Look Back in Anger: The Women's Wrestling Power Rankings (and a Cody Hot Take).

 *This blog post was started on February 22, 2022.

It is tough to come up with a good excuse for not having posted anything beyond "NinetyForChill: The #Podcast" in the past 20 days. I have had a Tuesday or Wednesday off the past three weeks from my soon to become full-time job, so I can claim that these were the ideal times to run errands. Still, these days off did not seem overly productive when it comes to the long term consequences. Until there was a job offer from my current employer, 2022 just felt like it was to be a rough year.

Things maybe changing. The deep hurting that I experienced watching "Foodfight!" came before I finally got to accept my job offer. My federal tax return has arrived, so I should be able to navigate my finances for the next few months. And it seems that I have the freedom to finally say that Marine Bank is responsible for the uncaring (and at least in one case, selfish) managers who came up with a bullshit reason to leave me panicking for nearly two months.

The bank can blame IDES for ignoring my appeal. If the state does not want to pursue the $604 the bank should have coughed up, I am hoping to bury its reputation. Of course, they may have the last laugh. It seems my retirement plan which was a lesser one than what Super Pantry provided me in 2009 needs a notary to be rolled over to my preferred bank. I only know one institution with free notary services, and they are the assholes who fucked me over for telling them to treat their staff better.

Too bad I cannot come up with a song title from the 1980's to state that feeling. I am too proud to be "Living on a Prayer" and I will not imply mastery of puppets for the Springfield-based profiteers I spoke of. "Janie Got a Gun" seems a little problematic. "Scary Monsters" could empower the awful salaried workers at their Champaign branches, but I think I have a Bowie title from that era to use.

And since I do not see these rankings below changing much from "For the Ladies: True Crime and Britt Baker", perhaps I should be upset.

The Disgruntled's Women's Wrestling Power Ranking (2/22/2022):

I guess this is just a testament to why there is only a sixth of women's wrestling content on televised professional wrestling. There have been four primary men's championship changes (Hangman > Omega; Lesnar > Big E; Lashley > Lesnar; Lesnar > Lashley) since these top three performers have won their championships. It is either there are too few women's wrestlers to make things interesting or the lack of depth is beyond apparent. You are going to get my best effort to make this appear interesting, but I think we have six more weeks of a static scene.

The Number One Women's Wrestler in the World:
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.

• She is the current Disgruntled's Women's Real World Champion.
• She is the current AEW Women's World Champion.
• She is the only current Western, televised wrestling women's champion with a secondary title holder beneath her further cementing her importance.
• I do not see AEW allowing her to be defeated at this point in her current feud with Thunder Rosa.

The Number Two Women's Wrestler in the World:
Becky Lynch

• She is the current Smackdown Women's Champion (A belt that has been recognized as the Real World Championship).
• She will be challenged by Bianca Belair, the only other woman to win a WrestleMania main event.
• She has actually defended her championship at the last two WWE premium live events.

The Number Three Women's Wrestler in the World:
Charlotte Flair

• She is the current Raw Women's Champion (A belt that has been recognized as the Real World Championship).
• She will be challenged at WrestleMania by the number one celebrity in women's wrestling, Rhonda Rousey.
• She will probably headline a night at WrestleMania despite not deserving to.

The Number Four Women's Wrestler in the World:
Kamille

• She his the current NWA Women's World Champion (A recognized world title by DRCW).

• The NWA Women's World Championship was being used as a secondary title briefly in AEW, hence it cannot outrank a primary championship.

• She is by far the most imposing of all Women's Champions at this time.

Superluchas: Stardom: «Ryogoku Dream Queendom 2021» Syuri es doble monarca

The Number Five Women's Wrestler in the World:
Syuri (Debut)

• She defeated Utami Hayashishita to win the World of Stardom Championship (A belt recognized as the Real World Championship) in a Winner-Take-All Bout (Syuri defended and retained the SWA World Championship).
• She was one of the first women to compete at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom (15).

The Number Six Women's Wrestler in the World:
Zoey Skye

• She is the current Shimmer Champion (A recognized world title by DRCW).
• Impact did their best to protect the previous champion, Kimber Lee, by putting her in tag team matches and as the second to their Women's Champion.
• She currently lacks a Wikipedia page. This may mean that she will be the next big thing, but it will be a while before we can prove that.

The Number Seven Women's Wrestler in the World:
Bianca Belair (Debut)

• She had won the Elimination Chamber to challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw omen's Championship.
• Her story can only be satisfying with a title win at WrestleMania after Lynch stole her Smackdown title at Summer Slam.

The Number Eight Women's Wrestler in the World:
Thunder Rosa (Debut)

• She had defeated AEW Women's World Champion in a lights out match.
• She seems lined up to defeat Baker for the the AEW Championship, but I do not see that happening until after Revolution 2022.

The Number Nine Women's Wrestler in the World:
Rhonda Rousey (Debut)

• She is a former Strikeforce and UFC Bantamweight Champion (which was created to avoid her facing Cyborg Santos).
• She won the Royal Rumble to earn a shot at WrestleMania.
• I could see her failing to defeat Flair at Mania and be a strictly part-time competitor.
• If Lynch retains at Mania, I can see Rousey winning to set up the unification at Summer Slam.

The Number 10 Women's Wrestler in the World:
Mickie James

• The current Impact Knockouts Champion.
• Multiple time WWE Women's and former Diva's Champion.
• Impact has the greater exposure, so it places their championship ahead of America's first secondary championship, the Heart of Shimmer.
• James brought the championship more exposure by participating in the Women's Royal Rumble.

I guess if there is any thing that may upset wrestling fans is the lack of Jade Cargill in the rankings. She maybe 27-0 and the first TBS Champion, but she is a manufactured sports entertainer, not a wrestler. This is the influence that Cody Rhodes had on the AEW Women's Division. It is kind of fitting to see that he was never an indie star, just Matt Cardona before the former Zack Ryder became the Deathmatch King.

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast...Goes to B-Fest

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 57: NinetyForChill: The #Podcast...Goes to B-Fest (Dalton of Roller Skates)

With "Showdown in Little Tokyo" sharing the marquee at the Norris University Center at Northwestern University, Cool Movies Darth was obligated to attempt to make it through the 24-hour, B-movie marathon that is B-Fest. He spent all 24 hours in the McCormick Auditorium, but did he watch all the movies? Sometimes, there are things so bad, you just need to shut the brain off.

I had made it through two Ed Wood features ("Final Curtain" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space") that are not unwatchable. "Firewalker" disappointed as I ponder how Chuck Norris had his prime throughout the whole of the 1980s, but I cannot be too mad at a good Louis Gossett Jr. performance and a John Rhys-Davies cameo. Who cannot appreciate the sheer, unintentional comedy that is "The Brain That Wouldn't Die"? You would think that would be enough to skip the edibles and choose to constantly drink Monster Juice energy drinks to claim that you made it through the DEEP HURTING.

"The Night of a Thousand Cats" was virtually unwatchable, so it was easier to take the time to update my Letterboxd lists for this podcast, so I felt ready for the 3:00 am show. There was disappointment days later when I found that Quentin Tarantino has an appreciation for that Mexican film, lifting the film's antagonist's name, Hugo Stiglitz, for Til Schweiger's character in "Inglourious Basterds". My disconnect with QT hurts. This feature was the first to be booed at the festival, but not nearly as angrily as that for "Foodfight!".

I have seen more Francis Coleman movies than most. I have seen "Manos: The Hands of Fate" and "Birdemic: Shock and Awe". I made it though "The Room". None of these films made it a point to piss off the audience with every line of dialogue delivered by B-list celebrities. If the animation was better than PlayStation One, PERHAPS this would not be the worst movie I have seen.

A friend of mine told the story about how the original animation was stored on what became stolen hard drives, so one maybe too harsh on this celebrity-endorsed consumerism allegory about the holocaust. (Since this animation is "Veggietales" simple, is this how morons have been brainwashed in believing the Jewish genocide did not occur?) I doubt PlayStation 3 graphics would save this. Every scene is just another decision to make the audience scream, "Fuck You!" at the screen. By 4:40 am, we just lacked the strength to keep up with it. 

We got the boos out of the way, but after that, in my seating row, I slept through "Marihuana: The Weed with Roots in Hell", Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Hercules in New York", and "The Return of Doctor X". It was necessary. Watching "Showdown" on a big screen was too important. 

If only it was not tradition for B-Fest to show "Plan 9" at midnight the past 38 years. There were some great films to discover/rediscover which could have softened the masochism that came with "Night of a Thousand Cats" and "Foodfight!" It was great to see "Return to Oz" at an age greater than five. Who would not appreciate the feature debut of Patrick Swayze in the roller disco film "Skatetown U.S.A."? But the highlight for me came with the second feature of Friday night, "Master of the Flying Guillotine".

The only thing this martial arts film was lacking was (aside from coherency) was a "Fight to Survive" montage. It has "Bloodsport" vibes, inspired "Street Fight 2" characters, and had weird Asian-on-Asian racism you cannot help but giggle at. This is a feature that has a lot of promise be it a cinematic remake, an arcade tournament fighter, or a new take on "Alien: Isolation". All it takes is an Ang Lee or Bong Joon Ho, and we will have a 21st century classic.

If you attended B-Fest and want to chat about the high and lows of the event, feel free to email russthebus07@gmail.com to arrange a Zoom meeting.

If I do not hear from anybody who attended the marathon, the Michael Dubois's Gene Wilder trilogy will begin on March 8. I do not like to post episodes on my birthday week. It is easier to just go social media silent than to ponder about whether or not a Facebook well wish from a high school classmate is genuine.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast: Gregory Carl & "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane"

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 56: Gregory Carl & "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (A Critic and Film, Nothing More)

If there is a master of spotting subtle horror on Shudder, it is Gregory Carl. This week he suggested a film that has a horror-worthy premise with "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" featuring a 14 year-old Jodie Foster. It is a feature that turns the seemingly defenseless adolescent premise on its head while maintaining all that 1970s creepiness in all of its glory.

"The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" features a lot of elements that you could only get away with during the New Hollywood era. Parenting is seen as a novel concept and there is sexualization of adolescents outside of the truly disturbing elements of the tale. It is rather unapologetic as it effectively displays how pedophilia was handled at that time which will probably make modern audiences cringe. With all my friends who had experiences of such abuse, I hate to say that this treatment may have been prevalent at least up to the turn of the century.

This leads me to believe that we need to appreciate this film to realize that things in this patriarchic society needs to change, but with how our protagonist handles herself, my experience suggests that this feature is a display of feminist power. You fear for Rynn Jacobs's innocence, but she has a strength to come out stronger on the other side, and the evil may be no match for her.

This was my take on the feature. Gregory was more taken a back by the suggestion that matricide maybe an effective means of parenting. He was also caught off guard by the idea of a father who has left his "mature", 13 year-old daughter to survive on her own for three years. Again, experience with my friends allows me to see that some people grow up this way without any sense of guidance. Dad might be an eccentric artist (poet in this case), but at least his presence can be felt. I have known too many girls and boys who cannot claim that.

In a way, Jodie Foster does not seem too far removed from her character in this feature. This film was released in 1976, the same year as her breakout role in "Taxi Driver". With all the craziness surrounding her characters, I cannot help but think she took these experiences to become a powerhouse of acting. It also may have helped that she also starred in Alan Parker's "Bugsy Malone" that year as well. From childish gangster musicals to abused teenagers, this year ran the gamut of portrayals.

Outside of the feature talk, Gregory and I do go on some odd tangents. We cannot help but talk about some action movies, particularly Jet Li's limited success in the early part of the 21st century. Wrestling is a passion of mine so Gregory's fandom for the sport pulls out some stories about Peoria Wrestling and how it relates to New Jack. If there was a means to connect our love of action movies to this Foster vehicle, it comes from New Jack tales. As Joey Styles said, you have to believe at least half of the Original Gangsta's tales of justifiable homicide.

This lead me to state how much of Frank Dux ("Bloodsports" inspiration) bullshit I believe. Like how he respects Steven Seagal. Somehow Gregory and I get to suggesting that Seagal's love for Russia maybe him just hiding his truth. Hiding truths is something that has been associated with Jodie Foster if you get my implications.

This podcast once again returns to "Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy Trash Feature Revue" as well. 2013's "Dark Space" is the feature. It is a tale about a Spring Break in Space for 30-something college students gone wrong. Sadly, the film is not a comedy. And there is definitely a reason why I have only found three images for the feature online and the lack of a Wikipedia entry or even being included in its distributor's filmography.

As for next week's podcast, I hope I will be able to create some content while I am at B-Fest. If you are attending, my apparel will be my "Captain N: The Gamemaster" jacket. Driving back home after a 24-hour movie marathon is not something I want to do, so a room has been booked for after the show. Chatting for an hour or so about movies would be a great way to close the trip. Feel free to email russthebus07@gmail.com to arrange a meeting.

With that said, there is a back up plan in place. If it is not "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" or "Firewalker" chatter, get ready to start Michael Dubois's Gene Wilder trilogy.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" - Slime Free

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 55: Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Slime-Free Family Fun (Marshmallows Fluff Does Not Count)

If you remove the credits for "Ghostbusters (1984)", the runtime is only 36 seconds too long to qualify for NinetyForChill.com's parameters. Cool Movies Darth is a fan of "Solo: A Star Wars Story", so like Han, he chose to round the runtime down to the lower parsec. This allows him to address the latest film in the paranormal comedy franchise, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife".

I have taken on this episode by myself to assure that the guest content is not overly repetitive. The assistance that Gregory Carl, ThePoeticCritic, and Michael Dubois is always appreciated, but this is not their show yet. With that said, it is not overly hard to influence me, especially during my financial strains after the loss of my banking job.

Since this is a brief, 15-minute episode, I do not go in depth about my struggles beyond having to watch a lot of movies in hopes that they meet the parameters of my podcast BEFORE the credits role. Four movies on Sunday, and aside from "Ghostbusters" "meeting" the proper runtime, I ended going through three "Predator" films before I found one that allows us to discuss that franchise.

And that feature was Paul WS Anderson's "AVP: Alien Versus Predator". It is a fun popcorn feature like all of Anderson's films, but lets just say I am keeping Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Geiger's creature away from the podcast. We should not be that lenient for content.

Since I am chatting about Paul WS Anderson, my original intention for this podcast was to cover "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City". This is because, for the most part, all of the films in the original series would qualify for the show's parameters. Unfortunately, I failed to realize that the physical media release of the latest RE feature drops today (2/8/22). If I want to use a Redbox promo code, I am going to use one. Thus, leniency was needed this past weekend.

When it comes to the feature that I ended up renting, I thought was that it was a fine ode to the original feature. It may not have the same wit because you do not want children improvising, but I would say that allows auteur Jason Reitman to make the film that he wanted. He can count on it being his dialogue and the feature following his design. There are a few tweaks that could have been made, but this tribute to Harold Ramis tugged on my heart strings so that I immediately dismissed them. And that is why we take notes to make sure I give you these critiques on the podcast.

If there is any negative to this feature, it is that now I really want to forget about the praise I gave to "Ghostbusters (2016)". That is still a fun movie, provided you never saw GB1 or even GB2. The 2016 film had no idea on what fans of the franchise wanted. And with "Afterlife" going slime-free, we further want Paul Feig's miss to never be released in 8K.

My Twitter account is @catbusruss. This is where I want your hate to be directed if you disapprove. Otherwise, positive feedback would be best displayed as subscriptions to my podcast and five-star reviews. Lets work that algorithm.

If you think you have a film or franchise that you are an expert on. Send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. Most franchises have at least one feature that will qualify for NinetyForChill. The runtime just needs to be between 74 and 99 minutes.

I hope I am impressing or at the very least amusing you with this podcast and I am open to any and all criticism. My biggest want is more guests and more suggestions on what to chat about (@catbusruss, russthebus07@gmail.com@coolmoviesdarth). If we can get 3 hours out of "Little Nicky", the possibilities are endless. Thanks for visiting.

After WrestleMania Backlash, I will tell you that we need to take zombie pro wrestling back. My suggestion is that we finally get my low-budget zombie movie, "Main Event of the Dead" off the ground. The script lacks a lumberjack match, so you know it has got to be better than the "Army of the Dead" advertisement. Ask for a treatment or give me suggestions on how to get it to a crowd-sourcing stage with an email to russthebus07@gmail.com.

Lily C.A.T. - #Anime Admiration for @thehorrormaster and Dan O'Bannon

  *This blog post was started on February 2, 2022.

Lily C.A.T. - An #Anime Ode to John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon

I have been just trying to hang in there. That includes putting my scheduled time at the retail gig despite the snow storm. Perhaps it is wrong to mention my day's events. Some would consider that a breach of confidentiality. If someone were to take an inventory of what businesses were open in Savoy/Champaign/Urbana (S.C.U.) today and my employer's reputation is at risk.

With that said, you can tell I am still bitter with my recent income changes. In all likelihood, IDES will probably being call me tomorrow expecting an interview, per chance a debate with my former primary job, about my appeal regardless that there is no way the mail to advise me of that could have arrived. Since I offered my latest prospective employer a start date of next Monday, a chance to work at my retail job is not certain. Likely, but I hate dealing with hypotheticals.

Like having to stay THC-free in anticipation of a drug test. Fuck the Republican Party and their need to control the suffering of the lower and middle classes. I doubt the employer I hope to be working for takes issue with my appreciation of this state's recreational laws, but other interviewers have.

There is obviously a need to remain hopeful. So the goods from the last few days, I got to work when many others had to stay home. Aviator Gin is a damn fine spirit. And former wrestling world champion, Raven, approves of my podcast efforts. Take the wins when you can get them.

Like last week with my review for "Iczer Girl: Iczelion", it was great knowing my VCR still works well. Also, I gained a new perspective on a tape that I watched sparingly. The point of my actions was to provide "Russ's Remnants of Anime" a title that starts with "I", thus allowing that blog to be an A to Z(ed) in regards to the theme. Of course, this meant I dug for a tape from my closet instead of just pulling "Iria: Zeiram the Animation" from my living room shelf.

I suppose if I want to be lazy, all of my "Iria" expertise is on my portable hard drive with my "Windows 95" era files. If only I could remember the name of that offshoot to "The Bus's Transit of Anime Realities" dedicated to badass anime heroines. There are Geocities archives and sometimes, my stuff is still out there.

Lazy is not my thing, so it took digging through four streamers, but I found an installment for the letter "L". "Legend of Crystania" was on my shelf, but that may also fit the parameters of "NinetyForChill.com: The Website". My obsessive compulsive nature will not allow me to have more posts there than "MainEventOfTheDead.com".

This leads us to "Lily C.A.T.", a spaceship in peril feature with box art that makes it look like a slick detective feature. At least it delivers us a cat named Lily, so cannot complain too much about the poster confusion.

Lily C.A.T. (1987)

It all seems like an ordinary deep space exploratory mission. Spend 20 years in deep sleep, arrive at an uncharted planet to set up a mine for the world's resources, and make the 20-year trip back to Earth. Captain Hamilton and his crew are use to escorting Syncam Corporation explorers, but this is a stranger lot. Why Nancy, the daughter of the corporation's president, and her cat Lily making this trip?

And what about the message they receive upon waking from the first round of hyper sleep? The corporation informs Hamilton and his crew that two of the explorers are not with Syncam. They are more than likely fugitives who are trying to disappear for 40 years and return to a home that will have all but forgotten them. However, these frauds are the least of their concerns after the tough guy from the Syncam suddenly dies of what appears to be Legionnaires' disease.

While they were in deep sleep, the ship seemed to have intercepted a foreign body. In that was a bacteria. The doctor on board soon passes to this disease and then two crew members who are investigating the occurrence die while the Syncam members are trying to find who the frauds are. Things only become more confusing when the bodies seemingly disappear leaving only their unscathed clothes.

They might have a lead once Lily had been attacked by the bacteria from a wall that seems to have been dissolved by the bacteria. Too bad they will not have the time to make sense of this. The ship suddenly starts ejecting portions of the craft along with the crew members in those sections to seemingly stop the spread of the bacteria. When the crew tries to stop it, they find that something is blocking their access to the ship's functions.

It is up to the survivors to figure out what is controlling the ship, why the ship is self destructing, and does the fraudulent agents have anything to do with this. Hopefully, they do not concern themselves with what will kill them first: the bacteria, the ship, or themselves.

There is a lot that is going on in "Lily C.A.T.'s" 67-minute runtime. It pulls from John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon's student film "Dark Star", O'Bannon's "Alien" and Carpenter's "The Thing". It soon becomes fun to spot everything this feature takes from these legendary works which may take away from the story itself.

For the time, the animation is solid and the soundtrack is fun. Perhaps the classics that it takes from could have benefited from a few pop songs. The C.A.T. is a nice twist on treacherous synthetics O'Bannon relied on. Unfortunately the animation fails to hold a candle to the special effects that guaranteed the originals would be memorable.

What makes the feature its own is the motivation of the characters. I cannot say that they do anything exceptional, but it is fun to see how all the pieces fit together. More importantly, it allows the film to investigate what movies involving the effects on time that space travel results in. "Aliens" had a scene to explain everything Ripley missed during her extended deep sleep, but that was removed from the theatrical cut. "Lily C.A.T." ends up being about these effects. You cannot help but enjoy the pettiness that can motivate people to effectively time travel.

At 67-minutes, you would be missing out not to find "Lily C.A.T." on Tubi or Prime Video. There may not be anything exceptional from a technical standpoint, but rarely do we see any kind of feature that address elements the best science fiction could care less about addressing. And it kind of revolves around cats, so that is a plus to.

If you get beyond counting the direct references to American sci-fi directors, you should get something positive from it. If you cannot, you will still enjoy being the Leonardo DiCaprio "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" meme. It is going to be fun either way.

On a side note, when is the appropriate age to introduce a kid to "The Great Gatsby", "Django Unchained" and "Once Upon a Time..."? They need to understand the context of the memes. Am I wrong?