JLM

Yeah it all depends on context and what you’re trying to achieve. Kingston vs Danielson where the story of the match is all about Danielson working a limb to remove Eddie’s striking game and set him up for a submission? Eddie selling the right arm throughout and having to try and do stuff with his left hand is essential there. The whole point of the match is lost if Eddie shows no ill effects to the arm. 

Sting’s retirement match where the people want to see him be a larger than life superhero one last time? Absolutely no sell a double super kick to the face and kick out at one after multiple finishers. 

Osprey and Takeshita was two super humans trying to one up each other and put on a show that nobody else could. Those two doing insane video game shit to one another was what was advertised, and in that context I thought it was fine. They brought an extra level of fighting spirit out of each other or something, whatever. 

I would like to see fewer kick outs from finishing moves specifically though, so for special occasions when it happens it feels special. I never expect the first time a finisher hits to end a match any more, which in turn devalues the kick outs themselves, and of course devalues the finisher. I think they’re an important story telling device and I’d prefer it to be a huuuuge deal whenever someone kicks out of them. Then you get fun stuff where people have to have special occasion super finishers, or have to try something else. 
 

I would also like it if signature 2-count moves sometimes got the win. If Sami or Takeshita just one single time could get the 3 with a blue thunder bomb it would make me very happy. 

Doing some very tedious Remote Desktop server testing today with our central IT team. One of the issues is when I log onto this new remote environment it doesn’t bring across my bookmarks from my main profile. 

The IT guy I’m speaking to about it calls them Favourites rather than bookmarks, which is absolutely fine. No issue. 

However, he pronounces it as “favouriteys” and I cannot stand it, and I must  have heard it about 30 times already today. To be clear he is a native English speaker, so I’m not sure if he genuinely doesn’t know or if he’s trying to be cute. Either way I want to poke him in the eye right now. 

Good lord she is unsettling to watch in that speech. Someone told her smiling makes you seem more like a human being, but she hasn’t quite mastered when to deploy it. 

“Our families are LESS SAFE” 😀

2 minutes ago, Vamp said:

I normally create a fairly small woman who's a bit too much of a Kane fan

 

 

AEW Revolution 2024

Pre Show -

Bang Bang Scissor Gang vs Jarrett Clan/Private Party/Willie Mack

Despite the massive, massive backlog I just worked through I still watched the pre-show. Don't often get to see AEW in front of a crowd this big so I wanted to soak it all up. Caster deliberately choked on the rap this time, is this a thing now? Is it going to be a thing? What's Willie Mack doing hanging out with these shady characters? The whole team (including Willie) doing the strut was my favourite bit. Crowd got very loud for the Daddy Ass hot tag. I quite like that Jay White's babyface promos are him basically taking the piss out of babyface promos. Such a natural heel, I cannot wait for this BBSG thing ito implode and for him to get back on track. When is Juice back?  Maybe he can sort this. 

Pac's "BASTAD" sweatshirt was excellent. Look forward to his return, will pretend that match with Gravity never happened. 

WIllow/Stat vs Julia/Skye Blue was a cracking tag match. Perhaps a few too many hot tags and near falls, but it was wrestled at a sprint and Statlander in particular looked tremendous as usual. Best bit of the whole thing was Willow escaping the Code Blue and then pouncing Skye Blue's soul out of her body. God damn. Should probably be illegal to use "Improved" in the same sentence as either Julia or Skye these days as it's all we ever say, but it really is lovely to see how far they've come. They managed to keep up with two of the best wrestlers in the division here in what was quite a long and ambitious match. 

Main show:

16,000 fans in attendance! Awesome. 

Daniel Garcia vs Christian Cage

Danny's scorpion jacket was a lovely touch. This was amazing. Tremendous heat, incredible fire from Garcia and another masterclass from Christian Cage. The fake injury, the selling of the "real" injury, telling the camera man to scram when the patriarchy was doing a strategy huddle, the man is flawless. What an opener, especially for those of us who have followed Garcia's story up to this point. I was jumping out of my seat when Daddy Magic sent Killswitch packing. Devastated by the result but Danny will have his day and it will be the BEST day. 

Kingston vs Danielson.

Before the match even started, having Lexy and Renee paraphrase promos  on their behalf was a wonderful touch. They've already said everything, they're both laser focused. Proper big fight feel before they were both in the ring. What a match. Hard to even know where to begin with it. The in-ring storytelling throughout this feud has been some of the best I have ever seen in pro wrestling and this was no exception. We've had Danielson goading Eddie into losing his cool, we've had Eddie making Danielson lose his cool. We've established that Eddie's strikes are one of his biggest strengths against Danielson.

This time Danielson is taking it more seriously than ever. He is not trying to wind up Eddie, he is not engaging in mind games. He is a better wrestler than Kingston. He is a better strategist and a better technical wrestler. He knows this, he has told himself this (perhaps NEEDS to tell himself this?) and he is going to dismantle Eddie and make him tap out. 

It's working, too. He picks apart the leg to slow Eddie down, then moves on to the arm to remove the threat of the Uraken and set up his submission finish. It is all going exactly to plan. Eddie is barely surviving his holds, he is forced to use the weaker left hand for his offense. However, once again, despite all logic and despite Danielson doing exactly what he set out to do, this fucking guy will not lose. The growing frustration in Danielson and the gradual collapse of his gameplan as it went on was a joy to watch. 

On Eddie's side, yes, the strikes are a big asset and he has relied on them in the past. However, the things he has that can't be out-wrestled or outplayed are his resolve and his FIRE. What was once both a strength and at times an achilles heel for Eddie has been channeled into his greatest weapon. He isn't losing to uncontrollable rage, but rather deploying the rage when he needs it the most, and when he has it under control it's something no opponent can plan or account for. 

Perhaps Danielson could be in the World Title picture and headlining on the posters and perhaps that might be a better business move for AEW, but as a fan I am glad he has chosen to do exactly what he's been doing on this run. Will Osprey might have more sizzle and razzmatazz, but for me Danielson is the best pro wrestler in the world. The Messi to Osprey's Ronaldo, for any sport ball heads. 

The Scramble match was a big clusterfuck, obviously. Aside from the nod to the meatfest that wasn't, the first few minutes were all over the place. People looking lost, particularly Dante and Magnus. Half way through there were some fun pairings and entertaining spots. Great showcase for Wardlow towards the end, but ultimately this wasn't very good. 

OC vs Roddy. I never saw this match going any other way. Roddy systematically picking apart an already broken man.

FTR  vs BCC 

Did not have the crowd for the first half. Turned into a good brawl with a typically high drama closing stretch, but it wasn't the time or the place for them to have a blood soaked epic unfortunately. 

Deonna vs Toni was OK but they did not have the people. Bit of a shame because the build for this was very good. 

Osprey vs Takeshita was absolutely batshit. Delivered exactly what they set out to do. State of the art stuff from two of the best, putting on a show that nobody else on the roster could achieve. I thought "bell to bell" was the expression but Callis is pretty insistent on "rope to rope". But yeah, completely insane match that felt like it was from a different universe. I personally slightly preferred Eddie vs Danielson but this was spectacular. 

Joe vs Hangman vs Swerve

I loved Swerve out with the dancers looking like a superstar ready to take his rightful place at the top of the mountain, contrasted with Hangman coming out like a raving lunatic and completely ignoring his own pyro. Especially jarring when you consider the entrances Hangman has had for previous world title matches. He's not the modern day cowboy striding in to clean up this town and fulfil his destiny this time, he is there to make sure Swerve doesn't win and that's it. Joe looked great, Swerve looked great, Hangman in this role is doing some of the best work of his career. I was gripped throughout because I genuinely wasn't sure which direction they'd go, but ultimately thrilled with the result. I didn't want Joe dethroned just yet and I'm glad he retained. Swerve is inevitable, Hangman and Swerve fighting for this title is inevitable, but neither of those things needed to be at Joe's expense by giving him a short reign with barely any defenses. 
 

Sting/Darby vs The Bucks

Ooh boy. So Sting in the cinema watching the absolutely phenomenal video package made me shed a tear. I know we're not supposed to compare things to WWE in AEW threads, but this was a WWE-esque video package in terms of sheer quality, and I consider that to be high praise. When he delivered the most subdued "it's showtime" with the little stare into middle distance, that's when I shed another tear. I knew he'd get me. 

On any other night I'd have had Kingston vs Danielson as match of the night, but nothing was competing with this. I've seen people online complaining that a legend retiring in a crazy stunt fest full of mad high spots wasn't appropriate somehow, but I feel like if you've paid any attention to Sting's AEW run at all you'd see that it was the perfect send off. Sting has mentored Darby but he's also been inspired and rejuvenated by Darby's daredevil attitude, and that has rubbed off on him. This sort of madness has been a hallmark of what has been a note perfect last run. 

Like others have said, I don't have the same nostalgia for Sting as some of the fans in attendance. I watched Silver Vision WWF tapes and didn't see any WCW at all in the early to mid 90s. Later I watched Attitude era WWF and caught snippets of WCW on TNT. I went to see WCW when they toured the UK, but it was the tour when Goldberg had used real glass and was crying rivers, and everyone else was sat at home getting paid. I thought Crow Sting was cool as fuck and I bought his t-shirt on that tour even though he wasn't on the show, and I bought Spring Stampede 99 on VHS because he was on the cover. I had a Surfer Sting alarm clock because I think my mum had confused him with The Ultimate Warrior, but have only ever seen odd matches from the early days. I have gone back and watched quite a bit of late 90s NWO/Wolfpac stuff but I didn't watch it all as a kid and form that nostalgic bond with the Sting. The TNA run I've seen even less. 

So pretty much all of my good will towards Sting has been based on reputation, watching stuff after the fact and, most of all, this incredible AEW run. AEW make plenty of frustrating decisions, stopping/starting pushes, unnecessary signings, whiffing on cant-miss performers or directions or at least failing to fully capitalise on them. The Sting run though, for me, has been as closed to perfect as anything I've watched in this silly fake sport. A returning legend banking on nostalgia and the existing fandom and not disgracing themselves or tarnishing their legacy is a rare enough feat in pro wrestling, but for a guy in his 60s to MAKE me a fan on his final run is truly remarkable. That is a credit to him as a special performer, but also AEW's immaculate handling, presentation and appropriate level of reverence without ever 100% relying on nostalgia. 

Sting's sons in the outfits got me choked up all over again. Outstanding. 

I don't know if any spot this year will top the no sell on the double super kick. The kick outs and the 3 count itself were also magical, but that bit was one of those special times where pro wrestling makes me feel like a child again. 

Wonderful, wonderful send off for The Icon. Good lord I am going to miss him, and if ever he does pop in again for a surprise appearance I am going to lose my fucking mind.

The card was perhaps too stacked for its own good, and the Storm/Purazzo and BCC/FTR matches were the casualties of that. The Scramble match was a bit pants. However, Osprey/Takeshita was a mind-blowing spectacle, the World Title match was tremendous and Garcia/Christian, Kingston/Danielson and Bucks/Sting all had me jumping out of my seat like an excitable child and shedding real tears by the end of the show. Can't really give a show any bigger endorsement than that. 9 and 3/4 stars. 

As much as Kelly has settled into the role in my opinion (and was particularly good in the recent Akiyama and Nagata appearances) I would without question take a trip to the Riccabone Zone over him, no argument there.

46 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said:

I hated him at first, but Kevin Kelly had really settled into his role in the past few months and the Kelly-Nigel-Tone team was often a highlight of Collision. I'll be sad if he's gone. 

Yep, at the start of Collision I couldn't have imagined a world where I'd be defending Kevin Kelly, but that trio has really found its groove lately and I would be a bit sad if it's broken up. 

An all time classic. My favourite thing about it is that it’s a pre-tape. 
 

CM Punk did it on Cabana’s podcast during more harmonious times: 

This playlist has more Farmer promos, a Motley Cruz promo AND the match itself:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8CDC77CA3360EA1D

Tim Robinson also did this : 

Collison 24/02/24

Sammy vs Hobbs was a belting opener. Classic big man/little man match with great heat and intensity, peppered with some absolutely outrageous highspots. Everything looked fantastic here, though my favourite had to be the flying spinebuster from the ring to the tables on the floor. Hobbs is awesome, wish he'd wrestle more often. I am largely done with Sammy as a character but he was great here too. 

Shane Taylor Promotions vs FTR was a quality TV tag match. Cash Wheeler in particular was on fire for this one. Moriarty and Taylor both got some shine, Moriarty outwrestling Cash at the start and Taylor looking dominant against Dax for most of it. Beautiful finishing sequence with a series of counters seamlessly ending with a blind tag and Moriarty in position for a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combo. This looked very cool but also made sense, because the story of the match was that Moriarty and Taylor can hang with each FTR member individually but aren't as experienced as a tag team. 
 
Great promo from Dax after the match. They want to take down Mox because he's the king of AEW, most people backstage are afraid of BCC but FTR aren't. The most straightforward build imagineable for this match at Revolution and I have no problem with that at all. 

Thunder Rosa squashed a jobber. Wonder when she'll get something to do on this show. 

Acclaimed entrance with Max's rap petering out was very bad. Good lord. I was cautiously willing to let this Bang Bang Scissor Gang thing play out for a bit, but I prefer both acts separately and this is diminishing Bullet Club Gold big time now. 

Malakai vs Bryan Keith was a match on the show. Loved the Mark Briscoe lights out attack.

Lady Frost vs Serena Deeb. I like this match a lot on paper. Two of the better in-ring performers on the roster and a fun clash of styles. The commentators mentioned that this was thrown together after Kiera Hogan dropped out, and I did think it showed a bit during the match. It was OK, but there were definitely moments where they weren't clicking and had to massively telegraph their next move/wait for the other person to do something. Got better as it went on and had the nice simple story of Deeb wearing down the knee. Also liked the classic single leg crab as the finish. Obviously made sense after all the leg work, but I also appreciate it when submission-based wrestlers can win with all sorts of different holds. 

I like that Deeb gets post-match promos after these exhibition type matches she's having. She's not an amazing promo but is capable enough, and it's important to hear from these characters. I thought the content was pretty good here too: "When the professor wrestles, the lights don't go out, when the professor wrestles, the screen doesn't go black and white, when the professor wrestles, SHE WRESTLES". I know "I'm a serious wrestler" is not the most novel gimmick, but in contrast with the current champions who have all the bells and whistles, it genuinely does set her apart. She also pulls it off in the ring with how smooth and technically sound shei. Interesting that she had a line about "anyone who wants to join" the division too. I'm a fan of this return so far and intrigued to see where she heads next. 

Main event was fantastic. Akiyama is such a crafty veteran. He can't move quite like he used to but he wrings every bit of value out of every single thing he does. Danielson is the best pro wrestler, so he of course understands exactly how to get the most out of this match too. They got a "this is awesome" chant, and what they had actually done in the match in terms of physical action was so minimal by AEW standards. Akiyama's knee drop to Bryan Danielson on the apron was a great example. It looked great, but more importantly Akiyama waited to make sure every fan in the arena was engaged with what he was about to do before delivering the move. Anything can be a high spot if you can convince the crowd it's a high spot. Pure pro wrestling. 

Kelly and Kingston nerding out on the desk were a joy to listen to throughout. Akiyama putting the guillotine, Kingston immediately notes that he choked out Kenta Kobashi with it. Kingston says early on Akiyama is a wily veteran and will dig an elbow in/use the old tricks if needed; Akiyama goes for a quick eye rake to escape a hold. All punctuated by Nigel's ongoing verbal assassination of the clam digger. Particularly loved him snitching to Eddie about Danielson's comments when he'd been on the desk. 

Post match was perfect. I thought Danielson was going to jump Akiyama, but having Akiyama slap him first for disrespecting Eddie and *then* Danielson goes for the low blow was even better. The Kingston/Danielson story is one of the best things in wrestling, can't wait to get to the Revolution match! Ploughing through this backlog at speed to get there before I run into any spoilers. 

Very strong episode. Keith vs Malakai could have been shorter and I'm not loving Bang Bang Scissor Gang, but everything else was good or excellent. 

Collision 02/03/24

Briscoe's attack on HOB to start the show was bloody brilliant. I like that Briscoe is brave, pissed off but not stupid. The sneak attack itself was smart, but he was also ready for the reinforcements and had counters to everything they threw at him. Stealing the pyro controls was genius, did not see that one coming! Mark Briscoe is a treasure, was so pumped for him coming out on top.

Great little promo from Swerve. Not really even mad about Hangman for the shenanigans on Dynamite, just mildly annoyed at himself for getting Swerved. 

Bryan Keith vs Penta vs Dante Martin. I'll be honest I was itching to get to Revolution so I skimmed through this one. I wanted Penta to win and was disappointed that he didn't. 

Amazing promo from Hangman. The absolutely deranged rantings of a dangerously obsessed man. Full on crazy eyes. I appreciate that he still briefly apologises to the fans for lying to them. He still believes he's a good guy but his melon is beyond twisted. It's not even "I did what I had to do" like the ends justify the means, it was an even more base level "I HAD TO DO IT!". Loved this. 

Nigel hitting the deck from Mariah blowing him a kiss was funny. Nigel is consistently great on Collision these days. Took me a while to warm up to him as I always found him a bit grating in NXT, but he has found his groove and made me a fan. He justifies the heels' actions to a preposterous degree and makes fun quips, but he also clearly understands and helps to convey the stories being told. Mariah was pleasingly mean to the jobber. The running knee to the face in particular looked brutal. 

Toni ducking under Mariah's hug to get to the mic was hilarious. What a counter. Another strong Purazzo/Storm segment. The split screen with both of them face to face was my favourite use of it yet. 

Skipped Dark Order vs Bang Bang Scissor Gang.

Wardlow/Jericho promo was too long, and nobody wants to hear Jericho talk about winning the World Title in 2024. Warlow still sounded good, but yeah, it was far too long-winded. Ahh the past couple of weeks of Wardlow minus the devil goon bullshit would have been pretty good. 

Private Party vs Styles and Daniels is a no thank you from me. Jarrett deserves better than this. 

Main event was fine but of little consequence and I just want to watch Revolution now.

Rampage 23/02/24

Top Flight and Andretti vs Private Party and Matt Sydal vs Penta, Komander and Bryan Keith

This was pretty darn Rampage-y. The match was an entertaining sprint but ooh I do not like Action Andretti. Is he actually supposed to be a babyface? The giant launching tornillo from Komander was crazy. Penta was awesome, as was his black and gold ring gear. 

Zak Knight boooo. Is he the jock coming to beat up Cool Hand? He better not beat up Cool Hand. Or embarrass him at the big homecoming dance. I don't know what Harley Cameron is doing. We're getting the next date!

CAPUCCINO JONES! 

Mariah May and Anna Jay decided to hit each other pretty hard. This was more fun than I thought it would be. 

I enjoyed the main event much more than expected too. Haeger generally bores me senseless, but all the bells and whistles and the hot hometown crowd got me on board. 

A solid Rampage. 

Rampage 01/03/24 

Rugido vs Claudio was a very ordinary pro wrestling match. Rugido hit an impressive powerslam considering the size difference, other than that it was just the OK-est of OK. I am still not over Hechicero being cruelly taken away from us by US immigration policy. Enjoyed Daddy Magic and Nigel bickering more than the match here. Appreciated the post match shithousery from Claudio. 

The Righteous and Lance Archer vs Jobbers. Again, please free up the trios titles and make Lance Archer and The Righteous a permanent thing. I will watch jobber squashes to get my Dutch fix and it will temporarily satisfy my bloodlust, but I crave more. They destroyed the jobbers with extreme prejudice and I was satisfied for now. Dutch was thoroughly entertained with Archer's abuse of the jobbers and even gave him a little pat afterwards in recognition of his work. Stop flirting and make it official, guys. Murderhawk Minister Lance Archer. I'm beggin' ya. 

Trish Adora vs Riho. I liked the test of strength where Trish put both hands up, as is tradition, but Riho used both hands to try and beat just one of Trish's. I don't think I've seen that before. Fun little Rampage filler match, elevated by how over Riho still is, and by Trish leaning into that and being a bit more heelish than usual. 

Cool Hand and Ruby's date! At last! Oh nooooooooooooooooo Zak Knight. I like them cementing this split. Ruby acting pretty much as herself (and the very real chemistry she has with Cool Hand) has made her the most likeable she's ever been to me. Ruby vs Saraya isn't going to be pretty, but it'll be all shenanigans and smoke and mirrors and I want the best for Ruby and Cool Hand, so I'm on board. Daddy Magic going right back to bantering with Tony and Nigel and having no reaction to this assault on Cool Hand was a touch awkward. I know he's Danny's surrogate father and JAS is over, but Cool Hand is surely still his boy right? 

Magnus vs Matt Sydal. I like that Magnus came out still pissed at what Claudio did to his tag partner earlier, and that he didn't want any part of Sydal's handshake as a result. I've seen what you people do in this promotion. I shake your hand you kick my balls. Never again! This was a weird one. I thought it'd be a bit of a Magnus showcase, but Sydal was on offense for pretty much the entire thing. Then he lost. Just barely squeaking by Matt Sydal is not a very impressive way to qualify for the scramble. 

I have to wonder if Rugido and Magnus were not the luchadors they wanted to use here after the via issues. They are the CMLL tag champs though, so maybe not. Either way, neither of them was particularly impressive. 
 

Dynamite 28/02/24

Excellent opening segment. I didn't mind the fake injury angle. Hangman has completely lost the plot with Swerve, so doing something like this that's wildly out of character for him made sense. Swerve and Joe both sounded phenomenal too. Great build for a truly fascinating world title match. 

FTR/Eddie vs BCC was a stellar match and a very effective go home segment for the two Revolution matches. Loved how they had little bouts of back and forth wrestling and then in would explode into an uncontrollable brawl, then back again. Great chaotic energy and fire throughout this one. Eddie completely focused at the start of the match, so much so that Danielson is the one distracted by the crowd and Eddie is trying to get his attention back. Danielson's campaign to get in Eddie's head again after the CC has gradually worn Eddie down though. Later in the match he got baited by Danielson's cheap shot, then by the end he was the reckless ball of rage Danielson has been able to take down before. He let his rage at Danielson get the better of him, he swung wildly and it cost him the match. Danielson going for the completely unnecessary choke finish was yet another wonderful dickhead move. Eddie and Danielson could easily be the best thing on the Revolution card, and the Revolution card is absurd. 

Osprey/Callis/Takeshita stuff was great. Callis dropping "it doesn't matter which one of you wins at Revolution, the winner is the Callis family" as his two most prized possessions stared daggers at each other was hilarious. Takeshita's look, demeanour and facial expressions here were spot on; he looked like the baddest of motherfuckers and had so much presence about him. Osprey obviously getting the big babyface reaction and then being noticably taken aback by the heat for Callis, and Callis' vain attempt to start a dueling chant to placate Takeshita were both good little story touches here. Thought this effectively heated up the match and added some intrigue rather than simply relying on how spectacular it will be in-ring. 

OC vs Nick Wayne was solid, but the match and post-match felt a bit thrown together. The FTR/Eddie/BCC match did a good job of mashing together the two feuds and heating up both of them, this one felt a bit more slapdash. I don't need any more selling on Danny Garcia going for the title though, and the OC/Roddy build has been going on for ages because they announced the match so early, so thankfully neither Revolution match was reliant on this as the go home segment. 

Bang Bang Scissor Gang promo was OK. Jay White is not even slightly convincing pretending that he's all in on this idea, and I don't think he's supposed to be. Don't think the turn and split is too far away. Thought him stepping on the Bowens line because The Acclaimed usually get the last word was a good little nod towards that. 

Statlander and Skye Blue was a quality TV match. Statlander is consistently excellent but Skye Blue held up her end very well too; she really has improved a ton over the past six months or so. Not sure how Stokeley will talk his way out of this one. They didn't like it when his cheating helped them win, can't imagine they'll be too pleased when it makes Statlander lose. 

Liked the little package for Jericho vs Atlantis Jr. As I've said before, one of my favourite things about AEW is the connection to the wider pro wrestling shared cinematic universe, so I'm board any time they want to embrace that. I trust Ice Cube's son found it both helpful and informative too. Pretty good match once it got going.

Closing segment was magic. I rewound it and watched Sting's descent with the pop and the Schiavone call several times over, and will do again many times. I even welled up a little. I'm telling you Revolution is going to destroy me. I remember when AEW signed Sting there were some expressing the sentiment "to do what exactly?" and you could hardly blame them. Maybe hit a guy with a bat but that'll be it. He's a big name, but at his age how much can he realistically offer? He then went on to have one of my favourite runs from any pro wrestler ever. For the last time before Revolution: I am really, really going to miss Sting. 
 

Amazing. Also does anyone have any links for the Bray/Astro Hollywood thing? That sounds excellent. 

1 hour ago, wordsfromlee said:

I’m amazed how young Finn Balor looks considering he’s 42. 

He does look great. I can’t imagine there are many wrestlers who look after themselves quite as well as he does though, so it makes sense. Even for a pro wrestler he is in absolutely phenomenal shape, and in a 0% body fat kind of way rather than jacked to the gills. Seems like a good eating/good sleeping/plenty of sun screen kind of guy.  

A few years ago when training a group of new starters I learned that none of them had heard of Jeremy Beadle. So old. 

ROH 29/02/23

BOYS! Absolutely monumental main event this week. 

 I'm currently massively behind. I have still to watch: Collison 24/02, Dynamite 28/02, Rampage 01/03 and will have Collision 02/03 to watch before Revolution. 

With all of that backlog to get through, I still watched ROH first because it is time. Dalton Castle vs That Piece of Shit Jonathan Television FOR CUSTODY OF THE BOYS. Can Dalton finish his story and smash that man's face? 

One hour and seven minutes this episode. Much more reasonable. 

Skipped: Lee Johnson vs Mike Sydal. It is amusing that Matt Sydal has a brother named Mike who does a yoga instructor gimmick, but not amusing enough to make me watch the Lee Johnson match. Komander vs Blake Christian. I'm sure this was good but I have too much wrestling to get through. 

Women's TV Title Tournament Round 2: Queen Aminata vs Taya Valkyrie

Appreciated the commentators highlighting that Taya hadn't lost a singles match before this. Enjoyed this match. It really helped that the crowd was into it, much more than they usually are for ROH TV matches. Completely behind Aminata, and Taya and Johnny TV helped by being incredibly obnoxious throughout. There's definitely something there with Aminata. 

Taiji Ishimori vs Jacoby Watts

This was unexpected. Taiji Ishimori outta nowhere. 3 minute squash. Jacoby Watts has good punches. Ishimori looked good. Something weird going on with the editing of this match which made it jarring to watch. 

Athena/Lexy/Billie Starkz address the people. Athena back in bullying the minions mode. Billie interrupted Athena a few times here..  She has fallen in line and has accepted that Athena is still top dog, but she has grown in confidence and is more willing to stand up for herself. Very slow burn build for their eventual rematch but the signs are there. 

Dalton Castle vs Johnny TV for custody of The Boys 

Dalton comes out all dishevelled and forlorn again, but the Iron Savages arrive and give him a sip of Savage Sauce. Dalton's mojo is temporarily restored and he does the full entrance we all know and love. It is time to smash Johnny TV's face. The instant transformation here was brilliant; I love this character so much. Aubrey Edwards presents The Boys as the prize for this match like a ref normally does with title belts. Tremendous. 

My ma took me to a UK Indy show many years ago and was legitimately stunned by Jody Fleisch doing some nutty high spots. The only time I’ve ever seen her even remotely entertained by pro wrestling. She also took me to WWF Mayhem in Manchester. She liked Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock and tried her very best to disguise her boredom for the rest of it. What a trooper. 

Ah, yes, pao de queijo, that’s exactly what they were. They were sensational but they definitely reduced my capacity for expensive meats, which is ultimately what I was there for. They knew what they were doing. 

John Cena’s Twitter has had some colourful posts lately. 

Yeah I made that mistake the first time. Said yes to everything and got baited by the filler  meats. Also they slyly kept us waiting to be seated  and served complimentary piping hot little cheese dough ball things. A clear and obvious trap but I definitely ate several of them. 

The salad bar at Fazenda also has cold cuts on it. You know you’re there to satisfy primal bloodlust when the salad is also meat. 

I had a gammon awakening after I went to Fazenda, my local rodizio in Leeds. I thought I didn’t like gammon but it turns out I had never gammoned correctly before. Tender, juicy, flavourful rather than simply tasting of salt, it was a revelation. I am also no longer of dual heritage and am furious about boat people. 

33 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

Oddly enough, I had gammon for breakfast this morning

Need to stay off twitter in the mornings. 

7 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

 

There's probably good reason for it, but it's a shame given how much time they've given over to CMLL talent and the CMLL relationship in general on TV in the build to this show that there doesn't seem to be any CMLL wrestlers on the card. 

See @Chili’s post on the previous page.  

I hope they get this resolved as I have not yet had my fill of Hechicero. 

12 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

Oh I agree with some of this, but the Danny Garcia match just kind of happened. He didn't (as far as I recall) win a match in order to face Christian - Adam Copeland got injured. The story getting Garcia from the Continental Classic to a TNT title match, in my opinion, hasn't been well told. I feel like it would have benefitted from more build-up, giving Garcia momentum through singles wins; building up to the moment where he declares that he's going after Christian. I'm slightly concerned that Matt Menard is there to turn on Garcia or to inadvertently cost him the match, but hopefully I'm wrong about that. 

The match just doesn't feel as hot as it could - that angle last week was great, and with earlier build up, this could have felt like one of the biggest matches on the card. 

 

So he’s had the FTRCia vs HOB feud where he was the star of their big cage match win and also beat Mattews in a singles match. He also got the win in their match against The Patriarchy and made his intention to challenge Christian clear after that.
 

They acknowledged the fact that he’s essentially jumping the line ahead of Copeland and the two had a great promo battle about that and agreed to have a number one contenders match. Copeland said he was gonna beat Garcia’s ass. Then they had the match and that wasn’t what happened. Garcia was hanging with him and could believably have won it. Then Christian ruined it because he’s a bastard. Danny also tapped out Shane Taylor in a singles match. I won’t pretend that’s a consequential opponent for him to beat, but story wise him overcoming a larger opponent with his superior gameplan and tapping him out was a step up from the flash pins he’s had previously. 
 

He doesn’t have a long standing blood feud with Christian no, but it makes perfect sense for this to be the next step in Garcia’s progression. Christian is bloody brilliant so he’s been adding the personal stakes to it and is giving Garcia the chance to get extra mad in his promos, but the story of “can Danny get serious and win the big singles title match?” has been told over a very long time.