S-A-W-F-T!
September 20, 2013 7:02 AM Subscribe
At the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, wrestlers-in-training (some of whom perform weekly on WWE's "minor league" show, NXT) learn both the art of working within the ring as well as how to cut a promo and improvise in-character. The WWE developmental system has promoted numerous successful young talents to the WWE's main touring roster, most recently Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family. Recently, the WWE uploaded a number of "performance evaluations" - promo practice routines by wrestlers in developmental - to Youtube in an account that was meant to be private. Unfortunately, they uploaded them publicly, and before they could close the account to the public, the videos had leaked across wrestling internet fandom.
Of note:
Of note:
- Enzo Amore and Colin "Big Cass" Cassaday, "The Realest Guys In The Room"
- Leo Kruger speaks from the soul
- "Shooting The Breeze" With Tyler Breeze (with special guests Adrian Neville and Scott Dawson)
- Bayley wishes people would remember her name
- Sami Zayn cuts a heartfelt promo about his mom seeing him wrestle for the first time
- Marcus Louis, who deigns to speak your horrible English language
- and of course Simon Gotch, who is damn manly
Woah, WOAH, WOAH! Wrestling isn't real?
posted by blue_beetle at 7:37 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by blue_beetle at 7:37 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's still real to me, dammit!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:40 AM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:40 AM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I wonder if this was a real leak, or if it maybe was a sneaky way to give these guys exposure while preserving deniability.
posted by JHarris at 7:41 AM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 7:41 AM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
JHarris, that's what my thought was as well... a Fake Leak. A Fleak.
posted by symbioid at 7:49 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by symbioid at 7:49 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Isn't the whole anti-French thing so 2003? And a little homophobia mixed in or... something.
posted by symbioid at 7:50 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by symbioid at 7:50 AM on September 20, 2013
Leakfabe?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:51 AM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:51 AM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I... Do not have words to describe what would have happened to the responsible person(s) if this happened in 95-96. This is so discordant to me: seeing promo practice on YouTube.
This is not fair to any of those workers. :(
posted by andreaazure at 7:58 AM on September 20, 2013
This is not fair to any of those workers. :(
posted by andreaazure at 7:58 AM on September 20, 2013
Isn't the whole anti-French thing so 2003? And a little homophobia mixed in or... something.
Yeah, the actual content of the promo was ... not my favorite. But he came this close to getting all the way through without smiling while everybody in the room was losing their collective shit. Which is roughly as good as it gets for a pro wrestler.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:03 AM on September 20, 2013
Yeah, the actual content of the promo was ... not my favorite. But he came this close to getting all the way through without smiling while everybody in the room was losing their collective shit. Which is roughly as good as it gets for a pro wrestler.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:03 AM on September 20, 2013
Isn't the whole anti-French thing so 2003?
Making fun of the French for being cowards is so 2003. Making fun of the French generally, however, is timeless. This is the gift the French have given to all of us, and we should thank them for that.
And a little homophobia mixed in or... something.
Yeah, that was a little irritating right at the end.
posted by mightygodking at 8:25 AM on September 20, 2013
Making fun of the French for being cowards is so 2003. Making fun of the French generally, however, is timeless. This is the gift the French have given to all of us, and we should thank them for that.
And a little homophobia mixed in or... something.
Yeah, that was a little irritating right at the end.
posted by mightygodking at 8:25 AM on September 20, 2013
"...WOAH! Wrestling isn't real?"
Don't worry, it's real. Actually, it's the only remaining real, professional sport. Want proof?
Look, you can get a line in Vegas on every single pro sport except one: Professional Wrestling. Want to know why? Because bookies don't want to take risks, they want to make money. They make money when the fix is in - and the fix is in in every single pro sport. Except one. Professional Wrestling is just too damn volatile - too damn real - for gambling.
posted by klarck at 8:32 AM on September 20, 2013 [17 favorites]
Don't worry, it's real. Actually, it's the only remaining real, professional sport. Want proof?
Look, you can get a line in Vegas on every single pro sport except one: Professional Wrestling. Want to know why? Because bookies don't want to take risks, they want to make money. They make money when the fix is in - and the fix is in in every single pro sport. Except one. Professional Wrestling is just too damn volatile - too damn real - for gambling.
posted by klarck at 8:32 AM on September 20, 2013 [17 favorites]
It's fun to see workprints like this. It makes it easier to take the WWE performers seriously as actors, practicing their craft. Particularly out of the context of the wrestling ring.
posted by Nelson at 8:56 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by Nelson at 8:56 AM on September 20, 2013
Isn't the whole anti-French thing so 2003?
Making fun of the French for being cowards is so 2003. Making fun of the French generally, however, is timeless. This is the gift the French have given to all of us, and we should thank them for that.
Virtually every non-American wrestler has at some point in his U.S. career played the Evil Foreigner. Even if they're just non-white (e.g., Jim Harris, a.k.a. Kamala the Ugandan Headhunter) or can just do a convincing accent (e.g., Nelson Simpson, a.k.a. Nikita Koloff), it's just too easy to pass up. Hell, Bret Hart led a stable of evil Canadians for a while there.
posted by Etrigan at 9:37 AM on September 20, 2013
Making fun of the French for being cowards is so 2003. Making fun of the French generally, however, is timeless. This is the gift the French have given to all of us, and we should thank them for that.
Virtually every non-American wrestler has at some point in his U.S. career played the Evil Foreigner. Even if they're just non-white (e.g., Jim Harris, a.k.a. Kamala the Ugandan Headhunter) or can just do a convincing accent (e.g., Nelson Simpson, a.k.a. Nikita Koloff), it's just too easy to pass up. Hell, Bret Hart led a stable of evil Canadians for a while there.
posted by Etrigan at 9:37 AM on September 20, 2013
LEAKOMANIA XVIII! SUNDAY NIGHT!! AT THE MARIETTA CIVIC CENTER!!!
CHELSEA MANNING TAKES ON EDWARD SNOWDEN IN A NO SERVERS BARRED CAGE MATCH! JULIUS ROSENBERG AS GUEST REFEREE!
posted by not_on_display at 10:19 AM on September 20, 2013
CHELSEA MANNING TAKES ON EDWARD SNOWDEN IN A NO SERVERS BARRED CAGE MATCH! JULIUS ROSENBERG AS GUEST REFEREE!
posted by not_on_display at 10:19 AM on September 20, 2013
There was a great interview with HHH on Grantland that was him (out of character) talking about what he does, how they run their shows, and how things go down. It was extraordinarily interesting even for someone like me that only pays attention when Grantland covers it or I happen to catch Raw at the gym.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 10:19 AM on September 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 10:19 AM on September 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
Wrestling isn't real?
If you go by the standards of "Reality TV", Pro Wrestling is the original Reality TV. What? You still think "Big Brother" isn't fixed?
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:09 PM on September 20, 2013
If you go by the standards of "Reality TV", Pro Wrestling is the original Reality TV. What? You still think "Big Brother" isn't fixed?
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:09 PM on September 20, 2013
Oh man, now I want Simon Gotch to tag team with Jervis Cottonbelly.
posted by ShawnStruck at 3:00 PM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by ShawnStruck at 3:00 PM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
I watched one of the videos so far, and man, these guys are pros.
posted by JHarris at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
The Leo Kruger one, I can just imagine "Mean" Gene Okerlund coming in after that saying "What does that mean?" then Jesse "The Body" Ventura saying "It sounds like he doesn't want to be part of the Pro Wrestling system anymore, he's a wild card baby, it sounds like he's going to overturn the tables. Maybe he'll shake things up around here." Then Gene says "Let's go to ringside," and Iron Shiek is about to wrestle The Undertaker.
posted by JHarris at 4:00 PM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 4:00 PM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
For some of us, the most intriguing thing in these videos is seeing Kassius Ohno, after he disappeared from TV a couple months ago. The dirtsheet rumor was that WWE wanted him to lose some weight before they moved forward with him. He looks pretty ripped in the video.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:02 AM on September 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by roll truck roll at 9:02 AM on September 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Isn't the whole anti-French thing so 2003?
Considering the wrestling world remained at war with Japan for a good 40-50 years after the end of WWII, I would say this is positively contemporary.
posted by The Gooch at 12:03 AM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Considering the wrestling world remained at war with Japan for a good 40-50 years after the end of WWII, I would say this is positively contemporary.
posted by The Gooch at 12:03 AM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, Kilisto, who hasn't officially debuted yet is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDiZQY9uhJg
Also known as Samurai Del Sol ! So excited to see him debut!
posted by ShawnStruck at 12:15 AM on September 25, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDiZQY9uhJg
Also known as Samurai Del Sol ! So excited to see him debut!
posted by ShawnStruck at 12:15 AM on September 25, 2013
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posted by uncleozzy at 7:26 AM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]