Laz

Not really, but Pillman Jr. could be it for them sooner than later. They're getting by with Promociones el Dorado (I likely butchered that spelling) right now and are trying to make Contra a thing, but the irregular taping schedule and AEW becoming a thing sapped a lot of the names they could use. I'm wondering what the July tapings will look like and who shows up.

Kudo/Toyoda is still a top 10 match for me. Seeing Onita break down as the match nears an end seals it.

Watched the latest Salina produced episode. Holy SHIT she is hot. It's just so damn refreshing to have a headstrong woman on a roster who doesn't have to step into the ring, a great manager with natural attitude and charisma...I'm just awe struck whenever she starts off. Mance Warner is garbage. I watch CZW on/off and he's been a skip when he's in the ring. Fun promo and character, but sub-Sandman worker. Somebody in this thread said he was like a better Necro Butcher and I have to ask what the shit they're smoking because no, pal, he isn't. His matches make the yardtard shyte a friend and I used to do in high school look like 6/4/94 in comparison. Sami was natural in the backstage promos and I loved him spitting on Corny (awesome heel move), but he's been such a mixed bag post-NXT that I've no problem with people who aren't into him. It's like he took the promo lessons to heart while in NXT and forgot that his constant intensity is what drew people to his work, because playing to the crowd over and over between generic hardcore spots...nah, not working. Glad he's out if this is what he's been bringing. The finish to Ki/Martinez was the right kind of OUT OF NOWHERE but I wish it felt more like that first Ki/Joe match in ROH with the finish instead of a random Axe Bomber. The face off between Ki and Salina after was a perfect visual way to let us know this isn't over by a long shot. Lawlor has natural fire in his promos but can't string the words together right, and he's a fucking embarrassment when he starts working. I still don't think Gotch is a good addition to Contra and loved him as Lawlor's mouthy foil, but if Tom is a face then I guess he needs to stand on his own. Did I mention that Salina is smoking hot yet?

We don't deserve David Starr. That is all.

If you don't like his mugging then you'll probably not enjoy most of his work, but if you're into frenetic and chaotic bombfests, deathmatches, and brawls? He's right up your alley. He also had a few killer matches with Finlay, which is why he got a shot at NXT.

He's also a die hard fan and has done quite a few Viceland docs on wrestling, notably the one about CZW and the TOD.

The Elite rating system is based off of nebulae, so it throws the conversion rate off a bit.

@Coffey, I think that GO PRO WRESTLING person is implying Sonny Kiss legitimately forced people's faces into his ass non-consensually. That's how Twitter works, right? Take one line, twist it based on any remotely vagueness in the wording, and then run off with an accusatory tone?

Not even October, they're already announcing bookings for Fyterfest in June. The word of mouth for DoN should boost that number up anyway for the sake of curiosity, but after DoN delivered an instant classic? I see a lot of on-the-fence buyers making the jump, especially with Moxley for the more WWE-focused fan.

Haruka Kato was the girl Omega wrestled, not Riho

JR/Excalibur trading who does PBP and who does color depending on the style/participants of a match will yield killer results.

Hi. Watched it live. Didn't pay for it. Will definitely pay for the next one. A good friend of mine, who only watches non-WWE stuff when I bring it to his attention, went out of his way to watch Cody/Dustin. His direct quote... AE F'N W, boiz

The logo ones are really good, as is MJF's, but I think the DoN specific shirts are lame and Mox's would be better without the "unscripted violence" tag. Just looks like a screamo band's bumper sticker.

WK12 vs. DoN, Omega/Jericho WK12 was nuts and the best Omega match I've seen. Jericho really did bring Omega out of his element and controlled the flow, crafting a decent story out of a wily veteran and the new hotness. DoN felt like a cheap direct-to-video sequel to it where nobody involved was either working as hard or knew the right way to accentuate the through lines. For the first time, Jericho felt OLD, and Omega was fine following his lead.

Above average show that showed off a bit of how AEW will stand out from WWE, but also showing that they still need time to figure things out. The production was at a good level, but the crowd needs to be better mic'd and the camera cuts need to be less severe. It was worse earlier on than later, so maybe somebody figured it out. 6-man, women's 4-way, and the Joshi tag were all fun. I also enjoyed Best Friends/Evans & Angelico despite my stream hiccuping fierce during it. Cody/Dustin is the easy MotN and proof that a well done blade job can elevate a match but a great talent will make it matter. Best Cody singles match I've ever seen. Bucks/Lucha Bros was meh. I used to love the Bucks but they're still pulling out the same spots in the same order as they did 7+ years ago. The steam was running out by the end but it was exciting enough, I guess. Omega/Jericho was garbage. It reminded me of HHH/Orton, honestly. Omega is just lousy at selling a wrestling match as being competition and everything he does looks so choreographed that he doesn't belong anywhere near a ME in any company. B- for me. A lot of promise and potential but a few warning signs.

I think Gabe giving up on Evolve and trying to parlay his talent scout role to being involved in NXT creative wouldn't be the worst idea.

Even the death matches are pretty solid, IMO. Lots of old CZW guys who can't bump as well as they used to, so they make up for it with more brawling and taking the time to set up spots a little better.

Totally you being an old man. The goofiness of Excalibur wearing his mask long after he retired from the ring and using his ring name is gone halfway through the first match of the night, at the latest, and it's not like having gimmicks for commentators wasn't a thing before. Hell, the best teams literally have gimmicks. Did you call him Robert Marella or did you call him Gorilla Monsoon? How long was Jerry Lawler wearing his singlet while at the table? Was Jesse Ventura all business suits as color or was he wearing the sunglasses/boas/etc.? Is he Jim Ross or is he Stetson-clad GOOD OL' JR? The only difference is Excalibur wears a mask and has a one-word name. It's such a minor difference and being unable to get over it is sillier than him keeping a bit of kayfabe going.

I sure can't wait for Kotto to get slapped for not selling right and for the shows to get even more boring. Hurray!!

Misawa. Ace of a major company and the poster boy for King's Road, a style that has influenced all wrestling after it. Jericho. Regardless of draw capability, Jericho finds a way to reinvent himself and stay relevant each time you start to feel like counting him out. His gung ho attitude toward AEW may also tip the balance back to wrestlers in terms of negotiating. Jake Roberts. Angle may be the bigger draw and name, but Roberts is heralded for his legendary promo work and ring psychology. On top of that, his battles with substance abuse and the last few years where he's cleaned up has to be influencing many an older talent, let alone any fan that faced similar issues. Jeff Hardy. One half of one of the most popular teams ever, involved in some of WWE's most memorable gimmick matches, and clearly a direct influence on a lot of the spotty guys after him (as Parv noted). I chose "draw" for Edge/Rude. If pushed far enough I'll choose Edge on credentials alone, but I'm not sure if I've heard of a great talent in the last 20 years who said "(Edge/Rude) is why I entered the ring."

I would adore him in AEW. He has mainstream film success, notoriety from WWE, they could hype his MMA career for added legitimacy, and do you think he won't bust his ass to keep up with the others?

You can despise it all you want but context matters. WWE are still cleaning up their image of women's wrestling after 15 years of Bra & Panties matches where every woman needed to be sexualized, so it means something different for them to do it than a brand new company.

The footage I found of the tag match and the singles from Portland are clearly the same guy, so I'll go out on a limb and say yes. Thanks for the replies, gents.

Randomly, I remembered one of my first issues of PWI, where an article covered the feud between John Rambo and the Mad Russian. I've been able to find two Rambo matches online, a tag with Dave Donovan vs. Mad Russian/Skank and a singles match from Portland vs. Mike Winner. Anybody else have anything on this guy? Seems like he had the perfect look for wrestling - 6'4", built, moves alright - so I'm wondering why he never went anywhere.

It's a totally lazy comeback, sure, but hyperbole like "fire the guy" because he didn't put forth any effort responding to a tweet that didn't have much effort behind it in the first place? Pleeeeease...