#Southpaw Championship Wrestling

[scorpionwolf21]

SCW Championship Belts & Briefcase

[jasonmacavoy]

(FINN COLE, CIS MALE, HE/HIM) Oh, is that JASON “MAC” MACAVOY I heard the TWENTY SEVEN year old is LOYAL. But don’t let that pretty face fool you, they are also HOT HEADED. Makes sense seeing how they are an ENFORCER in the GHOST RIDERS MC gang. penned by ally.

stats.

full name:  jason alexander macavoy  nicknames: jay, jayjay birthday: april 5th age: twenty- seven birthplace: bronx, nyc star sign: ares gender: cis male pronouns: he/him sexuality: heterosexual gang: ghost riders rank: enforcer cover: strip club bouncer and occasional street fighter theme song: habits by mgk

appearance. 

face claim: finn cole hair color: dirty blonde eye color: blue height:  6ft weight: 185lbs build: big, burly, and muscular tattoos: yes, very tom hardy in the warrior scars: many, more scar than skin, each with a story. most notable a stab wound on his left side from a dirty fight.

family.

mother: Heidi Macavoy, estranged stepfather: Tommy fowler, deceased father: unknown (but could make for a fun potential connection tho!) siblings: step-sister? toying with this atm pls hold. pets: none

personality. 

positives (+): determined, dauntless, loyal, strong negatives (-): reckless, hot headed, stubborn, uncouth   MBTI: ISTP zodiac: aries  element: fire hogwarts house: gryffindor drugs/ alcohol/ smoking: rarely, thinks it throw off his fighting game/ yes/ yes aesthetics: a string of purpling bruises fresh from a fight, a pack of marlboro reds to take the edge off, raw knuckles, broken beer bottles, cigarette smoke, gaping holes in the wall, more scar than skin, & a thick layer of sweat sheathing toned muscles character inpso: tom conlon (warrior), rip wheeler (yellowstone), billy hope (southpaw), j cody (animal kingdom), johnny lawrence (cobra kai), frank farmer (the bodyguard), jon snow (GoT)

biography.

TW: fighting, death, toxic masculinity

Jason Macavoy came into the world fighting, and he had been fighting ever since. His mother, a struggling fashion designer, had just stepped on set for an athleisure shoot she designed when her first born son barreled into the world with clenched fists and a battle cry that would make his father proud. Not the washed up middleweight champ who couldn’t make it to the hospital on such short notice —the one Jason would grow up calling father— but the one night stand who knocked up Heidi Macavoy all those years ago Growing up in the Bronx Jason was a handful: rambunctious, brimming with unbridled energy, and a temper that would only grow with time. He had trouble learning how to read and was easily set off by a poor test score or an off-handed taunt made by a classmate, landing him in several schoolyard scuffles. By the time Jason was seven, his mother fled to pursue the career and the life she had always dreamed of, leaving Jason in the care of his wayward step-father.  His step-father wasn’t good for much anymore except for drinking and coaching, but Tommy was there and he was the only one who recognized Jason’s potential. He saw that for what his step-son lacked in brains, he made up for in athletics. Young Jason was a natural talent when it came to sports, and Tommy helped channel all his energy and anger into UFC in particular. He bloomed into somewhat of a wrestling prodigy at the local public school. His determination was feral, and the boy wanted nothing more than to prove himself worthy of his mother’s love, one victory he’d never be able to manage. As Jason’s athletic abilities continued to grow, so did his competitive edge and hot temper that continued to get him into trouble on and off the mat. During a championship tournament of his professional career, Jason had made a spectacle allowing a foul to the boy’s side to ignite a wrath in him he didn’t even know he had. He went wild, shouting and swearing at the referee for the unfair call before striking him and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He was disqualified from competition and barred from the league.  Not long after Jason was banned from competition, his step-father succumbed to the bottle while his mother still wanted nothing to do with him. More lost than ever Jason turned to underground street fighting to get his fix. It was then Jason found the Ghost Riders or rather they found him smack in the middle of a bar brawl at the tender age of seventeen. Young and hungry for a place that could appreciate and refine his raw potential, Jason pledged his loyalty to the Ghost Riders in exchange for (tba). He now works as a bouncer at a strip club and has spent the last ten years with Ghost Riders, becoming one of their most loyal enforcers and fighters, growing more and more accustomed to the gritty underground lifestyle, the brawls, the arguments, the booze. His step-father’s voice in his head had never been more clear to him: fight.

WANTED CONNECTIONS || PINTEREST || SPOTIFY

[lboogie1906]

Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 - February 5, 2021) was a former boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. He was stripped of the WBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by unanimous decision.

He gained notoriety for the disaster which befell his career following the loss to Ali. He did challenge once more for the WBC heavyweight title in 1981, and the WBA cruiserweight title in 1986.

As an amateur, he won numerous medals in the light heavyweight division. The first was bronze at the inaugural 1974 World Championships, followed by silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, and gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics; the latter was alongside his brother Michael Spinks, who won middleweight gold. He served in the USMC.

He had a brief career as a professional wrestler, working for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and holding the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship.

He was born and raised in St. Louis. He was married to Brenda. His son, Cory Spinks, held the undisputed welterweight title and was the IBF junior middleweight champion twice. His other son, Leon Calvin, was shot to death in East St. Louis as he was driving home from his girlfriend’s house. He was an aspiring light heavyweight pro boxer with a record of 2–0, with the two pro bouts occurring only a month before he died. His grandson and Calvin’s son, Leon Spinks III, is an aspiring light heavyweight southpaw boxer with a pro record of 11–3–1 with seven knockouts. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[albiandreams]

Is...is Collision deliberately going for a Southpaw Championship Wrestling vibe

[mixiedmartialarts]

The Art of Combat: Understanding the Power of Mixed Martial Arts

Introduction Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a modern combat sport that has gained immense popularity in recent years. It is a full-contact combat sport that combines various elements of traditional martial arts such as Karate, Boxing, Kickboxing, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. MMA is not just a physical sport but also a mental one, requiring discipline, strategy, and endurance. In this article, we will delve into the world of MMA and explore what makes it such an exciting and captivating sport.

What is Mixed Martial Arts? Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is a combat sport that involves striking, grappling, and ground fighting techniques. It is a full-contact sport that combines elements of various martial arts styles to create a unique and dynamic fighting style. MMA fighters use a combination of strikes and grappling techniques to defeat their opponents. The ultimate goal is to either knock out the opponent or to submit them, either by forcing them to tap out or by putting them in a hold that is impossible to escape from.

The History of MMA The roots of MMA can be traced back to the ancient Olympic Games, where combat sports such as wrestling and boxing were included as events. The modern form of martial arts instructor, however, has its roots in the 1980s and 90s. The first major MMA event was held in 1993, and since then, the sport has grown in popularity and recognition. Today, MMA is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with major events such as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) drawing millions of fans from around the globe.

The Rules of MMA The rules of MMA are designed to promote safety and fairness in the sport. They vary slightly depending on the organization, but some of the most common rules include:

No biting or eye gouging No headbutting No strikes to the back of the head or spine No strikes to the groin No small joint manipulation The Stances and Techniques of MMA In MMA, fighters can adopt a variety of different stances and techniques. Some of the most common stances include the orthodox stance (left foot forward), the southpaw stance (right foot forward), and the switch stance (able to fight with both feet forward). When it comes to techniques, MMA fighters use a combination of strikes and grappling techniques to defeat their opponents. Some of the most common strikes used in MMA include punches, kicks, and knees. Grappling techniques, on the other hand, include submissions (such as chokeholds and arm locks), throws, and takedowns.

The Benefits of MMA There are many benefits to participating in MMA, both physically and mentally. Physically, MMA can help improve cardiovascular health, increase muscle strength and endurance, and promote weight loss. Mentally, MMA can help improve focus and concentration, increase self-confidence, and develop discipline and perseverance. Additionally, MMA can also be a great way to make new friends and build a supportive community, as many MMA gyms and training centers foster a close-knit and supportive environment.

The Future of MMA The future of MMA is bright, with the sport continuing to grow in popularity and recognition. As more people become interested in MMA and start participating in the sport, it is likely that we will see an increase in the number of professional MMA fighters and events. Additionally, with the rise of technology and media, it is also likely that we will see more MMA events and fights being broadcasted to a global audience.

[darkarfs]

Funniest things about the Modern Era of WWE (2007-present)

- Chris Jericho on the Price Is Right - Rusev Day - that bit in Takeover: New Orleans where Akam German Suplexes Kyle O’Reilly, Reilly stands up like he’s going hulk up, and then he falls dead out of the ring, out of frame - CM Punk on commentary - any and every backstage interview with Kevin Owens, especially that one right after he won the Universal Championship and kicked Michael Cole out of his own interview - Heath Slater in the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble (also the best Royal Rumble of the 2010s) - The IIconics on WWE’com (all of their skits are great) - Braun Strowman in 2017, where he did things like flip ambulances and use grappling hooks - When Sheamus met Beaker backstage that one Raw where the Muppets hosted, where he swear-to-God, says “tell Auntie Teresa I said hi” as he fixes Beaker’s hair - The Festival of Friendship  - That bit where R-Truth declared and then undeclared that he was going to be in the Royal Rumble - Miz and Mizdow, all of it - that whole deal where Miz and Maryse were John Cena and Nikki Bella, perfectly encapsulating John and Nikki’s incredibly awkward dynamic - the Fashion Files - Team Hell No in therapy - Daniel Bryan as “the Dazzler” and his weird obsession with bears - Southpaw Regional Wrestling

[bcthetruth]

Mythical Matchup: Conor vs Khabib

Originally written in August 3, 2018 for Combat Docket

It has been a long time coming but the UFC lightweight championship bout between newly crowned champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is finally upon us. The highly anticipated contest was expected to happen on multiple occasions while McGregor held the title, but for one reason or another, it never came to fruition. Now the two once in a lifetime athletes are set to fight at UFC 229 in Las Vegas. It is rare we get a title matchup with so many different variables that can lead to victory or defeat for both competitors. Here I will explore what both incredibly gifted lightweight fighters will need to do and avoid to emerge victorious on October 6.

In the clip above you see Khabib getting blasted with a straight left from Michael Johnson as he moves in. Like McGregor, Johnson is a southpaw fighter so this is the same situation Khabib will find himself in when he shares a cage with the brash Irishman at UFC 229. Khabib’s nonstop pressure breaks his opponents more often than not. With that said, McGregor is great fighting off the back foot and countering fighters who move forward, which could work against Khabib aswell. The power, accuracy, and killer instinct of Conor McGregor gives him a better chance to finish Khabib than Michael Johnson had should he land a strike like the one in the gif below:

Every fight starts on the feet and It would be an understatement to say that this heavily favors former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor. While current undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov possesses a highly underrated striking attack, trying to kickbox with McGregor would be a fatal mistake. Offensively Khabib is known as a grappler, but he can be very unpredictable. He has a solid uppercut that he landed numerous times against Michael Johnson at UFC 205. Defensively Khabib uses a stance similar to that of Floyd Mayweather with his left typically protecting the lower body and his right protecting the head. While this works for him sometimes, he is no Floyd Mayweather and shots get through often enough to leave him in trouble against superior strikers.

This straight left by Conor McGregor started a sequence that would end tough Philadelphia native Eddie Alvarez in the second round. This fight is a great example for the contest with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Like Alvarez, the Russian powerhouse has a tendency to rush in with his strikes and rarely move backward as he looks to eventually get a takedown off of any little mistake made. However, this isn’t all bad news for the undefeated champion. While moving forward and looking for big punches didn’t bode well for former lightweight king Eddie Alvarez, it did help him initiate the clinch, where Khabib Nurmagomedov is absolutely dominant.

The clip above shows Alvarez rushing in and getting clipped by a punch, however, he ended up with a clinch up against the octagon cage. While Conor was able to effectively defend against anything Alvarez wanted to do in the clinch, he faces a whole new animal when he steps into the cage with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Sure, Khabib can get traditional takedowns by shooting from the outside. However, the clinch game is really his bread and butter and if Khabib can successfully initiate a clinch the way Alvarez did it is safe to say McGregor will be unable to stop him from getting the fight to the mat and negating any chance for McGregor to land one of his devastating knockout punches.

As you see above when Khabib gets Michael Johnson against the fence he ties Johnson’s right leg up with his left leg and launches him to his left side before securing the top position with a trip. This is just one of the many tricks that Nurmagomedov can use to get an opponent down while inside the clinch. The sambo and wrestling specialist possesses a multitude of trips and slams that form a very technical clinch game that has been nearly impossible to stop in his 26-fight career. It is safe to assume that Michael Johnson is a better wrestler than Conor McGregor and he had absolutely nothing for Khabib in that department.

If this fight ends up on the mat then the general consensus is that Conor McGregor will be done. While this isn’t necessarily true for the Irishman, Nurmagomedov is a special talent on the ground. Contrary to popular belief, Conor McGregor isn’t terrible on the mat like some would suggest. When fresh he was able to sweep a very talented BJJ black belt in Nate Diaz. In some ways, Khabib’s advantage on the ground is similar to Conor’s advantage on the feet. Khabib Nurmagomedov is not a bad striker despite what you may hear, but if he strikes with Conor McGregor he is likely to end the fight sleeping on the mat. Similarly, if Conor McGregor ends up on his back, he is in all likelihood going to end up catching a severe beating and losing either by TKO or submission.

A smaller, less powerful wrestler in Chad Mendes was able to take McGregor down and pound on him for the better part of five minutes whilst on short notice. To his credit, McGregor was able to survive that beating and end a tired Chad Mendes in the second round with accurate and powerful punches and kicks. This fight showed that on his back Conor McGregor can not only be controlled but he can also be thoroughly pounded at the same time. Unfortunately for Chad, his inability to keep that pace saw him too tired to repeat that performance in the next round and allowed McGregor to secure what was at the time his biggest career win. Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, has a phenomenal cardiovascular ability.

The impeccable ground attack of Nurmagomedov is relentless. He put a nonstop, hellacious beating on Johnson at UFC 200 by easily outwrestling him and smashing him from dominant positions. It is difficult to believe that Conor McGregor will be able to accomplish on the mat or in the clinch what Rafael Dos Anjos and Michael Johnson couldn’t. Khabib was able to thoroughly out grapple accomplished grapplers and he did so with relative ease barely breaking a sweat and talking to UFC president Dana White in between rounds as well as his opponents during rounds.

This fight is the classic striker vs. grappler matchup taken to a whole new level. Conor has shown an uncanny ability to out strike great strikers and end his fights in incredible fashion. Khabib has been able to dominate wrestlers in wrestling and jiu-jitsu practitioners on the mat. Whats makes this fight so interesting is the fact that these two are the absolute best at what they do making for what is truly one of the most intriguing fights ever made. When these two finally do share the cage at UFC 229 it will come down to execution. Both men have shown a great ability to implement their game against every opponent they have faced, and now they will have to do it once again, but this time against each other.

X-Factor

Both of these men have something that make them special. Aside from being able to outstrike his opponents, Conor McGregor has devastating knockout power in his hands. This is his clear X-Factor when he fights. His confidence comes from knowing that even when he is losing he doesn’t need much more than a few carefully chosen shots to win a fight. You can see it after his tough first round with Chad Mendes. Instead of being frustrated, McGregor laughs in his face and smiles all the way back to his stool. It speaks to his confidence in his fight finishing ability, and so does his 86% knockout ratio.

The X-Factor for Khabib Nurmagomedov has to be his strength. It is all anybody seems to talk about when they train with him. Current light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier even marvels at the sheer strength of Nurmagomedov. I guess wrestling bear cubs as a child really does have its perks. When he fights his otherworldly strength is apparent, as you see him manhandling fighters who are generally difficult to bully. His ability to throw around high-level wrestlers and hold down high-level grapplers shows an uncanny level of dominance that is has thus far been proven difficult to overcome for anybody who stands across from him.

Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is easily one of the most intriguing fights in MMA history. Two guys who are so dominant in one aspect of the game creates a true 50/50 gamble. If Conor can successfully use his footwork, speed, timing, and accuracy to find the mark with his devastating left hand then he will leave with another dramatic, career-defining win. If Khabib manages to secure the clinch position he will take this fight to the mat, and if Khabib gets the fight down his relentless attack, outstanding cardio, and unparalleled grappling will see him walk away from UFC 229 the victor. On October 6 the Irish Lion and Russian Bear will enter the UFC octagon for their long-awaited battle in Las Vegas in a fight that could be the biggest fight the UFC has ever put together.

[vbartilucci]

If you ever wondered what it was like watching wrestling in the 70s and 80s, I can show you.

I grew up in a time when local TV stations still produced their own shows. 

Someone from the news department would earn an extra fifty bucks by dressing up as a clown or policeman and hosting the cartoon show in the after-school slot, before they had to get ready for the evening news. 

(That was the deep-cut joke behind SCTV’s Count Floyd - years into the run of the show, it was “revealed” that Count Floyd was actually Evening News anchor Floyd Robertson, both of course played by Joe Flaherty)

They’d have their own local talk shows where they’d talk to local characters, and occasionally a b-list celebrity coming to town to push a film, or more likely a dinner-theater appearance. 

And there was wrestling.

In this era, television was seen as nothing more than advertising to drive business to the live events, or “House shows”, where the real money was made.  So local wrestling organizations would buy an hour of local station TV time - exactly the same process used for infomercials today - and run their own wrestling program, usually filmed at the station, usually on the same location as the aforementioned kids and chat shows.

They could get maybe 150 people on bleacher seats, if they were lucky. There was usually ONLY one camera, at the position that today we know as the “hard camera”. The set was minimal - a lot of curtains, with a sign sporting the logo of the company behind a podium off to one side of the ring. No pyro, no into videos, not even really any entrance music - one or two of the biggest stars might come in to some popular rock song that they hoped they wouldn’t get sued for.

It was what we had, and we appreciated it.

The best-known example of the style was Georgia Championship Wrestling, (later World Championship Wrestling) on WTBS. As Ted Turner’s local enterprise became a Superstation, carried by damn near every cable company in the country, the show got national exposure, seeing a return of weekly wrestling to areas that may not have seen it in years. But the format was the same - small crowd, small set, and a lot of heart. It’s not unfair to say that said exposure is what helped Vince McMahon parlay his father’s promotion into the juggernaut it is now.

Years (heck, DECADES) have passed, and the industry has grown and changed and gotten a lot fancier. And (before All This happened, anyway) we got to see a new renaissance of indie wrestling. AEW has become the closest thing to real competition that WWE has had this century, built off the shoulders of ROH and tons of other indie promotions who have built themselves a reputation of quality, as well as building many of the stars that are now entertaining us in the WWE.

So when the NWA, the national Wrestling Alliance, now under the ownership of Smashing Pumpkins alum Billy Corgan, decided to make a comeback to the national market i a big way, he knew he couldn’t compete with the production values of the WWE.

So he didn’t try.

Instead, he took the old-school route, and set up a studio wrestling model.

NWA POWERRR is a note-perfect tribute to the era of “Studio” wrestling shows. While the WWE has magnificently parodied the era with Southpaw Regional Wrestling (even Impact Wrestling did a similar episode a month or three back), NWA have taken the route of using the format completely non-ironically. Yes, the opening credits are made to look like 80s era chyron video effects, and like the old shows, the set is curtains, a sign, and a podium. But it’s not a joke - it’s comfort food like your grandma made...and wrestling like she watched. 

And make no mistake - the wrestling itself is rock solid.  A mix of new guys on their way up, veteran performers who’ve been on the bigger shows but still have lots to give, and legendary NWA workers who somehow never achieved the national WWE-level success that others did, but are no less magnificent. The proper term to describe the whole experience would be “Old School”, if that term hadn’t been used to death now.

It’s what so few throwback and homage productions achieve - it’s all the good stuff that you remember from the proverbial “Day”, with none of the stuff you tried to forget.

Are you getting a big bored, even frustrated, with WWE’s empty arena output of late? The NWA has got a library of about six months of programming that, as they used to say when the networks wanted to you to try shows over the summer that you were too busy to watch cause you were watching the hits, are “new to you”. It is absolutely worth your time.

And now that they’re as hobbled as the rest of the industry, they’ve innovated again, and built a comedy series called Carnyland starring the NWA crowd in skits and bits designed to keep you entertained, and to keep them all working. The first episode dropped last week, and I can’t wait for the second. 

It has the same feel of those locally-produced shows of the past - a lot of heart, a sense of “we have nothing to lose, let’s try anything”, and a big helping of Just Plain Crazy.

It’s like riding that portable rollercoaster at the state fair, held together with cotter-pins and held down with sandbags - It’s fun, could fly apart at any moment, and that only makes it more thrilling to be on.

[weirdindiestuff-blog]

hello

everyone. just wanna say i love pro wrestling especially kenny omega cause he is just too sweet

[wrestlingisfake]

All In preview

This is the big independent show everyone’s been talking about.  Several big promotions have allowed their talent to do this show, but none of them are directly running this show.  Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks are promoting this out of their own pockets, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.

This all came about because some guy on Twitter asked Dave Meltzer asked if Ring of Honor could run a 10,000-seat venue and Dave was like “not anytime soon” and Cody was like “I’ll take that bet.”  Then everyone was like “what market is going to have enough hardcore fans to fill a building that big?” and Chicago was like “hold my beer” and the place sold out in 30 minutes.  So yeah, fuck Wrestlemania going to New York and Florida all the time, we’re gonna do our own Wrestlemania with indy guys and stupid storylines off of Youtube!

This will be airing live on pay-per-view, ROH’s Honor Club service, and Fite.tv, with a one-hour pre-show on WGN America.  September 1, 6pm Eastern/5pm local.

Nick Aldis vs. Cody Rhodes - This is for the NWA world heavyweight championship, which Aldis won last year--the same title Cody’s father held in 1979, 1981, and 1986. 

Aldis is probably best known as Magnus for his run in TNA, where he held what is now the Impact world title.  (He also held the Global Force Wrestling world title for most of that group’s existence.)  Cody is, of course, a former ROH world champion and WWE intercontinental champion; he’s a top act in ROH and part-time special attraction with New Japan Pro Wrestling.  He’s also one of the promoters of this show, which may or may not give away the finish.

The great irony here is that “independent wrestling” used to mean “wrestling unaffiliated with an NWA member,” but now the NWA has no members, which means it has the most prestigious championship that is truly independent of the major players today.  The current NWA business model, under Billy Corgan, is to fly the champion around to other people’s indy shows, resembling the old-school pattern of Harley Race or Ric Flair coming to an NWA territory once or twice a year.  Since this show isn’t being promoted by a group with its own world champion, it’s a perfect fit for that model.  So it’s a good thing Aldis got booked, because if he hadn’t the NWA would’ve looked pretty bush-league.

The main story here is that Cody and Corgan arranged this title match without consulting Aldis.  Aldis then tried to hold out for added incentive to defend the title, suggesting that if Cody regained the ROH world championship they could have a double title match.  Cody came up short, but still managed to goad Aldis into accepting the challenge.  Obviously the crowd for this show is going to be solidly behind Cody simply for making this show possible, and moreover they’re going to be into the angle that Cody has a chance to recreate one of his father’s career highlights.

I don’t foresee a lengthy NWA title reign for Cody, since his obligations to ROH and New Japan probably don’t line up with Corgan’s business plans.  However, if I was Corgan, I’d want to get the belt on Cody while he’s the talk of the wrestling world.  At the very least, I’d want to set up a Cody/Aldis program to run through October’s NWA anniversary show and maybe even the ROH/NJPW Madison Square Garden show in April.  So a title change makes sense, but it’d depend on a lot of things falling into place behind the scenes, so it’s not a lock either.  In the end, though, this is a bad weekend to bet against Cody.

Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon, Jr. - Omega holds the IWGP heavyweight championship--the top title of New Japan--but the title is not at stake here.  Penta works all over the place but is probably best known from AAA and Lucha Underground.  His biggest accolade is possibly the LU championship, but he also briefly held the Impact Wrestling world title earlier this year.

This is easily the biggest dream match that this show could book.  To the average US wrestling fan, Omega is the hottest guy in Japan and Penta is the hottest guy out of Mexico.  But since Penta’s never really been to NJPW or ROH, and since Omega’s never really been to AAA or Impact, there’s never been a way to book this match on a big show...until now.

I don’t really know anything about Pentagon except that he’s fucking scary, dude, and I’m pretty stoked to finally see what this cat’s deal is.  Omega has made a name for himself delivering some of the best matches of the decade, but Penta is a brawler so this won’t be a wrestling clinic.  It should be a unique spectacle, worthy of this one-of-a-kind event.

I feel like New Japan would not authorize this appearance if their champion was going to lose, so I would be very shocked if Penta wins.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll - Okada isn’t quite the ace of NJPW, but he’s getting there, especially after a record-setting 720-day run with as IWGP champion.  Scurll is a junior heavyweight in NJPW, but in ROH he’s approaching the main event level, and if he sticks around long enough he’ll probably become their world champion.  In Japan, heavyweights and junior heavyweights almost never compete against one another one-on-one, so this match is automatically a rarity.

Scurll is sort of just there in the grand scheme of things, but within the context of a 10,000 indy wrestling fans in Bullet Club shirts, he’s practically the second coming of Christ.  Between the quality of his opponent, the historic nature of the event, the favorability of the crowd, and the timing of his peak popularity, this could be the match of Scurll’s life.  But that said, he’s bound to lose, because I can’t imagine New Japan allowing an upset to disrupt their pecking order among the weight classes.  That’s fine with me, because while everyone else will be whooping for Scurll, I’ll be there to see Okada.

Rey Mysterio & Fenix & Bandido vs. Kota Ibushi & Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson - Fenix is the brand-new AAA heavyweight champion.   Mysterio is a former WWE champion and the current champion of Mexico’s #3 group, The Crash.  There isn’t much info (at least, not in English) on Bandido except that he’s worked in CMLL, AAA, and various smaller promotions.  Aside from being a finalist in NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament this year, Kota Ibushi is legendary for his high-risk style and his preference to be a freelancer rather than commit to a single company.  Nick and Matt, the Young Bucks, are currently the IWGP heavyweight tag team champions, and have become synonymous with the post-ironic style that has defined the modern age of indy wrestling.

There really isn’t a story or direction to this match beyond getting all these guys in the ring at the same time to work with each other.  The Bucks do their spots with everyone in the indies, this is their big special show, and so as a special treat they’re going to do their shit with Rey and Fenix.  Ibushi seems to be here because Kenny Omega is occupied elsewhere, and to get his last chance to work with Rey before Mysterio returns to WWE.  Bandido seems to be here primarily to do the job, which kinda suggests Ibushi and the Bucks are winning.

Hangman Page vs. Joey Janella - Page is one of the lesser white guys in Bullet Club, but he had a decent run in the G1 Climax recently, and it seems like he’s starting to move up in the world.   Janella is best known for a) Joey Janella’s Spring Break, GCW’s Wrestlemania weekend event and b) a 2016 match with Zandig where they did an insane rooftop bump into a pickup bed filled with glass and barbed wire.  This is being billed as a Chicago street fight, which could mean anything really but generally means no count-outs, no disqualifications, so you can fight all over the place, but you still have to score a fall in the ring.

The, uh, storyline in this match is that Page, yeesh, either murdered Joey Ryan or believes that he did.  Joey Ryan is arguably the most popular American indy wrestler who is not booked on this show, and he’s conspicuous by his absence since a good chunk of the build for this show is about his fate.  Anyway, Page is, uh, afraid to wear his cowboy boots because they keep...well...talking to him about how he’s going to kill “another Joey,” apparently meaning Janella.  So yeah, the big idea is that it’s significant that Ryan and Janella have the same first name.  It’s like that whole “Martha” thing in Batman v. Superman, only dumber.  This is what happens when the main television for your show is Being the Elite, which is slightly less absurd than Southpaw Regional Wrestling or Z! True Long Island Story.

In any case, Page is suitably deranged enough to brutalize Janella, which means Janella has sufficient motivation to go sickhouse on Page.  These two ought to give us a good brawl and some nasty hardcore spots.  Dave Meltzer seems to think this could steal the show, and I wouldn’t go that far, but it might have everyone talking afterwards, if only for sheer wtf-ness.  I’m not sure it matters who wins, but Page is the one who’s friends with the promoters so I’d bet on him.

Jay Lethal vs. the winner of Over Budget Battle Royal - Lethal (probably best known for his Randy Savage impression in TNA ten years ago, and a sexual harassment scandal this summer) is defending the Ring of Honor world title against whoever wins the battle royal in the pre-show.  Since the battle royal includes at least one woman, there’s at least a chance this could become an intergender match.  This is the biggest match on the show that does not involve any members of Bullet Club, although I suppose the battle royal winner could, like, join Bullet Club or something.

Being the Elite has been setting up the idea that Lethal’s “Black Machismo” persona is re-emerging, so the big angle for this match is the hype that Lethal might bring that stuff back.  I don’t know how that will play off of whoever wins the battle royal, but I guess they have some crazy idea.

For historical purposes, a title change at this show would be a feather in ROH’s cap.  But I don’t expect them to see it that way, or for the battle royal winner to be anywhere close to ROH’s ideal world champion.  I’m picking Lethal to retain.

Christopher Daniels vs. Stephen Amell - Daniels has been around so long that he appeared (as a jobber) on both sides of the Monday Night Wars, won the first King of the Indies, held the IWGP junior tag title with Daniel Bryan, and became a founding father in the early history of both ROH and TNA’s “X” division.  These days he’s primarily known as the leader of ROH’s SoCal Uncensored faction.  Amell plays the superhero Green Arrow on TV, and became friends with Cody Rhodes through Cody’s appearances on that show and a celebrity tie-in match at Summerslam 2015.

During the whole “Joey Ryan was murdered” storyline, Amell was arrested but then later it came out that Daniels framed him.  I feel like that should leave Daniels in deep legal shit but I guess we’re not worrying about that.

Amell is looking to prove he can hold his own in the ring despite his limited experience, and Daniels has the challenge of making him look even better than that.  I think they’ll probably do fine.  That said, I don’t watch Arrow or Being the Elite and I barely even pay close attention to ROH weekly television, so I sure don’t give a fuck about this match.  I guess Amell wins. 

Tessa Blanchard vs. Madison Rayne vs. Chelsea Green vs. Britt Baker - Blanchard is the reigning Impact women’s champion and WSU world champion; neither title is not at stake.  This is presumably a standard four-way where the first wrestler to score a fall wins the match.  This is the only women’s match on the card--okay technically Jordynne Grace is in the battle royal but that’s not really the same thing.

Rayne is probably best known for her tenure in TNA/Impact (she held the women’s title five times), although she recently competed in both the ROH Women of Honor tournament and WWE’s Mae Young Classic.  Green wrestled as Laurel Van Ness in Impact and is of late appearing in Lucha Underground.  Baker has yet to really move up into the bigger indies, so her biggest claim to fame may be as one of the jobbers Nia Jax squashed early in her run on WWE Raw.

There really isn’t anything at stake in this match.  In theory a victory over Blanchard would set up a title match, but this isn’t Japan and I don’t know if Impact or WSU will really care who wins here.  So it kinda just comes down to whoever Cody and the Young Bucks want to go over.  I tend to think that’ll be Blancard since she’s the next big thing in women’s wrestling.  Although if somebody’s looking to make a statement about the next next big thing, that could be a case for pushing Green or Baker.

Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky - This is currently scheduled for Zero Hour, the free pre-show.  The Briscoes are the current Ring of Honor tag team champions, but as far as I know the title is not on the line.  To build for this match, SoCal Uncensored made a video where they’re training like it’s Rocky III.  The Briscoes responded with a video in which they can’t really be bothered to watch a damn 12-minute YouTube video, but then they do and they like go all dark and shit like it awoke something inside of them.  I don’t understand why every angle for this show has to be like one of those Channel Awesome crossovers where they team up and fight supervillains or whatever.

Anyway, I always kinda dug the Briscoes, it’ll be neat to see ‘em live finally, and I think they’re gonna win.

Over Budget Battle Royal - This is set for the pre-show.  Assuming it’s a standard battle royal, the match begins once everyone has entered the ring, and can only end when all but one participant has been eliminated.  The last one left is the winner, and qualifies to challenge Jay Lethal for the ROH world title later in the show.

This has been announced as a 15-person battle royal, although I doubt the exact number is a hard requirement.  Named participants so far are:

Colt Cabana (ROH)

Moose (Impact Wrestling)

Brian Cage (Impact X division champion)

Jimmy Jacobs (Impact Wrestling)

Punishment Martinez (ROH television champion)

Rocky Romero (New Japan)

Billy Gunn (WWE legend)

Austin Gunn (Billy’s son)

Jordynne Grace (WSU Spirit champion)

Ethan Page (Chandler Park from Impact Wrestling)

Marko Stunt (a very small indy guy)

Brandon Cutler (PWG)

It’s worth pointing out that CZW champion MJF was booked for All In but as of this writing hasn’t been put in a match.  So I’m kind of expecting him to end up here, although I don’t see the point of withholding that information until the last minute.  Similarly, a huge part of the All In promotion has been Flip Gordon’s failed attempts to get on the show, and it seems ridiculous to resolve that by just not using him anywhere.  Also similarly, I can’t believe the “murder” of Joey Ryan is such a big deal with this show and that the actual real live Joey Ryan won’t be wrestling on it.  The promotion of All In has been really weird, basically.

Other surprise entrants that I could see happening include Pac (formerly Adrian Neville, who has very recently been released from WWE), and Austin Aries (the Impact world champion).  Considering Jordynne Grace is already there, it wouldn’t be a big deal to add additional women.  However if there’s any group that I believe Cody and the Bucks want to see more represented in this match, it would be one-note running joke performers like Papa Buck, Cheeseburger, or Chico El Luchador.

The finish here is going to depend on which winner can have the most entertaining title match with Jay Lethal.  If we’re talking “biggest match possible,” that’d probably be Brian Cage or (if he’s available) Austin Aries for the “ROH vs. Impact” vibe.  If we’re talking “local guy hometown pop,” then Cabana is the obvious choice.  But if the plan is to follow through on an angle that’s particularly important to the target audience, then it pretty much has to be someone who hasn’t been announced for the match yet, which means literally anything is possible.

[laresearchette]

Friday, November 19, 2021 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: HARRIET THE SPY (Apple TV +) THE LINE (Apple TV+) CANDY COATED CHRISTMAS (discovery +) FROM THE SOURCE (discovery +) GOOD WITH WOOD (discovery +) HOME TOWN: BEN'S HOLIDAY WORKSHOP (discovery +) ADVENTURE THRU THE WALT DISNEY ARCHIVE (Disney +) NANTUCKET NOEL (W Network) 8:00pm DEAN MARTIN: KING OF COOL (TCM) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT THE GREAT (Premiering on November 20 on Amazon Prime Canada) DANCING THROUGH THE SNOW (TBD - Lifetime Canada) DYING FOR A GOOD GRADE (TBD - Lifetime Canada) MY LOTTERY DREAM HOME: DAVID'S HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA (TBD - HGTV Canada)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME/CRAVE/NETFLIX CANADA/CBC GEM:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA EVERYBODY LOVES NATTI THE WHEEL OF TIME

CBC GEM BRITTANIA (Season 3) CALL THE MIDWIFE (Season 9) A LIFE IN TEN PICTURES PORCUPINE LAKE

CRAVE TV AFTER DARK, MY SWEET DEEP BLUE SEA ERAGON THE FUGITIVE GOLDEN ARM I AM ALI JANN (Season 3) STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (Season 4, Episode 1) SOUTHPAW SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW WE BROKE UP WILD WILD WEST

DISNEY + STAR MISSION TO THE SUN A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS: LETTERS TO SANTA 20/20: THE MOST MAGICAL STORY ON EARTH – 50 YEARS OF WALT DISNEY WORLD

NETFLIX CANADA BLOWN AWAY: CHRISTMAS COWBOY BEBOP DHAMAKA EXTINCT FOR LIFE (Season 2) HELLBOUND LOVE ME INSTEAD THE MIND, EXPLAINED (Season 2) PROCESSION TICK, TICK… BOOM!

NHL HOCKEY (SNPacific/TSN3) 10:00pm: Jets vs. Canucks

NBA BASKETBALL (SN) 7:30pm: Lakers vs. Celtics (SN1/SN) 10:00pm: Raptors vs. Kings

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 7:30pm: Redblacks vs. Alouettes (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 10:30pm: Elks vs. Lions NCAA HOCKEY (TSN2) 8:00pm: North Dakota vs. Minnesota Duluth

marketplace (CBC) 8:00pm

CHRISTMAS LOVERS ANONYMOUS (CTV Drama) 8:00pm: A best-selling author hides her love for Christmas after an ugly break up, finding love again when she joins a website for people who are crazy about Christmas: "Christmas Lovers Anonymous".

TRAVEL MAN: 48 HOURS IN... (CBC) 8:30pm:  Accompanied by Shazia Mirza, Richard Ayoade makes the most of a two-day French Riviera tour. From fun activities and specialties to destinations and more, the duo covers almost everything there is.

THE NATURE OF THINGS (CBC) 9:00pm: The Machine That Feels: The ever-growing and mysterious world of Artificial Intelligence.

FAMILY LAW (Global) 9:00pm (SEASON FINALE): Abigail and Daniel represent two sisters who are being sued by their estranged mother for parental support; Daniel debates leaving Svensson for a rival firm; Lucy is melancholic as her deceased mother's birthday approaches.

DEATH WALKER WITH NICK GROFF (CTV Sci-Fi) 9:00pm:  Nick Groff theorizes and investigates the origin of some of the most notorious haunting's in America, redefining the understanding of the paranormal.

WE BROKE UP (Crave) 9:00pm:  A couple who just broke up pretend to still be together while attending a weekend wedding.

MEANDER (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm:  A woman gets locked in a series of bizarre tubes filled with dangerous traps. CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm:  "Mr. Murder": Four Lives Lost

GOLDEN ARM (Crave) 10:25pm:  When her best friend, Danny, ropes her into taking her spot at the Women's Arm Wrestling Championship, Melanie, who is a baker, must trade whisks for barbells to compete against the reigning champ for a chance at the grand prize.

[pushbreezango]

I’m salty about tag team wrestling on Smackdown

Do you ever think about how Breezango got a chance at the tag team titles for the first time over a year after formation as a team? 

Or how they had their second match for the titles shortly thereafter and not only have they not had an opportunity since May? 

How may times have we even seen Breezango in the ring (outside of house shows) since then? Literally FOUR - And the last time was June. 

Also since their last televised match, they’ve lost 21 house show matches, won 4 and also won 2 dark matches. Just in case you were interested because I have the stats up. Outside of dark matches, their last win was the 1st of July. 

Under the cut: I get increasingly rambly about the rest of the SDL tag division

And do you ever think about how only 3 out of 5-7 tag teams get regular shots at the Smackdown Live Tag Team Championships?

Tag team wrestling is my favourite and I wish it wasn’t treated as an afterthought. The character dynamics of characters in teams is vastly more interesting to me than individual characters wrestling other individual characters. I almost exclusively keep up with wrestling for the tag team division and it’s depressing as fuck. 

Do you know when the last time The Ascension won? February of 2016 on an episode of WWE Superstars (against Damien Sandow and Fandango). Prior to that was in September 2015. From what we’ve seen on The Fashion Files and Southpaw, they can be interesting and entertaining. Resurrect Ascension.

I don’t exactly love The Colons but they have won one match since they’ve been repackaged from The Shining Stars (two months before Primo was put on the shelf for his knee injury). They’ve had multiple gimmicks flop and at this point they’re not even trying. 

The Hype Bros, although they haven’t been losing that much, feel kind of like an afterthought and they don’t really feel like they’ve had consistent momentum since returning after Zack Ryder’s knee injury. I’m not invested in them as a team but I would love to have a reason to. 

I didn’t really get into American Alpha that much since they seemed a little bland to me when they got moved up to the main roster and although they held the championships for 84 days, I didn’t care. I don’t know if they lacked the sort of charisma or heat that The New Day or The Usos have as champions but I guess American Alpha isn’t a team anymore because of that stupid Jason-Jordan-is-Kurt-Angle’s-son thing. 

And we haven’t seen enough of Gable’s new team with Benjamin to have much of an opinion on them but I hope they work their way up before challenging for the titles instead of shooting up there too soon. Build up a story where they grow as a team for a while. That should be easy enough to do. 

And as much as I’ve been enjoying The Usos and The New Day and how they consistently put on great matches, I’m getting tired of them fighting each other. The entire feud is just “We want the titles and you have the titles” with different perspectives depending on the week. They’ve been fantastic but maybe give some spotlight to the other tag teams who haven’t been near the belts (let alone had the opportunity to apparently hot-potato it to get The New Day closer to The Dudley Boyz record). 

Breezango have literally been in a feud with nobody specific and have been very compelling. I literally was buzzing for weeks in class waiting to get home and watch Smackdown to see if they’d get further in their case. I mean I’m mad that the Fashion Files mystery of who wrecked their office and attacked Breeze hasn’t been solved (but maybe they’re waiting for Primo to be back from injury to feud with the Colons over that since their dismissal of them was just a guess Fandango made in June?). I give a lot of leeway to Breezango because their gimmicks, booking, etc. isn’t exactly enviable. Also they’re my favourites and I’ll suspend my disbelief further than Fandango getting probed by aliens for 2 weeks. 

I would love for there to be multiple new tag teams to freshen things up (and not just a Superstar Shakeup). I hear rumors or Harper and Rowan (I love Harper but I am wildly indifferent about the idea of them as a tag team) and there’s the potential for an NXT call-up...

Give the tag division more concurrent storylines. And storylines that feel like they’re going somewhere. Get me invested. Give me character development. 

I’m gonna stop before I think of more things. I doubt y’all’ll read all of this but you’re welcome to join me in my salt. 

[shitloadsofwrestling]

Tex Ferguson and Chad 2 Badd / Surf Dudes With Attitudes / The Butchers [August 25th, 2017]

The tag team division in Southpaw Regional Wrestling is as solid as they come, with wrestlers from coast to coast arriving in droves for a shot at The Butchers’ tag team championships!

[noromannet-blog]

WWE 2K20 Originals: Southpaw Regional Wrestling is now available

2K announced today that the WWE 2K20 Originals: Southpaw Regional Wrestling downloadable content pack is now available for WWE 2K20. As in the previous Originals, Southpaw Regional Wrestling includes a new Showcase, Story Towers, characters, arenas, character parts, weapons, voices, and comments. This downloadable content is included in the Deluxe Edition and the 20th Anniversary Edition of Smackdown, and can also be purchased separately. What the WWE 2K20 Originals contain New history towers "Sect of fighters" - Misfit Molly (Becky Lynch) is facing the latest fashion exercise routine: Rasslersize. These exercise freaks want Misfit Molly to join them and they don't plan to accept no for an answer. "Everything that goes up ..." - Mr. Mackelroy (Tyler Breeze) signs a commercial agreement that ends up going wrong, and a scary figure sends some debt collectors in disguise as a glam rock group to collect debts. "Preparation Tower" - Perth Pijas (The IIconics) are spoiled brat who believe they deserve an opportunity to take the Southpaw's Women's Tag Championship, but the rest of the women's division has other plans. "A man and his chickens" - Big Bartholomew (Rusev) leads a simple life. Fight and take care of their chickens. But Mr. Mackelroy has kidnapped them and plans to turn them into nuggets unless Big Bart defeats his army of thugs. In the end, the terrible Marine Creature awaits. "Street ninja show" - Ninjas have kidnapped Zack Ryder's girlfriend, who turns out to be the president of the United States. Zack Ryder street and Curt Hawkins street are ready to save her as if it were an old game "beat 'em up". New WWE playable Superstars: Georgia Washington (Charlotte Flair) Dosvetanya (Wool) Rebel Hair Day (Ember Moon) Misfit Molly (Becky Lynch) Samantha Urai (Kairi Sane) Sasha Memorybanks (Sasha Banks) Bay Lee Billionaire (Bayley) Mackelroy (Tyler Breeze) Glam Rocker (Johnny Gargano) Sea creature Two new arenas: Southpaw summer escape '87 Max headlocks And much more New voices and comments New thematic parts of Superstars New thematic parts to create an arena New themed weapons

What are the 2K Originals The WWE 2K20 Originals are a series of four packs of downloadable content, each with a different theme and a new fictional realm. It is the main downloadable content of WWE 2K20, and each will include a 2K Showcase, 2K Towers, playable characters, parts of the creation system, new weapons, arenas and many other exclusive elements that will match the theme of the pack. By spring 2020 all WWE 2K20 Originals will be available. How much do WWE 2K20 Originals cost? The WWE 2K20 Originals is priced at € 14.99 each. The first pack of WWE 2K20 Originals, Terror at night, was available at no additional cost to those who booked WWE 2K20 in the stores that participated in this promotion. Players interested in the other three WWE 2K20 Originals, not counting Terror at night, can buy the WWE 2K20 Backstage Pass for € 29.99. The content of the Backstage Pass is included in the Deluxe and Collector's Edition of WWE 2K20, and its download will be available with the release. To see all the content that includes South Regional Wrestling, Click here. WWE 2K20, developed in collaboration by Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, has a PEGI 16 rating.WWE 2K20 is now available worldwide for the PS4 ™ system, Xbox One, and Windows PC. For more information about WWE 2K20 and 2K, visit 2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, on Twitter and Instagram or subscribe on YouTube. Read the full article

[millennialannouncetable-blog]

Medium Rare: Monday Night RAW Review 8/28/17

Welcome welcome to Medium Rare: Your weekly RAW review. This week we look at a RAW that was mostly underwhelming, but brought about the best promo of 2017 thus far. Without further ado, let’s kick this off with a battle royal.

Jeff, the Single Hardy: Jeff Hardy won a Battle Royal to become The Miz’s next challenger for the Intercontinental Championship

To be quite honest, I’m a sucker for battle roayls. I think they’re super fun and they add some intrigue to any title picture. We all knew the direction they were going in with Jason Jordan, but as soon as we thought they might take JJ’s story to the next level, they hit us with a proper swerve. Was I mad to see Jeff win? Not at all. I think this will be unpredictable and a good thing for the Hardys who are seemingly list in the tag division now. Jason Jordan needs to build up a bit more and get a better crowd reaction before getting into something high profile.  Big Show looked like King Kong Bundy, let’s move on.

Enz05 Live: Enzo Amore def. Noam Dar

There was really nothing special about the match here, except for the constant free fall that is Noam Dar’s career. However, I like Enzo in the cruiserweight division. Enzo obviously is nowhere near the level of the other competitors, but he has sufficient drawing power, making him a beacon of fan interest into the division. The match was okay, short and nothing special. I’m intrigued to see a feud with Neville though. For some reason I feel like Neville should absolutely destroy him.

Suplex City, Bitch: Universal Champion Brock Lesnar addressed Braun Strowman

Brock Lesnar was on RAW two weeks in a row, and boy was I happy to see him. Keeping Braun off the show was a good decision as we got to see Paul and Brock speak out for a bit on the challenge that Lesnar faces come No Mercy. They did a good job at building up Braun while simultaneously telling us that Brock is ready to kick ass. Effective.

Kraft ���Tag Team” Singles: Cesaro def. Rollins & Ambrose def. Sheamus

Yeah ok I’m good with this. Trading victories in singles matches between tag teams is a little on the side of 50/50 booking, but I think it worked here. Both these teams were shown as dominant and both needed wins on RAW before they inevitably clash again at No Mercy. No complaints, just non huge pop from me either.

Did You Know That Emma Started the Women’s Revolution?:Emma def. Mickie James

Giving this two stars because the right booking decision was made, but my god did this match reek of “We don’t know what we’re doing.” I’m happy Emma picked up a win, I’m sad that Mickie is booked as a constant loser, but okay whatever. Let’s see where they go from here.

Break The (4th) Walls Down: John Cena and Roman Reigns made their WWE No Mercy match official & defeated The Club

Although probably 99.9% scripted, I really loved this segment. John Cena said to Roman Reigns what fans have not been able to coherently communicate to Reigns for the past 3 years. We need stories that blur the lines between WWE fantasy and reality, that’s what makes some stories much more interesting than others. This was a great exchange on both star’s parts, but Roman clearly needs to step up on the mic if he wants to tango with Cena let alone be respected by the fans. I’m not going to even rate the match afterwards because it was super random and ephemeral. This segment gets 5 stars for one of the best RAW segments all year.

Southpaw’d:”Impressive” Pelvis Wesley confronted Elias

Even as a Southpaw Regional Wrestling fan I thought this was a bit of a stretch. Happy to see Elias on RAW twice in one night, but this kind of felt like a bathroom break segment. 1 star Lavar Ball for you, Pelvis.

WHY why WHY WhYHY:Alexa Bliss def. Sasha Banks to become the new Raw Women’s Champion

Before I get into anything else, this was a superb match. Sasha Banks constantly puts on the best matches in the entire WWE women’s division bar none. She makes me genuinely excited about what’s going on in the ring and tells a story every time. Bliss also performed really well in this match, which definitely topped their SummerSlam contest. Now. WHY give Sasha the title only to take it from her again? The only way I can process this is that WWE is doing a long-term story about how Sasha can never defend the Women’s title. Maybe that’ll have a future payoff. In the meantime, that makes absolutely no sense. Nia turned on Alexa which was cool, but now what to do? Triple threat? Is Sasha out of the picture entirely? I just don’t know.

OVERALL

It wasn’t a great RAW by any stretch, but sometimes you need to relax sometimes in order to start building these stories. The definite highlight was Cena/Reigns, with everything else taking a back seat.

– Jon Weigell, M.A.T.

[wweblogging]

NXT Takeover Brooklyn III Predictions

Much shorter than the Summerslam ones. Also, shoutout to Southpaw Regional Wrestling Season 2 and WWE2k18, I can't wait to see gameplay Aleister Black v. Hideo Itami- this is tough. Itami is a returning superstar, and a huge one at that. Black is a new, up and coming superstar. Both need something to get them big, and I think Black is going to have that privilege. It'll be close, but he will take it Johnny Gargano v. Andrade "Cien" Almas- also tough. I have a plan for this match, and sadly it involves Almas winning. But, this victory will be due to Tammaso Ciampa's interference. This way, Almas rides a win and the Gargano/Ciampa feud is furthered SAnitY v. Authors of Pain (champs) for the NXT Tag Team Championships- this is gonna be a slow match, probably worst of the match. 4 big clunky guys in the ring is gonna spell doom, but there may be a good spot thrown in. Anyways, it would be insane if SAnitY did win the titles, but I don't think that'll happen, at least not tonight. I do see it in their future though Ember Moon v. Asuka (champ) for the NXT Women's Championship- speaking of title changes. Takeover Brooklyn is NXT's Wrestlemania, so big things are bound to happen. I reckon that big thing is going to be Ember Moon ending Asuka's winning streak. Maybe this will lead to her being put on the main roster, but what it will do for Ember Moon would be immeasurable Drew Mcintrye v. Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship- Drew being in NXT is something no one saw coming and I think it speaks volumes about WWE's relations with superstars who left the company. Also this time, I think he will be treated better with an NXT title run. Just not yet. Drew falls in the same boat as SAnitY, I want them to hold gold, just give them some time first That's NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. The tagline should be Probably Better Than Summerslam. Just saying