Stiva

TK pulling Zach Gowen out to give Ricochet more reasons to be a dickhead is so great. I wonder how that even came about

Forbidden Door ticket sales are looking strong out the gate with over 11,000 sold. And that’s with WWE running a UK tour in the same week in their latest bout of petty sabotage bullshit.

That’s fantastic. And it may be selfish of me but I hope it leads to Mad Dog Connelly getting the All Elite graphic

Watched the two shows. My first WWE shows since last years Mania shows and all I can say is, whoever convinced all of these people that they’re actors needs kicked all over. Michaels/Flair was a poison on pro wrestling

These fuckers doing interviews for WWE really need to learn about hubris, my word.

I had totally forgot about Trent Barretta but giving Roppongi Vice a proper run as a heel team is as good an idea as any, I suppose

It can’t be overstated how much that AEW running different looking arenas is helping these shows feel like an actual alternative again. A small building packed to the rafters and lit brightly is so much better than a larger, half empty building with half the crowd in darkness too.

You’ll get Matt Jackson gurning his way through a promo filled with Bullet Club references and you’ll like it

Yeah, I’m not too sure AEW need to pick up too many WWE releases at this point since they have a lot of workers who people are wanting to see them do more with. Obviously, someone like Balor feels like a no-brainer but I don’t see a lot of workers who could be on the chopping block that they’d go for. Then again, I wasn’t really sure they needed Ricochet but I had no idea he had this heel run in him so what do I know? I’d much rather they keep using all the luchadors on ROH and cherry pick the best of those

She achieved her job of making Toni Storm a megastar so there’s that. Good luck to her but as soon as she won that belt, everything around it went as flat as a fart.

At this point, I’m presuming Hangman is winning in Texas but who the fuck knows anymore. I totally forgot DoN has Anarchy in the Arena every year so I guess it’s Death Riders vs Swerve and The Opps in that

That was my first thought. This really feels like those WWE eras where they wouldn’t move from the plan, no matter how the crowds were reacting. They’re lucky that nearly everything else on the show feels hot and is strong because otherwise, it’s madness

I’m often wrong but I have a feeling they’re going to go with Double or Nothing as the collapse of the Death Riders. Moxley survives tonight but loses in a month and The Opps take the Trios titles. Maybe they do Willow over Marina for good measure. I’m assuming Hangman will be in that mix because it does feel like they’re going with Hangman/Swerve over the World Title. I think it would be a month too far to stay with Moxley since it hasn’t been working since about December but it wouldn’t surprise me if Moxley wins tonight but the show ends with Hangman and Swerve cleaning house as unlikely allies

Lashley vs Hobbs has to be the match down the line. I’ll also except Lashley vs Hangman and I want to see TK roll his WTF dice and give me Lashley vs Ospreay in a random Dynamite main event. For now, the tag spot is good for him while the single spots at the top of the card are occupied. It’s something they should do more often tbh.

It sounds strange but after being very sour on Saraya’s run, I thought it started working right around the time she dropped off TV. I think she could have still had value as a heel manager going forward. And I’m fairly confident that’s what she’ll be doing back in WWE.

The International No 1 Contender matches announced for this week look absolutely insane. OC/Hechicero and, I presume, Speedball/Mortos on Dynamite. Shibata/Ricochet and Davis/Briscoe on Collision. TKs gigantic list of potential matches coming up trumps again

If it’s any credit, I think his stuff with Mox has been the best of it since the whole DR thing began in earnest post-Danielson. I just want to see him in some more left-field matches and feuds. I have an odd interest in seeing him go against Kenny Omega and you have to think that’s a match they’ll do at some point. Also, good to see them packing over 11,000 into the arena for Revolution last night. I’m glad their upswing in quality has improved the live gates because those TV and PPVs were feeling really flat and lifeless for a while

Whole company has been on a run since late last year, I’d say. Not sure if it’s sharpened creative minds, shedding some people who didn’t want to be there or just renewed enthusiasm following the bumper TV deal but long may it continue. I’m very bullish about them getting Josh Alexander too. I think, if they handle him well, he could be a big star on the major stages

Yeah, Starks being close to Cody is probably going to mean he finds his way to the main roster after Mania and stays at a decent level for a while. He’s a good talker and is charismatic so I can see the WWE machine working well with him and getting him over to a good standard. I’m also of the opinion that every time they gave him something to sink his teeth into in AEW, he came up trumps so, as someone who still can’t get into WWE’s presentation of pro wrestling, he’s the one current AEW release that I’m sad to see leave. As for the latest WWE releases, I could see Paul Ellering signing to manage his daughter and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Bea Priestley turn up but I don’t really subscribe to the opinion that Hurt Syndicate need Cedric Alexander back, even though he’s a good worker. They have enough of those and feels like you could do more interesting stuff with the HS with the guys they have on the roster already

It isn’t too late to just pivot to babyface Swerve on top and run Swerve/Hangman in Texas. Pivot Death Riders to the title-less Blood and Guts program and then move Omega, Ospreay, Fletcher and Okada into the Swerve title picture. It really shouldn’t be hard

AEW in Daily’s Place just hits the sweet spot. It just feels right

If people have the time, they should go back and watch the early Dynamite shows. They got away with a LOT due to goodwill and the positive vibes around the promotion. Week to week, I’m not sure the vast majority of acts or the booking was any hotter than it is now. They just had such a wellspring of support due to WWE being so atrociously bad. I watched this weeks Dynamite not long after watching the 2019 Dynamites and both are a far cry away from 21/22 Dynamite. Only difference is that the crowds had remained bigger and hotter for the earlier shows so it all feels more vital. Whatever spark it had, it’s lost but you can get that back again if you strike with the hot hand and the right hand. Unfortunately, rather than having a World Title scene built around the workers people want to see, they’re building it around the coldest acts in the company which is just bizarre

Hurt Syndicate being champs is going to work since they’re on a course towards Brody/Buddy and I’m all in for that

I dug the show as a whole but I third that. They should really be pivoting toward the likes of Swerve, Darby, Hangman, Takeshita, Hobbs, Garcia etc in featured feuds and marquee matches. Obviously, the older guys are still pulling their weight (Jericho aside) but I do hope 2025 is the start of concerted, sustained pushes for their stronger prospects.

So glad he’s back. Now, have him beat Mox and sort the belt out like he did after beating MJF