AEW - All Elite Wrestling Thread

[phillybear 366]

5 minutes into the start of the show/The Buy In, one of the girl broads has a cut on her leg. Drink.

Also, suspect Wardlow might win the ladder match, and see MJF demand he give him the belt. But there are two versions of the belts that Sammy carries around. Shenanigans, a title goes to Wardlow and MJF, and a title unification match ensues.

 

[phillybear 366]

On 3/4/2022 at 5:08 PM, phillybear said:

AEW continues to create impactful story lines every week, whether it's debuting wrestlers, or buying a rival company. Crazy times.

Revolution PPV card this Sunday thus far:

AEW Title: Hangman Adam Page vs Adam Budge Cole. Page wins. Might be the easiest match to predict all night. I expect MJF to beat Page for the title down the line.

AEW Women's Title: Dr Britt Baked DMD vs Thunder Rosa. I thought Rosa was going to win, but she has some sort of leg injury (hammy?) and I don't think they give the title to a hurt worker.

Tag Team Titles 3 way: Jurassic Express vs Young Bucks vs Redragon. I guess Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus retain, to set up the Young Bucks and Redragon upcoming feud.

Dog Collar Match: CM Punk vs MJF. I'm thinking they put over MJF again, and then move him into a program with Hangman Adam Page. The Wardlow stuff is at a full boil right now, and that might play a part. CM Punk said he came back to put over the young talent. I wish this feud would last 3 more years.

Ladder Match: still don't know all of the participants. Maybe Ricky Starks or Christian Cage, or someone yet to be announced. None of those fat guys is climbing that high up a ladder.

Chris Jericho vs Eddie Kingston. Eddie finally gets a big win in a big spot. They are moving Jericho to a heel role, so that works.

Trios Match: Andrade del Idolo, Matt Hardy, Isiah Kassidy vs Darby Allen, Sting, Sammy Guevara. Team Sting wins, and Matt Hardy goes mental, leaving AHFO, and paving the way for the upcoming Jeff Hardy pairing. I don't know how Sting continues to do so much work at his age.

Jon Moxley vs Brian Danielson. Toss up, but I think Moxley gets the win. They keep saying he has never beaten Danielson.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs Tay Conti. Bathroom break. Refresh my drinks. Don't care. I guess they could give the title to Conti, as the TBS title should start to flip more like the TNT title tends to do. Since Tay is dating Sammy, they could do more social media stuff while both being champs. Jade goes from arrogant heel to rageaholic heel with a loss.

Buy in: HOOK vs QT Marshall. Really? HOOK goes over big.

Buy in: Kris Statlander vs Leyla Hirsch. I'll be drinking heavily, don't care. I guess they could give the win to Hirsch, since Buttlander is over and the loss doesn't hurt her standing.

Edit: Added match Buy in: House of Black vs Death Triangle + Eric Redbeard. I'd guess House of Black wins, and maybe they get another debuting member to interfere in the outcome as their faction continues to grow.

 

 

Not too shabby. I think the only matches I was wrong on was CM Punk vs MJF, Jade Cardill vs Tay Conti, while to my credit, at the last minute, changed my mind that Wardlow wins in the ladder match.

I am awesome.

All of the story lines reset tonight. Should be fascinating to see the new directions. Always need to expect surprise signings during all PPVs. I like that Regal is in the house, for development. No clue who Swerve is.

[phillybear 366]

Also, Jeff Hardy's non compete contract stipulation ran out today. There is zero chance Jeff Hardy doesn't show up tonight to set up a reunion with Matt Hardy.

 

[phillybear 366]

I should have mentioned, the Revolution PPV was outstanding. It's hard to properly digest that the past 3 PPV's have been so imaginative and entertaining, but here we are. AEW keeps pushing the creative envelope, and it's extremely provocative.

[Alias Detective 1,474]

Grow up 

[phillybear 366]

1 hour ago, Alias Detective said:

Grow up 

If you had any decency, you would delete your post, and hide the proof of your ugly, ignorant intolerance.

HTH!!

[phillybear 366]

I find it endlessly fascinating how quickly they can correct mistakes in the plot. 

Sammy Guevara is getting booed all over the place with his hot girlfriend Tay Conti the past few weeks. Instead of force feeding his baby face story line, they quickly pivot to what should have been the Cody Rhodes and Brandi story line, oblivious babyface that is actually a jerkoff heel, and give him a clear path to being a heel. For fock's sake, Scorpio Sky and Dan Lambert were getting cheered, so you had to do something with that feud, and right away. A crotch shot and title change did that.

They debuted that Indian former basketball player on Dynamite to less than stellar feedback. It was a bad segment. They basically redebut him on Saturday Battle of the Belts II, and he looked like a million bucks. The choke slams, etc were much better than those weak spaghetti arm clothes lines. 

The upcoming Hangman Page and CM Punk feud will be nuts. That Texas Death Match with Adam Cole was insane. Wardlow vs MJF will be nuclear.

I'm really enjoying the synergy of AEW and ROH right now. Wrestlers flowing back and forth between the two. Several Japanese companies have signed deals with AEW to share wrestlers. 

The reorganizing of factions, Inner Circle dissolving, Pinnacle dissolving, the Jericho Appreciation Society, the Blackpool Combat Club, etc...nothing is off the table. 

Best scripted TV going right now. 

[phillybear 366]

AEW Dynamite from Philadelphia tonight. 

In the run up to the show, the local news reported a driver that was texting and driving drove into one of the AEW production semi haulers. Driver alive, the car did the job, hardcore. 

The witching hour is upon us. 

[phillybear 366]

Pretty good card tonight with a bunch of toss up matchups in the Owen Hart Tournament, and i suspect the Joker in the brackets will be the return of Miro. 

Ricky Starks and Jungle Boy for FTW belt, CM Punk vs Johnie Hungee The Meat Man. Oh, and the debut match from Danhausen. I've never seen this enigma wrestle before, but I'm looking forward to it. There is a women's match, but who cares. 

Tonight is in Long Island, NY. Alternate universe, where MJF will be the hero, and Wardlow is going to get booed out the building. 

Double or Nothing PPV just a couple of weeks away. The roster is stacked. 

[phillybear 366]

PPV, Double or Nothing, Las Vegas, May 29

AEW, while putting on outstanding PPV events, have suffered a bit in the predictability in the results. Not the case this weekend, chaos is the norm. Preview:

AEW Title: Hangman Adam Page vs CM Punk. Total toss up. Page has beaten Bryan Danielson, Lance Archer and Adam Cole, among others, during his reign. Arguably the biggest star you got is CM Punk. Do you really want to put over your title holder, or put the title on the most marketable guy you got. Winner: CM Punk. 

AEW Women's Title: Thunder Rosa vs Serena Deeb. Who cares? Deeb is the better wrestler. They keep the belt on the Hispanic broad. Winner: Thunder Rosa.

AEW World Tag Team Titles:  Jurrasic Expresss vs Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs vs Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee. Feels like the hot potato, and the title changes hands. Give it to Starks and Hobbs. Winner Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs.

TBS Title: Jade Cardgill vs Anna Jay. This better be a squash or on the Buy In. Jade with an easy win, or we riot. I'm kidding. Nobody cares about women wrestling. Winner: Jade Cardgill. 

Owen Foundation Final: Adam Cole vs Samoa Joe. I've never seen Joe before AEW, but the dude is very impressive. That said, they need to give Cole a cookie. Winner: Adam Cole. 

Owen Foundation Final: Dr Britt Baker DMD vs Rudy Soho. Another women's match? Kill me. DMD vs the vastly overrated Soho, who sucks, sucks, sucks. I just don't care. Winner: DMD. 

Anarchy in the Arena: Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager, Jeff Parker, Matt Lee) vs PNP (Santana and Ortiz), Eddie Kingston, Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley). Not the hype of a Stadium Stampede, but could be fun. There is no reason to think the Jericho group gets the win vs the blood thirsty opponents that love to bleed. Winner: Jericho Appreciation Society. 

MJF vs Wardlow. The red hot match, that the crowd is going to eat up. Great build up to the match. You need Wardlow to win to be a regular wrestler on the roster. Everybody demands it. But,. MJF has lost a few too many matches lately. Expect more trials for Wardlow. Winner: MJF. 

Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) vs The Hardys (Matt and Jeff). Dream matchup. After the skit the Young Bucks pulled off on Rampage on Friday, I'm thinking The Hardys go over, with the Young Bucks giving tribute to their idols. Winner: The Hardys.

Death Triangle (PAC, Rey Fenix, Penta Oscuro) vs House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, Buddy Matthews). This is a banger of a match. Whoever loses doesn't really lose steam, so I'll go House of Black. Winner: House of Black. 

Darby Allin vs Kyle O'Reilly. Darby has been picking up too many losses lately. Winner: Darby Allin. 

Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, Paige VanZant vs Sammy Guevara, Frankie Kazarian, and Tay Conti. Yuck. I guess you can't have Paige VanZant lose her first match. Winner: Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, Paige VanZant. 

HOOK and Danhausen vs Tony Nese and Mark Sterling. HOOK and Danhausen are really over with the fans. Give the fans what they want, in the Buy In. Winner; HOOK and Danhausen. Need to see the jar of teeth. 

[Kopy 596]

I'd go with Punk. Page has been a complete failure as a champion. He got the title 3 years to late imo. 

Also, with the titles they already have. Plus now owning ROH. And the announcement about making a trio's title. There is just waaay to many belts. You get a belt, you get a belt, everyone gets a belt. As much as I love AEW, it's getting overkill.

It takes me back to when JCP bought the UWF in the mid 80's.

 

[phillybear 366]

3 hours ago, Kopy said:

I'd go with Punk. Page has been a complete failure as a champion. He got the title 3 years to late imo. 

Also, with the titles they already have. Plus now owning ROH. And the announcement about making a trio's title. There is just waaay to many belts. You get a belt, you get a belt, everyone gets a belt. As much as I love AEW, it's getting overkill.

It takes me back to when JCP bought the UWF in the mid 80's.

 

I really thought the 2nd women's title was dumb. 80% of the roster is men, so you give a secondary belt to the women. ROH is getting their own show in a couple of months, so there will be less clutter with extra belts, and some of the AEW workers are going to ROH. It's pretty much confirmed that Brian Cage, Colt Cabana, among others, are moving over. 

I don't mind the trios belt. There are so many factions, it kind of makes sense. 

I can see a scenario where Page cheats to win over Punk and turns delusional/heelish. He's already dumped The Dark Order, and seems obsessed with the belt itself. I'm just not sure who would be the next feud. Meanwhile Punk has Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Jericho, run it back with MJF, Samoa Joe, Andrade, Kenny Omega might be back by the end of the year, etc. So many interesting choices since Punk has mostly been fighting with mid-carders up until now. 

[phillybear 366]

MJF is pulling a Ben Simmons. 

MJF is no showing at pre-PPV events, won't answer his phone, and now there are widespread rumors he will no show for the PPV tonight. He is not happy with his contract and the money he is making. The problem is that he is still under contract for 2 more years. AEW rescued him from MLW obscurity, and now this guy is blowing off his commitments. He's going to sit at home for 2 years? Maybe AEW starts to fine him. 

What a bizarre set of circumstances. 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

4 hours ago, phillybear said:

MJF is pulling a Ben Simmons. 

MJF is no showing at pre-PPV events, won't answer his phone, and now there are widespread rumors he will no show for the PPV tonight. He is not happy with his contract and the money he is making. The problem is that he is still under contract for 2 more years. AEW rescued him from MLW obscurity, and now this guy is blowing off his commitments. He's going to sit at home for 2 years? Maybe AEW starts to fine him. 

What a bizarre set of circumstances. 

the truth is with the modern interconnected world with the internet and smartphones, it is vastly easier for someone like him to take control of his own brand than it was 20 years ago.  if he signed a poor deal, he can just break it, then market himself via streaming, NFTs or other things.  i mean absolute nobodies make lots of money streaming.   actually being a known individual can do a lot.

[phillybear 366]

36 minutes ago, JustinCharge said:

the truth is with the modern interconnected world with the internet and smartphones, it is vastly easier for someone like him to take control of his own brand than it was 20 years ago.  if he signed a poor deal, he can just break it, then market himself via streaming, NFTs or other things.  i mean absolute nobodies make lots of money streaming.   actually being a known individual can do a lot.

All of that is valid. 

But where is the leverage? You have a contract for another two years. You didn't want to sign an extension that would have also increased your pay, like is the norm in the NFL. You have two major American pro wrestling companies with major cable TV deals, WWE and AEW, with billionaire owners. You walk out on one of the companies. You think the other company is going to bid against itself to give you a lucrative deal? I wouldn't. WWE just had a couple of women wrestlers walk out on a live show a week or two ago and had to change stuff on the fly for their live show.

The story line of MJF and his bodyguard Wardlow has been simmering for 3 years, their increasing lack of eye to eye, and then got a ton of focus the past few months. It's one of the two biggest matches on a PPV that has been promoted for some time. Wardlow got lashed a week or so ago with a belt in the ring, and the welts looked ugly. The crowd is on fire for the match, if you follow the crowd reactions the past few weeks/months. And after this long term story finally reaches the crescendo, the final match doesn't happen?

Just an ugly mess. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like this before. 

Or the match still happens.  I guess that's why I'm a sucker for this nonsense. 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

41 minutes ago, phillybear said:

All of that is valid. 

But where is the leverage? You have a contract for another two years. You didn't want to sign an extension that would have also increased your pay, like is the norm in the NFL. You have two major American pro wrestling companies with major cable TV deals, WWE and AEW, with billionaire owners. You walk out on one of the companies. You think the other company is going to bid against itself to give you a lucrative deal? I wouldn't. WWE just had a couple of women wrestlers walk out on a live show a week or two ago and had to change stuff on the fly for their live show.

The story line of MJF and his bodyguard Wardlow has been simmering for 3 years, their increasing lack of eye to eye, and then got a ton of focus the past few months. It's one of the two biggest matches on a PPV that has been promoted for some time. Wardlow got lashed a week or so ago with a belt in the ring, and the welts looked ugly. The crowd is on fire for the match, if you follow the crowd reactions the past few weeks/months. And after this long term story finally reaches the crescendo, the final match doesn't happen?

Just an ugly mess. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like this before. 

Or the match still happens.  I guess that's why I'm a sucker for this nonsense. 

your still in 20th century thinking.  he is his own brand.  he can do what he wants.  might not need WWE nor AEW.  

[phillybear 366]

16 minutes ago, JustinCharge said:

your still in 20th century thinking.  he is his own brand.  he can do what he wants.  might not need WWE nor AEW.  

He could certainly do whatever. But that won't get you paid.

The lower wrestlers make hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the top guys make multi millions. If you work for WWE or AEW. Everybody else in the indies or the barely viable promotions (TNA/Impact, NWA, MLW, GCW, PWG, etc), or even going to Japan won't get you paid. You are looking at paid by performance, maybe make 50 grand a year if you are lucky and some company is willing to take on that contract. It's like Kevin Durant saying, Fock it, I'm tired of getting sh!t on by Steven A Smith every day. I'll just go and play basketball in the Turkish league. They can't afford your demands. What's next, backyard wrestling on trampolines? 

Fame is fleeting. I think one of the guys in AEW, Jimmy Havoc, got accused of being mean to a girlfriend or something. He went to rehab, got fired, and I believe he is now a salesman in a home improvement store in England. There are lots of workers sitting at home without a paycheck that used to be well known in the business.

[JustinCharge 2,397]

54 minutes ago, phillybear said:

He could certainly do whatever. But that won't get you paid.

The lower wrestlers make hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the top guys make multi millions. If you work for WWE or AEW. Everybody else in the indies or the barely viable promotions (TNA/Impact, NWA, MLW, GCW, PWG, etc), or even going to Japan won't get you paid. You are looking at paid by performance, maybe make 50 grand a year if you are lucky and some company is willing to take on that contract. It's like Kevin Durant saying, Fock it, I'm tired of getting sh!t on by Steven A Smith every day. I'll just go and play basketball in the Turkish league. They can't afford your demands. What's next, backyard wrestling on trampolines? 

Fame is fleeting. I think one of the guys in AEW, Jimmy Havoc, got accused of being mean to a girlfriend or something. He went to rehab, got fired, and I believe he is now a salesman in a home improvement store in England. There are lots of workers sitting at home without a paycheck that used to be well known in the business.

i bet hes not looking for every possible negative outcome.  hes thinking of every possible positive outcome.  and so will more and more wrestlers like him.  if he was so scared of failure that he looked at every possible negative outcome, he probably never becomes a pro wrestler to begin with because the odds of success are so small.  hed play it safe and get a construction job or something.

[Kopy 596]

Philly, did you see the PPV? How was it?

I heard MJF is being taken off the road/tapings. He did the right thing for Wardlow and the PPV, Gonna be interesting to see how this plays out from here on.

Taking my grandson to our local Indy show on sunday. The card is excellent, and we got front row. Can't wait.

 

[phillybear 366]

2 hours ago, Kopy said:

Philly, did you see the PPV? How was it?

I heard MJF is being taken off the road/tapings. He did the right thing for Wardlow and the PPV, Gonna be interesting to see how this plays out from here on.

Taking my grandson to our local Indy show on sunday. The card is excellent, and we got front row. Can't wait.

 

First, I'm going to do a victory lap after predicting 10 of the 13 winners of the matches. 

PPV was incredible at times, but had some sluggish moments. The Buy In started at 7:00 PM EST, the PPV started at 8:00 PM EST, and the final match ended around 12:40 AM EST. Just about 6 hours. 

Most of the matches were pretty good to great. The three women matches were awful. Hey, it's not just me. The crowd sounded like a mouse tip toeing around a cotton factory except for maybe the final moments of Rosa/Deeb. The final 3 matches of the night were Anarchy in the Arena, the 3 way Men's Tag Team Title match, and the Hangman/CM Punk match. Those three matches ripped the roof off the place. All were classics.

Owen Hart's widow gave a moving speech. They debuted a new womens wrestler that may have been in WWE before. Another new male wrestler/manager/something. 

Wardlow and MJF was the first match. MJF showed up at the last minute, did the job, got powerbombed 10 times, and immediately left the arena after the match. Ugly, but at least he did the job to Wardlow. Match was not competitive at all,  but the crowd didn't care. They just wanted blood and satisfaction. Yeah, it seems MJF is going to be absent indefinitely. 

Honestly, the best match was Anarchy in the Arena. And why not? Jericho, Moxley, Danielson are all legends. And Eddie Kingston is a believable psychopath. I legitimately thought he was trying to murder Jericho. They collapsed the top rope. Brawls all over the arena. Everybody bled so much blood. But Kingston is so freaking believable in his path of violence. He absolutely stole the show. I don't want to give away spoilers in case you end up watching the show at some point, but this was just saying "What the FOCK!!!!!" over and over again. 

Obviously, there are sites you can visit to catch the replay for no dinero. Let me know if you need some directions to get there. It was long, but most of it was great. 

Enjoy your indy show. 

[Kopy 596]

Eddie Kingston is the best thing going in wrestling today. You watch most wrestlers today, and you're watching sports entertainers. But when Eddie comes out, you say damn. That guy is for real.

[phillybear 366]

On 6/1/2022 at 7:20 AM, Kopy said:

Eddie Kingston is the best thing going in wrestling today. You watch most wrestlers today, and you're watching sports entertainers. But when Eddie comes out, you say damn. That guy is for real.

So, when you have Eddie Kingston with a Walking Dead zombie look on his face systematically slow walk to the ring, with a gas can in his hands, climb into the ring, and empty the contents all over a prone Chris Jericho, my brain is trying to tell me it's water, you can tell by the lack of evaporation it's just water, but deep down you know that it's 50/50 that it could be actual gasoline. And when he tries to start the blaze, his own teammate Bryan Danielson has to stop him. Which of course will pit Moxley in the middle, but that's coming up sometime soon. But that scene was just jolting. Eddie Kingston is a discount version of New Jack in ECW. 

The only thing more interesting right now is the hurricane swirling around MJF. What's a work, what's a shoot? After the pipebomb from last year, which I was watching while very drunk in anticipation of jury duty today, so I have to re-watch tonight, I'm left a bit confused but I'm fascinated by the journey this seems to be taking. If there is some/any work to it, I can see a program, after the Forbidden Door PPV, of CM Punk vs MJF, with MJF eventually getting the belt. This is like a shoot/work, but it's walking a very, very fine line. 

Also, why is CM Punk botching moves with more frequency? Last night's Dynamite showing was brutal. 

[Kopy 596]

23 hours ago, phillybear said:

So, when you have Eddie Kingston with a Walking Dead zombie look on his face systematically slow walk to the ring, with a gas can in his hands, climb into the ring, and empty the contents all over a prone Chris Jericho, my brain is trying to tell me it's water, you can tell by the lack of evaporation it's just water, but deep down you know that it's 50/50 that it could be actual gasoline. And when he tries to start the blaze, his own teammate Bryan Danielson has to stop him. Which of course will pit Moxley in the middle, but that's coming up sometime soon. But that scene was just jolting. Eddie Kingston is a discount version of New Jack in ECW. 

The only thing more interesting right now is the hurricane swirling around MJF. What's a work, what's a shoot? After the pipebomb from last year, which I was watching while very drunk in anticipation of jury duty today, so I have to re-watch tonight, I'm left a bit confused but I'm fascinated by the journey this seems to be taking. If there is some/any work to it, I can see a program, after the Forbidden Door PPV, of CM Punk vs MJF, with MJF eventually getting the belt. This is like a shoot/work, but it's walking a very, very fine line. 

Also, why is CM Punk botching moves with more frequency? Last night's Dynamite showing was brutal. 

I've gone back and forth on MJF. After this week's dynamite, I'm convinced it's a work. (His promo was awesome btw).

This is Brian Pillman part 2. Only difference is, now the owner's in on it also. The old saying is how can you miss me if I'm not gone. My guess is MJF makes another promo or 2. Then is "fired". 

After a period of time, he comes back as a total baby face. Takes on a recently turned heel Punk. Wins the title, and becomes the face of AEW.

I think it's kind of a mix between the loose cannon Brian Pillman character (plus what he actually pulled off in real life). And Eric Embry back in (maybe 89/90 ish) when WCCW became USWA. That transition period.

 

[phillybear 366]

CM Pun wins the belt on Sunday, gets injured Wednesday, and gives up the belt Friday. Insanely bad luck and horrible timing. But that explains the botches in the Wednesday match. I'll still not sure what got injured, but it's leg/foot related for sure. 

Well, interim champ incoming, with the expected result that Jon Moxley will get the belt back. Which is fine. He carried the company during the China Virus times, and if I recall correctly didn't get to be champ with crowds around by the time he dropped the title to Kenny Omega in the Don Callis orchestrated screw job. 

Outside of Bryan Danielson, who else do you give the belt to? Miro just got back. Wardlow is still too raw. Eddie Kingston and Jericho are still in a feud. Adam Cole just got hurt. PAC flies back and forth to England. Go right back to Hangman Page? 

Strangely enough, it seems the TNT champ Scorpio Sky got hurt last night too. Possible knee injury.

[Vikings4ever 570]

Not AEW, but WWE put on a good show tonight, and Cody went 25 minutes with a torn pec.

 

[phillybear 366]

8 hours ago, Vikings4ever said:

Not AEW, but WWE put on a good show tonight, and Cody went 25 minutes with a torn pec.

 

Yeah, I heard about that injury. Also, add Bryan Danielson to the widely expanding injury list of top stars. 

I'm not surprised that Cody Rhodes wrestled with a torn pec. That's a really ugly hematoma. The guy is a bit crazy. He did the moonsault off the top of the cage against Wardlow, got belt whipped by MJF, did a bunch of sick ladder spots with Sammy Guevara, and set himself on fire vs Malakai Black. I don't think all the scarring has totally faded away from the fire.

However, I think the most irresponsible thing he ever did was marrying Brandi. Don't know if it's happened yet, but it's just a matter of time before she forces herself onto camera in the WWE to feed her insatiable ego.

[Kopy 596]

Dynamite was good. But, hoo hum. Another week, another new title. 

At this rate. By the end of the year, we'll be crowning a new Western States Heritage Champion.

 

[phillybear 366]

Tailgating for the AEW show tonight is underway. Since about 8:00 AM. 

Not happy with the decision to go with an Atlantic belt. The Trios belt made so much more sense. Jeff Hardy busted for drunk driving. Yeah, so much for the Hardy Boys final run. AEW might have actually given them the belts for a short while. Well, that's over. Matt Hardy is screwed over now too. 

Quickly moving towards the Forbidden Door/Japanese hybrid PPV, while so many wrestlers are injured. I have no idea who these Japanese guys are, but I'll buy the PPV anyway. I trust the product as far as PPVs. 

The shows have been a bit glitchy without MJF, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, etc. Moxley is now carrying the company, again. At least Miro is back. Could really use Kenny Omega back soon, or at least The Walking Urinal Don Callis. 

[edjr 7,031]

Jeff Hardy DUI at 10 am    blows a .291 Couldn't even stand up, had guns drawn on him. 

https://www.tmz.com/2022/06/14/three-officers-pulled-guns-on-jeff-hardy-during-dui-arrest-police-video-shows/

[phillybear 366]

28 minutes ago, edjr said:

Jeff Hardy DUI at 10 am    blows a .291 Couldn't even stand up, had guns drawn on him. 

https://www.tmz.com/2022/06/14/three-officers-pulled-guns-on-jeff-hardy-during-dui-arrest-police-video-shows/

I could blow a higher number most mornings. Don't quote me on that. 

While that is insane, apparently a breaking story is Vince McMahon is now involved in a Deshawn Watson type of story. This is going to go nuclear. 

I'm too lazy to start the new thread. I'm sure someone will shortly. 

[phillybear 366]

PPV weekend, the AEW and New Japan Pro collaboration. Will buy the PPV. So, a quick preview recap. 

Current AEW wrestlers out with injuries: CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, Adam Cole (working with labrum injury), Anthony Bowens, Bobby Fish, Buddy Matthews, Darius Martin, Jungle Boy, Kip Sabian, Kyle O'Reilly, Lee Johnson, Luther, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy (alcohol), Scorpio Sky, Leyla Hirsch, Red Velvet, Skye Blue, The Bunny. There may be more. 

Forbidden Door matchups and predictions, and I don't know who these foreigners are, so I am purely guessing: 

AEW Title, interm, Jon Moxley vs Hiroshi Tanahashi. I've read that NJPW really wants to work with Moxley for years, and having Tanahashi with the belt would not be crazy, but I think Tony Khan wants Moxley to carry the company while Punk and Danielson are out. Winner: Jon Moxley

IWPG Title: 4 way Switchblade Jay White, Hangman Adam Page, Kazuchika Okada, Adam Cole. No doubt, Adam Cole will eat the pin. But who wins? Well, they gave the belt to White recently, so I think he keeps it in a wild match with so many talented performers. Winner: Jay White

AEW Women's Title: Thunder Rosa vs Toni Storm. P!ss break. I guess Thunder Rosa retains. Winner: Thunder Rosa

AEW All Atlantic Title: PAC, Miro, Malakai Black, Clark Connors. The Japanese guy got a knee injury, so we get Clark Connors. Anywho, everybody likes the other contenders, but it's time to put gold on PAC's waist, and Miro can go get the TNT title soon. Winner: PAC. 

IWGP Tag Titles + ROH Tag Titles, winners take all: FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), Jeff Coff & Great O Khan, Roppongi Vice (Trent Barreta and Rocky Romero). Clearly, FTR are chasing all gold other than AEW, and already have titles from 3 other entities. They are the new Kenny Omegas. The AEW crowds love them in an organic face turn. Winners: FTR. 

IWPG US Title: Will Ospreay vs Orange Cassidy. There will be a boatload of funny spots, but OC can afford to eat a pin for Ospreay. Winner: Will Ospreay

Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki vs Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino. Winner gets an advantage at next week's Blood and Guts cage match, so expect Yuta to eat a pin to give Jericho Appreciation Society an advantage. Winners: Jericho, Guevara, Suzuki. 

Zack Sabre Jr vs ??? Mystery opponent who will be in the faction with Moxley, Danielson, and Yuta. Most feel this is the former Cesario of WWE fame, now known as Claudio. You know, a lot of these debuting wrestlers lose their first match in AEW. I think they give Claudio the win. If it's anybody else, ZSJ wins. Winner: Mystery opponent. 

Young Bucks, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo vs Darby Allin, Sting, Shingo Takagi, Hiromi Takahashi. Eh, this match was slapped together at the last second. Maybe they give Sting a winning pin, and the Young Bucks just won the belts so they don't need the glory. Winners: Allin, Sting, Takagi, Takahashi

Buy In: Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. AEW keeps pushing the problems between Swerve and Lee. Winners: El Desperado and Kanemaru

Buy In: QT Marshall and Aaron Solo vs Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. QT and Solo have done nothing of note in a really long time. Winners: Marshall and Solo

Buy In: Max Caster, Billy Gunn, Colten Gunn, Austin Gunn vs The DKC, Kevin Knight, Alex Coughlin, Yuya Uemura. The Gunn Club and The Acclaimed are getting way over with crowds. Who doesn't love "scissor me, Daddy!!!" and Max's raps? Only if you are a cop. Winners: The Gunn Club and Max Caster. 

 

[Kopy 596]

On 6/15/2022 at 6:10 PM, phillybear said:

I could blow a higher number most mornings. Don't quote me on that. 

While that is insane, apparently a breaking story is Vince McMahon is now involved in a Deshawn Watson type of story. This is going to go nuclear. 

I'm too lazy to start the new thread. I'm sure someone will shortly. 

John Laurinaitis is the first casualty, and most likely the big time scapegoat. McMahon and McDevitt have everything under control.

It might end up being a funny story to follow though.

 

P.S. Cesario is a guy I've followed and loved for decades now. I always called him a modern day Verne Gagna. I hope it's him, and they pay him a boat load of money and give him a world title. Him not ever being a champion would be a true injustice to not only him, but us fans, and the industry. 

 

[phillybear 366]

13 minutes ago, Kopy said:

John Laurinaitis is the first casualty, and most likely the big time scapegoat. McMahon and McDevitt have everything under control.

It might end up being a funny story to follow though.

 

P.S. Cesario is a guy I've followed and loved for decades now. I always called him a modern day Verne Gagna. I hope it's him, and they pay him a boat load of money and give him a world title. Him not ever being a champion would be a true injustice to not only him, but us fans, and the industry. 

 

Cesaro, Cesario, Claudio, look at the clouds, whatever, I can't keep track, but around the time I tuned out of pro wrestling, this person was a huge talent. I'm surprised he never achieved a world title. 

Claudio was rumored to be pushing a very expensive price tag to sign a contract somewhere, and was a free agent for a while as a result, but I guess Tony Khan folded based on injuries, and maybe gave up the gold. Heck, he and his daddy have so much more money than WWE, it might not be a big deal.

Meanwhile, MJF has been off camera for weeks, and I'm still wondering if it's a shoot or work. 

[phillybear 366]

Forbidden Door. Not a Bruce Lee movie, but there were many kicks delivered. While I was wrong on prognosticating on the Buy In matches, and went 1-2, I am taking a victory lap for predicting the winners of every single match on the main card correctly, 9-0. Bow down to me, you lowly plebs. 

So, I'll rewatch the show again in the next few days. 7:00 EST start for the Buy In, 8:00 EST start, ended just short of midnight. Long night. Kind of weak build up for the program the past month or so, but this week had some really great matches and introductions leading into Sunday. 

One of the best PPV's I've seen. The Japanese wrestlers were mostly impressive. The crowd was very loud and engaged in every match. The only women's match on the show ruined what could have been a flawless night. OC vs Ospreay was probably match of the night. The Atlantic belt 4 way, the Tag Title match, Moxley bled out a bucket of blood, Sting diving off very high things onto people/things, Claudio debuting and getting the love from the crowd in a very technical match...it was so much better than I expected. Kind of a downer when Adam Cole got a bad concussion and they did an improvised pin to end the Japan belt match a bit prematurely. There may have been more injuries last night. Considering how unfamiliar most of the wrestlers are with each other in many cases, they pulled off a very successful event.

Looking forward to maybe a yearly Forbidden Door PPV. It appears that both AEW and NJPW came out of the event both looking good, despite so many high profile wrestler injuries. 

[phillybear 366]

AEW Double of Nothing PPV, May 29,2022

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door PPV, June 26,2022

AEW Dynamite, June 29, 2022 Blood and Guts, double cage, Jericho Appreciation Society vs Blackpool Combat Club

I have been and will be entertained. 

[Kopy 596]

On 6/25/2022 at 4:06 PM, phillybear said:

Cesaro, Cesario, Claudio, look at the clouds, whatever, I can't keep track, but around the time I tuned out of pro wrestling, this person was a huge talent. I'm surprised he never achieved a world title. 

Claudio was rumored to be pushing a very expensive price tag to sign a contract somewhere, and was a free agent for a while as a result, but I guess Tony Khan folded based on injuries, and maybe gave up the gold. Heck, he and his daddy have so much more money than WWE, it might not be a big deal.

Meanwhile, MJF has been off camera for weeks, and I'm still wondering if it's a shoot or work. 

CC - You deserve it. You deserve it. YOU DESERVE IT!!!!!!!

Ok, I just got all my gayness out of me 

[phillybear 366]

AEW with a very successful week.

Forbidden Door on Sunday surpassing expected PPV buy rates with a universally praised show top to bottom. 

Last year's Blood and Guts seemed more meaningful, being the first significant crowd event in the China virus era. This year's match took it to another level. Buckets of blood. Broken glass. Bags of thumbtacks. Moxley gouged somebody's forehead with a fork, and then brought out skewers to jamb into the hole in their forehead. Rubbing alcohol poured into open wounds, Claudio spinning swinging somebody around on top of a cage. It's hard to identify guys with so much blood on the face. Another Jericho guy hanging upside down off the cage, motionless, soaked in blood, looking like a victim of a horror movie. Santana blew out his knee. And the match sets up a potential Claudio and Eddie Kingston feud after Claudio got the submission win faster than Eddie could and Eddie was pissed. If they may be setting up a possible Jericho and Moxley feud, with all the injuries it makes sense, the will complicate the BCC relations. The Orange Cassidy and Ethan Page match to open the show was pretty solid, with some unique comedy bits. 

Rampage was surprisingly good, with the Royal Rampage match, pushing a number of storylines forward, with Brody King the surprise winner and getting a title shot tomorrow night. The Young Bucks repeatedly defying gravity against a Japanese tag team was just another 5 star match. 

 

[phillybear 366]

Christian Cage turning into a heel with huge heat. After spending weeks mocking the death of Jungle Boy Jack Perry's father, actor Luke Perry, he then goes after Matt Hardy's brother Jeff Hardy's alcoholism. Very ballsy. 

I recently was made aware that the Orange Cassidy character is based on Paul Ruud's character from the Wet Hot American Summer movie/show. Quite a revelation, especially with the new entrance music. 

Kind of sad that they are slowly phasing out grumpy Jim Ross from the announcing booth, but Excaliber and Taz are excellent broadcasters with chemistry, knowledge, and humor. 

Debating whether to buy the ROH PPV. Just The Briscoes vs FTR match might be worth the price. 

[phillybear 366]

Eddie Kingston vs Chris Jericho in a Barbed Wire Everywhere Match tonight. 

And with the cross promotion with shark week, I won't discount a shark showing up somewhere. 

Barbed Wire. Barbed Wired Shark. 

[Jeebus 3]

20 hours ago, phillybear said:

Eddie Kingston vs Chris Jericho in a Barbed Wire Everywhere Match tonight. 

And with the cross promotion with shark week, I won't discount a shark showing up somewhere. 

Barbed Wire. Barbed Wired Shark. 

This one is gonna be brutal. Good blow off to the storyline.