Wrestling shows (AEW/IMPACT/NWA/ROH and others)

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It turned out that MJF is behind Bunny, Butcher & Blade, based on a video he posted online. Which if they don't reveal on one of their shows is likely going to not be known by most of their audience.

Yeah, I wasn't clear on why Cody was addressing MJF and B,B,&B in the same promo, until later when I happened to read something online about MJF being behind the attack. I did think it was pretty funny when Cody offered MJF his shoes. Also found it pretty funny when he told Butcher & Blade, "If you wanted a match, all you had to do was ask."
 
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You did mention Sin Cara, which I didn't, so it's all good. I mean, someone might want to sign him....
I'm gonna say AAA will get him, which means he could also turn up in AEW and maybe Impact. Anyone know who he was before WWE? I know he was the second, or lesser, Sin Cara. I wanna say the original was Psicosis?
 
I'm gonna say AAA will get him, which means he could also turn up in AEW and maybe Impact. Anyone know who he was before WWE? I know he was the second, or lesser, Sin Cara. I wanna say the original was Psicosis?
Original was Mistico. This one was also Hunico in WWE. For being the “lesser”, he botched a lot less and worked harder at working WWE style, rather than doing his own thing, regardless of his opponent.
 
I'm gonna say AAA will get him, which means he could also turn up in AEW and maybe Impact. Anyone know who he was before WWE? I know he was the second, or lesser, Sin Cara. I wanna say the original was Psicosis?

The original Sin Cara is in CMLL iirc. Going there would allow him to feud with his former sparring partner. He also used to hang with Tama Loa (I think that's his name in NJPW) from Bullet Club, so that might be an option too if they'd be interested in him
 
Original was Mistico. This one was also Hunico in WWE. For being the “lesser”, he botched a lot less and worked harder at working WWE style, rather than doing his own thing, regardless of his opponent.
My bad. I thought Sin Cara Dos was the botchamaniac. I stand corrected. :happy:
 
To be fair, he's a botchamaniac only in WWE. He's pretty good in Mexico, which is why he got signed. He just couldn't adapt to the WWE style, plus I had read he would brag about stuff that he supposedly did (but didn't). He couldn't even go back to being Mistic though, as that gimmick was given to someone else. I think he goes by Mysterriez or something like that.
 
The original Sin Cara is in CMLL iirc. Going there would allow him to feud with his former sparring partner. He also used to hang with Tama Loa (I think that's his name in NJPW) from Bullet Club, so that might be an option too if they'd be interested in him

Tanga Loa was Hunico’s tag partner in WWE: Camacho, where he played a fake Mexican for whatever reason.
 
I know this is the thread to talk to about AEW & NWA, but can I take a moment to talk about Impact? Last night's episode was the first one I've watched since they got their current TV contract, and I hope it's not representative of what they've been up to lately, because, wow, it was really bad! The first hour of the show was three consecutive slow-paced big-guy matches. I'm not saying slow-paced big-guy matches are bad; I am saying that three of them in a row nearly put me to sleep. This was followed by a long "comedy" sketch that was so unfunny, I think I giggled maybe twice.

Second hour was a bit better. I'm glad I at least had the episode on DVR so I could skip the commercials, rather than spending two full hours watching a not-very-good show.
 
I know this is the thread to talk to about AEW & NWA, but can I take a moment to talk about Impact?

I had considered starting another thread, but I edited the thread title, so we can discuss different shows. I'd prefer we not discuss Raw/Smackdown, but since I've brought up NXT before, what do people think about leaving NXT in?

One of my reasons for doing this is that I'm contemplating diving into MLW (Major League Wrestling), and start a few weeks back. They have a tv deal with BeIn, but post the shows to their Youtube channel after it airs. Also, I could discuss OWE (Oriental Wrestling Entertainment) here, and we could also talk NJPW. If people are against it, I'll re-edit the thread title, and can start another.
 
I considered starting a separate thread to talk about Impact, or posting to the general-purpose "What are you watching?" thread, but I figured it would get the greatest amount of interested readers here.

So, what did folks think of last night's Dynamite? For once, I actually had a chance to watch it the same night it aired.
 
I know this is the thread to talk to about AEW & NWA, but can I take a moment to talk about Impact? Last night's episode was the first one I've watched since they got their current TV contract, and I hope it's not representative of what they've been up to lately, because, wow, it was really bad! The first hour of the show was three consecutive slow-paced big-guy matches. I'm not saying slow-paced big-guy matches are bad; I am saying that three of them in a row nearly put me to sleep. This was followed by a long "comedy" sketch that was so unfunny, I think I giggled maybe twice.

Second hour was a bit better. I'm glad I at least had the episode on DVR so I could skip the commercials, rather than spending two full hours watching a not-very-good show.
It wasn't a good one. They don't normally have quite so many slow matches. Moose normally has a much faster pace, and I think Acey was slowing him down; Fallah has slimmed down a lot recently, but he's still not exactly a cruiserweight (I'm hoping this feud leads to DHS doing something, because I think Rohit in particular is wasted as a tag team jobber). And the Rhyno - RVD feud just does nothing for me; if he's upset about people pinching his old style, fine, that's cool, but maybe go after those people? But he can't, because they're already in storylines...

I liked the Wrestler's Court segment, it's the sort of "big crossover" skit that they do every couple of months. Impact sometimes likes to go a bit meta, so they have segments like this where the wrestlers get to act out of character, in character; there were quite a few continuity jokes in there as well.

Next week's card looks much better, perhaps a bit too stacked the other way, but eh, it's a good one.
 
I liked the Wrestler's Court segment, it's the sort of "big crossover" skit that they do every couple of months. Impact sometimes likes to go a bit meta, so they have segments like this where the wrestlers get to act out of character, in character; there were quite a few continuity jokes in there as well.

Yeah, there were a lot of moments in that segment that I figured were continuity jokes, but since I haven't been watching, and don't know much Impact history, they didn't land for me. I felt like Tommy Dreamer's comic timing was good, but wasted on what, to me, were unfunny jokes.

The two moments that did make me giggle were "We have that AXS money now!" and Tommy saying it was Druid's robes, not a Scream costume.
 
Yeah, there were a lot of moments in that segment that I figured were continuity jokes, but since I haven't been watching, and don't know much Impact history, they didn't land for me. I felt like Tommy Dreamer's comic timing was good, but wasted on what, to me, were unfunny jokes.

The two moments that did make me giggle were "We have that AXS money now!" and Tommy saying it was Druid's robes, not a Scream costume.
Respect to Tommy Dreamer for his career and for everything he does backstage, but in Impact, he does tend to get shoved in a storyline when it needs someone but doesn't really need anyone specific. It was good to see him in a segment where he could just be himself for once and actually belong there.
 
I saw a clip of that match between Moose and Romero. I've seen Romero a few times on House of Hardcore shows. He's usually a bit faster than how he was in that match.

Look at how fast he hits a cannonball at the start of this match with Darby Allin (MJF is on commentary, and he's hilarious as always)


Here's Ace with Anthony Greene vs AR Fox and Rey Fenix


For a big guy, he can hold his own with quicker opponents. I think that match with Moose wasn't a good representation of either man's in ring ability.
 
As for last night's Dynamite, I hated the squash match, because I just hate squash matches, period, but it was clever to use the squash match as a setup for a Dark Order recruiting bit. Only problem with that was, since they didn't announce the jobber, I didn't actually realize until after the show that the hotel room guy was the same guy.
 
As for last night's Dynamite, I hated the squash match, because I just hate squash matches, period, but it was clever to use the squash match as a setup for a Dark Order recruiting bit. Only problem with that was, since they didn't announce the jobber, I didn't actually realize until after the show that the hotel room guy was the same guy.

Alex Reynolds is actually really talented too. I first saw him in Pro Wrestling Syndicate. He had a feud with Tony Nese, and they had a trilogy of matches that were awesome. He and John Silver are a great tag team. I honestly think they're as good as Best Friends. They're problem is they're just don't pull off their personas as well as Trent and Chuck Taylor do. Personally, I hope they don't end up there. Now if they brought in The Ascension, and made them part of Dark Order maybe. Especially since down the road, they could do something with Cody (as he was in a group with them while he was Stardust called Cosmic Wasteland).

I'm not done with the episode yet (I'm still watching Spears/Sabian vs Omega/Page). That match was ok.

I liked how they're still milking the whole britt Baker at NXT when they had Hikaru Shida in the audience during Sakura/Swole. It's amazing how she came in as a heel, and that profile on Dark turned her into a mega-face. I kind of want to see Swole and Nyla go at it; Swole is pretty buff, so I think she could brawl with Rose on an even level. I think mentioning Dark during Dynamite helps, because I'm sure people go and check it out more now.

MJF was awesome as always with his promo. Brandi is really out there right now. Wonder who the guy is from her promo. I know the woman from last week was some local talent they signed. PAC also cut a good promo.

What about Allin offering his hand to Cody? I'm hoping this means we see them both with the half face paint (I can see Cody wearing it on the opposite side of Allin) as they take on Butcher & Blade. This could rock. Now we need someone to counter Allie/Bunny.
 
ok, just finished Dynamite. Sammy/Luchasaurus wasn't bad, but I think I'd have been more into Sammy taking on Jungle Boy (since he has that match next week against Jericho). Young Bucks vs Proud & Powerful was a good match. We know they can go from their previous match at the last ppv, so turning it into a street fight upped the carnage. Lots of people going through tables on this one. I actually like this rivalry better than the Young Bucks/Lucha Brothers feud (and I'm liking the Best Friends/Lucha Brothers feud as well), probably because I've seen both teams wrestle each other prior to AEW, so it was kind of old hat to me.

Next week should be fun. A tag title match between the Bucks & SCU, Baker vs Statlander (will she upset her like she did Shida last week?), Jericho vs Jungle Boy (will Jericho elevate this kid like he did Allin?), MJF gives Cody his match stipulations, and more!
 
I had considered starting another thread, but I edited the thread title, so we can discuss different shows. I'd prefer we not discuss Raw/Smackdown, but since I've brought up NXT before, what do people think about leaving NXT in?

I'd vote to leave NXT and NXT UK in, as they're in the more traditional professional wrestling style than the rest of WWE.
 
One of my favorite moments in this week's episode was when the ref got taken out. Ref Aubrey comes running to the ring so the match will have a ref and the crowd started chanting for her. I've rarely heard chants for a ref, haha.
 
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I'd vote to leave NXT and NXT UK in, as they're in the more traditional professional wrestling style than the rest of WWE.
Hell, NXT's the only WWE show I'll watch. I watch on Hulu and they unfortunately don't show NXT UK, but I can watch Main Event anytime I want! Woohoo! :quiet:
 
Cody (as he was in a group with them while he was Stardust called Cosmic Wasteland).
I know Cody hated portraying Stardust, but I actually miss that character. Too bad ol' you-know-who had to fuck it all up.
 
One of my favorite moments in this week's episode was when the ref got taken out. Ref Aubrey comes running to the ring so the match will have a ref and the crowd started chanting for her. I've rarely heard chants for a ref, haha.

That was pretty awesome. I also liked that she came out fairly quickly; normally when the ref gets bumped, it takes awhile before a new one comes running down to the ring.
 
Hell, NXT's the only WWE show I'll watch. I watch on Hulu and they unfortunately don't show NXT UK, but I can watch Main Event anytime I want! Woohoo! :quiet:

Same here. I miss NXT Uk, but it wasn't enough to justify keeping the network.
 
As for last night's Dynamite, I hated the squash match, because I just hate squash matches, period, but it was clever to use the squash match as a setup for a Dark Order recruiting bit. Only problem with that was, since they didn't announce the jobber, I didn't actually realize until after the show that the hotel room guy was the same guy.
I don't mind them if they progress a storyline, but problem here is that W/L supposedly matters in AEW, and they just seem like unearned victories because the wrestler obviously didn't fight someone on their own level. It's part of a problem they're going to have to deal with at some point anyway when they bring in new talent; if they were, say, a six month rolling average, or there was a selection committee writing them, or they judged by strength of schedule rather than raw victories, that would do it.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Cody and Allin do together.

The Young Bucks / Santana & Ortiz match was great, as expected.
 
NWA Into the Fire was short, but good. The return of the NWA TV title was announced. Wade Barrett held up either the Crockett/early WCW-era original, or an expensive/high quality facsimile. Notably, he covered the CBS and NBC logo plates, so they will be changing.

Less pleasing to me is that they announced another PPV for January. I'm more or less only following NWA and CWFH now anyway, so I think I'll need to cancel my WWE Network sub to cover the cost.

I'll refrain from actual spoilers until everyone's had a chance to know the general results.
 
I'm watching RoH Final Battle right now, and plan to check out Into the Fire after that. I don't know a lot of the current RoH roster, but there are plenty of people I recognize going back over a decade. Some good matches so far. The first hour (they called it a pre-show) is free on Facebook, Youtube and likely other places. The pres-show has 3 matches, and the 3rd is a great hoss fight between Jeff Cobb (who was Matanza in Lucha Underground) and Dan Maff, who was in RoH back in the early days. He's been involved with Wrestlepro/Pro Wrestling Syndicate the last 10 years or so, but is back in RoH. For a guy his age, he and Cobb had a hell of a brawl.

I used to go to RoH in NYC all the time, and I've been to a few Final Battle shows. Since I haven't followed it closely, it didn't grab me like it has in the past. It was a good show, but given most of the guys who made RoH so great for me are in WWE (save Christopher Daniels in AEW), it isn't as easy to enjoy.

One thing about the regular show was Alex Shelly (who was one half of the Motor City Machine Guns in TNA) challenged Colt Cabana to a singles match. It was Cabana's last time in RoH, and he and Shelly had a fantastic, technical match. Not one strike was thrown. No Punch, elbow, forearm or kick. Not even a suplex. They just traded holds, and it was really well done. I would love to see Shelly vs Scurill, but I know his contract is up too, so I suspect he will eventually wind up in AEW (I know where he appeared after Final Battle)
 
Went back in my DVR and started watching Impact from the first episode of their current TV contract. I've also been re-watching Lucha Underground from the beginning, currently in season two. Funny coincidence: that first Impact episode, which I watched last night, features a steel cage match between Brian Cage and Sami Callihan, and the next episode of Lucha Underground on my docket, "Cage in a Cage" features a steel cage match between [Brian] Cage and Johnny Mundo.
 
I'm a Cage mark, and I'm kinda sad that his title run wasn't great. They did well covering for his absence, but I'd rather have seen him defend it more.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if the AXS deal had been started earlier, he'd have dropped it at BFG. It felt like they held BFG back a bit to make the AXS debut stronger.
 
So I finished Into the Fire. I was very disappointed with it.
They started off strong with Anderson vs Drake. Good match between two of the better competitors on the roster. Sadly, I felt it was one of only three good matches on the card.

I think the second match was a mistake. Giving Thunder Rosa a singles match took away the mystery of which two women would face Allisin Kay and Ashley Vox later on the card. Tasha Steelz was impressive, but this could have been saved for the Powerrr tapings. The post match beat down leading to Ashley Vox getting taken out was such a mixed opportunity. More on that when I get to the women's tag.

Question Mark vs Trevor Murdoch was ok, but while I find QM amusing, what he does in the ring just does nothing for me. Given how over he is though, the right man won.

Rock and Roll Express vs Wildcards was another one I really couldn't get into. The two other teams being there took away from the match imo, and the camera was on their outside brawl, ruining the finish. I barely saw it. Ricky Morton doing a flipping piledriver is cool, but they seriously need younger competitors holding gold to move forward. Bennett's commentary was all over the place, and didn't help draw me in at all.

On to the women's tag match. By removing Ashley Vox earlier, they blew a chance to get her over. She's shown herself to be capable in the ring, and is full of spunk. If they had let her showcase herself in that tag match, it would have helped elevate her. They need that, not bringing in ODB to tag with Kay. More importantly, I think the wrong team won. I think Melina should have gotten the pin on Kay, because this would help propel their feud. If Kay is going to keep the belt, she needs to pin Melina. Having ODB win the match does nothing for this feud. If Melina had pinned Kay, then they can build up to a title match at the next ppv. Meanwhile, Kay, Vox and maybe Steelz should have some tag/six woman matches against the others to keep them all involved. There is plenty there to work with. I just found the women's matches to be poorly booked, and really sold me off the women's division now.

The three way for the National Title was the second match I liked. I don't like Ricky Starks, but he's young and talented, and they made him look really good here. This was smart booking. Having Colt drop the belt to Stevens was smart too. Stevens & Starks have been feuding, so now Stevens has the belt, and Starks can chase it. They just need to find someone good for Cabana to feud with.

The main event was good, but had its flaws. Kamille coming out during the first fall was a yawner for me. I felt it made Aldis look stupid, and didn't really make Storm look that credible a threat (which he is). The other two falls were better, but I hope we get another match. It seems Storm somehow gets screwed inadvertantly when he faces Aldis. It happened at the pop up show, and it happened here with the ref bump. I think Storm should get another title shot before....

Marty Scurll. I suspect his time in NWA will be short, as he will likely make more money in AEW (and they could really use him there). Maybe Scurll and Cabana can tangle a bit, until Aldis and Storm get a clean finish.

I'm starting to think the NWA is making the same mistake TNA did in relying on older talent too much, and not doing enough to build up younger talent. They're doing good by Ricky Starks, but I think they blew an opportunity with Ashley Vox by removing her and then bringing in ODB. I get their going for an old school feel, but nostalgia will only get you so far. They need to elevate more of their younger talent like Caleb Konley & Ashley Vox more if they want to be taken seriously by a larger wrestling audience.
 
This morning, I reduced my cable package to pinch some pennies. Haven't had a chance to check if I still get the channels with my wrasslin' shows... hope I do!
 
Tickets go on sale for NXT Takeover Portland this week! Now that I know when it is, I can put in for my day off to go see it. Now if only AEW would come out west, I'd be even more ecstatic.
 
So the NWA is back with season 2 of Powerrr. Given my disappointment with how Into the Fire turned out, this episode was actually pretty good. In fact, I think it was one of the better episodes of the new NWA. Nick Aldis was a centerpiece here, dealing with potential challengers from all sides. He also decided he's going to be in the TV title tournament, which starts next week. The main event was a rematch between Anderson & Drake. Not as good as their ppv, as it was No DQ.

Two interesting tidbits: The Dawsons and Ashley Vox saw a progression that I liked. I still think they could do better booking with Vox, but here again she showed spunk. She is teaming with Kay and ODB (who I guess is sticking around for the current tv tapings) against Melina, Belle & Rosa next week. Let's see if they adjust course on the women's division. As for the Dawsons, they impressed me again. About time some new talent got to shine a bit.

A lot happened this episode (which ran over an hour), and seems to be taking some steps in the right direction. Hopefully this was spoiler free enough for everyone. I wanted to write more, but that would just give away too much.

My only let down is the next ppv isn't named after a Dokken song. i was hoping they'd name all their ppv's after Dokken songs. Call me crazy, but I just think that would be awesome

Now onto AEW Dark. Will cover that in my next post after watching it
 
Dark started off hot with a non-title tag match between SCU and Private Party. Vickie Guerrero joined Excalibur on commentary; Joey Janela after the tag match. Two women's matches again; Baker took on someone named Machiko (a local Texas wrestler, where they were filming), and Kris Statlander took on Bea Priestly. That match was the better of the two. Statlander is amusing; her whole "I'm an alien. No really, I'm an alien" is entertaining, because she goes all in on the character. I've read she turned down an offer from WWE, which given she's only been a pro for two years, was probably a good move. A few years down the road, she's going to be a major force in Women's wrestling imho. I really want to see her and Kong have a hoss fight down the road.

The main event was Pac & The Hybrid two (Angelico & Jack Evans) vs Best Friends & Orange Cassidy. Given who was involved, it was obviously a fun match. I'm really digging PAC; "The Bastard" is like bad guy Neville with even more intensity. I think WWE made a mistake losing him. Orange Cassidy continues to steal the show when he's in the ring. He had a face off with PAC that was going the same way the last time did, but Orange didn't fall for it this time around. Watching him move around the ring with his hands in his pockets is pretty amazing.

Except for Baker/Machiko, this was a good show. I'm looking forward to both Dynamite and NXT tomorrow now (NXT a bit more, because Balor vs Cole is going to be awesome and commercial free!)
 
Private Party, Kris Statlander and Orange Cassidy? I normally skip Dark just due to not enough time - I make fun of a friend for watching Critical Role, and then watch just as much wrestling between Impact and AEW - but I think I'd better catch this week.
 
Private Party, Kris Statlander and Orange Cassidy? I normally skip Dark just due to not enough time - I make fun of a friend for watching Critical Role, and then watch just as much wrestling between Impact and AEW - but I think I'd better catch this week.

Yup. You can skip the Baker/Machiko match imho, and fast forward to Stratlander/Priestly after Private Party/SCU
 
Well, with my reduced cable package, I don't get AXS anymore, so no more Impact, but I can still watch AEW.
 
Even worse, no NJPW!

NJPW is the wrestling show I wanted as a kid. At the time I hated any part of a wrestling show that wasn't in-ring action.

As an adult who appreciates pro wrestling as a form of theater, I can get behind a good promo or backstage vignette or whatever, but as a kid who wanted to appreciate it as a sport, knowing the outcomes were pre-determined, but still kinda believing it was real, I just wanted to see the competitions. The other parts of the shows were time taken away from what could have been more matches.
 
NJPW has become a bit more westernized. Nowhere near as time suckage like WWE does, but they have done more angle/promo stuff over the years. Given they are setting up an office in the US next year, and will be touring sections of the country on a semi-regular basis as well, I suspect they might lean more in that direction
 
Ok, time to talk Wednesday Night War. AEW had some interesting things going on. SCU vs Young Bucks for the tag titles, Jericho vs Jungle Boy for 10 minutes, and Baker vs Statlander to see who faces Riho next for the women's title. Show started hot with a great tag match as Omega & Page took on Lucha Bros. They were telling 2 stories here: 1) Page & Omega aren't working together like they should, and 2) PAC wants a 3rd match with Omega, and lived up to his "Bastard" name to try and coerce Kenny into giving it to him. Add in Lucha Bros being dicks, it was fun.

Next up was Cody & Darby vs Butcher & Blade. They didn't go with Cody wearing paint like Darby, which I think was a fail on their part. Needless to say, Darby is now cemented as a star in AEW. Evolve blew it with this guy, and AEW has turned him into a big thing. Now to see how he fares against Cody 1 on 1 again.

Next up was a time wasting squash match where Kong beat a local talent. Yawn.

JR interviewed Jungle Boy. Not bad. This is another young talent AEW is obviously looking to groom. I got to see the commercial break segment, where Jericho, Sammy & Hager had these papers they read to the crowd about how people complain there is no sound for the matches when TNT goes to the double screen during commercials. It was amusing. The match itself wasn't bad. You got 10 minutes to work with, so you can only do so much. Jericho though, is a freaking star maker. He made this kid look great, and even with the out of ring altercation between Hager and the rest of Jurassic Express didn't change that. Jericho is killing it in this role, and AEW was smart to make him champion. He's really doing all he can to elevate the people he works with.

Baker vs Statlander was really good. Riho was in the audience, but unlike Shida during Statlander's match with Sakura, she just stared, showing no emotion. The after match stuff with Nightmare Collective was boring. I'm not digging this angle, but I am looking forward to Statlander and Kong fighting one day.

Main Event was really good. Both teams know each other well. The story here was the Bucks have felt they let the fans down by not being the best team in AEW, and the other side is that SCU has never beaten the Bucks. Prior to the match, people were wondering where Daniels was (there was an earlier segment where Lucha Bros confronted SCU, and were mocking Daniels for losing to Pentagon, and Daniels just walked away). So great match. After that, Dark Order shows up, and punks out both teams. It was an initiation for Alex Reynolds & John Silver, a team I know from indies back in the NYC area. Quality team, so it will be interesting to see where it goes. Was kind of hoping Page was turning here, as they've been teasing it.

Good show, but not surprised NXT won the night. My next post will cover NXT
 
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