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

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At least it hasn't reached the same levels the UWF did
Tony Khan only looks like he's out of his mind on cocaine these. I doubt he's actually getting to enjoy the Herb Abrams lifestyle.
 
Just saw that as of this week, Impact is moving to Thursday nights. This makes me happy. I don't have the AXS TV channel, which means if I want to watch Impact, I have to do it on their Twitch channel, which I couldn't do on Tuesdays because I work until 9 pm. But I only work until 5 pm on Thursdays, so now I can watch. Yay!
 
So I started to watch night one of NXT Takeover. So far I saw the pre-show match (A good bout between Toni Storm and Zoey Stark), and the opening match between Kushida and Pete Dunne (which was great, as you'd expect given the two of them). Going to try and catch some more at work when the boss leaves
 
More than a little disappointed with last night's Dynamite. There was some good matches - I haven't been watching Dark, so JD Drake's match against Darby Allin was a pleasant surprise - but there were also several bits that annoyed me. Too many outside interference spots, for one thing, which drug down an otherwise solid match between Bunny and Tay Conti.

Chris Jericho's promo was, unsurprisingly, gold, but I wish the Inner Circle hadn't been turned face. I guess I'm in the minority, but I'm perfectly okay with heel vs heel matches. I wish Dynamite was willing to let at least some wrestlers walk the Tweener path.

Probably the worst part was was the 'conflicted' heel turn of the Young Bucks. I guess it contradicts what I just wrote, but it comes across less as them being morally gray, and more that they can't fully commit to being heels because they still want to face pops. But the real killer was the two of them trying to come across as being torn over their actions. 'Acting' and 'the Young Bucks' would in a better world never, ever be heard in the same sentence.
 
Continuing Takeover night one. The gauntlet match for the #1 contender for the North American title was good, but I'm really not digging how the former Eli Drake is being booked.

Ciampa and Walter beat the living hell out of each other. At one point, Ciampa hit at least 20 clothesline in a row coming off the ropes! Just insane!

The triple threat for the tag titles was almost non-stop the entire time. The crowd showed support for all 3 teams at different times.

Io vs Raquel was aa real good contrast of styles. Shirai showed no fear in during the match; she had that cocky smile of hers a few times during the match. And of course, there was this:

 
So after getting some sleep after work, I wanted to watch Takeover Night 2, but missed the start time by over an hour. So, I'm watching NXT UK Prelude, which was pretaped. The main event is Walter defending against Rampage Brown. I like Brown, but I don't know if they can put on a match like Walter had with Ciampa yesterday.

I'm on the first match (Heritage Cup rules) between Noam Dar and Tyler Bate. Good match between the two. I'm honestly surprised Bate hasn't gone on to being part of the regular WWE Roster. He's talented enough, and has the charisma. Then again, I'd love to see Mustache Mountain get a run with either tag belts on the main rosters
 
Finished Prelude. The other two matches were Satomura & McKenzie vs Ray & Dawn. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed by it. I've been clear I'm not that into Ray (or Dawn). McKenzie wasn't too bad, but Satomura is a class above them all. Of course that just means they should all get better since she's also a a trainer there now. Eoife Valkyrie showed up after the match and left a feather on the ramp as she stated at Satomura. I guess that's her next feud (since it looks like McKenzie is being groomed to be Ray's next challenger).

They also kept building up continuing storylines. Amir Jordan got stabbed in the back by Kenny Williams during their tag title match, so now they get to face off. Piper Niven continues to motivate and train Jack Starz. Jordan Devlin can't wait to come back to NXT UK. They showed a video package of Ilya Dragunov's descent into madness lately. Gallus will be on Noam Dar's talk segment next week, and Nathan Frazier (fka Ben Carter) takes on Saxon Huxley.

Rampage Brown tried to wrest the UK title off Walter. This was a good brawl that tended to be slower paced at times, but would get into great sequences of fast paced action. It was close, but it ended just like his match with Ciampa did.

The one thing that NXT UK does better than the other brands imho is that titles reigns are not short. Champions hold the belts for awhile before someone else becomes champion. However, in some cases, those reigns are too long. Ray & Walter need to pass the belts on, because honestly, seeing someone as champion for 2 years gets old these days. This isn't like when Bruno would be champion for years, because there are way more people who can be set up as challengers.

That's one thing I like about AEW; most title reigns seem to last longer than many WWE title reigns.

Now to start the replay of Takeover Night two.
 
Takeover Night 2 has been good so far.

Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin opened the show with a really good ladder match to unify their cruiserweight titles. These two put it all on the line, and I'm sure they are both hurting after that one!

Johnny Gargao once again showed why he is Johnny Takeover with a better than expect match with Bronson Reed. Reed proved he could hang though, and even tried a moonsault!

Ember & Shotzi defended the Women's tag titles against Candace & Indi. Loved it when Ember did the X "Suck It" crotch chop before blasting Candace with a forearm to the side of the head.

I'm holding off on the two main events until after I get my vaccine shot later today. But I expect both to be excellent matches
 
Ivelisse has been released from AEW. She's implying that she was mistreated by the company... just like every other company that fired her.
 
I feel like I've watched nothing but wrestling this week. Two nights of Takeover, two of Wrestlemania, RAW (with a service user, I don't normally have the patience for it) and the Broken Skull Sessions with Chris Jericho. I haven't worked up the motivation to turn on AEW (and doubt I will).

My takeaway is that none of this shit needs to be two nights long. At least half of what was on Wrestlemania didn't need to be. Jericho's high opinion of himself is almost as hilarious as the crowd's low opinion of Hulk Hogan.

Oh, and that Walter vs. Ciampa not being the main event (of Takeover or Wrestlemania, you decide) is nuts. That's the best match I've seen in a good long while.
 
Ivelisse has been released from AEW. She's implying that she was mistreated by the company... just like every other company that fired her.
From what I read, it seems a lot of it stems with her and Thunder Rosa having some kind of beef. Being high on Thunder Rosa (she's a top star in AEW and NWA), Ivelisse found herself on the losing end of that one. She had issues with a manager or road agent as well, but she's making a lot of accusations about Rosa talking about her behind her back. I'm skeptical (given Rosa's reputation seems to be pretty good, and her wrestling school is co-owned by none other than Jazz and Rodney Mack), especially this not being the first time she's made this claim. Guess that might be why they're pushing Diamante as Rosa's next likely feud (so she doesn't get left in the dust by her partner getting canned).

I haven't caught up on NXT, but NXT UK kind of frustrated me. They bring back Emilia Mckenzie, give her a build up in that tag match last week, then she loses to Isla Dawn this week. WTF? So much for Kay Lee Ray's next potential challenger it seems
 
Okay, the Young Bucks work much better as full-on, jerkish heels.
I loved the bit where Matt went to the wrong corner and tried to tag in Fenix, and all the way through Pac is just staring at him like "what the fuck are you doing?".

If they didn't have the belts, this would be the perfect time to set up a Hair vs Mask match between the Bucks and the Luchas.

From what I read, it seems a lot of it stems with her and Thunder Rosa having some kind of beef. Being high on Thunder Rosa (she's a top star in AEW and NWA), Ivelisse found herself on the losing end of that one. She had issues with a manager or road agent as well, but she's making a lot of accusations about Rosa talking about her behind her back. I'm skeptical (given Rosa's reputation seems to be pretty good, and her wrestling school is co-owned by none other than Jazz and Rodney Mack), especially this not being the first time she's made this claim. Guess that might be why they're pushing Diamante as Rosa's next likely feud (so she doesn't get left in the dust by her partner getting canned).
I'd heard that the start of it was Ivelisse no-selling in her match with Rosa, because she expected to lead because she's the veteran. I could totally see Rosa saying "that wasn't very professional of her" and Ivelisse hearing "I personally hate Ivelisse and think she's a bad wrestler with no talent". Still, at least now she's free if Austin Aries ever needs a mixed tag partner.
 
I'd heard that the start of it was Ivelisse no-selling in her match with Rosa, because she expected to lead because she's the veteran. I could totally see Rosa saying "that wasn't very professional of her" and Ivelisse hearing "I personally hate Ivelisse and think she's a bad wrestler with no talent". Still, at least now she's free if Austin Aries ever needs a mixed tag partner.

If they get together with David Starr, Marty Scurrill, and Joey Ryan, they could start a promotion together. No one would want to associate with them, but the name Dirtbag Wrestling seems like a good name for it
 
Well, if the dick guy manages to win any of the multi-million dollar defamation actions he's started against pretty much every woman who has ever been with a mile of a wrestling ring, he'll be able to afford to start his own promotion.

The dick guy as Dirtbag Wrestling's first Restraining Order Champion?
 
Okay, maybe I'm an easy mark, but Miro's line about Sting being Darby Allin's "emo facepaint daddy" really cracked me up.
 
It's just over a week until season three of Dark Side of the Ring. Anyone else watching it? I'm liking the line-up: Jake the Snake (and family), Brian Pillman, Dynamite Kid, Bruiser Bedlam, Ultimate Warrior, Collision in Korea, etc.

There's a preview on Youtube about the Nick Gage episode. He comes across like... Well, Nick Gage. But Moxley puts as positive a spin as you can about being sliced up with a pizza cutter in front of a tiny crowd.

Honestly, I'm fascinated to see what direction they'll take with Ultimate Warrior. WWE's spent the last few years trying to make him out as a good guy (even after the glorious burial they gave him on Self-Destruction DVD) while trying really hard to ignore his... "delightful" post-wrestling public speaking career.
 
Skipped over a bunch of posts because I haven't watched, but have DVR'd, AEW for the past few months.

Got tonight's Impact Rebellion PPV. I'll say more tomorrow (spoilered for match results), but for now, I will just say I enjoyed it.
 
It's just over a week until season three of Dark Side of the Ring. Anyone else watching it? I'm liking the line-up: Jake the Snake (and family), Brian Pillman, Dynamite Kid, Bruiser Bedlam, Ultimate Warrior, Collision in Korea, etc.

There's a preview on Youtube about the Nick Gage episode. He comes across like... Well, Nick Gage. But Moxley puts as positive a spin as you can about being sliced up with a pizza cutter in front of a tiny crowd.

Honestly, I'm fascinated to see what direction they'll take with Ultimate Warrior. WWE's spent the last few years trying to make him out as a good guy (even after the glorious burial they gave him on Self-Destruction DVD) while trying really hard to ignore his... "delightful" post-wrestling public speaking career.

I've been eagerly awaiting this myself. I saw the first two seasons not long after their aired, and I find them really well done. The two part one about Eddie and Benoit was pretty heart wrenching.
 
I've just finished showing the second series to a friend. Any excuse to watch it again. While it falls into some of the lazy traps that plague modern documentary tv, I find it a really good show.

A lot of these stories are known to dedicated fans, but there are some surprises. Martha Hart being interviewed in the Owen episode was great. The New Jack episode is a hoot! None of my friends knew much about ECW, so that episode had them cringing and laughing in equal measure.
 
Skipped over a bunch of posts because I haven't watched, but have DVR'd, AEW for the past few months.

Got tonight's Impact Rebellion PPV. I'll say more tomorrow (spoilered for match results), but for now, I will just say I enjoyed it.
It took eight V-Triggers to put Swann down, and even then he was still fighting. That was a damn good duel that showed two men at the peak of their game, who put everything they had into the fight. Absolutely great match.

Still, at least the knockouts titles are still held by actual Impact wrestlers...
 
Skipped over a bunch of posts because I haven't watched, but have DVR'd, AEW for the past few months.

Got tonight's Impact Rebellion PPV. I'll say more tomorrow (spoilered for match results), but for now, I will just say I enjoyed it.

... Actually I don't really have much else to say about it. I was entertained for roughly three hours and felt like I got my forty bucks' worth. Matt Cardona appeared to suffer a legit knee injury, which was a bummer. It was a good show. Main event was a title-vs-title match with Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega.

I kind of was legit surprised that Impact had Rich Swann lose the gold to Kenny @ Impact's own PPV. Then again, I was fairly sure there was no way Kenny would be dropping the AEW belt so soon. I liked that Aubrey ref'd fair & square, even though the AEW posse made a heel-ish entrance. Really glad they didn't do some kind of screwy finish.
 
This weeks NXT UK was ok, but nothing special. The highlight of the show was Aoife Valkyrie vs Meiko Satomura. Really hard hitting match and I honestly liked it better than Satomura's match with Ray. Next week's show should be interesting, as Tyler Bate vs A-Kid III is happening, a five way for the next #1 contender for the women's title, and Dave Mastiff is going to take on the crazy Russian, Ilya Dragonuv. Mastiff has kind of fallen into this role where he just steps up to people and challenges them. I really like him, but he's sadly stuck on the mid card. They also seem to be pushing Gradwell vs Seven. Gradwell talks alot, but he hasn't won a single match his mouth has gotten him into lol.

Also, anyone else checking out the new A&E Biography series on WWE stars? I've seen the two out so far (Austin & Piper). Both are pretty awesome. Seeing Austin hold back tears when he talks about his last ever match (where he put over Rock one last time) was a side you don't see from him.

Piper's was great too, as Hogan said that if not for Piper, the success of WWE might not have happened. He said that Piper was the perfect bad guy they needed to push that main event (where he and Orndorff took on Hogan and Mr. T). Even Mr. T praised Piper, even though the two had legit heat between them for decades. Greg Valentine, Bret Hart, Ric Flair all had great things to say about him. Plus Gene Lebell and even Rhonda Rousey were interviewed for the special. His family did a lot of interviews as well. These are really well done, and don't hold back on some of the bad stuff.
 
Vice has the Pillman episode of Dark Side of the Ring up on their Youtube channel

 
The A&E biographies are something I plan to watch, but need to find out where to see them in the UK.

Jim Cornette interviews the producers of Dark Side of the Ring on his podcast this week. They don't discuss anything earth-shattering, but it's interesting. He's had them on before for the last two seasons too.
 
So NWA is partially dragging me back in. I think they've missed a big opportunity with Aron Stevens. When Question Mark passed, he had the fans behind him. He lost his one shot, but they're doing this whole thing with him and his tag partner Kratos (one thing that irks me is there's no context for me on when they became partners, or won the tag titles), as Kratos is an obvious heel. It's the same with Pope. He's a face now, but last time NWA was on, he wasn't.

So while I knock them for blowing it with Stevens, they have done something I'm impressed with. Trevor Murdoch is slowly building a program with Nick Aldis. They both were trained by Harley Race, and it has come up in one promo by Aldis. Murdoch has slowly worked his way up the ladder since NWA Powerrr started, and while he might seem an unlikely choice for a main event role, I'm actually glad that he's getting the push he is. He's established himself, and his promos have been pretty decent so far. He beat Stevens for the National Title, and while Chris Adonis took it from him, it only seems to have elevated him with the fans who attend the tv tapings. I still feel they missed out on what Stevens could have accomplished with trying to honor his lost friend and partner, but at least this build up of Murdoch is being done right. I don't think he'll become NWA champion over Aldis, but seeing him struggle to get to that eventual match is the thing that keeps me watching. He's the right underdog you want to root for, and I applaud the NWA for taking someone who was never more than a midcard guy in other promotions, and making him a main eventer.
 
So NWA is partially dragging me back in. I think they've missed a big opportunity with Aron Stevens. When Question Mark passed, he had the fans behind him. He lost his one shot, but they're doing this whole thing with him and his tag partner Kratos (one thing that irks me is there's no context for me on when they became partners, or won the tag titles), as Kratos is an obvious heel. It's the same with Pope. He's a face now, but last time NWA was on, he wasn't.

So while I knock them for blowing it with Stevens, they have done something I'm impressed with. Trevor Murdoch is slowly building a program with Nick Aldis. They both were trained by Harley Race, and it has come up in one promo by Aldis. Murdoch has slowly worked his way up the ladder since NWA Powerrr started, and while he might seem an unlikely choice for a main event role, I'm actually glad that he's getting the push he is. He's established himself, and his promos have been pretty decent so far. He beat Stevens for the National Title, and while Chris Adonis took it from him, it only seems to have elevated him with the fans who attend the tv tapings. I still feel they missed out on what Stevens could have accomplished with trying to honor his lost friend and partner, but at least this build up of Murdoch is being done right. I don't think he'll become NWA champion over Aldis, but seeing him struggle to get to that eventual match is the thing that keeps me watching. He's the right underdog you want to root for, and I applaud the NWA for taking someone who was never more than a midcard guy in other promotions, and making him a main eventer.

I cooled on NWA Powerr after they fired Cornette from commentary. I dropped it entire after Dave Legana's response to the speaking out allegations.

Is it worth my time to catch up on now? I do like the idea of Murdoch vs. Aldis. Is the rest of the weekly show up to much though?
 
I cooled on NWA Powerr after they fired Cornette from commentary. I dropped it entire after Dave Legana's response to the speaking out allegations.

Is it worth my time to catch up on now? I do like the idea of Murdoch vs. Aldis. Is the rest of the weekly show up to much though?

I find Powerrr mostly so-so. The main feuds going on are Aldis/Murdoch, Pope/Tyrus (I can't stand Tyrus, and worse, he's being managed by Austin Idol, who I also can't stand), and Rosa/Kamille. Rosa is pretty amusing in NWA; she tends to slip into Spanish during promos when she gets angry/emotional which is a nice touch. There's also the brewing implosion of Stevens & Kratos. But many of the previous roster is gone (Cabana, Kingston, Homicide, the Dawsons, R&R Express, Tasha Steelz, Allisin Kay, Ashley Vox), and some of the newer people aren't doing much for me. I watch the whole show, but I'd say fast forward parts if it's not to your taste.

Also, they're being more open mentioning AEW, as it comes up alot when they talk about Rosa (which makes sense, given how she's become popular there).
 
Enjoyed the big Blood & Guts match this Wednesday, thought for the most part it was really well done. Yes, the commercial breaks hampered some of the flow of the match, but that's pretty much unavoidable if you're watching through a network with paid advertising. As for the much talked about ending... I think it would have worked better if the surrender happened much closer to the end of the time slot, maybe only 30-45 seconds left. Then, with about maybe 15 seconds left, as we have a long camera shot focused on the top of the cage, with JR giving the 'thanks for watching' spiel, then MJF tosses Jericho off the cage anyways, with the last few seconds of cameras trying to get a close-up, but hampered by medical personnel rushing toward and checking on Jericho. Also, don't let Excalibur mention the possibility of landing on concrete, since that just sets up expectations you can't (and don't want to) match.

Also, watched for the first time an episode of MLW Fusion, the most recent one that happens to be the 'season finale'. First match was decent but not spectacular - was expecting more from what little I've seen of Laredo Kid. The announcers were really talking up Gringo Loco's athleticism, but based on this one match I wasn't especially impressed. The second match was a squash, which I guess was needed to give the main event more time, but in an hour long show stands out , and not in a good way, like the proverbial sore thumb. That said, the main event was excellent. I had heard of Lio Rush before, but hadn't seen either him or Myron Reed previously, and both delivered an excellent match. The promos for both of them at the beginning of the show really helped to sell the feud, and the stakes of the match. That said, I was really watching for the last couple of minutes, with the hinted at return of Dario Cueto. That's enough to have me keep watching, at least for a little bit, when they start their new season.
 
Just finished the second half of Brian Pillman's Dark Side of the Ring episodes. Pillman was one of my favorite WCW guys, so this two parter (along with the ones on Eddie & Benoit) was one of my favorites in the series. He had so much potential he never got to realize. The episode ends on a sort of happy note, as it goes into Brian Jr. becoming a wrestler, and trying to honor his father's legacy. It's up on the Vice youtube channel, and is definitely worth a watch

Due to age restrictions, I'm just posting a link to it
 
Just finished the second half of Brian Pillman's Dark Side of the Ring episodes. Pillman was one of my favorite WCW guys, so this two parter (along with the ones on Eddie & Benoit) was one of my favorites in the series. He had so much potential he never got to realize. The episode ends on a sort of happy note, as it goes into Brian Jr. becoming a wrestler, and trying to honor his father's legacy. It's up on the Vice youtube channel, and is definitely worth a watch

Due to age restrictions, I'm just posting a link to it

Brian Jr. comes across as a nice guy, but his innate shyness is something he's going to have to get over. Whether it is creating a gimmick he feels comfortable playing (definitely not a rehash of his dad!) or just getting more confident in himself. His AEW work makes me think he should go to NXT, which would better serve him improve his skills and ring presence. He clearly isn't the natural athlete and showman his dad was, but that doesn't mean he won't come into his own if given the chance to grow.

The two episodes were quite good. It felt too long at two episodes, but would have been too short at one. Still, they did a good job and it's always cool to see Stone Cold and Corny.
 
Brian Jr. comes across as a nice guy, but his innate shyness is something he's going to have to get over. Whether it is creating a gimmick he feels comfortable playing (definitely not a rehash of his dad!) or just getting more confident in himself. His AEW work makes me think he should go to NXT, which would better serve him improve his skills and ring presence. He clearly isn't the natural athlete and showman his dad was, but that doesn't mean he won't come into his own if given the chance to grow.

The two episodes were quite good. It felt too long at two episodes, but would have been too short at one. Still, they did a good job and it's always cool to see Stone Cold and Corny.
I've seen some of his stuff in MLW; he once interrupted Salina de la Renta, and came across very smarmy. Having seen that, and watching him on Dark Side, I was surprised at how good he got into character when he was in MLW. Of course, he got to work with Davey Boy jr and Teddy Hart (who is a whack job, but a talented one), so that probably helped. I don't think AEW has let him cut loose like he did in MLW so far. I do think he could do well in NXT though. He's got the right look, and if they give him a chance to show the charisma I've seen in the past, I think he could go far
 
I've seen some of his stuff in MLW; he once interrupted Salina de la Renta, and came across very smarmy. Having seen that, and watching him on Dark Side, I was surprised at how good he got into character when he was in MLW. Of course, he got to work with Davey Boy jr and Teddy Hart (who is a whack job, but a talented one), so that probably helped. I don't think AEW has let him cut loose like he did in MLW so far. I do think he could do well in NXT though. He's got the right look, and if they give him a chance to show the charisma I've seen in the past, I think he could go far

I don't know if I'd want him to stick around in WWE long term. He might do better being a free agent. But he could definitely get a bit of polish in NXT.

Teddy Hart! Is he a Dark Side episode waiting to happen or what? "The guy no-one wanted to work with."
 
I don't know if I'd want him to stick around in WWE long term. He might do better being a free agent. But he could definitely get a bit of polish in NXT.

Teddy Hart! Is he a Dark Side episode waiting to happen or what? "The guy no-one wanted to work with."

I could see him getting good training in WWE/NXT, which would improve his in ring skills, etc. I don't think they'd keep him long term, because he is smaller than his dad was (and they already have plenty of guys his size and skill set as is), but if he just spent 2 years in their system, I could see him improving quite a bit.

Speaking of NXT: I caught up with last week's episode. First off, Leon Ruff has really impressed me. For a guy his size, he takes a hell of a beating (much like Darby Allin does). His falls count anywhere match with Isiah Scott was well done. The women's tag title match (which was a street fight) was also really good.
 
I could see him getting good training in WWE/NXT, which would improve his in ring skills, etc. I don't think they'd keep him long term, because he is smaller than his dad was (and they already have plenty of guys his size and skill set as is), but if he just spent 2 years in their system, I could see him improving quite a bit.

Speaking of NXT: I caught up with last week's episode. First off, Leon Ruff has really impressed me. For a guy his size, he takes a hell of a beating (much like Darby Allin does). His falls count anywhere match with Isiah Scott was well done. The women's tag title match (which was a street fight) was also really good.

Leon is good, just looks so very small, even in the home of the under 6-footers that is NXT.

I hate his name though. Same goes for Austin Theory, awful name, even by the standards of modern WWE naming (yes, I know he used it beforehand, it is just fittingly bad). Why pick a ring name that is worse sounding than your real one?
 
I discovered the NWA through Thunder Rosa appearing on AEW. When NWA started up again in March, I ordered Back for the Attack and began to check out episodes of Powerrr. I quickly got into what they're doing with an old-school studio show. It's the right amount of content and tells a story I don't need to worry about my kids seeing. Watching NWA really reminds me in the best way of watching wrestling as a kid.

Through it, I've fallen in love with Aron Stevens' character. So much so, my wife did this for my birthday last month (which is also Shakespeare's birthday):

Aron Stevens Birthday Cameo
 
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