SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NEWS & NOTES
• This past Friday, ROH held Death Before Dishonor which featured Bandido defending the ROH World Title against Hechicero. The match was excellent. I cannot say enough good things about it. The entire show is available for free on YouTube so if you haven’t watched it, go out of your way to do so.
• Breaking News: AEW All Out (and all future events) will be available on HBO MAX at a cost of $39.95 for subscribers. That comes to a $10 a month savings on AEW content. The start time of All Out has also been moved up to 2 p.m. CT to wisely negate WWE’s predatory counter-programming.
INTRO
Week two at the former ECW Arena starts tonight with a relatively loaded card featuring Mercedes Moné, Kenny Omega, and Darby Allin all in action. I expect the crowd to be just as raucous as they were last week which helped make up for the smaller size of the venue. Hopefully we get some more clarity on the All Out card even if it’s already clear what matches are likely to be made.
Going for Gold
Latest Developments
Don Callis made his intentions clear: A member of his Family is coming for Hangman and the AEW World Title.
Analysis
After Hangman wished Will Ospreay well and celebrated his win over MJF, Callis interrupted and made it clear that he has his eyes on more gold. He called back to when Hangman beat Kenny Omega for his first title and said he wanted the title back. He didn’t specify which member of the Family would be coming after Hangman. Instead, he sent the bottom tier of his family to attack the champion. Jet Speed ran in for the save followed by Kenny Omega himself. Hangman and Omega reunited to hit their old Buckshot Trigger combo finisher.
The Don Callis Family is has been positioned as the lead heel faction so it makes sense for them to target the world champion. It feels too soon for Okada or Fletcher to get a shot. Takeshita is in a weird position of both being at the beginning of a face turn and in line for an IWGP Title match, so losing to Hangman doesn’t seem to be the best course of action. Josh Alexander picked up the win in the -eightman tags on both Dynamite and Collision. All Out is in Canada. It seems like a no-brainer for him to be first representative of the DCF to make a run at the gold.
Grade: B+
Revenge is a Dish Best Served Burning
Latest Developments
MJF and Mark Briscoe both expressed a desire for revenge on the other.
Analysis
In a promo recorded after his loss to “Hangman” Page, MJF raged at Mark Briscoe for interfering in the title match. Never mind the fact that Briscoe didn’t actually do anything before security dragged him off. He vowed to get revenge on Briscoe and once again threatened to set him on fire. A video pre-taped at Briscoe’s Delaware farm, aired in which Mark expressed a desire to get even with MJF for all the heinous things he said about Mark’s late brother and then challenged Kyle Fletcher to a TNT Title match.
It certainly seems like these two are on a collision course for a rematch, likely with a stipulation, hopefully nothing to do with fire. MJF is probably going to cost Briscoe his title match to help push the story forward. If the match does happen at All Out – which makes the most sense – MJF would be wrestling in Mexico at the CMLL Anniversario show on the 19th and then flying to Toronto for All Out the next day. That would be a busy weekend for Max.
Grade: B-
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: CLICK HERE (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Latest Developments
The Triangle of Madness stood tall at the end of Collision after taking out Mina Shirakawa, Queen Aminata, and Toni Storm.
Analysis
The main event of Collision was trios match pitting Julia Hart, Skye Blue, and Billie Starkz against Mina, Aminata, and Toni. The match was pretty good. At one point Julia ended up bleeding from the nose. Mina pinned Billie after a Glamorous Driver. What happened after the match was more important, though. Thekla hit the ring and the full Triangle of Madness took out the babyfaces in succession, standing strong as the show went off the air.
The war within the Women’s Division has been building for months now. Weeks ago, it seemed like battle lines had clearly been drawn for a potential Blood & Guts match. Adding Toni Storm, who the Triangle of Madness have now targeted, and Jamie Hayter, who brawled behind the arena with Thekla earlier on Collision, ups the star power on the face side. The Triangle of Madness, Megan Bayne, and Penelope Ford vs Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, and either Queen Aminata or Harley Cameron feels like a strong match and it’s certainly worthy replacement for a Women’s World title match. It’s a matter of announcing the match and the composition of the face team.
Grade: B+
Madman on a Mission
Latest Developments
Darby Allin’s quest for a match with Jon Moxley ran into Gabe Kidd.
Analysis
After surviving the match with Claudio, Darby was ambushed by Gabe Kidd but managed to escape through the crowd. On Collision a video aired of Kidd explaining that he’s just as crazy as Darby and challenging him to a fight.
It seems as though Darby is going to have to work his way through the Death Riders to get to Mox. First, it was Claudio, now it’s Kidd. I’m not entirely sure how Darby can top that insane bump he took being launched from inside the ring onto the announce table by Claudio, but I’m sure he’ll try because he’s a crazy person.
Grade: B
Random Questions
– Why are the Death Riders recruiting Daniel Garcia? This isn’t a reflection on Garcia, to be clear. He’s makes up in skill what he lacks in the charisma department. I would also argue he could he helped by a heel turn. The problem is that the Death Riders should be headed towards dissolution, not recruiting new people. The time for recruitment has long passed. Whatever’s going on with Garcia feels like a case of too little, too late.
– Hologram is being hacked and cloned? Seriously? In one of the hokiest moments on wrestling TV since Undertaker was “resurrected” at the 1994 Royal Rumble, Hologram was seemingly “hacked” before we the words “El Clon” and a figure dressed in a dark red Hologram outfit appeared on the screen. The idea of a Dark Hologram coming in to go after Hologram is one thing; the hacking thing was just unnecessary. As far as the arrival of Arez, the luchador who be El Clon, I’ve heard nothing but good things about him and his history with Aramis (Hologram). My only concern is that in order for these matches to really hit, someone has to do the talking. Hologram has never spoken. El Clon really needs a mouthpiece to help explain why El Clon is here and his history with Hologram.
– Are the Hurt Syndicate being rewarded for bad behavior? Rumors have swirled for weeks about the Hurt Syndicate’s willingness to only lose to certain people of their choosing. That scuttlebutt was only backed up by the fact that the Hurt Syndicate didn’t factor into the finish of the tag team title match at Forbidden Door. Now they’ve been moved into a feud with Ricochet and the Gates of Agony. Quite frankly, if the Hurt Syndicate wants to be difficult and not do business, Tony Khan needs cut them. He cannot afford to allow another talent to think they are bigger than the company.
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