Ryan Faulconer

I thought the crowd WAS chanting “HangMan!” back when Kenny said that “None of you…” line. And here we go with Britt’s face turn…Nyla is not the person for this spot. Everyone likes Britt more than Nyla. Britt could be 100% babyface by the end of this short program of a “feud”. Throwing burgers was an original way to try and look babyface though.

Whoever that loud guy is he can sure add something to AEW commentary. How can he be so ON in some areas but so very very OFF on so many other things? Four is a bit too much in the booth though. Jacksonville are not Ethan Page fans.

As long as he eventually calls himself the name that JR seems to be dying to say instead of calling him Jungle Boy… Jungle Man would truthfully be a terrible change that, as you stated, he really doesn’t need to change.. Flair never switched to Nature Man. Where JB and Flair differ occurs because Flair was never billed just as Nature Man. Nature Man is never winning 16 world titles. Ric Flair and his close personal friend “Nature Boy” Ric Flair ARE 16 time world champions. JB needs to get to the stage where Jungle Boy is transforms from being both his gimmick and the entirety of the name that he currently goes by. Jungle Boy is eventually a total misnomer and now forms the nickname portion of whatever stage name he settles on. If he doesn’t eventually shift over to being Jack or Jake Perry poor ol’JR will blow a gasket and go on a BBQ hunger strike until Jungke Boy succumbs to JR’s dream of not having to call him Jungle Boy. You can hear how much he despises calling someone he would normally endorse 100% whenever he says the gimmick name out loud each week.

Anyway….That was quite the main event we got there tonight. Jungle Boy will make a credible champion when he faces the guy (Starks? Cody? Omega Redo?) who beats the guy (Hangman) who beats Omega. JB has to transition to Jungle Man or more reasonably “Jungle” or “Hollywood”and then go with his birthright name, Jack/Jake Perry, before he wins singles titles. It takes someone phenomenal to outrun Kenny Omega and the insane pace that he cuts during his singles matches. JB and Omega worked so well together. Maybe a trios match with Perry vs Omega and the obvious picks for their partners in a Dynamite in July can get us more JB vs Omega again without burning through all potential title matches. The belt should only be defended every 4-6 weeks. They. can fill in the perceived “downtime” by doing…matches, promos and confrontations. It worked for the entire wrestling world until monthly PPVs put us all on a hamster wheel of repetition disguised as progress and continuity.

As of tonight I really hate this irregular yet regularly schedule. I thought the show started at 10pm like all the other misplaced refugee Dynamite episodes for the past month or so. At 9:15 I go to f4wonline to check the card out. Then I notice they already have results listed. It was at that point that the cursing of the schedule proceeded with prejudice! Dynamite is the only show on regular TV that I watch anything live at a fixed time. I felt like a little kid again who slept through WWF Superstars on Saturday mornings. I missed Hobbs/Page, an awesome sounding Miro promo and whatever angles they ran with MJF & Friends vs Jericho & People He Pays to Hangout with him. Oh well, that is what this internet is for, right? I wish Dynamite had replays… Main Event Time…maybe Taz can sing us out? Nope. No Dark Order tonight?

Lineup for Elevation is out… Cezar Bononi vs Jungle Boy Delmi Exo vs Nyla Rose Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson vs FTR Matt Hardy vs Jora Johl Matt Sydal vs Jack Evans Eddie Kingston & Penta El Zero Miedo vs Vary Morales & Fuego del Sol Shawn Spears & Wardlow vs Ryzin & Kal Herro Renee Michelle vs Kris Statlander Powerhouse Hobbs. Vs Darien Bengston Bums R’ Us vs Varsity Blondes Notes… - Sydal vs Evans, a battle between one Generation Next member and the guy that would replace Evans when he was in Dragon Gate, is YOUR main event of the evening! - Blondes are facing a team Bumz R’ Us, (Milo Beasley & Jay Beez), who haven’t teamed since 2011…but when they did it was for FIP and PWR. - Jora Johl is the man known to only those who watch these shows. He wrestled as the misleadingly titled Robo the Punjabi Lion. He worked successive Elevation episodes 10 (May 17) and 11 (May 24) where he jobbed like the jobber he is, to Penta & QT respectively. - Darien Bengston is somebody I have neither seen footage for or read articles about him. - Cezar Bononi is getting better by the week. He really has a long way to go but he looked so much better when he isn’t tripping over Luchasaurus.

The wrestling debut of Hook would seem like a lock to go down at that particular show. Cody will be his opponent, as is tradition in AEW. I don’t have any secret back channel that tells me the future. It just seems like an easy debut to pull off. I’m no Clucky Lucky so while I don’t agree that AEW can’t do a proper intro at all at this point in their history, finally getting a GREAT image and moment for Hook’s first bout would do wonders for AEW’s perceived reputation as choke artists of the highest order. I am of the belief that mass hysteria over soft trends or coincidences is kind of all that the Pittsburgh of the internet is what Twitsville bestows as its one gift to a cruel cruel most likely Godless world.

Stu Grayson would be a more credible challenger. Maybe that is NEXT…likely a future Dark or Dark episode. If they built Stu up a bit he would be more than just a Player Dos in a sequence of Dark Order challenges for Miro

Pac just threw Brandon Cutler across the ring into his corner. Cutler’s body was flung in such a way that he looked like he had no bones inside his Elite young boy gear. PAC appeared to have been literally working against a life-size wrestling buddy.

It’s Cody Rhodes and you know what that means

I don’t see her fitting with Miro in AEW either. WWE could have kept training her and theoretically improve her the more she works. AEW has the Nightmare Factory unofficially but I don’t think it is as overstuffed as TPC. AEW doesn’t run enough events to help the completely clueless projects get better quicker.

Neither Andrade el Idolo or Mark Henry had any music or Khantron video to accompany them. Probably a majority of fans at shows have been conditioned to only acknowledge something once their music and video have been cues up. Vickie was drowned out by the crowd tonight! Her less than one note gimmick is truly ridiculous and she is completely superfluous to AEW in every way. Of all the talent in wrestling how did Vickie get TWO jobs on her wrestling resume? All she does is yell, no screech her two word catchphrase...I’m just astonished that Eddie Guerrero’s widow became a her own character...of some kind. Vickie didn’t have the crowd at all tonight. She couldn’t match the right rhythm -thus all of her promo was muffled by the crowd.

Lana can be Natasha and Miro can adopt an accent and be Boris. Just the two of them doing short promos about Kip & Penelope or something. Miro wishes that he wrestled for Chikara. He will be bummed when he discovers his dream promotion/job went out of business a couple of years ago.

How does Heroes Eventually Die as the next AEW World Tag Team Champs sound? No, seriously...Has anyone heard anything about Chris Hero’s eventual future in pro wrestling? Now that Tommy End is free from the jerk around by WWE’s collective idiots he and Hero are free to give AEW a third or fourth Grade A tag team. Lana...whose real name is already a good character name, CJ Perry. She doesn’t seem to compliment Miro’s current gimmick. Maybe Kip Sabian can return in months with a new girl... No Brauns allowed!!! Yes Heidi Lovelace!!! I don’t know enough about Santana Garrett or Murphy to neither condemn or endorse either for AEW.

Didn’t Braun skip OVW/FCW/NXT altogether? I remember when the black sheep debuted on RAW. It took some searching and it wasn’t until later in that evening that we discovered who he was...by giving his name and that was pretty much it for building up a debuting new Wyatt. He was soooo awful back then. They sacrificed Sami Zayn to get Braun heated up. It was one of those “matches in name only” as Sami could not get any offence at all besides chair shots in a short no do match. WWE cannot do competitive squash matches properly. If it isn’t between long established stars WWE can’t book credible underdogs against the big beasts of Vince’s dreams. To Vince “underdog” and “jobber” or even the more appropriate “jobber to the stars” are one and the same meaning.

Tonight...taped a few days ago for Dark Elevation! Jungle Boy vs JD Drake Jack Evans vs Penta El Zero Miedo Thunder Rosa vs Reka Tehaka yo yo yo The Acclaimed vs Brandon & Brent Tate Leyla Hirsch vs Robyn Renegade The Varsity Blonds vs Chaos Project Nyla Rose & The Bunny vs Big Swole & Red Velvet Tay Conti vs Ashley D’Amboise Lots to sink your teeth into tonight.

I was actually NOT looking forward to the PPV at all going into last night. Almost none of the matches were enticing me one bit. After biting the bullet I am glad that I did. I think I liked Shida/Britt more than most. I almost...fell...for the near falls that Shida was getting. There was such a buzz in the air for that match. It had maybe the hottest atmosphere so I guess there is a reason for charging potentially infected Floridians to fill empty seats at Daily’s. After Britt won it sounded like Tony (of course) was heading down to interview her. What we got to see was something completely different indeed. The HUG~! was a powerful image well worth a thousand words. I won’t elaborate any more on what appeared to be such a real moment on a scripted show. Perhaps I’m just projecting something that isn’t there...The complexity of the relationship between the 63 year old babyface announcer and the 30 year old surging heel face of the women’s division, let’s just say that is a little too nuanced for most wrestling audiences. It isn’t anything more than what it looks like...and I’m guessing it confuses many wrestling fans weened on ECW and the Attitude Era.

If this was the 2000s it would be the other way around. Matt Sydal in 2007-2010 was on the fast track to the big leagues. He even managed to get over in WWE as a cruiserweight. Moxley was the definition of what some of us might describe as “toolsy”. He had intangibles out the wazoo. In the physical realm he had his height...plus all that abstract charisma and just a boat load of that “potential” that even the French wouldn’t be able to quite explain. AEW, by smartly running only four PPVs/year, has really continually put more pressure on themselves for no good reasons at all. It seems like every show has the same ingrown stresses and expectations. The quarterly PPVs routinely create an extra buzz just because everyone has months between big shows to project their biases towards. Coach Tony K shouldn’t need to deliver one or sometimes two surprises every single PPV. He doesn’t just tease and/or promise one or more BIG talent debuts. He usually freakin’ guarantees important debuts. When he books a strong show that should be enough. There’s always room for new talent in AEW. I can appreciate additions like Matt Sydal, Big Cage, Old Cage and Canadian Page to fill out the 6-8 spots that are often played by the ridiculously inexperienced or veteran enhancement talent. Whether they have too little or too much exposure the surprises help a young company establish itself. The young, old and invisible have no credibility in the eyes of the Daily’s Place seats...and probably living breathing PAYING fans as well. Fortunately AEW is developing names that should surpass the ceiling set by Tony K’s stop gap additions mentioned earlier. When these prospects mature there hopefully won’t be as much pressure on Tony K to plug holes with surprises every single big event.

This isn’t directed specifically at your statement...you just share a theme. Isn’t this Casino Battle Royale for the right to an AEW World Title shot? I think all the battle royales in AEW have been for title shots, no? Well, the ones for that Diamond Ring weren’t title shots. They weren’t done for nothing though. I’m always surprised when viewers pigeon-hole matches like that with derogatory terms like “nothing match”, “pointless”, “jobber filled” among others. If I can turn a phrase on its ass with a “pointed” statement. This match is in fact quite “pointy” as I assume some of the kids somewhere are possibly saying. AEW always books their battle royales with purpose and thought. They don’t reach the levels of the 92 Rumble but these aren’t meaningless exercises or space-and-time filler like so many in the past are usually booked to be. Just like Title shots are probably the second most prized possession in AEW after the title belts themselves. Jungle Boy winning would be a mighty fine outcome, if I do say so myself. They should start the Jack Perry portion of young JB’s career eventually...soon. The other members of JE are pretty far from relevant at this time. Tony K probably wants to do the trios title tournament first, prior to JB leaving the other two behind as his singles push starts to mature into eventual title contender and inevitable title holder in AEW...or wherever else he might migrate to if they just keep him as the true (no, really) workhorse of the promotion....on those Dark shows I hear nobody watches.

Janela got to wrestle The Great Sasuke when he was last seen in the Americas a couple or three years ago. When I first learned of the match I really wanted to see it. I have seen more than my fair share of indies the last twenty years. Joey Janela started to get some sort of rep online just about when I stopped getting dvds or subs for channels. There was a moment when I thought I was missing out on something....after seeing him in all the Darkish YouTubes online I won’t be searching out any of his matches again. He is the definition of shhlubby personified...or thereabouts. He is maybe the first untrained guy who definitely fits the description. He is also probably one of the very worst athletes I think I have ever seen in pro wrestling. Having said all that I see a role for a worker like Joey. B-show JTTS and lower midcard babyface tag team with his popularity and office acumen are worth wasting a pick in the late rounds of a player draft.

They could rename it the PFFFT Title. Probably in their best interests to stay away from TNT or any other combustible or explosive references... Until they do B&G AGAIN! Once again for the first time ever - Electrifield Barbed Wire Double Ring Exploding Cage Submit or Surrender Death Match

Matches like Serpentico vs Sonny Kiss are perfect little b-show offerings. A Chaos Project vs The Newest Midnight Express/The Team with No Name could be a fun pre-show/b-show program. We really need to get Janela & Kiss a gimmick name. Teams like The Acclaimed, Chaos Project, Varsity Blondes and probably others I forget have all received their gimmick name after Joey & Sonny were formed. What is up with that? Maybe they are constantly on Tony K’s list of possible breakups in the tag team division.

Really good short matches from a really loooooong episode of Elevation. My first thought after all them there matches tonight is just how good at play-by-play Schiavone is...again. WCW really crushed his enthusiasm and professionalism after all those years of chaos. He took eighteen years off in between gigs. It wasn’t even AEW that brought him back from the doldrums of his past. I’m not sure which came first, the podcast or his stint in MLW but he is almost time travelling back to before Herd, Ole, Frye, Bischoff and Russo killed his love of wrestling for some time. He is enthusiastic and sincere sounding in most of his delivery. He still drifts in and out of Robo-Caller announcing on occasion during Elevation. As an announcer for so long he has earned an arsenal of silly small talk and short cuts wrapped in wrestling jargon. He, unlike JR, still has a dedication to getting the wrestling over regardless of his personal feelings or not. Also unlike JR, Tony S has even LEARNED a thing or two from his new colleague - the unsung outside the WON Excalibur! JR sometimes adds a lot to big matches in AEW. At this point all JR has left is his character credibility and his own spins on wrestling jargon. Most nights JR could be replaced by the sound board of JR clips from older wrestling games that he has appeared in. He is as detached as Schiavone seems connected to AEW. Tony S even developed his own bits of “business” in AEW. The friendship he has with Dr. Britt is pretty cute to see unfold onscreen over the time AEW has been running. JR has no “business” with anyone in all of AEW. THAT is a pun INTENDED...for once. In all honesty a guy like Jim Ross doesn’t need to prove his announcing credentials with any fans. I wish he would just accept the role of backstage sit down interviewing-guy. He doesn’t need to prove anything to us...but it would be GREAT if he could either a) actually LEARN about your wrestlers and some modern wrestling history or b) at least TRY to hide your disdain for wrestling in 2021. Just a little effort in those areas and he would be a lot more enjoyable to hear quip up every now and then. I made this post to compliment Schiavone, not downgrade his more acclaimed (yo yo yo) colleague. The difference between the two announcers from the 1990s to today is astonishing. Who thought we needed a comeback from Tony “Best Night in Our Sport” Schiavone in the 21st century? The first two and a half years of AEW has shown that WE badly needed it...Skeevone probably appreciates it as well. How much does Lois need to watch out for that possible home wrecker, Britt Baker? Tony S gets about as flirty as a father of six(?) who is happily married for more than forty years - can get. Hopefully it stays where it is...in Adam Cole’s nightmares.

The Dark Order vs Hardy Family Office feels more appropriate for Stadium Stampede. They probably need to wait for The Butcher to come back from a mysterious injury. Dark Order could also use a Torneo Cibernetico match to there advantage. AEW could do worse than adopting that gimmick match. The best booked torneos had dove tailing storylines and other worlds colliding in organized disorder.

It’s not just that... Arcade Anarchy was pretty well received with no calamities whatsoever.