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danwhobrowses · 3 years

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AEW: All Out 2021 - Initial Reaction and Thoughts

I have kept so far off of social media it's not funny And I hope you know how difficult that is being a QA tester

But AEW is back in Chicagoland, there'll be homecomings, title defenses and one would bet some new faces, so without further ado let's get to it

Spoilers on the PPV, watch it on BR or Fite then come back

As I did with Summerslam, I will be marking who I predicted to win in Italics so we can see how right or wrong I was. I also must confess even radio silence could not save me from learning about 1 debut, but it was one I had anticipated.

The Buy In

As usual we started with promo package overkill, but they did right by starting with CM Punk's one because it is a great package - also the video was good.

Half an hour later - which we could've fit one or two matches in - we get to the first match.

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) and Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy & Wheeler Yuta) [w/Marko Stunt] def. HFO (Matt Hardy, Private Party & TH2) [w/The Blade] (Submission on Angelico by Jungle Boy via Snare Trap) Well that was a mouthful. Our quickly put-together clusterfuck started with the HFO coming out quickly, then the Pixies coming out with a nice pop as Orange grabbed a sign hoping that Trent gets well soon. Baltimora had the bigger pop because everyone loves Baltimora, and Jungle Boy, also I loved the sign 'Jurassic Times demand Jurassic Measures'.

Matt and Chuck start but Matt demands OC to come out, Chuck tries to lock up but gets kicked away, and tags in Yuta, who gets thrown in the corner too, so Yuta tags Orange in...and Orange tags Luchasaurus in XD Hardy isn't too willing to try and shove the big dino man and tags in Jack Evans, who gets thrown around. JB gets tagged in, showing off his skillset with the rope flip arm drag and an inch perfect dropkick. Yuta and Kassidy are tagged in next, but Yuta's baited into Quen's blind tag, leading into Angelico to be tagged in. Yuta escapes a wristlock and turns it into an Octopus Stretch, but Evans puts him in an Ankle Lock, so Taylor puts him in a chinlock, so Kassidy climbs on a backpack sleeper, JB then latches an Ankle Lock, so Quen locks in the Cravat, Luchasaurus is out next, assessing who to hit and just decides to tackle them all apart. Proper Indy spot that was.

Luchasaurus is now playing like a hot tag, chop one man, drop the other, chop the one man, drop the other, Kassidy hits his high pitch scream as the big man comes back around to Jack Evans, hitting that wonderfully brutal Chokesault GTS he used to murder Fuego that one time (they didn't name the move, so I'm calling it the Extinction Event). Luchasaurus now stalks Hardy, but Hardy is using himself to distract the big man from Private Party's blindside, he stops them with a chokeslam setup but Hardy hits the chop block, leading to a kick combo from PP and driven into the ring post. Cassidy comes up behind all 3 next though, Superkicks of Death for each of them, Hardy's beside himself from this relentless assault and tries to charge OC, but Cassidy turns it into a Waistlock to push Hardy through the ropes. PP take advantage though, flatliner into Kassidy's knees, then a Standing Shooting Star Press Sandwiching Cassidy again. Taylor comes out next, dodging PP and then using Quen's charge as a release Suplex into Kassidy who was sitting in the lower corner. TH2 run into the DDT/Flatliner combo and then PP are taken out by Taylor's Tope Con Hilo while Yuta splashes Angelico - but Evans breaks it up.

TH2 then hit Yuta with some combos; Back/Neckbreaker, then a launch into Evans' boots, but Taylor breaks up the pin. PP throw Taylor out next though, hitting the Gin n Juice on Yuta, Angelico makes the pin but OC kinda half-heartedly shoves Angelico to break the pin, dragging Yuta in the corner as he puts in the pockets. Two lariat dodges lead to a no hands headscissors on Angelico, a 2 for 1 hurricanrana on PP and a dropkick kip up on Evans, Hardy though sneaks up and hits the Twist of Fate. But his focus is on the illegal man, Yuta tags in JB while Taylor dumps Hardy out, both Taylor and Yuta then Tope on PP, but they don't get much and PP roll back in with Angelico. Crowd firmly behind JB he misses the rebound lariat on Kassidy but recovers by sweeping Quen, Brainbuster on Kassidy as Angelico comes to, JB kicks him to his knees, Evans comes out but he kicks Evans into Angelico, Evans punches JB away as Angelico stands up with Evans on his shoulder, but this only acts as a threat to Luchasaurus who lifts JB on his shoulders, both men trading blows with JB clotheslining Evans off of Angelico.

Quen though looks to use this as a Doomsday Device setup, but JB matrix dodges it, so Kassidy now tries a crossbody, which JB reverses into a Spanish Fly/Moonsault Fallaway Slam (I've only ever seen such a counter in Lucha Underground when Cage reversed the Doomsday Device into a twisting powerslam, I popped for that as well). Luchasaurus is left standing but the Blade threatens involvement, so he eats a Pump Kick, Marko then climbs on Luchasaurus' shoulders and dives on the Blade. Tail Whip by Luchasaurus and then the Snare Trap by JB ends the match.

Post match Jurassic Express leave so Best Friends can Give The People What They Want™ but TH2 jump Yuta and PP jump Taylor, Evans delays Orange for a bit as a hulking figure marches into the ring. Big Bad Butch is back in the game, beheading OC with a lariat before his patented knee steps. He throws OC down as the heels look to swarm OC, but Jurassic Express, Varsity Blonds, Dante Martin, 10 and John Silver make the save. Assisted by the Jurassic Express, Best Friends give the Blonds, Dante, 10 and Silver What The People Want™ much to Silver's giddy elation. JB also looks killer in OC's shades as OC 'climbs' the corners to gesture the crowd.

It was a fun ass indy match to get the crowd hot, it could never try to top Deeb/Riho so it didn't, it did surprise me that it didn't lean too much on the Best Friends/HFO narrative but that was proven to be due to Butcher's return post-match. Last thing this kinda pointless feud needs though is more bodies, maybe being outnumbered will cause Hardy to back off? I mean does anyone remember what they were fighting over? I think this started with Kris and Bunny maybe? It's ran it's course is all.

Afterwards we got a sneak peak of the Rhodes' latest vanity project 'Rhodes to the Top'. Doesn't really interest me tbf I don't wanna see Total AEW Divas you know? I feel like it's just gonna make both of the Rhodes' look bad and since Hana Kimura I have little patience for pseudo-reality and forced drama.

Dan Lambert interrupts commentary from the crowd flanked by 3 UFC fighters and the Men of the Year (I still prefer ScorpEgo). They seem to have threatened to do something later in the show. JR gets his introduction and the PPV begins!

Main Card

It never ceases to make me smile that AEW still uses the 'And you know what that means' to start their shows.

TNT Championship Miro (c) def. Eddie Kingston (Pinfall via Matchka Kick) The announcement of the title match was met with a big roar from the crowd as the Chicago natives were firmly behind Kingston, even having a 'Redeem Deez Nuts' sign AND Shirt. Miro got a nice pop too, signs also pick the perfect spot with Miro because before it was 'Miro vs Ishii When?' and this time it's 'We want AJ and Punk vs CJ and Miro'. Eddie shows no intimidation, even happy and goading the Redeemer into the fight.

Miro makes the charge but runs into a knee to the gut, but he trips Kingston to try and latch on Game Over, Kingston wriggles out and tries the Half Nelson Suplex but Miro powers out and rolls out of the ring. Both men pace as Kingston holds the early advantage, shimmying his shoulders with the fans' clapping, Miro catches the kick but Kingston just pokes the eyes instead, chops to the corner, then machine gun chops to the next corner, Miro tries to grapple but Kingston thrusts him with an Exploder. Miro's rattled out the ring, so Eddie follows, but runs into a kick and is thrown into the barricade, body tackle and superkick by Miro as he again throws Kingston into the opposite barricade, but Kingston rebounds and retaliates with a big boot and returns to the ring.

Knowing he can't win by Countout, Kingston looks to dive at Miro from the apron, but his charge is countered into a twisting powerslam onto the exercise mats, Miro focuses on the back, driving it into the ring post twice but it's not even 1. Miro then focuses on the hand, biting and stomping it, knowing that this nullifies grip, chops and the Uraken, he chokes Kingston on the ropes before another kick to the spine. As Miro stares at the crowd Kingston grits his teeth and stands back up, slapping Miro's beard in hopes of a comeback before being smacked with a forearm. Two Sliding Elbow Drops only gets one, Miro then wears Eddie with a choke but Eddie powers back, couple of chops but he can't lift for the Suplex, allowing Miro to hit a high end dropkick, he soaks in the boos for a bit then body charges Kingston in the corner, he eats a retaliation chop by Kingston, but the second one makes him wince. May've been a miscommunication next, Miro looked like he body charged Kingston who was leaving the corner, but he quickly missed the corner splash, if it was a miscommunication it was well-recovered. Enzugiri by Kingston and a sliding uppercut knocks Miro out the ring, but the Suicide Dive is intercepted by an Enzugiri by Miro. Kingston recovers with a Saito Suplex but both men are reeling.

Miro gets up first, hitting Kingston with forearms and pulling him up, once Kingston's on his feet though he starts getting his fire back, trades of forearms and chops ends with two Side slams for 2. He goes for the Uraken but Miro rolls out the ring on sight, only to eat a Suicide dive. Miro misses the pump kick back in the ring and gets hit with a Fisherman's Suplex pinfall for 2. Crowd is hot behind Kingston, but he's lured into the corner charge so Miro can pummel at the back, Kingston tries to hold onto the turnbuckle pad but rips it off as Miro German's him, Matchka kick floors Eddie, as Miro devilishly smiles with half his chest bruised by chops. He calls for the Game Over, but before he cinches back Kingston starts moving to the ropes, he gets the regular Accolade version which allows Eddie to free an arm and grab the rope.

Crowd is getting really loud now as Miro gets more frustrated, he grabs the Turnbuckle pad but throws it away in reconsideration, opening him up for Eddie to strike: Uraken, DDT! But the Ref was disposing of the turnbuckle pad, gifting that extra few seconds for Miro to kick out at 2. Crowds kayfabe chant 'you fucked up' at the ref while Kingston prepares for the piledriver, but his back gives in twice making him opt for knee strikes to the head. He sees the exposed turnbuckle and prepares to drive Miro into it, but the ref stands in the way - knowing it'd lead to a DQ. The position we know well as Miro uses his frame to obscure the Ref's vision from the heel kick low blow, a clean roundhouse to the head staggers Eddie more and then the Matchka allows the 3.

Strong opener, good narrative of both men exposing the weak points of the other's body parts. The low blow is a bit cheap but it creates the paradox of Miro's holier than thou attitude. Kingston still proves himself strong in defeat, and as I anticipated AEW didn't make him tap out, so the continuity of his I Quit feud with Moxley remains intact, with Miro pushed this far and having to cheat it also sells Kingston as more than capable of being Miro's equal. Miro will have W no. 7 now, and it remains a prize waiting for a young prospect to crack open.

Jon Moxley def. Satoshi Kojima (Pinfall via Death Rider) Kojima got a loud welcome from Chicago but they sang for Moxley as he came down the crowd in a GCW hoodie - sadly no GCW belt which he won recently from Matt Cardona. Bell rings and Kojima offers a handshake, but Moxley is a man of his word, the bell rang so he has no respect, and offers a middle finger instead.

Stiff chops and forearms start the physicality, both men get a kick to the gut but it's Kojima who gets the early advantage with a shoulder tackle and a titty dance next to the titty master. Koji Lariat is avoided by Mox who flees the ring, but Kojima flattens him with a Tope, Moxley elbows Kojima away when the NJPW legend attempts to return to the ring and delivers a suicide dive of his own, Russian Leg Sweep onto the barricade and then Moxley attacks the hand. Knees to the head then a chop in the corner keeps Moxley's confidence high, but Kojima barrages him with Machine gun chops, throwing Moxley into the corner then landing the Elbow Drop for an early 2. Forearms are countered with a backwards slam, he calls for the Brainbuster but Kojima holds his ground, reversing it to put Moxley on the top turnbuckle. Moxley bites at Kojima, so Kojima bites back and lands the Superplex. Both men fight on the Apron before Kojima hits Mox with a forward falling DDT on the apron, DDT back in the ring for another 2 as duelling chants for Mox and Kojima divides the crowd.

Bleeding from the elbow, Mox counters a Koji Cutter with a Choke, twisting it into a Money Clip for 2, then transitioning to a Cross Armbreaker. Kojima gets a leg to the rope but Moxley knees him in the face, Kojima prevents the Paradigm Shift and hits a Brainbuster for 2, Koji Lariat again is averted but this time with a German. Mox tries two standing lariats, but Kojima won't fall, he tries a running lariat but Kojima collides it with a lariat of his own, staggering Moxley, Kojima feels that third time's the charm but Moxley gets a high knee, tries the Paradigm Shift again but this time is countered by a short-arm lariat and a Koji Cutter. Both men trade blows, Moxley uses the ropes but runs into a Discus but roars back with a Rebound Lariat for 2, as Kojima rolls though it's straight into the Bulldog Choke that Kojima gets to the ropes to break.

Moxley rethinks his strategy by kicks to the gut, but he's caught and hit with Mongolian Chops, Moxley headbutts him away long enough to twist Kojima's charge into a rolling Paradigm Shift, Moxley gestures to the crowd, picks him up for the Death Rider for 3.

After the match Moxley shows his respect, bows to Kojima and looks to take a breather, but the music has changed.

The King

Minoru Suzuki

Crowd Roars alive as Moxley looks in disbelief, but the sound is real, the Kaze ni Nare is real and oh baby, Minoru Suzuki is Damn Real. Suzuki makes sure the crowd is ready, but they were born ready as Kaze ni Nare erupts from the building, Murder Grandpa vs Moxley II looks imminent as they stare each other down. Suzuki looks ready for a fight though, hitting Mox with a forearm, Moxley retaliates with the bleeding elbow, Moxley's blood only adds to Suzuki's scoffing as he returns fire, Suzuki goes for a big boot but Moxley laughs it off and goes for a Lariat, but Suzuki holds ground too, Moxley tries again but Suzuki locks him into the Rear Naked Choke, fading Moxley enough to hit the Gotch Piledriver and placing his foot over the prone Moxley.

We knew AEW were put in a corner when Tanahashi was unable to fulfill the planned match with Moxley, and major props to Kojima too for stepping up, Moxley definitely worked to show off Kojima's strengths in the match but not too much to feel like Mox was fully in danger, both men still had an ace in the hole. Mox's victory though only elevates Suzuki's arrival more for the crowd, giving the anticipated rematch time to build where Kojima's match could not.

AEW Women's Championship Dr. Britt Baker DMD (c) [w/Rebel 'Reba' Tanea & Jamie Hayter] def. Kris Statlander [w/Orange Cassidy] (Ref Stoppage Submission via Lockjaw) Statlander appeared in what looked a bit like a remodified version of her gear that she wore in her clunky title match with Nyla years ago, backed by the Best Friends in grey tracksuits (could be the lighting I think that was supposed to be 'space tracksuits'). Baker has added white to her gear and still has the crowd fully behind her, while Jamie also has a new baseball-ish shirt.

Wristlocks are traded to start the match, each switching by rolls or cartwheels, Baker rolls backwards to try and apply the Lockjaw but Statlander wriggles out and motions to a headlock, Baker pulls the hair to get Kris to release the hold and tries a sunset flip, but has to backtrack when Statlander tries her new 'Spider Crab' submission move she submitted Reba to on Rampage. Statlander motions to boop but Britt takes the arm to try and set up another Lockjaw, Statlander rolls out but Baker now motions DMD - which prompts Statlander to grab the arm and use it to boop Baker with her own hand. Shoulder tackle proves the Alien's strength, so Baker uses kicks and a headlock to try and cut her down, she whips her to the turnbuckle but Statlander remains composed and elbows her away, then doing a headstand on the turnbuckle to Mule Kick Baker away, Baker takes advantage of a slow climb to hit Statlander with a Draping Spinning Fisherman Neckbreacker and kicks Statlander out the ring. Hayter and Rebel look to stalk Statlander but OC struts up sunglasses half down with the most 'bruh' stare he can muster, Baker behind him looking confused as hell.

The pause does not disrupt Baker's momentum, her kick from the apron is caught, but she stomps on the hair so Kris lands face first on the apron. Baker assumes control with stomps, a suplex, forearms to the back of the head and then an Octopus hold, Kris powers back with strikes, driving Baker into the corner, running elbow and a running knee gets Kris going but Baker hits back with a Sling Blade, kinda scuffed the stomp attempt but it didn't look like it was meant to happen as Statlander hits the Fisherman's Falcon Arrow for 2. Short-arm Lariat hits once but not the second, as Baker weaves and contorts into a backslide for 2, a planted DDT follows as Statlander pulls an RVD-esque sell but that also only gets 2.

Baker looks annoyed at the hardcam, superkick to Statlander who's on her knees as Reba provides her with the glove. Baker toys with Kris with kicks to the head, but Baker catches the big Superkick and cracks Baker with a kick of her own, sets up the Big Bang Theory but Baker rolls up for 2, Statlander tries to recover with a corner charge but Baker hits the turnbuckle flatliner. She climbs up top, but Statlander recovers, this one was a light botch: Kris looked to go for a delayed superplex but Baker was falling back to the turnbuckle, so in an attempt to gain more leverage she leaned back too far and followed with the Superplex, Kris looked to have hurt her head a little but nothing drastic. Undeterred, Statlander tries the Area 451, but Baker dodges and prepares the Lockjaw, Statlander struggles enough though for Baker to transition to a Crossface, so Statlander lifts her up, eventually scrambling to an Electric Chair position for the Facebuster, Scissor Kick only gets 2.

Baker this time rolls out the ring, and avoids Statlander's Pendulum Moonsault - hard landing for Kris there - which allows Baker to hit a Stomp on the outside, using the steel steps to get some extra height. Baker seeks a countout win as Statlander's floored, OC though in a desperate move uncharacteristically removes his shades and shouts 'Stat! Get Up!' to will her back into the ring, Baker tries Lockjaw but Statlander rolls it into a Spider Crab. It...still doesn't look too great honestly, the setup needs more like a Powerbomb and it'd probably work better is the opponent was either lifted a little (like Shida's Fullmetal Muffler) or their head was backwards like a Boston Crab, regardless Baker frees a leg to kick Statlander away. Scraping kicks to Statlander's face in the corner draws the ire of the ref, who Baker shoves away to deal more stomps and gain some heat. Pittsburgh Sunrise (it's the Panama Sunrise but she's from Pittsburgh) gets a huge pop, 1, 2, No! Baker then hits the Stomp, 1, 2, No! Lockjaw then gets applied and the ref stops the match.

Really good match from these two. It wasn't much a doubt over whether Baker would retain but this was definitely a redemption of sorts from Statlander. Her last title match with Nyla didn't hit the mark and it did harm her momentum and confidence, but she came out here strong and very well received against the super-over Baker, Statlander lost nothing in defeat and proved she can deliver on PPV and be a future champion.

Andrade El Idolo interview segment Andrade was asked whether he was behind PAC's 'travel issues' which has delayed their much-anticipated match to Rampage, and Andrade pleas innocence because he was ready for a fight on PPV, he undermines PAC for being a smaller name compared to him as well and offers to pay for PAC's flight for Rampage to ensure the match goes forward. Chavo suggests that PAC is scared of Andrade and mocks the Lucha Bros for refusing their services.

AEW World Tag Championship Steel Cage Match Lucha Bros [w/ Alex Abrahantes] def The Young Bucks [w/Brandon Cutler] (pinfall by Pentat on Nick via Assisted Package Piledriver) - TITLE CHANGE!! Announcement that the tag titles are next drew a big pop as the cage descended. Interesting to note as well that Cage Escape is not a win stipulation. A live performance for the Lucha Bros with masked and robed dancers, the singers were quite accurate to how they sound on track so that was good, Lucha Bros arrived in Aztec headwear and then hilariously varsity jackets which did not clash at all, Alex though with the red suit. Under the jackets, Penta sports Mexico colours while Fénix has flames on his tights. A round of boos follow the Bucks' entrance, wearing some red at the front badges at the back thing which is somehow less in-your-face as past gears, they are flanked by Gallows in an Elite Shirt, Anderson in a Bullet Club shirt, Brandon in the obscured back in a zebra print tracksuit and Don Callis in a pink suit. Also god Nick what is that beard? It's like he's bleached the Hogan tache blonde but kept the rest of the beard, kinda like Scott Steiner but worse. Don joined commentary as well.

The match starts with throwing hands, but strangely the Bucks try to climb out the cage to start, which commentary does note confusion over. Fénix dropkicks them into the steel with the assist from Penta, some liquid tag team dodging still goes Lucha Bros' way with simultaneous corner Enzugiris, Nick looks to get an advantage by knocking away Penta but Fénix dropkicks him back into the steel, kicking Matt in the jaw as he did a turnbuckle headstand after his charge missed too. Fénix gets Matt's hand for a corner arm drag, but Nick has the same idea with Penta, they meet on the same turnbuckle so Fénix instead Rana's Nick, Lucha Bros remain firmly in control with the lower ass dropkick (they called it something but I didn't catch the first word) and then stereo superkicks, two throws head first into the steel and then a tackle should've been enough, but the Bucks moved out of the way for the fourth attack causing the Lucha Bros to land into the steel themselves.

The Bucks assume some control now, hitting the brothers with the corner-to-corner Double Stomp and Backstabber, a dropkick sandwiches Penta's head between Matt's boot and the steel, as he slumps in the small gap between the cage and apron, and then Fénix gets the same with a nasty landing from the powerbomb into the cage wall - Penta hit with a PK to keep him down. The Bucks posture as they find their groove, Matt choking Fénix with a chain while Nick continues to wear down Penta. They try to powerbomb Fénix again into the cage, but Fénix hurricanrana's Matt into the steel instead, Nick eats 2 Sling Blades and then Matt a Backstabber from Penta for 2, broken by Nick. Fénix then defies logic again, doing his usual setup for the flipping arm drag but this time using the cage wall to kick off and arm drag Matt instead of Nick, he rolls away from Nick's senton who runs into Penta's tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, their stereo superkicks though are avoided and kick each other instead.

Cutters are traded next, Nick to Fénix, Penta to Nick, Matt's to Penta was slick, Fénix's handspring though is scouted as they try to throw him overhead, but he lands on his feet and lands the Rolling Double Cutter. Penta lets Fénix hit a Superkick on Matt before hitting the Pentagon Driver (which Excalibur still calls Made in Japan, currentish IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi's move - ish depending on if you're asking Will Ospreay or not) but it's only a 2. Fénix whistles to his brother like a dog to set up the Fear Factor, but Nick pushes Fénix into the cage and Matt flips out, Penta now in the Sharpshooter as Fénix has a nasty landing on the apron from a German Suplex. Commentary reminds that there's no rope breaks, so Fénix has to kick through Nick to get a kick on Matt to break the hold, now the Bucks use the Draping Swanton but it's only 2, Fénix tries fighting back, but the Bucks hit a double Superkick when he springs up, causing him to bounce off the cage wall again.

With Fénix in between, the Bucks do what looked more like a Fear Factor variant of the Indytaker, Nick dropkicking Penta on the tombstone so he can land a senton on Fénix, both cover each brother but only get 2 a piece. Crowd tries to will the Lucha Bros alive as the Bucks set Fénix up for the BTE Trigger, but like on Dynamite Fénix rolls away so the Bucks' knees clash instead, he tries a Springboard Crossbody but the brothers Jackson catch him, looking to set up the Meltzer Driver, but Fénix wriggles away, pushing Matt into Nick who rebounds off the cage, Matt low blows both of the Lucha Bros to disrupt their momentum with Callis noting that it's all legal.

More Bang For Your Buck's pinfall is broken at 2 by a Penta superkick to Matt, annoyed the Bucks now focus on the masks of the Lucha Bros and then Lawn Darts Fénix into the cage wall. Motioning to Cutler, Brandon throws a bag over the cage into the ring (would've been funnier if he failed the first time), Matt takes his shoe off and I blood left my face with flashbacks of Candice LeRae - and lo it was just that: the Thumbtack Shoe - a $5000 variation. Penta's already bleeding as Matt stalks Fénix, but Penta stands between Matt and his brother, taking the blow for him (cameras missed the impact though which was a shame), focusing on Penta now, Nick prepares to throw him headfirst into Matt's Tack Shoe, but Penta just about holds his ground to stop...but not for the second time, his mask 'stuck' on the tacks as Matt digs the shoe further into Penta's head and then Nick drives in with a Helluva Kick.

Penta's pooling with blood now as the Bucks prepare a BTE Trigger, but Fénix is standing up now, so they hit him with a tacked Superkick and a Poison Rana, BTE Trigger on Penta, 1, 2, NO! Fénix just reached out in time to break the count. Both Lucha Brothers are bleeding as Alex is willing the crowd on, Matt takes the shoe off to use it like a belt shot, but Fénix kicks it away, the Bird of War has come to life as he reverses Nick's back body drop into a Hurricanrana onto Matt. Matt's put on the turnbuckle and Nick's kicked away, Fénix spots the Tack Shoe and clubs Nick in the head with it, then Matt, Blackfire Driver! 1, 2, NO! Lucha Bros look for the Fear Factor, so Nick again tries to throw Fénix into the cage wall, this time though Fénix latches onto the cage wall, so Nick decides to climb too. Matt and Penta yank their opponent down, staring each other down and hitting stereo Package Piledrivers. Now Matt and Penta collide, they're up on the turnbuckle where Penta realises something: they've gone through this whole match without a Canadian Destroyer, and it's time to rectify that.

The Super Destroyer is not pinned though, all four men wobbling as they chop each other (at this point Penta's practically unmasked, only blood obscures his face), then they trade superkicks, a second round though leaves Matt the quicker foot and still standing, but Fénix kips up and knocks him with a superkick too, then Nick does that to Fénix, then Penta does that to Nick, and Matt and Penta double clothesline. Fénix and Nick fight next, Nick does a flip escape but Fénix rocks him with his Tiger Feint Rebound Roundhouse into Penta, Fear Factor! 1, 2, Matt breaks it up! Fénix gestures another top rope move but Penta tells him to think higher: the top of the cage. Fénix ascends the Cage's top looking for a massive Fear Factor finish, but just when they prepare, Nick superkicks Penta, and now he climbs the cage to meet Fénix, and runs into a PK back down. Cage Crossbody on all 3, assisted Package Piledriver, Fénix claws Matt away, 1, 2, 3!

The cage lifts as Penta celebrates with his kids before reconvening with his brother and Alex to celebrate at the ramp.

Jesus what a match, brutal and athletic. How can you underrate either team when they keep delivering bangers like this? Even though I bet against them I'm not at all upset with the Lucha Bros winning, if anything I only expected it because it paired in with the Andrade storyline - who had promised under him they would win the titles - and because I was hoping for Santana & Ortiz to win the titles at Grand Slam, which could still happen but I was kinda liking them as babyfaces. But the Bucks' reign ends, which means that it's new destinations for both teams, perhaps this will be an opportune time for AEW to use the pedigree of the Bucks to elevate another tag team like they have with Jurassic Express, or maybe even feud with Santana & Ortiz or the fractured Dark Order.

A recap of the matches reminds us that we've had some great matches so far, as we steel ourselves for the Women's Casino Royale.

Women's Casino Battle Royale Joker: Ruby Soho wins the Battle Royale First is the clubs, which begins with Hikaru Shida for a nice big pop, then Skye Blue - the Chicago native late addition replacing the injured Julia Hart - who gets another big hometown welcome, Emi Sakurai with butler Lulu Pencil and the Bunny are next, but Abadon with new hair and new gear makes the striking impression. I am confused though, didn't Nyla say she would start the Battle Royale? I felt like that was a thing in the build.

No friends in the ring for Shida, former teacher Sakura goes right for her but gets hit with a powerslam, Abadon and Bunny stared down but focused on Skye Blue as Shida got hit with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Shida sprawls too close to Bunny who shifts her focus on the former champion while Skye takes Sakura in a show of Ss. Both Skye and Bunny eat tilt-a-whirl backbreakers though as teacher and student don't see eye to eye, Abadon though sneaks up on them and scares both Joshi, aiming for the only women whose given her the L twice in her AEW career. Skye and Bunny take the centre stage as Skye tries to rally, only to be kneed by Bunny, Skye retaliates with a rope jump knee strike - dangerous territory as she poses unaware of Abadon, she survives the throw but not the boot, a row of boos as Chicago laments that one of their own was the first to be eliminated. Bunny then eliminates Abadon though to cheers, Abadon impressively landed on her feet, and hopefully she will not forget Allie's actions of As.

Allie takes her time before stomping Shida out of Emi's Romero Special, she tries to throw Emi but she resists and goes for Shida again, using a hair yank to throw Shida around. Double Underhook Backbreaker preludes the next suit: Diamonds. Anna Jay charges right for the Bunny for revenge as Kiera Hogan , KiLynn King, Diamante and Nyla come out. King tried to save Shida from Hogan, but real life girlfriend Diamante retaliates leading to them teaming up on the Dark standout. Nyla, Emi and Shida continue to duke it out, unable to take turns on who fights who as Anna and Bunny fight in the corner. Emi gets hit to the apron and seated by Diamante's failed chop block, allowing Shida to Baseball Slide both and eliminate her former mentor. Hogan is also eliminated by Nyla via an Enzugiri while she was sitting on the Turnbuckle, then sadly KiLynn King could not reignite past feuds with Nyla and is eliminated by her with a big clothesline. Shida hits the Willow's Bell on Diamante and locks eyes with Nyla, she tries to Rana but the Native Beast powers through and dumps the former champion in surprise fashion - fans booed it too, having a special handshake with Diamante to signify an alliance there.

Alliance did not last long as they determined to leave Anna and Allie to their assault of As, both Diamante and Allie have the advantage on opposite corners when Hearts are called. Thunder Rosa charges at lightning speed at Nyla, who calls a Time Out and gets a dropkick instead, Penelope Ford puts the disadvantage on Anna while Riho gets a nice pop from the crowd, Jamie Hayter comes in next and then Big Swole just as Riho hits Allie and Ford with a 619. Hayter zones in on the smaller opponent in Riho while Swole eyes her rival Diamante, Commentary incorrectly say Riho was eliminated by Hayter, even though she kicked the Joshi under the ropes - maybe something happened? - Swole eliminates Diamante with a diving headbutt but is thrown out by Hayter, allowing Diamante and Swole to continue brawling. Hayter then joins Nyla in fighting Rosa, but she fights back with charging dropkicks.

Spades are last and like a storm Tay Conti rushes to save her friend, hitting a Tay-KO on Allie as Red Velvet is called, spearing Hayter as Leyla Hirsch comes in, seeking a target to throw and finding Penelope. Jade Cargill's the penultimate name called as Leyla German's Nyla but runs into a strike by Jade, Rebel is the final Spade to assist Jamie on attacking Velvet. Penelope almost eliminates Conti by the turnbuckle, but Conti uses her core strength to sit back up, Rebel's feat of doing the splits in the middle of the ropes does not save her though, as she's prime target for Velvet's dropkick. Bunny follows, she dragged Anna with her to the apron but her kick was blocked, Anna's kick landed, but then Penelope's landed on Anna. Tay cannot boot Penelope over the ropes but the Leyla is eliminated by being Gorilla Pressed by Jade onto Anna and Bunny. Conti is whiplashed mid-rope by Ford, Velvet and Hayter in one corner, Jade and Nyla zoning on Rosa in the other, the countdown for the joker cannot be heard though because Chicago knows which woman they want to come out.

And they get it.

Ruby Soho with 'Destination AEW' on the back of her jacket, she comes for Jade first, staggering her with kicks, Nyla attacks next, staggering her with a headbutt, but Rosa uses Soho as a platform to Rana Nyla, both women eye up Cargill but Jade fights through, a nice pumphandle suplex from her on Soho preludes Conti doing her Three Amigas Judo throws, Ford lands on her feet for the third though as Cargill dumps Hayter out so she can face her first rival alone. Conti's attacks keep being countered by Ford, and she eats a hook kick to keep her floored, at this time Jade dumps Velvet out, but she posed too much and Nyla lobs her out, Rose herself surviving a double assault from Soho and Rosa as Conti uses a headscissors to eliminate Ford - only for herself to be blindsided on the apron by Nyla.

It comes down to Three; Nyla, Rosa and Soho. Soho and Rosa are fended off by Nyla, Tree Slam on Soho, Samoan Drop on Rosa, Nyla shifts attention to Soho and puts her in the Tree of Woe, but Rosa uses this to throw Nyla over, she holds on but cannot avoid the Shotgun Dropkick. Now it's Soho and Rosa, both women super over with the crowd as they trade chops, both are exchanging the same counters, so Rosa tries the Fire Thunder Driver, Soho escapes and tries her old Riott Kick, Rosa tries to reverse it but Soho turns it into a whip to get Rosa onto the apron. Rosa though goes for the slow DDT, but Soho holds onto the ropes in Skin the Cat fashion, leaving her stomach prone for Rosa to stomp. Soho manages to stumble Rosa, dodges a kick and staggers Rosa with a knee, Rosa's legs now dangerously close to ground, Soho tries a lift, then a German but Rosa then tries a DVD, Soho escapes, throws Rosa in the ring post, Gamagiri hits Rosa clean and eliminates her.

Oh JR, had to pull a WWE Dynamite and call her Ruby Riott XD

I...liked it? But it's not all I wanted from this Battle Royale. I hoped this'd be a platform to properly expand the Women's Division and set up multiple long-term feuds, instead we mainly retread on old feuds, but we also unceremoniously dumped out fan favourites like Shida, Riho and Skye Blue for little less than nothing, we also had the chance to better showcase Kiera Hogan, KiLynn King, Abadon and Jamie Hayter but had them eliminated by people with no real storyline connection or implication. I do hope Riho's okay because that elimination was wonky and must've been done due to an injury. I also didn't like how half of the eliminations is just 'I'm gonna pose in this obviously dangerous position I hope nobody blindsides me', we need to find new tricks.

The final two though was some good wrestling, happy for Ruby and she'll hopefully make a good fit for AEW

It's 10:30 and I have 4 matches still...yeep

If Chris Jericho Loses, he Retires Chris Jericho def. MJF (Submission via Walls of Jericho) A Y2J countdown gets the crowd going, but the tron doesn't erupt in Judas, instead it says 'Jericho's Last Match' and MJF's music hits. HEEL

That's all you can say until he comes out in kingly robes, without Wardlow surprisingly, getting in the face of fans and sporting new gear, no more plaits this time.

No Entrance Music for Jericho, instead there's Fozzy's guitarist playing the riff to will Chicago to sing along. Jericho in a biker jacket and his baseball bat Floyd as MJF stares daggers at him. An ad for Jericho's book preludes the match too.

Before locking up MJF adds heat by ripping up signs. A stalemate of sorts begin with traded shoulder tackles and hip tosses, Jericho's experience seems to be winning out when he prepares the walls, but MJF turns it into a cradle for 2. MJF and Jericho leave the ring, the veteran getting the advantage and tossing MJF into barricades, into the crowd they go as Jericho poses with a sign, but then back to ringside where Jericho dumps one of those queue rope holder things (sue me I don't know every word) right on MJF. Back in the ring MJF is dumped out again by a triangle dropkick, but he baits the baseball slide by trapping Jericho in the apron, he regains advantage by wrenching on the shoulder that was injured, taunting the crowd in between his attacks. Suplex gets 2 so he bites the fingers, second Suplex is countered allowing Jericho to chop, Bulldog and Backbreaker for 2, MJF goes back for the arm, stomps and hammerlock throws for 2, now MJF goes for chops, strutting like Flair and then gyrating, Jericho throws him over but MJF just counters with a Heatseeker on the apron.

Count Out is being threatened but Jericho gets in enough at 9, avoiding MJF's stomp, MJF gets a little too cocky and misses the Asai Moonsault - landed on his feet though - and then receives a Twisting Powerbomb on the apron. Back in the ring it's back to fisticuffs, MJF does an eye rake but misses the haymaker and gets hit in the back, Jericho looks for a top rope attack but lands into a one-legged Codebreaker for 2. The back attack from early delays MJF from lifting Jericho, allowing the Demo God the chance to try the Walls, MJF kicks him away but runs into a Shoulder Block, then a Lionsault - just to prove he can - but it's only 2. MJF is writhing as Jericho clubs him in the corner, 10 strikes looks to soften MJF for a Super Rana but he counters it into a Sit-Out Powerbomb, MJF still sells the back and the time allows Jericho to kick out at 2. He bites at Jericho next, sets him up for a Superplex but is pushed away, Flying Codebreaker only gets 2 for Jericho.

Out comes Wardlow, but Hager intercepts and brawls, the distraction is enough though for MJF to use Floyd the Bat to hit Jericho, MJF shouts Goodbye to Jericho and hits his own Judas Effect: 1, 2, 3? The bell rings but Jericho's foot is on the ropes, it takes a secondary ref to inform Aubrey and the Announcer so the match can resume. MJF is angry, he shoves Aubrey but she shoves back, allowing Jericho to roll up MJF for the 2 (nice call to when he technically won the world title from Triple H), MJF then cinches the Salt of the Earth, Jericho fights it into a rollup, just a 2, he scraps and claws at MJF and finally gets in the Walls of Jericho, MJF tries to crawl to the ropes but he's dragged to the middle and taps. The Inner Circle come to congratulate Jericho after.

So, they were never gonna retire Jericho like this, not with 4 losses and not when there's still mileage in fans singing Judas. Frankly, the feud went on too long, the Labors were decent but peaked at Nick Gage (sorry Juice and Wardlow) and it made no sense that MJF was a fifth labor because the labors were meant to be completed SO Jericho could face MJF. I guess it's 'just desserts' for the heel but now where does AEW's best heel go from here? He needs a solid win and so does his faction.

CM Punk def. Darby Allin (Pinfall via GTS) Next would be the one everyone was looking forward to, a Century Gothic Quote starts Darby's entrance as he hangs a body bag with 'Best in the World' from a Helicopter then jumps off of said helicopter. Sting gives Darby a fistbump and hug before letting him skate alone to the ring, a strong pop considering who he is facing.

And who he is facing is chanted at full volume as Cult of Personality is sang along louder than they sang Judas. Punk in the trousers gets to his knees, checks his watch and tells the world what they wanna know: It's Clobberin' Time.

Punk looks in great shape for the match as both opponents stare each other down, Punk even taking a seat to stare at him, both stand at the same time, like two predators ready for war. The bell rings to cheers as they lock up, Darby shifts his weight to roll Punk away, a surprised 'well okay then' smirks from Punk as Darby wins the first exchange. Darby knows to be hesitant with locking up, and his hesitation is well found as Punk uses his strength to shoulder barge Darby away. The third lock is controlled by Darby's hammerlock, every attempt to roll away doesn't deter Darby until he releases it for a roll up, not even 1 though as Punk elbows him down. Scoop Slam doesn't get 1 for Punk so he tries a headlock, Darby surprises Punk by using his speed to tackle him down, but on the second time he almost sets himself up for GTS, which Darby is quick and wise to stay well away from.

Leaving the ring, Darby takes a moment to get his head straight, he tries a hip toss but Punk is too strong, he manages the springboard hip toss though and rams his body into Punk's in the corner. He tries a hammer throw but it's countered and Darby does that nasty nasty spot where he goes through the turnbuckle and ricochets off the ring post. Punk rolls him in for just a 2, then focuses on the back with a stretch, when he reaches the ropes he stomps Darby and hits a backdrop but it's only good for 2, he stretches Darby again and counters his fight back with a Kitchen Sink and an Abdominal Stretch, then again with a Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker and a chinlock before returning to the Abdominal Stretch. Darby soon regains momentum though, escaping the stretch long enough to hit his over-the-top stunner, Slaps from Darby keep Punk frazzled as he hits a springboard Coffin Splash and a roll up for 2, Punk tries GTS but Darby Sunset Rolls for 2 again, Darby's strike combo and then a Code Red for 2. Darby seeks the Coffin Drop, but Punk cuts him off and prepares for an Avalanche Back Drop, only for Darby to cleverly shift it into a Crossbody Splash for 2. Darby goes for a Jacknife Pin but Punk uses his core to crab up, twisting for a Backslide, he can't get all the way but he lifts him for GTS, hits it! But Darby's body sprawls out of the ring.

Darby answers the count at 9 to Punk's relief, before using his strength to keep Darby jaded, classic knee strike to the corner followed by a short-arm clothesline. He gestures for GTS, but Darby is limp, he takes time to lift Darby which gives him the time to elbow Punk's jaw, hammering it until Punk is on his knees. Punk rolls out the ring but gets hit with the Darby-patented Suicide Dive, then a Swanton from the top turnbuckle to the outside. He throws Punk in the ring and prepares to Coffin Drop, but not before drawing heat by gesturing GTS himself, he makes the jump but Punk sits up just in time! He soaks up his cleverness a little too much though because his confident shuffle to pin Darby is reversed into a pin by Darby for 2, so Punk holds on mid-kick out to lift him up for GTS, he gets the throw but Darby blocks the knee, Last Supper! 1, 2, No!

Leg Lariat floors Darby, but Darby gets his boots up in the corner, he climbs on Punk looking for a Poison Rana, but Punk shifts him and that's the GTS! 1, 2, 3!

Punk gestures 7 to the cameras to note that he's back after 7 years, Sting then comes out and shakes Punk's hand before both men tend to Darby. Darby staggers away to get up on his own and shakes Punk's hand too as Darby and Sting leave the ring for Punk to soak in. Punk gleefully takes a lap before joyfully leaving, letting the fans tell him which tunnel he's supposed to leave through.

It won't get 5 stars but this was still great fun to see, it was a moment more than it was a match, and it's good to see that Punk barely misses a step. Darby still looks strong too and we open much more new opportunities with Punk on the roster. The finish was a bit quick for me, but it was the right finish: it's Bret in Canada, you don't have Punk lose in Chicago...unless you want a riot that is.

Full Gear was promoted for November before the piss break.

Paul Wight def. QT Marshall [w/ Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto] (Pinfall via Chokeslam) The Factory came out first, before Wight returned in a more clothed version of his usual singlet. Solo was thrown at Wight and dumped out the ring, Comoroto - not used to facing someone this bigger and this heavier than him - would also be dragged out the ring too.

QT's opening blows are nothing to Wight, who effectively destroys Marshall with chops between punches and standing on him. QT does get some momentum by using dropkicks, dropping Wight to his knees with a dropkick to the hip, his strikes are shoved off by Wight but a Shotgun Dropkick does floor the big man - enough for a 1 count at least which dumps QT out of the ring. QT tries the Diamond Cutter but it's shrugged off, Shoulder Block and a Back Body Drop keeps him down as Wight lifts Solo into the ring to chop him, Comoroto fares a little better after eating one Wight's punches, but is felled to a pounce, giving Marshall time to climb to the turnbuckle and land into a Chokeslam for 3.

At least it was over quickly, maybe could've been quicker. I dunno since the Cody feud demolished them the Factory are nobodies, which is a shame because Comoroto and Ogogo have great potential, they're just in the wrong spot. This wasn't a PPV match either, this was better a segment or a Buy-In 'match' and the Gunn Club turn had no influence on this in the end either, so meh.

Dynamite/Rampage Promo

Dynamite is promoted for next Wednesday and it's Moxley vs Suzuki booked! Mox then cuts a promo on Suzuki before the rest of the card is shown; Ruby Soho will have a segment to address her win and collision course with Baker, and Dustin vs Black as previously announced on Rampage.

Black cuts a promo too, inviting Dustin to get angry because it makes him prone to mistake, taunting Dustin with his past victories in the Codyverse so to keep him angry.

We also promoted PAC/Andrade on Rampage but it was just saying the match is on Friday.

AEW World Championship Kenny Omega (c) [w/Don Callis] def. Christian Cage (Pinfall via Avalanche One Winged Angel)

Christian comes out first with the Impact World Title around his waist, but Kenny goes more showy with Devil's Sky and tights reminiscent of his New Japan days and blue in his hair. When his name was called he danged the world title in front of Christian as commentary note how he's on the verge of surpassing Moxley's world title reign in days.

Omega tries a V-Trigger before the bell, but Christian dodges it and prepares a Killswitch that Omega escapes, wagging his finger and starting a shoving contest. Omega hits a rana but Christian regains control on the outside, throwing Omega in the barricade and then a jumping splash from the top turnbuckle. Omega is next to shift momentum though by reversing an Irish Whip that throws Christian up and over the steel steps, using Callis as distraction he pulls out a table to stomp onto Christian, cracking the furniture as Omega mockingly channels Urkel's 'Did I do that?'.

Callis sets up another table with Kenny, but the suplex is countered by Christian who suplexes Omega away from the table. Back in the ring Omega's dropkick is scouted as he lands back first on the floor, but he rakes Christian's eyes before he can capitalize and lands a modified sling blade for 2. Raking facelocks and chops are among the actions Kenny does to try and cut Christian's breathing, a Back drop draws Cage to the corner where he tries to use his feet to hide openings for Kenny, he gets to his feet and climbs to the turnbuckle, but Kenny just shoves him off back outside the ring.

Humorously, Kenny's initial attempt to Moonsault off the barricade leads him to slip on his ass, but the second one hits the mark and splashes Christian on the outside, it's only good for 2 though. Christian tries to fight through Kenny's assault, but he's thrown into the turnbuckle then hit with an Ushigoroshi for 2. Kenny looks to go up top but Christian cuts him off, Super Rana by Cage is clean but no space for a pin, instead they trade blows, Kenny throwing his weight to get the upper hand, he misses the corner elbow which allows Christian to start his 10 strikes, but at 4 Kenny sets up the OWA, so Christian wriggles out, pushes him back in the Turnbuckle and starts again. Christian's getting some speed on Omega, and almost has him in a Cloverleaf, so Kenny after trying to eye rake and pull hair loosens a leg and kicks him away, he sets up the You Can't Escape but Christian reverses the run up into a reverse DDT for 2.

Cage sizes Kenny up for a spear, but he runs into a Knee, Christian escapes the Tiger Driver and lands a Swinging DDT to set up the Killswitch, Kenny escapes and uses a Spinning Leg Lariat to send Christian in the corner; V-Trigger, Snap Dragon Suplex, Another Snap Dragon, he gestures the gun but Christian gives him the finger, so he gives Christian a third Snap Dragon and a V Trigger. Both men edge closer to Chekov's table, Kenny looking to German Christian onto, Christian holds onto the ropes so he tries a Snap Dragon, but Christian reverses into a Killswitch setup, which Kenny avoids by pushing Cage into the ring post, he looks for the OWA but Christian escapes by returning to the ring and a reverse neckbreacker, onto the apron and Christian spears Kenny into the table with venom.

Spear to the back and front gives Christian the 2 count, so he goes up top, Frog Splash falls into Kenny's knees but Christian's damage to Kenny's back prevents him from performing the Dr Wagner Bomb. 2 V Triggers land, Christian blocks the third to try and fight back, but Kenny hits another one, then a Rain Trigger! Calling back a lot of New Japan now. Kenny goes for the Tiger Driver but Christian escapes, taking Kenny down for a Cloverleaf - sensing danger, Callis motions to the ramp, and the Good Brothers comes down. As Callis distracts the ref, Christian fends off Anderson, but Gallow has him held against the rope for Kenny to attack, V Trigger obviously hits Gallows instead and Christian tries the Killswitch, Kenny escapes, Omega tries the OWA, Christian escapes, Killswitch attempts, Killswitch lands! 1, 2, No! That was a close 2 as well, very good timing.

As Christian sets Kenny on the turnbuckle Callis tries to sneak behind him, being chased away when spotted. Christian looks to set up an Avalanche Killswitch but Kenny rakes the eyes, sets up for OWA, and lands it, nobody kicks out and that's 3.

The Bucks come out wrapped up to celebrate with the Elite and beat down Christian more, Jurassic Express try to help but the numbers are too grand. Chants of Yes! come from the crowd but Kenny grabs a mic, telling them that nobody is on his level. Apt choice of words though; the only people who can beat him are either not here, already retired or already dead

The lights go out, and it's a Ghost! Britt Baker's Boyfriend! Adam Cole BayBay comes to the ring, ready to argue with Kenny about his case of being killed off of BTE, but then he shifts his focus and superkicks Jungle Boy!

Embracing the Bucks and getting a triple kiss, Kenny mocks the crowd for thinking that Cole, their good friend, would be their enemy. Cole then talks about how the Elite is now the biggest faction in the business and that nobody is going to stop them. Kenny happily says it's a happy ending and prepares his goodbye and good night, but before that even happens, another music hits.

Oh Yes. Yes. Yes.

It's Bryan Danielson, backing the faces, as they fend off the Elite, Danielson hits the Buisaku Knee on Nick before celebrating with Christian and Jurassic Express while Cole - thunder stolen - looks angrily on.

Well it's midnight and that's how you end a PPV. Kenny vs Christian was a decent enough match all things considered, it's hard to fill the boots of Kenny vs Hangman like we wanted, but we can be patient, we have brand new toys to play with after all. Some of the shenaniganry was a bit gimmicky especially since it was a little too similar to Jericho vs MJF, but we never really bought Christian beating Kenny here so it doesn't matter as much.

Conclusion Somehow I didn't feel as enthralled as I did for Double or Nothing, but I still felt like this was great. I think it bodes down to the whole 'higher highs but lower lows' argument; Wight/QT shouldn't have been there, the Women's Casino Royale could've been booked better for most of the women and MJF/Jericho needed a bit more oomph. On the other hand, can you really fault a PPV that just gave us debuts for Minoru Suzuki, Ruby Soho (oh right, she was the one I was spoiled on btw), Adam Cole BayBay and Bryan Danielson on the same night CM Punk, Darby Allin, Christian Cage, Kenny Omega, the Lucha Bros, the Young Bucks, MJF, Jericho, Miro, Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley all competed in?

This may indeed be worth the 3-4 hours sleep I bet I'll get now, but with a backlog as long as my arm I need to sleep

Pro Wrestling is Great.

#aew #all elite wrestling #aew all out #all out 2021 #aew dynamite #aew rampage

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dreams-in-mist · 5 years

Text

Hey, everybody. Who wants to see some super vintage, really low-quality footage of an incredibly hot guy?

Ok, so I am dating myself with this post BIG TIME.

Anyone who views this page on the reg knows that I enjoy sharing images of beautiful people I admire here, but usually without much jibber-jabber about them (and it's probably better that way). But I came across something today that jogged special feelings, and maybe some of you out there may appreciate it.

Come with me, gentle reader, to the summer/fall of 1996. I, along with my little sister, had given up summer break to stay far away from home to help my mother to take care of my ailing grandparents Monday through Friday every week (my aunt cared for them Sat & Sun, mostly since she did their bookkeeping, otherwise we would've lived there 24/7). I loved them with all my heart, and though I enjoyed spending so much time with them, I'm sure you can understand that, with failing health, it was not always quality time. I had also brought along a summer course to try to get a leg up for the next school year, because I assumed I would have plenty of downtime when they were resting (sis & I were home-schooled at the time anyway). The summer turned out to be much more stressful than any of us could have anticipated.

Between homecare (which I totally thought I was prepared for -- and I SO wasn't), seeing people you adore in a terrible state, and the added burden of trying to do schoolwork at the same time, I felt hollow. We would come back home late on Friday nights drained physically, mentally, and completely. My step-father would pick us up, take us back home, and usually cook supper, or pick up some special take-out, or treats to try to soothe some of the stress. If you've never been through it, let me tell you, one of the hardest things in the world to do is watch as someone you love is dying, and you know there's nothing you can do to stop the pain; all you can do is lessen it for a short period of time.

Dad knew this, so he tried the best he could to make the weekends as much of an escape from the preceding week as we could have at home, until eventually, the weekends were gone, and we 3 would only come home intermittently. Things got very difficult.

We got home late one night, and basically all collapsed with exhaustion. The next day, on his way out the door for work (Dad worked 3 jobs), he makes a comment or asks a question or something about me leaving a videotape in the player. I have no idea what he's talking about, so I play the tape anyway. It was the video I'm sharing with you today. It seems silly, I'm sure.

My Dad is a kinda tough guy, biker-type. At the time, I was 99.999999999% sure that he had only the vaguest idea of what my crush looked like (and honestly, circa 1992-1997, the guy had barely been a blip on most of North America's radar - pictures and media were very hard to come by), and had possibly heard me mention his name maaayyybe twice (it was generally an argument for me to bring up boys -- let alone MEN, as the case may be).

So, imagine my surprise when I play this tape. I don't know how he did it. I mean, I know how the process is done, but seriously...did he look in the TV Guide? Was he surfing channels and heard my crush's name, and then waited for, I dunno, a butt-hundred minutes for him to finally appear?

The point is, this guy watched probably ALL Siempre en Domingo AND Sabado Gigante to record the interview and musical segments of my (at the time, kind of obscure) crush -- and, uh... we don't speak Spanish, guys. Nada . And it was so nice to find this when I was unpacking, and relive that feeling of knowing that Dad could've watched some football, watched some rasslin', gone out for a chicken dinner, idk, done ANYTHING ELSE, but he, on at least 2 separate occasions, took time out to make something just for me that he knew I would enjoy, even if he didn't like it/couldn't understand it (he had surprises for my mother and sister, too, but I couldn't tell you what they were). This gesture, though requiring very little in the way of physical or even emotional effort, was just the pick-me-up I needed to reset, at least for a couple hours, and it was so nice to be back there, in that moment for a short while today. It really is about the little things.

As for the clip itself, the quality is poor, you don't have to tell me this. The videotape itself was already used (he had taped over one of his shows...bless), and by now it's over 20 years old. Add to that the fact that it got a lot of love back in the day. Like I said, this crush was not really that well-known at the time, so this video was really all I had outside of photos, clippings, and watching soap operas. Further add to that the fact that it's not your standard upload. It's my poor ass recording a television set with my cheap phone while holding it as still as I can in my hands. I think I did ok.

Time changes all things. My Dad and I never really got along once adulthood hit, and we still don't get along now.

And, once I had decided I would never be able to speak Spanish well enough to woo my crush, I was movin' on by mid-1997. While I was always kind of the "boy crazy" type, there are very few that I maintained a serious interest in or attraction to for more than about a minute. The subject of this post is one of them, and 2 others, and both of those guys are dead.

And lemme just tell you, I am so glad the subject of this discussion is living his best life, because I wanted him to have the world, and in the summer of 1999, he got it. Everyone knew his name, his face, his voice (his ass, "jajaja" ). But I feel like the world didn't all know the guy I was so ~encantado~ with during a large portion of my misspent youth.

So, allow me to acquaint you with "my mans" 1993-1997:

Ricky Martin - Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo (Siempre en Domingo 1996)

youtube

(Google Translate says: "I Missed You, I Forget You, I Love You"...Indeed)

If you read all of that, you are a blessing, and I thank you. I really wish I had a better reward for your time than this video, but I felt true, pure joy when I found it, and I wanted to share it.

P.S. If you want a little more, let me know. I have 2 more songs (both upbeat, so he ~dances~), and 2 short interviews. If there is any positive response, I will get some equipment to transfer them to digital properly (been intending to for other things anyhow).

Have a lovely day, bbs!

#ricky martin #personal story #latin pop #latino #hot guy

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hopevalley · 6 years

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What did you make of the new synopsis for ep 1 of s1 that is doing the rounds? Gowen and Bill are going head to head to buy the saloon - interesting?! Also who do you believe Abigail was best suited to....I think she and Bill could have gone somewhere if the fallout between them had been written differently. I mean come on, you've got people believing she and Henry are a thing and he is responsible for the death of her husband son! Bill could've been forgiven his drama with Nora too.

First, this is almost 3,000 words long. I’m so sorry..

I assume you meant S6E1—and naturally I have a lot of opinions!

I’m into the general concept of that plotline. It’s so easy to picture. I imagine it’ll happen something like: Gowen makes a comment about buying the place and Bill is instantly like, “Or I could prevent you from doing that” and then it escalates almost instantly into a competitive irritation-fueled bidding war. It’s perfectly in character for both of them.

Bill has proven he can be jealous (see S2) and petty (see S3), sometimes to the point where he can be cruel (see S5). Henry is a very competitive guy who will do what it takes to get what he wants, often at the expense of others (see pretty much every season). We also know there’s absolutely no love lost between them. Despite the short moment where Bill was almost friendly to Henry in S5 (when Henry turned in the woman who offered him a job if he betrayed Lee), it’s clear Bill and Henry are bound to be…well, I don’t want to say “lifelong enemies” so maybe: lifelong personal antagonists?

Their history is complex and interesting, and it goes back at least 20 years. They’ve known each other (or of each other) longer than they haven’t. Think about that. And there’s that whole mess with Nora getting pregnant, Bill marrying her and raising Martin, the comment Bill made about how Nora “always had a weak spot for [Henry]”—and the fact that Bill has investigated the mining company Henry worked for more than once, both ending in prosecutions; but the first time he did this ended with Henry being spat out as a scapegoat for the company: banished to Coal Valley.

So Henry blames Bill for a lot of the things he’s had to deal with. On the opposite side of things, Bill has known Slimy Gowen for so many years that it’s hard for him to really believe the man is capable of change, especially a drastic change. Neither of them…are really wrong, though; to a certain extent, it’s a matter of perspective. Bill thinks Henry is a scumbag, and Henry thinks Bill has always had it out for him.

And, sure, Henry didn’t let Ray Wyatt shoot Bill, but 1) he’d be implicated in that, and 2) all it really says about his character is that he has a moral line he won’t cross. He sicced his goons on Bill in S1, worked to ruin Abigail’s livelihood for literal years, and used Nora. He wasn’t a good man. But he knew who he was and he knew how far he’d go.

I like to think he’s still that guy, just…maybe better—or at least willing to try to be better?

And you know what? I like that even though Gowen has been making an effort to be a better person, the series hasn’t tried to push the two of them into some kind of happy friendship. Their history together isn’t good, and neither is their present. “You testified against me, Bill. Now, I see you taking a stroll down the boardwalk with my co-conspirator” (S5).

It’s just nice to see that “second chances” don’t always have to be these grand gestures of love and friendship and closeness; they can be just…staying in your own lane? I mean, even if Bill absolutely hates Henry, he mostly just ignores him/leaves him alone/lets him do his thing—and vice versa. That’s a form of giving a second chance. It doesn’t have to be on a personal level, and I think with these two characters, any kind of “wholesome, wholly-trusting” resolution would just feel…really bad. They need to retain their integrity as people, which means they’ll probably never actually like one another.

So of course they’d get into a bidding war over the saloon.

The only real question I have about it is…uh…where’s Henry getting the money? That must be some promotion Lee gave him, huh? I love the plot, but this is a huge oversight.

Look, Bill can theoretically have a lot of money. We don’t actually know how wealthy or un-wealthy he is. He’s been working an unpaid position off and on for the last two years as the sheriff of Hope Valley, but he also owns half of Abigail’s Café.

And this can’t be overlooked, either: he worked at a very high-profile and no doubt high-paying job before this. Does he pay alimony to Nora? We actually don’t know. It’s possible the café ownership keeps him afloat enough that he doesn’t have to touch his savings, but he could have a substantial amount of them, even though it’s obvious he used some of those to buy out Gowen’s half of the café. Still, early-seasons Bill was something of a workaholic, so even when he was making a lot of money, it’s doubtful he had the time or inclination to spend it. He could still have a sizable amount of it left after 30 years in the field!

But Henry? He’s poor. We’ve established this. He more or less came crawling back to town and had to take what was offered to him: a position at the bottom of the lumber mill totem pole. But he worked it and he didn’t complain.

So again, my question: where’s the money coming from? How can Henry competitively bid against Bill at this point?

Are they both intending to take out a loan or is part of Bill’s offer that he can pay in cash? I’m curious to see how they juggle it, but I really hope Henry’s stint as being poor isn’t just…overlooked. If he has to take out a loan for it, I’d be fine with it; I really love the idea of Henry getting that businessman spark back and taking a risk because of it! But I guess we’ll have to see.

As far as Abigail’s best suitor goes: my answer is Frank. I feel pretty sure that he was just about everything she needed in a partner. He wanted to communicate, he worked through things, he was good at talking about his feelings, he brought her flowers, he spent time with her, he had family meals with her and Cody… The list goes on. They were a great match! It’s unfortunate that he was written off the show.

As for Abigail and Bill…I have to agree with you.

But I should disclaim my post.

I don’t see them as romantically inclined toward one another at all—in fact, I can’t watch their dating scenes in early episodes without cringing because it just feels awkward and performative to me. But if the show can will-they won’t-they with Henry and Abigail, it feels kind of yucky to me that we never even got a sincere discussion between Bill and Abigail about what happened between them, let alone a genuine apology and acceptance scene.

Don’t get me wrong; they make amazing friends. I loved the end of S5 when he went to Abigail because he knew she’d get it—she’d get him, even the things he couldn’t make himself say.

But there’s something to be said for attraction and what a person wants in a relationship at different times in their lives, too.

Let me explain.

When Abigail met Bill, she was just starting to move past the grief of losing her husband and son. That’s not an easy thing to do. But it’s like she says in S1: “Life goes on for all of us.” Abigail didn’t want to steep herself in grief forever. She wanted to move on. And Bill, unrelated to the accident but in town to help solve it and give her peace of mind, was the perfect…I don’t know. He wasn’t a “rebound guy” but for lack of a better term, let’s call him that. He wasn’t that well-suited to her but he was available and she needed…some of what he was capable of offering right away—especially assurance and (lawful) action.

She was married from the cusp of womanhood until her husband died, so it’s doubtful she had a line of beaus on a string in her youth. Abigail never played the courting game. But here she is years later, a widow ready to try and move on…and Bill shows up and is nice to her, respectful, kind of charming, and sincerely helpful…and at this point in her life, that’s exactly what she needs! She needs someone who feels dependable and can take care of her in the way she needs taken care of, which at this point was…bringing her peace of mind/bringing justice to the town and the men who died: her immediate needs (that could be fulfilled by a non-suitor Bill, too, by the way).

But Abigail was having a nice time. Again, a good-lookin’ guy comes to see you and talk to you and tells you that your cooking is great and that you look nice…and you’re not wrong and it’s okay to want justice and he’s gonna make sure you get it…

It’s flattering and confidence-boosting. And hey, except for the whole…lying thing, he was the perfect rebound guy. He didn’t want to rush anything; he respected her space; and he actively worked on the things he promised to work on (getting justice for the dead men).

But there were other aspects of Bill that just…didn’t work for her and probably still wouldn’t. He’s an emotional husk most of the time and he’s not a Romantic Man. I don’t know how to explain it, but for an example, let’s go with flowers.

Bill gives her flowers “for the café, to brighten things up.” It’s a romantic overture, but we’re not shown him actually giving them to her so it feels…kind of disconnected. Frank brings Abigail flowers and not only do we see it, everything about it is intended to be romantic. He brings her favorites, demonstrating he knows what she likes; he smiles a lot; he wants to touch her and be touched; he hovers around after and offers to help her with what she’s working on…

Bill does these types of things because it’s expected of him.

But it’s like, you can’t forget the kind of person Bill is, either.

He’s a workaholic at this point in the series. All he does is work. And he was in a marriage for an indeterminate number of years (anywhere from 15 to 25 of them) with someone he didn’t love. “I married her as a favor to her father.” Bill never had to romance his wife; he married her out of obligation—because her father made sure he got his schooling.

Bill is the guy who, at least at this time, did things because “that’s what you do.” It’s almost like he’s following a manual. You give flowers to the woman you’re courting. You offer your arm. You say romantic things. Or in the case of his job, you follow the rules, you fill out the proper paperwork in the right order. You submit cases on time. In the case of Nora and her father, too. He did you a life-changing favor so you need to do one for him, too.

Because he’s just doing what’s expected, the things he does don’t feel romantic when you have time to think about them (and compare them to others). It’s like taking out the trash because it’s expected of you, or doing the dishes. That’s what these kinds of things seem to be to him, at least when he’s low-key courting Abigail: they’re tasks. He’s just doing them to check them off the list; there’s not much feeling in them and personal preference isn’t taken into consideration.

Which brings me back to Bill’s, uh, emotional constipation.

He was definitely lying in S1/S2 when he didn’t admit he was Divorce Pending. But even at moments where Abigail was trying to communicate feelings to him, he was just…completely avoidant. Remember this scene?

Yeah, the way he just…segues away from feelings or attachment is cringey. It’s hard to watch a second (or third, or fourth) time. Bill is Bad At Feelings (dealing with the ones he has AND admitting when he doesn’t have them), and Abigail needs someone who is good at them: at understanding what they’re feeling and why, and a person who is willing to regularly and effectively try to communicate them with her.

(Just quickly here I want to point out that Bill’s emotional constipation may have been why he and Dottie didn’t work out, too, though the writers sort of dropped the ball on that one… And it’s why he was so mean to AJ in S5; this man literally can’t talk about his feelings short of an actual breakdown, and that is NOT the kind of thing most people are equipped to deal with. And to be fair to the Dottie/Bill relationship, him cooking for her was a marked improvement in him trying to court a lady, but there are aspects of it that just feel like he’s just checking off boxes.)

This is mostly why I prefer that Abigail and Bill just…stay friends. Because neither of them need to settle for a romantic relationship they’re not wholly into, but also…they both need very different things in a relationship; they just don’t seem compatible to me that way.

So sure, Abigail thought he was pretty good-lookin’ when he showed up, and he’s nice to spend time with, but everything beyond that isn’t really her cup of tea: he doesn’t forgive easily; he holds grudges; he’s extremely independent; he doesn’t like asking for help; he’s terrible at communicating feelings; etc. So I mean, even if he improves in the feelings department, it’s probably not going to matter enough.

Bill’s needs matter too, of course, and Abigail fulfills some of them, but not all of them: he really needs someone who’s gonna call him out, keep him on his toes/things from getting boring or stagnant; he needs an opinionated complaining partner; he needs someone who knows their own heart well but who will also understand his without him having to spell everything out/their feelings getting hurt when he doesn’t spell it out for them; etc.

And I mean, it really sucks because they do have a few things that are good for one another. And for what it’s worth, I think they could make a relationship work if they had to/felt inclined to. Bill isn’t very good at compromising, but Abigail’s better at it. Still, would they both be happy, or would it ultimately just rob them of their ability to be and feel independent? Bill doesn’t like being told what to do and he’d HATE having to, say, be home at a certain time. I think when he met Abigail, that wasn’t important to him, but now it is. He likes being able to do what he wants, when he wants to do it.

(Which reminds me of Frank, who spent a lifetime extremely independent but was more than happy to have someone to answer to; the issue between he and Abigail was that he needed that expectation communicated to him; that was it! I feel like Bill would find it stifling and ultimately it could breed resentment.)

Anyway, I don’t disagree with your message. I think if things had been written differently, if Bill’s character had gone in a different direction maybe, they’d be more suited to one another right now.

As far as Abigail and Henry goes… I pretty much loathe the idea of them as a romantic couple, so if you’re ever down for a good rant: feel free to hit me up privately. That said, I want to be fair to the characters in terms of like, feeling attraction…or uhhh the lack thereof if you interpret anybody as asexual!

At the end of the day, it’s not unreasonable to think that Abigail could be attracted to Henry.

Maybe she was attracted to Bill at one point, but no longer is (mainly because she’s realized they’re just not that romantically compatible, even though they get on great as friends). And maybe she finds Henry attractive even despite the things he’s done, because, uh… I don’t know, he looks THAT GOOD in a hat and scarf.

I still think the writing surrounding Henry and Abigail is weak, though. Like you said, he was complicit in the deaths of her husband and son. He’ll need a lot more redemption material before I’ll buy into Abigail being romantically interested in him. An attraction? SURE. She’s not blind! But more than that? I hope it doesn’t happen.

Actually, right now I’m kind of hoping Abigail just stays single for a couple of seasons while they focus on other romantic plots that are in town, like Jesse and Clara, and Rosemary and Lee. Abigail needs a little less focus for S6…and I’d prefer it remain romantic-free.

(Don’t forget, we’re getting a storyline for her that’s a two-parter about someone from her past! I’m still hoping it’s one of her brothers, though. That’d be SO cool.)

But that’s just personal opinion, y’know? I’ve noticed that over on Instagram, the fans are really divided in the different Abigail-relationship camps. It’s kind of cool that everyone gets something different out of each type of relationship presented…and of course, seeing everybody’s different interpretation of the characters is fun, too.

So I’m not saying, “you can’t ship X” because you can enjoy whatever it is you like. This is just my interpretation. ♥

(Sorry if there are any mistakes, I didn’t really proofread this multiple times as usual. Let me know if you see anything glaring!)

#when calls the heart #answered mail #anonymously asked #abigail stanton #bill avery #henry gowen #character studies and information #analysis and meta discussion #to be clear again this is just my interpretation of the characters

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doof-doofblog · 3 years

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"You Could've Killed Yourself!"

Full Week Catch Up

Monday 12th April 2021 (Part Two) - Monday 19th April 2021

Hello again folks, hope you've had a good week! I am finally back after a whole week away! I've just binged watched almost 2 hours worth of EastEnders and blimey what an action packed roller-coaster, my hands are shaking with the amount of adrenaline that's buzzing through me after seeing that ending of last night's episode! I truly cannot believe what I've just seen!!! Plus we have the excitement of having three characters return! But my God, there is so much I need to mention and I'm going to break it down into slots the best I can!

So to begin with I'm going to start with The Taylors. After Karen has been made redundant from the laundrette, it looks as if the family are falling on hard times, they're pretty much almost broke. Even Bernadette is beginning to notice how much her Mum may be struggling, offering to start paying her way now she has a proper job. But Karen seems too proud to take money from her daughter, claiming that she's never asked her children for anything and never would if she thought she couldn't cope.

But even when she has another meeting with Mr. P, poor Karen gets the wrong end of the stick. He made a small comment mentioning that he could find a way to help her with money whilst she found a new job, from the looks of it, Karen assumes that he means something sleazy, dirty - sleeping with him for money. But as she turns up to the restaurant all dolled up, making a show of how unprofessional Mr. P is, it's plain to see that that was never his intentions. Soon as he's completely humiliated he shows Karen an envelope claiming that there's about 3 months wages in there for her to get by until she finds something else. Understandably, Karen is completely embarrassed and apologetic as soon as she realises her mistake, but Mr. P declines her apology, leaving her feeling absolutely devastated. I know the Taylor's have become a firm favourite of the soap so it'll be horrible to see them fall on hard times, but this has happened to many different families in the Square, hopefully in time Karen will be able to find a new job before things get out of control.

The next thing I have to mention is Keegan, Tiffany and Dotty. At the beginning of the week, Keegan is eager to progress his business, as he and Tiffany throw ideas back and forth, Tiffany comes up the idea of making a name for himself online. She creates a profile for her husband's business and suggests making posts about all sorts of sandwiches he could create, he could do live streams, build a following of some kind. Keegan is more than pleased with idea, but unfortunately without him knowing, Tiffany leaves the device on live stream - and it's only later we find out what actually went down!

Later in the day as Keegan is happily attending to his stall, he appears to be getting quite a lot of female attention, with customers gossiping, pointing and giggling it seems Keegan is suspicious about the attention he's receiving. It's only when Tiffany and Keegan mention about the live stream, Keegan realises that he has been caught naked on live stream, as there was a slight disaster with some mayonnaise! I have to admit, this whole section, I did find pretty funny and can I say how nice it was to see Keegan in a more happy and positive mood, it's been a long time I think since we've seen happy Keegan, it was about time!

Of course he still holds concerns for his wife having to do her hostessing job, to which he is still wanting her to pack in once his business takes off. As the week goes on, the episodes seem to focus on Tiffany and Dotty still fleecing their customers out of money. But at Tiffany's horror, as she leaves her husband to see to his sandwich customers, she gets approached by an unknown gentleman claiming that she scammed him for paying for alcohol he never had! Fortunately Dotty is there to fight her corner and the man leaves, but gives a brutal warning that he hasn't let the matter lie.

It's clear to see that Tiffany is visibly shaken up, considering the man had her backed into a corner, but it's interesting to know that she hasn't told Keegan exactly what she and Dotty have been up to at the club, in a way she is putting herself in more danger. It was only a matter of time before they were going to be found out. Later on in the evening, Dotty and Tiffany appear to be getting ready for their shift, but it looks as if Tiffany is having second thoughts after her horrible encounter with the old gentleman. As she wipes her lipstick off, Ruby enters the room and voices her concerns on whether Dotty and Tiffany can actually carry on fleecing their customers. She, interestingly, informs them that she's not going to sack them but she wants to in on how much extra they make from their customers. It seems that if Dotty and Tiffany continue to do this, Ruby wants to make sure they can handle it. It's really interesting I find, considering the fact that what they're doing is illegal, with Ruby being the manager of the club, having full knowledge of what her employers are doing and allowing them to do it, there must be some kind of sackable offence or even a fine or some kind if she was also to be found out? I'm intrigued to see what will happen if Keegan and/or Martin find out! What do you guys think?!

As Tiffany carries on with her shift, see eyes up a potential group of customers to approach, but as she slowly gets closer towards them, she overhears the conversation they're having about Keegan and his sandwich business, but then their conversation topic turns to Tiffany as they reveal that they've dived into social media and found out the Tiffany is the wife of the "Sandwich Maker" and end up insulting her, her clothes and the way she looks and how she even ended up with Keegan in the first place. Of course this deeply hurts Tiffany and as she looks around the room for another customer, she sees a young lad sat on his own who waves her across, so she decides to take her business elsewhere.

Unfortunately as the night goes on, the young man gets incredibly drunk - almost to the stage where he can't hand over his wallet. He's slumped across the table with countless amounts of bottles and glasses in front of him. Tiffany admits that she feels a little guilty for making him drink himself into an oblivion. But as it comes to him paying his fee, Dotty manages to get his wallet, but as she reaches in for his bank card, they also discover his student card. As the customer they've managed to fleece is a student they realise that he's not going to have the funds to be able to pay what he owes them.

As Ruby enters the room, she notices the young student hauled over the table and acknowledges that maybe Dotty and Tiffany needs to focus on other types of customer's, not the ones with baggy jeans, but the ones who have name branded suits etc etc. She instructs her employees to take care of the drunken student and to make sure they pay for his cab home! As Tiffany and Dotty wait outside with the student for his cab, Tiffany questions whether Dotty ever feels guilty for what they do. Even though Dotty admits that they got it wrong with the male student, she doesn't feel any guilt for older and wealthy customers who can clearly afford it and sometimes seem to drunk to even care. Something is telling me deep down that Tiffany really doesn't want to do this any more, whether she fears for her safety or whether she fears Keegan finding out - who knows?

But, without their knowledge, the man who approached Tiffany early in the day is hiding down a back alley listening to their conversation, but the most terrifying that happens next is that he actually follows them home! Now I have to admit, I found that part very creepy. I thought for a moment he was going to attack them or sexually assault them in their own home. Dotty tries her best to hold her ground claiming that they don't have his money and if he doesn't leave she will call the police, even informing that Keegan will be returning to the house at any minute!

Tiffany is clearly more frightened than Dotty is, her eyes are slowly tearing up, scared of what the man is going to. He claims that if they haven't got his money there can be other ways in which they can repay him. Deep down, in the pit of my stomach I thought that he was meaning that they'd have to sleep with him to pay him back. I have to admit I feared for Tiffany at this point, but out of no where the man gets whacked in the back of the head and falls to the floor. Thankfully Sonia arrived home from Ireland just in time to save the day! I have to be honest, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Sonia! It's nice to have Sonia back, even though she's only been gone for a few months, it's nice to have her back at Dot's where she belongs! Oh speaking of which, as Dotty and Tiffany inform Sonia about what's been happening in her absence, Sonia reveals to Dotty that Dot has pretty much made Sonia the one in charge of the house, regarding who stays and who doesn't and who pays what etc, and from the look of Dotty's face it looks as if she isn't best pleased about it, especially considering she was going to get some kind of inheritance, but after what Sonia has witnessed, it's clear to Sonia that she isn't ready yet for her inheritance money.

Elsewhere on the Square, it's Frankie's birthday and Mick is gathering everything together to throw his daughter a special birthday celebration in the Vic for her, the funny thing is though is that he has no idea what to buy for his daughter, he stills feels as though he doesn't know her well enough to get her something she'd really like. As he arrives home he admits to Linda that he's gone bit crazy, buying this such as a bazooka - but then who doesn't love a huge water gun, right?!

But the moment that got me super excited when everyone was gathered in the living room, was when Shirley walked in!!! Everyone was so happy to see her! I was happy to see her return, but unfortunately she returns with the devastating news that she's been able to track down Tina, which of course was her full intention was to go away and find their missing sister. But of course we know that Gray murdered her - it's truly going to be devastating for the Carter family when they learn the truth. The one thing I did notice though was that Shirley didn't even seem phased by the fact that Frankie was now living with them - was Shirley informed that Frankie is Mick's daughter? If so, when?! I simply cannot remember that conversation between Shirley and Mick before she left, if anyone else can recall then please remind me!

One other part which I loved too, when Shirley, Mick and Linda had all gathered around together to surprise Frankie by singing "Happy Birthday" to her in sign language! A very touching and thoughtful thing to do, but it was quite funny how they were all struggling to get the right signs and keep in sync with each other. A very touching moment, but brilliantly funny also! As the birthday celebrations continue, everyone gathers in the Vic to wish Frankie a huge Happy Birthday, Mick even happens to propose a toast to his daughter and finally opening up to the community that Frankie is his daughter and he's thrilled to have her in his life, but just as everyone is about to click their glasses, another member of the Carter family returns - Nancy!!!!

I have to be honest, I am so happy to see Nancy back - is it just me or has she changed? Only ever so slightly? I can't make out what it is though, her image? Her personality? I'm not so sure but something has slightly changed, maybe I'm looking at something that isn't there. I admit I was expecting Nancy to be really cold towards Frankie, but it seems that she's not as cold as I expected her to be. Instead she actually seems to welcome her new sister into the family, even sticking up for after hearing Sharon and Honey gossiping about her Dad and her sister.

But as much as I'm enjoying this sisterly-bonding, I have to admit, for a brief moment I was speculating whether it's all just a front. Is Nancy really happy to have a new sister? Bare in mind, whilst she was left alone to settle after travelling back from New Zealand, we happen to see her on the phone to Tamwar. Now my questions from that scene are - is she still married to Tamwar?! And what does she need money for?! Is Nancy up to something? As much as I'm thrilled to see her back on the Square, I'm intrigued to see what brings her back and whether we'll learn more about her time in New Zealand with Tamwar, what do you guys think?!

Unfortunately, the happily family reunion doesn't last for very long - as for reasons I'll go into shortly, Shirley ends up being arrested for her involvement in the robbery. Understandably, all the Carter clan are shocked to hear of the news, but I just found it quite disappointing, as soon as Shirley arrives back on the Square, she's taken into the nick! It's yet unknown whether Shirley is going to be charged with her involvement in the robberies, plus it's interesting to see what's going to happen with Ben and Phil also - but again, I'll get into that shortly.

As Mick frets about his Mum being at the police station, he tries to find every bit of information that he ca, but to no avail. The only thing he knows for certain is that it has something to do with Phil Mitchell! As a way to take his mind of his Mum, Nancy and Frankie offer to stay up with him, but they all end up staying up and Mick attempts to gather the family together with a game of Monopoly. As everyone is assigned their little token, Mick is baffled to realise that his "Lucky Token" is missing (The Top Hat). On his hands and knees he begins to search the floor of the pub as Frankie and Nancy watch on - watching their Dad scramble for the Monopoly piece. They decide that they would take it upon themselves to search for the piece instead and instruct Mick to head upstairs and get comfortable.

As Mick agrees and exits, the two sisters then decide to get more acquainted over a bottle of wine. Only later on and everyone turns in for the night, Frankie seems to have a gotten a little tipsy, much to Mick and Linda's amusement. They inform their Dad that they couldn't find his Monopoly token but they decided to make him one instead. As Nancy escorts her sister to get a cup of tea, much to her reluctance, Mick reveals that he had hold of the Top Hat token all along and it was his whole plan of getting Nancy and Frankie to start bonding! - One word - Brilliant! I have to be honest, I loved the whole sisterly bonding between Frankie and Nancy and I really hope we'll continue to see more of the sisters together in scenes to come!

So, the big one, the big emotional SHOCKING one! Kush's trail is quickly approaching and it looks as if his main concern is how long he'll be locked up inside, how long he'll be away from Whitney and his son for if he was to plead guilty for not just his crime, but for all the other crimes he's taking the rap for for the Mitchells. He decides to take a visit to Mitchell's, wanting to speak to Phil, but instead comes face-to-face with Ben and admits that he doesn't want to go ahead with their plan. But somehow, Ben manages to change his mind, trying to explain that the money they're paying him will set him and Whitney for life once he's out of prison.

Realising that there really is no other way, he agrees to continue with his plans with the Mitchell's. But in the meantime, after having a confrontation with Whitney, Kat goes round to see Whitney apologising about the way she's been acting recently. She tries to reassure her that she still cares deeply about Kush, regardless of being distant over the past few months. Unfortunately, Kat drops the bombshell to Whitney that Kush has a good deal with Phil - much to her shock, even though she lies and informs Kat that Kush tells her everything, it's clear to see that Whitney is deeply hurt about hearing that Kush could be locked away for longer than she expected.

But whilst this conversation is happening between Kat and Whitney, Kush is gathering Martin, Keegan and Tiffany together in an attempt to throw a quick marriage ceremony for himself and Whitney. He wants to try and prove to her that no matter how long he'll be put in prison for, they will marry once he's released, and who knows, he could be let out sooner for good behaviour! As everyone gets dressed up their smart and gorgeous gear, Kush prepares to get married to Whitney.

After finding each other in the gardens, Whitney confronts her boyfriend/fiancé' demanding an explanation regarding what she's just been told by Kat. Kush is completely apologetic and admits that he should've told her the truth sooner, but he wanted to make sure that they would be set for life once he was released, but in Whitney's mind, he would be leaving her for a lot longer than he actually really needs to, which I guess I can understand her point. Why the hell should he take the rap for something he hasn't done?! Why does he need their money? As long as he has Whitney and his son, nothing else matters! Kush once again apologises and claims that they should get married before he goes to prison, he gets down on one knee and proposes to her. But poor Whitney is so devastated about being lied to again that all she can do is tearfully shake her head, much to Kush's disappointment and embarrassment, without another word between them, Kush walks off slowly and then speeds off into a run and just runs and runs as fast as his legs can take him!!

The following day, both Whitney and Martin are concerned about Kush's whereabouts, after running away no one appears to have heard from him. Through out the day, Whitney tries her absolute best to get in touch with Kush, leaving him plenty of voicemails but hearing nothing back. She begins to fret whether he has done something stupid and done a runner without her or maybe even done something even more stupid. As the day goes on and it gets darker and darker, Whitney is seen sitting alone on Arthur's bench in the garden's and of course, trying to be her knight in shining armour, Gray once again tries to worm his way in, informing her that Kush might be looking at a long time in prison and she needs to know for sure whether marrying him is the right thing to do, he even tries to get her inside to have a drink, in an attempt to console her. But Whitney is adamant she doesn't want a drink and that Kush is really good man. In hindsight, Gray's advice completely backfires as Whitney thanks him for making her realise what she has to do. Gray is obviously quite confused, but as Whitney returns home she attempts to call Kush one last time, pleading him to come home and softly informing him that she really does love him.

As she ends the call, to her shock Kush is sat in the living room waiting patiently for her, announcing his love for her, he apologises for springing their surprise wedding on her, but Whitney admits that it was a beautiful gesture. As they softly kiss, they agree that they are both in this for the long haul, no matter what happens, and they agree to marry. The following day is the big day for Kush, it's his first day at trial and even though Whitney and Martin want to be there for him, he respectfully asks them to stay away as it's not going to be happy to witness.

I have to admit, the whole thing that kicked off during Kush's trial I was not expecting! Kush heads to court alone after receiving a gorgeous Good Luck card from his son, but even in the waiting room, Gray once again can't help but make a comment, informing Kush he'll look after Whitney while he's away. As much as it seems innocent to Kush, we know completely what Gray's intentions are! But it's when Kush gets into the courtroom that things begin to kick off, as Ben and Gray watch from the stalls, Kush pleads guilty to the robbery of cars. But as soon as the judge asks him whether he has anything else he'd like to add - Kush reveals everything to the judge, that he in fact wasn't the only one who took part in the burglary and to Ben's absolutely horror, Kush names both him, Phil and Shirley amongst the ones who were involved in the robbery and reveals that the Mitchell's also need to pay for what they have done! Both Gray and Ben are completely gobsmacked by Kush's actions - even Ben almost lashes out in the courtroom claiming Kush to be liar! Watching this scene I thought it was absolutely brilliant, such an amazing atmosphere and the tension was certainly rising! It was as if Kush came to the decision that he's not going to take the rap for something he hasn't done and the Mitchell's need to be held responsible for what they've done! For Kush, he doesn't care about the money, all he cares about is Whitey and his son!

As things appear to be escalating in court, back on the Square both Shirley and Phil are arrested. Of course the Carter family are stunned to see Shirley being arrested, and Kat watches with dismay as Phil is put in handcuffs and taken away. Everyone can't seem to understand what is happening. Whitney is completely stunned to see Kush return home from court in a rushed manor. He informs her that he's not going to be going to be prison, BUT he's been asked to help with another investigation regarding the Mitchell's and if he agrees to co-operate with the police, he won't go to prison!

However now the Mitchell's know that Kush has grassed them up, they are going to be hot on his trail, he informs Whitney that for them to be safe, they need to leave the Square immediately! Meanwhile as Phil and Ben are being held at the police station, they both are asking Gray what can be done to get them out of prison, they are both completely and utterly fuming with regards to Kush grassing them up and they are demanding Gray to come up with a way of sorting it out and getting them out of prison! But Gray seems to have his hands tied, unless Kush changes his statement then there is nothing that he can do, much to their anger and frustration. As Kat, Callum and Gray gather outside the police station waiting to hear news, they begin to question why Kush would throw the Mitchell's into the frame when he was offered a good deal from them, but then Kat realises that the only reason he would do this would be for Whitney, she would be the only reason why he'd do this, for a chance to have a proper life with her.

Realising that their only option to be together is to run away, both Whitney and Kush gather their belongings and head to the Fowler's to inform Martin about their plans. Even though Martin completely understands and agrees with them, when they ask whether they could take Arthur with them, Martin is a little bit hesitant. Kush fears that if the Mitchell's don't get hold of him, they'll go for his son instead. He promises that they will keep Arthur safe and they would return when things with the Mitchell's has cooled off. Kush is really just being a Dad, he wants to keep his son safe and of course he's going to want to have him with him.

Eventually Martin agrees to let Arthur go with them, as much as it deeply upsets him, he understands that they're doing the right thing. Martin goes upstairs and wakes the little boy up from his sleep, informing him that he'll be going on holiday with Daddy Kush. I have to admit, Martin's goodbye to Arthur was incredibly emotional - especially when the young boy voices that he wants Daddy Martin to go with them. Poor Martin gets teary and telling his son that he wants to hear everything about his holiday.

Another certain emotional goodbye was between Kush and Martin. For years they have been like brother's, they've been through so much together and little do they know that this will be the last time they see each other. Before they both break down into tears, Kush thanks Martin and voices that Martin has been the best friend he's ever had. Gosh I have to say I was almost choked up myself watching all these emotional goodbyes. But what's even more harrowing was that Gray was watching them leave whilst being on the phone to Whitney, Whitney lied to him claiming she was going to bed early - but little did she know that she was being watched leaving the Square with Kush and Arthur.

Eventually they all get to the train station, waiting patiently for their train. But little Arthur lets them know that he needs to go to the bathroom, of course it's very bad timing but Whitney volunteers to take the youngster to the bathroom, leaving Kush alone on the platform. Unbeknown to them, Gray has followed them all the way to the station and is lurking in the shadows of the tube.

As Kush waits patiently for his fiancé' and son, Gray makes himself known, much to Kush's shock. It's plain to see that Gray isn't acting rationally, he has been drinking? He begins to lash out at Kush, claiming that he think he's won, taking Whitney from him. Kush is completely taken back by Gray's accusations, claiming he's going to ruin Whitney's life. Kush tries everything he can to calm Gray down and claim that everything he's thinking and possibly feeling is fantasy - the only thing Whitney has ever been to him is a childminder, nothing more! But Gray is adamant that he loves Whitney, she is in fact his future!

Suddenly Gray goes for Kush, they scuffle and Gray ends up falling onto the rail way lines! (OH MY GOSH!) My heart was absolutely pumping ten to the dozen watching this, for a very small brief moment, it looked as if Gray was finally going to get his comeuppance. In this distance you could clearly see the lights of the train coming ahead. Of course Kush, being the decent man that he is, even after being insulted and assaulted by Gray helps to drag him up back onto the platform.

Tensions are high, the train is fast approaching, but Gray makes it back to platform just in time, however things take a very very nasty and horrific turn when Kush stands up, claims that Gray could've nearly died. Hearing the train is quickly approaching, Gray quickly gets up and pushes Kush back onto the railway line as the train passes. Oh my goodness!!!!!! As much I was fretting this was going to happen, I also never expected it to end this way!!! Gray has killed ANOTHER Walford resident in the most horrific circumstances. I had every hope that Kush's role would remain open for Davood Ghadami to return one day! Kush's final scenes where incredible but yet really sad and such a shocker!!

I have to ask a few questions though, surely there would be some kind of CCTV on the platform?! How are people going to learn about Kush's death? Being killed on railway line is no accident, not unless Gray comes up with some stupid story claiming that it was an accident and he fell? What's going to happen when Whitney returns from taking Arthur the bathroom? Will we even see that?! What's going to happen for the Mitchell's and Shirley now? I'm assuming with Kush not being able to co-operate with the police and give them evidence, there'll be no reason for the police to charge the Mitchell's and Shirley, right?!

Will they think that Kush has just upped and ran? Will they even learn about his death?! Oh my gosh so many questions!!! Please feel free to let me know what you thought of last night's episode! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Surely Gray has to be found out soon, right? How many more people can he get away with killing?! The Carter's WILL eventually find out what happened to Tina - her body is still missing, but will it end up being discovered? We still don't know what Gray did with her body?!

I have to say though I can't applaud Davood Ghadami and Toby-Alexander Smith loud enough for their performances as Gray Atkins and Kush Kazemi - this week these two have absolutely shone, truly incredible actors!! I'm so glad I've been able to sit down today and write out this blog, I cannot wait to see what happens next and I will certainly follow up tomorrow! Thank you all for your on-going support, it truly means the world! Love you all xXx

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