rightly) outlawed, seeing a little bit of blood becomes an exciting thing. But not sure I'd see it the same if it becomes gratuitous. If everyone's bleeding buckets in every match, what's the point?

Him and KOR are still feuding, could see them doing a loser leaves WWE match, although that'd telegraph it massively. In a weird way, would he be considered as much of a loss to WWE from their perspective? Strowman and Wyatt both seem like more baffling decisions from a main roster perspective. What does someone like Adam Cole look like on the main roster given previous history? Since Undisputed Era broke up, he hasn't really seemed like he's a must-keep for NXT either with the way they churn talent. Going back to be with his bird and his pals in AEW seems a sensible move.

The worst one was (I think) the last horse journey challenge where you've got to get to Blackwater without touching water. Did it too early in the game (you guys know when) and got murdered fairly quickly. Left it until later and smugly thought I was doing so well and I'd smash the time set. Then realised I'd gone the "easy" way into Blackwater, which involves crossing...water. When really you have to go that long, circuitous route across the dam, pushing you much closer to the time.

If the PPVs were as easy to pick up as WWE with the Network, I'd probably be getting into it too. I assume they're still considerably more expensive given you're buying individually?

On our disallowed goal, for those closer was it as stupid a decision to originally allow it as it seemed? Headed back in from what seemed like right on the byline, but were there players on the line that make it a closer decision than that?

Ticketing seemed a bit of a farce to be honest. The seats I had been assigned were very much filled by the time I arrived, and from the looks of various interactions it looked to be the same story elsewhere. North Stand looked basically deserted (were they trying to fill that and people just dingied it?). Have to agree with @Pie Of The Month, organisation has been shocking, and surely they could have easily put together something that let the people that actually wanted to and could be there attend at the expense of season ticket holders who knew they wouldn't be making it. I don't doubt that there's some people who thought they'd go and ended up not at the last minute. These things happen. But two I usually go with knew they weren't going, yet there's no facility at the club for their spaces to be given to someone else? That's another 40 quid the club could've had. I get that we don't have money to piss up a wall, and we've not got developers sitting there ready to work on whatever, but it's 2021, maybe we should actually try and move on and stop doing everything on the back of a fag packet. Anyway, outside of all that, quite a pleasing game to watch. We look pretty ponderous in defence if someone runs at us, but going forward we looked pretty good, if a bit wasteful (it is us after all). 35 to go.

Thought it'd be that, terrific.

For those that have already been for the League Cup, assume entry times are just in the hope that some are mental enough to comply? Am I f**k turning up 90 minutes before kick off

The first one was from Britton, updated one was from Euan Smith too. Clearly Gerry's made such an arse of it they've taken it off him.