El-P

I died at the CM Punk trolling. These guys are just on another level. Especially a few days after Omega had that "I wish people would let it behind" interview. They are just the master shitposters meta pro-wrestlers that elevates the entire thing into an artwork. Oh, the match was awesome too. As was Jericho vs Ishii. For a second I thought they would go into Taichi vs Ibushi territory, but hey, awesome nonetheless. Glad we're done with the interim stuff. And now we're setting up the split with Baker again. Okay. Good. The Danielson promo was too much WWE-lite to me, and it did not get over one bit. Moxley was terrific. For a second there I thought Regal was actually done with the company too. House of Black comeback. Yes ! Here's hoping they get that big-ass push. Jake Hagger's calling is comedic matches and vignettes. The two highlights of his AEW career as single talent have been this match and the vignettes before the big Mox title match, with his wife and kids.

NJPW X Stardom show was just tons of fun. We need more crossover shows like this. Totally makes you want to follow both promotions, as it freshens the perception, although really Stardom doesn't need it right now, they look hot enough on their own. And NJPW looks better too already with Umino coming back, the new women's title, Omega vs Ospreay at the Dome. Hopefully things pick up in 2023 after the very dire and depressing pandemic years.

If Trump, Bolsonaro and Sarkozy all end up in jail in 2023, then it would be a decent enough year. Justice would be the booker of the year. Instead, Elon Musk is probably gonna buy the Moon or something.

He was in awesome shape and had his best stint in term of in-ring work since probably Strike Force. Then he had to work with Booker and Stevie. Ended up with two concussions and a fucked up knee. Then retired because he was already making enough money with his other business. So yeah, fuck that idiot Booker and his inept brother.

Because they were not supposed to get the title back to begin with. The Hardys were. Alas, Jeff Hardy being Jeff Hardy changed the plans. Anyway, I'm so done with all of this 'pick a side" bullshit. As a huge fan of both teams, I win every time, unless they all end up in WWE. I'm a happy pro-wrestling fan whenever I get the Bucks or FTR. People may be miserable if that suits them and keep on bitching forever. Their loss.

Where were you when he did his TNA stint ? (which honestly I thought ended up being pretty ok, but I guess my standards were pretty low) He's also a corporate drone dumbfuck, but that's beside the point. My opinion on his work really dropped when I went through my global WCW rewatch a few years ago. Oh, and he obviously sucks at his job now : WCW 2000 level right there.

In a more positive newsbit, Darby Allin will tag with Sting & Muta for The Great Muta's character retirement match. That is certainly something for young Darby.

Indeed. Also, fun fact : most of the people defending vigilantism are the same exact crowd that complain about "Twitter & social media tribunal" whenever women publicly speak of sexual abuse and drop names. Funny how it works : men with guns shooting in public = "I would have done the same thing !"; women speaking out with keyboards = "Hey, presumption of innocence is so important, go to the justice or shut up". So yeah, I get why he would get some sympathy. But what he did was horribly wrong. Allowing him to take part in a spectacle where he'll get applauded and cheered (probably also *because* of what he did, in this case) is really not a good signal to send, at all.

So, Cain Velasquez, who's facing charges for attempted murder, is allowed by the judge to work the AAA's December event, as he requested. That's pretty unique.

I do think they are challenging themselves on purpose by having such a series of matches on TV in term of how they'll work it. I just hope no one gets injured. It pretty much makes my end-year worth it in term of AEW weekly TV.

The fact he was over has no correlation with his actual work. Harlem Heat was over big in 1996/97. In early 1998 he was so great he injured Rick Martel *twice* (then the job was finished by his godawful brother, leading to Martel's retirement). Booker T is one of the most overrated guy ever.

It made Booker T, who was never a very good worker. It made him look about ten times as good as he actually was and better than he would ever be (he did improve in WWE, but its not like he ever was that great, as his peak was King Booker which had nothing to do with his in-ring work). People still think of Booker as better than he ever was, and that's because of this series of matches. Sort of a magic trick, really.

Yeah. That is *actually* what happens. I'm pretty sure a lot of workers actually shake their head when they read stuff that is basically fanfics from angry fanboys. Hell, even when Dax is just sharing something that is super important for him and dear to his heart, you got comments being all pissy about the Bucks and whatnot, not realizing the guy who they *think* they support (but infact do not but pretend to because it validates their own little tribalist biased opinion about "what pro-wrestling should be") is just giving them the biggest praise ever. As far as the "tribute act" line, you people realize that the Bucks wanted to work with FTR for ever (and vice-versa) when they were in WWE and basically built a potential dream match for themselves (and everybody else) ? It's like Omega and Ospreay talking shit about each other for a year straight about wrestling style and such, which is very much ingrained in the Japanese mentality. You really think the Bucks don't know what they owe to who came before ? Seriously ? They are a META tag-team at heart, it's basically exactly where they came from, their entire career is a love letter to those teams who came before them. Fuck, they were doing MX shit in TNA in 2010. Yup. Hey, I'm a HUGE FTR fan and certainly wish they would be more on TV and PPV too. The Acclaimed getting over at that level probably wasn't predictable. Meanwhile, FTR got pretty much 3 MOTYC this year, which has been the best of their career by their own admission, they are working Wrestling Kingdom next year. Not that bad, all things considered.

Looking at the list of available former ROH champ, there's not that many left as outsiders surprises. I could see Davey Richards, Homicide or, much more doubtful, Low-Ki showing up for the weekly show. Ironically enough, Eddie Edwards and PCO are feuding in IMPACT now, and although I guess PCO could show up, there's no way Eddie Edwards just shows up in AEW to do a job without anything in return. Micheal Elgin is a NO FUCKING WAY. For the PPV, my best guess is Danielson winning the title. He said recently he did not want to be AEW champ at all, but ROH champ would actually be a case of him being able to work with a lot of younger guys, which is what he wants to do for whatever time left he wants to put in. Either this or Sammy, but I don't see Sammy turning babyface again. Sammy & Tay reigning over ROH as an anchor douchebag couple heel act could be pretty fun.

Was about to say, Qatar World Cup talk in the weekly WWE thread is a pretty non ironic thing. Hey, gotta trademark those names again I guess.

She really did not though. Coming back was already the feel-good moment. There was no shame in losing to Baker in the context of being back after 5 years and a career ending injury. This is how they would do it in Japan, and it's the right way. They would have a built-in program from the very fact she would need to get back in shape to eventually get the big win. I'm curious to see where they go from this. She certainly won't win the title, it would be craziness. I'm guessing they go for Baker match #2, which Baker would need to win. Not even sure how many matches Saraya will work, really. At the very least, I'm intrigued about it.

Omega & FTR already feels pretty big. I would not be surprised to see Best Friends in the undercard. As far as the challengers for FTR, looking at the World Tag League teams, I'd say either SANADA & Naito either Aussie Open.

KAIRI vs Tam Nakano at the Tokyo Dome. People unfamiliar ain't ready for the brillance that is Tam Nakano. Omega vs Ospreay at the Tokyo Dome ? A QUADRILLION STARS (deserved too) WK already feels like the WK of old on paper. Legit excited about it now with what's announced thus far.

I was wrong about two things and right about one. I was wrong about the cage match. Totally overdelivered. Apart from the fact they HAD TO get out the the cage because you HAVE TO (no), just an excellent match, I did not think heel Luchasaurus had it in him. Jack Perry is awesome. Was totally wrong on that one. Glad it took place. I was wrong on Jade vs Nyla, well, half wrong because I did say it could be a car crash. And it was. Also, is Thundercats actually a thing in 2022 ? Last time I checked, it was a shitty cartoon from when I was 9 years old. Did this get a reboot, a movie, a Netflix show ? Sometime, the geek culture really has gone way too far... Anyway. Doing cosplay is nice, but when this means you have to adjust your outfit every two seconds because you're afraid of something happening, not the best idea either. And I was right about Elite vs Death Triangle. This is so above pretty much everything anywhere. This is why we needed AEW. Best of 7 ? I'm so there. Felt like AEW again. Omega vs Ospreay at WK is legit one of the greatest dream matches ever too. Also, CM Punk did get a chant. The four way was great too. Terrific work, super well laid out, Sammy looked awesome like every pillar did on the show, I was half expecting him to win but I guess the right way is to have Jericho do the job at the actual ROH PPV where the match is the main event and means more. The three-way was pretty fun. Nothing earth-shattering. The idea of Wardlow going from this into the main event scene is super dubious to me (although of course, since MJF is the champ, maybe they he regain some of the heat he used to get). He is just not that over at all and although he does a few cool stuff, he did not even look like the bigger or most intimidating guy of the three, Hobbs did. Hopefully Joe getting the belt means some actual cool feuds and matches now. Saraya had not worked in 5 years, and she had to stop because of a career injury and was only cleared very recently. So considering the context, I think she did a good job, and Baker was super solid leading the match. I thought it was pretty good, but it tried to reach for something it could not be. Saraya beating Baker (aka the biggest star of their division) after 5 years off is problematic though. That's the only booking flub I see. Would have gone the other way, especially how rusty (not a knock, absolutely understandable) she looked. The Double J Special was fun in its dog & poney show clusterfuck glory. Made a good use of Singh, the very first time he wasn't a waste of space. But I hope it's done for Jarrett for now as an on-air talent, he can show up from time to time to do a novelty match. Also, a TNA chant. Holy hell. The Acclaimed vs Swerve & Lee was quite good, but by this time it was obvious the crowd was tired. Went too long probably. The angle was a repeat of the hammer deal with the Death Triangle, this time with the opposite result. Caster did improve in the last few months, while Bowens does not look as great as he used to (blame the injuries). The split was really well done and Lee should get a good babyface stint while Swerve is a terrific heel already. All good. Hayter vs Storm was great, despite the crowd being tired at times also. Kinda feel sad for Storm, who has suffered from crappy timing (Hayter should have gotten the belt from Rosa, Storm getting that "interim" belt while Hayter was getting over did her no favors), but they really had one of the best women matches in AEW thus far. Been a fan of Hayter pretty much from the start, I'm glad she finally got the belt, felt super over again. Mox vs MJF was a great match also, with Mox at the top of his game, working heelishly against that partisan crowd. I'm so glad there was no Firm bullshit at all involved. I can take the Regal swerve, as it was a possibility which at least leads to something cool. MJF also was as good as he ever was, really. Feels like finally a new start with something clear cut after months of Punk stop start. Oh, and of course, Akiyama vs Kingston. Eddie sure was something to see. That is when pro-wrestling is more real than real. Show was too long though. Totally peaked with the second match, then had the 4 way pick it up again. After that point, it was spotty in term of crowd heat. That's the thing with AEW, if you don't have great matches, crowd is not gonna sustain the excitement, and there were sure a string of not so great matches in this show, but also 5 excellent to great ones. Overall, quite the success. But one hour less would be appreciable (yeah, they have too much talent still).

Dressed like Vince used to, with that awful blue suit. I wonder if she calls Donald "his excellency" too...

Agreed. We've seen it countless times now. I wouldn't say that. She's a JTTS basically, and she's not doing *anything* that makes her fun to watch because they introduced her as some vanilla babyface real-backstage coach. She is not over and she hasn't looked very good in the ring either. Just a pity, she was so much fun in IMPACT and she has years of making the most out of not so great booking during Russo-era TNA. Just a complete waste because apparently no one knows what she's good at, and that is being a fun bitch heel with cool promo abilities. When I see people like Emma, Mia Yim and soon Chelsea Green going back to WWE coming off cool IMPACT runs, I really can't blame them, seems like a much better move now. That's another thing. Riho comes back, looks awesome of course and then we don't see her again and she isn't figured anywhere. They should find something for Shida, maybe turn her heel or something, the poor girl is getting crickets when she wrestles. Hate to be that guy, but they need two women matches during Dynamite every week if they want to seriously build a solid division, ratings notwithstanding. Working once every other week is not helping them at all.

PPV looking better already. Gotta say though, AR Fox getting a contract is nice. I have very fond memories of his LU stint (that match with Strickland, damn, those scars on Swerve's back, well...) and he looked terrific in the trios match.

Hint : it was founded by Jeff Jarrett. He had to instill some of his GOAT carny soul into it.

Because they are. I honestly don't even fathom the people who have been watching this for 20 years straight or more. I've been back watching some form of weekly TV (after basically quitting for 15 years) since about late 2014, so that's 8 years, and I kinda feel that exhaustion again. And it's not like I've been religiously watching the same promotion during those years. I was all about Lucha Underground, then quite a bit of NJPW, some big WWE shows mostly for the women wrestling which was so fresh and a period of NXT big shows, then got into weekly IMPACT since 2018, then AEW. I go through phases. Right now I'm clearly feeling a cool down period more and more. But I can't even imagine how people who have seen Randy fucking Orton for 20 years straight on their TV would give a damn, no matter how "refreshed" he can seem at time. I use him as an exemple, but really even people who have been there for like 6 years is an eternity.

Worst AEW go-home show leading to by far the lesser AEW PPV on paper in front of a god-awful crowd. This made the 2019-2021 AEW fan in me a bit sad, not gonna lie. So because they figured they had to affirm the Elite was gonna be at the PPV, they totally screwed up the cool build they did with useless reveal. Match should be awesome nonetheless, and the Elite has been VERY BADLY missed on TV. AEW without them just isn't the same, as demonstrated since they vanished. I like Ethan Page. He's a solid guy. But having him beat a newly signed Bandido is idiotic. This entire tournament is a waste of time. I don't wanna see any tournament ever until the Owen, and no tournament at all apart from the Owen during the entire year. Only Vince Russo booked as much tournaments. The final to crown who's doing the job to the next champ is a waste of PPV time and will probably die a painfull death. Speaking of waste of PPV time, I am sick and tired of that Jungle Boy vs Christian Cage & Luchasaurus stuff. And the last thing I want to watch is a single heel-Luchasaurus-in-a-cage match on PPV. And with all due respect, yes the Acclaimed are very over, and yes the first match totally overdelivered, but in a company which very seldom runs rematches, of all of the rematches we can have, we get a third Acclaimed vs Swerve/Lee ? While FTR are not on the PPV... Saraya is a total mystery at this point in term of what her work will look like. As long as she doesn't get hurt, I guess I'm happy with it. Jade vs Nyla could go both way. Either a cool little match with some cool spots, either a complete car wreck. I would probably bet on the former though, but who knows. I hope we get some new things for Jade, her beating everyone has jumped the shark a while ago. But not sure I'd want Nyla to beat her (although the character she displays now should do her lots of good with actual solid booking, and away from Vickie). The Firm bullshit has been diluting the Mox vs MJF program. Why the fuck is W. Morrissey on my TV involved in a main angle ? So they are gonna do some kinda swerve, uh ? I have honestly bad feelings about the booking of this match, despite some really terrific mic work from Mox & MJF. Some stuff I look forward though. The three-way hoss fight (with people who can actually do cool shit, unlike Braun or Tyrus, ya know), the ROH four way to some extent (although even I at this point wish we would move on now and get some fresh stuff from the BCC to do) and really, Hayter vs Storm and the trios match (which will completely steal the show, bank on it). The Sting/Jarrett tag match too for the novelty aspect and Double J having one of the most WTF year ever in pro-wrestling history. But overall, by far the least hyped (basically not hyped one bit, even dreading some stuff such as dead matches and stupid booking decisions) I've ever been since AEW started. Well, I get Kingston vs Akiyama this week-end, then probably won't be able to watch the PPV before Monday or so. Hopefully nothing completely ridiculous happens this time around and I get all behind some hyper-drama again.