NintendoLogic

And of course we get MAGAtaker delivering a receipt. Note the conspicuous absence of JD Vance from the proposed trios match.

Bryan Danielson recruited Jacobs to AEW, which is more evidence that Bryan should be kept far away from the book.

I can't find the tweet now, but a fairly high-profile wrestling Twitter account once remarked about mid-2000s WWE something to the effect of "The plus side is that the shows are a lot more watchable from a production standpoint, the minus side is that it's some of the most vile and evil television ever produced."

Punk/Drew should have been at least five minutes shorter, but it was still the best HIAC match I've ever seen. It was also another data point for my contention that Punk > Danielson. I predict I will be vindicated by history on that question like I was on Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair. By the way, for those keeping track, Punk hitting Drew with the toolbox was reminiscent of Bret hitting Austin with the ring bell at WM13.

I got excited when I first saw this because I misread it as the world title at stake in the first 20 minutes and figured that would give Okada a reason not sleepwalk through the first 15 minutes like he usually does in big matches. Maybe Danielson can beat some urgency into him.

Another WWE Hall of Famer bites the dust.

Dump spent the money she earned in wrestling on pachinko? Shades of Bleeding Gums Murphy blowing his fortune on Faberge eggs.

I felt bad for them. An Attitude Era Raw taping might be the worst possible audience for a juniors dark match. Nice pop for the Angel's Wings, though.

The fact that Vince felt compelled to preemptively bury the series strongly indicates that it will be far from a puff piece. I guess no one told him about the Streisand Effect.

Danielson hasn't been protected enough nor has his title reign been long enough for anyone to get a significant career boost from beating him directly. Plus, the forced retirement of a beloved legend is inherently bittersweet, so that probably isn't the ideal way to create a new star. I would suggest having a scumbag heel win the title by cheating and then have Darby or whoever else get the rub from avenging Danielson. You'll all probably hate this idea, but Jericho screwing Bryan out of the title and cutting promos about how he sent the American Dragon home to be a family man would draw nuclear heat.

I don't know, guy known for throwing hard chops vs. guy known for hating chops seems like a bit of a styles clash. Even so, we'll probably see a close approximation of what it would have been like as it looks like we're getting Punk/Gunther at some point.

I don't know, I kind of wish more wrestlers tried to present themselves as freaks who would be unemployable in any respectable field and didn't encourage parasocial emotional connections. Those days were probably numbered once the Undertaker started pulling back the curtain and making appearances out of character. I guess he really was the last outlaw.

I like Gunther's theme.

Regardless of the merits of the original trademark infringement claim, it looks like Cody failed to live up to the terms of the agreement he had previously reached with the guy. In that respect, it's similar to the WWF's legal dispute with the Word Wildlife Fund. Also, the Misfits song American Nightmare is nearly 40 years old, so I figured Glenn Danzig or someone else would have trademarked it long before this guy.

Swerve introducing his childhood home out of the blue was an obvious angle alert, but there's nothing wrong with that if it's done well. And it was a pretty great angle in isolation. However, it highlighted one of my biggest issues with modern wrestling. Swerve being presented as sympathetic so soon after trying to cripple Bryan Danielson in front of his family is too much mood whiplash for me. The idea of wrestlers as empty vessels who simply fill whatever role a particular show calls for is something I will never accept.

Worked punches seem to be a lost art across the board. I can't think of anyone who's debuted in the past few years who does them well. Also, selling for them is half the equation, and no one seems to know how to do that anymore either. I saw an interview a while back where someone said the rash of black eyes and bloody lips and the like in WWE was due to a Vince McMahon directive for wrestlers to cover up when someone throws a punch, which leads to people laying it in more than they would otherwise and accidents from having a smaller target. Look at how Bob Cook's opponents sell for him. You can't sell a punch properly when you're covering up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a--c63oWxic

Maybe this is how Shane makes his debut. Who's ready for Dynamite Underground?

It must be softball season in heaven because I can't imagine him going otherwise. He wasn't a great worker or even a particularly good one, but he still ruled. There will always be a place in pro wrestling for freakishly jacked-up dudes with charisma. He would have been perfect as a special attraction in the territory era.

No bullshit, this is a really good apology. Guess we can stop dunking on her now.

In case you missed it, JBL seconded Dolph Ziggler at Triplemania this past weekend. He then shook Alberto Del Rio's hand after Alberto's post-match heel turn. JAJA ME ENCANTA MIGUEL

Yeah, ZSJ said he plans on cashing in at KOPW so he can defend the belt at the UK show that was just announced. He pretty much has to win with that setup because he'll look like a total chump if he loses. Naito must be in even worse shape than we realize if they don't trust him to make it to WK as champion.

A while back, someone posted a clip here of a Davey Boy Smith promo from I believe 1992 in which he talked about "ma home toon" of London in the most Lancashire accent imaginable. Few WWF fans likely batted an eye.

Interesting to see the word soccer in a British publication.

I saw someone suggest that Bryan win the title and then turn heel on his daughter by saying he wants to keep wrestling and be champion forever. I almost wish I hadn't seen that because whatever they end up actually doing will almost certainly be a massive letdown in comparison.