strobogo

Yes. It's been the main story and talking point in commentary of Tana matches for the past 5-6 years. Although now it is to the point where Tana should probably retire to the NJ Dads division and only work one or two singles matches a year. Although the match was much more enjoyable than I had anticipated (and than Swerve match) because it was 95% shtick from both. A similar reaction to Jungle Boy/Sanada, which seemed to me like it would have been the dullest match of the night on paper, but turned out to be pretty solid. The heel turn to feud with Hook was very much what I expected to go down and should be good for both guys to actually have something to do now. Really hope Jungle Boy starts wearing turtlenecks. 4 way was a blast. Off hand, it might be the best 4 way match I can remember. Perfectly paced, everyone's spots being perfect for their characters, great intereactions from everyone. 10 man tag was also super fun. Takeshita just fucking startching people left and right :lawd: Very unsurprising to me that the match featuring Chris Jericho was the worst on the card, but I'm going to blame Sammy for killing the crowd by nearly killing Sting TWICE. Keep that man away from anyone over 40. Kind of bummed at the lack of Sting no selling a Suzuki death elbow, but would like to see Darby vs MiSu sometime. What a wild group of people Sting has worked with through AEW. Just in the past 12 months: Muta, Marufuji, HAKUSHI, Minoru Suzuki, Naito, Shingo, the Young Bucks, Orange, Miro, Keith Lee, Dustin Rhodes, Jeff Jarrett. Wild. Punk becoming John Cena is hilarious. It's way better than happy to be here Punk, for sure. Kojima can still go hard in the paint. Kind of crazy that both Kojima and Nagata are in better physical shape than Tanahashi despite being a generation ahead of him. Kenny/Ospreay was more what I was expecting at WK and was really something. GOAT rope break. I would have preferred Calis to not be involved but ultimately it wasn't that big of a deal. Bryan/Okada could never live up to the hype, but even working with a broken arm for 10 minutes, shit was a delight. Bryan has to drop the seizure selling. He's been doing that a couple times a year since his FIRST come back in 2015 and it is just gross every time he does it. I wonder if the surprise finish was the plan or what. I think it was better than a 70 step Okada finishing sequence, though. When I saw that Bryan had broken his forearm, I couldn't tell when it happened during the match and assumed it was from one of those uppercuts that sounded particularly violent.

There are an awful lot of very, very bad, awful segments on WCW in the last couple of years, but I think nWo Nightcap might be the single worst dogshit WCW produced.

Last year's card was even more haphazardly put together and was missing half the AEW main event roster and was still probably the best AEW PPV last year.

Riccaboni/Caprice are a very good team.

Punk vs Kojima certainly just got much better

One of his legs doesn't even look like it could bend at the knee, he slipped off the ropes doing his finish that he's been doing for 20 years, to stand on the ropes he has a weird cross foot stance, he didn't even make it all the way around on the slingblade. Randy The Ram actually was still juicing and hitting his spots. I agree he's still an asset in the ring, but not in big time singles matches.

I would go from rough onto bad. Bummer, really.

Tana looking rough. Guy looks like he has Mutoh knees. I hadn't even considered MiSu murdering Darby as all I was thinking about was Sting no selling and chest thumping after a murder elbow and Suzuki getting spooked.

lmao stay mad slapnuts

hell yeah

I think it is officially time to crown Double J as the finest carny in the history of this great sport

Punk vs Kojima is hella random as Kojima has mostly been working AJPW/NOAH in tags for the past year. I don't think he's had a big singles match in NJ since 2021. I liked the idea of MJF actually no showing the match with Tanahashi and Punk stepping in. The time for KENTA vs Punk was ages ago, neither guy is what they were, and I don't think they'd actually mesh very well anyway. Meanwhile, Tana/Punk could do a bunch of Cena spots to pop everyone. There's so much talent without anything announced just from the AEW side that it's actually fucking wild when you list out the roster they have. I hope there's another wacky Sting/Darby team up this year. Maybe even get Jericho involved so more people can cover up that mess.

These are grown men in their 30s and 40s. Shit is pathetic. How are they going to handle working on the same PPV? At this point I'd make them do a shoot loser leaves town fight.

There's a physical resemblance but that's about it. Ricky Starks doesn't speak or work anything like Rock did.

HBk absolutely engaged in that Cole vs Lee type shit, particularly in his second run.

I didn't think it was particularly different than Dynamite. Fewer backstage interviews I guess and a bit slower paced. Nothing that I would say points out a brand split kind of difference. Good show, though.

Bro what lmao

What legal sense would it make for there to be some kind of ramification of a guy showing the AEW Championship on AEW TV when they've done multiple people with the same belt multiple times

I'm a hater. But it was just funny that this guy talking about soft wrestlers is the same guy who completely imploded because a guy said something he didn't like in a promo and led to him threatening to no show a PPV, shooting on TV, a press conference bitch fest about his co-workers, and then throwing the first punch in a fight with co-workers. If he's going to do his Bret shit, midas swell get a 1997 Bret run in where he's a face in Chicago and heel everywhere else.

Punk's promo felt weird to me because he was heeling it up for a crowd that he was a face to, but also he's the one that got in his feels repeatedly and made a big scene and then was the one to start the fight, so him talking about the wrestlers being soft was....curious. There are few guys, certainly at the level he's been at, that have been consistently emotionally aggrieved over stupid shit for his entire career, and then making public and professional scenes over them. It would make sense to me to make an angle out of that and run Punk as a heel, but I guess that's probably too similar to what MJF is doing.

They really should run Joey Samoey vs Ishii at FD

I like Adam Cole when he isn't going full HBK, and he seems like such a nice and likeable guy that I think he's actually going to have a hard time going heel again. He was never a big strong boi but it is pretty hard not to notice he looks like he has a solid diet and walks around the block for all of his exercise.

How could Punk possibly have MORE to get off his chest about Hangman lmao

The why is because right before that, the video was of Sanada offering an open contract for a title match and JB was the first to answer it.

Lmao at fans cheering Sammy and the baby stuff and then immediately booing when he said he was going for the title again. Double lmao at Jericho's bedazzled heels. Some real bullshit that Jericho has to get involved with Darby and Sting. There is absolutely zero chance that Jericho can make Sting look good, and Jericho being Jericho, you know he's going to work the bulk of that match and have as many "showdowns" with Sting as possible. I do hope there's another wacky 6/8 man tag with Sting at Forbidden Door this year. I very long ago grew tired of Yano in all forms, but a Sting/Yano interaction could be interesting. Further lmao at how casually OC announced him tagging with fucking Shibata next week. Feels like Joe should be in Garcia's place in all this, though, leading to a 4 way of mid card champions at Forbidden Door. MJF's body acne is top tier. Dude is on the real grimy 80s shit. Hate to body shame, but Adam Cole has never looked less threatening in his entire career, a guy who had a year long feud with Johnny Gargano. Pretty low expectations for MJF vs Tana. Looking forward to Jungle Boy turning on Hook after losing to Sanada so he can get a shot at the FTW Championship. A Christian-like turn could work really well for him as he needs some kind of progression, and Hook needs to finally have a real feud. Wardlow has zero juice and I'm much more interested in Christian working with Arn's kid than anything to do with Wardlow. Still a lot of talent from both companies with nothing set for FD, will be interesting to see what and who gets booked. Does Punk make it to the show? And if so, in a singles or in a 6 man with FTR?