Tag Archives: aew

Wrestling

John Cena vs. Austin Theory for the United States Championship

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There have been many rumors that John Cena will win this match and on Monday Night Raw and bring back his Open Challenge to reveal either Bron Breakker or rumored Jay White’s appearance on the Main Roster. I hate that idea and don’t think Austin Theory should lose this match.

Austin Theory in an anomaly of success on the Main roster. His first match on NXT was a loss against Tomasa Ciampa, then was stuck as Johnny Gargano’s lackey, mostly a mocked character on the Main Roster because he was seen as “Vince’s Boy”, lost his Money in the Bank briefcase cashing in on a mid-card title.

This match needs to be a clean win for Theory. Cena doesn’t need to be in the WWE anymore. He takes away too much of the spotlight from full time wrestlers. I would’ve rather seen Montez Ford vs Theory for the United States Championship than Cena.

Winner: Austin Theory

Wrestling

Jay White’s Future

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Jay White is reportedly torn between the WWE and AEW as his next destination. There are pros and cons to each company, so I wanted to go over each.

I wrote that line and spend the next 10 minutes trying to think of a single positive of White going to AEW. The way AEW is operating now, with their lack of storytelling and a not split-up roster on the Tony Khan’s 6 shows, White will be lost in the shuffle very quickly. The WWE is the best and only option for him.

White will be a game changer in the WWE, much like AJ Styles was when he entered in 2016. Styles had one of the greatest years in the WWE in 2016, having feuds with the top talents in the company before winning the WWE Championship.

White has a ton of dream opponents and feuds in the WWE. Austin Theory, AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley, Cody Rhodes, Edge, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Matt Riddle, Karrion Kross, Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, and that’s just the main roster. On NXT, he has Carmelo Hayes, Greyson Waller, Bron Breakker, Dominik Dijakovic, JD McDonagh, and more to go up against.

Triple H did tease the Raw after WrestleMania being a huge reveal. Could White be that reveal?

Wrestling

There’s The Door: The Sale of the WWE

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It has been rumored that the WWE is up for sale and the buyers might be from Saudi Arabia. Without getting too political, because I don’t know enough about the whole situation, a lot of fans and some wrestlers have come out to oppose the sale to the Saudi Arabia purchaser. Some wrestlers have even said that they will leave the company if the deal goes through. My answer to that is….goodbye.

I’m in favor of the Saudi purchasers. Why? Because they have unlimited money. From what I’ve read, on the internet so take that with a grain of salt, Saudi Arabia is making almost a billion dollars a day in oil. Imagine running a wrestling company with unlimited funds?

Imagine a Pay Per View where the card features Roman Reigns, Okada, Seth Rollins, Jay White, Kenny Omega, Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar, Jon Moxley, Bobby Lashley, Cody Rhodes and Bryan Danielson, just to name a few. Great storylines? Hire the best writers in the world to write compelling long-term storytelling.

One of the arguments against it is sponsorship and apparently companies wouldn’t want to be linked to the company because Saudi Arabia is in control of it. You’re telling me that NO COMPANY would want to partner up with the biggest wrestling company in the world? That if they didn’t start their own streaming network that every wrestling fan wouldn’t want to subscribe to it? That YouTube and Rumble wouldn’t allow it to be streamed on their sites?

Now the Woman’s Division might be a touchy subject, but in recent years, women have been able to wrestle in the Saudi Arabian shows at Crown Jewel. Strides are being made for more inclusion of the Woman’s Division.

The deal seems great for the wrestlers, the company and more importantly the fans. The WWE wanted to expand the reach of NXT to other parts of the world and with the Saudi Arabi backing they can do that easily.

In conclusion, unlimited money, unlimited reach, best wrestlers in the world and still keep the woman’s division, so what’s the problem here? I saw, again on the internet, that Sami Zayn has some religion reasons of why he wasn’t able to attend the recent Crown Jewel event. But can’t we use this purchase as a way to connect more than divide? That maybe we can work out our differences, biases and move past it to a more productive and fulfilling future?

Art is AI generated from Dream by WOMBO

Simptastic Joe

Wrestling

Powerhouse Hobbs Wins Kinda

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Great….Powerhouse Hobbs beat Wardlow…..in a no DQ match….with help….showing that AEW doesn’t believe in him to be a real champion. Tell me in wrong? Tell me why it makes sense for Powerhouse Hobb’s character that he needed help to beat Wardlow? Couldn’t he have just beaten Wardlow on his own? Maybe just countering Wardlow’s Powerbomb Symphony and hitting his finisher? Maybe Wardlow vs Samoa Joe could’ve had Wardlow with some kind of injury and Hobbs took advantage and won on his own. Anything is better than Hobbs getting help from QT Marshall. Now the story will be Wardlow trying to regain the TNT title from Powerhouse Hobbs by first running the gauntlet of QT Marshall and whoever this new group brings in.

Artwork is AI Generated using Dream by WOMBO

World War Joe

Wrestling

Quick Thoughts: Revolution Predictions

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Zero Hour

Varsity Athletes & Ari Daivari vs Mark Briscoe & Lucha Brothers

Easy prediction. Mark Briscoe will continue his winning streak. Thinking maybe the finish would be the Lucha Brother’s finisher and then Briscoe hits the elbow drop to get the pin. Will it lead to anything? probably not, but the fans want to see Briscoe rack up some wins.

Winner: Mark Briscoe & Lucha Brothers

“Jungle Boy” Jack Jerry vs Christian Cage

This is Jack Perry’s time to steal the show. He’s been stale lately, but I think that’s due to Cage’s recovery time. Luchasaurus will be a factor. I think he is also poised for a singles run, but can he really make that push without Cage as his manager? I do wonder if this match will bring Luchasaurus and Perry back together. If Cage accidentally hits Luchasaurus costing him the match and then Perry comes to his aid after a Cage assault. Would Perry and Luchasaurus be better as a tag team now than as singles competitors in a crowded roster?


Winner: “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry

Chris Jericho vs Ricky Starks

Another match to Starks to steal the show. Jericho is with AEW to help develop stars and Starks is a star on the rise. I didn’t like Starks getting a match against MJF early on, I would’ve saved that for after this PPV, but this night should start Starks push towards some serious gold. Everyone is banned from ringside…..riiiiiiigght. I wonder if Starks will get some backup in this match, but I wonder if Starks could be hurt from outside help.

Winner: Ricky Starks

AEW World Tag Team Championship

How did AEW go from one of the strongest Tag Divisions in the wrestling world to this? Does anyone want Orange Cassidy or Danhausen to win this one? How about Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal? I’d rather see The Gunns vs The Acclaimed in a regular tag match than this.

Winner: The Gunns

AEW Woman’s World Championship

Winner: Jamie Hayter

No real description needed. A bathroom break match.

Samoa Joe vs Wardlow

I don’t see this feud ending tonight. I see Powerhouse Hobbs in a Triple threat against these two with Hobbs winning the title. There does seem like a lack of story with Joe and Wardlow going into this match. Joe’s heel turn was too fast and we should’ve seen this team do more than a few Dynamites. I’d love to see this match be a 20 minute brawl. Just two mammoths destroying eachother in endless stiff shots.

Winner: Samoa Joe  

AEW World Trios Championship

The House of Black is one of the most underutilized factions in AEW and tonight is the night for them to get the respect they earned. The Elite will give them one of the greatest matches of the year, but they need to go their separate ways. Not end their friendship, but the Young Bucks need to save the tag division and Kenny Omega has to have some great one on one feuds.

Winner: House of Black

Texas Death Match

I have a love/hate relationship with Jon Moxley. Sometimes I’m thinking “Wow can’t wait to see him” and others times I’m thinking “Really? You gave the belt to this guy again?”. Maybe my biases with Moxley are because I want to see the rest of the roster get a push and prime time booking, but I cannot deny the type of worker Moxley is. I imagine Jim Cornettee just clutched his chest right now.

This match is about building Hangman Page up. I do wonder

Winner: Hangman Page

AEW Championship

I’m nervous reading that Bryan Danielson wants this match to go on first so they don’t lose the crowd. I thought they would be happy to have a full hour to make one of the greatest matches of their careers. The big question is who will interfere to help MJF retain the title? Obviously, his whole character is based on others helping him, which is weird since AEW wants to make him a believable champion.

The Firm is still a factor…I think…or will there be someone else helping him? Can Claudio turn on Danielson? Yuta? I mean it didn’t make any sense story wise for William Regal to turn on Moxley, but it happened. The interference will be the talk of the night more than the actual match.

Winner: MJF

Joe

Wrestling

The Tragic Tale of Baron Corbin

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I know that Baron Corbin is a good wrestler. You know that Baron Corbin is a good wrestler. I don’t think the WWE knows that Baron Corbin is a good wrestler. Corbin made his debut in NXT about 10 years ago, and since then he hasn’t made an impact in the WWE. He won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal (which means nothing now), he was a United States Champion (I don’t recall any big moments from it), he won the Money in the Bank Briefcase (lost it due to punishment) and won the King of the Ring (which means nothing).

You have a guy of Corbin’s size, very athletic, unique look, fun move set, can portray a bunch of different personalities and you not only leave him on the bench, but do everything in your power to make him look like a joke every time he’s in the ring.

Lone Wolf gimmick was good. Seeing Corbin lose all his money and then become rich was entertaining, but it didn’t lead to any World Titles. It didn’t lead to any big factions. He teamed with Madcap Moss, but that ended pretty quickly.

If Corbin does get released or decides to not accept a new deal, I’d like to see him join Impact Wrestling. There he can battle guys like Joe Doering, Black Taurus and most importantly Moose.

Whatever happens with the rest of Corbin’s career, I just hope he’s utilized properly. I think he can do great things in wrestling, but I don’t want to see him reduced to a jobber and a stepping stone for future world champions.

Artwork from Dream by Wombo

Joe

Wrestling

Buddy Matthews Wins Gold…Kinda

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Congratulations to Buddy Matthews for winning the AEW…..TNT…..FTW…..ROH…..the MCW World Heavyweight Championship. Yes, you read that right folks. Buddy Matthews, one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet, just won the MCW Championship…. yikes.

I remember a time, not too long ago, when Matthews was in the WWE destroying everyone in the Cruiserweight Division and then went to the main roster, teamed with Seth Rollins and was released. THEN, showed up in AEW and teamed with Malakai Black and Brody King to do essentially nothing. Am I crazy for thinking Matthews is a superstar talent? Is it possible that these big named companies are just dropping the ball on him?

I’d like to read a quote from Matthews after winning the championship when he was asked when he will be returning.

“It’s all about the travel – it’s how many times I want to jump on a plane and travel 30 hours. To see my family is everything, and my WWE schedule was very hectic. Not that this one isn’t, but AEW – I’m very fortunate to work for a company that allows me to go and see my family. Pop over, and help these guys. It’s really cool to come and do that”

Translation:

Thank you AEW for giving me a contract where I have to wrestle 17 times a year and get to go to the indies and across the world to put together an audition tape for the WWE, Impact Wrestling and NJPW. If Tony Khan can’t find a way to make Buddy Matthews a relevant star in AEW, then he doesn’t deserve to have him.

Where do you think Buddy Matthews should go?

Picture from Dream by Wombo AI

Simptastic Joe

Wrestling

Mark Briscoe: What’s Next?

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Mark Briscoe is dealing with real life issues that are more important than wrestling. In no way am I trying to be disrespectful to him and his wrestling ability.

With the tragic passing of his brother Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe is on the verge of fading into irrelevancy and unemployment. The Briscoe Brothers were one of the best tag teams in pro wrestling. And the only reason they aren’t a household name is because they had the misfortune to be employed by Ring of Honor.

For those of you that don’t know, mainly because ROH isn’t on any tv channel and the company is terrible at trying to grow the company, The Briscoe Brothers have held the ROH Tag Team Championship for 12 times. Jay has held the ROH World Championship 2 times in his career while Mark has held 0 individual titles.

Jay had IT, Mark does not. Jay can be the top of a company, he could deliver promo, he looked the part, could sell a move, great finisher, there was nothing Jay couldn’t do in the world of wrestling. Mark is good, but not great. Teaming with Jay took a lot of pressure off Mark, which is why they were such a successful tag team.

Mark acts like a wild animal in the ring. He doesn’t wrestle, he fights. Which obviously is his character, but it doesn’t look good in long matches or against top talent. Jay has been at the top of the company. Put on great matches against Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, Jay White, Bandido and a ton of other opponents I watched in preparation for this article.

What happens to Mark now? Where does he fit in on AEW? As I said before, a successful singles career is not in his future. Are you going to team him up with someone? Who? Now the WWE has given us some interesting tag pairings that looked strange at first, but were successful. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, Team Hell No, Ricochet and Aleister Black, The Bar were all fun to watch.

Who does Mark team with? I’ve looked through the AEW roster, I don’t see any pairings that work. The only thing that would work is some big faction, maybe Lance Archer, Mike Bennett, but the more I write this the more ridiculous it sounds.

Mark was his own unique character. Teaming with Jay fit the theme they were trying to portray. There is nobody in wrestling that I think fits with Mark. And now that Jays gone, Mark is lost in the shuffle. Looking at the current AEW roster I found 60 wrestlers more equipped the be the head of the company in some capacity over Mark and none of them seem to mesh with Mark in a tag or faction capacity.

Tony Khan is doing a terrible job at managing his 5 shows. Dynamite, Rampage, Dark, Elevation and ROH are all clumped into one roster and you might go weeks before a feud or one of your favorite wrestler is on tv. For Mark to survive in the company, he needs to be placed at the top of a show and be on a roster of wrestlers that aren’t head and shoulders above him.

Where do you think Mark Briscoe is going in AEW and how would you book him going forward?

Simptastic Joe

Wrestling

Apollo Crews: The Future Isn’t Bright

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I remember seeing Apollo Crews for the first time and thinking “this guy is a mid-carder at best” and since I made that prediction, the WWE hasn’t done anything to elevate or make Crews even remotely relevant. Crew’s more notable feud on the main roster was teaming with Kalisto and the going against Dolph Ziggler in a handicapped match. Nothing else comes to mind when I think of Crews. Then came his gimmick change where he became African and teamed with Commander Azeez, which was one of the worst character changes to both men’s careers.

Now Crews is on NXT. He is putting together a string of good matches. His last feud with Carmelo Hayes was good, but it didn’t elevate Crews at all. After the match was over, Azeez attacked Crews to start a new feud, which will end……..I don’t care. Both men aren’t doing anything of value now. This feud won’t propel them to title shots or faces of the company. They are B or C- wrestlers, not by their own ability, but by the creative decisions around their characters. Maybe a fresh start in a new company might be the best thing. Zack Ryder took full advantage of his WWE release to become Matt Cardona and now looks ready for the big stage.

What do you think about Apollo Crews and how would you book him going forwards?

Simptastic Joe