We're back with yet another dose of amazing work injected by you, the CageSide commenters. Many of you have impressed us all by producing some amazing work and golden comments yet again. So it's that time of the week to recognize the excellent FanPosts, FanShots, and comments that were the "Best in the World" (of Cageside) this past week.
As always, thanks to Cagesider Ecstasy with Extra Cheese for cleverly naming our Weekly CageSide Commenters Awards "The RECs", which perfectly sums up what this feature tries to do. After all, without all of you, CageSide Seats would not be the greatest pro wrestling website on the Internet.
So, without further ado, we present to you...
The cSs REC Awards:
Recognizing Excellence in Contributing
_____________________________
FOR EXCELLENCE IN AUTHORING OF FANPOSTS:
CageSider rancho king (with an assist by J. M. Williams) brought us an exclusive bio on AJ LEE: A DIVA IS BORN (19 MAR 1987)
CageSider The_Voice_Of_Treason clued us in on The Top 10 Most Pointless Title Changes in WWE History
CageSider AndeeMarshall gave us his controversial opinion on Scott Hall & DDPYoga, a critical look
CageSider BIGPALE gave us an in-depth list on WrestleMania: The best and the worst, and why
_________________________
FOR EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCTION OF FANSHOTS:
CageSider Man from Manila showed us Why Batista is Drax
CageSider James Carlucci talked to us about UFC 158 and the WWE: Haven't we seen this before?
____________________________
FOR SUPREMACY IN COMMENTING IN THE THREADS*:
*To see comments in the context of their own threads, click on the 'time stamp' behind each Cagesider's name.
From the "WWE 'SmackDown' results and reactions from last night (March 15): A wasted effort" thread:
I have no problems with commercial breaks during matches. "Real" TV does that too, with a commercial right before a cliffhanger is resolved. HOWEVER – there is no excuse to miss a single hold during a taped show. Just have your announcers throw it to commercial and then three seconds later welcome us back. Then edit the commercial in during post-production. WWE gets their commercials and we get a full match. How is this so difficult? by Curtain Jerker on Mar 16, 2013 | 9:02 AM rec (8)
and also from the same thread...
God bless Fandango. If every wrestler refused to wrestle Khali the world would be a better place by super D on Mar 16, 2013 | 1:00 PM rec (5)
From the "Daily Open Thread for Saturday, March 16" thread:
I'll always remember that moment because my Dad was in the room watching it with me. He just shook his head and said "of course that f** would remember to work the balls" followed up with "why do you still watch this shit?" Awkward times at their best. by 49erLou on Mar 16, 2013 | 10:53 PM rec (3)
From the "Vince McMahon wanted to fight Dana White in the UFC or at WrestleMania" thread:
Typical 3-Part Story
Match 1: @ WM – White wins.
Match 2: @ UFC – Vince wins.
Match 3: @ TNA – No one wins, Aces & Eights run-in finish.
BONUS:
Match 4: @ WCW WarGames – Vince/White/Hogan/Sting vs Aces & Eights. by tkatt00 on Mar 16, 2013 | 11:48 AM rec (5)
and also from the same thread:
Shield run in. Destroy everything in its path. by vikings68 on Mar 16, 2013 | 12:27 PM rec (3)
From the "Sting explains his decision to stick with TNA" thread:
"They pay well and don't care that I should have quit years ago" by Eugene Saxe on Mar 16, 2013 | 5:05 PM rec (6)
From the "Beth Phoenix on her retirement from WWE: It's time to chase other dreams" thread:
I still believe Kharma could be the first women's heavyweight champion. She’d beat Dolph for the title naturally. by BIGPALE on Mar 16, 2013 | 9:24 PM rec (5)
and also from the same thread:
This is the kind of stupid reading in between the lines I'd expect from Russo. This angle has already been done many times, and bombed hard each instance for the same reasons:
1) The size handicap makes the fights look ridiculous. Not just the weight difference, but the ratio of weight difference takes all credibility from the offense being delivered by the women and the selling performed by the guys. For example, Ronda Rousey, an actual fighter, is even smaller relative to Daniel Bryan, a small guy, than DBD is to Takeshi Morishima. Kia "Kharma" Stevens, who’s the same height and a hundred pounds heavier than Chyna, is still shorter than all but the shortest guys on the roster.
2) Even in fights between men, it’s always been harder for the smaller guys to get over. They only ever do when they’re ridiculously talented, and all of them had less of a size handicap to overcome than the women fighters put in that place. The only exception I can think of is Rey Mysterio, who’s been wrestling since he was 14 and is a strong contender for best worker of all time.
3) The men who job to the women lose all their heat.
4) The men who beat the women beat up women.
5) The only combat sports where women ever face men are grappling only, with strict, small differences between weight. They make no money, and draw no interest from fight fans.
6) Every title that’s been held by a woman becomes the most meaningless prop in the company, without exception.
There’ll always be stupid bullshit in wrestling, but this stupid bullshit’s already been done, and failed. Why try it again? by *Asterisk* on Mar 18, 2013 | 2:48 AM rec (3)
From the "CSSGTTT: (4) New Age Outlaws vs. (5) Brisco Brothers" thread:
[On Brisco Brothers' feuds]
I can name a few. They had beaten Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr multiple times , Mr Saito and Mr Sato , Jay Youngblood and Ricky Steamboat multiple times and i believe they beat Mark Youngblood and Chief Wahoo McDaniel for their last tag team title. Plus if you want to see what a great tag team feud is go back and watch the Briscos vs Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. It was probably the most bitter and hate filled rivalry, it went on for years and years not 3 PPV’s like in today’s world. by dmmanzo on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:51 AM rec (5)
and also from the same thread...
Reason #1: Fuck Region by MartyMcSuperfly on Mar 18, 2013 | 6:17 PM rec (7)
From the "Rumor Roundup for Monday, March 18" thread:
get goldberg to be [Ryback's] manager. or better yet, get Ryback to be the manager of Goldberg’s acting career. "FEED. ME. ROLES." once the confusion subsides and people stop giving him bread, it should prove to be pretty effective. by Simark on Mar 18, 2013 | 7:06 AM rec (9)
and also from the same thread...
Goldberg is a joke. I honestly judge harshly people who were fans of his. An unbeaten streak in a pre-determined sport gets you excited? What, are you 5? by Edgewalker on Mar 18, 2013 | 8:26 AM rec (3)
and...
Well... at the time I was 12, so yeah, I was pretty much by BacksThePack on Mar 18, 2013 | 9:49 AM rec (7)
and...
Screw Goldberg. Give me GILLBERG! by Eugene Saxe on Mar 18, 2013 | 4:15 PM rec (4)
From the "Precap to the March 18, 2013 episode of WWE 'Monday Night Raw', or we're almost there!" thread:
If [Chris Jericho] anything like the current champ [Wade Barrett], he’ll be putting people over every single week. by The so-called Beautiful on Mar 18, 2013 | 2:20 PM rec (4)
From the "Daily Open Thread for Monday, March 18" thread:
Went to the Smackdown house show in Toledo last night. Overall, it was a really good time. Nothing that groundbreaking in terms of matches, spots, etc. Here are the matches in bullet point format:
- Khali def. Primo and Epico
- Yoshi Tatsu def. Michael McGillicutty on a surprise pin - MM was mouthing off w/ an older fan in the crowd. Every time he body slammed Yoshi he would scream "You like that old man?!". Good times.
- Layla def. Alicia Fox in a 2 minute match
- ADR def. Big Show in a street fight - ADR won via submission after Big Show went through 2 tables. Solid match.
- Swagger def. Justin Gabriel - Swagger and Colter cut a promo before the match where Swagger did most of the talking, and was really good IMO. Him and Colter got a good reaction.
- Wade Barrett def. Bo Dallas - Wade Barrett referring to Toledo, OH as a "hellhole" was hilarious because it's true.
- Team Hell No def. The Rhodes Scholars - before the match Rhodes and Sandow took turns making fun of Team Hell No and the crowd. At one point Cody yelled at the crowd "I'm talking to my best friend here!" which my brother and I enjoyed. Also, after an extended period of Cody beating up DB, Sandow yells "Cody Rhodes, everyone!" which got a laugh out of a lot of people, including Cody. My brother wondered if they come up with that stuff to make each other laugh, or even better, get buzzed and come up with ideas while in character.
- Randy Orton def. Mark Henry by DQ after Henry hit him with a chair. Orton hit an RKO after the match and everyone went nuts. He got the biggest pop of the night by far.
Other things I noticed/enjoyed:
- WWE using social media before the event to engage the audience - putting tweets on the big board, pictures, voting on the street fight stip, etc.
- A LOT of kids had Ryback shirts
- WWE charges $20 for a picture against their green screen
- The kid behind me doing commentary during every match
- The kids in front of me with their homemade Randy Orton sign, complete with hand drawn viper!
by Supa Dupe on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:59 AM rec (4)
From the "WWE Monday Night Raw results and live blog for March 18: Triple H returns to answer Brock Lesnar" thread:
I will be there representing CSS with pride! by Parkinglotninja on Mar 18, 2013 | 11:12 AM rec (3)
and also from the same thread...
[On Ryback vs. David Otunga]
Or "Feed me torts!" by TMadeBurner on Mar 18, 2013 | 8:23 PM rec (5)
and...
Ryback has ADD. Remember about how all he wanted was to feed on things
Then all he wanted was to feed on Punk
Then he wanted the title
Then he wanted the Shield
Guy needs to stick to a diet. by Wellington's Wellingtons on Mar 18, 2013 | 8:35 PM rec (3)
and...
Oh hey, thats your father's grave? Imma piss on it, but hey...no disrespect. by Ecstasy with Extra Cheese on Mar 18, 2013 | 9:04 PM rec (3)
and...
Hey guys, [The Big Show's] allowed to turn face if he wants. He has an ironclad contract so he doesn’t even give a fuck by sexsalad on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:06 PM rec (5)
and...
Instead of Adrian Neville, they should’ve brought him in as Too Pac, and have him feud with Big E. by Dannie Ray on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:30 PM rec (3)
and...
So let me get this straight. Lesnar and Heyman basically force HHH off retirement to mess with his head and force him to Blindly sign a contract just to get him to retire again? by Dannie Ray on Mar 18, 2013 | 11:19 PM rec (4)
From the "Scott Hall & DDPYoga, a critical look" thread:
Not really sure what the point of this was. Of course DDP seeks commercial success. So do you. Of course Scott Hall wants to get well. Is it probable that DDP wouldn’t do this without the associated publicity? Totally. But everything else is arbitrary speculation. You can’t do a nice thing AND get rewarded for it anymore? It remains to be seen if he’ll be successful, but don’t make him look like a dick for trying. Even people who own charities make a salary. by Charles Awad on Mar 18, 2013 | 5:02 PM rec (17)
and also from the same thread...
I don't like this. This seems to be an unwarranted attack on both the integrity of DDP, as well as the kindness of fans. As a user of DDPyoga and a big fan of Page and what he represents, I resent that. If Hall can’t afford a hip replacement, what are his options? Sit in a wheelchair the rest of his life or hope he can get help from some other means. Have you seen the recent pictures of comedian Gabriel Iglesias? The program can do wonders. by kookla on Mar 18, 2013 | 6:35 PM rec (3)
and...
A Reaction... Let me first say that I understand where you are coming from. I think a lot of people share the way you feel about Scott and the way he has acted. The truth is though, most people don’t know what an addiction is like. It is a struggle, not day to day, but hour to hour. It’s even worse when you’ve been in it as long as someone like Scott Hall has. That being said, most people don’t realize how many people around them they have lost. It becomes you and your drug(s) of choice. That’s the only bond or relationship that person has. I’ve seen it, been through it, and watched it consume friends, family, and childhood heroes alike.
With that on the table we must also remember the relationship between DDP and Scott Hall. Scott pretty much gave DDP what he needed to start a career. Watch a few shoots by either guy and you’ll learn they are very close friends. Dallas has been there every time Scott has fallen down and every time he’s gotten back up. This time he’s stepped in and that’s the part that’s important. The only gain he wants in his heart of hearts is for his friend to become well again. He knows how life on the road works. You’d have to be completely ignorant to say that Dallas is doing this mostly for a buck or publicity. In addition, DDP has been away from his own home with Scott and Jake in it for long periods of time (right now he’s out in LA). They are being well behaved because they WANT to be.
Dallas has said that it’s not about the money, it’s about Hall and fans alike getting a win win. I threw my hat in the ring, and will get a call from one of my childhood heroes. That’s more than I would have ever asked for. Scott Hall, Jake, and DDP have given all of us so much that it’s almost our duty to give back if our wallets and hearts permit it. If more fans felt like you did it would be a very sad world. Scott is a man who thought he had no one. He is a man who thought no one would cheer for him ever again. This fundraiser proved to him he has a hell of a lot of people pulling for him. Knowing you’re not alone is half of the battle.
Let me end my reaction with a quote from The Bad Guy himself posted this morning:
"Good Morning. Couldn’t sleep last night. I had this dream that people all around the world got together and lifted me up out of the gutter."
That’s heart. by ASocialCJ on Mar 18, 2013 | 6:48 PM rec (6)
and...
I can't be completely mad at this post. I understand the skepticism that is presented with regards to DDP’s motivations for getting Hall clean. I’ve discussed with others at length whether or not DDP is on a fool’s quest because of some messiah complex or if he thinks he can actually help out. I can’t fault the intention to help, regardless if there’s some sort of underlying motivation (stated or unstated).
Sure, it’d be shitty of DDP to use Hall’s problems for his own personal gain, but I’d like to at least think that he has a benevolent spirit. And with charitable (if not sometimes overzealous) fans who are willing to give money to help out a stranger, there’s no real harm in asking for public help, especially when the internet can make almost anything happen.
I just hope that no matter what, some good comes of this and Hall can finally get on the right path. by Blueblob4life on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:35 PM rec (3)
and...
I personally donated $30 each to Jake's & Scott's surgeries and I wouldn’t call either donation a "pity" donation. I didn’t give money because I felt sorry for either of them. And generally speaking, I don’t hand money to charities or beggars when I don’t know where the money is going or how it will be used.
First and foremost, I’m an investor. I invest money when I believe there’s a strong probability of a return. Had Jake or Scott tried their surgery campaigns on their own, without DDP and the accountability crib, no way would I have given them money, knowing it probably would’ve been used to feed the addictions that were killing them.
But I think DDP has something special with the accountability crib. It’s filled with positive energy, but it’s not a narcissistic, masturbatory-feel-good charade. It’s positivity grounded in hard work, in facing challenges, and that doing difficult things means falling down and picking yourself up. And when I saw the progress Jake has made since moving in, I genuinely believe Jake will beat his demons. For good. And I think Scott has a good chance to recover in that environment, too. I didn’t donate that money; I invested in Jake’s & Scott’s recovery. I also got the perk of getting calls from Jake & Scott, and I’ll tell them both that I gave them money because I want a return: that I get to see them on stage to receive their inductions into the WWE Hall of Fame at Wrestlemania XXX.
I understand the skepticism after so many relapses from both men. With any investment there’s risk of failure, but after seeing so much evidence of DDPYoga’s success (Arthur Boorman, Jake, Jericho,DDP himself), I believe Jake & Scott will be successful, and I’m more than happy to invest $60 to help get them there. by rundmb on Mar 19, 2013 | 2:00 AM rec (3)
From the "SWERVE! What WrestleMania 29 match finish is WWE most likely to change?" thread:
Swerve! Taker v Punk is about to start. Lights go out. Shield attacks taker. Punk thinks the match is off…………NO CHANCE……………I`ve got a special replacement opponent!!! (Glass Break). Rock v Cena. Last second triple threat with mystery opponent. Chris Benoit comes out to reveal the death was a 7 year Keyfabe stunt, Benoit wins WWE title. Triple H v Lesnar. Turns out the entire show was just a dream like inception. Thats how you do a fuckin swerve by mrsocko on Mar 18, 2013 | 7:11 PM rec (4)
From the "Booker T announced for WWE Hall of Fame class 2013" thread:
Hall of Fame, he's comin' for you, ni- by Steve Sypa on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:04 PM rec (9)
and also from the same thread...
I'm really pumped for Booker T and the rest of the class. But is it bad that I’m more excited for the HoF than the actual WrestleMania event? by Blueblob4life on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:11 PM rec (7)
and...
He’s come a long way from robbing a Wendy’s… Dave Thomas we coming for you nukka! by RECE ROCK on Mar 18, 2013 | 10:12 PM rec (3)
From the "WWE Raw results and reactions from last night (March 18): Road to Wrestle-Whatia?" thread:
"K" is the legal shorthand for contract. Lo siento. Force of habit. by GuyinNY on Mar 19, 2013 | 12:35 PM rec (4)
and also from the same thread...
I think he doesn't know what Mark Henry does. by hfl2013 on Mar 19, 2013 | 12:17 PM rec (6)
and...
Relevance. I don’t see how Mark Henry’s workrate prior to his current run is really relevant to how good he is right now. Think of Jose Bautista, slugger for the Toronto Blue Jays: he sucked before 2010. Mark Henry didn’t put it together until 2011. Since that point, he’s been a fantastic monster heel. by GuyinNY on Mar 19, 2013 | 2:40 PM rec (4)
and...
It is a honor to be your Hero General by Stan Stansky on Mar 19, 2013 | 9:12 AM rec (7)
and...
[On Jack Swagger working stiff]
Or impregnates someone. by keyboard punk on Mar 19, 2013 | 12:28 PM rec (4)
and...
or gets arrested. wait, what?? by slapsy on Mar 19, 2013 | 12:56 PM rec (3)
and...
Try? There is no try? Fandango DOES seduce the women. Natalya was about to fall into his seductive trap, but Fandango lost focus and Nattie was able to snap out of it. He was definitely going to go home with a Funkadactyl a couple of weeks ago. Roberts is a jerk. Plain and simple. If I were the Managing Supervisor of Raw or the Assistant to the Managing Supervisor of Raw, I’d have fired him on the spot. by hfl2013 on Mar 19, 2013 | 2:41 PM rec (3)
and...
Eating jalapeno poppers and pooping fire is not heat. by dandeman on Mar 19, 2013 | 2:25 PM rec (4)
and...
Punk Bearer brings you the classics
"Oooh yes… it was the best of tiiiimes, ooooh noooo… it was the worst of times, because my Undertaker had come…"
"In my younger and more vulnerable years, my bastard son gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember to set them on fire.’"
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. OOOOHYESSSSS." by GuyinNY on Mar 19, 2013 | 3:14 PM rec (4)
From the "CSSGTTT: (3) Demolition vs. (6) Hollywood Blonds" thread:
this. People think we’re voting for the Blonds because of SCSA. We’re voting for them because they were better. Demolition was just blah. People keep bring up Demolition’s length of title reign… when honestly, who cares? The Honky Tonk Man held the IC title for the longest time…length of reign and # of reigns is kinda meaningless when the belt is just a prop. by BrooklynBrawler4Life on Mar 19, 2013 | 3:56 PM rec (6)
and...
I just farted and for a second thought I shit my pants. That was way more exciting than Rock vs Cena II. by Anderson Silva Money on Mar 19, 2013 | 11:50 PM rec (4)
From the "How did WWE exploit Paul Bearer's death this week?" thread:
Uncomfortable. If Punk’s making you uncomfortable with this, and you think he’s pushing the boundaries… well, he’s doing his job. Hopefully, it’ll be enough for you to pay money to watch him get his ass kicked… all the way to 20-1. by GuyinNY on Mar 19, 2013 | 3:36 PM rec (5)
and also from the same thread...
Marks. I hate to be the guy who says this. I hate when the IWC throws the term around. If you are mad or bothered or upset about the way they are handling this, you are a mark. It is ok. Nothing is wrong with that. You are just falling into the storyline. CM Punk has been blurring the line between reality and a work for a while. This is no different. You are mad at the fact that they are exploiting Paul Bearer? That is the point. by davidhamilton83 on Mar 19, 2013 | 4:10 PM rec (6)
From the "Hulk Hogan tells crazy story of trying to convince Vince McMahon to bring Sting to WWF in 1980s" thread:
SHUT THE FUCK UP! clap clap clapclapclap by Anderson Silva Money on Mar 19, 2013 | 5:19 PM rec (5)
and also from the same thread…
I'm not sure why this is so unbelievable. Hogan’s politicking seems to have taken place once his star was waning and once he conceivably had something to lose. I think it’s quite reasonable to imagine him as willing to put Sting over at that time. He’s obviously exaggerating here in order to sell TNA so we should take that into account before putting this alongside his other obviously tall tales.
It could be bullshit but there’s no evidence to refute this definitely. Hogan was in a different position in WCW – after ’Mania III he could afford to take the hit. I think this is semi-plausible once we cut through the hyperbole. by Jvmes on Mar 19, 2013 | 5:27 PM rec (7)
and...
Hogan's plan to get Sting over involved these steps
Step 1: Sting beats Ric Flair for the WWF Championship in October 1992 on a non-pay-per-view event. Because it definitely ain’t worth paying money to see that ho-hum title change.
Step 2: Sting vs Earthquake is the main event of WrestleMania 9. Sting luckily manages to get Earthquake into his ineffective finisher, the Scorpion Death Lock, but Mr Fuji throws evil Japanese powder into Sting’s eyes. Earthquake then goes on to defeat Sting for theWWF Championship.
Step 3: Hulk Hogan comes out right after that match is over, accepts a challenge from Mr. Fuji, and Hogan goes on to defeat Earthquake for the WWF Championship using the most amazing finishing move ever, the legdrop. Hulk Hogan parades around the ring as the conquering hero while Sting jobs to the angle and is nowhere in sight as the show closes.
Step 4: Hulk Hogan loses the WWF Championship to Earthquake during the midcard ofKOTR ’93 via exploding camera to the face. And Sting gets to hold a scepter and wear a goofy crown, only to be beaten down by Jerry Lawler as the camera fades to black on the event.
Step 5: Sting is now a bonafide legend who is ten times bigger than Hulkamania.
.
.
.
Step 27: At Survivor Series ’97, Sting gets screwed out of the WWF Championship in Montreal after an epic battle with his arch-rival, leader of Degeneration X, and quite possibly the greatest in-ring performer of all-time: Brutus The Barber Beefcake.
That Hulk Hogan is a fucking genius. by Kanenite on Mar 19, 2013 | 6:56 PM rec (17)
and...
Oh man, I almost choked to death when I got to Brutus. Insert your own "That’s what Hulk said!" joke. by ReverendKain on Mar 19, 2013 | 7:00 PM rec (3)
From the "Chael Sonnen's full rant on Vince McMahon challenging Dana White to a fight" thread:
Chael...Chael is a legit top 5 Middleweight. Just because he couldn’t beat the best fighter in the world, doesn’t mean he can’t fight.
Aside from that, you are playing into exactly what he wants. He cuts promos better than most WWE guys to sell fights. And it works. He took a pretty generic career, and used his mouth to turn himself into one of the most recognizable people in the sport. He stepped up to fight Jones when no one else wanted to. He’s an idiot (real estate fraud), but he’s a genius (LHW title shot while coming off a loss in a different weight class). Either way, he entertains me. by 8bitDan on Mar 20, 2013 | 12:16 AM rec (6)
From the "Bully Ray in hot water with TNA management after being caught using gay slurs" thread:
I think it's more in how it was done... It was blatant, seemed to be out of character, not part of the show, and wasn’t meant to be seen. It’s not like he was in the middle of the ring, doing and interview and saying something like "I think he has a little sugar in the gas tank" and then wait for the boos to roll in. by LowBudgetJeff on Mar 20, 2013 | 1:45 AM rec (3)
From the "WWE Main Event results and live blog for March 20" thread:
[On that thing Robin Williams had in that one movie]
An old lady disguise? Look, what Wade does on the weekends is no concern of mine. by ReverendKain on Mar 20, 2013 | 8:23 PM rec (1)
and also from the same thread...
A hospital where patients are healed with laughter? by ReverendKain on Mar 20, 2013 | 8:25 PM rec (1)
and...
A Group of scrappy prep-school students who quote Whitman? by Wellington's Wellingtons on Mar 20, 2013 | 8:25 PM rec (1)
and...
A Matt Damon by Wellington's Wellingtons on Mar 20, 2013 | 8:27 PM rec (1)
From the "Wrestling Revelations: Triple H must lose to Brock Lesnar at 'Wrestlemania 29'" thread:
On the other hand, HHH. by Flashking on <a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/20/4126