Supremo

I don’t know what to tell you if you aren’t enjoying these brilliant dickheads. I’m thoroughly sports entertained. Really enjoyed the closing angle. It was a bit awkward, but then those type of angles always are. I don’t want Tony Khan to be taking normal, well-trained bumps. These type of angles work because the authority figure hits the deck like a sack of shit. Stone Cold with Vince McMahon. The Outsiders with Eric Bischoff. It wouldn’t feel anywhere near as dangerous or transgressive if the puny civilian took a well-executed, flat-back bump. It goes without saying that I don’t want Tony as a regular on-screen character, but as a one-off to sell a big story beat? Worked a charm. Considering how unnatural Tony Khan always is on camera, and how bad it could have been, it was extremely well executed, getting some serious heat by the end. Loved it. Surprised to read people saying Jack Perry has no presence. I think this has been the making of him. Like it’s finally clicked into place. Him telling the fans to fuck off at the end, daring them to jump the rail? Top stuff. I’d love to go back and watch some of his heel work with HOOK last Summer because this feels night and day. Felt like he was badly playing a character back then, whereas now it’s way more authentic. Probably because it’s grounded in reality where - based on the All In footage - he did get fucked over. Legitimately. Eight months suspended because he gave CM Punk an opening to throw a cheap sucker punch whilst he brushed his beautiful hair out of his own face. What an injustice. But yeah. Let that be the end of any talk that is AEW dying. BIG SHAD himself participating in angles? This company is going nowhere. A week ago it was difficult to figure out who would feature in this year’s Blood and Guts. Not anymore! I’m bang up for some AEW All Stars defending this company against the eWo! They need to start showing Hangman watching from the rafters. I loved his descent into moustachio’d madness, but the idea of Hangman returning as the saviour of AEW? Chef’s kiss. I’m also hoping we’ve been worked by the Kenny Omega thing, he doesn’t require surgery, and he’s ready to come back to fight off these pricks. Seems like the type of story he’d tell. Wouldn’t shock me at all if he’s attacked next week. Some other thoughts; Big Bill leaving Ricky Starks to join Chris Jericho! The ultimate betrayal. Oh, to read the WhatsApp messages between Ricky Starks and Cody Rhodes. Cody’s probably already got the WWE team working on ideas, angles and (bad) music for Ricky’s eventual debut. Gutted for Big Bill though. Another guy lost to the Jericho Vortex, which is definitely still a thing that ruins talent with potential, regardless of whether Chris Jericho tries to lean into it or give it a cheeky wink. Stop trying to make Fetch happen, Chris. Casino Gauntlet was great fun. AEW at its finest, where a daft e-fed idea can come to life. “Wrestlers will just keep coming out until someone wins.” Brilliantly stupid. Great showing from Lance Archer in particular. They should use him more. You could feel the vibe completely change when Ospreay’s music hit. They’ve got a superstar here. Best use of Mercedes yet. At least she’s playing heel now. I’m starting to wonder whether anyone attacked her at all, or whether it’s all a ruse, with Mercedes and Stat eventually screwing over Willow. Serena vs. Toni should rule. Have they wrestled before in AEW? Match with Will Hobbs didn’t amount to much, but Jon Moxley doing his entrance with a belt over his shoulder at Daily’s Place is my pro-wrestling nirvana. Looking forward to the Takeshita match. Takeshita looked the business in the genie kecks. Shocking use of Swerve. A massive own goal. Best thing he did on the show was try and get that fan’s number during the commercial break. What a cool motherfucker. He should have opened up the show with a big, celebratory promo in the gorgeous Florida sunset. Interested by this idea that Swerve’s opponent will be revealed next week though. I wonder if The Elite will just announce Jack Perry as the Number One Contender now that they’re running the show? Abuse your power! Get all those belts! Good show overall. Much better job at keeping the momentum than their usual post-PPV episodes. Big 1997- style angle for the win. 4-Life.

Big fan of Swerve going full Father-Ted-wins-the-golden-cleric. And now, onto the liars…

Cameron Grimes rules. Proper funny, great character, brilliant worker. He carried those dark days of NXT during the pandemic. It's a real, "telling-on-yourself," moment when you can't find a way to feature this guy on your seven hours of weekly television. Even more so when someone as shit as Karrion Kross is on about his third or fourth chance. Hopefully, someone picks him up quickly and pushes him TO THE MOON.

I don’t know why Becky is getting all the heat. The belt has gone back to her because there’s almost no-one else ready. That’s not on her. She didn’t force Hunter to do fuck all for the Raw women’s division bar, “Rhea wins,” for nearly a year. Anyone crying that Becky won over Liv Morgan should be forced to tell us their favourite Liv Morgan match.

Just Nigel McGuinness punching his arms in the air, celebrating the end of Bryan Danielson’s life. It’s the best bit in wrestling. Feud of the year contender and they haven’t even interacted yet. The day Danielson squares up to him is going to be amazing. Can’t fathom anyone suggesting any other match for Wembley. It’s perfect.

Look at her beautiful, smiling face! I prayed for this and it happened. It was an excellent show. Last year, when the TV was coming off the rails, they still had a roster so talented that it was impossible to have a pay per view that delivered anything below an eight out of ten. Now, with the added talent depth? It’s as if they can’t help but deliver a nine out of ten every single time. Great crowd all night long. Looked like the perfect venue. Large enough to where it felt like Big Time North American Pro-Wrestling, but small enough that you could pack it out and turn the lights all the way up. My jam. Fantastic opener. I’ve got all the time in the World for what a cocky, hilarious prick Okada is. Laughing his arse off after giving Pac a DDT on the floor, giving everyone the middle finger rather than doing the Rain Maker pose. Brilliant. Great action, with a cool finish, I’m interested in where that forced standing ovation for Pac leads. You assume/hope it’s all designed for something big at Wembley. Pac vs. Ospreay, maybe? Fun Trios match. Copeland is getting better and better mixing it up with all these freaks. Interesting finish, as you assume it leads to a Malakai vs. Copeland singles feud over the TNT Title, but that would require Black to actually have singles matches, take more than his usual three bumps, and even less likely, do a fucking job. We’ll wait and see, but none of that sounds like his style in 2024. Sooner he and Buddy piss off back to WWE the better. Julia and Brodie have been the stars of that act for years now. Julia vs. Willow was a mostly basic affair, but it was all about the result, so who cares. Willow is the best. I was delighted to see her win. Nice tease with Statlander looking like she might attack. I assume Stat will be revealed as Mercedes’ attacker later down the line. Mercedes continues to Mercedes. She even unironically watches TV sideways like a 2D cartoon character! She’s distilled WWE tropes. I saw the best description of her on Twitter - she feels like when they used to do Celebrity Hosts on Monday Night Raw. Completely separate from the rest of the roster. Like a variant from a completely different dimension. Willow should win at Double or Nothing. Willow should unify the TNT and Women’s Titles. Willow is the best. I’d build the entire company around her. Roddy and Kyle was an excellent match, wasted on a rubbish storyline, featuring the worst faction of all time in Undisputed Kingdom. When Adam Cole gave that shitty look behind Wardlow’s back I audibly muttered, “oh, fuck off.” Teasing ANIMOSITY before MJF has even come back. Garbage. Wardlow needs to go to WWE already. Saw a suggestion online of doing Kyle vs. Danielson, for some free TV grapple fuck action. I approve of this message. Get them Colliding, Saturday night! Jericho match was hilarious. “Go home Jericho!” and, “Please retire!” chants. Fucking hell. What a mess. Even worse, if you just look at the work, this was probably one of Jericho’s better performances in recent months, with what could be an interesting storyline development with Jericho as FTW Champ, but it’s completely irrelevant at this point. He’s fucked beyond repair. No amount of meta booking or ironically leading into the Go-Away heat will save this. I wonder how long is left on Hook’s contract. He and Wardlow should jump to WWE as a package deal. Probably Toni Storm’s best match in this new gimmick. She was once again hilarious at the press conference, too. Taking the piss out of Triple H, “being dragged,” in front of the audience to get his dick sucked every week. Good craic. Ospreay vs. Danielson was the absolute tits. One of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen. Blows my mind that it had so much build up, borderline set up to fail considering the hype going into it, and yet they managed to surpass expectations with ease. Absolutely mind blowing stuff. What a fucking talent Will Ospreay is. I thought the Takeshita match sealed Match of the Year, and yet it took him less than a month to completely overshadow it. Tony Khan must laugh himself to sleep knowing he managed to sign Ospreay to a long term deal. A true ace. Found myself squealing with delight as the match went on. One-Armed Styles Clash? Rest in peace, my balls. Them both running at each other like Superheroes, recreating the poster? Art. The Running Knee counter to the Springboard Cutter? What the fuck is even happening at this point. This was something really special. Only way it could have been improved was if they’d had Moxley at the desk, losing his mind, screaming swear words. Agree with others that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the finish. I can never really be arsed with Danielson’s obsession with this stuff. Seen a surprising amount of people thinking it was a shoot, too. Have you never seen Bryan Danielson wrestle before? He always does this! Not a huge deal though, probably just took what was a 10 star match and made it a 9.5. I can almost see the logic, too. It’ll certainly sell the Tiger Driver as a dangerous finisher going forward. There’ll be a huge false finish at Wembley if he busts one out. Danielson acting like he was dead also created that weird dynamic you sometimes get in MMA, where a guy is celebrating a huge victory, whilst his opponent - someone’s son, husband, father - is lying motionless in the cage. It definitely sells you on the idea that these lads are absolute killers. Will Ospreay is a superstar. But yeah: this rocked my world. Match of the decade. Bryan Danielson owes it to the World to never retire. It’s supposed to be his final year and he’s arguably in the best form of his whole career. Unbelievable. Best of all time. His kids are gonna end up being the biggest heels in the business if they force him to go away. Fair play to FTR and The Bucks. An impossible task to follow Danielson vs. Ospreay, but they were seemingly willing to die trying. Cash Wheeler especially. He must know he’s guilty and will eventually get sent down. A man bumping like he has no future. Loved the Jack Perry run-in. Thought it was shot and framed brilliantly with the security pulling his mask off, loved the big reaction he got, his cocky grin was note perfect, and him throwing up The Elite hand signal as he waltzed off was cool as fuck. He’s going to fit in perfectly with Mathew, Nicholas and Okada. What a glorious bunch of pricks. Also, for the record; I really don’t jive with this idea that Jungle Jack was always rubbish. There seemed to be this mad wave of negativity surrounding him after All In, with people acting like he was crap and not worth ever bringing back. Some people were even saying he was on same level as Sammy Guevara, but that’s bollocks. He’s a great talent, has had loads of amazing matches, is a certified hunk, and although the original heel turn was a bit crap I think this new run has some serious legs. He looked great in New Japan. This might end up being the best thing that ever happened to him. Excursions work. Main event was similar to the Willow match. Nothing amazing between the ropes, but the perfect feel-good result. Loved Swerve’s Black Panther gear and entrance. You knew he was winning from that point. Great moment seeing him raise gold. Awesome to have seen him grow, develop and manifest this into reality. From those first glimpses of greatness tagging with Keith Lee. Tremendous to see him go all the way. All the credit in the World to Samoa Joe, too. There’s no shame in being a transitional champion, especially when you restore tonnes of prestige, deliver great matches and really make someone in defeat. He did everything he could to solidify Swerve here. I’m excited to see where things go. Yet again, they’ve had a huge, amazing show that has drawn a line under some stupid decisions and set the ground work for a phenomenal run, provided they can keep up the momentum. But yeah. Swerve Strickland winning the World Title in Handman Adam Page’s absence? Good Lord. It’s almost as interesting imagining what this will do to Hangman than it is imagining what Swerve will do next. This’ll be Hangman opening Dynamite on Wednesday. He’s gonna fucking kill him!

Bryan Danielson, you’ve just had one of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all time. Are you going to receive your flowers like a normal person, or continue this weird fetish for worked neck injuries and seizures, like a fucking sicko? Bryan Danielson;

Confirmation coming through as to why they didn’t use Bayley Buddies for Bayley’s entrance on this show. They didn’t want to steal the thunder from later on in the night, when Seth Rollins would become a real life Bayley Buddy, with his limbs flailing about in the wind. Check out the glitched rag doll physics on Seth’s leg when he takes that bump. Good fucking Lord. Seemingly hanging on by a piece string! I can’t even explain what a huge open goal they’ve got for Seth’s return. Easily the most I’ve ever felt for that character. The most amazing, underrated hero of the weekend. As if losing his belt wasn’t bad enough, he lost the ability to have his leg attached to his body! I don’t know how exactly you capitalise on this, but if he returns as the same old cackling idiot in dumb, whacky clothes then they’ve lost their minds.

And on that sacred day, pro-wrestling tribalism officially ended. From then onwards, there was peace. WWE and AEW fans rejoiced together, hand in hand.

“One of those rental cars belongs to Kevin Owens, and the other, your boy Tama Tonga’s!” CM Punk is going to hit the fucking roof! Good show. He’s in the difficult Kane role as the first Title Challenger after someone wins at Wrestlemania, meaning there’s less than zero drama or doubt of the result, but fair play to AJ Styles. I swear these last two weeks is the most he’s actually tried in years. Seems getting the main event at Backlash has injected some much needed motivation. Alongside a shit load of steroids, obviously. I was going to be a dickhead and point out that with the time difference Cody’s promo made no sense. For him to acknowledge AJ’s win it would mean he was still at the o2 arena, still in his gear, at something mad like half one in the morning. Except it’s Cody, so it wouldn’t be surprising at all for him to stay at a show hours after it finishes to give every single person a photo and autograph. The man is the best. New tag belts are absolutely gorgeous. Impressive showing from the Street Profits. Glad to see them being showcased again. That mad dive from Montez to the outside is glorious! Like he’s flying through your TV! Really good angle with The Bloodline. Solo dressed in his Sunday best was funny. Like a football hooligan appearing in court. He’s doing a spectacular job staging this coup though. Really delivering on the mic. Tama Tonga came across great as a complete nutter, too. Heyman’s acting is a bit much, but what can you do. There isn’t a bigger fan of Bloodline melodrama than Paul Heyman himself. Man is high as fuck on the smell of his own farts. Shout out to Triple H. Talking bollocks on Logan Paul’s podcast the week of Mania about how blood and swearing needs to be used, “in moderation,” and only when, “it really matters.” Took him a fortnight before he used blood again, with Kevin Owens covered in it here. You’re fooling no-one, Hunter. You’re as big a geek for this stuff as the rest of us. Blood is cool. Triple H when asked about blood in a public setting, requiring a professional answer. Triple H actually booking his shows.

This episode made me wonder if they’re building towards a Blackpool Combat Club vs. Don Callis Family Blood and Guts and/or Anarchy in the Arena match. It’s around this time of year they start doing a big faction war to build towards those matches, and they’re the only factions really beefing right now. Ideally they just drop the idea of doing these matches annually, it’s the worst type of contrived booking to always have specific stipulation matches at the same time every year. But if they are going to do it, I can’t really see who else could fit the bill. Maybe a miracle happens, Omega is healthy and they do Elite vs. Elite? Have Hangman and Omega return with their own back up? Can the Motor City Machine Guns still go?

I simply cannot anymore. There needs to be an intervention. We all shouldn’t be punished for eternity, just because Jericho doesn’t want to go home to his nutcase MAGA wife for an extended period of time. Just get a divorce, Chris. You hope Jericho was watching that opening segment. Moxley went away for weeks and it already felt exciting and novel to have him back. It’s not rocket science and requires little to no effort. You can even give those poor bastards at the trademark office a break. Just fuck off for a bit, please! Alas, I’ve given up hope. It won’t happen. I reckon we’re three weeks from him trademarking, “Jericho needs to fuck off.” It was a good go-home show. Everything settling back down after two weeks of their heads falling off because of CM Punk. The momentum’s not there like it could have been, but still a positive sign to see them steady the ship again. Who knew that ignoring people in other companies and just cracking on could produce positive results?! Really good mixed tag. Copeland had some great hoss chemistry with Brodie King. They should do a singles match. Brilliantly fun spots when Willow came out and started diving on Brodie, too. She rules. Strap her up. Interesting the way they had Copeland nod and shake hands with Mercedes. Hopefully what Copeland has been doing is contagious because he and Mercedes couldn’t be more different right now. Copeland is doing all this new, interesting, exciting stuff, whereas Mercedes is very slowly dying on her arse. She looks the absolute business - the rainbow hair from this week may have been the best look yet - but fuck me if there’s nothing there beyond the look and ability to carry yourself like a star. Weeks and weeks of bad, NXT-style promos. Each time they release a, “WE HEAR FROM MERCEDES,” graphic it’s sounding more and more like a threat. It’s the pits. I had to check Wikipedia to confirm, and was not surprised to see Mercedes hasn’t had much of a career beyond NXT and WWE. It seems ingrained in her. Like it’s all she knows. That WWE cadence and rhythm, where everything half rhymes. It stands out as so fake and shit in AEW. The phoney, robotic delivery is only compounded by the crappy, spooky, attacked-in-the-dark storyline. I thought we’d all admitted this Scooby Doo shit belongs in the bin? MJF’s career nosedived trying to make it work in this environment. We had to do a whole G1 tournament to distract everyone from it! Have we learnt nothing? The idea of Mercedes keeping this up, doing these bad promos, crappy acting and not wrestling until the end of May sounds absolutely dreadful. Instant return to form for The New Elite. Great match, fun character work, excellent dickhead-ery. I laughed out loud at Mathew still talking into the microphone as he got suplexed. I saw The Bucks were teasing a surprise at Dynasty. I assume Jack Perry joins The Elite after helping them win the ladder match. Providing they keep the Punk stuff to a minimum and focus on being So Cal Twats, I think it’ll work. Perry looked like a superstar on that New Japan show. Bryan Danielson doing a Bunkhouse Brawl the night before his dream match pay per view headliner. Never change, Bryan. Fantastic match between Ospreay and Claudio. It remains amazing how quickly Ospreay has adapted and became such a complete North American pro-wrestler. Superstar. Great night for Swerve. Good promo and then an amazing spot where he took out everyone with a stomp before landing on his feet. Top guy stuff. It’s time to pull the trigger. Learn from WWE. Pull the trigger when the time is right. We always knew the right time to pull the trigger on Cody was Wrestlemania 40. Definitely not Wrestlemania 39. Same applies here. You can taste it. It’s now or never. Nothing less than a Swerve victory will suffice on Sunday! But yeah. Almost goes without saying. Full support for Nyla, who’s great, massively under-utilised and an absolute hoot on Twitter. This should kickstart a new push.

I had no idea Cool Hand and Ruby were a couple in real life. Double brilliant news!

I don’t know if he’s paid some big bucks to push his stuff recently, but yeah. I’ve gone from not even knowing who Joe Hendry is, to fully believing in him. He’s all over my socials. Feel like every other post on my For You page is his cheeky grin spinning into shot. Catchiest entrance music ever. Get this lad in AEW!

When it comes to, “dream matches,” I try my best to keep my excitement and expectations at a reasonable level. I don’t want another Okada vs. Danielson. Or a modern-day Edge or AJ Styles match at Wrestlemania. But then they release a poster like this and I can’t control the hype. This is class! Love the ferocity on Danielson’s face. Like to think he’s racing to knock a Peri Peri Chicken out of Will’s hands, to suggest a plant-based alternative. The Title match had an equally as cool poster. Two bad ass, cool motherfuckers. The fucking lads. This needs to be Swerve’s moment.