#I’m her number one fan overseas‚ officially confirmed now

[rinas4ki]

4s4ki answered not one but TWO of my questions on her IG live. May all my mutuals be blessed with a parasocial friendship with their favorite obscure artist.

[danwhobrowses]

General Discussions: All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

So with All Out happening tonight (or well, tomorrow morning for me) I’m in the mood to get a lot of AEW talk off my chest. The difference between this and previous talks ‘In (Slight) Defense of AEW’s Women’s Division’ and ‘Are AEW Planning a Second Show?’ - the latter of which seems to have been confirmed - I don’t want to talk about one sole thing, I have multiple things I wanna talk about: Criticisms, Hindsight, Signing Suggestions, Predictions and whatnot. I’m also gonna split this into two at least, we’re gonna start with some critiques (positive and negative criticism) and some hindsight talk.

Critiques So AEW has been running officially since May 2019. Meaning that half of their lifespan has happened during COVID 19′s pandemic, before I go into positive and negative criticisms I’d like this point to at least commend AEW on their action and sustainability during this time; several other brands have had to sadly close or cease programming for a long time, with ROH only just returning. AEW has done a stellar job being safe as well, only one confirmed case in QT Marshall (Moxley quarantining because of Renee’s positive case), frequent tests and having small amount of fans in the arena, this is on top of the fact that Jacksonville is also a hotspot, so currently well done on that. But AEW is far from a perfect company, no company can be. However, not all criticism is fair and I wanna vent some of that. Fair Criticism towards AEW First I wanna point out that there are things even I don’t like about AEW, because I know people will paint me as an apologist, I’d also wanna preface that there are parts of WWE I like too, and parts I don’t like. On AEW’s part though I think the fairest criticism for it is that a lot of talent slip through the cracks, COVID doesn’t help of course but talent had been kept away from the main show or not getting their due; Santana and Ortiz and the Lucha Bros should be tag champions by now, Scorpio Sky would’ve been a great TNT champion, Jurassic Express despite their popularity often seem to be on the losing end of feuds, Private Party have fell into the undercard of the tag division, Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss are sadly purposeless and Lance Archer is just floating around, Nyla and Vickie’s partnership hasn’t really gone anywhere either as of yet and Abadon has been kept from the title picture. There’s also the flip-flop booking of Shawn Spears, Jake Hager, Mel, Luther, Penelope Ford, TH2 and others. While I am gonna track back on the Women’s Division complaint it would bode better for AEW if they had more storylines, and their title was better. I mean the design is fine, it just needs to be bigger. The Picture with Shida and Cody swapping belts really sells that. Belt designs have been very up and down too, the TNT title is not good, the FTW title is a bit iffy but even that is a better design. So far only ‘Big Platinum’ and the Tag Titles are original designs without complaints. Unfair Criticism towards AEW Since a lot of people compare AEW to WWE, there will be times where people will treat them as the same, and that’s not really too fair. Case in point, big one out of the way, The Women’s Division. Wanting more from the women is fair but as I detailed they are pretty handicapped right now since many of their wrestlers are overseas, but when they make moves in a positive light they’re still criticised. Thunder Rosa (fka Kobra Moon of Lucha Underground) is great and we have a much hyped match for that. The criticisms reared its head more with the Deadly Draw and the Tooth and Nail match being in the Buy In. I’ve already discussed the benefits of the Deadly Draw in a prior post so I’m gonna focus on Swole/Baker. Now on the Main Card anyway thanks to fan response, it shouldn’t have been treated like AEW pre-shows are like WWE’s, there’s a Number 1 Contendership Battle Royale on that same Buy In, Khan has been clear that he wants people invested enough to ‘Buy in to the PPV’ so it shouldn’t be treated as a disservice.

I’d also like to segue this into a WWE comparison, because whenever AEW is on you have people tracking how many women’s segments there are. So let me run down WWE for a bit

Smackdown had 3 Women’s Bits last night (4th Sept): the Tag Match that led to FINALLY the Banks/Bayley schism, a cryptic hint towards a woman returning (rumors of Eva Marie I hope are false, maybe it’s Carmella?) and a small backstage segment between Bliss and Bayley

NXT on ‘Super Tuesday Part 1′ had 1 very short match building to the Candice/Tegan feud and a package for Ripley vs Mercedes

Raw had 2 matches and 3 segments which included a Payback rematch

Payback had 2 matches, one on the Pre-Show, both of these matches would later be rematched in the following week

Summerslam had 3 matches, only one of them not a title match and one of them being rematched on the following Raw

NXT TakeOver 30 had 1 match, a title match, including the Pre-Show

For all the criticism AEW gets for having 2-3 bits on Dynamite (which is an hour less than Raw might I add and Dark hosts consistently 3 women’s bits that nobody acknowledges simply because the matches are squashes) I never see WWE criticised in that same vein, and that’s unfair, criticise both. The main difference is that AEW do not have the ‘seasoned big star’ because they’re not that old, Mickie James, Asuka, Bliss and the Four Horsewomen didn’t just get this popular overnight, they spent years honing this craft to this audience. Would it be great for AEW to have a megastar type? Sure but business is not all that easy, who do you take? Tessa’s attitude isn’t exactly positive for business, time is what they need and it’s something people are not giving. Of the other unfair criticisms the quick and easy one is the ‘AEW is TNA 2.0′ - newsflash, most wrestlers will go through the WWE machine in some shape or form, if you complain that AEW lacks female stars because nobody is well known but criticise the men’s division for using well-known ex-WWE talent then you have to see the contradiction. Moxley has been great, Jericho has been great, Brodie has been great, it’s not like AEW aren’t promoting others either. And also the ‘VP is becoming like the McMahons’ - people think that because a wrestler is a booker that they’ll only book themselves strong, but Cody let himself get squashed by Brodie, Kenny passed out to PAC and lost to Moxley, the Bucks haven’t been tag champions and Brandi hasn’t inserted herself in any title match. Just because we’re burned by WWE doesn’t mean that AEW are the same. I am all for constructive criticism with the brand because there are certainly places where it can improve, but it keeps circling around to the fact that we put WWE as the negative standard we compare AEW to, as if WWE are literally the Simpsons of Wrestling, there’s not gonna be much they haven’t done. Hindsight Talk So with the critiques out of the way now we can talk about some missed opportunities, since it kinda pairs together with that. Nearly a year and a half and AEW is still quite different to how it started, there are some things though we could still look back in regret. The easy one is doing a more thorough background check. The SpeakingOut movement affected all of wrestling and led to the departure of Jimmy Havoc, likewise it also led to the Elite cutting ties with Joey Ryan and distancing from Marty Scurll, of course until people spoke out it would’ve been impossible to know but knowing now does make parts of All In and AEW’s history come with a sense of bitterness. A further stressing of variety would’ve helped AEW, there’s a lot of criticism when people don’t understand that things are different for a reason, comedy has a place in Wrestling, we just need a reminder. The ranking system and tag rules could still be clearer. There’s also the sooner dropping of aspects like the Nightmare Family faction with Mel and Luther with Brandi, as well as some other dropped plots like Brandi’s mental break, Allie’s affiliation with the Butcher and Blade (the latter being her irl husband) as ‘the Bunny’, Christopher Daniels’ feuds with Pentagon and the Dark Order, the initial presentation of the Dark Order, not debuting Sadie Gibbs earlier and maybe pushing Intergender wrestling a bit sooner. AEW were reluctant and a Kip/Penelope vs Kenny/Riho feud was in the works to some solid appeal, but it sadly went nowhere. The Deadly Draw could’ve been longer, but I stand by the decision to put it on Youtube. I think the TNT title tournament could’ve been longer too. The bigger regrets I personally wished from AEW are that the Lucha Bros didn’t win the tag titles first, SCU are great but Lucha Bros are next level wrestlers who are monstrously talented, given Hangman and Kenny’s blockbuster match with the Lucha Bros, it’s a shame that we didn’t have a bigger feud where the Lucha Bros took their Young Bucks feud momentum to win the whole tournament. Not signing Mercedes Martinez, Deonna Purrazo or pushing a Kong vs Kong match would also be a missed opportunity too. Hindsight is of course 2020 so we can’t be too hard on AEW, as we’ll move onto in Part 2, when we’ll talk about All Out Predictions and positive hopes for AEW’s future

[kansascityhappenings]

Gunman set up cameras at Mandalay Bay, which tells investigators he meticulously planned massacre

LAS VEGAS — Gunman Stephen Paddock had cameras located inside and outside of his Las Vegas hotel room, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo revealed Tuesday in a news conference.

This undated photo provided by Eric Paddock shows his brother, Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. (Courtesy of Eric Paddock via AP)

Every detail of this indiscriminate mass murder seemed meticulously planned.

The selection of a hotel room overlooking a music festival, days before the attack. The cache of 23 weapons inside the gunman’s Las Vegas suite. And thousands of rounds of ammunition — plus an ingredient used in explosives — inside the killer’s home and car.

Yet no one knows why Stephen Paddock morphed from a retired accountant to a  mass murderer. His relentless gunfire — police say he fired for nine minutes after the first 911 call — on country music fans at an outdoor concert left 59 people dead.

About the cameras, the sheriff said: “I’m not aware of any transmission. But there (were) cameras.” While he didn’t know the specific number, one camera was located on a service cart outside the room, the sheriff said. “I anticipate he was looking for anybody coming to take him into custody.”

Click here or scroll down to the bottom of the page for the news conference livestreamed on the Fox 4 KC Facebook page.

Other points discussed at the news conference:

Police are reviewing body cameras that 67 officers were wearing at the festival and other areas.

There is an internal investigation underway to determine who leaked to the public the pictures of the guns found in the hotel room

They said Paddock’s girlfriend is still in the Philippines and they are working to get her back to Las Vegas.

MGM has donated $3 million to the help fund (See more on that below.) They are still working on how the money will be distributed, but they are hoping it will cover surgeries, travel expenses, etc.

The sheriff confirmed the gunman had cameras set up, including one on a room service cart. The sheriff said he thinks the cameras were used by the gunman so he could see when someone was going to enter his hotel room.

There are still 527 people trying to recover from injuries — everything from gunshot wounds to stampede injuries suffered when 22,000 people tried to flee the gunman’s aim.

So far, police believe Paddock acted alone — which could make the motive harder to determine.

$3.5 million raised

Countless strangers have rallied to support victims, donating blood, money and supplies.

By Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe page started by a Clark County commissioner had raised more than $3.5 million.

“Funds will be used to provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific Las Vegas mass shooting,” county commission chair Steve Sisolak wrote.

Throngs of blood donors lined up for hours to help the wounded.

“This is America — people coming together, helping out.” Hector Salas tweeted. “Likely more than 1000 people waiting in line to donate blood.

Strangers also donated flights, housing, food and transportation to victims’ relatives coming to Las Vegas, Clark County Fire Chief Greg Cassell said.

“It takes the worst of America to also see the best of America,” said Mansholt, who survived the gunfire. “Everybody was helping each other.”

Latest developments

— More than a dozen of the 59 people killed have been publicly identified. Among the latest: Charleston Hartfield of Nevada; Stacee Etcheber of California; Christopher Roybal of Colorado; Hannah Ahlers of California; and Jordan McIldoon of British Columbia, Canada.

— Las Vegas police tentatively will give a public update on the investigation at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET) Tuesday.

— Authorities continued processing the scene of the killings, where shoes and bags lay scattered.

— Five handguns, two shotguns and a “plethora” of ammunition were found in Paddock’s Reno, Nevada, property, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said. Authorities previously found 42 guns in Paddock’s Las Vegas hotel room and at his Mesquite, Nevada, home.

‘Did I do enough to help?’

Brian Claypool is grappling with feelings plaguing many of the survivors — an overwhelming sense of guilt and confusion.

“I’m going through some guilt now. Did I help enough people? Because everybody was screaming and yelling. I didn’t know what to do,” Claypool said, choking back tears.

“Who determines who gets killed in this? That’s what I’m having trouble with.”

The Los Angeles resident said he saw a young woman 15 feet away from him get shot.

“She ended up dying. I happened to be in an area where I didn’t get shot. So I guess I have to go the rest of my life wondering why did some of these people die. Why didn’t I?”

The investigation

Paddock’s violent transformation has mystified everyone — his brother, investigators and the families he victimized.

Police had no prior knowledge of the gunman before the attack.

“I don’t know how it could have been prevented,” Lombardo said.

The massacre has no known link to overseas terrorism or terror groups, a US official with knowledge of the case said.

And authorities say it’s too early to tell whether the massacre was an act of domestic terrorism.

“We have to establish what his motivation was first,” Lombardo said.

For an act to be considered terrorism, it must appear that it was intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or try to influence political change.

The gunman’s brother, Eric Paddock, said he was “completely befuddled” by his brother’s actions.

He said Stephen Paddock was an avid gambler who had “no history of violence. No history of anything — couldn’t give a s*** less about politics, religion, pointy hatted people, etc, etc. He just wanted to get a freaking royal flush.”

Running back into danger

The massacre started around 10 p.m. Sunday at the Route 91 Harvest festival, Joseph Lombardo said.

Country singer Jason Aldean was on stage when bullets started raining onto the crowd.

“On the main floor … there was no cover — they were all exposed,” survivor Dees Mansholt said. “So you didn’t know if somebody was shot or if they were laying down.”

Frantic concertgoers piled on top of each other, trying to get out of the shooter’s line of fire. But an off-duty nurse ran back into the danger to help those who had been shot.

“We went back because I’m a nurse and I felt I had to,” she told CNN affiliate KTNV. “I went to three different scenes, and by the time I got to the third one, there was just dead bodies.”

The nurse said she was far from alone.

“There was so many people, just normal citizens, doctors, cops, paramedics, nurses, just off duty. Everyone was just communicating and working together.”

Corrine Lomas also recalled the heroism of fellow concertgoers.

“A lot of really good people (were) holding people’s wounds shut, trying to help them while everybody was just ducked down,” she said.

Trump says he will visit Las Vegas after massacre

  from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2017/10/03/gunman-set-up-cameras-at-mandalay-bay-telling-investigators-he-meticulously-planned-massacre/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2017/10/03/gunman-set-up-cameras-at-mandalay-bay-which-tells-investigators-he-meticulously-planned-massacre/