But hey, I am glad they didn’t give him a gimmick that has anything to do with cellars.
I’d just like to think that an massive global company could employ somebody to google the names they’re thinking of going with. He doesn’t seem to have been a particularly famous Nazi, but surely there’s enough German names kicking around that they could have settled on one that wasn’t also used by a Nazi.
It is the same company that’s going forward with a Premium Live Event (formerly Pay-Per-View, but I guess Vince hates that word now) called Elimination Chamber not far from where the Saudis execute people, though, so nobody should be that surprised.
Apparently german fishwrapper masquerading as a newspaper Bild has picked up the story and that is not good PR.
Jon Moxley returned tonight after going to rehab. He looked great and his promo was absolute fire. The man’s charisma is just off the charts.
1 Like
I don’t watch WWE anymore for a multitude of reasons, but it is the Royal Rumble and I wanted to check out the Rumble matches. WWE still remains pretty much unwatchable with ridiculous 17 camera cuts in 5 seconds and absolutely nonsense booking, even in the Rumble matches. But kudos to Johnny Knoxville and Bad Bunny, two celebrity guys who actually did pretty well.
Much, much better was Stardom’s Supreme Fight in Nagoya PPV. Even for a “B” PPV for a smaller company this had a lot of excellent matches that were given appropriate time to breathe. And that despite unfortunate booking changes as Cosmic Angels faction leader Tam Nakano and her stablemates Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama were taken off the card due to health issues, presumably Covid 
spoilers ahead
I was particularly impressed with the match for the SWA championship that Syuri vacated earlier in the month. It also happens to be between two of my favorite wrestlers in the company, Mina Shirakawa and Thekla, and the build to the match was hilarious. The ending felt a bid abrupt, but the right person won in Thekla. However, that result was also mostly obvious as Thekla is kind of by default the top foreigner in the company if you don’t count Syuri (japanese-filipino) and Giulia (japanese-italian), and the SWA title is supposed to be fought over by wrestlers of different nationalities.
Another very entertaining build was for the Tag team titles between new champions Koguma and Hazuki against Maika and Himeka. Koguma (whose name means “bear cub”) has been infecting everybody with her bear gimmick and associated gestures, even brining the stoik Maika to wear a bear kigurumi once. The match was very good.
Probably the showstealer was a number one contenders match between two faction leaders in Giulia and Mayu Iwatani. Originally this was supposed to be a three-way-match but as said Tam had to be taken off the show. This ended in a 30 minute time limit draw but is very much worth the watch. After the match the two agree that at the two-day Wonder of Stardom event, both would challenge for the top title, first Giulia on day 1 and then Mayu on day 2.
You may ask “Isn’t Giulia in the same faction as the current champion, Syuri?” and you are correct. However, challenges within a faction are not uncommon, as is demonstrated when Syuri defends her title in the main event in the other newest member of Donna Del Mondo, MIRAI. She had challenged after getting the pin for her faction in a tag team match earlier in the month, and Syuri accepted. The result was never in question but it was a good showcase for MIRAI to demostrate her abilities and the resulting match is excellent.
After the match Giulia and the rest of DDM came out, there was roll-call and despite the incoming challenge everyone seemed happy. However, there have been hints at a possible break in DDM as Giulia and Syuri had lost the tag titles to the Queen’s Quest duo of Hazuki and Koguma on the tour leading up to this event. Giulia’s night at this was especially turbolent, as very early on “Prominence” showed up, a seven woman faction that recently departed competing joshi promotion Ice Ribbon in unison in December. Prominence apparently came to Stardom to go after Giulia in wake of Giulia’s very messy departure from that promotion to join Stardom in 2019. That is too complicated to go into here but I recommend this video on the matter.
AEW put on an absolute banger of an episode on Dynamite this week. Fantastic character building, a fantasy-booked tag team match, a debuting wrestler hurling a grown-ass man (~10 feet, 2 second hang time) across the ring, a very innovative finisher to the main event, and two other solid matches that got overshadowed by everything else.
1 Like
Kaori Housako, better known as Kairi Hojo, Kairi Sane and now simply as KAIRI, has returned to Stardom!
1 Like
Traditionally NJPW has a match between the Heavyweight Champion and the Junior Heavyweight Champion on their Anniversary show in march. This year instead the Anniversary show, marking NJPW’s 50th birthday, had a bunch of matches featuring legends. The event was just so-so really, as are most “legends” events. Fanservice for long-time watchers, which I’d like to count myself toward but really, I am not, at least not to that degree.
However, we did get the promised match between Okada and Desperado, just in the first round of the New Japan Cup that kicked off today. And man, what a fucking banger. For two people that never wrestled a singles match against each other, that was really just world class. Desperado continues to be one of the most underrated wrestlers on the planet, but I hope that is soon turning. Give him a top level opponent and he can easily keep up and prove his abilities.
Tony Khan just purchased Ring of Honor. Wow.
1 Like
Just finished AEW Revolution and it was a fantastic show. Go watch it, well worth the time. spoilers ahead
The preshow was fine, though nothing to write home about. The Trios match was definitely the best part on there of what was basically a good episode of Rampage as a warmup. It’s also kind of weird how Erick Redbeard seems gigantic in AEW when he felt only slightly larger than normal in WWE.
Main show starts with Jericho vs. Kingston which was a good brawl, further turning Jericho back to heel. Next there was the three way tag title match. Usually I don’t like this kind of match because by all rights one man from each team should be legal but instead one team is always completely out. However, they made it kind of work telling the story of an uneasy alliance between the Bucks and reDRagon, which of course going to break eventually. Man I love Kyle O’Reilly being a sleazebag.
Next the Six-man ladder match which was really great. They actually did some fairly inventive stuff with things like Orange Cassidy climbing ontop a ladder held aloft by two big guys, and Hobbs and Keith Lee just ripping a ladder in half. Very fun, even if a bit spot-festy, as ladder matches tend to be. I also think the right man won with Wardlow very much turning face and it being a good fuel for his upcoming feud with MJF.
Next we had a semi-squash with Jade Cargill defending against Tay Conti. It was definitely competitive, but Cargill is definitely over with the crowd. She is also very protected despite being rather green (both figuratively and literally). However, her Mortal Kombat outfit also definitely gets props from me.
CM Punk vs. MJF in a dog-collar match, which definitely had the best build toward the PPV in terms of storyline. It opens with MJF faking out the crowd during his entrace by starting with Cult of Personality only to switch to his theme. Then Punk came out to AFI’s Miseria Cantare, which definitely gets my approval despite me not know that this was his theme in ROH. The match itself was also very fun drama, though for my taste too much blood being shed. For me it was unfortunately also marred by some jumpy cuts in the video I was watching, which I am not sure was the result of the encoder or the broadcast itself. At the end Wardlow showed up, but refused to interfere, simply putting MJF’s ring on the apron and left. MJF was already beat at that point after eating a GTS and dropping into thumbtacks, but I definitely won’t refuse insult to injury here.
Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa was also definitely good, but I think the wrong person won as Britt retained. This is most likely because Rosa reportedly suffered an injury in a tag match the week prior, but Baker is long overdue for dropping the title. It is just getting stale at this point.
Next there was Moxley vs. Danielson which was a very hard-hitting affair, as violent as promised despite the lack of stipulation. However, I felt the ending could have been better, though I guess it served to protect both of them as Moxley won in a roll-up. After the match the two continued to brawl and security was unable to separate them, when suddenly William Regal shows up, slapst he taste out of both their mouths and makes them shake hands. It was kind of funny to see, like a father scolding his sons. However, I am excited to see Regal.
Semi-main event is tornado trios match with Sammy Guevara, Darvy Allin and Sting against Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo and Isaiah Cassidy. This was peak car-crash wrestling with lots of weapon spots and primarily outside the ring. The highlights including Sammy and Isaiah with a spanish fly on the entrance way through some tables, and Sting Splashing through a stack of tables, which is mighty imprssive for someone above the age of 60. Finally Darby got the pin against Matt Hardy, which was somewhat predictable as his alignment with Andrade is basically a pretext to be kicked out of his own faction and turning him face when Jeff comes in, a certainty at this point.
Finally, the battle of the Adams as Cole takes on Hangman Page. This match was great with worthy competitors, but at this point I was a bit exhaused from the rest of the show. Unfortunately it also felt a bit repetitive with other content of the show, a victim of success breeding imitation. I’d already seen a bunch of piledrivers elsewhere in the show, both regular and destroyer-types so both the Deadeye and the Panama Sunrise felt less special, and similar with other staples from both wrestlers. Also noticeable was the contrast in ring attire, with Cole showing up in Halo-themed gear and his trunks sporting military green rank insignia, whereas Hangman showed up in Rainbow-colored accents, probably in opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill currently being advanced in Florida, with the PPV in Orlando.
Overall a fantastic show, but I think AEW is doing kind of too well for its own good, and five-hour shows could probably be cut apart which would preserve both the audience’s stamina and feel a bit less repetitive, which isn’t overbearing but definitely noticeable. The biggest issue though is just the sheer amount. I couldn’t eat a twelve course meal either, despite how good each individual course is.
1 Like
Is this now a thing that AEW bought the ROH back catalogue?
I don’t think this is a permanent change. It served two uses here. For one, it allowed MJF to perform the bait-and-switch with Cult of Personality without repeating and possibly dampening the audience reaction to Punk’s entrance.
And, as commentary explains, narratively it also served the purpose of explaining Punk’s mindset in the match, with Punk going back to his roots where he is trying to make it big instead of somewhat resting on his laurels. The feud in particular is about a moment back in the day, when a young MJF met Punk at an autograph signing, with photographic evidence. The story is that MJF idolized punk, but then began to resent him for abandonding the fans for 7 years. So in a way it could also be interpreted as Punk trying to attone, going to back to the time when Miseria Cantare was his theme and do better moving forward.
P.S.: Here’s the clip of the entrance. Also, first time I didn’t realize how obvious Excalibur on commentary made the reference by saying that Punk looks like he has “a fire inside” (which is what AFI stands for).
The main even had some good chants (they’re both called Adam):
Let’s go Adam/Adam Sucks
Fuck 'em up Adam, Fuck 'em up
We want Adam
This is Adam
Holy Adam
and my personal favorite, Fight For Ad-am
I haven’t been able to actively keep up with Stardom in recent weeks due to other commitments. However, today I was finally able to catch up with what I missed. I just watched Starlight Kid vs. AZM (link if you have Stardom world) from Cinderella Journey in Nagaoka and boy, this match was just ridiculous. They just put a cinderblock on the gas pedal and leave it there almost the entire match.
AEW decided to strike while the iron is hot and just put a PPV on free tv. Dynamite had just three high quality title matches and another match with title implications, and on top of that it had debuts and enormous shifts in their storylines and faction structure.
Spoilers for Dynamite ahead
Show starts with Jericho wanting to apologize to Eddie Kingston for refusing the offered handshake after their match at Revolution. They jaw back and forth a bit but seeming come to an agreement and shake, only for 2point0 and Daniel Garcia to show up and attack both. They had initied the feud anyhow. Santana and Ortiz show up and try to save, but Jericho attacks them. Jake Hager shows up but allies himself with Jericho. It all ends with Kingston being powerbombed through a table . And with that The Inner Circle, a faction that existed since Dynamite started, is dissolved. The new faction is for now called “The Jericho Appreciation Society” which I hope gets changed to something better. “The Inner Circle 2.0” is basically right there to grab.
Next a really good World Title Match between Hangman and Dante Martin. Nothing major happened here but it was really good. Dante is on his way, but definitely not there yet. After Hangman wins he congratulates Dante and says he is looking forward to their next match. Adam Cole shows up and challanges for a 6-man tag match, but refers to his partners in ambiguous descriptions that could apply to either reDRagon or The Young Bucks…
This develops further as later in the episode backstage Cole has both teams next to him and again cuts a promo referring very ambigiously to his partners for the tag match, only for the Bucks to say that they weren’t going to go up against Hangman. Cole responds saying he was talking about reDRagon anyway. At the same time Hangman meets up with his Dark Order buddies and apologizes for shoving Reynolds during the match at Revolution. Notably Evil Uno says its all fine while Reynolds himself still looks angry. They ask who is going to join him in the tag match, only for Hangman to say he met Jurassic Express in the hallways and they said they wanted in (because they still have some things unsettled with the Bucks) so he said okay. Wheels turning there as well, particularly when taking into consideration a long-running joke on Being The Elite, where Silver and Reynolds pester Cole in his hotel room every week and they kind of developed a love-hate relationship. So Cole isn’t in bed with just two tag teams, but three actually.
Before all that we had a match with a new tag team of Moxley and Danielson taking out some jobbers. William Regal cuts a long, heartfelt (and definitely unscripted) promo about his return and singing the praises of Danielson and Moxley. And was formed and with the guidance of a mentor figure, another fired theirs as FTR got rid of Tully Blanchard. Also, Pac had a good match taking apart Wheeler Yuta.
After an ad break and in-ring promo segment as Andrade is trying to oust Matt Hardy from the AHFO. Hardy believes he is backed up by Private Party only to be betrayed and attacked by them, Andrade and the Butcher and the Blade. Sting and Darby Allin try to make the save but the numbers are too large, but Jeff Hardy shows up to save his brother, making his debut after departing WWE a couple months back under uncertain circumstances. The Hardy Boyz are now All Elite, and they even have their music because its from a catalog.
The other newest AEW hire, Swerve Strickland (who I forgot to mention in my Revolution post) is challenged by Tony Nese for a match on Rampage. QT Marshall is trying to recruit Keith Lee for his faction, but is turned down, leading to a match.
Wardlow has an in-ring interview, makes it clear in a rather articulate way that he is no longer working for MJF. Wardlow is really articulate, though the promo feels a bit scripted to me. It underlines however how much MJF was holding him back. Notably, neither MJF nor CM Punk show up in this episode. Wardlow has a title match next week, and my guess is that MJF is going to cost him there.
A tag title match between Jurassic Express and The Acclaimed which was very good. Caster’s entrance rap was funny as always, but they weren’t going to win here. They are definitely in line for a reign within the year I think, possibly turning face in the process.
Perhaps reports about Thunder Rosa being injured were wrong. She is in a match against Layla Hirsch who won her match against Kris Statlander on the Revolution Pre show by cheating. She tries to do so again here but is stopped by Red Velvet. Rosa wins and gets another title shot next week in San Antonio inside a steel cage. Definitely think she should have won at the PPV, but I guess they are going for the title change closer to the mexican border (though since Rosa is from Tijuana, I am not sure why they aren’t doing it in the announced California shows). Britt Baker cuts a promo that this endeavor is futile anyway.
Finally, Sammy Guevara defends the TNT championship against Scorpio Sky, who has been undefeated for a year. Sammy sets up a table and does a 540 senton onto it, but Sky got out of the way. Tay Conti comes out concerned for Sammy who is being checked by the ringside crew and led away, but Sammy comes back, not wanting to slink away. Conti gets in a jawing match against Paige VanZant who is sitting at ringside. While Sky and Dan Lambert are occupying the ref, Ethan Page is trying to get in the ring to beat up Sammy but is stopped by Conti, who in turn is attacked by VanZant. In the end, Sky pins Guevara clean, as actually no cheating whatsoever occurred on part of the American Top Team Crew. After the match though they inflict futher beatdown on Guevara and Conti, as VanZant signs her AEW contract on Conti’s prone body, and Scopio Sky’s hands are raised by Lambert and Ethan Page as the new TNT champion. His reign could end next week against Wardlow, but as said I expect MJF to cost Wardlow the match.
2 Likes
I think Wardlow really benefited from Eddie Kingston shutting the “What?!” chants down hard in the beginning of the show. Wardlow looked like he was having some trouble with a few parts of his promo and a bunch of idiots yelling like it was 2001 would have hurt his first really time on the mic. This year’s Wrestlemania should be the final time we hear that chant because Stone Cold’s actually going to be there, but it probably won’t be.
I also like that the reason Sammy lost is because kept going for bigger and risker spots over the course of his title reign. He flew too close to the sun and it cost him the title. I’d really like it if Scorpio Sky gave Ethan Page the spare TNT belt, but that probably won’t happen, either.
1 Like
Big E broke his neck. He is apparently not having any paralysis and can move all his digits and toes, so thank goodness for that. Many wrestlers have recovered from similar injures, but it just fucking sucks. I wish him all the best.
R.I.P. to “The Bad Guy” Scott Hall.
