Matt D

If Vince is back, I really don't see it unless AEW lowballs them.

Booking a territory in 1983 is different than booking a national promotion in 2023. You can send a crowd home upset if you're going to make them happy a month or two down the line. Heat's on the promotion, not the heel. There were ways to give the crowd something more even if Sami was losing. But again, I think a lot of it is that they even booked themselves into the corner in the first place.

I was on the fence but I'll check it out this week. Thanks.

Blame the company for booking themselves into this situation.

The AEW ref corps >>>> HBK’s dramatic acting. George Steele, Baron Von Rashcke, Missing Link >>>> HBK’s dramatic acting. This is not a high bar!

@elliott You should check out the Austin Idol episode. They spend five minutes talking about the plane crash, five talking about the new NWA/his school, and maybe five (if that) talking about being Austin Idol and Lawler, but the rest of it is entirely about his Mike McCord days.

Mauro is far better than McAfee. And I thought Mauro was the worst.

Agree that it was a pretty good Rumble. Banger Bros controlling the middle worked well.

I'm pretty desensitized to corporate stuff, but the article with the exec talking about how they were trying to please the same sort of people who like pro wrestling with the slapfight show and just really, you know, give them what they want deep down, happening at the same time as this, is pretty annoying.

I tapped midway through the first match. I like the idea of Jarrett’s goofs interacting with Cassidy’s goofs but not tonight maybe. Will try again tomorrow.

We should invite him for GWE2026

He should have made fun of Prinze's promoter aspirations.

65% of Cole’s issues would be solved if he’s babyface. Hopefully they ride with the love and sympathy.

I like that you think I watched Page vs Cole. Best Takeshita match in AEW in 2022 is the first Mox one where Mox worked him like he was Hansen and stopped him from doing a bunch of dumb stuff. Second best is probably the JD Drake match from Dark. Second worst Takeshita match was the Kingston one. Just brought the absolute worst out of each other. Takeshita has tons of raw talent but very similar instincts to Page. I hate the Santana comparison but if you want to make a Barry Windham one on his athleticism and size, that I'll accept, just not his instincts.

I get why people like him but Takeshita vs Page was my least favorite match of 2022.

Have you seen the 3/27/94 match?

Dax talking through the Dog Collar Match makes me want to hear him talk through about three dozen more matches.

Ok, let's do this. I'll bold the talents I consider developmental. Here are the wrestlers in matches for the last month or so of Elevation. If it's just them listed, assume they're up against enhancement talent. 12/26: Rose/Shafir Julia Hart Bunny Takeshita vs Kazarian Soho/Willow Athena vs Hogan Dralistico vs Blake Christian 12/19: Shafir Emi/Bunny Hardy/Page/Kassidy/Takeshita/Top Flight vs Kiss/Slim J/VSK/Avalon/Bononi/Nemeth (I don't consider Kassidy or Top Flight guys getting their reps in at this point. Bononi, I do.) Kingston/Ortiz Athena Claudio/Yuta vs Drake/Henry (I don't consider Yuta that way) 12/12: Emi Menard/Parker Willow Taylor/Barreta vs Zack Clayton/Some Other Guy Ari Davari/Nese/Woods vs Cutler/Luther/Serpentico 12/5 Comoroto vs Shinno Rose/Shafir Hogan Top Flight Emi Lee Moriarty (do not consider him) Cage/Kaun/Toa Liona Sapian vs Reynolds Takeshita vs Solo 11/28: Bunny Cutler Rose/Shafir Takeshita vs Davari Moriarty Lethal/Satnam Best Friends/Rocky Romero Athena Hardy/Private Party vs Chaos Project/Some Guy Kingston/Ortiz vs Solo/Comoroto I could go on but you get the idea. It's a way to warm the crowd up, to give them some of the other stars in matches where they don't have to worry about win/loss records. To give some local wrestlers work and potential tryouts. To build winning streaks for TV. To hype some upcoming programs and heat up people for a match the following week on TV if need be, to keep wrestlers wrestling and warmed up so they don't get hurt due to inaction. And yes, to give maybe 15-20% of the show to talent who need reps. It's Superstars/Wrestling Challenge, not Developmental. It's really WCW Worldwide. I don't think Dark is wildly dissimilar.

All I'll say is that it's really obvious that you don't actually watch the shows.

Dark and Elevation are the most enjoyable parts of AEW anyway.

“Sonjay, book the shows. Don’t put the TNT title on Jeff.”

This one was 2/3 falls and man was it ever good. The first fall was full of so much of what I love about Bockwinkel and then the second fall was such an amazing showing for Jumbo. In that first fall, they went a different way with it, with Bockwinkel trying to take liberties to get an advantage early but getting jammed by Jumbo. This time, Bock didn't get his arm control first and it went straight to Jumbo's and they worked it and worked it with Bockwinkel cheating to get out or making it seem like he just might, but getting jammed right back down. He's always struggling, always fighting, always reacting and Jumbo's so smooth working from top. Eventually, Bock has enough and drops the pretense and just starts kicking and stomping him down, but Jumbo fires back, including a huge chop off the ropes that causes Bock to do his full body sell. They're about twenty in now, as there were a couple of minutes clipped here and his total exhaustion sell is the best ever. And it's still early really! Anyway, after blocking Jumbo's butterfly, Bock tries the King of the Mountain which is what he does when there's a babyface too fiery for him but Jumbo immediately fights out, rushes in and just unloads on Bock, super intense. He misses a knee in the corner and Bock, in short order, gets the figure four. Just great fighting out of it by Jumbo turning it a couple of times, but he succumbs. So that's the first fall and I love how one beat so smoothly led to the next and you could just tell what kayfabe Bock was thinking and trying to do at every point. Second fall has Jumbo fighting with the bad leg and he does it so valiantly that the crowd really starts to get behind him. I've seen American crowds get behind Japanese guys before (especially in California) but maybe never quite like this and it's both Bock AND Jumbo here. He keeps falling a bit behind due to his leg but powering back, including hitting an atomic drop but being unable to hang on to the cobra twist. This ultimately leads to Bock containing him with a King of the Mountain (This time) but pressing it too far and allowing for Jumbo to fire back in, opening Bock up with chops and ultimately hitting the butterfly and the cobra twist causing him to pass out. The last fall teases the time limit (9 minutes left) just from the start, and they have some near falls (a butterfly that Bock blocks but Jumbo turns into a piledriver, brutal stomps on the leg turned into a Jumbo half crab). You get maybe a sense that Jumbo doesn't know how to put him away but he goes for broke with his hurt leg with another atomic drop and gets another cobra twist only for Bock to toss the ref and draw the DQ. Really masterful match here. And just a lovely 1980 crowd to get behind a foreigner so thoroughly. I couldn't imagine a nicer crowd, the sort that you'd want for big wrestling match like this, that bought into it fully and that put aside their own biases to give their all for the challenger.

Anyway, Nese is exactly the sort of cardio freak Danielson wants to go against.

Which is why the All Atlantic title is the prefect compromise.

He basically needs the run Joe is having right now with a secondary belt he can make his own. He’s probably the guy to beat Cassidy and then face people from all over the world.