Roundtable: 5 Things I’m Thankful For

In this edition of the Roundtable, The Wrestling Estate staff share five things they’re most thankful for this year.

John Corrigan

Anthony “Jinder” Mahalis, for sending Ric Flair flowers and a fruit basket while he was in the hospital.
Calvin Gibbon, for making me wait 18 weeks to read a TLC review.
Troy Taroff, for stealing Jackie’s soiled panties and duct-taping them to our dorm room window.
Evan “The Boss” Cross, for renewing his Huntingdon Valley Library card.
Jack Goodwillie, for finding more UFC fossils to mumble through an interview with.

Anthony Mahalis

The Shield being reunited. Hopefully, this wakes fans up to the greatness that is Roman Reigns. After all, it is his yard.
Have to be thankful that AJ is the WWE Champion again. Although, I expect that to be short lived – Jinder will probably take the title back at Night of Champions.
Brock and AJ living up to the hype. Terrific match.

Instead of five things that I am thankful for, being the downer that I am, I wanted to also give two things that I am not thankful for, in the hopes that maybe WWE opens their eyes.

4. Sami Zayn’s heel turn. In theory, great idea, however the execution has been so poor. His schtick of dancing around like a goofy moron just doesn’t work as a heel. He just seems really lame now.
5. Nakamura, Roode, Samoa Joe and Balor being four of the first five eliminations in the Survivor Series main event. Are you kidding me? Honestly, what is the logic here? These guys are potentially a big part of the company’s future and they were just wasted in this match. Total Vince move there.

Troy Taroff

Living in a state where there is no snow. Snow is the worst. It’s cold, inconvenient, and gets all in your shoes. #WestCoastBestCoast
The fact that I can write and talk about wrestling and not get persecuted by everyone I know. (Ok, that was somewhat of a lie, I still get hounded for it. But screw them, they don’t know culture.)
My family. Yes, they may all be back on the East Coast, but the fact they don’t hound me everyday is a godsend and a blessing. Go Taroff family!
Philadelphia sports are awesome right now. The Eagles are the best team in the NFL. The Sixers are the most fun team to watch in the NBA. The Phillies have tons of young pieces that will be fun for years to come. Fuck hockey though, it’s a Canadian sport.
John Cena. Fuck you Corrigan.

Jack Goodwillie

1. WWE NXT

A longer rant may be in store for the next episode of The Wrestling Estate podcast, but I do feel as though Survivor Series fell a little bit flat. Tis the norm for big WWE shows these days, but at least we’ll always have NXT. Somehow, someway, the fine folks down at the Performance Center continue to raise the bar (no pun intended) and War Games may have been the best Takeover installment yet.

2. AJ Styles

The idea that AJ Styles is, or had the potential to be, the best wrestler in the world is something I have been in on since I saw AJ perform for the first time in 2004. Even as early as back then I always wondered what would happen if and when he came to the WWE. Thankfully, things broke perfectly for him and he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves. Who knows how long we’ll have him for, but I’m thankful for the career he’s had and the last two or three years he will have as he puts a bow on his career and rides off into the sunset.

3. The Double U Double U E Network

I remember those days as a stubborn youth where I was only allowed to watch a handful of pay-per-views per year due to a combination of cost and, well, 11 p.m. being past my bedtime on a school night. Luckily, the WWE Network is perfectly geared towards someone like me. I can watch almost anything WWE-related or anything WWE owns any time I want to for just $9.99 per month. Considering how much the big shows used to cost, it’s almost robbery from the consumer’s standpoint. I have an inkling the Network has not profited the way higher-ups have hoped, so I’m just going to enjoy it while we have it, knock on wood.

4. Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard

I caught on to Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson’s wrestling revue podcast five or six episodes in, and have been hooked ever since. It’s the perfect listen for anyone who loves some of the older wrestling, anyone who likes to peek behind the curtain or anyone just curious to hear how things used to be run vs. how they’re run today. Bruce and Conrad’s banter is entertaining and Conrad is (usually) able to keep Bruce honest with only the most pointed and specific questions.

5. This website

I must say, it is nice to have a forum to put out wrestling content once again. I’m thankful for John, first of all for being the brainchild for this whole thing and Troy, for whom has been a friend since I joined him in Southern California and someone who is tons of fun to work with on The Wrestling Estate Podcast, which I have no doubt that like this site will continue to grow into the next year and beyond.

Evan Cross

Joel Embiid, for making flopping look good for the first time since Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan.
Braun Strowman, for looking at the climax of Survivor Series and doing exactly what everyone who is tired of the McMahons wanted to do.
Joel Embiid, for citing statistics unlike anyone besides Scott Steiner.
The Philadelphia Eagles, for being the only thing in the NFL distracting me from how stupid the NFL is.
Joel Embiid, for putting up the most dominant Staples Center performance since Brock Lesnar (the Edie Sedgwick to John Corrigan’s Andy Warhol).

Calvin Gibbon

1. Eggnog Season

There is no greater beverage-related season than eggnog season! It’s like drinking dessert – an amazing, sweet, creamy, delicious dessert. And when I see it appear on the shelves in the dairy aisle, I get a smile on my face, because it means that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

2. Stuffing Stuffing Stuffing

I’m all about stuffing. Its savory decadence makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Have you tried it with bacon? You will now. Just make sure you get enough for everyone.

3. Laughter

I hope you’re lucky enough to be with friends or family this Thanksgiving. Every year, I look forward to telling funny stories and reminiscing with my family. Share a laugh. It’s good for you. Science says that laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, promoting an overall sense of well-being, and even temporarily relieving physical pain. I hope we can all get a good helping this Thanksgiving.

4. Honey Baked Ham

My mouth is watering just thinking about a good, old-fashioned honey baked ham. No disrespect to the turkey crowd, but my protein of choice at Thanksgiving is always a warm, sweet, succulent ham. You can keep your turkey leftovers – ham still tastes good days after the food coma has worn off. And few things in life are as immediately satisfying as a leftover sandwich with cranberries, stuffing, and of course, honey baked ham.

5. Family

I’m thankful to be with family on this and every Thanksgiving. My parents are separated, but they still come back together for Thanksgiving, because it’s important to all of us that we be together at least on this holiday. We put the past and any family stress behind us (or at least we try to), and we all just spend time loving each other. Maybe that sounds a little corny, and it’s not always easy to do, but I’m thankful for this example of love and kindness in the name of togetherness and support.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!