El-P

This is gonna be the greatest night in the history of our sport. Or not. Will CM Punk disappoint the entire AEW Galaxy ? Will Phil Brooks screw Phil Brooks ? Will MJF show up to screw his former idol ? Will Stokely Hataway recruit his 34th body in his evergrowing stable ? Will Thunder Rosa put on a booboo face on as she's getting closer to drop the belt to Toni Storm ? Will some idiot make a complete fool out of himself showing a "TK fears Corny" signs for two hours straight ? Will Kip Sabian get the fuck out of that stupid box already ? See you in a few.

Last pro-wrestling game I played was Wrestlemania from 1995 (yeah, the one with Doink and Bam Bam Bigelow and Lex Luger and Razor Ramon). I would surely play the AEW game. Waiting for next year's Black Friday or something though. I'm not putting 60€ into a video game, whatever it may be.

I'm sure there was some good shit over there. I was only talking business. I don't remember ever a pro-wrestling venture from WWE that went so much under the radar. Super Astro maybe.

Ok, just seen that. Been a bit out of the loop. Well they released basically everybody, so I really wonder what it actually in plans. Also, I wonder what they mean by Europe. If they do it in the UK again, well, Brexit makes everything more complicated for everybody who lives elsewhere in Europe really. Also, what's the incentive ? NXT UK only goal was the kill the emerging UK scene. It never mattered one bit in the grand scheme of things, barely anyone ever watched it and people were poorly paid (the French ref talking about how she never made less money than working for WWE). Now that Trip is in charge, he'll bring anyone he likes in both NXT and the main roster.

Yep. i've said it before, AEW needs a Scott D'Amore, to use a more contemporary reference. Someone who books logically from week to week. Feuds and angles are basically spread out over either way too much time (the Julia Hart turn, completely missing his target) or don't have a good ratio for angles/matches (Swerve in our Glory, agree it's a really terrible WWE like name, and Hobbs/Starks cutting a million promos on each others and having like, one match in the middle of it). Cage vs Jungle Boy is dangerously getting there too, this stuff has seemingly gone forever now and is running in circle, I thought this week's segment was pretty awkward with Cage trying to lure Jungle Boy back (like, really now ?) and then getting destroyed like there's no tomorrow. What's next after *that* beating ? And the PPV is still two weeks away, and will be some Christian Cage "really good but nothing special" Special again... Speaking of the PPV. The booking of FTR is mind blowing. They have three set of belts and they don't get to challenge Lee & Swerve so we get the grand slam champs with all the fucking belts ? I understand the Young Bucks basically weren't even supposed to get those back in the first place and only did because of the Hardy debacle, but now FTR are on the PPV NOT IN THE TAG TITLE MATCH but rather in a fucking six-men (not trios either, if you catch my drift) against a giant oaf and a non-wrestler (Sonjay is all but retired and not cleared to work anymore apparently), all to make Wardlow look good in a match about a fucking POWERBOMB SPOT like it's Kevin Nash vs Sid @ IYH2 ? What the everloving fuck, Coach Tony K. ? This is just terrible booking, there's no way around it. Also, the ROH stuff is badly diluting the product. Claudio is the C-show world champ now. Congrats. Dustin getting a shot is good for shits and giggles and it will probably be quite good (and overrated too like the CM Punk match was, it's basically unavoidable at this point), but really now, let's be serious. And there are more belts around that no one really cares about, like some TV champ, some pure champ, some women champ who is never on TV anyway and never got over. Buying the stuff for future streaming service : good. Putting ROH on TV : bad idea. It's probably only a small part, but to me the focus of the promotion has taken a nosedive since the ROH stuff was made part of it.

NXT UK is all but dead, ain't it ?

Only watching the final, after being spoiled no less, is kinda watching a season finale without the journey. But then again, holy hell what a classic match that was. The idea that Okada should be pushed off his throne is ludicrous, as showed by this exact kind of performance. This guy can go until he's 40, he just needs more great opponents to sink his teeth in. When all is said and done, his resume, which is already mind-blowing, would have no equivalent. He's the Hakuho of pro-wrestling. And as far as great opponents goes, Will Ospreay may be the most perfect pro-wrestler ever. I've seen pretty much his best stuff from this year, and he can just do anything, and do it better than anyone. All-timer G1 final, washed the bad taste off last year's sad final. Only one day at the Tokyo Dome is the way to go. Hopefully they stack the fuck up this mofo. One obvious match that should happen is Ospreay vs Omega. It was amazing how when Ospreay did the V-trigger and tried the One-Winged Angel, that "clap only" crowd literally LOST THEIR SHIT . These two have been throwing darts at each others on interviews, obviously building to something, and I guess now is the time. The other one is a more strictly US fans dream match in Danielson vs ZSJ. With Okada vs White on top, those three matches only make WK the greatest card on paper in years. Hopefully some really kick-ass Stardom match for the IGWP women title too, quite a historic moment too (after years of hearing how NJPW wanted Kyoko Hamaguchi in the 00's !). Maybe a Mutoh match as part of his countdown ? Against SANADA for instance (the bastard betrayed him in IMPACT in 2014 after all!). That would make sense. As dull as the company can seem on paper at times, the upcoming years are looking very intriguing for NJ, with some of the best excursion guys finally coming back as stars and the international scene opening up.

He's gonna show up in GCW again, Effy needs his win back. Fuuuuck, now I really want him and Karen to show up in AEW at some point. I mean, he needs to ! That's what AEW needs ! Road Dogg back on the fold with Trip putting all his good ol' soldiers back. Holy shit people... When the bloom is gonna be off the rose with the "Papa Trip is gonna make WWE great again" narrative, it's *really* gonna be off, I'm telling you. I told you Gargano was gonna be the next one back, didn't I ? I did. You did not listen. But I totally did.

AEW has never seemed more WCW-like. Which in a way, warms my heart. I mean, the enthousiasm of the debut years and the peak has passed. Also, context has changed. AEW was awesome. Some of it still truly is. The fact it's a provider for backstage drama like it's WWF during 1997 is actually kinda fun as hell to follow, as it's always been part of the pro-wrestling folklore. So, it took one year for CM Punk to behave like an unprofessional asshole ? Strong 97 Bret/Michaels vibes from all this stuff. Can turn into some really hot shit or some really ugly debacle. Speaking of which, meanwhile MJF... nah, don't care. Strong vibes of Goldy vs Hogan on Nitro with that Mox vs Punk match in Dynamite too. Is that the start of TK hot shooting shit for ratings and now we are REALLY gonna get an out of control, coked out product ? All good fun really. I will never forget I got the most fun years of pro-wrestling from 2019 to 2021, and really who knows what's happening in one year, two years from now ?

Of course stock did not rise due to product change. No one is saying that. The product changes are still minor. Hell, the ratings are going up despite those really minor changes (you won't tell me that because of Karrion Kross or fucking Dexter Lumis all of a sudden that makes a huge difference in how the product is perceived, it was already drawing better). But the image of Vince being protected still is as much cultish brainwash as anything else. No one in Hollywood would have protected Weinstein's image. No one in a real life business would have done it. All these people talking about sad it is are making a fool of themselves, all of them, Flair, Bret, Cena and the rest of them. There's still a guru appeal to the figure of Vince within the company and an entire generation of guys, Trip included (hence the "bar" comment, which went beyond any previous ridiculousness on the matter).

Older american wrestlers have talked about the "quiet Japanese crowds" forever in shoot interviews, and how this was odd for them at first. Of course when you watch some 80's matches from NJPW or Zenjo with crowds going batshit crazy, there's a disconnect here but then again, not every US workers who went on tour over there was able to get those kind of reactions either.

True. Then again, when Vince got booted, the stock rose instead of collapsing, so maybe those people aren't that dense.

You're way underestimating the cult aspect of WWE. You got all these old fucks talking about Vince "going into retirement", completely ignoring he was actually pushed out the door for at very least sexual harrassement stuff. We're nearly at 20 millions dollars now, which is an absolutely insane sum of money, spanning almost 20 years up to the pandemic era, when the company was cutting people left and right for "financial reasons". And you're got Trip talking about how he was that genius who got pro-wrestling out of small bars. They're absolutely still living in Vinceland and the official storytelling of the company will remain the same. Wait for the A&E documentary in a few years telling how Vince quietly retired as WWE opened another chapter with wholesome "Papa Trip" (fuck I already can't stand that ridiculous nickname where the audience is self-infantilizing themselves) becoming the ever benevolent patron saint of pro-wrestling fighting the good fight against evil billionnaires trying to steal their talent.

I wonder if I did engage into a self-fulfilling prophecy or if I was just right. Wonder what the ratings will be this week. You know, how many people will watch. (this needs to stop, like, now)

I should have known but I clicked anyway. Baited.

A&E WWE documentary, always quality content. (I did not know about Conrad losing his mind when Bischoff told the same story on the podcast, but it happened, hence Conrad twitting this)

And this is why Maki Itoh should be on AEW TV every week (also, that wedding was the best since Brian Cage/Melissa Santos on IMPACT)

Yep. Plus MJF. And Danielson. No shit they are stagnating in the ratings. Plus, all the hype is with WWE now with Vince being gone, and it's gonna keep being that way for a while (Sasha coming back should boost interest whenever that happens). People acting like AEW is gonna be dead soon (and rejoicing because of it no less) is so stupid and pathetic. Those people don't get that two healthy main promotions is better for *everyone*, even if you don't follow or even like one of them.

On the MJF front, I for one, although I've been a fan since his MLW days, don't miss him on the shows at all. That's kinda odd. I feel like although when/if he's back it will be big, and even bigger if he shows up in WWE, there was so much big news during that time and Vince being gone is so much bigger than anything else, the whole MJF drama feels like old news by now. I'd gladly take anything from the Blackpool Combat Club over whatever MJF does (and again, I was a big fan). There's also the fact that, if the end game is ending up in WWE anyway, with about one year left on his contract, why would TK devote any of his precious time to make him a bigger star now ? When the trust is gone, it's gone, it's like in a relationship. Considering how things are going seemingly nowhere, I wonder why TK let him cut that promo on TV.

Jeff Hardy is 6.2. He's not a small guy by any stretch of the imagination. I doubt Kross is that much taller (supposed to be 6.4), but the thing is, he doesn't have a very huge frame either. He looked like a monster in LU next to smaller luchadors. In WWE, he's mid in term of size. EDIT : I just watched that promo. Yeeaaaaaaah, it's lame. And it's REALLY WWE too, still. He was better than this in IMPACT. Scarlett just looking at him and not saying a word is kinda... I dunno, Scarlett being part of the presentation is cool for him, but again, she on her own is a different kind of character, and apparently she won't be able to do it either. Yeah... I can understand people not feeling this.

Dixie Carter finally put through a table by Bully Ray at the Manhattan Center in front of a totally rabid crowd was legit one of the best angle TNA ever did. And really, those tapings are even better than the previous ones, with the Hardy reuniting (yeah, I know, but back then it was a big deal, kinda, and would lead toward Broken Matt), SANADA turning on Great Muta, Low-ki coming back, Aries vs Lashley, Taryn Terell being back too. Not everything was good of course (the Samuel Shaw "babyface" turn with Gunner), but overall the product was so much better and fresher than it had been during the last few years. It's sadly ironic that it was too late and Spike would just get rid of it. To get back at Dixie, yeah, I just said it, Dixieland >>>>> anything during the Prichard era. Dixie/EC3/Rockstar Spudd had great chemistry, the angle was well built, with things actually progressing (as opposed to Prichard booking which went at a snail pace) toward the apex at the best place possible. Dixie at the Manhattan Center was getting Cornette at ECW Arena level heat, and by then she had developed into a really fun performer. And DAMN, that bump she took. Bully protected her from the table, but she bumped really hard on the mat. Looked brutal. They replayed it about a thousand times, from every angles. The thing was masterfully built, with the kinda cute use of WWECW rejects (Snitsky & Big Zeke) to troll Team 3D and Tommy Dreamer, they had Al Snow come off retirement to work the 8 men brawl, complete with heads distributed to the audience for the 1997-like visual effect. EC3 & Spud was such a great duo, EC3 being a trooper despite his in-ring limitations (he's ok) and Spud his great comedic self. Great cherry on the cake with Dixie trying to run off at the end and being blocked by the entire TNA roster showing up to block the ramp (very meta if you ask me), leading to that hellacious bump and that insane pop, really reminiscent of old ECW atmosphere indeed. Seriously a great, GREAT angle, during a time where the promotion looked to be on the right track creatively (but the damaged had been done).

Conrad saying that he got positive feedback from Flair faking a heart attack shows how much of a carny sleazebag he is. Sure, he got positive feedback from this. Hey, Flair should do another match, just to fuck with Conrad and this entire debacle. I mean, if he dies in Puerto Rico, Carlos Colon can play the "I did not see anything, I'm not responsible" game again. What an embarrassment.

And who looks like an idiot for pimping Madison Rayne after she had two bad matches in a row ? I do. Then again, I never pretended she was a great in-ring worker (she's much better than she showed there thus far though, no idea what happened, maybe nerves of being on live TV in front of a big audience after spending most of her career in IMPACT), I always said she was a great performer aka she's great at character work and little details. The thing is, Madison Rayne is a bitchy shithead funny heel. I have no idea who thinks it's a good idea to introduce her as a cold babyface. I wanna see Madison do stuff like Locker Room Talk, that's where she shines. They made her a big disservice by miscasting her like that. I feel I said the same thing the other week after the Yuta match, but people may think whatever about Jericho, but it's totally undersold that he's actually 52 years old. There aren't many 52 years old who had a match like he just had with Mox. The guy is on fire right now, and although some of his stuff can be hit and miss, he still delivers on a high level regularly. At 52. Awesome main event, great clean finish to boot. post match was of course awesome and All Out already feels like a big deal now. Omega is coming back next week, right ? Darby vs Brodie King was amazing once again. Ridiculous violent feel, like a horror movie (and I don't even like horror movies). The finish was inexplicably perfect. If the prospect is House of Black vs Darby, Old Age and Crazy Sting & Miro at the PPV, this is going to be something special for sure. Lucha Brothers vs Ingobernables was terrific in term of Penta & Fénix getting the other two caught into their clusterfuck of action. Rush has looked good thus far, pleasantly surprised by how he's been presented and how he's been handling himself. Garcia vs Danielson 2/3 falls needs some time, hopefully they don't rush it, there's nothing a lot more annoying than rushed 2/3 falls matches (although I understand it's TV, but they did long-ass matches before). I definitely can get behind that Parker Boudreaux guy as he obviously watched a lot of Vader matches and stole his finisher from Taue. Plus he looks different. On the other hand : yeah, that angle with Ari Daivari is lame. This is the kind of stuff I would expect from, I dunno, NXT 2.0 or something. Pro-wrestling needs to move forward, not backward. Daivari looks better than his amazingly dull older brother, but really now, Stu Grayson was never given any real time but this guy gets on TV ? Same goes for whoever the fuck Zack Clayton is. I mean, a Broman gimmick in 2022 ? The Jershey Shore shit is still a thing ? I mean, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but AEW throwing people out of nowhere on TV like this really is an issue when they are not even known or cult indie guys (I mean, I can get why Mance Warner was ok, plus they did air a promo, but Zack Clayton, what ? Who ?). Why don't they do vignettes, even short ones. Vignettes are cool. But fuck yeah, give me JD Drake instead of this or Erik Redbeard showing up for no reason whatsoever (not that he did not look good, but again, they have a zillion people signed already that they aren't using). Well, no one saw it coming since she's not been on TV probably since the Cody match. Which really is too bad, the Janela team & feud was the best stuff AEW did that no one saw. Long overdue, and hopefully she gets featured now. I wish it didn't came off that lame angle though. But give me Boudreaux & Kiss as a tag team maybe and push them on TV like you did the Acclaim. Is Tay Melo the first pro-wrestler changing her wrestling name following a wedding ? The mixed tag match was really good, as good as it could be with annoying rules of no men/women interactions (which doesn't even make sense in this context as the AAA mixed tag is defended in true intergender fashion). Danhausen is totally uninteresting once the bell rings. He's over as fuck because of the cult thing, but please keep him out of matches, I have yet to see him show me *anything*. That's the HUGE difference with Orange Cassidy, who not only is a much funnier and better meme wrestler, but is a legit great worker to boot. Danhausen is Santino Marella basically. Which is good to have I guess, but matches ? Nope. I hope Brian Pillman turns on his partner next week. He looked way better as a heel during Ric Flair's retirement show than he ever did in AEW. So, if there's something to be done, well.

We know why those "financial cuts" have been made now. To reimburse Vince hush money for sexual predation at his workplace. Doesn't keep corporate drone like Cena to wanna have Vince as the lone figure in his Mount Rushmore (such an american trope, this). Would you picture Tarantino for instance say something like this about Weinstein ? These people are so embarrassing. Meanwhile, Kane is at it again, never forget this guy was just at SummerSlam celebrated as a legend of the company (and giving away a fake-ass number, because lying what he's only good at). Kevin Dunn is still there. So yeah, things are gonna change... but maybe not as much nor as quick as people want to believe. Also, the final destination still has to be a sale, right ? If not, why make all these cuts in the budget, that's been Nick Khan's job since day one. This is glorious.

The pathetic never ends.