JLM

Canadians are far too polite to dispute it so I can’t see it causing any issues.

Absolutely brilliant. Can Sami be the permanent undisputed intergalactic multidimensional champion of Canada or something.

He who smelt it dealt it. I know you are but what am I? My dad could beat up your dad.

Oh yeah definitely recent Jericho, not his whole run. I don’t think anyone would argue he wasn’t beneficial to AEW initially.

- Chris Jericho.

I’m sure animal welfare is considered woke by some people, but I suspect this post was intended for the Work thread.

I thought Cody was going to say something along the lines of “Oh you want to hold this one? Oh sure you just need to win the Royal Rumble two years in a row and defeat the four year reigning tribal chief in the main event of Wrestlemania.” Was disappointed when he handed it over. I liked the video package and Cody’s promo though. The video package was incredibly schmaltzy and earnest to the point where I could see it making some people cringe, but that’s Cody isn’t it? I thought it was a perfect fit. I generally enjoyed the face off with The Rock too, awkward belt swap aside. I loved that after the initial pop for The Rock’s theme there was very little crowd split here. The people were 100% behind Cody for his acceptance speech and Rock felt like the spoiler, which was perfect. Raw was OK. I appreciated the victory lap moments for Truth, Sami and Cody. Truth popping up with his belt to join the pose made me laugh. Tonnes of positivity about the product and results coming out of Wrestlemania and they were wise to capitalise on it and keep the good vibes rolling. Dragunov is best showcased in a wild and violent slobberknocker where his fire and ability to both withstand and dish out punishment are emphasised. Hard to do it in a very short TV match but was still good to see him. I didn’t think Perez got a chance to show off her best either, though I did enjoy her shutting down Natalya backstage. Natalya looks a little bit frightening in talking segments. Sami/Gable vs Imperium was a fun match and the Gable/Sami build has been good stuff. Jade with the old school TBS title defense match. I love Chelsea Green and I continue to love the presentation of Jade. Liv’s attack on Rhea was great. Looked very violent. It does already feel like another filler title defense against a non-credible opponent, but the segment was a good start. Main event was fine. Easy first defense set up for Priest there, but more importantly another chapter in the excellent Punk/Drew feud. Punk was hilarious here. I saw some people suggesting that a screen flicker during Bronson Reed’s promo was an Uncle Howdy teaser. I can’t even say I noticed it the first time. Is that people on the internet reaching or did I just miss something fairly blatant because it was the early hours of the morning?

Yep I’m team Samantha Irvin on this one. Same with some of the swearing and outbursts from Mcafee and Cole, they all felt like people getting carried away and excited with the emotion of it all, which is what we all want to do when wrestling it at its best. I just can’t see that as a bad thing.

Wrestlemania Night 2 Cool that they got Shane Taylor of Shane Taylor Promotions to sing at the start of the show. Hope to see more AEW/WWE cross-promotion going forward. Seth vs Drew was brilliant! It is rare for me to enjoy Seth Rollins, but having Drew hit the Claymore 1 second into the match was an inspired move and it made for fantastic heat for the rest of it. The whole thing felt like a Brock Lesnar match in the best possible way, straight to business with both guys throwing haymakers for the duration. I wanted Drew to win so I was happy with that, but I was not expecting to enjoy the match this much. Punk being largely responsible for Priest's cash in on Drew was tremendous as well. Punk vs Drew is just pure gold. Red hot opening to the show, loved all of that. I wonder if The final Testament and Timeless Toni Storm exist in a shared cinematic universe. The mind wanders when Kross is on screen. Snoop Dogg having the loveliest time on commentary made this much more fun for me. Fair play to them, they knew how cold this feud is and threw in all possible bells and whistles to make it more entertaining. City-appropriate Dudleys nostalgia, the very unexpected B-Fab/Scarlet Russian leg sweep, Montez's crazy tope with some stellar camera work to catch it. I found this more entertaining than the night one ladder match. Bobby and The Profits need something better than this to do though, Montez Ford is nowhere near where he should be. Effortlessly brilliant Heyman promo. "This is the biggest match of LA Knight's career". He wrestled Roman for the title lads. This is not that. He had a pro wrestling match with AJ Styles here. Just buy some fucking Slim Jims, will you. The Bray tribute was lovely, would have liked them not to cut to the plug for the Weeknd so abruptly though. Logan Paul's entrance was one of the best worst things I've ever seen. Like I knew it would be something extremely obnoxious but I could never have fully prepared for it. Amazing. This match was good silly fun. Outstanding performance from Logan Paul. KO and Orton also have great chemistry both as a slightly awkward double act and as opponents. Better than I thought it would be. Bayley/Sky was a belter. The crowd was already behind Bayley of course, but she was so sympathetic here hobbling on one leg for most of the match that they were at fever pitch by the end of it. We didn't get the inflatable tube guys, but this was definitely original babyface run Bayley in spirit. Phenomenal closing stretch and this was easily one of Iyo's best WWE matches as well. Great action but more importantly a satisfying feel good ending to this story. To echo many others, the main event was pure magic. Roman and Cody were both amazing, then in the second half it became the most Wrestlemania event that ever Wrestlemania'd. The callbacks, the revenge of the ghosts of bloodline past, the surprises. Felt like a celebration of Roman's momentous reign as well as, of course, a fist pumping and triumphant ending to The Story. Sensational. Aside from AJ vs La Knight I thought everything on night 2 delivered. What a great show. Even the bloody Final Testament match was a fun time, and that main event was exactly what Wrestlemania should be delivering. Wonderful.

Wrestlemania Night 1 Motionless in White are rubbish a but I still thought Rhea's entrance entrance was incredible. She looked like a mega star. Very good match to start the show. Some great little counters and sequences, they got the crowd on board as it went on and Rhea is just so over. Heroic performance from Becky if she was ill going into this. Only thing really hurting this for me is that there was zero doubt in my mind about the result, so it took away a lot of potential drama. Ladder match had some nutty high spots as you'd expect. It was OK. For all the table and ladder smashing, the Kofi Trust Fall to take out the field and let Woods take a run at the belts was my favourite high spot. Truth has more than earned his Wrestlemania win, so was sincerely chuffed for him at the end. The tag titles feel utterly worthless. Rey/Dom etc. was a standard TV tag match. It was fine. The crossbody on the shoulders spot was the best bit. Jey vs Jimmy is just too far past the point of being interesting at all to me. The crowd was still hot for it but I had no investment and the match didn't do anything to bring me in. Bianca, Jade and Naomi on the giant podium was glorious. Absolutely glorious. Pure Wrestlemania razzmatazz, they looked like gods. Bianca's hot tag was spectacular but this was the Jade Cargill show. Boy does she look right at home on this stage, I loved every second of it, as did the live crowd. Everything WWE has done with Jade so far has been note perfect. Sami and Gunther was brilliant. These two are the ideal opponents for each other, both in-ring and as characters, and I knew before the show this would be one of the best matches of the weekend. Sami's entrance was perfect. Gunther's character work has improved so much since his main roster call up, particularly in the most recent feuds with Miz and Sami. He was already one of my favourite wrestlers but he's only getting better. Definitely time to move him up to the world title picture after this excellent reign. The main event was largely tonnes of fun. Toy Belt and Big Pants be damned, The Rock's entrance was still fucking magnificent. I actually laughed out loud when I realised it was a giant flaming Bull. Wonderful. As much as I enjoy Seth Rollins getting beaten down, the extended bit with the heat on him was a bit of a drag. However, the initial buzz of them all facing off was great, and the final third was classic WWE Main event excess at its finest. The melodrama, the big moments, the twists and turns. The reaction to Cody springing up during The People's elbow, Cody rock bottoming The Rock through a table, Reigns spearing The Rock. Lots of great holy shit moments and they had the crowd red hot by the end. Really enjoyed it. Decent night one. The Wrestlemania production is always a joy to behold. Ladder match/Rey and Dom/Usos matches were all entirely forgettable, but the stuff I was looking forward to delivered. Sami/Gunther, Becky/Rhea, Jade Cargill looking like a million bucks, the main event and some tremendous entrances.

Dynamite 03/04/24. I genuinely wasn't sure what Copeland was on about at the start. I have since read up on it and I still don't care. Didn't like this to open the show. Always feels petty and small time to do a segment like this. I think he's sincere about this stuff, and he tweeted a lot of similar sentiments after signing for AEW. I also agree with him that AEW existing is a good thing for pro wrestling whether you enjoy the product or not. But yeah, regardless, I could do without this sort of shit on the show. Also it is absurd that he doesn't know how to pronounce Osprey. Not that everyone should know who he is because he was Good in Japan or any of that nonsense, he's a heavily promoted new star for the promotion you're hyping up with your promo and you know your segment ends with you introducing him. It's wild to get it wrong in that context. Fantastic match between Osprey and Hobbs. Loved it. Smaller speedy babyface vs Monster Heel works for me every time, and these are two of the finest in those roles. Hobbs always has complete disdain for his opponents but I loved how much he ramped it up here; being even more reckless than usual because he's clearly pissed that Osprey is Callis' golden goose. Osprey's style lends itself so well to doing little flurries of hope spots against a bigger opponent, I like Osprey matches where his opponent can dictate the pace and rein him in a bit, then let him shine at the right moments with all of the spectacular shit he can do. Danielson and Archer was the same thing again but not as good. Still enjoyed it though. Glad Danielson is carrying on with his early entrance gimmick he was going against Kingston, always makes me smile. Weekly Fuck Off Jericho comment. Hook's dad is literally in the same building. Hook's dad who is a professional wrestler who tours with the same promotion as Hook. Hook uses his dad's finishing move, carries his dad's belt and does Judo throws and suplexes just like him. I think he might already have a pro wrestling mentor guys. Making it clear that Hook KNOWS Jericho is up to no good certainly doesn't make him look any less stupid for going along with it. Hook is getting colder and colder by the week with this nonsense. I hate it. Jay White and Billy Gunn was awful and far too long. It was set out like it was Stone Cold getting his hands on Vince or something. This whole Bang Bang Scissor Gang mess has been so detrimental to Bullet Club Gold. Unify the six man titles and then please never speak of this again. Willow promo was the highlight of the show. What an amazing feel good segment, only amplified by Renee and Statlander looking sincerely thrilled for her as she knocked it out of the park. This was also my favourite Mercedes segment so far. The most perfect foil for Willow's heartfelt promo about her insecurities and not having the conventional look. Mercedes comes out looking like a movie star, and after Willow explained at length why she loves the town and namedrops the local venues, Mercedes just shouts the name of the town and waits for the applause. I know Mone still got a babyface reaction but she could not have been more the heel in this segment. Fantastic stuff. Can't believe we've waited this long to see Willow do this. OK I haven't been entirely sold on this Bucks gimmicks at times (though I love them with Okada), but their delayed and thoroughly excessive pyro for their entrance was one of my favourite EVP bits they've done so far. What a couple of pricks. Trent heel turn was brilliant and devastating. The crowd made an awesome sound of collective surprise and horror when it happened, I rewound and listened to that one a few times. The last shot was tremendous, looking over Sue's shoulder with the back of her jacket reading "Trent and Orange w/Chuck win the big one". Sheer tragedy. Thunder Rosa/Mariah May was a pretty average match in front of a very flat crowd. Toni Storm was brilliant on commentary though. Penta vs Copeland sounds delightful. Penta vs Komander on Collision will be a good'un too. I welcome more Penta appearances on the main shows. The contract signing was outstanding. Swerve finding cracks in Joe's usually unflappable aura, first by goading him into the fight and landing that tremendous looking sucker punch, then getting Joe to show real fear by showing him what kind of lunatic he's up against. This felt massive for Swerve. Even if Hangman screws him over and he doesn't win at Dynasty, he has never looked more like The Guy. All of this done without diminishing Joe at all. He sounded great, he beat the piss out of Swerve twice and ended it standing tall. Loved everything about this. Definitely some skippable/rubbish bits on this show, but the opener, Trent's turn, Willow's promo and the closing segment were all excellent.

She’s a lot more charismatic and is a bigger personality than Sarray. Carries herself like a star and can be a good cocky/arrogant heel as well. I think she’ll do well in WWE.

People do struggle with the distinction (or pretend to struggle with it to barely mask their transphobia). People will think (or dishonestly claim) that saying gender is a social construct means you’re denying biology. However, most of them know if they’re honest with themselves that one can ask the question “what is a woman” and not purely be talking about biology. They also know full well that they will see how a person presents and make the call on whether they think they’re a man or woman without asking to see their genitals or carrying out any tests, so there is clearly more to it than chromosomes. Same with race, where nobody is denying the physical and genetic differences between people, but the categories and where we draw the lines are obviously things we’ve made up. Like how someone with a white parent and a black parent will be referred to as black or mixed, but not as white. I can’t remember if it was Contrapoints or another trans video essayist on YouTube who also used the analogy of biological vs adopted parents. Where if you were speaking to a child you knew was adopted and they introduced their adoptive father as “this is my dad” you wouldn’t go “errrm ACTUALLY he’s not, stop denying biology!” Unless you were a real arsehole. You would understand that this person has taken on the social role of being that child’s parent and you would accept that. Almost as if there’s more to the concept of being a father than providing sperm. It’s a big societal change, a lot of people still don’t encounter many trans people day to day, or haven’t given much thought to their existence and its implications before, there are many many legal and practical implications surrounding transitioning to tackle going forward. Discourse around this is entirely valid, but yeah, trying to say that trans people are lying about/denying biology is nonsense.

Yeah when I was watching NXT black and gold regularly I got very invested in the performers. Felt weirdly proud of them when they went to the main roster and succeeded because I’d followed their whole story. Rhea Ripley in particular finding her persona and morphing into a bad ass after starting as a fresh faced happy to be here generic smiley person was a joy to watch.

I’d love to see you post about it. Could do a facesitter-style thumbs up thumbs down if you don’t want to do the big wall-o-text review. Doesn’t even need to be a show review, just a short post with anything that stood out or that you’d recommend for people who don’t follow NXT full time would be great. I do (mistakenly it seems!) assume that if nobody posts anything at all about a product or show it’s because no one here is following it. I’d be happy to hear from anyone watching any wrestling from anywhere, even more so if it’s stuff I don’t get a chance to watch regularly.