Supremo

AEW trying to DMCA everyone and stop them sharing the footage on Twitter was easily the most interesting part.

Like they realised instantaneously how fucking stupid this whole thing was and how it wasn’t the massive gotcha they expected. Trying to get the toothpaste back in the tube the second it comes out. Everyone warned you.

Honestly, the only person this nonsense will benefit is Drew McIntyre, who’ll almost certainly reference it in the coming weeks, adding extra zeroes to the contract he’ll eventually sign with WWE.

Chris Hero nearly crying was the best part. Probably realised that filling out an incident report would delay him getting a Nando’s.

Stone Cold was on the Truck of Destiny. No other explanation required.

Anyway, I can’t get over it. The most useless character in decades. One weekend. I’ve done a complete 180. Salute this man and the sacrifices he made for all of us. Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed. Thank you, Seth. Clap clap, clap clap clap.

*I’m fully aware he’ll likely ruin it and be back stinking up the joint his first night back.

Put Night Two on as background viewing today whilst I worked. I’d forgotten the mad moment when they advertised the Wrestlemania documentary, “Behind the Curtain.” Hunter and Rock talking about, “calling an audible,” and, “pivoting,” the storyline when the crowd turned on The Rock.

All well and good, it looks like an interesting documentary, but airing the trailer on the actual pay per view itself was crazy. Jarring as fuck. Like in the middle of the Loki finale Tom Hiddleston suddenly pops up, talking about where they wanted the story and characters to go.

Is it likely a dumb idea to air this footage? Yes. Does it make them look super petty and low-rent. Yes. Is it important that we set in stone how Punk recalled the incident on the MMA Hour, in order to determine how full of shit he is? Also yes.

"Jack came back from his match, I was the next match, and I've got people with me.  "I walk up and I'm like, why do you insist on doing this dumb internet shit on TV, and he was like 'well if you've got a problem do something about it and I'm like come on man, I'd kill you, what are we doing.

"I thought I was doing the responsible thing, I didn't punch anybody, I just choked somebody a little bit. Samoa Joe was there, told me to stop, then I quit.

"I turned to Tony, I said this place is a joke man, you're a clown, I quit.

"I went to my room, Joe and Jerry Lynn got me and lets just go out there and kill it. I was just too fired up and I'm fired up now, I'm probably going to regret talking about it."

Yokozuna sent The Undertaker to heaven thirty years ago. Anoaʻi family had it coming.

People mocking the Seth character for everything that happened over the weekend reminds me of people who were complaining that Daniel Garcia and Mark Briscoe kept losing in the Continental Classic. This weird, outdated idea that WINNING means PUSHED and LOSING means BURIED.

It’s just not the case anymore. It’s not 2006. You can tell interesting stories and create engaging characters with losses, just as you can wins. There’s room for nuance in pro-wrestling.

Seth has won clean for a year straight and I’ve felt nothing for him. In one weekend he’s been smashed to bits, had his pathetic run-in immediately shut down, limped out of the arena with a massive black eye, lost everything, and he feels like an absolute hero. It’s the most interesting thing he’s done in forever. The first time some of his sixty nicknames actually worked. He was the visionary who saw the path to victory. He was the architect of Roman’s downfall. He did outsmart him. Put some respect on this lad’s name. The Bloodline doesn’t fall without his sacrifice.

I thought this was cool. Almost certainly wasn’t done on purpose, and was most likely just everyone getting into position for the final shot, but I still hope they one day air it on TV. It’s arguably the most poignant moment of the weekend. Roman stumbling away defeated, all his previous rivals running past him to celebrate. Not a single one of them acknowledging him. We never got Sami Zayn beating him in Montreal, but we got the next best thing. Sami completely ignoring him to go celebrate with the goodies. Get fucked Roman. We won.

The closer it comes to this airing, the worse it seems.

WWE are coming off a hugely successful event, featuring many of the things that used to set AEW apart as a revolutionary brand. Back to basics pro-wrestling. Big, hot angles. Huge, cathartic moments. Smart, intertwined story beats.

To climb back in the mud and start throwing shit is so tragic and lame. Like when your ex has moved on and is in a new happy, healthy relationship and you’re still slagging them off on Facebook. Did John Cena teach us nothing, Tony? Rise above hate!

I’ve watched the main event back about five times now. It’s absolutely perfect in its ridiculousness. The ultimate crescendo. They nailed it.

I do worry though. In the same way this was WWE: Endgame, you wonder if it’s going to end up like the MCU, where there’s no way to follow it and everything pales in comparison. Once you’ve done everything with everyone, where can you really go? For all the talk of this being the new era, it might end up being the Disney Plus Era, where everything peters off. That might have been their Mania X-Seven.

Another similarity with the MCU post-Endgame; they’re one report away from having their own version of Johnathan Majors as Kang, where they place all their eggs in one basket and then it blows up in their face. Hunter, Nick Khan, Bruce Pritchard and now Stephanie McMahon. None of these people need to be on TV, so it feels like a huge, unnecessary risk to parade them about given the storm that could be coming.

Get on this though. Never has a man been more Fed-bound. Probably counting the days left on his contract. The only thing I can ever imagine getting him this happy in AEW would be if Chris Jericho announced his retirement.

Saw this mock-up floating around online. Wouldn’t be against it. Certainly better than what we currently have.

Like everyone else, I was disappointed it wasn’t Stone Cold instead of The Undertaker, but then I realised Steve has a much more important job. Right now, only he can determine whether this was a good Wrestlemania or not. Send THE MAN to get THE ANSWERS from Samantha Irvin.

“I’m seeing Cody raise the belt in a sold out Lincoln Financial Field. Big pop. Seventy thousand plus. I’m hearing your voice break. I’m seeing you wipe away some tears. But I’ve got to know…are you workin’ or are you shootin’?”

Also, special shout out to the fella who during the live advertisement of Slim Jims, when everyone else was taking a normal bite, he decided to deep throat his instead. Camera man couldn’t cut away quick enough.

Blood, swearing, deep throating Slim Jims. The PG SUX lot must be over the moon right now. 

One of my biggest pet peeves - especially back when WWE was shit - was people posting stuff like this, finding logic, sense and through-lines where you knew for a fact WWE never intended. All those Twitter threads and YouTube videos about how Bray Wyatt’s Cinematic Universe made perfect sense and was full of clever references and foreshadowing that would definitely pay off satisfactorily, rather than just a pile of nonsense.

This Seth one actually works though. It got me. You can believe the same amount of thought has been put into it as to what the viewer has interpreted. Great stuff.

Honestly, it might be the biggest achievement of the weekend. I actually felt something for Seth Rollins! My least favourite wrestler, my least favourite character, but in the space of a weekend he had some actual development and a proper arc! I was rooting for the annoying dickhead. He sacrificed everything for the greater good. He did outsmart Roman by playing on his everlasting bitterness for how The Shield split up. Good grief. Amazing.

Seeing Seth cry* as he watched Drew raise gold, you almost believed it was an amazing reign that had come to a tragic end, rather than a bunch of bad, cackle-filled promos and average matches with Nakamura. I’m sure loads of people will claim Seth was buried this weekend, and especially that bit where Roman immediately chinned him during his run in, but genuinely it’s the best thing Seth has done in forever. I’m actually interested in how this affects him. He’s got serious justification of a heel turn here if they so desire. Cody owes him the world.

But yeah. No greater example of the mind-blowing euphoria that main event managed to reach that I honestly expected fucking Dean Ambrose to come out with Seth when The Shield’s music hit. Tony should have allowed it. He doesn’t deserve pro-wrestling.

*Not yet confirmed if Seth's tears were real. If confirmed fake, this obviously invalidates everything I've just said and makes everything rubbish.

Fake tears from Logan too. Disgusting.

Or maybe it was the biggest crescendo the company has ever done, the most satisfying conclusion to a multi-year long story, and everyone lost their minds with emotion. Particularly those who know Cody personally.

The best. When it’s good it’s fucking great.

As long as we can all agree this is the funniest thing of all time. The most ridiculous man alive reaches his final form. Like at the end of a video game, when they tell you it’s the final boss and you can’t return, so you just spend all your loot on the stupidest item.

If you want your WWE to be sterile, robotic, emotionless shit then you’re in for a treat with the Network. There’s a solid couple of decades worth of programming like that for you to binge.

I much prefer this new stuff, where people actually feel real, with real emotion, talking like real people, randomly shouting, “shit!” And even if Samantha’s crying is fake (I don’t think it is, but whatever), since when has that mattered? It’s pro-wrestling. That’s the point. Everything is fake, and it’s at its best when you get caught up and can’t tell for sure. Cody didn’t really pin Roman’s shoulders down. That was fake too. Still fucking incredible. I was practically in tears in my living room. Imagine being that close to it, live! I’d have been sobbing alongside her! When he gave his mum the belt! Fucking hell. Close the industry down. We’ve peaked.

Look, lads. You can dislike her if you want, but just know that you’re wrong. Extremely wrong.

They were right to have Cody lose at Wrestlemania 39. I've always thought that.

I just find the whole thing really sad. They were on such a roll since the start of the year. It was bad enough the previous two times Punk’s bullshit derailed them, but he doesn’t even work there anymore and it’s happening again!

Make’s Copeland’s “just enjoy the wrestling!” speech look stupid too. One week later and they’re now throwing shit themselves. Imagine giving Ariel Helwani any type of satisfaction. For shame.

Triple H’s dick must be aching for how much it’s been sucked this weekend. Gargano and Ciampa’s cosplay tipped it over the edge for me. What a pair of fucking losers. Forty years of Wrestlemania and I can’t think of anyone who looked as lame as those two, coming out earnestly dressed as Hunter and Shawn. Like Make-A-Wish kids or competition winners. As if they weren’t dead in the water on a weekly basis already. Pair of whoppers. Hope you enjoyed your Mania moment. Can’t imagine they’ll ever get one again. Worthless chumps.

Also, fair play to everyone licking Hunter’s bum, I get it, it’s all about the game and how you play it. But surely it must be in the back of your mind that at any moment a report could come out that implicates him and makes those publicly noshing him off look extremely stupid.

Anyway, it was an okay show. Nothing massively offensive bar the Usos match, but very little that stood out as above average, either. Probably one of the worst Night One shows we’ve had. They usually peak on Night One and then fizzle out on Night Two. Hopefully that’s not the case here.

The only thing I’ll likely remember or watch back from this show will be Zayn vs. Gunther, which was fantastic. Amazing entrance from Sami, great story told, Gunther looked incredible, and then a finish that got me teary eyed with a lump in my throat. Proper pro-wrestling, that. Babyface you love making the big, impossible comeback. Love it.

Other quick thoughts…

Crowd were a bit shit. Maybe it was the weather. Did they mention if it was cold?

Opener was fine. My wife sat down and watched it. At one point she asked why - if the women are now treated equally - they still wear outfits that ride up their arse, which isn’t the case for the men. I didn’t have an answer.

Ladder match was mindless fun. I was happy to see Truth win. Saw people complaining about A Town Down Under, but I don’t get that at all. They’ve turned into a fun, entertaining pair of idiots. Happy to see them featured even more. Best thing Theory has ever done. Just admit it.

My heart goes out to all those tribal maniacs who’ve forever claimed that The Usos are better than The Young Bucks, always arguing that the only move The Bucks have is a Superkick, which they spam to death. It was like this garbage Brother vs. Brother match existed exclusively to make those people look dumb. Dreadful. Endless Superkicks, interspersed with bad amateur dramatics. SHOUTING THE PLOT. Total shite. Probably even worse than Matt and Jeff at Mania 25.

Hate when they use NFL players. Don’t know who these men are. Don’t care. Shocked at how bad their physiques are considering they’re supposed to be top level athletes.

Jade, Bianca and Naomi looked the absolute business together. Most telegenic group of all time. Gargano and Ciampa should just quit the industry after watching that entrance.

When I saw how long was left of this show after Sami and Gunther, I assumed there was another match before the main event. When the main event started, I assumed the post-show press conference must be tacked on to the end. Couldn’t believe my eyes when they managed to fill nearly an hour of time! Fair play though. It took a while to get going, but ended up being a perfect Attitude Era scrap at the end. Set things up nicely for tonight.

Rock’s entrance was great, but whoever was directing it should be shot into the sun. Half of it we couldn’t even see what was happening because of that long focus on the fire, as if Gangrel was gonna pop up with some Cheese and Onion.

For a minute, I thought The Rock was going to wrestle in his flairs. Would have been more criminal than when Punk came back in those long tights against Darby.

Rock looked good. Think being in a tag helped things, but he still looked great considering his age and how long he’s been out. Maybe there’s at least one or two big singles matches still to come. There’s no denying the huge reaction when Roman accidentally Speared him. You could smell the money.

Cody needs to hire Chad Gable as his coach. Maybe Chad can advise against Cody doing the triple Cross Roads, aimlessly stepping backwards after the second, before hitting the third. Cost you again, you muppet! Lose a Mania match once that way, shame on me, do it again, shame on you!

Don’t know if it was a new product or the weather (did they mention it was cold?), but either way Roman’s hair looked majestic by the end! Like a sexy lion! Aslan from Narnia!

Looking forward to tonight. More convinced than ever they’ll do the right thing and crown Cody in a huge crescendo. Will be punching the air if they do. Will die laughing if they don’t.

2 hours ago, Dr. Alan Grant said:

I hope it’s just footage of the Bucks dressed up as everyone involved. Terrible wigs, fake moustaches, a fat suit for Samoa Joe. I want poor editing, bad acting and Brandon Cutler fearing for his life in full Tony Khan cosplay. 

This is by far the best idea. Anything else just seems insane to me. If they release the actual footage, it’s just gonna be this, isn’t it?

On 4/2/2024 at 8:48 AM, Supremo said:

If Tony Khan has to respond, he should just release the security footage from Wembley. Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe that footage will back up Punk’s claims here, acting as if he calmly strolled up to Jack Perry and politely asked, “excuse me young Jack, may I please enquire as to why you’re doing this silly internet stuff on TV.”

Shocked there hasn’t been more chat about this. Five years ago, in the dark days, it’d be the most interesting and exciting thing to happen all year. It’s mad. So unlike anything WWE usually do.

Was the whole thing planned, including the blood, dangerously crashing through the chairs, and very-real-looking MMA slams? Did they clue anyone in beforehand? Were some security guards supposed to break them up, but forgot?

Feels like a work someone came up with at the last second, which came off the tracks almost immediately. If that whole thing went exactly as planned and AJ isn’t legitimately furious at the end then that’s the best acting of his career and the best thing he’s done since the Boneyard match. F-bombs from a dweeb like AJ Styles! Crazy! Guess we should be thankful though. I reckon there are other words AJ Styles might say when legitimately angry that wouldn’t have gone down so well.

Rock and Cody. Sami and Chad. Dragon Lee, Carlito and Andrade. You’d think Hunter has some type of blind spot for being a snide prick, stealing spots. Road Dogg’s probably gonna be Rey’s partner by the time Wrestlemania actually starts, despite not even shagging Ryan Shamrock. 

The maddest thing is that some form of Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar has been penciled in for Mania for about eight months. A proper slow burn. And yet, in the final stretch it’s as if Vince Russo has become script consultant. Whole thing’s a rushed mess.

Wasn’t going to bother with last night’s show. There’s too much stuff to watch and still have a relatively normal human existence.

Saw this though. Fucking hell. Floods of tears. I think he’s the best babyface in the business today.

Probably easier to appreciate the grind when you’re divorced and have no-one to go home to.

I saw Hunter was back talking bollocks about Chapters and The Story Continuing on Raw. Hilarious.

If Cody doesn’t win that belt I won’t even be mad this time. I’ll just marvel at the sheer ineptitude. Surely they wouldn’t do it again? Just edge people until the end of time?

Oh well. Could be worse.