El-P

Oh yeah, my brain totally read the entire thing as it was about multi-men tags. Dunno why. The Triple Threat talk is funny though. These things have been a regular feature on US pro-wrestling in THIRTY YEARS now. How aren't they considered old-school and traditional ? Well, they actually are. Something watching wrestling starting in 2015 will learn they've been around since the mid 95, so really old-school shit and all.

So there you go. Three specials shows to try and hurt All In. And in the end, Counter-programming Mania was a miserable failure. Two really good shows out of three apparently, but it wasn't the goal. Goldy's retirement speech getting cut is hilarious. Bye bye big man. We hardly knew ye. The guy milked a 15 months run of relevance into 30 years of cashing huge checks for doing almost nothing. He's also responsible of two of the worst things in pro-wrestling in the last, well, 30 years. The Goldberg push. Which has worked ONCE and never again. Still promoters try it over and over again. Stop doing it. Also, he made the spear into a thing. And most people make it look like shit doing it. I mean, Big Justice has a better spear than Adam Copeland, so it's not lost on everybody (I knew, credit Rocky Romero for it). Anywoo. I was tired of Goldy by November of 1998. The guy never did anything better than the Raven and DDP matches that year. I never got the nostalgia for that guy. Imagine being at Center Stage, not sold out, and chanting "Tony fumbled" while AEW was running *that* PPV. The level of dumbfuckery and clowning is insane. Plus I'm sure people like Ethan Page, Ricky S. and Blake "I lost my passion while being involved in one of the greatest feud of the last year because I feared I would never go to WWE" Monroe love the chants about the former boss during their match. I have no doubt Evolution was a terrific PPV considering the feedback (and really Iyo Skye and such). But it shall not be lost on anyone that the first Evolution only existed to whitewash the first Saudi show (or was it the second, seems like ages ago already ?) and this one was bumped and rushed only to try and hurt their "non-competition". Lovely to weaponize your women roster like this. I heard Stephy (ya know, the one in the picture with the brain-worm anti-vaxx destroyer of population, not the one who got lowballed to live her dream) was on the show. I would have vomited into my own throat. Stephanie "Thank you Vince" McMahon talking about women and shit. (edit : and now I learn that Vickie Guerrero was shown. Vickie Guerrero, who has accused her own daughter of being a liar when she talked about being sexually assaulted by her mother's companion. You can't make this shit up, I swear). Also, Naomi being the one standing at the end is hilarious when you think about the joke tweet she made about nepotism a while back. Bloodline gotta Bloodline or something. I guess next time they need to distract the attention from some shit, Evolution III is gonna be right there.

I wasn't ready for THAT main event. Holy fucking shit. Danielson showing up in a Blue Panther mask (because of course). Darby with a promo from the Everest and dropping from the sky like Sting. Marina screaming for her life as she got dropped. Swerve and his Red Dead Redemption arc. And Mox indeed panicking as he's dying a thousand deaths and no one can save him. Hangman truly is the heart and soul. I got my Chaka Khan moment ! Thank you for listening Coach TK ! Awesome, AWESOME show, with peaks like mofo crazy. (the Adam Cole stuff was tough to watch (you could see it in his eyes the second he was on the ramp), hopefully he recovers and gets well soon)

Yes. Maybe there's hope for more mature and deeper stuff in pro-wrestling in the future, alongside the goofiest part we all love. It's very fitting that it comes from Hangman, as his character arc as always been about his struggle with mental health, dating back to him losing his friends, getting on the bottle, getting his confidence back thanks to Dark Order, to finally defeating Kenny Omega. From Day 1 he's really been the main character of AEW, and he's easily the most compelling character there has been in US pro-wrestling. And a great fucking worker (from the get go too, he was always underrated in the early years, although he became even better especially since the Swerve feud, which is one for the ages and really already an all-time classic). Just masterful stuff.

No reason for them to underdeliver if booked right. The multi-women matches lately have been super fun.

OMG they actually are running a feud between Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander around the fact Ali did not have his WrestleMania Moment tm, with promos about how great 205 Live was. The level of cucking going on in TNA right now is *insane*. It's both hilarious and sad as hell. Which I guess is fitting for TNA.

No. It gives more people the opportunity to work in these days where there is no house-show anymore (which is absolutely an issue for the reps people need to improve), it's usually fun, and it allows to feature names without them having to kill themselves doing long single matches every-week. And I mean, it basically comes from Japan. This is what they do all the time on their undercards.

Oh for sure. I really wish they'd do *something* with Top Flight (and Leyla Grey), after all this time. (and no, the lame feud with Cru doesn't count) They picked the right place for him to make his comeback too.

To me Hangman is 100% winning. And Toni is 90% winning with Mercedes working her magic to make you believe she's actually gonna win. (although if she wins, I will not be offended because of how great she has been, but of course Toni should win) And yeah, this is the most excited I've been overall about an AEW show in quite a while too. Last year had Danielson vs Swerve, which was awesome too though, but this year has a different feel overall.

No.

I love the fact they are actually doing Lee Moriarty vs Blue Panther at the ROH show. Ya know Danielson is involved in some ways. Card is kind thrown together at the last moment, but Bandido vs Takeshita should be terrific. And really now, I know it is probably not very cost effective, but I would really love ROH to be taped in like the former Impact Zone as a studio wrestling show instead of during the TV tapings. Not many people is gonna be in the audience anyway, might as well make it look cool.

The "Tony fumbled" chant were so embarrassing. And when your hype is 90% about "I'm being held hostage by evil AEW boss, why can't I do the thing I love" (while not getting any booking elsewhere, which plenty worker do), that's what you get in the end. Now you're just another guy on the card, because what made you such a hot topic was the fact you weren't working. From what I hear it seems it kinda happened to Jordynne Grace to some extent too. She was way more special to the NXT crowd when she was coming from TNA. Now she's just another NXT wrestler, she's got a shitty-ass Def Rebel theme (crazy how it struck me watching TNA lately that the WWE themes come off so cheap) without her vintage siren (because sirens are reserved for the Steiner nepokid on the main roster apparently), she shrunk a lot too (people have mentioned the Wellness policy which is hilarious when you look at Orton of Styles) so she has lost a lot of her hype it seems. I wonder if the same thing happens to Joe Hendry. I personally can't fucking stand to hear his song and see his stupid meme face in TNA (don't get me wrong, I understand why he hustles the way he does, that's what he has and his ascension is a pretty crazy story). Like jeeez, people, aren't you TIRED already ? For a moment there I was afraid it was Wardlow. Talk about another guy I'm perfectly fine not coming back (with my luck he'll show up at the Casino Gauntlet. Hopefully not). Well, Scorpio Sky certainly is a guy I did not expected to show up again, really. He was the least charismatic of the SCU 3 and that had showed after the split. Not opposed at all to have him back, he was a good worker. No idea what they can do with him though, considering he really never got over as a single guy in AEW. BTW, remember Matt Sydal ?

What is working ? Do they have great matches ? No. They barely have good matches. Hell, they barely have matches. Do they cut great promos ? No. MVP does, but does that go anywhere particulary compelling or building to great feuds and matches ? No. Do they get their opponents over ? HELL NO. Everyone working with them ends up looking like complete geeks (and that's including MVP usually burying their opponents on the mic too). Do they have entertaining segments ? Yeah, the MJF stuff was fun for a few weeks. I gave them the benefits of the doubts for a while. That joke is not funny anymore. The tag team titles are completely dead in the water. No feuds, no great matches (at least Private Party had two of those with the Bucks), nothing. And a bunch of babyface teams getting made look worse. Get the titles OFF them immediately, have them put people over and actually work. If not, I don't see what purpose they fill apart from having a theme song people can chant to. That make them 49 years old Trick Williams, and that's not something I want in AEW.

Okada vs Ibushi certainly was on no one's bingo for Dynamite two weeks before All In. Hell, Ibushi coming back was on no one's bingo. And he looks *good* too. Healthy and with his confidence back it seems. Much better than he was the first few times he showed up. Hopefully he gets into his groove. And now we need the match that should never have happened but needs to : Ibushi vs Shibata in a UWF style match in 2025. The Hangman segment was one for the ages. I popped like a mark for the Texas Death Match challenge as I did not see it coming. Marina is so damn cool in her role. And the Deathriders angle, as much as it petered out at one point, is ending on a very high note. The Toni vs Mercedes build is ace too, and Mina vs Mercedes was one hell of a match (after a shaky start, they sure got it back). Ditto Young Bucks vs Swerve & Ospreay. (the tag titles however, well, enough said about the Hurt Syndicate already, Kevin Knight and Speedball deserves way better than this) With the two Casino Gauntlet which should be really fun, and 20K + in the end, All In looks like the banger filled W it deserves to be to cap off this awesome first half of 2025 for AEW.

All of this. Really, as much as I have loved 2021, 2025 is peak AEW again, with a new sense of maturity (which makes sense, they are still relatively "new" at this, when you think of it).

The funny thing is : why WWE would want her ? She's not very good in the ring, she's kind of a headache to deal with apparently plus.... oh sorry, I was just reminded that she just has to to her D.M.D gimmick over and over and she'll get main event spots. That's how it works over there. YEET ! YEAH ! WE BELIEVE ! Jokes aside, I have no doubt WWE would grab her just because, and she's best friend with Chelsea Green (or was at one time). Like I said, AEW has outgrew her. She peaked at the end of the pandemic/back with the audience thanks to the Schiavone/Rebel not Reba vignettes. She has had awful health issues which probably don't help her in-ring work, but her attitude during her last comeback, from what has been said (and seen on camera, really, with Serena Deeb), is just not worth the trouble. Fully expect Danhausen to be signed too whenever his contract ends. One dimensional joke, poor in-ring worker, reputation of being a constant complainer. He'll fit right over there too (unless Mr. Iguana already stole his spot).

@DMJ (you're welcome) I dunno; I actually enjoyed Jack Perry as El Hijo del Raven. He doesn't have the promo ability nor depth, but he absolutely could lean into the Raven style of getting beat the fuck up into having good matches, while being a legit Hollywood nepobaby. I can't see him just go back to being Jungle Boy, that would be a retread. But he sure needs not to be defined by a CM Punk incident, for sure (less so now than ever, because everything about CM Punk is embarrassing). Damn, Luchasaurus sure has been gone for a long ass time since his health issues.

He's still feuding with Ethan Page ? I mean, I know this joke has been done before but... "This is Rampage baby ! This is the show ya'll be waiting for !"

Bandido vs Mascara Dorada for the ROH title at Arena Mexico FUCKED. Incredible main event. Bandido's road has been bumpy, but this is an amazing peak. On the same card Josh Alexander vs Atlantis Jr. was excellent too. Gotta love how Arena Mexico booed the living hell out of Atlantis Jr. It was so loud even the announcers mentioned it was a rudo crowd. Rudo crowd also in a way, as they totally cheered the awesome combination of Los Guerreros Laguneros & Los Infernales vs Don Callis Family. Super fun match, Kyle Fletcher looked to have the time of his life being a rudo in Arena Mexico. This CMLL/AEW/NJPW week is just the best stuff. Make it a yearly thing, please.

Private Party can be summed up in four words : Young Bucks carry jobs. The difference between those Bucks matches and pretty much everything they ever did is gigantic. Not that they don't have potential still, but in AEW, after the disastrous tag title "reign", they are cooked right now. The Kingdom were on ROH two weeks ago. They're in the same boat as the Righteous, never got over in AEW. Writing was on the wall when Cole, O'Reilly & Strong got renamed Paragon, essentially cutting any references to the Kingdom. Really good veteran tag team that could be used better in TNA at this point, if they aren't being used. The Gunns I see jumping to WWE sooner than later. They literally dress up like Shawn Michaels in 1994 and do Road Dogg spots. WWE love them nepokids. The tag team scene needs a good shake up, but none of these teams are part of the answer. Actually the answer is just taking the belts off the Hurt Syndicate and put them on anyone else. FTR, Jetspeed, Deathriders, Hologram & Kommander, Paragon, Hobbs & Joe, fuck me, even the GYV (remember them showing up at Wembley and not getting over and not doing jackshit since, hey they had a really good match a few weeks back on Collision though) basically anyone but the Hurt Syndicate ever again. AEW as a whole has passed Baker by. She was last seen being unprofessional after a really bad return stint. She's been featured on some DDP yoga videos a few months back... Who knows, maybe she shows up at All In and after three weeks vanishes again. Jack Perry, who the hell knows. The entire Keith Lee AEW stint feels like a fever dream. Covid did him. Rush is entertaining but unreliable. He was still featured not to long ago. Probably would not resign him though.

This is an absolute glorious piece of writing : https://www.postwrestling.com/2025/06/30/opinion-from-defiance-to-dignity-cm-punks-redemptive-turn-toward-nihilism/

I guess my point was really more attached strictly to the business side of things, which I don't think would have been that different if Vince had stayed in power on the TKO board. But surely, WWE audience working themselves into thinking Papa Trip (yikes) was this great booker who really cared (yeah, that aged like milk in the age of "Just enjoy the show") certainly is a defining part of this era.

We're talking about the biggest, era defining names. Austin and Rock were mainstream names. Austin 3:16 was everywhere. Reigns and Cody are the two biggest stars of this era. They are Austin and Rock. They are John Cena. They are Hogan. Except they are not. Not even close.

Not really. The upswing started *under Vince*. There was no reason why it would have been different if Vince had stayed in power once the Bloodline/Samy and the Cody storylines got hot. (EDIT : of course it did play a role in term of perception, for sure, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it is that important. He's the one who shaped WWE as it is today with the TKO merger and the Netflix deal (which may also be a double edged sword in the long run)) If the audience cared that much about awful things linked to this company, the Saudi shows would have impacted the audience greatly. Last time Vince got on TV, he got cheered. When he "retired", they chanted "Thank you Vince". His name was cheered this year at the HOF ceremony.

They became a big stadium show business. And that's what has been carrying (and defining, really) this era. The last previous successful era was John Cena's (and it was not nearly as successful, hell at first it was not), and it was defined by John Cena (which is why he is more akin to Hogan or The Rock despite the fact his era was not even close). They have reached the point of WWE becoming the "cool" thing. WWE. Not Roman, not Cody. WWE. The capitalistic evolution of the brand replacing the actual product has taken a while before being a thing in a very much star driven (and carny) business like pro-wrestling (No Logo by Naomi Klein dates from 2000 or something, and it was all about this), but WWE is very much there. It has been the point for ever and they *apparently* succeeded. For now. But whose to say, maybe the fact they're a god awful MAGA supporting company will end up costing this business model, because the LOGO will be forever stained. Well. Probably not, because they've cultivated a cult-like audience (and workers). But who knows. I sure hope they'll get theirs eventually for being such a shitty company.