El-P

Sure, WWE would not want Chris Jericho at all,who is one of the biggest stars of the opposition, has been since day 1, and who would come back with a bigger profile than he ever had before. Edge is gonna re-retire sooner than later, so they will soon need another glory days star for Mania, and there aren't many anymore, especially who can work at Jericho's level (think what you want about him, he's been delivering big time in big single's matches lately).

It kinda was. Lost my mind three times. 1/ MCMG being announced as Jay Lethal's partners. Now, that's what I call some world class correction course. Plus,TNA invasion baby ! All kidding aside, this could very well steal the show now. MCMG are one of the best and most important tag team of the last 20 years in term of advancing the style, and what they can do with Wardlow, holly hell. And of course, FTR vs MCMG is a dream match if there's one. 2/That Mox vs Punk match. So shocking and amazing, and really there's a sense of poetic justice in Punk opening his mouth a bit too much and making the mistake of thinking he was all that and all repaired up and getting the fuck beat out if it for it. So now the rematch is set apparently. That's quite an interesting twist and a great Dynamite moment for the ages. 3/Omega showing up after that mind-blowing match to confront Ospreay. And although it was obvious this was gonna happen at some point, with teases here and there for months and months now, the fact they actually faced off finally at this moment was amazing. Ospreay is having one of the best year ever (a year he almost died BTW), and I hope this takes place in the Tokyo Dome, as it should. A billion stars. Kinda happened. Yes he did. That segment was pretty ok in term of highlighting both Gunns and Acclaimed. It's over, I won't complain. The fact Billy Gunn is relevant on my weekly TV almost 30 years after I saw him debut on Superstars is quite something. Damn, I was right and more on this one. Funny how Ricky Starks showing emotion came off totally genuine (what a great promo) while Rosa came of reeking with insincerity. You know, there seem to be a little bit too much smoke to the Rosa fire by now. I always gave her the benefit of the doubt, never really saw that much in what was said (the sandbagging and all), but after a while, it's a lot of stuff piling on. Maybe Ivelisse wasn't wrong after all when she was all "Nah, not putting that bitch over, fuck that". Bring Ivy back ! HE DID ! So there, I'm a fucking genius and if you wanna know something, just ask. PAC vs Dax Harwood eventually. Please. PLEASE ! And sign KiLynn King. Looked quite good two weeks in a row. Was all over the pandemic Jacksonville era, glad she showed up back and is given TV time. She seems to have improved also. What an awesome episode. Last week I was all "well, it is what it is, some of it is great but overall I'm not that excited anymore about the promotion" and after this week I feel like I'm one year back in time.

What was the deal with the No Mercy game that apparently made it so precious to all ? Not the first time I hear reference to this game.

I mean, although in the end he was wrong about that one, it's still a hilarious bit for the ages. (around 1.25 for the NXT UK line)

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).