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

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I don't know why this has only now shown up on my YouTube feed...




...but damn, Aubrey Edwards sold that kick like she was working commission.
 
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AEW's women's matches from Japan in the tournament are going to be on YouTube, at least the opening round. While I'm glad they're doing the tournament, relegating a large chunk of the matches to YouTube doesn't exactly sell this as being a really big or important thing. They want to build up the women's division, but don't seem willing to commit to it.

I know that they only have two hours of tv time, and are arguably overbooked on talent for that. They really need to get that second show (separate from Dark) up and running sooner rather than later.
 
On the other hand, if they had a few of the matches on Dark, it might draw in some viewers who otherwise don't watch that YouTube channel.
 
I think they're probably too busy thinking about this new deal with New Japan, since that is likely to bring in more viewers in their minds. Doesn't make it right, but that's likely a factor
 
Speaking of NJPW....

I started to watch their new Roku show. When it first debuted, there was one episode available. There's 10 available now. So far, the first two were just one match each. The first was Naito vs White for the IC title, followed by Ibushi vs Okada for the IWGP world title. The third is Naito vs Okada for the belt, where Naito was trying to become double champion. Each episode runs between 45 - 49 minutes. I finished the first two today, and will watch more later.

Since these are all matches from major shows like Wrestle Kingdom, the quality is high. These are the cream of the crop in major matches on display, which is a good way to get people who don't know NJPW to see what they have to offer. I was sold before the first episode dropped, but yeah, this is great stuff
 
How do you access it on the Roku? Is it its own channel, or available through another channel?
 
How do you access it on the Roku? Is it its own channel, or available through another channel?

I had to use the search function, as it didn't show up in any of the listings (not even sports). Which kind of sucks. You'd think this is something that want to showcase on their home page a little.

Once you start watching though, it will show up under Continue Watching (which will be under the Featured listings).
 
Watched the first round of the matches for the AEW women's tournament from Japan. Not a lot of surprises, but all four matches were at least reasonably enjoyable, even if one of them was a bit of a squash.
 
For those who haven't been following the AEW women's tournament, Anna Jay is out with a shoulder injury, probably for 6 to 12 months.
 
For those who haven't been following the AEW women's tournament, Anna Jay is out with a shoulder injury, probably for 6 to 12 months.
Damn, she was coming along REALLY well, that's going to be a big blow for her.
 
Yeah, the steady and continued improvement over a relatively short period of time was actually fairly impressive.
 
That's what happens when WWE low balls an offer to a legend, they express unhappiness over it, and WWE do nothing thinking there still isn't a better option.
 
Have we ever brought up the chyron messages that show up on AEW? Because I like the bits of humor they occasionally throw in.

View attachment 26430

Those little messages are some of my favorite AEW things!

Speaking of AEW, I gave Dynamite a fresh chance this week and it was back to being a show I mostly enjoyed. Dunno if I'll go back and watch the ~7 episodes I skipped, but I will watch next week.
 
Holy fuck, the Baker/Rosa 'Lights Out' match was brutal.
 
Now that WWE is on Peacock, I'm gonna start watching NXT again. Checking out the last Takeover. Damn, this triple threat for the women's belt is amazing. Io Shirai is just amazing, and Toni & Mercedes really make great opponents. I kind of hope after Io's reign is over, Mercedes will be allowed to be champion for a little while.

Io is freaking crazy. For such a small woman, she has that same cocky fire Asuka does, but in a different way. I love how she recently walked up to Raquel Gonzales, and gave her a contract for a title match. She's got no fear!

I'm going to check out that Baker/Rosa match because of all the positive reviews about it. Plus I've become a big fan of Rosa. I wasn't that impressed when she was Kobra Moon, but her time in NWA changed my opinion of her.
 
Alright, so I watched the Baker/Rosa match (not the rest of the show). Holy crap. I had the same feeling the first time Gail Kim and Awesome Kong headlined an IMPACT show. In other words, I saw something amazing and special. I've been so-so on AEW's women's division. There are bright moments, but they do have a lot of low points. This was the highest moment to date. These two ladies put it all on the line, and they definitely deserve all the accolades they've gotten for this. I loved the after show video, where Baker walks backstage, and the roster starts applauding her. Shida hugging her with a look of admiration was so sweet.
 
So except for tonight's episode, I'm caught up on NXT. They were still missing some episodes on Peacock, so I had to go elsewhere to help catch up. But I am now. So much going on in NXT right now. I haven't seen much of Kross since he arrived, but I like him better now than I did in the past (I had seen him in IMPACT, and was underwhelmed. Even his LU stuff was kind of meh for in ring stuff. NXT? He's a freaking beast)

I might dive back into NXT UK as well. Still deciding about that one
 
So I dived back into NXT UK, since they kind of did a soft reboot at the start of the year. The first show saw Ben Carter debut against Jordan Devlin. Devlin has this new aggression to him, much like Balor. He's not a heel, but he's not a pure face. It's a good match. The second episode saw A Kid vs WALTER. I haven't seen much of Walter, but damn he chops people so freaking hard! I think his chops are better than Flair or Holly's. When he does a submission hold, it looks brutal! I'm glad the UK guys are able to compete in the US again, so we get some of the matches at the two night Takeover we are getting.

I'm watching this week's NXT, as it just dropped on Peacock. I'm not sure what their plan is for LA Knight (fka Eli Drake), but going 0-2 so far just irks me. The man is so freaking talented, and he's losing left and right. The tag champs having to drop the belts bums me out. I like Burch and Lorcan, so Burch getting hurt sucks. I was really hoping to see them vs Grizzled Young Veterans (cause a heel vs heel title match would be cool for me). Lorcan took on Kross on the show, and I love he doesn't show any fear or back down, no matter how much he gets beat. I do like that as much of a beast they show Kross to be, he does sell moves well, and shows he can feel pain. This feud with Balor is hot, as shown by his promo with Kross after Kross's comments post match. His promo skills have become so good.

I'm definitely excited for this 2 night Takeover!
 
Tonight's AEW was overall decent though not spectacular, but the Arcade Anarchy match as the main event was really fun, both for the props that get brought into the ring, and the surprise appearances. I haven't been crazy about this feud in general, but this was a good blow-off match.
 
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While I'm still catching up on NXT UK I also started watching NWA's Back for the Attack. So far, it's been meh. The first two matches featured people who hadn't been involved with the pre-pandemic tv tapings. Since I didn't watch much of Shockwave, I missed learning that Aron Stevens had been teaming with Kratos. He got to lose to Tyrus who I've never been a fan of. I'll finish it, but their attempt to pad the card isn't a good sign.

As for NXT UK, it's been interesting. Trent Seven lost weight to qualify for a cruiserweight title shot (which I assume he lost, given Devlin is still champ). Tyler Bate has gotten a bit metaphysical in outlook, but can still kick serious butt. He had a really good match with Dave Mastiff, as he tries to get back to being able to challenge A-Kid for the Heritage Cup.

Nathan Frazer (ie Ben Carter) has been impressive. I hope he goes far on the brand.

I wasn't happy with how they handled Meiko Satomura though. She has one match, then gets a title shot (which she loses) against Kay Lee Ray. I'm not that impressed with Ray to be honest, and feel she's not that great a champion. Yet she's held it longer than either Ripley or Storm did. I get that she shouldn't be champion, but they could have built it up more. The match itself was better than I expected, but it was rushed imho.

Of course the big news is NXT is moving to Tuesdays, so the Wednesday Night War is ending.
 
I wasn't happy with how they handled Meiko Satomura though. She has one match, then gets a title shot (which she loses) against Kay Lee Ray. I'm not that impressed with Ray to be honest, and feel she's not that great a champion. Yet she's held it longer than either Ripley or Storm did. I get that she shouldn't be champion, but they could have built it up more. The match itself was better than I expected, but it was rushed imho.
Out of curiosity, how would you say their match compares to the one they had a few years ago at Wrestle Queendom?

 
Given I've watched a few episodes since that match, I don't remember everything about it. I don't think there were as many near falls in the NXT match. One spot was duplicated (the dvd on the ring apron by Satomura). I think the NXT match was shorter, and didn't have as many high spots (which seems typical of the UK brand)
 
So it appears Ray and Satomura aren't done with each other. Another wrestler named McKenzie showed up (she hasn't been in NXT UK for about 2 years), and Isla Dawn (who has been slowly going through a heel turn) blindsided her. Ray was going to superkick McKenzie, and Satomura made the save. Next week is a tag match, so we'll see how that goes (along with whether Rampage Brown can dethrone Walter)
 
There really wasn't a Wednesday night war once Vince saw that AEW could just barely beat the developmental show he forgets his company produces. I say that both flippantly and sadly.

My hope is that NXT returns to prior form with the night and channel move, but I don't know if that's possible.
 
I'm continuing viewing Back for the Attack. Pope is tv champion, and is now a good guy (he was a heel last time the original Powerrr was on). He and Thom Latimer went to a time limit draw (given the time limit is 10.6 minutes). Decent match, but again, not overly special.

The next match was

Kamille vs Thunder Rosa in a #1 contenders match for the NWA women's title. This is actually a pretty good match, Kamille is much better than the last time I saw her in the ring. She seems to stick to what she knows, and doesn't try to be flashy. She tends to keep the pace slower when she has the advantage. Rosa of course carried the match. She was pretty aggressive, doing a variety of submissions (mostly targeting the back). They kept hyping the match she had with Baker (not mentioning AEW or Baker at all) to sell how determined she is by being in this match. Taryn Terrell was on commentary for this, and I guess she's going to be part of the NWA in the future (since she kept talking about never having their women's title). Needless to say, I'm expecting a title change, given Serena Deeb is signed to AEW (though Rosa is working for both).

Trevor Murdoch and Chris Adonis faced off next for the National title. Pretty good brawl, but nothing special. I'm going to watch the main event later. as the newest episode of NXT is on Peacock now, so I want to watch it

There really wasn't a Wednesday night war once Vince saw that AEW could just barely beat the developmental show he forgets his company produces. I say that both flippantly and sadly.

My hope is that NXT returns to prior form with the night and channel move, but I don't know if that's possible.

The fact that AEW beat them in the ratings at all was a big deal though, even if it wasn't by much. I also disagree that McMahon forgets his company produces NXT. He has a say in who gets called up from there, so he's obviously aware it exists.

The funny thing is I feel NXT puts on better overall shows than AEW. I think AEW did better simply because it wasn't a WWE show. I like parts of AEW, but I do feel NXT is the better product. AEW's women's division doesn't seem to be pushed like it could at times. Sure, Baker & Rosa put on a hell of a match, but how often do we see such great matches in their women's division? Compared to NXT's women, not so much imho. I'm not sure it needs to return to prior form, because the quality never went down. It just stagnated on viewership. Whether that changes with the move remains to be seen (other than likely seeing a bump in viewership). Same with whether AEW will gain in viewership (which I suspect will, but I'm doubtful they'll ever do as well as WCW did back in the day)
 
I'm continuing viewing Back for the Attack. Pope is tv champion, and is now a good guy (he was a heel last time the original Powerrr was on). He and Thom Latimer went to a time limit draw (given the time limit is 10.6 minutes). Decent match, but again, not overly special.

The next match was

Kamille vs Thunder Rosa in a #1 contenders match for the NWA women's title. This is actually a pretty good match, Kamille is much better than the last time I saw her in the ring. She seems to stick to what she knows, and doesn't try to be flashy. She tends to keep the pace slower when she has the advantage. Rosa of course carried the match. She was pretty aggressive, doing a variety of submissions (mostly targeting the back). They kept hyping the match she had with Baker (not mentioning AEW or Baker at all) to sell how determined she is by being in this match. Taryn Terrell was on commentary for this, and I guess she's going to be part of the NWA in the future (since she kept talking about never having their women's title). Needless to say, I'm expecting a title change, given Serena Deeb is signed to AEW (though Rosa is working for both).

Trevor Murdoch and Chris Adonis faced off next for the National title. Pretty good brawl, but nothing special. I'm going to watch the main event later. as the newest episode of NXT is on Peacock now, so I want to watch it



The fact that AEW beat them in the ratings at all was a big deal though, even if it wasn't by much. I also disagree that McMahon forgets his company produces NXT. He has a say in who gets called up from there, so he's obviously aware it exists.

The funny thing is I feel NXT puts on better overall shows than AEW. I think AEW did better simply because it wasn't a WWE show. I like parts of AEW, but I do feel NXT is the better product. AEW's women's division doesn't seem to be pushed like it could at times. Sure, Baker & Rosa put on a hell of a match, but how often do we see such great matches in their women's division? Compared to NXT's women, not so much imho. I'm not sure it needs to return to prior form, because the quality never went down. It just stagnated on viewership. Whether that changes with the move remains to be seen (other than likely seeing a bump in viewership). Same with whether AEW will gain in viewership (which I suspect will, but I'm doubtful they'll ever do as well as WCW did back in the day)

I find NXT less consistently good than before it was propped up against AEW. I do think it is the better show, but not what it was. Being two hours long works against it and hurts the pacing of the more old-school storyline style it had. Still, it is the best weekly wrestling show on TV today. Though that's damning with faint praise.

I doubt I'll watch AEW again unless there are huge changes. Even as a so-bad-it's-funny show, I zone out and wander off bored.
 
I finished Back for the Attack. The main event was a decent old school style title match between Nick Aldis and Aron Stevens (who has pretty much made a face turn). After the match, most of the roster came out to stand in the ring and do the hand signal The Question Mark would do. Overall, the show was a dud, save for the main event and Kamille vs Rosa. Not really something to motivate me to subscribe to the new paid version of Power at all.
 
I checked out Powerrr (not on Fite though). I feel the NWA's return has lost a little of its luster. There's still good stuff going on, but I find more of it not to my tastes to keep me wanting to watch. I'll give it two more weeks, but I think I'll just be sticking with the two NXT shows from now on
 
Kamille vs Thunder Rosa in a #1 contenders match for the NWA women's title. This is actually a pretty good match, Kamille is much better than the last time I saw her in the ring. She seems to stick to what she knows, and doesn't try to be flashy. She tends to keep the pace slower when she has the advantage. Rosa of course carried the match. She was pretty aggressive, doing a variety of submissions (mostly targeting the back). They kept hyping the match she had with Baker (not mentioning AEW or Baker at all) to sell how determined she is by being in this match. Taryn Terrell was on commentary for this, and I guess she's going to be part of the NWA in the future (since she kept talking about never having their women's title). Needless to say, I'm expecting a title change, given Serena Deeb is signed to AEW (though Rosa is working for both).
Rosa works for both at the moment, but given AEW all-but strapped the rocket to her, I think it's clear they're going to make a big play when her contract is up and she's going to be 2022's face of the division.
 
Rosa works for both at the moment, but given AEW all-but strapped the rocket to her, I think it's clear they're going to make a big play when her contract is up and she's going to be 2022's face of the division.

They should. She's one of the few members of their women's roster with real experience and star potential.

It depends if anyone with common sense can overrule Kenny the artist's Japanese girl fetish...
 
Rosa works for both at the moment, but given AEW all-but strapped the rocket to her, I think it's clear they're going to make a big play when her contract is up and she's going to be 2022's face of the division.

Serena Deeb is signed to AEW as well, so I suspect Kamille is going to be taking the title, given she's pretty much a home grown talent in NWA. One thing I like in the last episode of Powerrr was Rosa working a tag match with Alex Gracia as her partner against two other women. Kamille shows up and speared Rosa, and one of her opponents (a talk woman going by the name of Jennacide) got in Kamilles face. I expect a hoss fight between them soon. Given Allisin Kay, Marti Belle, Tasha Steelz and Ashley Vox don't seem to be with the promotion any longer, they need some fresh blood to spice things up. Steelz is doing well in Impact, and I've read Vox has wrestled in AEW.
It depends if anyone with common sense can overrule Kenny the artist's Japanese girl fetish...

Given how closely he's worked with most of them in Japan, I wouldn't call it a fetish. He and Riho held some intergender tag titles in one of the smaller promotions, so they're likely friends backstage. I think they helped diversify the talent pool (which wasn't that great to begin with, but has improved somewhat), and many AEW fans are fans of Japanese wrestling. Having them helped draw people to the product. At the very least, we got Hikaru Shida, who is an actual talent. Now if only they'd give them more air time to develop some of their other talent, their women's division might actually become something. Dark & Elevation isn't enough; they need more high profile matches on Dynamite. Baker & Rosa proved (like Kim and Kong did way back in TNA) that women's wrestling if done properly, will bring in ratings for promotions that aren't WWE.
 
Serena Deeb is signed to AEW as well, so I suspect Kamille is going to be taking the title, given she's pretty much a home grown talent in NWA. One thing I like in the last episode of Powerrr was Rosa working a tag match with Alex Gracia as her partner against two other women. Kamille shows up and speared Rosa, and one of her opponents (a talk woman going by the name of Jennacide) got in Kamilles face. I expect a hoss fight between them soon. Given Allisin Kay, Marti Belle, Tasha Steelz and Ashley Vox don't seem to be with the promotion any longer, they need some fresh blood to spice things up. Steelz is doing well in Impact, and I've read Vox has wrestled in AEW.
I've always liked Kiera Hogan, and Tasha Steelz is just a perfect tag partner for her. They're a consistently fun team, and their "mean girls" gimmick just works.
Given how closely he's worked with most of them in Japan, I wouldn't call it a fetish. He and Riho held some intergender tag titles in one of the smaller promotions, so they're likely friends backstage. I think they helped diversify the talent pool (which wasn't that great to begin with, but has improved somewhat), and many AEW fans are fans of Japanese wrestling. Having them helped draw people to the product. At the very least, we got Hikaru Shida, who is an actual talent. Now if only they'd give them more air time to develop some of their other talent, their women's division might actually become something. Dark & Elevation isn't enough; they need more high profile matches on Dynamite. Baker & Rosa proved (like Kim and Kong did way back in TNA) that women's wrestling if done properly, will bring in ratings for promotions that aren't WWE.
I think the plan was to use the joshi's to bring experience and a different style into the division, while the american women caught up; obviously that didn't happen, due to COVID and injuries, so they've ended up in such a bad place right now (At one point they were down to, what, Shida / Rose / Baker / Ford as the entire active division?). With things opening up, their home-grown talent getting better, and folk starting to come back, I think they have an opportunity, but I agree that they need TV matches.
 
AEW does not need more women. It needs to figure out what to do with the handful of genuinely capable women it has.

Khan proves he can't write on a weekly basis. They need to give an honest-to-god booker a month or two and the women's division could really work. I'd hang onto Riho and Shida, Britt, Nyla, Kong, Serena and Rosa. Build around these seven women. Bring in others short-term by all means, but these are really the best they have. It's a good mix of ages, sizes and styles.

I'm not (unduly) picking on AEW here. WWE should basically do the same damn thing. It has way too many women spread over three shows and no excuse for hanging onto anyone who isn't cream of the crop. They don't need half the women they have and keep adding more! The difference is that ought to be easier for the newer, smaller company to make adjustments.
 
AEW does not need more women. It needs to figure out what to do with the handful of genuinely capable women it has..

They actually cut down their women's roster a few months into the pandemic. I remember reading about Sadie Gibbs being cut (which I thought was weird, as she looked kind of promising) among others. I agree they don't need to add more, but it seems Red Velvet and Jade Cargill are being groomed for the future.
 
I've always liked Kiera Hogan, and Tasha Steelz is just a perfect tag partner for her. They're a consistently fun team, and their "mean girls" gimmick just works.

I think the plan was to use the joshi's to bring experience and a different style into the division, while the american women caught up; obviously that didn't happen, due to COVID and injuries, so they've ended up in such a bad place right now (At one point they were down to, what, Shida / Rose / Baker / Ford as the entire active division?). With things opening up, their home-grown talent getting better, and folk starting to come back, I think they have an opportunity, but I agree that they need TV matches.

I thought Steelz would also have paired well with Big Swole

Yeah, things were kind of low after they cut a bunch of people, then Statlander got hurt. They also had Allie & Brandi, but I prefer they both do more manager stuff, as I feel their in ring skills fit those roles better. Shanna and Big Swole were around, then Shanna kind of disappeared for awhile too. It is pretty bad when their women's division can't even compete with NXT UK's women's roster (which I consider one of the weaker groups in WWE)
 
They actually cut down their women's roster a few months into the pandemic. I remember reading about Sadie Gibbs being cut (which I thought was weird, as she looked kind of promising) among others. I agree they don't need to add more, but it seems Red Velvet and Jade Cargill are being groomed for the future.

They did, which doesn't mean they don't need to again. Addition by subtraction and all that.

Tony Khan needs to stop letting his XVP's hire their friends and strop treating the roster like his growing action figure collection.
 
At least it hasn't reached the same levels the UWF did
 
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