I've been MIA recently, but with good reason. I'm on Spring Break! The school year has ended in Japan, so I have about 1.5 to 2 weeks off waiting for it to start again. And yes, one might think that would mean I would have more time for writing. However, I have a rather large backlog of games I need to play, and that has been taking up all my waking moments. Just yesterday I completed Insomniac's "Spiderman 2," which was fantastic. This game continued the great storytelling and characterization from the previous two entries in the series, improved combat and sidequests, and made swinging (and flying!) around NYC even more fun. There are also, of course, lots of references to Spiderman's expansive history. This is one of my favorites that I came across: The Masked Challenger Gaze with Miles at this lovely lucha libre mural. Spiderman's origin is directly tied to pro-wrestling, and I was glad to see the game giving multiple nods to the fact.
“Never do that again Cole, there’s people listening.” - Wade Barrett during the Women’s Royal Rumble The above quote made me laugh and inspired today's post. The quality of commentary can have such a major impact on pro-wrestling. It’s not necessary for enjoyment, as attending a live event makes clear, but it can greatly enhance or detract from the experience when watching on TV or streaming. Good commentary can elevate an average match to good and great to legendary. Conversely, bad commentary belittles, if not ruins, a match; it can distract from talent and even harm careers. There have been many times over the years where poor commentary has made me reach for (or want to reach for in instances when it was not me in control of the remote) the mute button. Every time Jerry Lawler so much as mentioned women during the Attitude Era filled me with disgust and my brain tried to transform his voice to sound like a teacher from the “Peanuts” cartoons. Michael Cole’s tenure at attemptin...
Catching up on New Japan Cup action today as I was able to work from home. I am on the 3/11 show now and I had to step away from my laptop because the timer went off for my spaghetti cooking. Before I left, only Walker Stewart was on commentary. When I came back, I became extremely confused. I thought Walker was doing a pirate impression, or perhaps an actual pirate had, for some reason, joined him on commentary. Turns out, that's just what Drilla Moloney sounds like. Fun fact to learn. For real (these are my dogs)* though, if someone told me he was related to the guy who sings the SpongeBob, I'd be inclined to believe them. On the topic of the New Japan Cup, I've noticed Naito reaching out to little kids to do a fist touch when he's heading to the back recently. It's adorable, but when did that start? I didn't think Naito was child friendly, or even people friendly for that matter. Is this what happens when you tag team with an actual ray of sunshine? And bless...
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