El-P

So CMLL sold it's millionth ticket for Arena Mexico this year last week. This is insane. And with Soberano Jr. coming back and looking like the biggest star, the sell outs may go on for a few more weeks. Haven't watched the Soberano vs Mistico match from last week yet, but this feels like a major match. The AEW involvement, JeetSpeed, Claudio and such, has been nothing but a blast too. 2025 has really been the year of CMLL.

I wouldn't say overnight though. It took him a little bit of time. He was basically in ROH for a while developing himself, he won the ROH TV title, has that great match with Lee Johnson, but he did not have that aura and great heel character yet. I'd say he really blossomed with the Ospreay feud and the CC late last year. From there, yeah, it's crazy how great he became on every aspect. I honestly did not think the lanky guy from Aussie Open would become *that* guy either. Kinda hard for Mark Davies, who's one hell of a Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy like worker. All of this happened because he got hurt basically and they had to do something with Fletcher.

Finally caught up with Winter is Coming. Holly hell what a show. I feel Babes of Wrath were the right choice. At this point Toni Storm doesn't even need a belt and Willow surely deserved that one, she needs to be either TNT or World champ in 2026 too. I enjoyed Raven-esque heel Jack Perry, but he's ten times better as a babyface, let's be real. And thus far he hasn't missed a beat either. The CC is a good opportunity to re-establish him at this level. Yeah, Speedball vs Kyle was nuts. What these guys are doing takes *so much* in term of ability, timing, creativity, cardio *and* they do a great job character wise in term of involving the crowd too. I'm SO glad Speedball signed with AEW when he left TNA. Between this and the Arena Mexico (where he's actually great as a rudo) stuff, what a year. And Kyle, oh well, Kyle is the present and the future. It's been amazing to see him develop from the lanky super worker in Aussie Open to this guy who's bound to be one of the biggest star of the next ten years. I also believed Eddie could have won. The good thing about this, is that he looked good, which wasn't a given after his lastest performances (understandably so, he was off for so long after a horrific injury). He's a guy who can always get back at this level of support because of his character and promos, so I hope he's actually gonna get his one day, likewise Mark Briscoe. And meanwhile on the ROH show, there was some terrific stuff, including Mercedes Moné doing yet again her best Flair impersonation and did what she does best : make other people look great. Best match of Velvet's career. And that main event of Athena vs Persephone was also terrific. That Persephone girl is gonna get that double contract.

Yeah, he is on a Legend's deal. Good for him. https://www.instagram.com/p/DSVFwQxjZmC/ While I have been concerned about WWE‘s close relationship with Donald Trump for several months — especially in light of his administration’s ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants (and pretty much anyone who “looks like an immigrant”) — reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me. I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy. Last night, I informed @WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office. Additionally, I will not be signing a new Legends deal when my current one expires in June. I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me. But, in the words of Popeye the sailor, “I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.”

Oh yeah. I can keep Christian Cage, really. But Hurt Syndicate they can have in exchange for nothing. That fucking MVP on announcing *burying the fuck* out of Speedball before the PPV. That guy is the dirt worst. They can have Wardlow too in exchange for, I dunno, whomever doesn't suck. Ya know, JDC (that's Fandango, I know you ain't watching TNA) is having a better retirement road than Cena, really...

I wonder if this would make Jericho reconsider... I mean, looking at this (and after the Goldberg debacle), is that really the people you want to be in charge of your retirement road ? Not to mention Triple H probably still being bitter at Jericho for being better and immediately more over than him when he showed up after all these years... (no, I'm not asking for it, you can gladly go back. Really, you can, it is gonna be ok...)

Ok, if the card announced is the actual card, then it's obvious NJPW is cooked, because Gedo can't book for shits anymore. They have the biggest show in 25 years and THIS is the card ? A 4 way contender match for the IWGP title ? A random 10 men tag ? No Umino ? No Uemura ? No ZSJ ? No big match for Gabe Kidd either ? This is a totally baffling card.

Maybe so to some extent, but still, the sells jumped and really put it over the edge when Okada vs Tanahashi was announced. The real test with Aaron Wolf will be the following months and how he's employed and how he's actually doing as a worker (thus far the reports are he's a charisma vacuum).

Clap clap clap. Peak PWO post there, this is glorious. I haven't seen the clips of Cody crying (because of course !) and Jey Uso being drunk but holy shit every new thing I learn about this stuff makes it better and better. I mean, it's nothing new really, Jey Uso was known for showing up drunk to drive... And really now. John Cena's retirement post show got AEW chants, from *this era*'s WWE audience, ponder that for a second or two. The energy it probably took TK to *not troll* on social media.

John Cena saying his goodbyes to sports-entertainment. By kissing... Riyadh Season. I fucking can't.😂 This is indeed, absolute cinema.

I saw the clip. Holly shit, this product is such SHIT it's insane. The tap out with the zoom in on Cena doing that corny-ass smile was so fake and manufactured. It's the "Sorry I love you" syndrome. It's the "community theatre Roman Reigns Bloodline lines of dialogues galore" syndrome. And people go out there "OMG THIS IS ABSOLUTE CINEMA". Holy fuck. 😂 EDIT : well, Levesque got "A-E-W" and "Fuck the Saudis !" chants during the post-show. Wonder if he's gonna have to apologize for the later. 😂 EDIT 2 (because I don't wanna spam) : holy shit the clips are hilarious. Levesque and Stephy coming out to HEAT BOOS and "you fucked up" chants while CM Punk and Cody enter the ring to give him some retirement belts. This is *classic shit* here. Reports were funny as hell. Actual clips have me rolling.

I mean, Jericho coming back to a Bloodmoney show is hysterical. Can't wait for the obligatory CM Punk feud. But let's be serious. Everybody knows Jericho is actually showing up at Genesis and winning the TNA title there, Hogan at Mania 9 style, to propel TNA as the real #2 promotion. As far as that Cena retirement, the reports are quite funny to read indeed. The entire retirement road has been an incredible botch. Has there ever been such a terrible retirement road for such a major star (and yeah, I know the obvious answer is El Hijo del Santo, who retired exactly the same day and no one gives a flying fuck, cubsfan did a great article about that story) ? I can't think of one. I'm sure Adam Copeland is so sad by the career move he made now and that he'll retire in the company that had that Sting retirement... Knowing Levesque, he's gonna take that reaction well, obviously... 😎

No idea when his contract is up, but if it is, there's a chance he would debut today. Which would be hilarious for many reasons. Don't think it is yet but who knows. And even better, who cares. The discourse is gonna be pure comedy anyway.

He has aged 20 years compared to Kojima. He's sad to watch. And yeah, it is gonna be overshadowed, but at the same time, yeah, what better timing than to retire in front of this crowd ? Meanwhile, it seems Kojima can spend the next ten years colllecting MLW paychecks for doing three moves and taking one bump per match while Nagata looks like he's gonna have a few good matches per year until he's 60 years old or even keep on going forever like Fujinami.

John Cena retiring is a huge deal in pro-wrestling history for sure, he's their last "mainstream" star (nobody IRL knows who the fuck Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes are), but I could not care less, even putting aside all the political stuff WWE is involved in. Cena was the posterboy for everything I hated about post 2000 ultra-corporate WWE. The look, the childish promos, the dull-ass soft (lame) looking style. Hated everything about it. The infantilizing discourse online about how this was actually the right way to do pro-wrestling because the rest was lol movez (I still remember the dumbest whiny reactions when Cena faced AJ Styles years later and he did a code red and people were crying about it, holy hell) made it even worse. He was the greatest at the worst, less organic, most patterned style ever (WWE post 00's main event style). Not so sure that's a great compliment. The pendulum effect had him from ridiculously underrated to ridiculously overrated. WWE's style during these years (before NXT became the hot thing basically and helped push WWE forward closer to the actual zeitgeist of actual great wrestling) was way behind its time, while the trendsetting was happening in ROH, TNA to some extent and then Japan again. Yeah, those millions Cena vs Orton matches surely were something to put you to sleep. I also remember seeing some extracts of Total Divas and him at home looked like total rich-ass nutjob with godawful tastes. The later embarrassing political stuff like "I'm so sorry China, Taiwan is actually not a country" and awful takes about Vince post Janel Grant case were enough to dump him in the shitlist forever. Now that's he's gonna be gone (unless the Saudis give him enough money, because let's be real), what's next for WWE in term of nostalgia run ? Oh fuck me. It's gonna be Lesnar, isn't it ? Oh, man... Anywoo. I enjoyed John Cena the most as a meme. As far as pro-wrestling goes, whatever. A 100 times better than Roman Reigns and his dreaded Bloodline-style main events though.

I mean, Bushi and XXX are facing Kenoh & Marufuji so... From what I saw of Maru, it seems like he speedrun the "road to being washed up" this year sadly, so between him and Naito it could get pretty ugly. Saw Naito on a RevPro appearance, he did basically jackshit, so it was hard to gauge if he's doing a bit better than his last 6 months in NJ.

So it seems that at the latest tapings, Trey & Wentz from the Rascalz (I mean, they were the Rascalz after Dez left and Myron Reed only was their indie partners who ended up showing up in TNA, I have no idea if he's even signed) apparently kinda said goodbye, kissing the mat and such. It would be very interesting if they ended up in AEW instead of NXT, considering how much they had been featured in the early days of the partnership (and yes, not that much lately I believe). The fact Trey Miguel was never pushed higher than he was in a TNA landscape is kinda ridiculous, he could very well have been a TNA champ in the IMPACT days. But hey, TNA now is about 45 years old/ ex WWE guys mostly and they have been there forever. AEW is beyond stacked, so I have no idea where they would fit (logic would say throw them immediately in the tag team ranks and have them be credible instantly), but in NXT it's kinda been there/done that already for them. They aren't going anywhere on the WWE main roster. Slowly catching up because TNA is a life project for me I guess (until it's done, if it's done aka bought out by TKO) and watching Turning point from a few weeks ago. Dani Luna having an actual good match with Indi Hartwell is something to her credit. Well, of course, props and shit helped a lot but still. First time I legit enjoyed a Hartwell match. The three-ways for the women tag title on the other hand, is setting you back 15 years. When Xia Brookside is by a WIDE margin the best worker (and the only decent one) out of 6, you are fucked. The backstage shit with all the GM is so incredibly WWE coded. Damn, it is true, Ava has zero talent whatsoever it seems, and the NXT "invasion" stuff is embarrassing. Leon Staler rules. I'm gonna enjoy every second of his until he's sadly gone. The Hardies look older and slower every time I see them. Full Sail did not look full *at all*. Second biggest company in the US, uh.😎

I mean, the stereotypical "French" accent in the US seems to be Inspecteur Clouseau. So yeah I can see that. It will never not be hilarious to me the whole "La Resistance" deal during that anti-French period. Like, *everything* about it was wrong. Anywoo. Considering his style, Elio LaFleur (man) would have been much better off in AEW. As long as he's in AAA or NXT, he'll do well. Beyond that point... Same goes for the former Zozaya btw, who apparently got to keep his real name. Well, he's tall, so there's this, but his style was perfect for NJPW.

I saw that Aigle Blanc debuted at a AAA show (btw six months later, AAA already 100% is NXT Mexico, especially the major shows) and his name is... Elio LeFleur. So, Elio is quite ok. LeFLeur, complete with the capital F, well, let's say no one in France would be named LeFleur. It's 100% the idea of what an american promoteur would think a frenchman would be named 40 years ago. Well at least Meltzer will be able to say his name now.

I thought Tanahashi's retirement would be big. I never thought it would be *that* big. Hopefully Gedo doesn't stumble onto his own feet with the booking of the show... Also, considering the two main events have AEW talents in it, Coach TK has the opportunity to do the funniest thing, PR wise. Meanwhile, is Naito really showing up at the 1/1 Noah show ? What the hell.

It's 2025 and Austin Theory is still supposed to be a thing ? 😂 Oh boy.

So I'm seeing Leon Slater is booked for Cena's retirement show. Apart from the fact it's sad WWE is putting their dirty hands on this guy who's way too good for them (and he's only 21 years old, which is crazy), it's also kinda hilarious from the TNA's point of view, as people expected him to be the future of the company for the upcoming years and you know what's gonna happen : as soon as his contract ends, he's jumping to WWE (unless Coach TK makes him a great offer, which he should, and Ospreay whispers into his ears about doing the better choice). And he's been in TNA for almost two years now, so at best he's probably got one year left.

You really pre-shot that shit since at Genesis apparently it's Kaz vs Santana and then Nemeth cashes in. They literally already overbooked their big "debut" show. And now of course the TNA circle jerk is fantasizing about Jericho showing up and winning the title. 😂

I don't mind Jack Perry, but yeah I would have loved Brody, Bandido or Ace Austin.

Oh gawwwd I forgot about that shit. Funny, maybe I just blocked it out of my mind when I watch TNA, but that's really not what strikes me about the announcing. I dunno, I don't feel they yell all the time. I actually kinda enjoyed the Hannifan/Rehwoldt duo, although Hannifan was taught all the wrong things about announcing by his years in WWE, the worst one probably being the infamous "for the win ! /for the title !" that ruins every nearfalls (and that crept its way into NJPW announcing from time to time too last time I checked). Matt Hardy whining about how TNA is not about putting good match because they are focused on storylines is the most unintentional hilarious thing coming from him, considering the Hardys in-ring outings this last year in that promotion booked like complete shit by Delirious (who has managed to find his way into my "worst bookers ever" list on the strenght of this last two and a half years of TNA).